The biggest changes for Fortnite Season 2 in Chapter 7

Fortnite Season 2 of Chapter 7 is now underway, so it's time to get involved in the Showdown and see what it had to offer. There have been some interesting tweaks made to the Battle Pass, which is understandable given the recent significant changes to how V-Bucks are valued in Fortnite, but alongside the usual updates to the map and what guns are available there's also a completely new mechanic for taking down specific opponents. To find out more, these are the biggest changes in Fortnite Season 2 of Chapter 7.

The Battle Pass is changing

Following the recently announced changes to V-Bucks value, the price for the Fortnite Season 2 Battle Pass has dropped to 800 V-Bucks – though you'll only be able to earn up to 800 V-Bucks back during the course of the season, so you can no longer increase your balance overall. For the first time there is a bonus incentive for players who purchase the Battle Pass from launch through March 26, unlocking the Stealth Tech Foundation style and accessories.

Of course, there are still plenty of rewards to unlock by progressing through the Battle Pass. We have The Rock returning as The Foundation, along with a remix of the Jules skin first seen in Season 3 of Chapter 2, plus it's hard to miss that Bugs Bunny features prominently!

There's also the Ice Prince sidekick, some Ice King's Frostwalkers kicks, and more to collect. The full list of Battle Pass characters is as follows:

• Exalted Ice King [instant unlock]
• Squibby
• Lady Windfrost
• Dasha
• The Foundation (Reforged)
• The Order (Reforged)
• Elite Jules
• Bugs Bunny [level 85 required]

There's a new Rivalries system

To shake things up in Showdown there's a new Fortnite Rivalries system, where you challenge a Rival during a match and earn credits for eliminating them. You also need to pick a side between Team Ice King and Team Foundation, with your rival eliminations counting towards progress in the showdown between them. Make sure you also sign up for the Global Leaderboard Challenge online, where you can earn cosmetics and potentially win big prizes.

The map has been updated

As is usual for the start of a fresh season, the map has been updated with some new POIs to visit around the island. The main ones to be aware of are Squibbly Shores to the west, Frigid Fortress to the north, New Sanctuary to the southeast, and Dark Dominion right in the middle.

There are new guns to try out

Again, it wouldn't be the start of a fresh season without a selection of Fortnite new weapons to add to your arsenal, and the loot pool has been significantly refreshed for Season 2. In addition to new guns such as the Vector 7 DMR and Chaos Reloader Shotgun, there are also some more practical items such as Overdrive Grenades that grant temporary speed boosts to anyone they hit and a Skyline Deployer to shoot out a zipline that anyone can then use... or destroy.

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