One of Fortnite’s most iconic locations is no more. Today, after a few weeks of teasing, the Fortnite volcano has finally erupted, and it has taken out various parts of the island. Most notably, Tilted Towers — the busiest area of Fortnite’s island — has been almost entirely destroyed.
The event started out when a mysterious spaceship-like vault located in Loot Lake opened up, transporting players to a strange new dimension. There, six previously removed items from the game appeared encased in glass, and players had to work together to break one free so that it could return to the game. Also, there was a fancy desk, for some reason. While fan favorites like airplanes and the Infinity Blade were featured, it was the drum gun that was eventually chosen. (Epic says the new weapon won’t appear during the Fortnite World Cup qualifiers this weekend.)
Following that, players were sent back to the island, and the volcano erupted in a massive stream of lava that darkened the sky around the map. Blasts of lava shot out across the map, most notably laying waste to Tilted Towers. The once bustling area, previously filled with lots of tall buildings, is now a fiery wreck, though it retains its name. At present, the volcano is still smoking, and other areas, like Retail Row, have also been damaged.
Prior to the event, developer Epic Games disabled most of the standard Fortnite battle royale modes. Instead, players had to play a squad-based mode called “The Unvaulting,” which featured respawns instead of permanent death; it seems that the studio has learned from the frustration of players who died during the rocket launch last June.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16211094/Fortnite_20190504153428.jpg)
Strange occurrences have been happening since mid-April leading up to the eruption. It all started when the spaceship-like vault appeared at Loot Lake, coupled with a mysterious rune that players had to collectively push across the island. Eventually, five runes made their way to the lake, including one where players had to give up offerings to the volcano itself. It was then that we saw early signs that the volcano was about to erupt. Meanwhile, a number of odd events happened at Tilted Towers, some of which seemed unintended, suggesting something big was happening.
There are almost definitely more changes on the way as well. Season 9 of Fortnite is expected to kick off on May 9th, and a new season always brings with it a number of surprises.
This article is from The Verge
