Fortnite Season 8 guide: Battle Pass, skins, map changes, and more!

Fortnite Season 8 is here! The battle between ice has fire just begun and pirates have invaded the shores of Epic Games’ hit battle royale game! Season 7’s cold snap is melting away and the Fortnite team has made major changes to the map and gameplay for the Spring season.

Below we’ll be running through everything we know so far about Fortnite Season 8. Here you’ll find the Fortnite Season 8 start date, Battle Pass details, map changes, new skins, and more! Check back frequently to stay up to date on the ever evolving world of Fortnite!

When does Fortnite Season 8 start?

Fortnite Season 8 started on Thursday, Feb. 28 a day after Season 7 ended on Feb. 27.

Fortnite Season 7 and the Season 7 Battle Pass had been expected to end on Feb. 14, but Epic extended the event by two weeks to give the team a holiday break. To tide players over until the start of Season 8 we got the Valentine’s Day “Share the Love” event complete with overtime challenges.

When will Fortnite Season 8 end?

The Fortnite Season 8 end date should fall ten weeks after the start on Thursday, May 9.

How much does the Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass cost?

In a bit of a change from previous season, the Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass is free. Sort of.

If you can complete all of the Overtime Challenges before Season 7 ends on Feb. 27, you won’t have to pay a cent for the premium Battle Pass.

For those that don’t manage to complete the Overtime Challenges, the Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks. You can buy 1,000 V-Bucks for $10.

While there’s a free Battle Pass for players who don’t want to spend their hard-earned cash, you’ll only unlock the most sought-after exclusive skins, emotes, and other cosmetics by completing challenges to progress through the premium Battle Pass’ 100 levels.

Fortnite Season 8 Theme and Map Changes

Things got a little chilly during Fortnite Season 7 with snow and ice invading the map and whole bunch of winter- and holiday-based skins, but for Season 8, things are starting to really heat up.

Fortnite Season 8 features a face-off between Season 7’s Ice King, The Prisoner, and a new armada of pirates who all seem to be hunting for some kind of secret treasure.

A new Season also means major new map changes and Season 8 doesn’t disappoint. The biggest change is the emergence of a huge volcano that has erupted from beneath Wailing Woods.

Touching the lava will deal 1 damage but you’ll also bounce off the surface. There are also geysers that can be used to propel yourself into the air. Aside from the enormous volcano, there are also two new heat-themed areas called Lazy Lagoon and Sunny Steps.

You can read the full Fortnite Season 8 patch notes here.

While Season 7 had clues stretching back for months, Fortnite Season 8 had been a little harder to predict.

The first clues began with the melting ice around Polar Peak which revealed a large castle. This was all sparked by a sudden appearance from the Ice King and Season 7’s secret character, The Prisoner, who was apparently being held deep within the castle’s walls. It was speculated The Prisoner would be responsible for the melting snow and ice as he’s basically a fire version of the Ice King.

You could see this progression in the later stages of The Prisoner skin (above) as he melted the cold ice off his skin and appeared to have fire and magma coursing through his body.

Fans speculated that the Ice King trapped The Prisoner within the castle, something backed up by the shackles on The Prisoner at the start.

Fortnite players also started experiencing tremors that caused fissures in the ground. With the Ice King able to control ice and snow from the sky, his opposite number seemed able to manipulate molten rock below the surface to cause earthquakes.

The official Fortnite Twitter account also started teasing with pictures of hooked hands, skulls, bones, and cryptic hints about treasure and loot.

There was also an image and an accompanying poem referencing hissing creatures that “shimmer” within a cave, which seemed to relate to the mysterious eggs in Polar Peak. Epic’s creative director Donald Mustard further hinted that the two were connected with a quote tweet containing an egg emoji.

More puzzling, however, was the latter part of the poem which warned of “those who arrive on waves,” and later teasers which hinted that dragons/wyverns could come to Fortnite.

The reference to ash also coincided with clouds of smoke rising from Wailing Woods, which now has been engulfed in fire, but the snakes/dragons have yet to emerge in Fortnite Season 8.

Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass – Skins, Wraps, Pets

A new Season in Fortnite means new cosmetics!

As well as the usual batch of new skins, Season 8 should also feature new Wraps and Pets.

Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass Skins

Let’s start with the top of the pile at the Tier 100 Battle Pass skin. Luxe is the first female top-tier skin and Season 8’s cover star. Luxe is a progressive skin that doesn’t change too much but does max out with a blingy black and gold reskin as seen in all the trailers.

As for the rest, the ninja-like Hybrid and pirate Blackheart both unlock at Tier 1. Sidewinder — a very cool looking cowgirl — unlocks at Tier 23. The ridiculous Peely banana skin unlocks at Tier 47 and the elfen Ember unlocks at Tier 71.

Finally, there’s the Naruto-esque Master Key which unlocks at Tier 87.

Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass Wraps

Season 8 Wraps unlock at Tier 5, 28, 43, 60, 77, and 98.

Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass Pets

Fortnite Season 8 has two new pets. Woodsy — a “hand carved” dog — unlocks at Tier 19 while the fox Dodger unlocks at Tier 52.

That’s all for this Fortnite Season 8 guide. What are you most looking forward to this season and what would you like to see in Season 9? Let us know in the comments!

Put down your Llama Bell and check out the rest of our Fortnite content:

• Fortnite cross platform guide: Play with everyone
• Fortnite for Android interview – Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney on breaking away from Google Play
• Fortnite Mobile tips and tricks: How to build, shoot and win