Fortnite's Season 6 primal theme has officially gone extinct - and the battle royale has since been abducted and transformed into a brand new alien-themed Invasion event.

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Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 is officially here and with it comes more skins, weapons and challenges that you can shake a harvesting tool at, ensuring players will have plenty to do while gunning for that elusive victory royale.

The Battle Pass, skins and challenges are only available for a limited time, however, so make sure you hop on the Battle Bus plenty of times if you want to complete them all!

Chapter 2 Season 7 is now live after Fortnite experienced server downtime on the morning of launch day - find out everything that was included in the Fortnite Season 7 update v17.00 patch notes.

Fortnite Season 7 Skins

Epic Games
Epic Games

With a new season, of course, comes a new Battle Pass, which comes with a fresh new selection of skins that are (mostly!) based on this season's extra-terrestrial theme. Each Battle Pass comes with a crossover these days, with DC's Superman and Rick Sanchez of Rick & Morty fame headlining the Season 7 edition.

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However, there's no need to grind to level 100 to get the crossover skin this time around as Season 7 has brought back Battle Stars, a virtual currency you can earn by playing that can be used to buy Battle Pass items in the order you'll like. However, you'll still have to unlock pages of the Battle Pass in order to purchase those cosmetics - you'll still have to board the Battle Bus a few times before you can get Rick!

However there's plenty of original skins too - here are all the available skins and their unlockable styles, as well as their Battle Star cost and Battle Pass page:

  • Kymera - Included, Page 1
  • Sunny - 9 Battle Stars, Page 2
  • Voyager Sunny Style - 8 Battle Stars, Page 3
  • Guggimon - 9 Battle Stars, Page 4
  • Joey - 9 Battle Stars, Page 5
  • Joey Unzipped - 7 Battle Stars, Page 6
  • Zyg - 9 Battle Stars, Page 7
  • Doctor Slone - 9 Battle Stars, Page 8
  • Battlesuit Slone Style - 8 Battle Stars, Page 9
  • Molten Midnight Zyg Style - 8 Battle Stars, Page 9
  • Rick Sanchez - 9 Battle Stars, Page 10

Unlike most Fortnite skins, first unlock Kymera is fully customisable - with over 2000 style combos possible.

Headline Battle Pass skin Superman is not available at launch, but is instead locked behind a timer that indicates he will join the fight on 12th August. However, it looks like he can be unlocked by using Battle Stars, rather than the challenges usually used to get mid-season skins such Neymar Jr.

There will, of course, be plenty of new skins in the item shop also throughout the season, many of which will tie into the alien theme. Rumours have been pointing to galactic bounty hunter Samus from Metroid for some time now - could she be the first Nintendo skin in Fortnite?

Fortnite Season 7 Weapons

Fortnite Season 6 took us back in time for a focus on makeshift and primal weapons, but Season 7 is flinging us far into the future with some alien-inspired tech.

Saucers

Epic Games
Epic Games

Firstly, those nifty little Flying Saucers that were in the trailers weren't just a cinematic, but are available in-game and fully controllable. If you can avoid their teleporting tractor beam and shoot one down, you'll be able to pilot one and use the built-in abduction beam and energy cannon. Beats a car any day!

Kymera Ray Gun

Epic Games
Epic Games

The Kymera Ray Gun is named after the Kymera skin available in the Battle Pass, and can fire a continuous beam until it needs to recharge. However while powerful it is less effective against structures - so be careful against builders!

Pulse Rifle

Epic Games
Epic Games

The Pulse Rifle comes not from aliens but from The Imagined Order (IO), an organisation of self-proclaimed Island defenders who claim the weapon is effective at hip firing. Beware however, as the Pulse Rifle is much slower when you aim down sights.

Doctor Slone has a more special version of the Pulse Rifle, however - so if you can take her down at The Aftermath you can wield this more powerful variant.

Recon Scanner

Epic Games
Epic Games

The Recon Scanner also comes from the IO, and does exactly as the name suggests: the gun fires Recon Bolts that marks all opponents and chests in its diameter. It may not be an offensive weapon but the Recon Scanner certainly has tactical use - especially when it can regenerate Bolts automatically.

Rail Gun

fortnite-rail-gun-1920x1080-3d4a912c2a47
Epic Games

The IO's Rail Gun sounds like many people's worst nightmare - a sniper that can shoot through surfaces. However the visible targeting beam helps balance it out, and extra damage to Saucers suggests its main use could be to counter UFOs.

Nuts and Bolts

Epic Games
Epic Games

Much like Fortnite Season 6 introduced Mechanical Parts and Animal Bones, Season 7 will be continuing the crafting mechanic by adding Nuts and Bolts instead. These crafting ingredients can be used to craft familiar weapons from the game's past - adding nuts and bolts to an Assualt Rifle will craft a Burst Assault Rifle, combined with a Submachine Gun will make a Rapid Fire SMG, and with any Shotgun for a Lever Action Shotgun.

Unlike the Primal variants there won't be any of these pre-built weapons lying around, so you'll have to get hands-on with the crafting system to get these classic guns.

Unvaulted Weapons

Every season Epic Games take some weapons into their notorious vault, but also release some new ones - here are all the guns we know so far that are returning in Season 7:

  • Hand Cannon (Desert Eagle)
  • Lever Action Sniper Rifle
  • Launch Pad
  • Burst Assault Rifle (AUG)
  • Lever Action Shotgun
  • Sniper Rifles

Vaulted Weapons

It's give and take with weapons in Fortnite - the following guns and items have been vaulted and removed from the game:

  • Infantry Rifle
  • Revolver
  • Dual Pistols
  • Harpoon Gun
  • Vendetta Flopper
  • Stink Fish
  • All Makeshift Weapons
  • All Primal Weapons

However, as we saw last season with the addition of new bows, expect new weapons to be added in future updates throughout the season - Epic Games has already teased that the Aliens and IO are working on more futuristic firearms...

Fortnite Season 7 Challenges

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 brings aliens back to the game
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 7 brings aliens back to the game Epic Games

A new season means a brand new set of fresh challenges, with 12 weeks of Season 6 challenges complete and the Season 7 Week 1 challenges now live.

Many of the Week 1 challenges involve using the new weapons or exploring the map - activities you'll likely be doing anyway! We've listed them below along with a few handy tips:

Epic Challenges

Collect different weapon types (5) - 30,000 XP

This quest does not refer to weapons of different rarity, but rather different classes. Therefore, you'll need to collect one of each of the following: pistol, handgun, SMG, rocket launcher and rifle. These can all be found easily by exploring the map and looting, and may even be achieved without realising.

Search chests at Steamy Stacks or Craggy Cliffs - (7) - 30,000 XP

Nice and simple this one - Steamy Stacks and Craggy Cliffs are POIs that have carried over from Season 6 and can both be found in the North-East of the map. However you'll need to open seven chests, so we recommend landing at these locations before other players open them up.

Deal damage with the Pulse Rifle (500) - 30,000 XP

The Pulse Rifle is new for Season 7, and can be found throughout the map. To guarantee finding a Pulse Rifle, you could always challenge the Doctor Slone NPC, who can be found at the alien crater at the centre of the map. Defeating her will reward you with the mythic Pulse Rifle, but make sure you bring plenty of loot with you!

Elimination with the Rail Gun (1) - 30,000 XP

The Rail Gun is a powerful new sniper that can shoot through builds, but beware the visible targeting beam and long warm-up times. The Rail Gun is not a mythic or legendary gun, so should be easily found in the usual locations such as chests and floor loot.

Upgrade Weapons at upgrade benches (3) - 30,000 XP

Upgrade benches have returned for Season 7, with 10 of them now available on the island. You only need to use three, however - they are mostly found at named POIs, with Dirty Docks, Steamy Stacks, Craggy Cliffs, Catty Corner and Believer Beach all home to an upgrade station.

Accept a quest from a payphone (1) - 30,000 XP

Much like NPCs, you can now accept quests from payphones in exchange for gold bars. There are 15 scattered around the map, with POIs such as Holly Hedges, Retail Row, Catty Corner, Slurpy Swamp and Believer Beach all hosting a good old-fashioned payphone.

While they don't appear on the map, a small phone icon will appear on screen when you are near one. You then simply have to interact with them (like with NPCs) to start choosing quests.

Buy a shield potion from a Mending Machine (1) - 30,000 XP

There are 12 Mending Machines around the map, including POIs such as Lazy Lake, Believer Beach and Pleasant Park. You'll need 30 gold to buy a small shield potion, and 120 gold for a large one.

Legendary Challenges

Converse with Sunny, Abstrakt, Dreamflower, Riot or Bushranger (3) - 45,000 XP

There are five NPCs available for this quest, but you only need to talk to three. The easiest three are Bushranger, Sunny, and Dreamflower, who are all located in the North-West of the map. Bushranger is found above the alien crater at the map's centre, next to the river. Dreamflower is in the Flopper Pond house, and Sunny is situated on the Believer Beach Pier.

Collect Stone From The Aftermath (100) - 30,000 XP

The Aftermath is the fitting name for the crater in the map's centre, where the Spire was before it was destroyed. All you need to do is land there and harvest 100 stone using your pickaxe.

Collect different IO tech weapons (3) - 30,000 XP

The IO tech weapons in question are the Pulse Rifle, Rail Gun and Recon Scanner. Your best bet is to head to Stealthy Strongholds where there is an IO base, and then either defeat the guards or open the distinctive black IO chests there.

Interact with Bunker Jonesy's conspiracy board (1) - 30,000 XP

Very fittingly for a sci-fi theme, for this quest you must interact with Bunker Jonesy's conspiracy board. The board is located in the wooden house on the southern coast, just below the dance club and slightly southeast from Misty Meadows.

Place rubber ducks in Retail Row, Pleasant Park and Believer Beach (3) - 30,000 XP

There's no rubber duck item sadly - you just have to interact with the glowing duck at each location. There's one at the petrol station at Pleasant Park, the basketball court at Retail Row and the swimming pool at Believer Beach.

Challenges traditionally refresh on Thursdays at 2pm - though with the new season only launching on a Tuesday, we expect Week 1 challenges will last a little longer until Thursday 17th June 2021.

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