After much speculation, #FortniteSeason9 has arrived! Only a week ago today did Epic hint towards what was to come with the volcano erupting and destroying both Retail Row and the beloved Tilted Towers. Quite a few players were upset with losing Tilted, as it has been one of the hottest spots on the map since the game released. However, #InFortniteWeTrust, and we patiently awaited what was to come.
Season 9 kicked off today and there have been some major changes to the map. To start, the released their intro video to show how we got to where we are now. The Volcano erupted, causing Peely and Ranger to take shelter in the vault. They had a good time until checking the fridge and realizing they had no food. Later 3 new characters, Vega, Rox, and Sentinel open the vault, and find Ranger (Bunker Jonesy) slurping a smoothy with Peely in it. He then walks out to see the new world, and what is now called Neo Towers.
Fortnite Season 9 Intro
Bunker Jonesy now has three 'new' spots on the map to explore, Neo Tilted (Tilted Towers), Mega Mall (Retail Row), and Pressure Plant (The volcano). The map also has a few new nuggets that add some dynamics to this season. They introduced 7 new 'sky platforms' to the map. The platforms are floating up in the sky with 4 different rifts to bring you up to them. They are small, but make for an intense battle if you run into another player when you land on them.
Similar to past seasons, they brought back the lift pads. If you jump on these pads, they spring you forward, and leave you un-phased by fall damage, make sure to check these out if you're in a pinch!
The coolest feature I've noticed so far is the new Slip Streams. These are everything the game needed in order to travel across the map at a much faster pace. There are three streams in total, one around Neo Tilted, one around Mega Mall, and one that encompasses the middle of the map, from Lucky Landings all the way around Loot Lake. The streams are cylinder with a jet stream in between them. One in them, it can gently carry you around, or you can control the speed by pushing forward. Bonus: it allow you to bring the Ballers in as well!
Here are the new areas on the map!
Neo Tilted - (Tilted Towers)
Tilted has had quite the transformation, leading us to believe that they were trapped in the bunker for quite some time. Last we saw, the volcano had destroyed the entire area, and now the new city has 5 large buildings that let players battle it out. It may be new, but it still has all the old feelings of Tilted Towers, and still a wildly popular spot to land.
The area still appears to be undergoing some changes though. They left a crane on the south side of the map, leading us to believe that they still have some constructing left to do. If we know anything about Fortnite, we won't be disappointed in whats to come.
Mega Mall - (Retail Row)
Retail Row was another area devastated by the volcano. The new area has turned in, well, a mall. The mall is fairly large, containing three levels to loot and battle on. It also has a Slip Stream on the outside, letting you flow around the area quickly. One of the more fun 'Easter Eggs' that Fortnite has put in the game, is inside the mall. There are two different shops that refer back to different areas on the map. The first is the new toilet store 'Flush Factory Outlet' which refers back to the old toilet factory 'Flush Factory' that was removed a few seasons back. The other is 'Junk 4 Cash Pawn', which refers to the still active, yet rarely dropped spot, Junk Junction (which also has few changes). Look out for future weeks challenges to include something from both locations!
Pressure Plant - (The Volcano)
The volcano also has undergone some changes. The new Pressure Plant takes place of inside where the volcano used to be. They now appear to be drawing from the center of the volcano for power. It's hard to say exactly what is to come here, as the details are fairly minimal here. There is a helicopter pad located in the center and some construction equipment left in the area, so I'm fully expecting some changes later on in the season!
As of right now, some of my older predictions have come true. Last night I tweeted (@officialbudhole) that it was likely the last we would see of the treasure maps. From playing around today, I have yet to run into any maps, however, it appears the Llamas have stuck around yet again. It's yet to be seen what/if Fortnite plans to bring in some sort of exclusive loot opportunities.
My last nuggets from what I've noticed so far, is that there is a large power source coming from the vault in Loot Lake and following all the way to the North side of Neo Tilted. I suspect this will play a roll in future weeks with either new special abilities or game modes. There are also now quite a few windmills spread across the map, which could be fueling power to specific parts of the map (I could see a visit challenge in the weeks to come).
Left to right: Loot lake power, Neo Tilted power, Windmill by Haunted Hills
This is a brief look at the newest season, and as the season goes on, there will be much more to come. If there is one thing we know for sure, Fortnite does not disappoint.
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