By Allan Tompkins
The Fortnite display, presented by Epic Games at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Ariana Ruiz/Prensa Internacional/Zuma Press/TNS)
Fortnite is known as one of the most influential video games of all time. Released in July 2017, it has provided kids and adults worldwide with countless late-night memories of playing with friends. Whether it be its boastful 400+ collaborations, its enticing storyline that has continued since 2017 or the intense battles that players experience in every match, Fortnite holds a special place in many people's hearts.
One thing, though, that has persisted amongst fans since the end of the first 10 seasons (Chapter 1) of Fortnite in 2019 has been for Fortnite to return to its roots with a Chapter 1-themed season. This wish from fans and players seemed more like a long shot than a reality and it wasn't for another 4 years until Fortnite finally granted their fans the one thing they wanted most. In November 2023, Fortnite OG was released, revisiting classic POIs (points of interest) such as Pleasant Park, Salty Springs and Retail Row.
Yet, what really made this season a money-maker for Fortnite was the 11.6 million people playing at once, officially becoming the highest player count the company, Epic Games, has ever seen since its launch. Unfortunately, the season was the shortest ever, spanning over a mere 29 days, which left fans with only a taste of nostalgia. Not too long after, they were already presenting Epic Games with the next question: When will Chapter 2 be brought back?
Similarly to Chapter 1 of Fortnite, Chapter 2 was revolutionary for the game: bringing an entirely new map and adding bosses, cars, collaborative seasons and mechanics such as swimming. Despite these exciting upgrades that made the entire chapter so memorable, the year 2020, when it came out, is one of the biggest reasons for its success. With everyone quarantined in their houses for over a year, the video game industry experienced a boom in player count that led to what many people consider Fortnite's "Second Prime." That's why when Chapter 1 was brought back in 2023, players couldn't get enough of it and instantly demanded a similar experience by bringing back Chapter 2. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait nearly as long for this request as just one year later, Fortnite Chapter 2: Remix was released yet, with a twist.
Collaborations
Image of the 'LBC '93 Dogg' outfit featured in this season's, Music Pass
In the OG season remake, one of the only noticeable differences was how Fortnite combined certain OG Battle Pass skins to keep the original skins rare. Similarly, Chapter 2: Remix combined certain skins as well yet, some unfamiliar faces were featured. Inspired by their long-held admiration for collabs, Fortnite presented Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Ice Spice as 3 staples of the season. This, sort of random, addition to the season fits the theme of a remix as all three of the collaborators are rappers, yet it has certainly garnered mixed feelings amongst the community
"The season's fun, don't get me wrong, and I like Snoop Dogg and Eminem being included, but Ice Spice just doesn't seem to have the same legendary status as the others. She feels out of place," said sophomore, Milo Delgado.
Along with these 3 featured rappers, at the end of the official launch trailer, players got a quick glimpse of a face that hasn't been seen in a long time: Juice WRLD. This collab has been anticipated for almost a year now and fans were ecstatic to see him on the big screen. It has been confirmed that his skin will be given out for free to all those who log on between 1:00 A.M. EST on November 30 and 1:00 A.M. EST on December 1 (the end of the season) as a commemoration for his passing back in 2019. Players are also expecting some sort of live-event concert from him sometime in the season similar to Travis Scott's in Chapter 2.
Map Changes
As for the map, it looks just as good as it was left and it sure is refreshing to land at locations that haven't been revisited in years such as Misty Meadows, Slurpy Swamp and Sweaty Sands. Each rapper that was featured in the trailer will also get their own POI that will replace some of the Chapter 2 boss locations.
Image of the new POI, Mom's Spaghetti that will feature Eminem.
While originally known as The Agency in the center of the map, it has since been renamed as The Doggpound and houses Snoop Dogg who, as the other boss NPCs, will fight with you once you defeat him. Along with The Doggpound, Eminem's Mom's Spaghetti will replace The Grotto on November 7; Ice Spice's, Ice Isle will replace The Shark on November 14; and Juice Wrld's, WRLD Point will have its own unique spot on the map and is expected to release on November 21.
"I think it's cool how they're incorporating the collaborations into the map," said Federico Mora '27, "I can't wait to see what they do with it next."
Weapon Changes
The weapons in Chapter 2: Remix have not changed from Chapter 2's original loot pool and include some fan favorites such as the pump and tactical shotgun, heavy sniper, remote explosives and rocket launcher. Despite all this great loot, the famous vaults that players would gain access to after defeating a boss have received a major downgrade. What used to have guaranteed epic and legendary loot now has a chance of simply dropping a cardboard box or a common weapon which is a very small reward for the large feat of defeating a boss.
"It's underwhelming to say the least," said Noah Santiago '26.
As for the loot that the bosses drop, Snoop Dogg drops "Snoop's Drum Gun" and also features a remade version of the classic boogie bombs that would make players dance if hit by. This time, though, instead of doing the classic emote, players do the famous 'Drop It Like It's Hot' dance. Eminem also has a mythic minigun that will rap his song, Rap God, whenever fired and Ice Spice has a rifle similar to one of the bosses, Skye's, in the original Chapter 2 season. The Ka-Boom Bow and Heavy Assault Rifle are two other notable weapons dropped by bosses, Dynamo TNTina and Meowdas.
Image of the 1966 Cadillac DeVille that reveals the new feature of hydraulics
Aside from the weapons, the famous Fortnite cars that were introduced in Chapter 2 Season 3 also experienced a noticeable change. As a tribute to Snoop Dogg, an exclusive car skin mimicking the 1966 Cadillac DeVille has been added to the game. The DeVille, along with the Whiplash model of cars has been modified with hydraulics that allow for the cars to jump: a dramatized version of the iconic lowriders which would bounce to the beat of the music being played inside.
Battle Pass
Similar to the Chapter 1 OG season of combining some of the original skins for the Battle Pass, In Chapter 2: Remix, Fortnite remade 5 skins. These include Meowdas (a remix of Midas and Meowscles), Undercover Skye (Skye wearing a mask of her pet, Guff), Dynamo TNTina (a remix of Dynamo & TNTina), 1-Ball (a remade version of 8-Ball) and Chaos Director (a female version of Chaos Agent). These skins look great and along with a variety of emotes and gliders to choose from, this Battle Pass perfectly captures the essence of Chapter 2.
One of the more surprising parts of the Battle Pass that can be found on the bonus, Quest Rewards page was the new addition of shoes. This season's Battle Pass features the very first and new edition of Air Jordan 1 high tops that Fortnite claims are compatible with over 500 skins as of right now. They also claim that by the end of next year, they will be compatible with over 95% of skins in the game. This new add-on cosmetic for skins is definitely going to make for some creative and funny combinations between more serious skins who you would never see wearing Air Jordan 1s. On top of this, Fortnite will be able to branch out into a whole new world of collaborations with notable brands that can sponsor certain shoes.
Image of the new Air Jordan 1 shoes that will be appliable to skins soon
"I think it's a cool concept, but I hope Fortnite doesn't use this as a money-grabber to start making collabs with a bunch of brands we don't care about," said sophomore, Diego Martinez, "I am still looking forward to putting the Jordans on Darth Vader though."
Recent News
With so many new updates being introduced to Fortnite, fans are overwhelmed with anticipation for the changes that are yet to come- and they had no idea what was next. A recent data leak of the Fortnite files has revealed that Fortnite Chapter 1 will be returning to Fortnite Battle Royale permanently. This experience will be available in both Build and Zero-Build modes and will feature the entire OG loot pool.
Each month will feature a season of Chapter 1 that will supposedly coordinate with map and weapon changes. This news is expected to be revealed by the end of the season, meaning that players might be able to wake up on Christmas morning and hop on Fortnite season 1 with their friends. All of this news is extremely exciting for Fortnite gamers across the globe and is going to be a pivotal moment in Fortnite's trajectory from here on out. It makes for the perfect blend of nostalgia and fresh content that will continue to be produced by Epic Games.
Chapter 2: Remix is less than a week old and is already a monumental season for Fortnite in terms of changes from traditional ideas. Whether it be the unexpected collaborations that Fortnite never fails to surprise everyone with or the upcoming news that can always be looked forward to, Fortnite is climbing its way back up into relevancy amongst the gaming community and has no plans of slowing down.
Screenshots from the author's gameplay
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