Don’t forget to drop in on The Block this week to check out the latest community creation. It’s a great one.
Epic Games
There will be tons of new Fortnite: Battle Royale players now that the holidays are mostly over, because I can only imagine how many households just got shiny new gaming consoles. Fortnite is a no-brainer for people to add to their library because it is the most popular game on the planet, but maybe more importantly, it’s free. For all the new players dropping in for the first time, welcome, but for everyone else it’s business as usual for getting through the week’s free and Battle Pass challenges.
For those just starting out, the Battle Pass costs about 10 bucks and it opens up a tiered system for getting emotes, dance moves and gear as you play so you don’t have to buy individual items. Completing challenges is how you move up through tiers, so it’s the easiest way to get new stuff.
The list this week seems to be the most interesting so far this season, with unique challenges we haven’t seen before and one that has been brought back from the dead with a “find the letters” challenge.
If you haven’t finished last week’s challenges, check out our guide here.
Here are this week’s challenges:
Free
- Use an X-4 Stormwing plane in different matches (0/5)
- Launch Fireworks (0/3)
- Eliminate opponents at Expedition Outposts (0/3) – Hard
Battle Pass
- Stage 1: Destroy chairs (0/80)
- Deal damage with a pickaxe to opponents (0/100)
- Eliminate opponents at Happy Hamlet or Pleasant Park (0/3) – Hard
- Stage 1: Search the letter ‘O’ west of Pleasant Park
How to use an X-4 Stormwing plane in different matches
It’s nice to see we finally have a challenge for those planes that are constantly flying around the map these days. The planes are all over the map, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find one. But the important thing here is that the challenge is about flying them in separate matches so the best way to complete it is to concentrate on landing where there are planes over the course of five games. Alternatively, you could decide that you’re going to fly a plane every time you see one and it should get this challenge out of the way.
How to launch fireworks
In keeping with all the celebrations that take place at this time of year we have a challenge that lets us launch fireworks into the Fortnite skies. The fireworks look like a cartoony red rocket with a fuse and can be found at these locations around the map:
All of the locations are near the edge of the map, so it will take a couple games to get the three you need.
Jason Parker/CNET
How to eliminate opponents at expedition outposts
I’ve really grown to like landing at expedition outposts because you can always find some good basic loot and chests at these locations, and there’s often a zipline so you can make a quick getaway. But eliminating opponents at these locations is going to be tough because everyone will be landing there for the challenge. If you wait too long it’ll be harder to find people so the best way to do this one is to take it out now while everyone else is doing it. Here’s where the outposts are on the map:
It’s going to be a bloodbath, but it’s best to take it out quickly.
Jason Parker/CNET
How to do stage 1: Destroy chairs
This is the first of three stages you’ll need to complete, but it just requires that you destroy 80 regular chairs you find in houses around the island. It might be good to just have this on your radar this week, making it a point to destroy every chair you see until you’re done. When that’s done, stage 2 will have you destroying wooden utility poles, then stage 3 will be those wooden pallets you see everywhere.
How to deal damage with a pickaxe to opponents
This one is pretty self-explanatory, but your best bet here is to land at Tilted Towers where you know people will be trying to complete this challenge. You might also try any of the exhibition outposts, because people will definitely be landing there for the earlier challenge. Just find somebody and start swinging.
How to eliminate opponents at Happy Hamlet or Pleasant Park
This is another challenge you’ll want to do early to make sure there are people around while it’s still hot. You get the choice here of a new area and an OG-named location so just pick your poison and start shooting. You need three eliminations to complete the challenge.
How to do stage 1: Search the letter ‘O’ west of Pleasant Park
It seems the NOMS sign for the establishment in Retail Row has lost its letters and you’re being tasked with finding them and returning them to their former glory. You’ll need to find each of the four letters then go the storefront for the final part of the challenge. You’ll also need to do them in the order given with each stage (which isn’t in the order of the word itself). Here’s a map with each letter and stage of the challenge:
