Answering the Biggest Questions About Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 2

With the first season of Fortnite behind us and Season 2 only a few weeks away, there is a lot of buzz in the community about what to expect next. While we have some firm details, such as the release date, there's also plenty of room for speculation. We'll be updating this roundup with more information as we hear about it but until then, check out everything we know (and don't know) about Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 2 so far.

When does Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Start? After announcing that Fortnite Season 2 wouldn't start until February, Epic recently revealed that Chapter 2: Season 2 will begin on Thursday, February 20, 2020. This makes Chapter 2: Season 1's end date February 19, meaning players only have a few more weeks to finish completing this season's Weekly Challenges.

Thursdays have become a traditional new season launch day for Epic, so this isn't a huge surprise. In the past, downtime for the new season has started at 4 am ET / 1 am PT, and usually lasts for around an hour and a half.

There isn't any reason to expect things to be different this time around, but it's still worth noting that Epic hasn't made an official comment on when downtime will begin quite yet. Players should look for that announcement a day or two before the new season begins, on the official Fortnite Twitter account.

Is There a Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 1 End Event? At the end of Fortnite Season X, of course, missiles destroyed the world, causing it to implode on itself. The result of the catastrophic event was a black hole, breaking the internet for 48 hours while Fortnite servers were down, and a brand new map. It's unlikely that there will be an event of that magnitude to launch Chapter 2: Season 2, but we also can't rule it out.

Some leakers are proposing a theory that the Polar Peak monster from Season 9 might be returning to wreak havoc on the map. Specifically, leakers are theorizing that the Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 1 ending event might see the destruction of Pleasant Park, one of the final few original locations remaining.

While this theory is still just a theory, leakers were able to find skin models of the ice monster in the Fortnite files, which could hint at its return. Further, some players have been experiencing a glitch at Pleasant Park, which seems to show the ground covered in mud — indicating that Epic is somehow planning to tweak, or destroy, Pleasant Park.

However, at the end of the day, this is just one theory about the Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 1 end event, as no one other than Epic Games really knows how the season will come to a close.

What's Included in the Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Battle Pass? As with most new seasons, we won't really know much about the Season 2 Battle Pass until downtime is over and it's live. At this point, it's safe to assume that the Season 2 Battle Pass will cost the typical 950 V-Bucks (around $10 USD) for the regular Battle Pass and 2,800 V-Bucks (around $28 USD) for the Premium Pass.

Further, it will almost certainly feature tons of new skins, emotes, pickaxes, and more that players can earn as they make their way through the 100 tiers. Unfortunately, we won't know what the Battle Pass rewards are until things officially kick off later this month.

Skins As we mentioned above, plenty of new skins will be included in the Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 2 Battle Pass. Unfortunately, we don't really know much about the new skins quite yet, except that they will probably have some sort of theme. For example, the theme of Chapter 2: Season 1 was good vs. evil, while previous seasons have been superhero and futuristic themed.

While a lot of skins will be available in the new Battle Pass, there will likely be some that will only be available in the Item Shop. It seems safe to assume that we will see more from the Fortnite Icon Series, which feature popular creator skins. So far, we've only gotten a Ninja skin, but Epic has promised that more creator skins are on the way!

What Map Changes Are Coming to Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2? With the launch of Chapter 2, Epic introduced a completely new Fortnite map to the game, filled with new locations, terrains, and areas to explore. Since this was the first new map in ten seasons of Fortnite, it seems safe to assume that we won't be getting a new map in Chapter 2: Season 2.

However, similar to previous seasons, Epic likely will destroy a few locations in the Season 1 end event to make room for a new location or two. As we mentioned earlier, some players believe that Epic has its eye set on destroying Pleasant Park, one of the final locations that have been in the game since it launched in 2017.

What Are Fortnite Chaos Physics? The first season of Chapter 2 has been a long one, in fact, it's the longest in Fortnite: Battle Royale history. While it might feel like the season is dragging on for no reason, Epic is hard at work switching to Unreal Engine's Chaos Physics system. Switching engines definitely requires a lot of labor, testing, and tweaking, which is likely the reason Season 2 ended up being delayed until February. However, it seems that things are finally in order, as Chaos Physics is expected to be introduced with the v11.50 update early this month.

With Fortnite switching game engines, this will likely allow developers to add in some new features and mechanics into the game. In a recent blog post, Epic teased that "Chapter 2 - Season 2 will feature [REDACTED] with multiple [REDACTED]. We can't brief you on all of next Season's secrets just yet..."

This cryptic message seemingly indicates that there will be a few changes in Season 2, we just don't know what they are going to be quite yet. However, players shouldn't expect Fortnite to change drastically, with Epic's goal of wanting "Fortnite to feel like Fortnite."

What Is the Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Two-Week Event? Before Chapter 2: Season 1 wraps up, Epic is teasing a special two-week event that will fill the final two weeks of the season. While it hasn't announced what it is, it seems there are two main possibilities.

Popular Fortnite leaker Lucas7Yoshi was able to dig up some challenges from recent update files that indicate a handful of Search and Destroy challenges that haven't made its way into the game yet. Further, Epic hasn't announced when the Search and Destroy mode will be coming to the game, but the end of an incredibly long season seems like as good a time as any.

The other theory is that there will be some kind of Fortnite x Birds of Prey crossover event. Towards the end of January, the official Fortnite Twitter account commented on a post from the Warner Bros. Twitter account saying "See you soon Harley!" With Birds of Prey set to release February 7 and Epic's history of in-game, promotional crossover events, it is feasible that we might be getting a Birds of Prey event in Fortnite. However, it's also possible that we could simply be getting a Harley Quinn skin or something similar.

This is currently all we know about Fortnite Chapter 2: Season 2. Epic typically does a pretty good job of keeping things under wraps, so we will have to wait until the end of the month to see exactly what's in store for the upcoming season. In the meantime, be sure to check out the official IGN Fortnite wiki page for help completing some of the most recent challenges before it's too late.

Andrew Smith is a freelance contributor with IGN and is excited to see what's going to happen in Fortnite Season 2. Follow him on Twitter @_andrewtsmith.

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