The new 17.00 update for Fortnite is here, and with it, Epic Games has kicked off Fortnite: Battle Royale Chapter 2 Season 7. As has been rumored and teased for weeks, Season 7 is all about aliens and UFOs, with flyable flying saucers now added into the game alongside changes to the map, the introduction of another Battle Pass and accompanying challenges, and much more for players to dig into.

Season 7 kicked off with the release of a new story trailer, which you can watch below, rather than any sort of live event to participate in. In addition to the new Battle Pass (featuring Rick & Morty's Rick and Superman), Season 7 brings several new ways to play, including new sci-fi weapons from both sides of the IO-alien war, new vehicles, and a revamped weapon crafting system.

Players can equip some of Dr. Slone's invented weapons never before seen in the game. This includes things such as the Recon Scanner, which players can use to survey their surrounding area, the Rail Gun, which can blast right through structures, and the new Pulse Rifle, which brings a sci-fi twist to the assault rifle weapon class.

On the alien side of the battlefront, players can shoot down or hijack their UFOs. When piloted, these saucers can toss around vehicles below or pick up things such as building materials and other supplies. Players in squads can also fire out of the UFOs as they could before with Choppas.

Weapon crafting returns for the second consecutive season, but it takes on a decidedly different look. The teeth and claws of the Primal season no longer make sense with the science fiction theme, so Fortnite players will now collect Nuts and Bolts to allow them to craft new weapons, including previously vaulted items. With enough Nuts and Bolts, players can craft things like the Burst Assault Rifle, the Lever Action Shotgun, and the Rapid Fire SMG, each of which has been vaulted since Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5.

In terms of bug fixes, a variety of things have been fixed, as outlined on the Fortnite Trello board. However, there are some new issues that have cropped up, including one that has caused Battle Pass gifting to be temporarily disabled.

We're still uncovering more secrets of Fortnite Season 7, so stick around as we break down more of what's in store for this season's invasion. We've got a list of Week 1 challenges and an Alien Artifacts explainer, as well as a rundown on the vaulted and unvaulted weapons for Season 7.

Fortnite News