Fortnite Season 6 Adds Primal Theme With Lara Croft, Animals, Neymar

Epic Games has rolled out the next major update for Fortnite, officially kicking off Chapter 2 Season 6 for the uber-popular battle royale game. It starts out with a brand-new cinematic and a single-player event mission involving the Zero Point before adding a wide array of new content. That includes a revamped version of the map with a "primal" theme and new wildlife to encounter, a Lara Croft skin that comes as part of the Season 6 battle pass, on-the-fly weapon crafting, and much more, with a skin based on soccer player Neymar Jr. set to come.

If you haven't jumped into the game for yourself yet, you can check out the new story cinematic in the video below. This features a battle between many of the major third-party characters who popped up in Fortnite as part of last season's theme, including the Xenomorph from Alien, the Predator, Terminators, Sarah Connor, the Master Chief, and more. This all culminates in the single-player Zero Crisis mission that you'll be able to play through the first time you play during Season 6.

Zero Crisis Finale

The new single-player story mission, Zero Crisis Finale, follows Agent Jones. Unlike previous big events, this is something you can't miss--it wasn't tied to a specific time, but is instead something that everyone will get to play through for themselves at their leisure. In it, you team up with Jones to deal with the impending explosion of the Zero Point. You'll warp between a few different skins as part of the mission, including a surprise one in the form of Lara Croft (who is subsequently available as an unlockable skin in the new battle pass).

With the help of The Foundation, he successfully seals the Zero Point in a tower of stone that serves as a new landmark on the map. But during the process, it sends a "mysterious pulse" throughout the island, "erasing any advanced technology in its path and reshaping the landscape of the island." This is the setup for the new primal theme of this season and explains Jones's ongoing presence on the island; by purchasing the new battle pass, you'll automatically unlock an Agent Jones skin.

New Battle Pass (with Lara Croft)

As usual, another season means another Battle Pass. This newest Battle Pass comes with a variety of extras to unlock, including four different styles of the action hero Lara Croft. There are also new skins for Jones, Tarana, Raz, Cluck, Raven, and Spire Assassin. Later in Season 6, Epic will add a new skin for the soccer legend Neymar Jr.

Neymar Jr.

Although the Neymar skin has not yet been revealed, it will be tied to a series of challenges. The specific requirements of these have also not been shared, but you'll need to unlock the battle pass to complete them. Doing so will net you rewards like a harvesting tool, loading screen, two banners, and the Neymar Jr. skin itself, along with an unlockable style.

Primal Biome

A "primal" biome is spreading across the island. Here is the official description:

UNTOUCHED BY MODERN TECHNOLOGY, A PRIMAL BIOME SPREADS THROUGH THE ISLAND. AT ITS CENTER IS THE SPIRE AND THE VILLAGE THAT SURROUNDS IT. LURKING IN THE SHADOW OF THE SPIRE, THE WILDERNESS HAS TAKEN OVER THE ISLAND'S LOCATIONS, LIKE COLOSSAL CROPS AND BONEY BURBS. IF YOU VENTURE TO THE EDGES OF THE PRIMAL BIOME, YOU'LL FIND GUARDIAN SPIRES PROTECTED BY MYSTERIOUS FORCES.

At the center of the island, you'll find the spire, where the Zero Point was locked in. Elsewhere, existing areas of the map have been transformers to match the new theme.

Weapon Crafting

Also new in Chapter 2 Season 6 is on-the-fly weapon crafting. No longer do players need to find their tools--they can make them anywhere. You can craft weapons no matter where you are you are using loot from wildlife and other technology you find on the map. Players can create things like the Primal Rifle, the Revolver, and the Flame and Metal bow.

New Wildlife

Players will encounter all manner of wildlife on Fortnite's island with the Season 6 update. The creatures include harmless ones like chickens to deadly animals like wolves. Players can kill or tame the animals to gather materials for crafting. Epic also teased that "the most fearsome" predators have "yet to hatch," which certainly sounds like dinosaurs are coming to Fortnite. The new wildlife are briefly introduced in the Zero Crisis mission, which you can watch play out in the video below:

Bunker Chests

New "bunker chests" are now scattered throughout Fortnite's island. These special chests contain "powerful weapons" such as rocket launchers and more that can range from rare to legendary. More weapons and upgrades, including the "chonkers" tire set," will come to Fortnite throughout Season 6.

Only The Beginning

As usual, Fortnite is likely containing some surprises and secrets that we haven't discovered yet. Part of the appeal of Fortnite is that the game is always evolving with gameplay, story, and more, so it will be fun to see what happens in the coming days and weeks as people learn more. You can check out our guides on how to investigate an anomaly on Shark Island and Lazy Lake, as well as where to find three golden artifacts near The Spire and how to craft a hunter's cloak.