Fortnite Season 3: Everything Arriving With The Splash Down Update

Fortnite: Season 3 is finally here. Epic Games has launched the much-anticipated third season of its free-to-play battle royale game. Much like fans anticipated, it has an underwater theme that was brought about by "The Device" in a special event just before the start of the season. Following server downtime in the early morning hours, the new update is now available and servers are back online with the water-themed makeover for the map, a new battle pass, and much more. Guest stars are no surprise for Fortnite, and the game gets a big one with Season 3. Jason Momoa as Aquaman is in the game, or at least he is going to be very soon.

The cinematic launch trailer for Season 3 showcases the water theme and what seems to be the Season's official tagline, "Splash Down." It's a delightfully whimsical trailer, and even Aquaman himself--Jason Momoa--shows up. Fortnite made the switch from a Marvel character as its temporary star--Deadpool had his own set of challenges--to one of DC's classic heroes. He can be the target of jokes, but Aquaman's no laughing matter when Jason Momoa is playing him.

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 Splash Down Overview

Epic Games has also released the official description for Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 Splash Down. It confirms that the island has become flooded, and there are new places to see and even sharks to ride.

“The Island has flooded, there are new areas to explore, Marauders to take on and... sharks to ride? Survive more than just the Storm. Adapt to the new flooded way of life on the Island. Watch your back!"

Fortnite Season 3 Challenges

The first wave of challenges are available, including fairly standard ones--such as asking you to search gnomes at Homely Hills--and Aquaman challenges that will allow you to unlock the character's two skins. New challenges will roll out weekly on Thursdays, as per usual, and will allow you to level up the Battle Pass and earn its many rewards, which you can check out below.

New Gameplay System: Marauders

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 3 also introduces a new gameplay system in the form of Marauders, who crash down onto the island and present a threat to you. "Defend yourself from new Marauders as they crash down onto the island and challenge your survival," Epic says.

Fortnite Map Changes

As expected, the island map has been submerged in water to some extent, radically altering areas. Some spots are underwater completely, while others are partially submerged and others--which used to be at high elevations--are now barely above sea level. To compensate for this, there are new ways of getting around, such as using a fishing pole on a shark to have it pull you through the water.

Cars in Fortnite

Cars have been teased and will be drivable as part of Season 3, but it doesn't appear you can actually do so just yet. Over the course of the season, the water level will apparently lower, and at some point, that will provide access to cars as a new type of vehicle.

Fortnite Crashes

Epic says it's aware of crashes that occur after using the emote wheel and is working to resolve them. You may simply want to avoid using the feature for now to ensure you don't get booted out of a game. There's no word on how quickly that will be fixed, but you can keep track of all of the ongoing Season 3 issues on the Fortnite Trello board.

New Battle Pass

As usual, a new season means a new Battle Pass. The Chapter 2 Season 3 Battle Pass offering comes with a series of cosmetic extras. Buying the pass outright instantly unlocks the new Fade and Ocean outfits. Aquaman is coming later in the year, Epic said, and presumably will be tied into challenges much like Deadpool.

The Battle Pass also includes a new feature called "Build-A-Brella," which allows players to create their own unique umbrella, again mimicking a setup we saw last season with the Maya skin.

Reach level 100, and you'll earn Masked, an extra style option for the Fade skin. But there's an additional reward for making it all the way to the end of the Battle Pass, and that's the Eternal Knight skin. By continuing to level up, you'll be able to customize it further and "show off Eternal's Knight's true colors."

Check out the full Battle Pass trailer below, or have a look at our embedded image gallery, where you can see all of the cosmetic rewards awaiting you.

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Check Back Soon For More

The start of Chapter 2 Season 3 comes after the major Doomsday event (known officially as The Device). Epic no longer publishes Fortnite patch notes, so players will have to discover for themselves what's new in the update. GameSpot will come back with more details and information about Season 3 as we sink our teeth into the update. Keep checking back for the latest.