Fortnite Isn't Getting A New Map, But It's Changed The Old One Significantly For Season 8

The transition from one season to the next is rarely a smooth one in Fortnite, as developer Epic Games likes to make big changes that turns everything that veteran players know on its head. Epic does this through large-scale world events that both develop Fortnite's lore and also rework the island that players spend all their time battling for Victory Royales on. Unlike a game like PUBG, which has introduced several different maps, Epic has consistently opted to evolve the existing map with new areas, elements, and biomes. Season 8, which is now live, is no exception; there's no new map, but the one you know is gone. [Update: With the release of patch 8.01, the map is now home to buried treasure that has to be dug up with a pickaxe. To find it, you'll need a special map item that will lead you to its location.]

As Season 7 was coming to a close, players reported earthquakes and, eventually, cracks began forming on the island. Now, it has been revealed that an incredibly powerful figure--the Prisoner--being held captive by the Ice King has now escaped. Alongside this enigmatic figure finding his freedom, a volcano has emerged on the island and ninjas have appeared. If the Ice King's Ice Fiends and strange fire ninjas wasn't enough, pirates have also arrived on the island. Each of these factions have their eyes on a treasure, and as the weeks progress, the struggle to acquire said treasure will no doubt get messy.

All of this has changed the Fortnite island in significant ways. When looking at the map, it's most noticeable in the northwest corner, where the new volcano can be seen, with a pool of lava surround it. That lava isn't just for show, as touching it will do one point of damage and also bounce the player away. That might not sound like a lot, but when a skirmish gets heated, backing into some lava when your health is low could be the difference between a Victory Royale and coming in second place.

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Another new gameplay element are Volcanic Vents. These have appeared around the map and shoot out air that can be used to aid traversal. If you or a vehicle you're in gets caught up in an air stream coming out of a vent, you'll be launched into the sky. They work very similar to how the jump pads used to, so they essentially function as a replacement.

Around the volcano, two new areas have also appeared. Sunny Steps is to the east and has a distinct Mayan aesthetic, with pyramid structures that look like temples. It's also nestled in the jungle and surrounded by greenery. With the sun beaming down over it, the area looks quite idyllic, though we anticipate it won't be long before it's home to chaotic skirmishes.

To the west of the volcano is Lazy Lagoon, which is an area themed after the new pirates that have arrived on the island. A huge pirate ship can be found docked there, and we expect the challenges coming over the next few weeks will have us boarding the ship regularly. Already, a Week 1 challenge sends you to track down pirate camps.

But the changes aren't just constrained to the island, as the spawn island, where players gather before boarding the Battle Bus has also changed. It now has a little more of jungle theme, while also having some touches to remind players that there's pirates out there now. You can take a look at the map, as well as the new locations in the images above.

Epic Games has released the Fortnite update 8.0 patch notes, so you can see everything that's changed and added for the new season. The new Battle Pass is also available, and we have a comprehensive Fortnite Season 8 Battle Pass cosmetics guide, which has images of every unlock available, so you can check it out before purchasing a pass or figure out what you want to focus on getting. The highlight are the new skins, including the banana from one of the teaser.