Fortnitemares: Wrath Of The Cube Queen Is Now Live In Fortnite For Halloween

Fortnitemares: Wrath of the Cube Queen is now live in Fortnite, and with it comes a ton of new content that will carry players through Halloween and the end of the month. This is, without a doubt, the biggest Fortnitemares event in the game's history, so follow along with us as we break down all the new mechanics, modes, and free stuff you can earn over the next several days.

Fortnitemares: Wrath of the Cube Queen

At the heart of the Wrath of the Cube Queen event is the arrival of the titular villain. Alongside her underlings, new Caretaker enemy types, the Cube Queen has overtaken the center of the map and constructed The Convergence.

The Convergence is the "Cube Town" location we'd previously heard about through leaks, and its purpose is a foreboding mystery right now. These new Caretakers will guard The Convergence and pull you into The Sideways with their tendrils should you get too close. But Epic has also teased that tremendous loot awaits those who can survive an encounter with the Caretakers.

Fortnitemares 2021: New Weapons

In The Sideways, you'll now find a brand-new Sideways Scythe, a melee-type weapon that can only be found within Sideways chests alongside the already-present Sideways Rifle and Sideways Minigun.

Along with that new bladed weapon comes the return of Fortnitemares favorites such as the Pumpkin Launcher, which fires projectile Jack-O-Lanterns, as well as Witch Brooms, which allow for faster travel around the island. Players who have been around for past Halloweens in Fortnite will recall these weapons fondly.

Horde Rush LTM And Quests

Back for another year is the Epic-made Horde Rush limited-time mode. This PvE mode is all about racking up high scores and outlasting waves of monsters--cube monsters this year, of course. To entice more players to jump into the alternate mode this season, Epic is tying some exclusive challenges and cosmetics to Horde Rush.

Players will be able to earn the Thinking Juice back bling, Cube Queen banner, and the Cuddle Scream Leader spray just for completing several Horde Rush Quests. We'll have guides up for all of those quests shortly.

New NPC Punchcards - Ariana Grande, Ghostbuster, Hollowhead, And More

As if those weren't enough free cosmetics already, even more are coming to Fortnitemares for players who complete new punchcards from NPCs joining the island. These new NPCs even include familiar characters like a Ghostbuster and Ariana Grande.

Hollowhead, a new pumpkin NPC, will offer his Fortnitemares punchcard complete with new quests all his own. Players who complete his quests will earn the Raven’s Curse spray, the Midnight Showdown loading screen, and the Wrathful Breakout contrail.

Ariana Grande will return to Fortnite for her first time since the Rift Tour and this time she's bringing her own questline with a free cosmetic, the All-Weather Extractor Pickaxe in its dark style. Meanwhile, Fortnite Crew members can earn the "brite" style of the same pickaxe as an exclusive reward.

Dark Jonesy will also get a second full punchcard, making him the first NPC of the season to get more than one. His new "The Oracle Speaks" questline will award those who finish it with the Cube Cruiser glider.

Even The Ghostbusters are getting in on the Halloween action. You can find one of them, named the Containment Specialist, on the island starting today. Embark on and eventually complete their Ghostbusters: Afterlife questline to unlock the No Ghosts back bling inspired by the upcoming movie.

All of these earnable cosmetics will be available until November 2 at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET.

Power Leveling Weekends Ahead

To further enhance your Fortnitemares and Season 8 battle pass experiences, Epic is making room for two Power Leveling Weekends between now and the start of November. Essentially Fortnite's version of double XP weekends, the Power Leveling periods will be available at the following times:

• October 22 at 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET - October 25 at 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET

• October 29 at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET - November 1 at 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET

During these periods, you'll earn XP much faster and thus can scale the battle pass more easily. If you play in team-based modes like duos or larger teams, you'll earn even more thanks to the season's Party Quest system that allows any members of a group to complete punchcard quests, no matter whose quest it really is.

Epic clarified that Shortnitemares is also on the way and the company will have more to say on the in-game cartoon film festival soon. Meanwhile, the developer-publisher also clarified that The Sideways Scythe, Caretakers, and The Convergence POI will all remain on the island even after Fortnitemares concludes on November 2.

For more on Fortnite, don't miss the rumors of a Fortnite movie, and confirmation of an Among Us collaboration.