Master Chief's Warthog Is The Suprise Star Of Fortnite

The one and only Master Chief came to Fortnite after a surprise reveal at The Game Awards earlier this month. Lobbies were filled with Spartans almost immediately, but the real star of the show wasn't him--it was his Warthog. People love that little engine that could.

"I might not have had the v-bucks to get Master Chief," said Redditor TheRealCourtNut in a thread about the new emote. "But hell yes did I buy this skin and amused the hell out of myself with it last night."

Just like Kratos before him, Master Chief came to the item shop with a back bling, glider, harvesting tool, and an emote. The emote, which can be purchased separately and used on other characters, shows the character riding around on a mini-Warthog. Master Chief may be the hot skin right now, but every pre-game lobby is packed with tiny Warthogs scooting around in circles. And yes, they are Warthogs despite being more the size of the Mongoose vehicle also found in nearly every Halo game.

The Warthog is one of a few emotes that lets you move around the map. Players have used it to recreate Mario Kart, sneak up on bots, and even drive all the way across the map to complete one of the weekly challenges. One of the Week 2 challenges tasked players with transporting a vehicle from Steamy Stacks to Pleasant Park. Two players were disappointed to find the emote didn't count as a vehicle--after they had made the drive.

Fortnite players have always tried to find ways to have fun without fighting. They've used various emotes to simulate trick-or-treating, ran their own gas stations and taxi services, and are even Christmas caroling alongside their enemies. This Warthog emote has quickly joined other methods as a way to mess around during a match.

A new holiday event, dubbed Operation Snowdown Winter, came to Fortnite today. Players can complete challenges, like visiting all Snowmando Outposts, in order to earn special rewards. There are also rewards for playing Fortnite's new Among Us-like limited-time mode, The Spy Within.