The consistent fresh waves of content thatFortniteoften receives is the lifeblood of the franchise, with the game re-writing post-launch content delivery for the wider industry and maintaining a respectable level of huge popularity over the years. Alongside its standard in-game seasons that herald things like new battle passes, the battle royale title often introduces large-scale crossovers with other extremely successful franchises, allowing the game to appeal to fans of a huge range of media.
These high-profile collaborations withinFortniteare often accompanied by events tied to real-world holidays, with the likes of Christmas and Halloween historically being times of huge celebration and shake-ups in-game. For example, every year fans look towards October and its Fortnitemares event, which delves deep into the spirit of Halloween through exciting rewards, challenges, map updates, horror crossovers, and more. Anticipation has been building around 2024’s Fortnitemares event for some time, and fans can finally get their hands on the full breadth of what this year’s event has to offer.
Fortnite’s Halloween October Update Content Explained
This year’s Fortnitemares event officially kicked off on October 12, giving fans three weeks of sinister spooky fun until it officially comes to an end on November 2. The changes that have come from this anticipated October update are hard to ignore, with lots of bold new content being introduced alongside the return of some beloved past modes and cosmetics.
The crossovers with horror franchises are probably some of the most eye-catching elements of 2024’s Fortnitemares, withcollaborations being held withSaw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, andThe Nightmare Before Christmas. Brand-new skins and cosmetics have been added toFortnitein partnership with all of these franchises, including Billy the Puppet, Leatherface, Sally, and the Pumpkin King. Other recent sinister cosmetics include Marvel’s Mephisto, She-Venom, and Agony. Edward Scissorhands and several Disney Villains are also present, with classic skins from the past such as Skull Trooper also making appearances in theFortnitestore.
As expected, the Halloween spirit has been baked into the core gameplay ofFortniteitself with the October update, with several map locations being changed or added to fit the spooky season. Players can now find the likes of the Freaky Fields and Brawler’s Patch POIs acrossFortnite’s map, withFreaky Fields being the boss location for Billy the Puppet. Defeating Billy the Puppet is one of the ways players can access the new Boom Billy Mythic weapon, a throwable item that tracks down nearby enemies and explodes when close to them.
Players can alternativelyattain the Boom Billy by successfully completing Jigsaw’s Challenge, which is started by approaching one of the many imposing new monitors that are scattered around the map. Accepting the challenge will set a timer in which the player has to eliminate a chosen target, and failure to do so will lead to the player’s death.
TheTexas Chainsaw Massacrecollaboration has thankfully come with its own unique weapons, with players now being able to find Chainsaws around the map. As an Epic-tier melee weapon,Fortnite’s Chainsaw comes with four styles of attack: Slash, Ground Pound, Sprint Slash, and Rush Attack. The Rush Attack sees the player plunge the Chainsaw into the ground, propelling it forward and making the weapon double-up as a form of short-distance travel as well as a powerful melee option.
Past Fortnitemares Content Has Been Given a New Lease of Life in 2024
Some love has also been shown to iconic Halloween items fromFortnite’s past, with the Wood Stake Shotgun, Pumpkin Launcher, and Witch Broom once again being found throughout the game’s world.The Witch Broom is a Mythic power that many fans will rememberfor giving huge amounts of instant mobility, partnering up well with the Chainsaw to give even more complexity toFortnite’s movement mechanics this October.
This year’s Fortnitemares also sees the return of a fan-favorite Halloween limited-time mode, withHorde Rush being available until the event ends on November 2. Horde Rush sees players work together to travel the map and defeat waves of monstrous AI-controlled enemies, leading to a final boss battle that is sure to get the blood pumping. Although the mode was first introduced in 2019, this year’s version is slightly different with the introduction of Mod Benches, giving more power to the player in customizing how they approach the challenge of Horde Rush.
Horde Rush will come with its own dedicated XP quests, being a perfect way for players to work towards the huge amount of quest-related rewards that can be earned throughout Fortnitemares 2024. In total, players can earn up to11 unique Halloween rewards for completing quests inFortnite’s October update, with the following being up for grabs:
Players will also be able to compete in the Symbiote Cup on October 22, with this duo-based battle royale tournament allowing players to amass points over a total of ten matches. Points can be earned depending on placements, and winners will be decided between different geographic regions. The chosen winners will have exclusive early access to the She-Venom and Agony skins, which are otherwise set to launch in the store on October 24. The anticipation around this year’s Fortnitemares seems to have been quite justified, with the game’s recent October update bringing a whirlwind of fresh experiences for players to enjoy.
