Epic has announced an overhaul of its different mode-specific Fortnite passes that’ll soon make it possible to progress through each one simultaneously, regardless of the mode players are currently playing in – and that’s on top of word the company is readying to introduce an “easy way to snag all premium passes at once”.
As things currently stand, players can progress through Fortnite’s Battle Royale Battle Pass by earning XP from any in-game experience, but the Festival Pass and LEGO Pass can only be levelled by playing in their respective modes (that is, Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite). However, that’s all set to change starting on 2nd November.
From that date, all earned XP, regardless of the mode it was generated in, will progress the Battle Pass and Music Pass (the new name for the Festival Pass) simultaneously. Then, from 1st December, the changes will apply to the LEGO Pass too. As part of this overhaul, the Music and LEGO Pass will change to a format resembling the Battle Pass, meaning one track containing both free and premium rewards for each – although this won’t come into effect until the current Lego Pass and Music Pass have run their course.
To accommodate these changes, Epic is ditching Festival Points (from 2nd November) alongside Battle Stars and Studs (from 1st December), so that the only earnable currency required to unlock tiers across each pass is XP. It’ll be possible to claim rewards in non-sequential order on all unlocked pages of each pass, as is currently the case with the Battle Pass, and players can configure their passes to auto-unlock rewards as XP is earned. Furthermore, players will be able to directly purchase pass rewards (up to an unspecified limit) if they want something they haven’t managed to unlock yet.
Epic notes players will still need to purchase the Battle Pass, Music Pass, and LEGO Pass separately if they want to unlock each pass’ premium rewards, but teases an “easy way to snag all premium passes at once” will be introduced soon. There’s no word on how this will work – or if, say, Epic will offer a bundle discount for players who want passes across all three modes – but it shouldn’t be long until we hear more.
“We hope this change encourages you to play where you want, how you want!,” Epic concludes. “Soon it’ll be even easier to unlock awesome rewards in Fortnite.”
Word that Fortnite’s pass changes come into effect this Saturday, 2nd November, lends credence to reports Fortnite Chapter 2 Remix will launch on the same date. This mini-season is expected to follow the same format as last year’s hugely popular Chapter 1 Remix, which – as its name suggests – brought back elements of Fortnite’s inaugural chapter for some nostalgia-baiting fun. Although details are thin, Chapter 2 Remix will likely include numerous map options alongside the return of Midas, Meowscles, TNTina, Slurp Commando Ripley, and 8-Ball (possibly now 1-Ball), as you can read about elsewhere on Eurogamer.