Yesterday, the TVs all around the Fortnite map began warning of a winter storm coming, but today things have changed. The TVs now have a countdown timer to when Fortnite’s next big event will begin, one not tied to a specific holiday as we enter the middle of January here.
The event is the Ice Storm, something that has leaked in a few datamines so far, though the full nature of the event remains unknown. The TVs started showing the timer at exactly 2 PM ET, and it’s a two day long timer, meaning the event will be starting at 2 PM ET on Saturday, January 19.
A few things have leaked about the Ice Storm so far:
- We know that it has to do with the Ice King, currently in the ice ball hovering above Polar Peak, and a leak of actual video of the event shows some sort of clock-like timer around him at some point during the event.
- We know that it will bring monsters back to the map, almost the exact same monsters as in the Fortnitemares event, though perhaps with icy abilities this time.
- We know that Epic may be gearing up for some sort of mega boss challenge, as they tested what it would be like to have every Fortnite player in the world hack at an iceberg with 5 billion HP, implying we might do the same to a world boss during this event.
- We know that there are a number of challenges for this event like there were with Fortnitemares, and we know a few of the rewards which include a killer ice glider.
So, that’s a good chunk of knowledge to have ahead of time, but that’s the power of datamining and leaking these days. My guess is that this will roll out in stages, as in, a few monsters at first, then more and more stuff as the Ice King ramps up his ice assault on the map. My guess is that this culminates with a giant world boss battle in real time maybe two weeks from this weekend, so you’re going to want to make sure that’s clear for you, as presumably it may take only a few hours to get through, judging by how fast that 5 billion HP iceberg died. I’m picturing some fight against a giant ice dragon or the Ice King himself where everyone stops what they’re doing that Saturday to chip away at his 100 billion HP bar or something. Epic is constantly trying to keep topping themselves with new events, so I have to believe this is going to be more than just a snow-based clone of Fortnitemares.
We will know more in two days, and perhaps other changes will take place in the 48 hours before the event launches. Clear your Saturday, as you will probably have some ice monsters to hunt.
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