Fortnite season 8 has finally landed, bringing with it a host of new updates for gamers to get their hands on.
The upcoming season's patch notes were revealed during the game's downtime, which began at 9am on Thursday morning.
Developers Epic Games yesterday seemed to have confirmed the rumours that this season is all about pirates with a tweet announcing downtime was close.
Taking to Twitter, Epic said: "Ahoy, mateys! Season 8 approaches and X marks the spot! Downtime begins tomorrow, February 28 at 4 AM ET (0900 UTC)."
Here is everything you need to know about Fortnite Season 8.
What's new in Fortnite season 8?
As expected, the new season has a pirate-theme to it. Epic wrote: "Freed from the Ice King’s castle, the now-powerful Prisoner has brought fire and flame to Fortnite and its islands.
"Pirates, Ninjas and a ship load of new fighters will tussle over treasure, battle with Pirate Cannons and uncover legendary loot."
What this means, in reality, is that a number of pirate-themed goodies have been introduced, including pirate canons.
These carry with them a 100 damage with a direct hit and 50 to those within a radius of the explosion and can be found throughout the environment.
New locations have also been added thanks to the emergence of a huge volcano which has introduced Sunny Steps and Lazy Lagoon.
Planes have been vaulted, as has the Sneaky Snowman, Chiller Grenade, shopping cart and all terrain kart.
What about the gameplay?
That new volcano isn't just an interesting feature on the map - the lava will deal one damage to players per touch and will cause them to "bounce off the surface".
Volcanic vents will launch players and vehicles into the sky thanks to the hot air while a party assist function, which means party members can help you complete challenges.
Oh, and the Infinite Dab has been boosted from 11 hours to 12 hours.
And the Battle Pass?
The Battle Pass is available for 950 V-Bucks, and contains more than 100 rewards to unlock and 100 tiers.
As well, for the first time, gamers who completed 13 free Overtime Challenges during the Share the Love event can claim the Battle Pass for free.
It has more than 100 unique cosmetics to earn once you level up, while the Blackheart and Hybrid progressive outfits are available immediately once you buy the pass.
What do we know about the new season's skins?
Along with pirate captain Blackheart and the ninja-like Hybrid, you can get your hands on Peely, which appears to be a giant, anthropomorphic banana.
Siewinder, Ember and Master Key are also available in the new update and for the first time ever a female Tier-100 female skin has been made available in the shape of Luxe.
