Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 is live and involves spies, bananas and Deadpool
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If you've wondered how Deadpool would fit into a Mission: Impossible movie, the new season of "Fortnite" is right up your alley.
Chapter 2, Season 2 of Epic Game's international megahit launched Thursday morning, introducing new items, changes to the maps, a bunch of playable spy-themed characters like Maya (the first fully customizable Fortnite skin), Meowscles (a buff cat-man) and Agent Peely (a banana in a smoking jacket). New elements of the map include Bond-inspired elements like a volcano hideout, a giant yacht and a cave with a massive shark's head. New gameplay elements, on the other hand, seem to reference other video games: The return of C4 and the ability to hide in a cardboard box are no doubt homages to espionage series "Metal Gear Solid."
And yes, the fourth-wall-breaking Marvel superhero Deadpool will be involved in some capacity, but since he only makes a brief appearance at the end of the trailer, it's impossible to say for now what that capacity will be.
Though not everyone has played "Fortnite," most people will have at least know the popular "floss" dance, which was popularized by the game. "Fortnite" is a free-to-play online battle royale game in which characters face off against 99 strangers on a mythical island full of abandoned towns, weapons and supernatural elements that change from season to season. While most of the combat involves real-world inspired weapons like assault rifles and shotguns, players can also strategically collect resources to build walls, ramps and forts to give themselves an advantage.
"Fortnite" is free to play, but character skins and other conveniences require in-game purchases with "V-Bucks," which in turn are available at Amazon and Gamestop. If you're purchasing V-Bucks for someone else, make sure you buy them for the right platform — Playstation 4 V-Bucks are not compatible with the Nintendo Switch version of the game. Agent Peely, of course, is already available in doll form (two different versions, in fact).
Fortnite was created by Epic Games, developers of the Unreal Engine, which in turn is the technological foundation of franchises like "Mortal Kombat," "Borderlands" and "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order."
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Joshua Sargent is an editor for Hearst Newspapers. Email him at josh.sargent@hearst.com.
Fry up some chimichangas and knock down that fourth wall, because a Deadpool skin is coming to Fortnite as part of the new Chapter 2, Season 2 update. The Merc with a Mouth is the latest Marvel character to come to the game, though he will probably not be as devastating as Thanos.
Deadpool was revealed in the game's Fortnite Chapter 2 – Season 2 Battle Pass trailer, popping onto the screen in his usual goofy fashion. He's also seen bathing in a pile of V-Bucks; the Battle Pass still costs 950 V-Bucks or about $9.50. Fully leveling up the Battle Pass will earn you a total of 1,500 V-Bucks, which should more than cover the cost of Season 3's Battle Pass. A speech bubble sees Deadpool announced, "Shhh... I'm the secret Battle Pass outfit."
The latest update also added weekly challenges from Deadpool, including one to find a letter he sent to Epic Games. It's fitting with the character's self-aware persona, as he has routinely referenced when he was in a comic book or movie before. It's unclear how many challenges will need to be completed to unlock the Deadpool skin.
Deadpool is a skin rather than a special character event like with Thanos, so it's entirely cosmetic. However, it definitely makes us a little more likely to crack stupid jokes and get a little bolder in battle royale mode. As noted above, you can't unlock the skin yet, as it requires completing weekly challenges over the course of the Battle Pass, but the wait will likely come with more themed challenges that have Deadpool inserting himself further into the game. Learn more about all the new changes and additions in the Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 unofficial patch notes.
In January, Ryan Reynolds confirmed that Deadpool 3 is in the works at Marvel Studios. The previous two movies were produced before Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, which had been responsible for Deadpool and X-Men films previously.
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Now Playing: The 6 Biggest Changes To Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2
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Fortnite chapter 2's second season is finally here, and that means a new battle pass with 100 tiers worth of rewards for players to unlock. While plenty of changes arrived with the new season, the battle pass should be familiar to most Fortnite players.
This season's battle pass comes with around 100 cosmetic items, none that change gameplay at all. The items are locked behind certain tiers of the pass and everything players do in-game helps them gain experience to advance their pass to a higher tier. Alongside the in-game experience, the battle pass also has dozens of challenges, with new ones unlocking each week for players to get progress faster.
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Shadow skins Image: Epic Games This season's skins are all secret agent themed, except maybe for the giant man-cat. But because there are two factions, it looks like just about every skin will have at least three versions, one standard, one for the Shadows, and one for the Ghosts. To unlock these, players can choose to complete challenges from either faction each week, which will unlock that faction's specific styles.
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Ghost skins Image: Epic Games Just like previous passes the season 2 battle pass will cost 950 V-Bucks in the in-game store. There is also a version of the pass that automatically unlocks the first 25 tiers and costs 2,800 V-Bucks. The pass itself also gives players V-Bucks as unlocks at various tiers. The season 2 pass has a total of 1,500 V-Bucks that players can earn if they complete the entire pass.
For players who don't necessarily want to buy the pass, there is also a free version which offers limited rewards and only a few challenges. The free pass will still accrue experience and level up, just like the paid pass, but you won't unlock any of the paid items. If you decide to upgrade the pass in the future, you'll get every reward you've earned up to that point.
The Fortnite chapter 2 season 2 battle pass is out now, and will be available until April 29.
Your stack of V-Bucks are safe, at least from the IRS.
EpicFortnite makes much of its money from a virtual currency, V-Bucks, which are used to purchase cosmetics such as skins, emotes and pickaxes in the billion-dollar battle royale game. All that virtual money floating around must have caught the attention of the Internal Revenue Service.
Language on the IRS website listed Fortnite V-Bucks as an example of virtual currency that needed to be reported on tax forms, according to a report from Bloomberg on Wednesday. However, that language has now been removed, and the IRS says it was a mistake.
"The IRS recognizes that the language on our page potentially caused concern for some taxpayers" the agency said in a statement Friday. "We have changed the language in order to lessen any confusion. Transacting in virtual currencies as part of a game that do not leave the game environment (virtual currencies that are not convertible) would not require a taxpayer to indicate this on their tax return."
Virtual currency, according to the IRS, is "digital representation of value that functions as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and/or a store of value." This includes cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. While V-Bucks can be purchased and exchanged for items within Fortnite, they can't be turned into actual money.
"V-Bucks cannot be digitally traded between users, nor can they be exchanged into, US dollars, Euros, and other real or virtual currencies," Fortnite developer Epic Games said in an emailed statement Friday.
Now playing: Watch this: How Fortnite, AR and YouTube influence toys
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The way that the IRS treats video game currencies could be changing in a very big way. At some point last year, the IRS website added language that listed Fortnite's V-Bucks among other examples of virtual currency, including Bitcoin, Ether, and Roblox. The IRS website asserts that "The sale or other exchange of virtual currencies, or the use of virtual currencies to pay for goods or services, or holding virtual currencies as an investment, generally has tax consequences that could result in tax liability." The IRS website still has this messaging, but all references to the Fortnite currency have been removed. The IRS released a statement, clarifying the situation:
"The IRS recognizes that the language on our page potentially caused concern for some taxpayers. We have changed the language in order to lessen any confusion. Transacting in virtual currencies as part of a game that do not leave the game environment (virtual currencies that are not convertible) would not require a taxpayer to indicate this on their tax return."
That news should come as a relief for most gamers, at least temporarily. Since there doesn't seem to be a way for individual players to make capital gains on V-Bucks (or other forms of video game currency), it seems that it truly was an honest error on the IRS' part. Still, taxpayers who made transactions that resulted in capital gains using virtual currency will have to fill out a new form on their taxes this year on their 1040 form. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll end up paying, but the government is showing an interest in virtual purchases and potential money made as a result of these transactions.
It will be interesting to see if this changes, moving forward. As games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, League of Legends, and more continue to bring in massive profits for their publishers, it seems only natural that new laws will be put into place in order to better regulate the industry. Some gamers will certainly welcome that, but it's equally understandable that others might worry about the potential impact, moving forward. As the video game industry continues to grow by great leaps, it seems inevitable that more changes will come in the very near future.
Should the government treat V-Bucks like they do other digital currencies? Are you concerned about the potential tax implications? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
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(Image credit: Epic Games)Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 skins are looking fine. A new season is finally here, and it seems like secret agents of all stripes are assembling on the battle royale island. The new batch of skins are here range from suave bananas to retired Family Guy jokes.
Even better, with Season 2's faction system, you'll be able to pick which alliance you make and give your character a (sort of permanent) new look. Typically, the Shadow group makes characters adopt an all-black aesthetic, while the Ghost group goes all-white.
Let's dig in and see what's new in Season 2's locker.
New Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 skinsHere's the basic new skins first. Some of these skins have different styles that dramatically change how they look. We've included those in a slideshow further down the page.
The Agent Peely skin is a dapper redux of everyone's favorite sentient nightmare fruit. His eyes are redone to resemble secret agent sunglasses, too. This banana is also packing a pistol on his calf. You'll get Peely as soon as you buy the season 2 battle pass for a minimum of 950 V-Bucks.
Gear Specialist Maya is a super fun idea for Fortnite's new season. Basically, you're going to start with a randomized version of Maya. Maybe she has long hair, maybe it's short, maybe she's tatted up, maybe not. Regardless, if you finish the Maya challenges over the course of the season, you'll unlock extra items and customization options to make Maya your own unique creation. Epic says that there are 3.8 million possible combinations, so get styling. You'll get Maya for buying the season 2 battle pass.
What can you say about Meowscles? First thing, I think it's so funny that all the leaks prior to season 2 dropping misspelled his name as "Meowsicles," like some sort of furry Damocles. Nope, he's just a cat with six pack, like that day dream Stewie from Family Guy had about his teddy bear Rupert. Get cracking on that horrifying fan art, y'all. Meowscles is available at level 60.
Brutus, besides being a cute reference to the B.R.U.T.E. mechs, is a pretty standard homage to spy movie muscle guys. Slick suit, sharp sunglasses, and nary a leg day in sight. He's unlocked at level 20 on the battle pass.
TNTina has all the explosive attitude you'd expect, but what really sets her apart is that her transformation emote will turn her into a cel-shaded version of herself. For as cartoony as Fortnite is, it's never had a legitimately cel-shaded skin, so kudos to Epic for doing something fun like that. TNTina is at level 40 on the battle pass.
I'm not entirely sure how Skye fits into the secret agent motif, but she definitely has that spunky-amateur-reporter-who-stumbles-upon-government-secrets vibe. According to in-game text, her hat (named "Ollie") can transform into a glider and traversal emote. Basically, the hat grows into the size of a small bear and hops around while Skye rides on its back. She's available at level 80 on the battle pass.
Midas certainly doesn't look anything like that Aztec skeleton we all thought Epic was teasing, but he's definitely still got the titular touch. Literally, his special ability allows you to turn weapons and vehicles into gold for the duration of a match. Gold, for those who haven't kept up, is darn near impossible to destroy, so it's possible that this could make your boat or other vehicle into an indestructible death machine. Midas is the level 100 reward on the battle pass.
Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 Ghost and Shadow skin stylesAll those skins you see above have variants for each of season 2's secret agent alliances, Ghost and Shadow.
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Hungry for more Fortnite? Here's all the Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 patch notes that we know so far, the best Fortnite creative codes, and how to get that sweet Deadpool Fortnite skin.
Fortnite season 2 is launching today and the surprise addition is Marvel's foul-mouthed hero Deadpool.
The Merc with a Mouth featured in the Fortnite season 2 Battle Pass trailer, but it was unclear whether Deadpool would be a paid-for skin or not.
But now it has been revealed that those that purchase the Fortnite season 2 Battle Pass will be able to access the Deadpool skin, which unlocks after completing challenges.
The news was revealed by leakers before the Fortnite season 2 Battle Pass went live.
The Fortnite Battle Royale leaks Twitter posted: "Deadpool will be available as a Battle Pass Skin".
And then fellow leaker FortTory added: "Deadpool will have challenges, and this is one of them: 'Find Deadpool's chimichangas around HQ'".
While @FNBRHQ tweeted: "Deadpool will be apart of the battle pass & Includes challenges.
"A BattlePass is required to access Deadpool and his challenges.
"If you want to see Deadpool again, deliver 950 unmarked V-Bucks to the Battle Pass #Fortnite."
To unlock Deadpool in Fortnite, you will need to complete the Deadpool weekly challenges.
To access this in the Battle Pass menu click the vent to go to Deadpool's room.
From there you will have to access the computer in Deadpool's lair - but you will only be able to login if you have purchased the Battle Pass.
Here are the week 1 challenges that you will find on Deadpool's computer…
• Find Deadpool's letter to Epic Games
• Don't thank the bus driver
And in case you're wondering, here are more details on what to expect from Fortnite season 2…
PLAY SPY GAMES
The island has been taken over by covert operatives - Ghost and Shadow - and its fate is in your hands. Will you join the fight?
DISCOVER TOP SECRET LOCATIONS
Discover exotic new locations throughout the island! Go off-the-grid and discover new POI hideouts on the map.
JOIN LIMITED TIME OPERATIONS
Infiltrate enemy bases, neutralise the henchmen guards and face off against their leader to snag unique and powerful weapons.
SURPRISE THE ENEMY
Break into hideouts with secret passages, take out auto turrets and security camera, and use new gadgets like decoy grenades, proximity mines and disguise to sabotage rival agents.
YOUR CHOICES, YOUR BATTLE PASS
Earn 100 rewards including all-new customisation choices like missions that unlock an optional Ghost or Shadow outfit variant, plus new bonus features unique to Battle Pass outfits. Plus 1,500 V-Bucks back!