Fortnite – Rift tour and August updates

Rift Tour

On August 6-8, Fortnite will feature the Rift Tour, a concert headlined by Ariana Grande. The show is a real-time experience scheduled to occur five times over the three-day festival period.

To mark the occasion, Ariana Grande will now be available as a playable character in Fortnite. Arianators can purchase an outfit variant for Grande and new back bling, glider, and pickaxe. For the occasion, Fortnite has also released the Sparkle Skull and Party Player suits and a Neon Variant of the pre-existing Party Trooper outfit. Every Rift Tour attendee will receive the commemorative Cuddly Cruiser umbrella, with Fortnite Crew subscribers getting access to a rainbow variant of this item. The quests released ahead of the Rift Tour will be playable until the Tour concludes at the end of August 8.

New Battle Royale Gameplay

A new weapon, the alien Grabitron, has been released in Battle Royale. The Grabitron is a portable tractor beam that will allow players to grab onto nearby items. It can be used to throw objects at enemies or redirect explosives and projectiles back towards the players who launched them. Players can also hold onto objects as a shield, as they absorb damage until they crack under strain.

In other extraterrestrial-related news, the ‘Slurpy Swamp’ area is slowly being abducted by alien ships using large tractor beams. This means that, during Battle Royale playthroughs, Slurpy Swamp will now be broken up into a series of floating platforms gradually beaming skywards. Players can try jumping from platform to platform inside the alien beam to evade opponents. More and more of Slurpy Swamp will disappear every day after the update launches.

This update also comes with a new mode: Team Brawl Limited Time Mode (Team Brawl LTM). In this mode, players will be divided into two teams, tasked with eliminating the other team’s members as quickly as possible. The first team to eliminate sixty of the other team’s players will be the winner. Eliminated players will respawn by falling to the ground instead of parachuting and will be given a new weapon upon each respawn. To make the rounds more balanced, teams that are trailing will get to see wherever their team members are until they gain more ground.

New Characters

To mark the release of DC’s film The Suicide Squad, Bloodsport has been introduced to Fortnite. Players can now also equip themselves with a Starro backpack, four Suicide-Squad-themed sprays, an A.R.G.U.S. axe, and a Bloodsport axe and Camo Wrap. Fellow Suicide Squad member Harley Quinn, already in Fortnite, will now have a new outfit which will automatically be available to those playing Rebirth Harley.

Also coming into Fortnite this August are Cammy and Guile, both characters from Street Fighter. One variant outfit and back bling will be available for each character, and a new character item pack with axes and a themed glider can be purchased as well. More details are available on Fortnite’s blog.