What’s the Big Dill with Fortnite: Chapter 6: Season 2?

Fortnite has launched a new season, completely changing anything that related to the previous season’s theme. Fortnite’s team dubbed this season “LAWLESS”, and its theme revolves around crime, as the map now has a massive source of gold. This is quite the change from the last season, which was anime inspired and dubbed “鬼 HUNTERS,” with the character translating to ‘Demon.’ 

Many items from C6S1 have been removed, including the Oni masks, the Surgefire SMG, and the Fury assault rifle. Some new items that have been added are the Collateral Damage assault rifle and thermite. A couple of previously present items have also been brought back, including the Striker assault rifle and the Chug Jug.

This season’s battle pass includes many characters that are all vaguely related to the theme of crime, so here are a couple highlights:

• Cassidy Quinn encapsulates the essence of a criminal while maintaining an elegant style inspired by a deck of cards, with her set containing a backbling made of cards, a pickaxe that is two swords with heart-shaped guards, and a ‘stairway’-styled glider with the steps being cards.

• The next character is the first in season 2’s battle pass to play a major role in the story. Fletcher Kane, described by the Fortnite team as “the island’s mob don,” but for the purpose of his cosmetics, the story will be ignored for now. He has a wolf glider and a holster back bling.

• The second major character in the battle pass is Big Dill, a pickle who has a song out on soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/bigdill). His set includes a stuffed pickle back bling and a baseball bat pickaxe.

Also, starting march 11th, players will be able to make progress towards unlocking Outlaw Midas, who is a “reskin” of a returning character, so he has been restyled to fit the season’s theme

Starting a common trend with this season’s features, reactions to this battle pass among fans are mixed, with some criticising the coherence of the characters. Paul Tassi, an esteemed writer at Forbes, feels that the skins are “terribly unexciting and it feels like Epic just didn’t really know how to convey this GTA-ish crime theme very well.” Other fans, however, are excited and at the edges of their seats waiting for the Midas reskin and the next major event.

The map has changed, with locations being renamed, rebuilt, or just replaced. The locations added in season 2 are Crime City, Shining Shafts, Outlaw Oasis, and Lonewolf Lair. Shattered Span was rebuilt and is now once again known as Shining Span. BURD was tragically demolished and not replaced with anything, which infuriated fans, as the ice cream store and gas station was loved for its name. At Crime City, Lonewolf Lair, Seaport City, and Masked Meadows, there are now banks that are guarded, but players are encouraged to eliminate the guards and break into the banks using a new item, thermite. At any of these four locations, Fletcher Kane can spawn with his mythic pistol and medallion, and he will be marked on the map. 

The train has been entirely overhauled, with any chests accessible on its outside being removed. It has also been remodeled to look more modern and protected, but it also has a safe. In order to get into this safe, a player must take out the two turrets positioned on top of the train (will supply screenshots) and pick up their thermite cores. Next, the player must interact with the safe door to place the thermites, initiating the break in sequence that all of the map’s banks have. Once all of the guards are killed, the train’s safe is safe to explore.

The final safe is on an armored van that travels around the map. It works the same, with the thermites and the guards, but the safe drops a mythic burst rifle with a precise scope. All of these safes, other than the one on the armored van, have an alternate in-game currency, Dill Bits. Dill Bits are an in-game ‘cryptocurrency’ and can be used, while only in the same match that they are acquired, to buy high-tier weapons at black markets around the map.

Overall, the season’s changes in terms of theme and cosmetics have been perceived as “cheesy” and as if Fortnite is taking themselves too seriously, yet also not seriously enough. On the gameplay side of things, however, Fortnite has made some great improvements that result in a satisfying and fun gameplay experience.