Only a few days remain until Fortnite Season 7 winds to a close. As with previous seasons, cryptic hints and clues have been spotted around the map that point to some big changes in store for Season 8. Taken together, all these clues point in one direction. It seems that the Battle Royale map is in for a heatwave.
What’s in store for Fortnite Season 8
An Icy Beginning
From the clues we’ve gathered so far, it seems that the events of Season 8 are going to be closely tied with everything that occurred during Season 7. At the start of the season, players will remember that a massive iceberg slammed into the southern edge of the Battle Royale island. With it came huge new areas of snow and ice. In particular, the castle at Polar Peak was an area of tremendous interest. A sprawling fortress covered in snow, it seemed to be the home of the Ice King, a skin included as part of Season 7’s battle pass.
As the season rolled on, players with Battle Passes were able to unlock loading screens that revealed more and more of the Ice King’s story. Apparently, the Ice King had been slumbering in the dormant castle for some time before the iceberg hit the Battle Royale island, and was very displeased that the thawing snow had awakened him. In an effort to “restore order,” he blanketed the entire island in a blizzard and summoned hordes of icy zombie-like creatures as part of the Ice Storm event. But what exactly was the Ice King trying to protect…?
The Prisoner Released
As the season progressed, the ice encasing Polar Peak continued to slowly melt, revealing areas of the castle that had previously been hidden. In particular, the dungeon revealed several interesting clues as to the nature of Season 8, including a hidden chamber containing clusters of what appear to be dragon’s eggs. Eventually, the melting ice revealed a mysterious sight: in the middle of the dungeons, an empty pedestal with broken chains dangling from the ceiling. It appeared that someone, or something, had escaped the Ice King’s grasp.
Around the same time, diligent Battle Pass owners began unlocking The Prisoner skin as part of the Season 7 Snowfall challenge set. The skin depicts a hulking figure with hardened skin, wrapped in various manacles and chains. It quickly became obvious that The Prisoner was what the Ice King had been keeping locked up in the bowels of his castle. Despite the Ice King’s best efforts to keep this mysterious figure imprisoned, the ice had finally melted, setting the Prisoner loose on the world.
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The Prisoner skin is a unique multi-stage item. Like other skins, it has unlockable styles, but to unlock those styles, players need to locate keys around the map to unlock the different chains that keep The Prisoner locked up. As more and more of The Prisoner’s underlying appearance is revealed, he takes on more fiery characteristics, including flaming veins that literally burst through his skin like cracks in a lava flow. In addition, earthquakes have begun to shake the map, occuring with greater frequency as the start of Season 8 approaches.
So, what does this all mean? It’s apparent that there’s more to The Prisoner than meets the eye. Some players have speculated that his true identity is the Fire King, which would explain why the Ice King went to such great lengths to keep him locked up. Players have also speculated that the tremors will culminate in a huge volcanic eruption somewhere on the map to mark the Season 8 kickoff. A massive, map-altering event like a volcano would certainly be in keeping with Fortnite’s trend of changing up the map with the arrival of each new Season.
In addition, those mysterious dragon eggs could point to rideable dragons coming to Season 8 as new vehicles. If fire, ice, and dragons don’t sound familiar, they should. Season 8’s arrival is going to occur right around the lead-up to the much-anticipated final season of “Game of Thrones,” and there’s been speculation that a tie-in event of some sort is in the works. Fortnite is no stranger to such tie-ins, and veteran players will remember Thanos appearing in-game for a limited time to promote the release of Marvel’s “Infinity War.”
All signs are pointing to some fiery surprises in store for Fortnite Season 8. Season 7 is due to end on February 28th, so Fortnite players should keep their eyes peeled for additional news as the season draws to a close.
