Fortnite Season 6 Primal — wild animals, Lara Croft, Neymar and everything you need to know
The battle bus keeps rolling on
The latest season of Fortnite is officially upon us. Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6 has managed to mostly avoid the bevy of leaks that have spoiled previous events in the massively popular online game, so we’re going into this season with plenty of surprises still to come.
Launched on March 16, Fortnite Season 6 has been dubbed Primal and is already making significant changes to the battle royale game, with more to come in the next few weeks.
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Season 5 was dominated by crossovers. We saw iconic gaming characters like PlayStation’s Kratos and Xbox’s Master Chief join the fray, as well as popular culture icons such as The Mandalorian and Predator.
However it looks like Season 6 will be taking a slightly different approach and focusing instead on Fortnite’s own lore and unique characters. Of course, there will still be a cameo or two from some familiar faces.
There’s quite a bit to unpack here, so let’s dive straight in with everything we know so far about Fortnite Season 6, as well as some hints about what might be unveiled a little way down the road.
Zero time to lose
When you first boot into Fortnite Season 6 you’ll be tasked with completing the conclusion of Agent Jones’ mission in Zero Crisis Finale.
Of course, Jones’ quest to prevent the island core from collapsing in on itself began in Season 5, so players have had to wait a while to see how it all shakes out. Based on the intro cinematic, it’s going to be suitably epic.
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Curiously this finale is a solo experience, which goes against the social aspect that has dominated most Fortnite events so far. This is perhaps an indication that Epic is keen to include more narrative-focused content this season.
Take a walk on the wild side
This season is being released under the title Primal, and it seems that Fortnite is about to be invaded by four-legged guests.
Animals now roam the island, ranging from vicious wolves to raging wild boars, as well as slightly more friendly creatures including chicken and frogs.
You’ll be able to hunt these animals and use the collected resources to craft unique weapons, such as a bow and arrow. Alternatively, you can tame them, if you’d rather fight alongside an animal companion.
Crafting mechanics have exploded in popularity recently, with survival games like Valheim built around the concept, so we’re not surprised to see Fortnite get in on the trend.
Alternatively, you can tame the animals you’ll find on the island if you’d rather fight alongside an animal companion.
Say hello to The Spire
As is customary at this point, Season 6 is bringing with it some dramatic changes to the Fortnite map.
The island now featuring a gigantic tower at its center. Known as The Spire, you can't miss this monolithic structure as it loams over just about the entire island.
A new range of villages surrounds the tower, including locations like Colossal Crops and Boney Burbs.
The new-look map leaked ahead of the season launching, so we’ve already had a chance to get acclimated with the changes.
A new look for the Tomb Raider
Considering that the new season of Fortnite is themed around hunting and wilderness survival, it’s rather fitting that the first crossover of the season is none other than Lara Croft.
The Tomb Raider franchise is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, so there had been some speculation that Lara might pop up in the world of Fortnite to mark the occasion.
There are multiple different Lara skins available including, one modeled after her classic polygonal look, and one that is inspired by the recent reboot trilogy.
Lara is unlocked through the Fortnite Season 6 Battle Pass. Raven from the superhero cartoon Teen Titans is also available as part of the pass.
Neymar bursts onto the scene (yes, really)
After some teasing on twitter, it’s been confirmed that Neymar will be joining Fortnite this season.
👀 https://t.co/JFX4mjHj6lMarch 13, 2021
The Brazillian soccer star would seem like an odd inclusion in just about any other game (bar FIFA), but this is Fortnite. At this point we’ve long stopped questioning inclusions here — the Travis Scott virtual concert proved that anything goes.
We don’t yet know how Neymar will feature in Fortnite, but the smart money would suggest he’ll likely be an unlockable skin. Maybe he’ll have a unique football weapon, or the ability to theatrically roll around on the floor after being meleed by another player?
Looking to the future
Fortnite Season 6 has been kept under closer wraps than usual, so we don’t have as strong an idea of what’s to come throughout the season as we have done in the past.
Leaker HYPEX did reveal multiple things that were earmarked for Season 5 that never came to fruition, including a crossover with animated-sitcom Family Guy.
Some highlights of Season 5 leaks that didn't come out yet:- Gas Flopper- Family Guy Collab- Weapons Attachments/Abilities- Cars Mounted Guns & Tires- Selling loot to NPCs- NPCs codenames: - Marigold/Midas, Labrador, Umami- NPCs Speeches: https://t.co/7ttrTmO07QMarch 6, 2021
There is the potential that all these bits of content have now been held back for Season 6. Time will tell.
Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.