Over the past couple of years, Epic Games has leaned into crossover events, helpingFortnitestand out from its battle royale contemporaries. Each season seems to revolve around certain themes, such as therecent Marvel superheroes-focused seasonthat saw players fighting back against an invading Galactus. In addition to comic book characters,Fortnitehas also been able to introduce all sorts of characters from TV, movies, and video games.
Even with all these crossovers, Epic has managed to infuse each season with an overarching story and a finale mission that turns the core gameplay on its head. These live events have included all sorts of memorable moments, from ablack hole ending Chapter 1 and renderingFortniteunplayableto a doomsday device giving fans a peek behind theFortniteBattle Royale curtain at a larger story.
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Season 7 ofFortnitefeatured aliens as its core theme, coming to a close in September 2021. The season introduced players to characters like Raz and Mari, as well as fleshing out factions such as The Last Reality. For those who missed the Live Event finale, they may need a recap ofeverything that happened during Operation Sky Fireas the story continues building.
How Did Operation Sky Fire Start?
Starting in Week 8 of the Invasion season, players were introduced to a mole inside the Imagined Order; a group players began running into duringChapter 2 Season 2 when IO Guards were stationedaround The Island. This mole began leaking classified information, and the player eventually discovers they are Maven, a member of the Calculator Crew. Eventually, it was revealed that the alien race known as The Last Reality could impersonate anyone they wanted, and their Mothership would be abducting various locations on the map.
To repel the alien invasion, supposed Imagined Order leader Doctor Sloane directs the player to set up Countermeasure Devices inside of Corny Complex. The hope was that they could damage the ship when that complex got abducted.
Abduction and Betrayal
As the Mothership approaches Corny Complex, it began toabduct smaller sections of the Island, includingFortniteoperation participants. Imprisoned inside holding cells aboard the ship, players use the backpacks they’re strapped with to hack the cells. At this point, players race through the twisting and winding hallways while making sure to avoid detection from roaming aliens. Before long, players are spotted and need to hold out against the aliens while Sloane hacks through the doors, leading them through the Mothership.
As players confirm the countermeasure bombs are on board, Sloane begins arming them for detonation, only to stop whenThe Cube emerges from the purple poolbelow. Sloane is incapacitated and The Cube begins unleashing energy blasts at the players. Sloane reawakens and weaponizes the backpacks which disables the cube, turning it from purple to black. From here, the bomb arming process continues, but Sloane reveals her true colors by betraying players and locking them in the ship as the countdown begins.
Reactivating The Cube
Even without the help of Sloane, players are able to reactivate thedormant cubeFortniteplayers initially dubbed Kevin, turning it blue and powering up a nearby elevator. As the time continues to tick down, players arrive in a massive chamber housing thousands of dormant purple cubes. Before long the bombs detonated, destroying the Mothership and sending players hurtling back toward the Earth. As players glide back down, debris from the Mothership falls around them - including the purple cubes found within the massive chamber. The player is soon hit by a falling abductor, ending the event.
What’s to Come in Season 8
As a result of the Mothership going down, Chapter 2 Season 8 is known as “Cubed” and picks up right after the events of Operation Sky Fire.FortniteBattle Royale has since been invaded by the cubes that are spreading corruption and summoning monsters, just in time for the annual Fortnitemares seasonal event.
Fortniteis available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
