Fortnite season 10: Exploding mechs and it's a double XP weekend

Oscar Gonzalez, provided by

Published 12:26 pm PDT, Friday, September 27, 2019

Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

Image 1 of 140

FILE PHOTO: Fortnite season 10 is already full of surprises.The 'Fortnite' section attracts fans at the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo, also known as E3, opening in Los Angeles, California on June 11, 2019. less FILE PHOTO: Fortnite season 10 is already full of surprises.The 'Fortnite' section attracts fans at the 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo, also known as E3, opening in Los Angeles, California on June 11, ... more Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images

Fortnite season 10: Exploding mechs and it's a double XP weekend

1  /  140

Back to Gallery

This article, Fortnite season 10: Exploding mechs and it's a double XP weekend, originally appeared on CNET.com.

Fortnite season 10, aka season X, is live. The new season doesn't yet have any of the sweeping changes found in previous seasons, but it looks as though the island will be in a state of flux until the start of season 11, which could be sometime in October.

What's new?

Players are also noticing a strange occurrence on the island after downloading the patch. Brutes -- mechs added at the beginning of the season 10 that players have detested from the jump -- are now being destroyed once they land during a match.

It appears this phenomenon is tied to The Visitor, the antagonist in the game's lore. It was his launch of a rocket in season 4 that started a domino effect throughout the seasons causing various changes on the island. Players also found a control panel in The Visitor's warehouse that has a strange audio clip when activated.

These kinds of additions to the game are indicative of a season-ending event that should happen in the coming weeks.

Before season 10 ends, Epic will give players a chance to play catch up with a double XP weekend. Starting on Sept. 27 at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT, experience points (XPs) earned in a match will be doubled to help unlock more in-game content.

THE MOST POPULAR VIDEO GAME THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

1977 — Space InvadersAtari 2600

THE MOST POPULAR VIDEO GAME THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

1977 — Space InvadersAtari 2600

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Image 1 of 53

THE MOST POPULAR VIDEO GAME THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

1977 — Space InvadersAtari 2600

THE MOST POPULAR VIDEO GAME THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

1977 — Space InvadersAtari 2600

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Most popular video games the year you were born

1  /  53

Back to Gallery

Season 10 rundown

The biggest change in Fortnite season 10 is a two-player mech called the Brute. The robot acts as a vehicle, with one player controlling its movement while the other can use its weapons, which include a shotgun and a missile launcher. Players can also use the mech's Overshield ability, which will consume 200 materials of any type.

Fortnite players took to the game's subreddit to complain that the new mech is overpowered. Several threads included memes of how ridiculously powerful the Brute is. One thread has a fake tweet from Epic saying it'll make changes to the mech to make it more balanced. One user posted a video of himself winning a match with the Brute, saying he didn't deserve the Victory Royale. Even Fortnite World Cup champion Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf had trouble with the mech.

After numerous complaints from players, Epic nerfed the Brute on Aug. 22. Now the mech will fire fewer rockets, move slower and there's a chance that a Brute won't spawn at all during a match.

The Fortnite map for season 10 didn't change, which is unusual for the start of a new season. In the v10.0 patch notes, Epic said Rift Zones will make locations from the past reappear. One data miner found assets in the update that show Neo Tilted may change to an Old West theme called Tilted Town.

As teased by Epic during the Fortnite World Cup, Dusty Depot is now back on the island. There was also one addition to the map, although it's above the island and not on it. The meteor from the season 3-ending event that destroyed Dusty Depot is in stasis above the impact point.

The map for Fortnite season 10

Epic Games

Players can actually enter the meteor to find items and the capsule that contained the Visitor who was responsible for the rocket launch event in season 4 that began this whole time crisis.

On Aug. 5, players saw something in the Neo Tilted area. A Rift Beacon was activated, creating a rift above the location.

This is how Tilted Town will look like.

remember! This is without the new buildings, im currently trying to leak them ingame! pic.twitter.com/17DdllaxUc

— FortTory - Fortnite Leaks & News (@FortTory) August 2, 2019

Nothing has happened yet, but rifts could be part of the season 10 storyline. Data miners already discovered a new version of Neo Tilted called Tilted Town, which could change due to the rift.

This is how Tilted Town will look like.

remember! This is without the new buildings, im currently trying to leak them ingame! pic.twitter.com/17DdllaxUc

— FortTory - Fortnite Leaks & News (@FortTory) August 2, 2019

Aug. 6 marked the first big change to the island since the beginning of Fortnite season 10. Neo Tilted went back in time and is now called Tilted Town. The area has an Old West motif and its own special rules: "no buildin', no breakin.'"

First discovered by data miners at the start of the season, Tilted Town is its own unique space on the island. Players who run into the dome surrounding the location will have their attire changed to something out of Red Dead Redemption, and they are unable to build any structures or harvest any materials. Or can they?

One Twitter user found a way to enter Tilted Town with the ability to build. He does so by creating a platform right above the outskirts of the town. Once there, he edits a platform he's standing on that lets him drop in without changing his attire and still have access to building structures.

In Tilted Town, there are a select amount of weapons unvaulted by Epic that fit with the Old West setting. The weapons are the Double Barrel Shotgun, Six Shooter, Hunting Rifle and Infantry Rifle.

Epic also released a new weapon in the same update. The Automated Sniper Rifle lets players shoot four rounds per second and bullets travel faster than other rifles.

The new Automated Sniper Rifle

Epic Games

Fortnite players saw on Aug. 9 that a new Rift Beacon is being built in Dusty Depot. This means the location that just returned at the start of season 10 may change in the coming days just like Tilted Town.

The Rift Beacon Is Being Built At Dusty Depot!#Fortnite

Tweet