The Fortnitemares limited-time Halloween event ended in spectacular fashion this past Sunday with a one-time event in the same vein as the infamous missile launch that led into Season 5. Players in the game on Sunday witnessed as the Cube exploded in a flash of light and whisked players into an alternate dimension. If you weren’t in-game to witness the event for yourself, take a look at the footage below to see what happened.
For those who missed it, here's a gameplay view of the event from @LootLakeBR!pic.twitter.com/O8skvX3P4R
— Fortnite News – fnbr.news (@FortniteBR) November 4, 2018
It was a head-scratching series of events, but unfortunately, if you weren’t in-game to witness it for yourself, you’re out of luck. It’s in keeping with Fortnite’s trend of including show-stopping, one-time-only events in the multiplayer game, adding a level of story and shared experience for millions of players worldwide.
So, what exactly are we witnessing here? After unleashing hordes of monsters on the map and parking itself above the swirling portal at Leaky Lake, the Cube began to harden and develop a stone-like outer shell. Then, all at once, the Cube began to glow intensely, spinning faster and faster until finally exploding in a flash of bright white light.
The blast teleported players into an ethereal alternate dimension, populated by glowing, almost digital conduits and floating spheres of glowing light. It eventually became clear that this dimension was connected in some way to the Rifts that have been scattered around the map since Season 5. The points of light surrounding the players eventually coalesced into what seemed to be the familiar shape of one of these Rifts. In actuality, the light formed into an otherworldly butterfly.
After chasing down and catching the butterfly, players were treated to a short cutscene before being teleported back to the Battle Royale map, where it quickly became apparent that a few things had changed. The Cube and the remnants of the floating island that surrounded it were gone, and the hole in Leaky Lake had closed up. In its place were a series of peaceful-looking islands. Take a look at the map below to see the new layout:
who likes new leaky lake pic.twitter.com/0rSoI8XKZx
— mobile fortnite (@mohamme82054370) November 6, 2018
Of note is the central island, marked by a Stonehenge-like rock formation in the exact spot of the rift left by the Cube. Are these perhaps the last remnants of the cube? Take a look at the new monuments in the Tweet below:
Leaky Lake's New Look! @Ninja #fortnitecube pic.twitter.com/sc2xAMAUZn
— Fortnite Insider (@FortnInside) November 5, 2018
Speculation abounds as to what the event could signify for future seasons. It seems apparent that the Cube’s disappearance was related in some way to Season 5’s rifts and whatever opened them. Fortnite players have long speculated at the existence of a mysterious extraterrestrial being dubbed The Traveler; perhaps this was once again the handiwork of this benevolent, god-like entity?
What’s apparent for now is that the Cube Monsters are gone (at least for the time being), and that there’s still a few weeks left until the end of the spooky-themed Season 6. With more winter holidays right around there corner, there will doubtless be plenty of festive treats on the horizon. Fortnite has already announced new official NFL skins just in time for football season.
If you missed out on Fortnitemares, however, don’t worry. You can still battle the Cube Monsters in an upcoming LTM, dubbed Team Terror, that pits squads against hordes of the undead.
