The Imagined Order may have invaded the Fortnite Chapter 3 island, but the tables are soon about to be turned. Based on the leaks, The Seven alongside Loopers will begin to push back against the IO. While a timeline has not been provided, other details are at hand.
Discovered by Egyptian_Leaker, Epic Games has or is developing a mini-mechanic called 'Seven vs IO.' It will involve a full-scale counterattack against the dreaded organization. Based on the details, this upcoming encounter feature may work similarly to that of the Sideways from Chapter 2 Season 8.
The goal of this counter-offensive will be to liberate strategically important POIs that are within the red lines on the map. In theory, once the encounters end, the POIs will be under the control of The Seven, and the battlelines on the map will be redrawn.
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How will the "Seven vs IO" encounters work in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2?
While the mechanics are not clearly specified, Loopers must fight against IO Guards in multiple stages. In total, there will be about three stages of combat. Presumably, upon winning the last stage, the POI or a small portion of the POI may be liberated.
Much like the Sideways encounters, this will likely not be a live event of any kind. Loopers should consider these as new features on the map itself. Upon completing an encounter, players can expect to gain some XP and loot from killing IO guards. For the time being, this is all based on speculation.
What's not based on speculation are the locations of the encounters. Based on the information provided by the aforementioned Fortnite leaker, these encounters will take place in five POIs. They are:
- Daily Bugle
- Coney Crossroads
- Tilted Towers
- Rocky Reels
- Condo Canyon
Once each or all of these encounters have been completed, the POIs will likely be taken over by The Seven's forces and fortified. It's unclear if the IO will mount a counterattack of their own. However, knowing how persistent they are, this scenario cannot be ruled out.
Will new weapons and vehicles be added to Fortnite before these encounters go live?
As of now, there is no official information from Epic Games regarding the same. However, there are some 'official' teasers hidden in artwork and videos. For instance, the new Fortnite Crew exclusive skin for April, which was revealed a few hours ago, had an "OG" weapon featured in the video.
The Sayara outfit can be seen wielding a light machine gun. The weapon was introduced in Chapter 1 Season 6 and was last seen during Chapter 2 Season 4. Although the files were updated in Chapter 3 Season 1, the weapon was not added in. That may soon change once the 'Seven vs IO' encounters go live.
In addition to the weapon, Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 2's trailer video showcased X-4 Stormwing biplanes. These flying vehicles haven't been seen in a while due to players having no effective way to counter them. However, with tanks and turrets now being present on the map, the playing field can easily be leveled.
Nevertheless, readers should take all this with a grain of salt. Until Epic Games or the leakers confirm that these assets are returning to the game, this should all be regarded as wishful thinking.