It’s hard to say exactly when Epic Games began developing the Fortnite lore bible, but one thing is certain: No season of Fortnite has ever put its narrative in as bright a spotlight as Season 7. With Fortnite Season 8 just around the corner, it’s time for a Season 7 refresher.
Even with the emphasis on the story this season, there are details Epic does not outright confirm, leaving me to infer some plot points from things like battle pass cosmetics, seasonal quests, and environmental clues. To be honest, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lost has been off the air for over a decade. I need a new mystery-box in my life. Here’s everything that happened in the Fortnite Season 7 storyline, just in time for Fortnite Season 8.
Aliens Attack – The Last Reality
At the end of Season 6, Raz’s plans to wield the Zero Point for his own gains backfired, and in toying with the island’s lifeforce as he did, he mistakenly alerted an alien civilization named The Last Reality, who previously either did not know of the island or had been leaving it alone.
Small-scale abductions of individual loopers began toward the end of Season 6 before the aliens eventually attacked in full force. The Mothership arrived and cast a dark shadow over the entire island. Emboldened by their successful infiltration of the Imagined Order (IO)–the mysterious organization that seems to maintain the island’s functionality–the aliens hijacked the IO’s technology and used it to abduct the Zero Point, leaving only a crater where the all-important orb once glowed. It also sent The Foundation–a cryptic character in his own right who was stuck inside the Zero Point–flying into the ocean somewhere. We haven’t seen him return just yet.
With control of the island, the aliens began monitoring all regions of it, even as the Imagined Order set up camp at Corny Complex as well as satellite stations all across Apollo to conduct their own research. Patrolling the streets with their ray guns while intimidating players from above with their flying saucers and Abductors, the aliens seemed insurmountable for many weeks.
The Stalemate
In the first few weeks following the takeover by The Last Reality, the island entered a period of prolonged tension. The aliens had a vise-grip on the people of Apollo, while the Imagined Order didn’t seem equipped to understand their plans–never mind thwart them. We know from her battle pass loading screen that Doctor Slone had trained her whole life, in body and mind, to find herself in her role as IO leader. She was made for this. So little by little, she plotted.
With the player’s help, Slone conducted a number of surveillance missions for several weeks. She set up dead drops in Weeping Woods to communicate clandestinely. She set up scanning devices around places like Retail Row to spy on the aliens remotely. She exhausted every resource to learn more about The Last Reality. If she could figure out who they were, she could figure out what their weakness is, or so she seemed to think.
For several weeks, her efforts were not in vain. The existence of new weapons such as the Plasma Cannon, the Grab-itron, and the Prop-ifier were each the result of Slone’s studious efforts. The IO was able to translate the alien technology, like their saucers’ offensive weapons and their shape-shifting abilities, into new handheld firearms for their own counterattacks. But these weapons would not cast out the aliens permanently, especially with a traitor in the midst.
The Traitor
Just as Slone was making progress gathering more intel on the aliens, she became aware of a possible mole within the Imagined Order’s ranks. With the player’s help, Slone investigated this leak, hoping she could patch it before it sank her proverbial ship. After closely inspecting all of her underlings, it was revealed that Maven was the mole who had been aiding the aliens with their mission of total dominance over Apollo. It’s bad enough that characters like Sunny were throwing pro-invasion parties all season long at Believer Beach, but Maven had direct access to the IO’s inner workings. That’s a whole other level of disloyalty.
Interestingly, Slone did unmask the mole successfully back in July, but appears to have withheld that knowledge from Maven herself, who has continued her operations out of the dish station near Craggy Cliffs. Only this week will players finally confront the mole according to the Week 14 challenges. It seems Slone turned her security flaw into an advantage, perhaps feeding Maven faulty intel that she knew would be passed on to the alien overlords. Slone later went on to woo Joey, another double agent, turning her into a triple agent. With Joey’s newfound allegiance and her own internal leaks patched up, Slone put her long-stewing plan into action.
The Abductions And The Countermeasure
The aliens ramped up their efforts and began outright abducting not just loopers, but entire buildings. First it was Slurpy Swamp, then it was Coral Castle. In both cases, the regions that once hosted signature places of interest such as the Slurp factory and Atlantian towers were swept up into the Mothership. Their next target is Corny Complex, and it’s being swallowed up by the tractor beam of the Mothership this very week.
What the aliens don’t seem to know, however, is that Slone likes it that way. Under Corny Complex is the IO headquarters, and it’s there where she developed and built the Countermeasure Device. This curiously named object has not yet revealed its function, though many Fortnite lore chasers suspect it’s a Trojan Horse-like bomb that the aliens will unwittingly detonate after abducting it this week. One thing is for sure: The Countermeasure Device is very much meant to be abducted. What comes next is anyone’s guess. It’s also exactly what players will take part in during Operation: Sky Fire, the season finale interactive event that begins this Sunday, September 12 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET.
Fortnite Season 8
We expect the Sky Fire finale to lead directly into Fortnite Season 8, and perhaps more than usual. Typically, seasons of Fortnite are only loosely related to one another–the overarching story is there but themes and characters are largely refreshed completely. But a recent tease by Donald Mustard indicates Season 8 might be more of a sequel than a refresh. Recently asked to describe the upcoming season in one word, Epic’s Chief Creative Officer instead gave three: “The Last Reality.”
Given that’s the name of the alien civilization in Fortnite, that suggests we haven’t seen the last of the aliens. What could that mean for Operation: Sky Fire? Where did these aliens come from? Is Farmer Steel still sitting in his bunker eating corn cobs? There’s still so much to learn, and in due time we’ll begin to piece together a whole new set of clues and plot points. Fortnite Season 8 is upon us.
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