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Fortnite: Ariana Grande Rift Tour concert countdown – when does it start and when is Season 8?
Sure to be a Grande occasion (Picture: Epic Games)
Confused about the Fortnite countdown? It’s for the upcoming Ariana Grande concert, not the start of Season 8.
If you play Fortnite regularly, chances are you’ve already seen the big countdown floating in the sky. There was plenty of speculation about what it’s building up to but leaks suggested that it’d be another music concert, this time starring Ariana Grande.
Earlier this week, Epic Games confirmed that’s exactly what it’s for: a multi-day concert dubbed the Rift Tour, which of course comes with new quests to complete and cosmetics to unlock, including two skins of Grande herself.
With the concert set to start tonight, here’s a rundown of everything you need to know, as well as how to get all the new cosmetics.
Fortnite Rift Tour – when does it start?
To make sure Fortnite’s players can all enjoy the event, there are five concerts taking place over the weekend, each at a different time. The first of them being tonight at 11pm BST.
The second is on August 7 at 7pm BST, followed by the third on August 8 at 5am BST. The fourth takes place that same day at 3pm BST, with the last one happening again at 11pm BST.
Epic does recommend that you arrive 60 minutes before the show starts, with the Rift Tour playlist going live 30 minutes before it starts. You’ll also want to make sure the game’s up to date and you have downloaded the v17.30 update beforehand.
Fortnite Rift Tour – how can I attend?
Attending the concert is as simple as logging into the game. However, you don’t want to head to the usual battle royale island. Concerts take place on the Party Royale island, where players can relax without fear of getting randomly sniped.
Fortnite Rift Tour – how can I unlock the Ariana Grande skin?
The Ariana Grande skin is actually already in the game, and you don’t have to complete any challenges or anything to get it. It can simply be purchased from the in-game shop for 2,000 V-Bucks. It also comes bundled with a second Rift Goddess variant and the Piggy Smallz back bling.
You can also acquire a Lil’ Floaticorn Emote (500 V-Bucks), a Sweetener Sailshards Glider (1,200 V-Bucks), and a 7 Rings Smasher Pickaxe (800 V-Bucks) from the store.
You can buy all these items individually, but we recommend just getting the bundle that includes the skin and extra cosmetics for a discounted 2,800 V-Bucks.
There is a bevy of other new cosmetics you can find in the store as well, but there are a few you can only get by completing the Rift Tour quests.
Fortnite Rift Tour – how to complete the quests
Fortunately, none of the quests are particularly taxing and you can easily finish them before the event wraps up. The first is especially simple: just go to the Rift Tour tab in-game, save a date for the concert, and then play a match. This nets you a Cosmic Cuddles loading screen.
The second asks you to interact with one of the Rift Tour posters scattered across the main battle royale island. There are five of them so just locate one and the Rift-Sterpiece spray is yours. They can be found in Believer Beach, Lazy Lake, Misty Meadows, Retail Row, and Risky Reels.
For the third and final quest, you must use an alien hologram pad on top of the big UFO floating in the centre of the island. The pad isn’t a separate item you need to find, fortunately; it’s something you can pick up on the UFO itself.
The best thing to do is try and land on the UFO at the very beginning of a match when you’re skydiving towards the island. The UFO is impossible to miss since it remains in the middle of the map and doesn’t move.
Once on top, there are purple glowing lights to help you locate the pad. Walk through it and the quest is done, unlocking the Cloudy Kitty emoticon.
The only other exclusive item you can get will be gifted to you automatically by just attending the concert: a Cuddly Cloudcruiser umbrella.
However, Fortnite Crew subscribers will also receive a Rainbow Cloudcruiser umbrella, a Skye up High loading screen, and a Rift Tour-themed banner, so long as they log in before August 9 at 3pm, the day after the final concert showing.
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Fortnite Rift Tour – will Season 8 start when it’s over?
No, the countdown is strictly for the Rift Tour event. Season 8 isn’t due to start for at least another month, with the current battle pass set to end on September 12.
There is always a chance of a delay too, but it’s safe to assume that Season 8 won’t begin until early September at the absolute earliest.
Fortnite Rift Tour – what’s in Season 8?
Officially, we don’t know. Epic rarely even hints at a new season’s content until right before it starts. But, if recent leaks are anything to go buy, we could see more DC characters, namely members of the Justice League and the Suicide Squad.
And apparently, Epic has been trying to negotiate adding Naruto, the star of the hit manga/anime franchise of the same name, for Season 8’s battle pass. This same leak mentioned the Ariana Grande concert before Epic officially announced it so Naruto’s inclusion could very well happen, assuming plans haven’t changed.
Fortnite is available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.
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