Last Sunday, an in-game event saw multiple “time rifts” open before the Fortnite universe collapsed into a black hole, leaving gamers around the world in shock. Not only was the game unplayable for two days, but Fortnite went as far as temporarily deleting all of their previous Instagram posts and tweets.

Not many games would have the audacity to pull off something like this, but Fortnite has delivered a much-needed fresh start. Fortnite as we knew it just days ago is gone forever, and while Epic Games has previous ushered in new “seasons”, we now instead have Fortnite Chapter 2.

While the core gameplay is more or less the same, Epic Games has introduced some massive changes, the biggest being a new map. There are 13 fresh map locations, but there is a catch … the map is initially blacked out and players will have to visit each new spot to see it.

Players will no longer need to spend as much time grinding for loot, as they can now use the resources they pick up to improve their weapons at upgrade benches. This means that if players can’t find the most powerful weapons from chests, they can just upgrade the guns they do manage to find.

Speaking of chests, new blue chests have been added, which now hold the rarest weapons and items, so if players see one they’ll definitely want to loot it.

Another huge change to the map is the emphasis on water, with it no longer acting as an impediment but rather a new feature for transport and activities. Players can now swim to travel faster as well as being able to drive speedboats and also go fishing to find loot.

There’s also a small but noticeable improvement in the graphics, while the game’s heads-up display has also been overhauled and looks very slick. A much-needed addition is giving players the option to ready-up for a new game after being eliminated without the need to wait in the lobby.

Players will now also have the opportunity to be better teammates in multiplayer and can now act as a pseudo-support class. Players now have the ability to pick up downed teammates and even throw them to safety if needed. A new Bandage Bazooka gun also allows gamers to heal their friends by shooting healing items at them.

New stealth elements have also been added, with players now able to hide in haystacks or dumpsters before pouncing on unsuspecting enemies.

And in another nice addition, players are now able to blow up gas tanks and explosive barrels by shooting at them, dealing explosive damage to nearby enemies.

The Battle Pass has also been overhauled, with players now having new ways to earn XP and quickly progress to get the new skins and emotes.

While XP was previously mostly earned from eliminations and your placement, players now can earn medals to gain extra XP by doing in-game activities, like going fishing and opening chests as well as completing challenges.

As always, there are some amazing new skins, emotes, gliders, backbling and more. The standout emote is the Hi 5, with players now being able to properly celebrate with their teammates.

By completing challenges you can also earn up to 1500 V-Bucks, which means you’ll be able to get the next battle pass essentially for free if you save them up.

The plot line from Chapter 1, which involved the near destruction of the Fortnite universe, appears to be over for now, but who knows what the future of the game has in store? Given what we’ve seen in the last few days, it seems that anything is possible, and Epic Games surely has something special planned in the future.