Fortnite Chapter 7, season 2 countdown: Exact start time and date

It’s been a long time coming, but Chapter Seven, season one of Fortnite is finally about to end, with the release of season two drawing near. If you’re eager to start exploring an updated island with plenty of exciting changes, you’ll want to know exactly when this update will be out.

Fresh seasonal updates are by far the most exciting ones, as they bring new locations, loot, quests, characters, skins, cosmetics, and so much more to the island. You won’t want to miss out on a single second of the action, so here’s the exact time and date when Fortnite Chapter Seven, season two starts.

Fortnite Chapter 7, season 2 release date

Fortnite Chapter Seven, season two, is officially slated to begin on Thursday, March 19. The season one battle pass ends on March 18, and the game will then head into downtime before coming back with a bunch of new content for season two.

Although an exact launch time hasn’t been officially revealed, the teaser videos posted on the Fortnite YouTube page all have a countdown at the end, and if it’s accurate for the actual start time, Chapter Seven, season two should go live at 6am CT. This is also roughly the same time most past seasons have gone live, barring any unexpected issues during downtime, so it’s a fairly reliable time. If this doesn’t end up being the right time, the season is still expected to release fairly close to it.

Downtime will begin quite a bit before this, likely around 3am CT based on past update schedules. When downtime is active, you won’t be able to play at all, as the game will be undergoing maintenance and updates to usher in the new season.

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• PT: 4am on March 19
• CT: 6am on March 19
• ET: 7am on March 19
• BST: 12pm on March 19
• CEST: 1pm on March 19
• JST: 9pm on March 19
• AEST: 10pm on March 19

Fortnite Chapter 7, season 2 features

The name of Chapter Seven, season two is Showdown, and all of the promotional teasers and buildup for it have centered around a confrontation between The Foundation, the leader of The Seven, and The Ice King. This season is all about rivals and clashes between opposing characters.

As all seasons do, this one will feature a new battle pass packed with Outfits, Back Blings, Pickaxes, Gliders, Contrails, and other such items to unlock. The item shop is also sure to get some new waves of items, including fresh collaborations, original skins, additional Sidekicks, and more.

How long is Fortnite Chapter 7, season 2?

At the time of writing, Chapter Seven, season two is slated to run for 79 days, ending on June 6. The length of seasons is often changed as they progress, though, so there’s a chance this one may be shortened or extended later on. The easiest way to keep up with how much longer is left in a season is by checking the active battle pass, as it always ends one day before the season does.

While you wait for season two to arrive, there are lots of quests worth wrapping up around the island. To ensure you get as much XP as possible and learn what’s going on in the main storyline before season one ends, be sure to check off key missions like checking in with The Order or The Visitor about the base, helping Hope forge an alliance with The Elites, hunting down signs of The Seven, and listening to The Visitor’s ship log and hear his reunion with The Order.

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Setting up an amazing squad in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is easier said than done, as you’ll need to look for monsties with the best possible stats.

This task is easier said than done. While you can always hatch the best of eggs, that doesn’t guarantee a perfect monstie. Instead, you’ll need to look for something called genes and master the concept.

How do genes work in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

Every monstie has a dedicated set of Active and Passive skills. The number and types of skills of a monstie are determined by genes. If you refer to the image below, you’ll find a young Rathalos that’s available for all of us at the start of a journey.

Notice the bottom right corner, and you’ll find nine slots in a 3×3 grid. This grid is applicable for every monstie when they hatch. Some of the slots will be filled, and some will be empty. To get your perfect mostie, you’ll need to fill these empty slots. Having nine filled slots will give the mostie the best set of skills.

While not all their slots might be filled at the start, you can inherit additional genes from other creatures. To do so, you need to understand how Bingo and Rite of Channeling work.

How does Rite of Channeling and Bingo work in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

Rite of Channeling allows you to switch the genes from one monstie to another. You can do so in different ways.

• Directly swap the genes from one monstie to another.
• Manually select which gene/genes you want to swap.
• Select the monsties and the genes you want to swap.

Once the swap is complete, you can continue to modify the genes of your selected monstie until you’ve filled all nine slots. However, randomly filling the slots is not the most optimal thing to do.

When you use Rite of Channeling, you should match up genes to get the maximum possible bonus. If you manage to do so, your monstie will have an extra 5% damage as a bonus for all Power attacks. To do so, you need to match three Power genes in a row. You can match them vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

You’ll get the bonus damage for a Bingo even if the associated element and attack type don’t match. If they do, however, then you can get multiple Bingos in a single row.

To build up your perfect monstie, Excursions are important as well.

How do Excursions work in Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

You can send your monstie on an Excursion to make it gain different stat bonuses and Environment Skills. To do so, you’ll need Training Talisman, which can be purchased from the Melynx Emporium. They’re expensive, so you should ration them properly. Additionally, only one monstie can be sent on an Excursion at any time.

To gain Environmental Skills, you’ll need to pay attention to whether the monstie was present in that region. If you add a monstie to a habitat and then send it on an Excursion at the same place, it will be able to learn new skills based on their Environment Rank.

The ultimate aim is to have three S-rank Environment Skills active on your monstie at once. Three is the maximum number of Environment Skills any monstie can have. If you send them to a region they’re unfamiliar with, your monstie will only learn the stat bonuses.

Every Environment Skill has three ranks for each region: B, A, and S. Your monstie can access the Skill if their Ecosystem Rank matches the region’s grade. Additionally, you can also Awaken every Environment Skill if your monstie has the required genes.

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