Season 6 of Fortnite is here: Everything you need to know

Brett Molina USA TODAY

Published 8:23 AM EDT Sep 27, 2018

The sixth season of the massive video game hit "Fortnite" has finally arrived.

Just in time for the Halloween season, publisher Epic Games introduced a spooky theme called Darkness Rises, adding fresh skins and other perks including pets and a new item that can turn players invisible.

For those who have never boarded the Battle Bus, "Fortnite" features a Battle Royale where 100 players descend on an island in an environment similar to "The Hunger Games." You can play alone or with a team, and the last one standing wins.

If you are still eagerly waiting the chance to tackle Season 6, here's everything you need to know.

The island looks a lot creepier

Instead of playing under sunny skies, the island is shrouded in darkness. There are also several new areas to check out, including a floating island, corn fields and a corrupted area.

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What are Shadow Stones?

This is the new perk in Season 6 – an item users find and consume to add new abilities. If you consume a Shadow Stone, you take on a Shadow Form, according to patch notes posted by Epic. This lets players go invisible if they stand still, but when they move, they're easier to spot by leaving a shadow trail behind them. But there are some nice perks, including the ability to move faster, phase through objects, and taking a fall with no damage regardless of height. The perk lasts for 45 seconds.

You can bring Pets with you

Players can now bring a buddy! An image of the Pets feature a dog, lizard and a tiny dragon. It appears the pets are cosmetic only.

A new Battle Pass

As with each season of Fortnite, users can add a fresh Battle Pass, a one-time purchase players make to add even more cosmetic items like skins, including one outfit where players can turn into a werewolf. The Pass costs roughly $10.

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There are already technical issues

Epic Games said they're investigating two issues since Season 6 launched. The first is an increase in game crashes when Xbox owners fire up Fortnite. The second relates to Vbucks, Fortnite's in-game currency. Epic cites error messages when players try to purchase Vbucks or a delay in receiving them once a purchase is made.

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