Fortnite season eight will finally land later this week, and it’s going to bring massive changes to Battle Royale.

Epic Games has already published two teasers that give little away, but a number of exciting details have now been confirmed. Fans can look forward to the removal of planes and improved team communication.

Season eight might just be Fortnite’s most important season so far. With Apex Legends nipping at its heels and threatening to take over as the biggest battle royale game, Epic must pull out all the stops to ensure it doesn’t disappoint.

It has already confirmed that the Stormwing plane — one of the most controversial additions to the game — will be removed entirely. And there’s lots more to look forward to.

Fortnite season 8 could take to the seas

Let’s look at the first season eight teasers first. Epic has published two so far, both of which hint at a pirate theme. “Be aware of those who arrive on waves,” warns the latest, while the first clearly showed a pirate’s hook.

The teasers confirm next to nothing, but a recent Reddit AMA with Epic employees provided fans with a number of exciting details, including:

  • Epic has been “considering” a respawn system for bringing back eliminated teammates — like that in Apex Legends — in regular Battle Royale modes. It hints at further updates on this during season eight.
  • Epic is exploring improvements that will “help with map markers & team communication.” “We’re always mindful of how we can make these areas better,” one developer explained.
  • A new “single-occupancy vehicle” is coming. Epic doesn’t indicate what this might be, but some fans are speculating it will be some kind of boat, based on the pirate theme.
  • There are a whole host of sound improvements coming with the season eight update. Fans can look forward to enhanced weapon firing sounds, new sounds for going in and out of ADS, better hit marker audio, and lots more.
  • Epic is adding an option to disable motion blur and shadows on all devices, including Nintendo Switch and mobile.
  • Epic has no plans to bring back the controversial “double pump” mechanic, which allowed two shotguns to be fired in quick succession.
  • Ranked play will remain exclusive to Pop-Up Cups for now. There are no plans to implement this into regular Battle Royale matches.

Big fixes for mobile

Epic addresses issues with Fortnite on mobile with almost every patch, but there are lots of improvements to look forward to in season eight, including:

  • Ability to interact with items like chests and vending machines when there is no line of sight has been fixed.
  • “Input blocked” error that appears when using a controller or touch is fixed.
  • Bug that prevents players from crouching while editing structures is fixed.
  • And more.

Bag a free season 8 Battle Pass

The only real leak ahead of season eight is a hidden file in the latest Fortnite update that suggests a building in Tilted Towers — the one that gets destroyed every season — will again be brought down in season eight.

There’s not long to wait before all these changes roll out; season eight kicks off on Thursday, February 28. And remember, those who complete the Overtime challenges before then will receive the new Battle Pass free of charge.