Operation Snowdown is live, Fortnite's Christmas event for 2020!
Over the course of the event many rewards will be on offer, including new skins.
Here is everything you need to know.
End Date
This year's event began on Friday, 18 December.
Lasting just over two weeks, Operation Snowdown will end on Tuesday, 5 January.
Frost Squad Is Now Unlockable
The Operation Snowdown challenges allow players to unlock the Snowmando and Frost Squad skins.
Snowmando is unlockable by completing 9 challenges, while Frost Squad is unlockable after 12.
As Operation Snowdown heads towards the end, enough challenges are unlocked to grant players Frost Squad.
For the list of challenges needed to unlock Frost Squad, see the challenges section below.
Operation Snowdown Challenges
In order to get the two new free skins, players will have to complete a bunch of challenges.
Here is the list of all of the challenges:
Here is the complete list of Operation Snowdown Challenges:
- Complete Epic Quests (73)
- Visit different Snowmando outposts (1)
- Deal damage with Lever Action Rifle (100)
- Complete Operation Snowdown Quests (9)
- Complete Operation Snowdown Quests (12)
- Dance at different Holiday trees (5)
- Search chests at Snowmando outposts (5)
- Place Top 10 with friends in squads (3)
- Destroy Nutcracker statues (5)
- Travel 5,000 meters in X-4 Stormwings (5,000)
- Shoot down opponent structures with X-4 Stormwings (10)
- Collect Gold Bars (100)
- Catch a Snowy Flopper (1)
- Revive a player in different matches (3)
- Hide inside a Sneaky Snowmando in different matches (3)
- Play duo/squads with friends (5)
- Stoke a campfire (2)
- Deal damage at Snowmando outposts (250)
- Use Chiller Launcher to apply icy feet to opponents (10)
Seasonal Store
There is plenty to get stuck into in terms of Winterfest challenges and the rewards that come with them, but there's also plenty going on in the Fortnite Store.
The pretty snazzy looking Dandy Cane Set it live in the Item Shop now, with plenty more seasonal-based items to come over the Christmas period.
Winterfest 2020
It has now been revealed that Winterfest won't be called Winterfest this year, instead it is now known as Operation Snowdown.
Players will be given Operation Snowdown challenges to complete, which will grant XP and cosmetics, including two free skins.
There is also another event called The Spy Within, which will grant even more free cosmetics.
Players who complete all of the Operation Snowdown challenges will receive the Snowmando and Frost Squad skins for free.
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New Lobby
A new Christmas themed Lobby background will be added to the game, showing Misty Meadows covered in snow.
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Snowman NPC
A Snowman NPC has been found in the game’s files according to @HYPEX on Twitter.
This would make sense, given the various new characters we have seen in Chapter 2, Season 5 so far.
The likes of the Catty Corner Cat have returned with a series of quests which, if completed successfully, will grant you plenty of gold!
According to another HYPEX Tweet, they seem to suggest the snowman will give quests and grant players with loot.
The supposed greetings from the Snowman are as follows.
- Greetings my Hot blooded friend, which task would you like to perform for me?
- You Look Hot...
- Magic Claw
- Thanks
- Find Chests
- Not Yet
- Find those chests!
- You won't ever see this
- Here ya go!
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Skins
Players who complete all of the Operation Snowdown challenges will receive the Snowmando and Frost Squad skins for free.
Snow Covered Map
It has been confirmed that snow will make a return on the map this year.
Whether the entire map will be covered or just select areas remains to be seen.
The centre of the map recently became a desert that players can sink into.
It would be really fun if the entire map was covered in snow and players could move around in the snow across the whole map like the desert currently.
Snowy Flopper
Fishing is a huge part of Chapter 2 and with Season 4 we saw a lot of new Floppers added to the game.
This season we've seen some new additions too and there will be a new one called Snowy Flopper added during Operation Snowdown.
Using the Flopper will make the users feet turn into ice, which will allow players to move around the map much quicker.
This is similar to how the Icy Chilly Grenades have worked in the past.
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Snowball Launcher
The Snowball Launcher has made a return, this time as an Exotic weapon.
Exotic weapons can be purchased from select NPCs for a large amount of gold, making them a weapon players can't freely use every match.
Check out SypherPK's video where he explains everything you need to know about the new Snowball Launcher.
Planes
The X-4 Stormwing was a very controversial vehicle when it was added back in Chapter 1 Season 7.
Eventually it got nerfed and became a great source of mobility.
The planes haven't been seen since Season 8, but they look to be returning during Operation Snowdown as they were leaked in the Operation Snowdown challenges.
Snowdown Shuffle
A new Snowdown Shuffle LTM will be coming to the game.
This LTM will automatically shuffle and choose and random LTM for the lobby to play.
Here are the LTMs that are included:
- Catch!
- Air Royale
- Tilted Taxis
- Shockwave
- Score Royale
- Rally Royale
- Pickaxe Frenzy