When is the Fortnite live event? UK time and date of The End, countdown and when is Chapter 3 coming out

For the second time in Fortnite history, the game is set to enter into a new chapter - and marking the end of Chapter 2 Season 8 is a huge one-off live event for players.

This is everything you need to know about the mysteriously titled The End, and what players can expect.

What is The End?

The End is the Fortnite Chapter 2 finale event where players will come together to battle against the Cube Queen, the main villain of the current chapter.

Epic Games says players will take on the Cube Queen “in one last stand for the fate of the island” and that “nothing will ever be the same”.

The End is a one-time only, in-game event, and Epic Games says that content creators and players who are looking to relive the final moments of Fortnite Chapter 2 “should take steps to record and archive their experience” as replays will not be available.

Players will also be unable to edit their settings once The End begins, so make sure to adjust your settings before joining.

Because the season is set to end a day early, all players who log into Fortnite before the end of the season will receive 225,000 VP reward.

Players that fight back against the Cube Queen during The End will also unlock a special loading screen and wrap.

When is the live event - and how do I join?

The live event will kick off on Saturday 4 December at 4pm for American players, which translates to 9pm GMT for UK players.

Players will be able to queue for the event from 8:30pm. Epic Games recommends queuing in order to guarantee yourself a spot.

Epic Games says: “The End supports large parties of up to 16 players queued together, so bring the whole squad along.

“Be sure to log in early - The End playlist will be available in Fortnite 30 minutes prior to the start time for players to jump in.”

Joining is simple, all you have to do is log into Fortnite and you’ll be able to join The End playlist on the Fortnite battle royale mode launch menu.

What to finish in Chapter 2 Season 8 before The End

As is the same with prior Fortnite seasons, you’ll want to wrap up any remaining quests and unlock any remaining rewards before the season ends.

You might still need to:

• Complete the Cube Queen’s page one and two quests
• Collect Colour Bottles and Rainbow Ink to unlock Toona Fish Styles
• Trade in any remaining Battle Stars in exchange for rewards

Any unused Battle Stars will automatically be redeemed for the earliest available rewards - however, Rainbow Ink and Colour Bottle styles for Toona Fish will not and should be acquired before the end of the season.

Quests from Packs like the Graveyard Drift Quest Pack will carry over to the next season.

You should also note that you cannot take your Bars with you into the new season, so you should use those up while you can.

When will Chapter 3 be released?

While there has been no official announcement regarding the release date of Chapter 3, it could potentially come out on Sunday 4 December, the day after The End event.

There will likely be a period of downtime between chapters where fans can’t play the game.

It’s also possible that Epic Games may keep Fortnite offline for a few days rather than just a few hours, which is what happened when Fortnite Chapter 2 was launched.

What’s in the item shop?

You can see what items are in rotation in the item shop on FNBR, an unofficial directory for Fortnite which lists the items currently in the shop which refreshes every day.

Currently in the shop for today, Friday 3 December, featured items include outfits like Beef Boss (1,500 V-bucks), Dread Omen (1,500 V-bucks), Yule Trooper (1,500 V-bucks), Dread Fate (1,800 V-bucks).

Other featured items include Patty Whacker (500 V-bucks), Flying Saucer (1,200 V-bucks), Ho Ho Ho (300 V-bucks) and the Fearless Fairway bundle (2,500 V-bucks).

Daily items include Mariana (1,500 V-bucks), Wild Car (2,000 V-bucks), Office Chariot (500 V-bucks), Target Locked (500 V-bucks), Chicken Wing It (500 V-bucks) and Bear Hug (200 V-bucks).

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