Arrrrre you ready to finish some Fortnite Season 8 challenges? Well, good, because you're in the right place. Week two of the eighth season introduced a challenge to deal damage with the brand new pirate cannons, but locating the cannons in a pinch isn't always a cinch. The map above shows the currently known locations of pirate cannon spawn areas. Just head to one of the marked circles and start firing at enemies. A large team mode might make it easier. To finish the challenge, you have to deal 100 damage with a cannon, which can be done in one direct hit with a cannonball. If you launch yourself, however, hitting someone will deal 50 damage, so you might have to fire again.<doc-sep>Fortnite, the world’s most popular game right now with some 200 million players, has just announced that its much-anticipated Season 8 is available. For those of you who don’t play Fortnite, the title takes an episodic approach with new features, tools and maps released every few months. That keeps things fresh, gamers engaged and the money flowing as each new season offers a Battle Pass, which costs around $10 and unlocks a load of goodies, including skins and emote dance moves. Season 8 is pretty much what the leaks this week suggested. The theme is pirates, with new skins that include a gigantic banana suit, pirates and snakes, and pirate cannon is a new weapon that’s been added. Cannons can dish out 100 damage when there’s a direct hit, or administer 50 damage on those in the impact area — it can also be used to fire players to new locations. The map is also a major Fortnite focus, and Season 8 has added lava to the existing volcano. Stepping on lava gives players one damage point per touch while there are volcanic vents that can be used to send a player or vehicle into the air using a gust of hot air. There’s also a range of treasure to be found inside pirate ships, another new addition (which is where the cannons can be found). On the gaming-playing side, the major addition is “Party Assist” mode, which lets players bring their friends into Fortnite’s daily or weekly challenges. Those challenges are important to players because they unlock treasures, including skins, and, in fact, those who played Season 7 could earn a free Battle Pass for Season 8 by completing the right challenges. That might have saved a few million parents $10. (By the way, if you’re struggling to load the game, that’s because scheduled maintenance kicked off at 4am EST in preparation for the new season launch — you can find more info on the status page here.) Those are the main additions, though game-maker Epic Games has chucked in a few little touches — including extending the somewhat comical “infinite dab” feature from 11 hours to 12, meaning that your character will keep dancing a little longer when left in the lobby. I can’t help but think Season 7 was a greater leap — as the addition of planes and ziplines really changed how players get around — but we’ll have to see how the gaming public reacts. This time around, a lot of the focus is on skins and emotes, rather than features. A recent report suggested Fortnite’s revenue had dipped in January, but that was pretty unfair because it’s the month that followed a surge in spending around the December Battle Pass and also, more generally, a surge around the Christmas holidays. Sources told us recently Epic Games banked $3 billion in profit across its entire business in 2018, thanks in particular to Fortnite, and it needs to keep its season releases compelling if that streak is to continue. There’s a lot riding on Season 8, particularly as credible rivals emerge.<doc-sep>That's it! Season 7 of Fortnite has come to a close and Season 8 has begun The major change on the map sees a brand new volcano emerging in the north-east of Fortnite island. The spewing lava damages your player, while its thermal vents can be used to catapult yourself into the air. An Aztec temple named Sunny Steps is attached to the side, allowing players to dive into its corridors to hunt for loot. There is also another new area in the form of the Lazy Lagoon, complete with islands and a pirate ship that ties into the maritime theme of the latest update. This also brings Season 8's most major weapon addition, a hulking cannon that can fire both cannon balls and players looking to be blasted across the map at speed. Those are the headlines, but more details will emerge as players explore and the season continues. Including just what is in those eggs now scattered around the island. The Stormwing fighter plane from Season 7 has been removed, so could we be flying fire-breathing dragons in the near future?<doc-sep>
More pirate-focused adventures are afoot in the world of Fortnite: Battle Royale. Players had to visit all the Pirate Camps last week, and for Week 2, everyone has to “deal damage to opponents with a Pirate Cannon.” We already rounded up all the best places to find Pirate Cannons when Season 8 began, but this very specific Week 2 challenge, released Thursday morning, does require some semblance of strategy. First, you have to actually find a Pirate Cannon. There are multiple cannons at every single Pirate Camp, so that’s a great place to start. Beyond that, Lazy Lagoon has plenty of them, but there are also random cannons around the map as well. But because lots of players are still trying to visit the Pirate Camps for the Week 1 challenge, they should make for easy targets. As an added bonus, players should dive from the Battle Bus ASAP and go right to the nearest camp — they’re far more likely to encounter enemies that way. Here are all the best places to find Pirate Cannons in 'Fortnite'. Inverse / Epic Games It’s also worth noting that in a one-on-one confrontation, the person with the cannon is almost always going to lose — they’re powerful, but unwieldy. As such, dealing damage with them is best accomplished in Duos, Squads, or even a massive 50v50 LTM. The Pirate Cannons are very heavy, so the easiest way to deal damage with them is to fire into a group of enemies or have someone else distracting an enemy while you steady your aim. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at my feeble attempt firing cannonballs at a sniper from afar. This challenge is a difficult one. Just like we predicted, it seems like Epic Games is going to have at least one weekly challenge that directly or indirectly involves the Pirate Camps — just like Season 7 and the Expedition Outposts. Expect more reasons to visit these locations to come throughout the rest of the season. Visit 4 in a single match? Eliminate opponents near them? Probably! Based on the in-game countdown to the end of Season 8, players have until Wednesday, May 8 to complete this and other challenges. Fortnite: Battle Royale Season 8, Week 3 should begin the morning of Thursday, March 14.