LEGO Fortnite X Star Wars Hands-on

As a LEGO® fan, gaming might not be your thing. Even if you do dabble in the digital realm, you may have stayed clear of ‘live service’ games such as Fortnite. Regardless of your knowledge or varying fondness of Epic Games’ Fortnite, it’s become a major part of the LEGO Group’s future vision. After investing in Epic a couple of years ago, the result of the LEGO Group’s partnership was revealed to be LEGO Fortnite. Despite the name, it’s not a mere reskin of the popular Battle Royale mode, but a completely separate experience and one which is sticking around for the long run. Since it was introduced in November, LEGO Fortnite has introduced a couple of new features and updates, as well as various ‘LEGO Styles’ of in-game skins. But the biggest content drop yet came last week and it’s from a galaxy far, far away.

Unlike Battle Royale, which is constantly updated with in-game events, LEGO Fortnite has remained largely the same. It also lacked a story as such. You’re merely dropped into a randomly generated world and tasked with surviving whilst also crafting somewhere to stay. The LEGO Star Wars expands upon this through a very basic storyline. Upon updating your game, the first time you visit your LEGO Fortnite worlds, you’ll see a large rift appear in the sky, soon blaster fire intensifies before a Star Destroyer rips through the rift and the familiar roar of TIE Fighters. Moments later, Captain Bravara, a member of the Rebel Alliance will appear in your camp and inform you the Star Destroyer has been downed in your world and the Rebel Forces which brought it down are also regrouping but need your assistance. You’re then given Macrobinoculars which allow you to locate both Rebel and Imperial encampments.

You’re soon making your way to the nearest Rebel Forces, who have set up camp within a cave. Making your way through this cave will transport you to a far-flung part of your world’s map. A quick scan with your new tool lets you locate more Rebel’s and this is where the Star Wars content truly begins. You must help the Rebels set up an Outpost and here you’ll start to grow a village-like base. It’s similar to how you create and grow villages in the main LEGO Fortnite experience but with a Star Wars twist. Buildings have Rebel and Imperial insignias on them and there is a vast array of furniture you can add to kit them out.

To grow your Rebel Outpost and build some of the new weapons, which include Blasters and lightsabers, you’ll need to track down the scattered Imperial remnants. These are mostly found in caves but you’ll need to have upgraded your ourpost to a certain level to enter them. Once you gain access either through clearance codes or a Lightsaber, you’ll find Stormtroopers and Imperial Officers throughout the cave. As you defeat them, new sections will open. You’ll also gain new building materials including Plastoid, Scraps and Durasteel, which can all be used to craft building and tools.

As with much of the Fortnite experience, access to LEGO Fortnite and the base Star Wars content is entirely free. Additional content can be purchased in the store or unlocked via the first-ever LEGO Pass. This is a series of content which is unlocked with studs. These can be earned by completing various in-game goals. This ranges from gameplay milestones to daily challenges. The more studs you get the more content you unlock. But to get the most of the LEGO Star Wars content you’ll need to purchase the premium LEGO Pass. This costs 1400 V-Bucks and will allow you to unlock more content as you play including several Mos Eisley buildings and gives you instant access to Chewbacca.

LEGO Fortnite is a unique experience but even now its potential hasn’t been truly revealed. Although it had a few updates and saw masses of character skins given ‘LEGO Styles’, it lacked direction. The LEGO Star Wars content has changed that. Although it’s a different experience from the TT Games’ developed LEGO titles, the Rebel Adventure content shows the possibilities LEGO Fortnite has in connecting to real-world LEGO themes. The LEGO Group and Epic Games could easily form similar content around big LEGO releases or new themes. Creating what is essentially a new marketing tool but also a place to showcase LEGO content.

LEGO Fortnite is available on all major platforms and can be downloaded for free. Some content requires in-game purchases.

Access to some premium content was provided to BricksFanz by the LEGO Group and Epic Game for purposes of feature. The thoughts within this review are those of BricksFanz and do not reflect those of the LEGO Group or Epic Games. Providing content for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of it. I purchased the LEGO Pass and this wasn’t provided for free.

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