Fortnite’s latest season is underway, and at the end of its current Battle Pass, players will unlock a new skin – Darth Vader. There’s no doubt that such a decision was made given the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi show, for which the Jedi also got his own skin. Of course, fans were hoping for more out of Darth Vader than a skin, and rumors have long painted him as a Fortnite villain.
It’s no surprise, really, given Fortnite’s close relationship with Star Wars over the years. It was really more of a question of when Darth Vader would arrive on the Battle Island, not if, and coinciding with Obi-Wan Kenobi is definitely the best time. However, it seems Epic Games may not be doing the most it could with Darth Vader.
Darth Vader’s Role in Fortnite
Aside from being the major skin of the season, many were expecting Darth Vader to be a boss fight, and he is. Vader has now started appearing on the island, where he flies in after the Battle Bus. Players can watch where he lands, land with their party, grab weapons, and take him on. The best method is to nab the Star Wars blasters near him, take out the Stormtroopers, and focus fire on him. Indeed, with every gameplay mode except perhaps solo, Darth Vader is a challenge—but not a hard one.
Truly, the hardest part of this Darth Vader boss fighting is watching out for and managing other players. It’s a pain to defeat Darth Vader, pick up his lightsaber, and then be blasted by another player. Fighting them and clearing them out before Darth Vader adds its own complexities to the fight, so there are certain layers. Anywhere he lands becomes a hot drop, but it still feels like Darth Vader deserved more.
He is a boss fight, but he’s not a big epic event. Many had hoped that, by boss fight, Fortnite would be making Darth Vader something akin to Thanos or Galactus. Darth Vader deserves more than just a little time on the island, and even if it wasn’t isn’t a big game-changing event, giving him more would have been the best play.
It’s still possible, of course, that this boss fight with Darth Vader is only teasing more. That’s hopefully the case—perhaps he eventually returns, leading a massive stormtrooper legion and finding a way to power himself up. It doesn’t have to be over, but for now, Darth Vader’s stint on the Battle Island feels like a glorified vacation, not an attack by a powerful Sith Lord.
Fortnite is available now for all major platforms.