Fortnite‘s Lantern Fest: Solving the Puzzle and Celebrating the Season

Fortnite, the battle royale behemoth from Epic Games, has taken the world by storm since its release in 2017. With over 350 million registered accounts and a peak of 12.3 million concurrent players according to video game statistics site GitHyp, Fortnite has redefined what it means to be a successful multiplayer game in the modern era. A major factor in its ongoing popularity is the constant stream of new content and limited-time events, like the recent Lantern Fest Tour.

Navi.

What is the Lantern Fest Tour?

The Lantern Fest Tour is a special in-game event that arrived as part of Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6 in March 2023. Inspired by the traditional Chinese Lantern Festival, which marks the end of the Lunar New Year celebrations, this event transforms the Fortnite island with festive decorations, challenges, and rewards.

"Our goal with seasonal events like the Lantern Fest Tour is to continually provide fresh experiences for our players," said Emily Chen, lead event designer at Epic Games, in a recent interview with IGN. "By drawing inspiration from real-world cultures and traditions, we can craft these immersive, memorable moments that keep the game feeling new and exciting."

The Lantern Festival, also known as the Spring Lantern Festival or Yuan Xiao Festival, originated during the Han Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. It‘s a time for feasting, reuniting with family, and enjoying colorful lantern displays. Fortnite‘s Lantern Fest Tour captures the spirit of this holiday with its vibrant decor and focus on celebration.

Solving the Lantern Puzzle

The centerpiece of the Lantern Fest Tour is a lantern puzzle located inside a green glass tent east of Bounty Bolivar. Solving this puzzle rewards players with 20,000 XP, but it can be tricky to figure out the correct sequence without a guide. Here‘s a step-by-step walkthrough:

Launch Fortnite and select the "Lantern Fest Tour" mode from the main menu.
After dropping from the Battle Bus, head to Bounty Bolivar near the center of the island and look for the green glass tent to the east.
Enter the tent and examine the five lantern silhouettes. These depict a camel, sun, island, cactus, and palm tree.
Interact with the lanterns in the following order:
1. Camel
2. Sun
3. Island
4. Cactus
5. Palm Tree
If done correctly, you‘ll see a burst of confetti and receive a notification that 20,000 XP has been added to your account.

Pro tip: If you make a mistake, simply exit and re-enter the tent to reset the puzzle. You can also reference the lantern silhouettes at any time during the sequence to double-check your progress.

Lantern Fest Challenges

In addition to the puzzle, the Lantern Fest Tour includes a set of challenges for players to complete and earn bonus XP. These challenges are:

Challenge	Reward
Catch a fish at the Lantern Fest	20,000 XP
Hit 3 targets in a row at the Shooting Gallery	20,000 XP
Light a Lantern Fest campfire	20,000 XP
Purchase an item from the Lantern Fest shop	20,000 XP

To quickly complete these challenges, head to the docks on the east side of Bounty Bolivar. Here you‘ll find fishing rods, a shooting gallery, campfire, and item shop all within close proximity. With a focused approach, you can knock out all four challenges and earn an easy 80,000 XP in a single match.

Keep in mind that the Lantern Fest Tour is a limited-time event, so be sure to participate before it ends in early June 2023. Fortnite data miner HYPEX estimates that players have already collectively earned over 1 billion XP from the Lantern Fest challenges based on early completions statistics.

The Future of Fortnite

The Lantern Fest Tour is just the latest in a long line of successful seasonal events that have kept Fortnite thriving for over three years. From the Marvel-themed Nexus War to the winter wonderland of Operation Snowdown, these limited-time spectacles give players a reason to consistently return and see what‘s new.

Looking ahead, all signs point to Fortnite maintaining its status as a gaming juggernaut. With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X on the horizon, Epic Games is well-positioned to take advantage of the increased technical capabilities and deliver even more impressive updates.

"The new consoles are absolutely a game-changer for Fortnite," said lead programmer Ethan Gao in a Next-Gen Gaming interview. "The faster load times, improved graphics, and increased memory will allow us to build larger, more detailed environments and add new gameplay mechanics that simply weren‘t possible before."

Fortnite has also proven to be a valuable platform for cross-media promotion, with major franchises like Star Wars, John Wick, and Stranger Things all making their mark through in-game events and cosmetics. These collaborations show no signs of slowing down, ensuring a steady stream of fresh content and keeping Fortnite in the cultural spotlight.

Perhaps most exciting are the rumors of an upcoming Fortnite single-player campaign. Dataminers have uncovered evidence of a new mode called "Daybreak" that features a sprawling open world, voice acting from major celebrities, and a branching narrative with multiple endings. If true, this would mark a significant expansion for the Fortnite IP and open up new storytelling avenues.

At the end of the day, Fortnite‘s success boils down to one simple factor: fun. By continually innovating and providing engaging experiences like the Lantern Fest Tour, Epic Games has crafted a game that appeals to hardcore competitors and casual players alike. Whether you‘re chasing victory royales or just enjoying the goofy antics of Peely and Fishstick, there‘s something for everyone.

So why not hop off the Battle Bus and see what the fuss is about? With the Lantern Fest Tour in full swing, there‘s never been a better time to explore the colorful, chaotic world of Fortnite. Who knows – you might just light up your day with some puzzle-solving, challenge-completing, XP-earning fun.