🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
To compensate for a period of downtime in late December, Fortnite is running a "Power Leveling" weekend and giving away a free cosmetic item this month.
On December 29, right in the middle of its Christmas event, Fortnite experienced server glitches that prevented players from logging into the game and joining online matches. These issues were promptly resolved after just a few hours, but it still meant that people missed out on some valuable Winterfest time, which could have otherwise been spent completing seasonal challenges and earning additional experience points (XP).
Granted, Fortnite is a free-to-play experience and so a case could be made that the developers at Epic Games were under no obligation to compensate fans for this extended downtime. However, it is also worth bearing in mind that some do choose to invest in premium battle passes and Fortnite Crew subscriptions and therefore expect to make the most of these purchases on a monthly basis.
With that in mind, Epic Games did promise to "make up for lost time" and that they would communicate more details about how they would do this in the future. After a week of waiting, players have now been informed exactly what is going to happen.
The apology from Epic Games comes in two halves. First, there will be a "Power Leveling" weekend event in Fortnite, where you will get a chance to earn "supercharged" XP. Then, there is also a new free cosmetic item that is being given away as the last reward for Winterfest 2021.
'Fortnite' Power Leveling Weekend Start Time
Power Leveling weekends happen sporadically in Fortnite and offer a chance to earn battle stars at an accelerated rate.
During these events, all of your in-game accomplishments will yield bonus XP (usually at double the normal rate). This boosted reward applies to everything from eliminating opponents to scavenging rare items, completing optional quests and surviving storm phases.
As you gain additional XP, you will level up faster and earn more stars that can be spent in the battle pass menu.
The upcoming Power Levelling weekend commences on January 7, with a start time of 7 p.m. ET. For those in other time zones, this translates to 4 p.m. PST and midnight GMT (on January 8).
The supercharged XP weekend will then close at 7 a.m. ET on Monday, January 10.
How To Get the Crescent Shroom Harvesting Tool
In addition to running the Power Leveling weekend, Epic Games will also be giving away a free cosmetic gift as a last-minute Winterfest reward.
The item in question is called the "Crescent Shroom" and is a pickaxe that you can use to deal melee damage to opponents and to harvest building materials. It turns out that this is actually the mysterious leftover present that was showing up in the Winterfest notifications menu, which many had previously assumed was just a glitch.
To get your hands on the Crescent Shroom pickaxe, you simply have to log into Fortnite before Winterfest ends (January 6 being its last day). You won't need to head into the Cozy Lodge to unwrap it as you did with the other gifts. Instead, it will just be automatically added to your locker on January 7, again at 7 p.m. ET.
If you don't log-in before the end of Winterfest, then you will still be able to acquire the harvesting tool cosmetic. However, you will have to buy it for an as-of-yet undisclosed price in the Item Shop.
