Fortnite meets Infinity War: How to play as Thanos

What if the hottest movie in … well, possibly forever collaborated with the video game that has been a bona fide phenomenon? It’s not a rhetorical question, because Avengers: Infinity War has arrived in Fortnite in the form of the Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup.

This event kicked off on Tuesday, May 8, and as its name suggests, it won’t be around forever. But it’s based on a cool idea, which is that during a Fortnite match, a meteor lands somewhere on the map and delivers the Infinity Gauntlet. Any player who obtains the Gauntlet instantly transforms into Thanos himself, complete with a unique set of powers that mean he doesn’t need to use weapons to eliminate the competition — though not nearly as godlike as in Infinity War.

We’ve had a chance to absorb some of the awesomeness of the Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup already, so let us be your guide to how the event works and what you need to know about Thanos. And if you somehow are just starting in the world of Fortnite, please make sure to check out some of our other guides to playing on mobile, including our combat tips, complete skins list and advice on how and why to use vending machines.

How to play as Thanos

This part’s pretty simple: You simply need to get to the Infinity Gauntlet first. Instead of racing the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, though, you need to beat the other players in your match to the location where the meteor bearing the Gauntlet lands, which appears to be totally random.

However, it does appear in a circle noted on the map, and as GameSpot suggests, one way to improve your chances is to stay on the Battle Bus until you reach the edge of the circle. Then head toward the center of the circle and await the sonic boom sound effect that signals the meteor is on its way.

If you aren’t lucky enough to grab the Infinity Gauntlet, there’s still another way to become Thanos, and that’s to kill him. If the player who transforms into Thanos is eliminated, the Infinity Gauntlet drops on the ground and offers its powers to the next player to possess it. Also, in the unlikely event that the Gauntlet goes unclaimed for too long, it will vanish and everyone will have to wait until another meteor comes to return it to the Fortnite map.

Thanos in Fortnite: His stats and abilities

So you’ve grabbed the Infinity Gauntlet and become the Mad Titan. Congrats! Now what can you do with his awesome powers?

Plenty, as it turns out. Thanos is so powerful that Epic Games has actually already nerfed his stats in a quick patch the devs pushed through after the Infinity War mashup event went live. He’s still extremely capable, though, as you’d expect from someone wielding all six Infinity Stones.

Here’s a rundown of Thanos’ stats and abilities:

• Thanos has 200 shields, and his shields regenerate in full after eliminating another player.
• Thanos’ health is also pretty hefty, even after it was nerfed. It starts at 700, though unlike his shields, health does not regenerate on kills.
• Thanos does not take fall damage, but also can’t build.
• Ability 1 – Punch – Can damage both players and structures and also knocks back other players.
• Ability 2 – Ground smash – An AoE effect that deals damage and knocks back players.
• Ability 3 – Power Stone blast (have also just seen players referring to it as “laser”) – Damage over time single target attack.
• Ability 4 – Super-jump – Exactly what it sounds like, allowing Thanos to jump really high for both movement and damage avoidance purposes.

Fighting back against Thanos

Happily, the Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup provides the 99 other players who aren’t Thanos some more tools to fight back against the Mad Titan so they don’t end up like poor [redacted for spoiler purposes] in Infinity War. Here’s what you can expect to help you avoid becoming a tool to rebalance the universe:

• Double the resources while harvesting.
• Increased chances of all kinds of loot spawning: treasure chests, ammo boxes, etc.
• Improved drop rate for Chug Jug, Port-A-Fort, Boogie Bomb, Slurp Juice, Bush, and Remote Explosives.
• Perhaps most importantly, Rare, Epic and Legendary weapons are the only tiers that will spawn.

The location of Thanos is clearly marked on your map, so you’ll always know where he is. Just remember to look up, because his super-jump means he can stay airborne for quite some time.

Whether you’re playing as Thanos or trying to bring him down to get a taste of his power for your own, enjoy the Infinity Gauntlet Limited Time Mashup, and good luck!

Nick Tylwalk

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Nick Tylwalk enjoys writing about video games, comic books, pro wrestling and other things where people are often punching each other, regaardless of what that says about him. He prefers MMOs, RPGs, strategy and sports games but can be talked into playing just about anything.