Fortnite players are getting a late holiday gift this upcoming weekend. Epic Games announced today that it’ll host a power leveling weekend from Jan. 7 to 10 and give out a free pickaxe for all players who logged in during Winterfest.
The rewards are a “thank you” to players who showed patience during the serious login issues that prevented Fortnite players from playing in late December. From the morning of Dec. 29 until Dec. 30 in the afternoon, Fortnite was overwhelmed with login and matchmaking issues, resulting in the game being taken offline for a short time.
The power leveling weekend will officially run from Friday, Jan. 7 at 6pm CT to Monday, Jan. 10 at 6am CT. Fortnite has held power leveling weekends in the past, either as a make-up for game downtime or to help players earn levels before a new chapter or season. Participating players will get the “Supercharged XP” bonus when they play, which can help them fly through levels much quicker than usual.
Additionally, anyone who logged in during Winterfest will receive the new Crescent Shroom Pickaxe as a free gift before it arrives in the game’s shop. Winterfest ends on Jan. 6, so if you haven’t played in a while, today through the weekend is an ideal time to get back into it with a free gift and a ton of XP awaiting you.