Fortnite Open Water Challenges And How To Complete Them (Chapter 2 Guide)

Fortnite: Chapter 2’s launch saw a set of New World challenges launch on Tuesday. However, weekly sets of challenges will still launch on Thursdays, as in past seasons, and the next of these sets is now available. The Open Water challenges are now available, tasking you with things like hiding inside of hideouts and searching for the hidden letter “O” from a loading screen. Here’s a look at this set of challenges and what you need to know to complete them.

Of note is the fact that these challenges are available to all players, whether or not they’ve purchased the battle pass. That’s a change from how Fortnite has operated recently, where Epic locked many challenges behind the battle pass paywall. You won’t be able to earn most of Chapter 2’s skins and rewards without owning the battle pass, but you can at least do all of the weekly challenges. These will be available for the duration of Chapter 2, Season 1, which ends on December 12.

Curiously, despite being called Open Water challenges, you won’t be doing anything water-centric, like making use of the new fishing system or driving a boat. Instead, it’s a fairly standard set of challenges, though there are a few that could prove tricky. Here’s everything you’re asked to do this week, as compiled by Redditor thesquatingdog.

Open World Challenges

• Land at Craggy Cliffs, Salty Springs, and Dirty Docks
• Hide inside hideouts in different matches (3)
• Search chests at Craggy Cliffs or Misty Meadows (7)
• Eliminate opponents with a sniper rifle (2)
• Be crouched within 20m of an opponent for 10 seconds
• Deal damage with pistols to opponents (500)
• Search ammo boxes in a single match (7)
• Get an elimination from 50m or further
• Survive Storm phases (10)
• Deal damage within 10 seconds of leaving a hideout
• Search hidden “O” found in the Open Water loading screen

These are largely straightforward and will rely on some luck, though there are certainly strategies that will help you out. We’ll be hunting down hideout locations and where to find that hidden letter “O,” but for now here are some general tips.

Land At Craggy Cliffs, Salty Springs, And Dirty Docks

This is simple enough to do across three matches, but if you haven’t yet explored the new Chapter 2 map to reveal all of the named locations, you might waste some time. Craggy Cliffs is located at the middle, northernmost part of the map; Salty Springs is in the middle, just to the west of the small island at the center; and Dirty Docks is on the easternmost part of the map in the middle.

Hide Inside Hideouts In Different Matches (3)

Hideouts are a new element of the map in Chapter 2, and there are many of them scattered all around. You’ll often find them in landmarks and named locations, and it so happens that there are ones located in Craggy Cliffs, Salty Springs, and Diry Docks. That gives you a chance to double up with the previous challenge to get this done.

Search Chests At Craggy Cliffs Or Misty Meadows (7)

You’ll need to head to Craggy Cliffs for that first challenge, so this is another opportunity to take care of multiple things at once. You’ll need to open seven chests total, and this can be done across multiple matches. If you need to track down Misty Meadows, it’s the southernmost named location in the middle of the map.

Eliminate Opponents With A Sniper Rifle (2)

This challenge is somewhat luck of the draw, as you’ll need to first track down a sniper rifle. Once you do have one, you can make your way toward some of the areas you know people will be visiting for challenges. Also be sure to check near water for unsuspecting players who are looking to do some fishing.

Be Crouched Within 20m Of An Opponent For 10 Seconds

You’ll need to be quiet to pull off this challenge, but you can once again leverage challenges other players might be doing to get this done. Head towards hideouts and crouch nearby, or make your way to player-built structures that enemies might be hiding inside.

Deal Damage With Pistols To Opponents (500)

This is as straightforward as they come, and luckily pistols aren’t too difficult to find. You might help yourself by upgrading one using a workbench; just make sure you have enough craft materials to pay the price.

Search Ammo Boxes In A Single Match (7)

This is also straightfoward but requires you to stay alive. As such, you might consider going far away from the storm. Be sure to check out every room of houses, including garages.

Get An Elimination From 50m Or Further

You might be able to double up here with the earlier sniper rifle challenge. Just take your time and ensure you have a good angle before taking your first shot, lest you send your target scrambling.

Survive Storm Phases (10)

Simply surviving long enough into matches will get this one done, so be sure to avoid conflict wherever possible and avoid any hot spots where people might be looking to get challenges done.

Deal Damage Within 10 Seconds Of Leaving A Hideout

You should already know where to find a hideout from earlier, and luckily you won’t be the only one going near them due to the Open Water challenge. That should give you plenty of opportunities to attack a player looking to get into a hideout.

Search Hidden “O” Found In The Open Water Loading Screen

As with the New World set of challenges, completing enough Open World challenges will net you a loading screen as a reward (on top of all the XP you’ll have accumulated). Hidden in the loading screen is a letter “O.” Once you have the loading screen, you can spot the letter–it’s near the middle, just below the building–and then hunt down the letter in-game. You’ll find the building and letter in question at Craggy Cliffs.