Fortnite's new Doctor Doom update has the chance to turn you into a living, breathing boss battle, with enormous laser beams and an even bigger health bar

The Doctor Doom skin in Fortnite.
(Image credit: Epic Games)

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 4 just got way more chaotic thanks to a ridiculously overpowered new Doctor Doom power that has a chance of turning one player per match into a near-unstoppable killing machine.

As of yesterday's update, the Fortnite quests for Battle Pass owners to unlock the Doctor Doom skin and cosmetics are live, but a significant change has also been made to the main Battle Royale mode. Namely, up until October 5 at 1:30PM ET/ 10:30AM PT/ 6:30PM BST, in non-Ranked Battle Royale, there's a small chance of Loot Island (the location that gives you loads of great weapons and items if you manage to claim the flag on it) being replaced with the Isle of Doom. Instead of a flag to capture, it houses Doom's Cauldron, which – when claimed – will transform either you or one of your teammates into Doom's Chosen. 

By all accounts, it sounds like being Doom's Chosen more or less gives you an instant win button if you know what you're doing. Not only does it quintuple your health and shields to 500 each and allow you to restore those shields when you eliminate someone, but your sprint will never run out, making you even more agile than usual.

Is it actually possible to kill someone with this? from r/FortNiteBR

If that wasn't enough, you also gain access to a plethora of special abilities, including a massive laser beam with enormous range, a dive kick to attack foes from above, as well as a magical barrage move and "Mystical Gigabomb." So, you're five times harder to take out, and can also deal jaw-dropping damage to anyone who dares come close. You can understand why some are questioning if it's even possible to be killed while using it, because you basically become a boss battle.

Again though, the Isle of Doom is a rare spawn in the first place, so it's not like every match will be dominated by this – I've played for around three hours since it was added and haven't seen it once, although perhaps I was just unlucky. This is potentially a problem in itself, as some players are worried that they might never get to become Doom's Chosen before it's removed. Thankfully though, there's still a month to go before that happens. 

Be sure to check out our guide to Fortnite character locations to find out where all the hireable NPCs are this season. 

Catherine Lewis
News Writer

I'm one of GamesRadar+'s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield's student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming's news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you're sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.