Fortnite’s Galactic Battle season kicked off earlier this month on May 2. The unique month-long season has brought iconic locations, weapons, and skins from theStar Warsgalaxy to the popular battle royale game. Besides the skins featured in the current battle pass,Fortnitehas also brought several newStar Warsskins to its item shop.
Item shop skins for the current season include the new Mace Windu skin and an unreleased,customizable Mandalorian skin. While it had long been rumored that Jar Jar Binks would also be receiving a skin during the Galactic Battle season, players were surprised when it was revealed that the character would be receiving two separate skins. One skin is based on Jar Jar’s appearance inThe Phantom Menace, while the other is none other than Darth Jar Jar. It’s exciting to see this fan theory brought to life inFortnite,but it is equally frustrating due to the laborious steps required to purchase him.
How Fortnite Made Unlocking Darth Jar Jar a Chore
Darth Jar Jar’s Backstory
Darth Jar Jar is the result of a prequel-era theory thought up by members of theStar Warsfandom. Seen as a joke by some and as a fun way to patch up prequel plot holes by others, the theory suggests that Jar Jar’s goofy persona is nothing more than a facade created to hide his secret Sith lord identity. Discussions regarding the theory had previously been relegated to fan forums, but Darth Jar Jar gained mainstream attention after appearing inLego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxyand nowFortnite.
Darth Jar Jar was revealed inFortnite’s first trailer for Galactic Battle. This led many to assume that Jar Jar — who had been leaked several weeks prior — and his Darth Jar Jar style would be part of the season’s battle pass. The character was instead relegated to the game’s item shop, meaning that players would have to purchase him using premium currency. This wouldn’t have been a deal-breaker on its own, butFortnite’s implementation of the skin in the shop has soured a wide array of would-be buyers.
Every Step Required to Obtain the Darth Jar Jar Skin
The first issue players had was that Darth Jar Jar wasn’t an edit style for thebase Jar Jar skin. Instead, it was being sold as a completely separate skin. This meant that players who wanted to play as Jar Jar had to either choose between the two skins or spend 3,000 V-Bucks — almost $30 — to have two outfits for the same character.
On top of that, Darth Jar Jar and his entire set of cosmetics were locked behind an XP wall similar to the one thatRenegade Raiderwas locked behind when that skin returned in Fortnite OG Season 1. This meant that players would need to earn 1.28 million XP just to unlock the ability to buy Darth Jar Jar. Considering that players have been able to earn free crossover skins likeInvincible’s Dupli-Kate in the past by doing less work, many were annoyed they would still have to pay 1,500 V-Bucks even after spending hours of their time grinding out XP.
That 1,500 is just for the Darth Jar Jar skin.All the other cosmetics in Darth Jar Jar’s setare hidden behind separate XP walls. There’s no way to purchase them in a bundle like there is for the regular Jar Jar set; they all have to be purchased separately. For a wrap, a harvesting tool, a backbling, and the skin, it would cost players 3,200 V-Bucks. The regular Jar Jar bundle, which comes with the same number of items, costs only 2,000 V-Bucks. This also means that if a Jar Jar fan wanted to get all the character’s items in-game, it would cost them 5,200 V-Bucks — almost $52 for Jar Jar Binks cosmetics.
This continuesFortnite’s ongoing trend of increasing pricing on collab cosmetics. Some crossover characters like Marvel’s Weapon X andMy Hero Academia’s Dabi were only available to purchase in bundles, meaning that players had to buy the characters' entire sets even if all they wanted was the skin. Fortnite has also started selling skins and their respective backblings separately — two items that have generally been bundled together. The pricey Darth Jar Jar set and its XP walls will remain in theFortniteitem shop until June 6.
