Fortnite Chapter 2 season 2 challenges and where to find Shadow safe houses

Keep an eye out for the henchmen guarding these safe houses. 

Epic Games

Fortnite Chapter 2 season 2 started Thursday and gave the game a spy motif. As in previous seasons, players can purchase a Battle Pass to unlock skins, emotes and other cosmetics for 950 V-Bucks, or approximately $9.50. Unlocking the content requires players to earn experience points, and tackling the weekly challenges gives the largest number of points. The most notable unlockables are the fully customizable Maya, the powerful Meowscles and the gold-armed Midas for those who reach tier 100. Season 2 also sees the inclusion of the fourth-wall-breaking Marvel hero, Deadpool. His outfit can be unlocked by completing the special Deadpool weekly challenges.

Brutus' Briefing

Some of the challenges for week 2. 

Epic Games Find Shadow safe houses (0/1)

Shadow is one of the two opposing forces that showed up in this season of Fortnite. There are five safe houses on the island, guarded by henchmen. Check the map below for where to find one. 

Where to find Shadow safe houses.

Epic Games Hide in secret passages in different matches (0/3)

One interesting change in season 2 is the inclusion of secret passageways. If you're working on the preceding challenge, this one can be completed at the same time, as these passages are near the safe houses.

Open chests locked by an ID scanner (0/3)

Henchmen can be found at safe houses and other locations across the map. These nonplayable characters aren't just easy targets to take down, but they can also open up locked doors like in the week 1 challenges. For this task, find a henchman and down him. When he's down, select the option to carry him, and bring him to a chest with an ID scanner. The chest will open once the henchman is next to it, after a brief animation. 

Shake down knocked henchmen in different matches (0/3)

When henchmen get knocked down, there are two options that appear. One is to carry, in order to complete challenges like the previously mentioned one, t he other is to do a shakedown. Doing this will get the henchman to say where certain items of interest are, such as locked doors and chests. 

Here are the rest of the challenges:

Eliminate players using a shotgun (0/3).

Carry a knocked opponent 50 meters (0/50).

Deal damage to players from below (0/250).

Eliminate players at Craggy Cliffs or Weeping Woods (0/3).

Deal damage with shotguns to players while in the air (0/200).

Harvest 500 wood, 400 stone and 300 metal (0/3).

Wade Wilson has been busy. 

Epic Games

As mentioned earlier, Deadpool is the big surprise in season 2. There's a set of weekly challenges that, once completed, should unlock the Deadpool outfit. The first task is to actually find the challenge. 

From the game lobby, click on the vent off to the right. 

That vent looks mighty suspicious. 

Epic Games

This will take players to Deadpool's secret room. 

What a mess.

Epic Games

Players can read his meta letter to Epic saying how he could design a better Battle Bus. 

He's a real artist.

Epic Games

All that's left is to click on the computer and see the challenges. This will complete the first challenge for the week. The second has players jumping off the Battle Bus without thanking the bus driver. This is easy to do. Just don't press the designated button to thank the bus driver at the start of the match. Those two challenges will complete the week 1 challenges.

Week 2 challenges aren't up yet but there have been leaks showing the tasks will be to find Deadpool's milk carton and chimichangas. These will be scattered throughout the different screens in the lobby. They can be found in several spots, so keep a sharp eye out for them when the challenges go live. 

Fortnite is available for PC, PS4, Android, iOS, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

Do Fortnite Players Have to Report V-Bucks on Their Taxes?

The way that the IRS treats video game currencies could be changing in a very big way. At some point last year, the IRS website added language that listed Fortnite's V-Bucks among other examples of virtual currency, including Bitcoin, Ether, and Roblox. The IRS website asserts that "The sale or other exchange of virtual currencies, or the use of virtual currencies to pay for goods or services, or holding virtual currencies as an investment, generally has tax consequences that could result in tax liability." The IRS website still has this messaging, but all references to the Fortnite currency have been removed. The IRS released a statement, clarifying the situation:

"The IRS recognizes that the language on our page potentially caused concern for some taxpayers. We have changed the language in order to lessen any confusion. Transacting in virtual currencies as part of a game that do not leave the game environment (virtual currencies that are not convertible) would not require a taxpayer to indicate this on their tax return."

That news should come as a relief for most gamers, at least temporarily. Since there doesn't seem to be a way for individual players to make capital gains on V-Bucks (or other forms of video game currency), it seems that it truly was an honest error on the IRS' part. Still, taxpayers who made transactions that resulted in capital gains using virtual currency will have to fill out a new form on their taxes this year on their 1040 form. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll end up paying, but the government is showing an interest in virtual purchases and potential money made as a result of these transactions.

It will be interesting to see if this changes, moving forward. As games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, League of Legends, and more continue to bring in massive profits for their publishers, it seems only natural that new laws will be put into place in order to better regulate the industry. Some gamers will certainly welcome that, but it's equally understandable that others might worry about the potential impact, moving forward. As the video game industry continues to grow by great leaps, it seems inevitable that more changes will come in the very near future.

Should the government treat V-Bucks like they do other digital currencies? Are you concerned about the potential tax implications? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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Disclosure: ComicBook is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.

No, you don't have to report Fortnite V-Bucks on your taxes

Your stack of V-Bucks are safe, at least from the IRS.

Epic

Fortnite makes much of its money from a virtual currency, V-Bucks, which are used to purchase cosmetics such as skins, emotes and pickaxes in the billion-dollar battle royale game. All that virtual money floating around must have caught the attention of the Internal Revenue Service. 

Language on the IRS website listed Fortnite V-Bucks as an example of virtual currency that needed to be reported on tax forms, according to a report from Bloomberg on Wednesday. However, that language has now been removed, and the IRS says it was a mistake. 

"The IRS recognizes that the language on our page potentially caused concern for some taxpayers" the agency said in a statement Friday. "We have changed the language in order to lessen any confusion.  Transacting in virtual currencies as part of a game that do not leave the game environment (virtual currencies that are not convertible) would not require a taxpayer to indicate this on their tax return."

Virtual currency, according to the IRS, is "digital representation of value that functions as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and/or a store of value." This includes cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. While V-Bucks can be purchased and exchanged for items within Fortnite, they can't be turned into actual money.

"V-Bucks cannot be digitally traded between users, nor can they be exchanged into, US dollars, Euros, and other real or virtual currencies," Fortnite developer Epic Games said in an emailed statement Friday. 

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Fornite players may have to pay TAX on virtual currency after IRS guidelines on 'V-bucks' leaked

Fortnite players may have to pay TAX on the game's virtual currency after the IRS' guidelines on 'V-bucks' were leaked online

The IRS mentioned on its website under 'V-bucks,' the virtual currency used by milions of players of the popular game Fortnite

Once cryptocurrency experts tweeted about the mention, the IRS scraped the mention off its site, leaving more confusion than clarification

The agency has gone silent on the subject, but the experts still believe that the agency was serious about a taxing gaming currency  

By Ralph R. Ortega For Dailymail.com

Published: 18:03 EST, 13 February 2020 | Updated: 18:22 EST, 13 February 2020

Concerns are rising that millions of Fortnite players may have to pay taxes on the 'V-bucks' they use in the popular online game after the disclosure requirement was m entioned on the IRS' website.

Shortly after social media users noticed the disclosure requirement and tweeted about it, the IRS deleted the reference on Wednesday and went silent on the topic.

That, say Crytocurrency experts, made things even more confusing about what the agency expects Americans to report on their 1040 forms as filing season has gotten underway.

Was the reference to Fortnite virtual currency, as well as a mention of the game Roblox - which sells its players Robux to buy avatar upgrades - a mistake, or did the agency really mean to require the reporting of game money as it does with actual  cryptocurrency?

Concerns are rising for millions of Fortnite players (pictured) who may have to pay taxes on the 'V-bucks' they use in the popular online game after the disclosure requirement was mentioned on the IRS' website.

Shortly after social media users noticed the disclosure requirement and tweeted about it, the IRS deleted the reference (pictured) on Wednesday and went silent on the topic

Under the language of the scrapped IRS guidelines mentioning the V-bucks, tax payers would have to report the video currency for the first time on their IRS 1040 filings for the 2019 tax year (pictured)

 '[The] definition of virtual currency in IRS guidance would still encompass these,' Jerry Brito, executive director at the Coin Center, a virtual currency think tank, told CNN Business. 

Brito set off an online storm of worry and protest after posting the language of the IRS guidelines mentioning the V-bucks, which tax payers would have to report for the first time when answering the question, 'At any time during 2019, did you receive, sell, send, exchange or otherwise acquire any financial interest in any virtual currency?' on their 1040s.

'I don't think they realized the consequences of their 1040 question,' he told CNN, after the mention was deleted.

The impacts will surely affect players of popular online games such as Apex Legends, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and League of Legends, all which use gaming currencies and are likely subject to the rule, Neeraj Agrawal, a spokesman for the Coin Center told CNN. 

'Every major online game has some kind of in-game economy at this point,' he said. 'It's a very popular mechanic.' 

Jerry Brito, executive director at the Coin Center, a virtual currency think tank, set off an online storm of worry and protest after posting the language of the IRS guidelines mentioning 'V-bucks'

Brito also tweeted the question on the IRS 1040 tax form where Fortnite players will likely have to report how V-buck s, 'At any time during 2019, did you receive, sell, send, exchange or otherwise acquire any financial interest in any virtual currency?'

Yan Pritzker replied to Brito's tweets saying the IRS reporting requirement feels 'extremely invasive and unconstitutional. What right do they have to ask whether people bought or acquired something?'

Lucas Collins tweeted that the US government refuses to acknowledge cryptocurrency, while the IRS still wants its 'pound of flesh' in response to lumping together video gaming money with the same reporting requirements governing cryptocurrencies

One twitter user poked fun at the IRS looking to tax virtual currency, by asking if  $10 spent on electronic parking in Austin, Texas, or money added to a Starbucks card would have to be reported to the agency 

The reporting requirements would especially impact the popular Fortnite, which h as 250 million registered players and brought in $1.8 billion in revenue last year, according to industry estimates, reports CNN. 

The requirement in the guidelines is believed to have gone back to October. The exact wording had said, 'Bitcoin, Ether, Roblox, and V-bucks are a few examples of a convertible virtual currency.' 

The IRS on its website defines a convertible virtual currency as one that has an equivalent value in real currency or acts as a substitute for real currency. 

The agency also says virtual currency can be 'digitally traded between users and can be purchased for, or exchanged into, U.S. dollars, euros, and other real or virtual currencies.' 

The reporting requirements would especially impact some 250 million registered Fortnite players. The online game (pictured) brought in $1.8 billion in revenue last year, according to industry est imates

A spokesperson for Epic Games, which offers Fortnite free to gamers on various platforms, told Bloomberg V-bucks should not be applied the definition.

'V-Bucks cannot 'be digitally traded between users,' nor can they be 'exchanged into, U.S. dollars, Euros, and other real or virtual currencies,' ' the spokesperson told the news outlet.

Roblox, on the otherhand, does allow certain users who are 13 years of age or older to cash out their Robux for US dollars if they have at least 100000 Robux in their account and are members of a Roblox premium service.

'Robux can only be earned and exchanged by developers for real currency through our Developer Exchange program,' a company spokesperson told Bloomberg.

Roblox allows certain users who are 13 years of age or older to cash out their Robux for US dollars if they have at l east 100000 Robux in their account and are members of a Roblox premium service

 'Prior to any payments being made to developers, we require them to have an IRS form on file with Roblox, and we report all DevEx payments to the IRS using form 1099.'

Gamers also can use real money to purchase video currencies through third-party marketplaces, which have no backing from game developers.

'Game economies are typically closed economies where currencies cannot be cashed out or traded,' the Entertainment Software Association said in a statement sent to Bloomberg.

The association said it hopes the IRS will reverse the guidance it deleted on gaming 'V-bucks' and other gaming monies.

 'Financial regulators who have considered the status of game currencies in detail have treated them distinctly different from Bitcoin and similar vi rtual currencies precisely because they cannot be cashed out,' the association said. 'We think that is the appropriate approach and are hopeful that on closer consideration the IRS will correct its guidance.'

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The IRS won't ask you to report 'Fortnite' V-Bucks on tax returns

Don't worry, you won't have to factor in-game currency into your taxes... at least, not yet. The IRS has removed a guideline (cached here) from October that treated Fortnite's V-Bucks, Roblox's Robux and other in-game currencies with real monetary value as "convertible" currency that could be subject to federal taxes. In a follow-up, IRS Chief Counsel Michael Desmond confirmed to CNN Business that including in-game money was an error. The updated section now focuses on cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, so you can likely rest easy if you received a V-Bucks gift card last year.

The tax forms won't clarify matters, though. Schedule 1 in Form 1040 asks taxpayers if they have "any financial interest in any virtual currency" without a definition or an indication of what to do next. While many will check with the IRS for a clarification or simply assume the tax bureau is referring to crypto, this could lead to confusion for gamers who aren't sure if their in-game cash needs to be declared.

The ambiguity has prompted calls for the IRS to explicitly outline its approach to in-game currency, and it might need to take action relatively soon given the sheer volume of transactions in games. Fortnite alone racked up an estimated $1.8 billion in worldwide revenue in 2019 from people buying season passes and cosmetic gear. While only a fraction of in-game currency use is likely to be of any concern to the US government, the numbers might grow too large for officials to ignore.

In this article: currency, fortnite, games, gaming, in-app purchases, in-game currency, internet, irs, money, politics, tax, taxes, thebuyersguide, v-bucks, video games

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IRS removes ether and two popular gaming tokens as examples of convertible virtual currencies

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the tax collection agency of the U.S. government, has removed ether (ETH) and two popular gaming tokens - Fortnite's V-bucks and Roblox's Robux - as examples of convertible virtual currencies.

The change took place on Wednesday, according to a report from Bloomberg Tax. The IRS' section on virtual currencies now only mentions bitcoin (BTC) as an example.

If V-bucks and Robux stayed on, it would have required millions of users to a new disclosure requirement - Fortnite and Roblox reportedly have a combined user base of over 300 million.

The IRS' new disclosure requirement, in revised tax-filing Form 1040, asks people to answer yes or no for a question on whether or not they received, sold, exchanged, or otherwise acquired a financial interest in virtual currency during 2019.

On its website, the IRS defines virtual currency as a digital representation of value that functions as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and/or a store of value. While convertible virtual currency is defined as one that has an equivalent value in real currency, or that acts as a substitute for real currency.

Bitcoin is one example of a convertible virtual currency, per the IRS. "Bitcoin can be digitally traded between users and can be purchased for, or exchanged into, U.S. dollars, Euros, and other real or virtual currencies."

It is worth noting that ether will still likely be treated as convertible virtual currency, just like bitcoin.

IRS backtracks on whether video game currencies are taxable

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IRS backtracks on whether video game currencies are taxable New, 17 comments

Update: you do not need to report them as long as they don't leave the game

By Jay Peters Updated Feb 14, 2020, 3:34pm EST Share this story

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Image: Epic Games

On Wednesday, the IRS quietly changed a provision on its website that said transactions of virtual currency like Fortnite's V-bucks were taxable and may have to be reported on tax returns, as reported by CNN.

The provision had been on the IRS's website since at least October, and you can see it right here, thanks to the Wayback Machine. On the archived version of the site, bitcoin, Ether, Roblox (likely referring to Robux from the game Roblox), and V-bucks are listed as specific examples of a "convertible virtual currency." The IRS defines a convertible virtual currency as one that has an equivalent value to or acts as a substitute for real currency. The IRS's website now only lists bitcoin as an example of a convertible virtual currency.

However, the IRS's inclusion of video game currencies was apparently a mistake. IRS chief counsel Michael Desmond told reporters today that the issue was "corrected and that was done quickly—as soon as it was brought to our attention," according to Bloomberg Tax. Desmond was apparently emphatic that there isn't anything else to read into the situation, according to the author of Bloomberg Tax's story, Ally Versprille, who questioned Desmond on Thursday:

Desmond said he wants to leave it at that. He said people shouldn't read more into the gaming currency issue than what is now out there. "It was a website. It was a correction to the website. That's where it is."

— Ally Versprille (@allyversprille) February 13, 2020

Despite Desmond's comments and mentions of video game currencies being removed from the IRS's websites, there was some confusion about whether they needed to be reported because the IRS hadn't explicitly exempted them, according to tax experts who spoke to Brian Fung, the author of the CNN article. Jerry Brito, executive director of the nonprofit cryptocurrency research firm Coin Center, said on Wednesday that the IRS's policies still didn't entirely rule out that people might need to report video game currencies.

But the IRS finally made it clear on Friday that you don't have report video game currencies that don't leave the game (or become "convertible"). Here's the IRS's full statement, shared by Fung on Twitter:

The IRS recognizes that the language on our page potentially caused concern for some taxpayers. We have changed the language in order to lessen any confusion. Transacting in virtual currencies as part of a game that do not leave the game environment (virtual currencies that are not convertible) would not require a taxpayer to indicate this on their tax return.

Update February 14th, 3:34PM ET: Added IRS statement and adjusted language throughout to reflect statement.

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IRS clarifies confusing Fortnite V-Bucks tax requirement

The IRS has offered clarification on the confusing and panic-inducing Fortnite V-Bucks tax reporting requirement that appeared on its website. At the time when it was first noticed, the IRS's website said that Fortnite players were required to report the V-Bucks they spent in the game. When the requirement went viral, however, the taxation agency quietly deleted the requirement, confusing taxpayers.

For those who are still unaware, V-Bucks is the digital currency used in the battle royale game Fortnite. These digital coins have no real-world value; Epic Games doesn't allow its players to sell them and it regularly reverses purchases that are made with V-Bucks acquired using unofficial means.

This virtual currency can only be purchased within the game using real-world money; the company also gives some of these coins away to Battle Pass holders for free as rewards. V-Bucks can only be redeemed in the game for things like cosmetics, weapon wraps, and for the seasonal Battle Pass feature.

This makes the game currency distinctly different from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which are subjected to taxation. However, some taxpayers recently noticed that the IRS's website listed V-Bucks and Roblox alongside Bitcoin as examples of virtual currencies that are 'taxable by law.' This raised some pretty big questions and concerns, particularly among parents who weren't quite sure what their child's game habits may mean for their tax return.

In response to questions, the IRS quietly updated its website to scrub the references to V-Bucks and Roblox, instead leaving only Bitcoin as an example of a taxable virtual currency. That change only raised more questions, prompting the agency to issue a proper statement on the matter.

The IRS recognizes that the language on our page potentially caused concern for some taxpayers. We have changed the language in order to lessen any confusion. Transacting in virtual currencies as part of a game that do not leave the game environment (virtual currencies that are not convertible) would not require a taxpayer to indicate this on their tax return.

IRS’ guide on virtual currencies V-Bucks and Robux leave many puzzled

Taxing virtual currencies is becoming a virtual nightmare.

The Internal Revenue Services' section on taxing certain cryptocurrencies is vague and confusing to those who have just over 60 days to file their returns.

"Virtual currency that has an equivalent value in real currency, or that acts as a substitute for real currency, is referred to as 'convertible' virtual currency,' reads the IRS' guide for taxpayers. "Bitcoin, Ether, Roblox and V-Bucks are a few examples of convertible virtual currency.'"

But language regarding Robux — used in the gaming world of Roblox — and V-Bucks from Fortnite has been changed, reported Vice on Thursday.

Nearly 250 million people worldwide exchange V-bucks, according to cryptocurrency policy think tank Coin Center director Jerry Brito.

In 2019, the IRS started asking people about their virtual currency reserves, according to Vice.

Robux fuel Roblox, a game where players build tools, worlds, and even their own games. Creators then sell products in Roblox for Robux.

A new report form the Government Accountability Office noted that the IRS is missing out on billions of dollars each year due to unreported virtual currency.

"Many virtual currency transactions likely go unreported to IRS on information returns, due in part to unclear requirements and reporting thresholds that limit the number of virtual currency users subject to third-party reporting," explained the GAO. "Taking steps to increase reporting could help (the) IRS provide taxpayers useful information for completing tax returns and give (the) IRS an additional tool to address noncompliance."

The IRS Quietly Deleted Fortnite and Roblox From Its Virtual Currency Guidance

Up until Wednesday, anybody reading the IRS's guidance on virtual currencies was led to believe they'd have to declare Fornite V-bucks and Roblox Robux on their tax form, which asks people to declare virtual currencies they've used in the past year.

"Virtual currency that has an equivalent value in real currency, or that acts as a substitute for real currency, is referred to as 'convertible' virtual currency," the IRS' guidance for taxpayers stated. "Bitcoin, Ether, Roblox, and V-bucks are a few examples of a convertible virtual currency."

After a tweet from Jerry Brito, director of cryptocurrency policy think tank Coin Center, pointing this out went viral and Bloomberg contacted the IRS for comment, the agency quietly changed language on its official website to remove language related to V-Bucks and Robux.

"A Google search tells me Fortnite has about 250 million users," Brito said on Twitter before the language change. "Not all are American taxpayers, of course, but it gives one a sense of the numbers. Millions of parents that bought V-bucks will have to answer 'yes.'"

The IRS is trying to wrangle virtual currency like Bitcoin—which can be bought and sold for a profit in USD— and turn it into taxable income. Last year, the IRS started asking people about their virtual currency. It's the first question on the new 1040: "At any time during 2019, did you receive, sell, send, exchange or otherwise acquire any financial interest in any virtual currency?" And, until yesterday, it seemed to consider video game currencies taxable income as well.

The IRS removing references to V-Bucks and Robux in its guidance for taxpayers makes the whole situation even more confusing because the IRS's definition of a convertible virtual currency remains the same. "They just removed the game currencies as examples, but they have not changed their definition of 'convertible virtual currencies' so if in-game currencies fall under their definition, nothing has really changed," Brito told VICE in an email.

V-bucks aren't convertible, which makes their inclusion in the original wording rather baffling. In a statement, Fortnite maker Epic Games said that the IRS' description of V-Bucks was inaccurate.

"The introduction of the IRS's informal guidance with respect to convertible virtual currencies inaccurately describes V-Bucks. V-Bucks cannot 'be digitally traded between users,' nor can they be 'exchanged into, U.S. dollars, Euros, and other real or virtual currencies,'" the statement said.

Robux are convertible, however. Robux are the virtual currency that fuels Roblox, a game where players build worlds, tools, and even their own games. It's like Second Life meets Minecraft. Creators can sell stuff in Roblox for Robux, then cash out their Robux when they want to.

Those Robux are taxable and the Roblox Corporation told Vice it's reporting the income players make from Roblox to the IRS. "Robux can only be earned and exchanged by developers for real currency through our Developer Exchange (DevEx) program," a Roblox spokesperson told Vice in an email. "Prior to any payments being made to developers, we require them to have an IRS form on file with Roblox, and we report all DevEx payments to the IRS using form 1099."

A new report from the Government Accountability Office published on Wednesday pointed out that the IRS is losing billions in revenue every year from unreported virtual currency. That same report also noted that the IRS isn't clear on how it wants to treat virtual currency, which is part of its problem.

"Many virtual currency transactions likely go unreported to IRS on information returns, due in part to unclear requirements and reporting thresholds that limit the number of virtual currency users subject to third-party reporting," the GAO said. "Taking steps to increase reporting could help IRS provide taxpayers useful information for completing tax returns and give IRS an additional tool to address noncompliance."

The IRS is still working out how to deal with virtual currency. The GAO report and the website changes make it clear that the phenomenon is so new that government tax collectors aren't sure how to collect. The only thing it knows for certain is that it wants a cut of the virtual currency market.

The IRS did not immediately respond to request for comment.

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IRS is taxing currency used in Fortnite

The IRS reversed course and will not ask this tax season, for the first time, if taxpayers have used V-Bucks, the money used for in-game purchases for the popular online multiplayer game Fortnite.

In a December release, the IRS stated that "virtual currency that has an equivalent value in real currency, or that acts as a substitute for real currency … Bitcoin, Ether, Roblox, and V-bucks are a few examples of a convertible virtual currency." Following media coverage Wednesday, however, the directive now only includes Bitcoin when providing examples of virtual currencies.

Taxpayers will still have to answer if they have received, sold, or exchanged any financial interest in "any virtual currency." The question can be found on Schedule 1 for Form 1040. The question was not on the same form for the 2018 tax year.

The IRS in 2014 announced that virtual currencies would be taxed like capital gains. Those rates are currently 15% and 20%.

IRS Schedule 1 for Form 1040

Thousands of V-Bucks can be earned by playing Fortnite and completing missions. The bucks can be used to buy outfits and accessories for online characters, according to Epic Games.

V-Bucks can also be purchased, which has great potential to create bookkeeping headaches for parents keeping track of the bucks their children have earned or purchased. A V-Buck is only taxable if it is earned. One thousand V-Bucks can be purchased for $9.99. Assuming those earned are of equal value, the taxable transaction would not amount to one penny.

Fortnite is the online, post-apocalyptic survival game that began in 2017. Players spend hours engaged with dozens, if not hundreds, of other online players in virtual combat to be the last one standing. As of last March, the game had 250 million players worldwide, according to Statista, which tracks online market and consumer data.

The IRS did not respond to an inquiry from the Washington Examiner.

[Opinion: 'Fortnite' addiction is real, and parents are failing to take responsibility]

Fortnite players find a clever way to finish the moving dance challenge

Fortnite is packed full of challenges that enable players to tier up in the Battle Pass and unlock new rewards, including cosmetics and V-Bucks. These challenges range from simple to surprisingly difficult, though most of the difficulty is due to the risk of being eliminated by another player while performing the challenge. One such tricky challenge requires the player to move 100m while dancing, but there's a simple solution to the task.

One Fortnite Chapter 2 challenge requires the player to move the distance of 100 meters while dancing. This doesn't have to be done all at once — the player may get lucky and find an open area of land where they can dance, but more often than not, you'll have to finish this challenge one small dance at a time.

That means having to play several matches (or more) in order to rack up the full 100 meters. That is, unless you find a zip line. As recently highlighted on the FortniteBR subreddit, players can complete this challenge quickly by jumping on a zipline and then triggering a dance emote as they ride the line.

The player can reverse the trip across the zip line right as they near the end, then start dancing again, earning them twice the distance while dancing — all in a matter of seconds.

Quickest way to complete dance traversal challenge from r/FortNiteBR

Of course, you'll need to do this in a remote location that doesn't have many players. Epic made zip lines more scarce in the new battle royale island due to the large bodies of water and the simplicity with which one can swim through them. The best odds of finding a lonely zip line where you won't be bothered are likely down in the southern mountains or up in the normal hills near the power plant.

The Fortnite Harley Quinn outfit is available to buy now for a Birds of Prey crossover

We've been expecting it for a while now, but following weeks of speculation the Fortnite Harley Quinn outfit has finally launched on the Item Shop. It'll be available for sale there until February 17, so don't leave it too late if you want to add some mayhem to your Fortnite game. We still have two weeks left until Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2 kicks off in earnest, so it's good to get some interesting crossover content such as this to help fill out our time, along with the Fortnite Love and War challenges of course.

(Image credit: Epic Games)

The price for the Fortnite Harley Quinn outfit on its own is 1,500 V-Bucks, which matches up with previous crossover skins. The Harley Hitter and Punchline pickaxes are available for 800 V-Bucks each, or you can get the Harley Quinn bundle with all of these items for the reduced price of 2,000 V-Bucks. Initially you'll only have access to the default Lil Monster XoXo style for the outfit, but if you complete all of the Fortnite Harley Quinn challenges that arrive with this bundle, you'll unlock the Always Fantabulous style option.

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Purchasing the outfit bundle will add a list of Fortnite Harley Quinn challenges to your account, which are as follows:

Stage 1 of 3: Place top 30 in Solos, Duos, or Squads (1)o   Stage 2 of 3: Place top 20 in Solos, Duos, or Squads (1)o   Stage 3 of 3: Place top 10 in Solos, Duos, or Squads (1)

Hit weak points (100)

Deal damage with Pickaxes to opponents (100)

There's nothing particularly challenging here – placing in the top 10 in Squads is pretty easy if you keep out of the way, hitting weak points can be chained together quickly, and if you focus on using your pickaxe to attack opponents in Team Rumble then you should only need to land five hits to reach the target. Tick off all three challenges and the additional Always Fantabulous style will be added to your locker, for an extra outfit option.

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‘Fortnite’ Creator Ducks Bulk of Boy’s Suit Over In-App Purchases

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) – It doesn't take long for anyone who has ever played a free online video game to realize that those games do cost money – sometimes a lot.  This is why video game companies eventually came up with the idea to call them "free to play," denoting that there will at some point come a time when the user is compelled to pull out their credit card.

On March 4, 2018, a kid from California joined the ranks of the disabused when he downloaded "Fortnite," an online game where 100 players at a time fight each other to the death in an ever-shrinking island arena. Players can mine resources and build structures to bolster their chances of survival, but the real allure of the game seems to be the in-game items you can buy: the costumes (skins) to make your character look like John Wick, dances (emotes) you can use to taunt opponents, and the truly bizarre weapons and harvesting tools – like a knockwurst-shaped pickaxe.

Using gift cards his family had given him for his birthday, Johnny Doe bought a bunch of items using Fornite's virtual currency called "V-bucks." Because they're so hard to earn in the game, players can buy V-bucks with real money; for instance, 100 V-bucks equals $1.00, or if you're looking for a deal, $99 will get you 13,500 pieces of the virtual dough.

Johnny used V-bucks to buy some nonrefundable items. According to his lawsuit, he wanted to reverse those purchases after discovering how much they cost but couldn't because they were nonrefundable.

His guardian filed a class action on his behalf against Fortnite developer Epic Games in 2019, saying the company, which made $2.4 billion in profit in 2018, violates California law by exploiting children's ignorance about the relationship of in-game currency to actual money.

"This lack of understanding is especially apparent given many young players' willingness to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on V-bucks. If a player was confronted with the amount of money he or she would need to spend at the time of purchase, as opposed to when the player has purchased the game and is invested in playing, most players would think that hundreds of dollars, let alone thousands of dollars, is an exorbitant price to pay to play a video game," Doe's complaint says.

The lawsuit also says Epic has no option for a parental veto, makes in-game purchases disturbingly easy. The company also doesn't provide a purchase history so players can track their spending.

"After installation, Epic does not provide mechanisms for any parental control including requiring authorization of any in-App purchases. Epic purposefully makes in-app purchases easy one-click requests," Doe's complaint says. "Even when the minors change their mind in a matter of minutes, minors are not able to refund the purchase and disaffirm the contract."

In a ruling late last week, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers axed most of Johnny's claims, finding that V-bucks are not actual goods and services under California's Consumer Legal Remedies Act and that Johnny's complaint is woefully lacking in detail.

"Nowhere in the complaint does plaintiff allege facts showing that defendant misrepresented the characteristics, uses, benefits, or quantities of V-bucks, or failed to disclose that they were of lower standard or quality than represented," Gonzalez Rogers wrote. "Further, and as previously explained, plaintiff fails to explain how he was misled regarding his rights, remedies, or obligations when making the in-app purchases."

Gonzalez Rogers also dismissed Doe's unfair competition law claim that Epic knowingly hid from him how much money he had spent on in-game items.

"Plaintiff's argument that minors do not have access to information about their purchase history is undermined by the fact that plaintiff's allegations in this case are based on in-app purchases he made using his own money," she wrote. "Moreover, it is reasonable to believe that at least some minors obtain the consent of their parents or guardians before using their credit cards or bank accounts to make in-app purchases, and for those who do not, the court is not persuaded that defendant must make their purchase history easily accessible through Fortnite."

The only part of the case the judge kept alive was Doe's claim that under California law, he has a right as a minor to deny responsibility for a contract. She found Doe did disaffirm Epic's end user license agreement via a May 17, 2019, letter his counsel sent Epic Games indicating his disaffirmation and intent never to play Fortnite again. She denied Epic's bid to send the case to arbitration on these grounds.

However, a dispute remains as to whether Johnny disaffirmed the in-app purchases and whether he is entitled to a refund. That Gonzalez Rogers narrowed the case to this single issue portends that this will remain an individual case and not become a class action.

Gonzalez Rogers also denied Doe's request to proceed anonymously. In court documents, Doe had asked to keep his identify secret because he feared the retaliation and bullying that might come with suing the developer of a monstrously popular video game.

"This fear is real: Plaintiff is a minor at a tender age and sensitive emotional and physical development. The risk of suicide in middle school and high schools has increased over the years. The topic of video gaming is sensitive in schools and kids who take a stance against video gaming are often ridiculed as nerds and isolated socially," his attorney Deepali Brahmbhatt wrote in a court filing. "The fact that plaintiff has filed this lawsuit against a popular video-gaming company Epic, makes the risk of retaliation and harassment even worse, and there is no indication that the Epic would withhold from continuing its behavior in a public forum."

The filing also said the case could hurt Johnny's chances of getting into private school and college, and that he and his guardian may drop the lawsuit altogether if his motion to proceed under a pseudonym is denied.

Gonzalez Rogers wasn't persuaded, writing,  "Although plaintiff's position in this litigation may be unpopular to some, his fear of social stigmatization is speculative and there is no indication plaintiff is likely to suffer more severe retaliation than in the typical consumer action."

Doe's lawyers did not respond to emails and phone calls requesting comment. A lawyer for Epic Games said he was only authorized to speak on background.

Get Free V-Bucks: 5 Real Ways & Generator in 2020

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Unfortunately, most of these cosmetic unlock can only be obtained by purchasing V-Bucks unless you know how to get them without having to use a credit card, free income in effect. In this article ...