Do you keep Fortnite: Save the World forever?
Once you buy Save the World, you have permanent access with no recurring costs or subscriptions required. This co-op PvE mode enriches the Fortnite experience for just a $20 upfront fee.
Introducing Fortnite‘s Original Co-Op Mode
Fortnite: Save the World is the original PvE (player vs environment) co-op mode that released before Fortnite Battle Royale exploded in popularity. Up to four players team up to build fortresses and try to survive against zombie-like creatures called Husks.
Unlike the free-to-play Battle Royale mode, Epic Games only offers Save the World as a premium purchase. But once you buy it, you can enjoy permanent access with no strings attached.
How Save the World Gameplay Works
In Save the World, you and up to three other players take on missions like storm defense and resource gathering. Before each mission, you select a Hero character with unique abilities to control.
During the mission, your squad scavenges for resources, builds fortresses out of walls, floors, stairs and traps, and fends off waves of Husks trying to break through your defenses. Between missions, you level up your Hero, unlock new weapons/traps through loot and schematics, and upgrade gear through the collection book and evolve system.
Save the World utilizes procedural generation meaning the maps, objectives, and enemies are different each time you play a mission. This provides near endless replay value. There is also an overarching narrative and campaign questline to complete, but the emphasis is on replaying missions for new rewards and challenges.
Key Gameplay Elements
- Procedural maps, enemies, and objectives
- 4 player co-op PvE missions
- Building fortresses with walls, floors, stairs and traps
- Hero shooter with classes like Constructor, Soldier, Ninja
- RPG progression with skill trees, leveling, evolving gear
- Loot, crafting, and schematics systems
- Daily login rewards and daily/weekly challenges
How Much Does Save the World Cost?
Unlike the free-to-play Fortnite Battle Royale, Epic sells access to Save the World as a premium purchase. The upfront cost is $19.99 on all platforms – PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Originally, Epic planned to make Save the World free-to-play in 2018. But as early access development took longer than expected, they eventually scrapped those plans. With no announced plans to change, Save the World remains a paid mode.
Do You Keep Save the World Forever?
Yes! Once you purchase Save the World for $19.99, you have permanent access with no recurring costs. There is no subscription or additional purchases required.
This one-time fee makes the purchase worthwhile. You get to keep Save the World forever once bought, allowing you to enjoy the PvE co-op experience indefinitely.
Epic continues supporting the mode with new events, quests, weapons and heroes on a regular basis. But all future content comes included at no extra cost if you own Save the World.
Player Statistics
- Over 1 million copies sold in first two weeks after July 2017 launch
- Sales peaked at over 5 million copies sold by June 2020
- Up to 350,000 concurrent daily players in 2022
- Over $300 million in total revenue from Save the World purchases
Is Earning V-Bucks in Save the World Worth It?
One incentive for Fortnite Battle Royale players to purchase Save the World is the ability to earn V-Bucks through daily login rewards and by completing storm shield defense missions.
Daily reward V-Bucks range from 50 to 150 while the 10 storm shield missions can award up to 1,000 V-Bucks altogether. You can then use these V-Bucks to purchase new Battle Passes or cosmetic skins without spending real money.
However, earning rates are much slower compared to purchasing V-Bucks directly. Completing daily quests in Save the World earns about 500-800 V-Bucks per month. Purchasing 1,000 V-Bucks directly costs just $7.99.
So while Save the World does provide a nice supplemental income of "free" V-Bucks, don’t purchase it primarily to grind out currency. Focus on the PvE co-op experience as the main value.
Average V-Buck Earning Rates
- Daily Rewards: 50-150 V-Bucks per day
- Storm Shields: Up to 1,000 V-Bucks total
- Monthly Total: 500-800 V-Bucks from dailies and quests
What is the Game Length of Save the World?
Completing the core Save the World campaign and story quests takes most players between 40 to 100 hours depending on playstyle. This provides dozens of hours of content, especially factoring in the near endless procedural missions that discourage grinding.
Maxing out your player level, filling the collection book, and acquiring top tier schematics provide goals for completionists. Dedicated players can sink hundreds of hours into min/maxing characters and chasing the best gear.
The evolving weapons, heroes, and progression systems also add long-term depth. New events, quests, weapons and heroes are added every few months so there is always something new to achieve.
Estimated Game Length
- Main Storyline: 40-60 hours
- Max Player Level: 80-100 hours
- Max Collection Book: 120+ hours
- Acquire All Schematics: 200+ hours
Should You Buy Save the World in 2024?
Here is a quick pros vs cons breakdown:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| – Only $20 upfront cost | – Earning V-Bucks is slow |
| – Permanent access, no subscriptions | – Development updates are limited |
| – 100+ hours of content | – Progression can feel grindy |
| – Fun co-op PvE gameplay | – Some repetitive mission types |
| – Events and quests keep it fresh | – Playerbase smaller than Battle Royale |
For PvE and co-op focused players, Save the World is absolutely worth purchasing in 2024. The upfront cost is reasonable and you get to keep it forever.
For Battle Royale focused players, it‘s a tougher call. You won‘t earn tons of V-Bucks quickly. But it does provide a nice supplemental income if you enjoy PvE as well.
Overall, Save the World remains one of the best co-op PvE games out there. The gameplay holds up impressively years later. And purchasing it greatly expands the content available to enjoy in Fortnite for just $20.