Darth Jar Jar Joins Fortnite: Unlock at 1 Million XP

The latest major addition to Fortnite's Star Wars season has arrived from a galaxy far, far away, surprising fans by requiring a staggering 1.28 million XP to unlock the new skin.

Darth Jar Jar appeared in the Fortnite Shop over the weekend, but players must first earn the privilege to purchase it. Even after accumulating the required 1.28 million XP, Darth Jar Jar still costs 1500 V-Bucks (approximately $13).

While Fortnite has previously implemented XP requirements for certain skins, it's a rare practice in recent years and was unexpected for a highly anticipated cosmetic item during this shorter Star Wars season.

With the season already underway, players have less time to gain the necessary XP for Darth Jar Jar (Fortnite's Star Wars season concludes on June 7). Those who completed their battle pass already face additional grinding to reach the new goal.

"I was really excited about this skin and didn't mind paying for it since it's just another cosmetic item," shared one fan on Reddit in a lengthy discussion about Darth Jar Jar's release. "But locking it behind an XP barrier is unreasonable. Why should I work for the right to spend money? I closed the game immediately."

Another point of criticism is that Darth Jar Jar launched alongside a standard Jar Jar Binks skin, which has no XP requirement but also costs 1500 V-Bucks separately.

Combined with the various accessories for both Sith and Gungan versions of the character, the complete Jar Jar Binks set totals 6,500 V-Bucks—a significant amount.

"The regular Jar Jar skin alone costs twenty dollars," another fan commented. "If you want both versions, that's fifty-two dollars for what should have been a single skin with multiple style options."

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Other players have pointed out that Jar Jar is entirely optional—you can simply ignore the cosmetic if you're not interested. Your Fortnite collection can remain free of the character, much like George Lucas likely wished after the negative reception to The Phantom Menace.

"Earning the XP wasn't that difficult; it took me about eight or nine hours," explained a third fan. "I had a free Saturday and completed it in three sessions throughout the day. I focused on Rocket Racing, Ranked matches, and Alignment Challenges to maximize XP gains.

"Nobody is forced to buy every item in the Shop—you can be selective. Considering Darth Jar Jar costs only 1500 V-Bucks compared to Deathstroke's 1800, the price didn't bother me. I was initially frustrated, but after a few hours I realized I'd already earned over 300,000 XP."

Fortnite's Star Wars season continues this week with an emphasis on Mandalorian warriors, including the eagerly awaited customizable Mandalorian skin coming soon to the Shop.

Epic Games will conclude the Star Wars-themed season with a live narrative event on June 7. Many fans expect this event to involve boarding the Death Star, which has been looming ominously above the game's Island since the season began.

Earlier this month, the ongoing dispute between Epic Games and Apple intensified when Fortnite was reportedly "blocked" from returning to the iPhone App Store in the United States.