The $10 Battle Pass in 'Fortnite' is a worthwhile addition to an already great game — here's why

"Fortnite" is a free game — stop wondering.

Fortnite (mobile)

There's a paid version of it, and you can buy stuff in it, but it costs nothing to jump into the game's wildly popular "Battle Royale" mode that pits 100 players against each other in a fight to the death.

If you are going to buy something in "Fortnite" — or you want to give a "Fortnite" fanatic a great gift — there's one item that's more important than anything else: the so-called "Battle Pass," which costs roughly $10.

Here's why it's such a crucial item.

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1. The Battle Pass makes "Fortnite" into a much more rewarding experience.

The draw of "Fortnite" is the game's "Battle Royale" mode, no doubt, but part of what keeps people playing is the game's progression system. The more you play the game, the more stuff you unlock for your character — outfits, dances, and a variety of other cosmetic inanity.

Crucially, none of these unlocks offer a competitive advantage.

They're intended as a fun addition — for personalizing your avatar, and showing off a bit. Maybe you've got a rare backpack, for instance! Experienced players will know it's something you could only get by playing a ton of the game, or mastering a specific challenge, or whatever else.

By buying the Battle Pass, the game's progression system instantly becomes more complex and rewarding. You'll unlock far more stuff in a far shorter period of time, and the stuff is also much better.

2. Better still: There are a ton of challenges to complete with the Battle Pass, which turns the game into something much more interesting.

In buying the Battle Pass, you unlock Battle Pass challenges, which are lengthy lists of objectives that turn each round of "Fortnite" into something different.

Tired of trying (and likely failing) to reach first place? Why not tackle some challenges!

Go collect the letters that spell out "Fortnite," for instance, or loot eight different chests in Tilted Towers — whatever the objective may be, however silly.

It's a subtle layer of additional objectives, and one you could fully ignore, but why would you? It's a ton of fun, and it's a nice additional push that keeps me playing.

Even if you're not interested in tackling specific objectives, it's entirely likely you'll accidentally complete some just by playing the game. Often, challenges are as simple as, "Kill two players using shotguns." — the kind of thing you're likely to do in the course of play.

Thus: Having the Battle Pass is a worthwhile purchase even if you're not interested in tackling side objectives.