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Renegade Raider was one of the very first skins ever to be released in Fortnite. This was during a time when someone like Ariana Grande appearing in the game was still a far-off dream, a near-impossibility if you asked me then. Due to the nature of Renegade Raider’s release, she remains one of the most sought-after skins in the game’s history. But is it possible to get her today? Find out here in my Renegade Raider Fortnite skin guide.
Bottom Line Up Front
Renegade Raider arrived during Chapter 1, Season 1, the very beginning of the battle royale experience. As such, Renegade Raider is a pretty simplistic soldier skin but a lovable one nonetheless, giving off some steampunk airplane pilot vibes. Though I don’t find her to be the most detailed skin around, she still holds up generally well today. Unfortunately, the matter of how to unlock her skin is a confusing one all around.
Renegade Raider Fortnite Skin Overview
Travel back with me in time to a more straightforward period in the history of mankind. It was nearly five years ago when Fortnite was first released. After a popular but not entirely successful debut launch of the PvE Save the World experience, Epic Games surprised the gaming industry with an announcement.
Fortnite would also launch a free-to-play battle royale variant. A direct challenge to PUBG’s uncontested reign of fame, Fortnite wished to take a slice of the pie. In the end, we all know that it turned out to be the right decision for Epic, as Fortnite changed gaming and pop culture forever.
But before that could happen, the early days of Fortnite were mixed at best. Even in the battle royale game’s inaugural season, it lacked many of the features that I and many others know and love today. Battle passes? Challenges? NPCs on the island? Those weren’t even close to happening.
Instead, Epic Games was dealing with a meager selection of premium skins that it released, including Renegade Raider. Though not the first skin in the game, she was among that initial group. Like others around her, she used the base default skin models as a foundation for her custom design.
Renegade Raider was one of the better skins of the bunch at the time, at least offering some intriguing elements. It turned out, though, that her status as one of the earliest skins propelled her to stardom within the Fortnite community.
To this day, there are still players who wish to unlock the Renegade Raider skin in Fortnite. Unfortunately, she has one of the most frustrating unlock methods that are confusing and annoying for players interested in picking her up.
Default Appearance
In the default appearance for Renegade Raider, Epic Games takes the look for Headhunter as the base. You may know Headhunter as one of the original skins that you can play as in Fortnite. What Epic did was take that initial design and change the outfit slightly to create Renegade Raider.
Renegade Raider’s design begins with some fairly basic camo pants on the bottom. There is not much going on with these pants other than the random armor plate symbol on their side. On the other side of her outfit is a brown and orange sleeveless shirt. Like the pants, there’s not really much going on here other than some basic protection.
Elsewhere in her design, there are some dog tags that she wears around her neck, indicating that she is a soldier through and through. She also has some gloves on her hands and boots on her feet that add to this idea. Overall, the general idea of her outfit is very simple, and there’s nothing too special about it.
However, there is something of note that mainly has to do with what she’s wearing on her head and face. You can’t see much of Renegade Raider’s hair since it’s covered up entirely by the helmet she wears on her head.
This helmet is similar to an aviator one. In this way, I think it’s possible that Renegade Raider was a pilot in the military before her debut on the first Fortnite island. It’s hard to say, though, since the lore of the battle royale game is still up for debate.
The aviator helmet is plain enough, a drab brown color with some black and silver goggles atop them. She is not currently wearing the goggles, despite them being a cooler part of her outfit. The helmet is rather long on the sides, covering the length of her face all the way down to her shoulders.
Renegade Raider is wearing a good bit of makeup, too. She has some face paint that covers her cheeks and chin, with some noticeable eye makeup.
Overall, I would say that this is one of the more basic designs out there in Fortnite. Epic obviously offered some lovely details for the head and face, but that was about it.
Everything else is just a reskin of the default character that you can play as in battle royale. This is not surprising since it was the start of the game but nothing impressive at the same time. For the most part, Renegade Raider is just a form of nostalgia for players today wishing to return to the old days of battle royale.
How to Unlock the Renegade Raider in Fortnite
The tricky part about Renegade Raider that still trips me up even today is how she was initially unlocked in Fortnite. Back in the day when Fortnite battle royale first came out, the first season was handled quite weirdly. Skins were not as simple as a purchase as they are today when it comes to the item shop.
The battle pass did not yet exist in Season 1. Instead, there was a seasonal store that was released in Season 1. Unlike today, you had to earn the right to purchase a skin for money. It was a blend of both the item shop and battle pass in a way.
Players had to reach a certain level in the season, like the battle pass, but they did not automatically unlock the skin once they did so. This was because the traditional battle pass did not exist yet.
Elements that would later appear in the pass system did exist like a leveling system. Players had a seasonal level that they could raise the more they played. But, instead of having skins or other items that they unlocked for raising their level, as in the way it works today, they unlocked a seasonal store where they could buy them.
The levels in that first season only unlocked the right to buy the skin at that point in the seasonal skin shop, not the actual skin itself. It was a convoluted and messed-up way of handling the skins since you had to offer up both your time and money to unlock the Renegade Raider skin.
How it worked was that players had to reach level 20 in the season, which was not too hard to do. However, once you reached level 20, that was not the end of the story. You then had to go to the season shop and purchase the Renegade Raider skin you now had access to.
It would cost 1200 V-Bucks for this skin since it is a rare one. That is the standard price for rare skins, so nothing crazy is going on there. Regardless, this is an insane situation that was so unnecessarily confusing and time-consuming at the time. Reaching the level was not hard on its own but you had to waste so much time just for a chance to get a skin; not something guaranteed.
Imagine if, right now, in Chapter 3, Epic just decided to make you reach level 20 in the season before you could purchase the latest crossover skin. What happened if you missed out on that skin because it left the item shop, or it just so happened that this season was busy for you due to work or school life?
That would be too bad, even if you had the V-Bucks to buy it. You would have to find another way to reach the level in time before the end of the season.
Can You Still Unlock Her Today?
You may already be able to see where I am going with this next question. Given the state of the Renegade Raider when she first came out, one of the most confusing parts about her has to do with right now. Is it even possible to unlock the Renegade Raider skin in Fortnite today?
It wouldn’t seem like a big deal since players purchased her in the store in Season 1, but it is not as simple as it may look. The answer to this question is a straightforward one. No, you cannot buy Renegade Raider at this time in the current of Fortnite.
However, I think there is some hope, but only a tiny bit at this time. First off, you may be wondering why it is a no in the first place. After all, Renegade Raider was a rare skin you purchased for 1200 V-Bucks in Chapter 1, Season 1.
That is no different from the other rare skins that have been released in the battle royale game. If they have no problem returning to the item shop, what is the big deal with this skin? Well, the problem is that Renegade Raider was tied to the first season.
In today’s terms, she would be considered a battle pass skin. Sure, you had to buy her separately once you reached a certain level, but the same idea applies. You had to progress through the season to earn the right to unlock the character in Fortnite.
Due to her ties to the first season as a seasonal skin character, she has not returned to Fortnite since Season 1. It is possible that she will never return to the battle royale game. That said, there is a little bit of hope that I can offer you in these hard times.
Epic Games still has a chance to figure out what to do with battle pass skins. I have suggested, and there are times that we have seen this in the past where Epic releases previous battle pass skins in new ways. They might have a new skin style or what have you, and players can purchase them in the item shop.
Those who previously unlocked the skin can immediately acquire the new style or customization option for free. This is a win-win for everyone involved, in my opinion. In fact, we have already seen Renegade Raider receive an extra skin style for players to use.
All it takes is one more of these and a drop for this skin in the modern item shop. I mean, come on, it already sells for 1200 V-Bucks, the standard by which rare skins go for these days. It is a simple task, but it depends on whether or not Epic wants to do it.
The only reason that I do not see them try it is due to the rarity of Renegade Raider. Many players adore that they are among the only ones in the world to own this early Fortnite skin.
I think Epic is possibly concerned with the backlash of taking away that notion from those early adopters of the game. I get it, but that is a poor excuse in the end if that is the case. I believe it is high time that players have a second chance to earn some skins that they missed out on from previous seasons, and Renegade Raider should be one of them.
Customizable Options: Skin Styles Explained
One of the cool things that Epic Games has been doing for a while now with the oldest skins is offering some new styles for them. While the developer is not necessarily offering new styles for all old skins, it is certainly welcome when it does.
In the case of Renegade Raider, there is the default version I already went over and another version that was added near the end of the first chapter of Fortnite. This single addition skin style is the Checkered version.
Admittedly, there isn’t much that is unique or different about this particular skin style. It’s a straightforward color swap of the original outfit, after all. But, even still, I think I like this one a little bit more than the regular version.
Overall, there is not much that changes from the original Renegade Raider to the Checkered one. The outfit, helmet, and clothing are all the same, only in different colors.
For instance, the pants’ camo pattern more evenly distributed than before, giving a cleaner look. Meanwhile, the vest is still the same orange-brown color, but shinier and more appealing to the eye in the process.
On the other side of the skin, Renegade Raider’s helmet is where most of the changes are found. The helmet is more orange than before and the titular checkered pattern adds a nice touch to the skin.
Overall, it is similar to the default Renegade Raider in that it is nothing too special but it is at least an improved version. This is a nice little freebie for those lucky few who own this skin.
Renegade Raider is it Worth it?
When it comes to reviewing the Renegade Raider Fortnite skin, it is worth noting that I am doing so nearly five years after her release. Fortnite is in a very different place today, and so many other skins have been released since the time of Renegade Raider.
With that said, I won’t hold back, either, since you might be a new player in Fortnite today. Renegade Raider is one of the more generic and simplistic skins out there. This skin is not too remarkable as it just does the bare minimum. It takes a skin idea, changes some colors, and adds a couple of minor details.
This is what a lot of those early skins did. Compared to some of the earlier skins, I would say that Renegade Raider was one of the better ones in Season 1, but certainly not the best. At the same time, there are skins that have been released even recently that look worse than this one.
So, while I am not a massive fan of Renegade Raider, it is worth noting that such an early skin isn’t that bad and is better than some more recent outfits. In terms of being worth the price, I think that Renegade Raider is just barely worth the 1200 V-Bucks.
Moving the nostalgia aside, the extra skin style makes it worth the price but barely. Even then, the extra value from the other skin style isn’t much since the two are so similar. But this should be an 800 V-Bucks skin without the additional style.
Best Alternative Skin Recommendations
There is a possibility that the Renegade Raider will never return to Fortnite someday. The players who own her right now may very well be the only ones in the game’s history. With that unfortunate reality a strong possibility in front of us, here are a few skins that I recommend for you to purchase instead:
- Astra: Do you like the Renegade Raider skin for her looks and not just her nostalgia? Do you appreciate her aerial theme? Then Astra may be for you. She takes the same base model from Renegade Raider and has a shooting stars theme. Better yet, I think she looks marginally better visually, and you can buy her sometimes in the item shop.
- Yee-Haw!: This particular skin once again has the same model as Renegade Raider. But, instead of being a plane pilot, she is, uh, a blow-up llama rider, I guess? This is a hilarious and weird skin that is mainly for goofs and not much else.
- Ghoul Trooper: Lastly, I picked a skin that isn’t based on Headhunter. Instead, Ghoul Trooper is a recommendation for that nostalgia. If you want a quality skin from those early days of Fortnite, this is the one. Ghoul Trooper was a Halloween skin of a ghoul soldier girl released just a few days after Renegade Raider. They were released around the same time, but unlike Renegade Raider, Ghoul Trooper returns to the item shop for Halloween.
FAQs
Question: Is Renegade Raider rare?
Answer: Renegade Raider is about as rare as they come. Not only is she a rare-level skin, but it is exceedingly difficult to unlock her. It is impossible today unless Epic Games changes the current situation. As such, there are very few players who own this skin, making her one of the rarest of all time.
Question: How do I get the Renegade Raider code?
Answer: I’m always going to be real with you guys. Please, please remember that there is no way to get Renegade Raider today in Chapter 3 at the time of writing this guide. There are countless scammers and even popular YouTubers that will be like, “do this and get Renegade Raider,” or give you some “hack” or “code” to unlock her. It is impossible. Do not waste your time on these scams.
Question: How much money is Renegade Raider worth?
Answer: It is not currently known how much Renegade Raider is worth. As a skin, she is worth 1200 V-Bucks or around $12. But since she is not sold or able to be gifted to someone, that number of probably much higher these days. I will warn you not to fall for tricks like buying someone’s account that has the skin.
Conclusion
Renegade Raider remains to this day one of the most controversial and beloved skins in Fortnite’s history. On the one hand, I am with players that there is a lot of wonderful nostalgia that is included with her. The ability to show off to everyone in the battle royale game that you were among the first to try it is impressive on its own.
However, at the same time, I still think that it is a darn shame that Epic refuses to allow players to acquire battle pass skins these days. Enough time has passed that it shouldn’t be that big of a deal to offer some of the skins in the item shop for V-Bucks. I would hope that players who own these skins wouldn’t have a problem with this.
After all, Renegade Raider is far from the only skin to suffer from this. Another one is Brutus from Chapter 2, Season 2, where the same problem repeats itself more than ten seasons later.
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