Fortnite’s latest Star Wars season has unveiled one of its most anticipated cosmetic additions yet — Darth Jar Jar — a skin that has quickly become the talk of the gaming community. However, this time around, Epic Games has introduced an unusual hurdle for players hoping to unlock it: a massive 1.28 million XP requirement before even being allowed to purchase the skin for 1500 V-Bucks (approximately $13).

While Fortnite has previously locked certain skins behind XP thresholds, this is a relatively rare move in recent seasons — especially for a character as iconic and hyped as Darth Jar Jar. Fans were already invested in the Star Wars crossover, which is set to conclude on June 7, leaving players with limited time to accumulate the necessary experience points.

The XP grind required to access the skin has sparked mixed reactions across social platforms and fan forums. One frustrated player voiced their disappointment on Reddit: “I was so hyped for this skin and was fine with it being behind a pay wall — after all, it's just another skin. But this whole ‘locked behind an XP wall’ thing is ridiculous. You want me to earn the right to give you money? I immediately closed the game.”

Adding to the controversy, the standard Jar Jar Binks skin is also available in the Shop — without the XP gate, but still priced at 1500 V-Bucks. When factoring in additional accessories like styles and emotes for both the Sith and Gungan versions, players could end up spending up to 6,500 V-Bucks — nearly $52 — for the full Jar Jar Binks cosmetic package.

Some fans have pushed back against the complaints, arguing that cosmetics are entirely optional and that the XP grind isn’t insurmountable. “It wasn’t that hard to earn the XP — took me around 8 or 9 hours,” one player shared. “I had no plans on Saturday, so I did it in three sessions. Played Rocket Racing, Ranked matches, and Alignment Challenges to farm as much XP as possible.”

As the Star Wars season progresses, attention now turns to Mandalorian-themed content, including the upcoming release of a customizable Mandalorian skin. The season will culminate in a live narrative event on June 7, where many expect players to finally step aboard the looming Death Star that has dominated the island skies since the season began.

Meanwhile, Epic Games continues to make headlines outside the game as well, with its ongoing legal battle with Apple intensifying after Fortnite was reportedly blocked from returning to the iPhone App Store in the U.S.