A lot of online free-to-play games are doing their darndest to ensure that players keep coming back for more, and Fortnite accomplishes that by constantly pumping out new game modes and challenges for its massive stable of gamers to enjoy. Of course, a lot of these features exist behind the Battle Pass paywall, but there's still tons of cool action for everyone to enjoy. Each new season and subsequent chapter of a season ushers in a slew of new opportunities and fun little virtual treats. One question a ton of gamers having going into Season 8 is: Where are the IO guards located?

Where are the IO guards in 'Fortnite' Season 8?

The IO guards look like some kind of dystopian death squad and because they represent some uber-evil authority, it's only natural that they're a target for a variety of different challenges in the game. Usually, you'd be able to find these guys hanging around various satellite stations littered across the island.

However, after Operation: Sky Fire went down, all of those spots have either been completely damaged or left to rot. So that means the IO guard presence has dwindled considerably on the island, but there have been new outposts established in other places.

If you want to encounter these baddies, then you're going to have to find these new locations to fulfill many challenge requirements.

There's also the prospect of obtaining some sweet loot as they're typically some formidable foes — high risk, high reward, and all. Another added bonus of finding these IO guards is that if you don't kill them but just knock them down, then you can interrogate the imposing figures for some intel about the surrounding area. You can then use that info to secure some sweet goodies for yourself.

As always, when you start a fight with an IO guard, they're a pretty professional military operation, so they're going to alert their friends fairly quickly. You may find yourself surrounded in a flash once they've spotted you (cue Metal Gear Solid alert noise).

The above map depicts all of the new locations where these guards are located, but in case you need further context:

• Base Oscar - Near Gas N' Grub, northwest of Lazy Lake
• Base Roger - On the coast, just north of Dirty Docks
• Base Rio - By Grumpy Gravel, just east of Pleasant Park
• Base Domino - Situated by Rainbow Rentals, Holly Hedges will be Southwest
• Base Echo - By Apres Ski, Misty Meadows are to the Southwest

Again, it's probably best to not engage with these enemies, as you can find yourself on the receiving end of a beatdown fairly quickly. So get your challenges fulfilled and if they don't require you to defeat these fools, well, then it's best you probably just sneak your way through these locations and try to go about undetected. Solid Snake would be proud. And maybe Raiden too, but, no one cares about that guy.