The mothership may have been taken down and the IO presence on the island may have been reduced. But that doesn't mean that the IO won't be lingering around any longer in Fortnite Season 8.
They were the ones who controlled the island from the very beginning, and it's unlikely that they would give up any time soon.
But where are the IO guards?
Fortnite Season 8 IO Guard locations
The IO Guards are comparatively hostile NPCs on the island. There is no way for you to interact with them. And they will shoot at you on sight.
That being said, these guards are proper bullet sponges. And they always roam around in groups. It's slightly strange that the IO Guards have stayed back on the island in the absence of their superiors in Fortnite Season 8.
There are four specific land marks on the island where you might come across these IO Guards. Now, we're not sure if we will be seeing more IO Guards in the future, but this is all that we have for now.
Here are the locations of the IO Guards.
- Base Rio - east of Pleasant Park
- Base Echo - south west of Misty Meadows
- Base Roger - north of Dirty Docks
- Base Oscar - south west of the Aftermath
While we're not sure what it is that they're guarding, or why they're here, it's no coincidence that they are here anyway.
Doctor Slone may be out of commission for now, but she definitely has a trick or two up her sleeve. How she structures everything is something only time will tell.