The Ice King's Gauntlets are a Mythic weapon in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2, and getting your hands on them isn't as straightforward as simply eliminating a boss. A community-driven voting system tied to the season's team showdown mechanic can affect whether the gauntlets actually appear in the loot pool at all.
Quick answer: Defeat the Ice King boss at Frigid Fortress to have the gauntlets drop as loot — but only after the community Ice King team milestone has been reached, unlocking them in the active loot pool.
Where to find the Ice King boss
The Ice King spawns at Frigid Fortress, a named point of interest on the Chapter 7 Season 2 map. You can spot it easily by looking for the skull-and-crown icon on your minimap. The fortress sits in the snowy biome and is a hot-drop location, so expect competition from other players the moment you land.
Lady Winterfrost also patrols the area around Frigid Fortress. Taking her out first is a smart move because she can deal significant damage while you're focused on the Ice King, and fighting two hostile NPCs at once puts you at a serious disadvantage.
How to defeat the Ice King and claim the gauntlets
Step 1: Land at Frigid Fortress and loot a weapon immediately. Shotguns and SMGs work well for the close-quarters layout of the fortress interior. Grab shield potions or any healing items you find on the way in.
Step 2: Eliminate Lady Winterfrost if she is nearby. She can interfere with your boss fight and chip away at your health while you're distracted.
Step 3: Engage the Ice King. He has a large health pool typical of Mythic bosses, so keep moving to avoid his attacks and use cover inside the fortress. Burst damage from close range is effective.
Step 4: Once the Ice King is eliminated, pick up the Ice King's Gauntlets from his loot drop. They function as a Mythic melee/ability weapon and count toward Battle Pass quests that require dealing damage with Legendary or Mythic weapons.
Why the gauntlets might not drop
Chapter 7 Season 2 introduced a team showdown system where the community votes between factions — in this case, the Ice King's team and the Foundation's team. Certain Mythic weapons, including the Ice King's Gauntlets, are gated behind team milestones. If the community hasn't hit the required progress threshold for the Ice King's side, the gauntlets simply won't appear in the boss's loot pool, even if you successfully eliminate him.
Many players have reported killing the Ice King multiple times without receiving the gauntlets. This is not a bug in most cases — it reflects the milestone system. Once enough collective progress is made by players who chose the Ice King's team, the gauntlets get added to the active loot pool and will begin dropping normally from the boss.
If you chose the Foundation's side in the showdown, you can still obtain the gauntlets once they're unlocked globally. The team you picked does not prevent you from looting them; it only determines which faction's milestone you contribute toward.
Ice King's Gauntlets and Battle Pass quests
One of the Chapter 7 Season 2 Battle Pass quests asks you to deal damage to opponents using the Ice King's Gauntlets or other Legendary weapons. If you manage to grab the gauntlets, they satisfy this quest requirement on their own since they carry Mythic rarity, which counts as Legendary-tier or above. Equip them and land hits on enemy players to rack up progress quickly.
Exalted Ice King skin quests
Separate from the gauntlets themselves, the season features Exalted Ice King quests that reward golden style variants for the Ice King skin. These quests involve tasks like defeating bosses and completing specific objectives throughout the season. The gauntlets quest and the skin quests are independent of each other, but both revolve around the Frigid Fortress location and the Ice King boss, so you can work on them simultaneously during the same match.
The Ice King's Gauntlets are a powerful Mythic pickup worth chasing, but patience may be required if the community milestone hasn't been met yet. Keep checking back each session — once the gauntlets are live in the loot pool, they'll drop consistently from the Ice King at Frigid Fortress.