Epic Games kicked off Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 on December 2nd with one of their live events, featuring Eminem. After re-experiencing the first ever 10 seasons of Fortnite in the long awaited Fortnite OG Event, players were thrown into what feels like a completely new game. Sporting all new graphic upgrades that enhance animation effects and a more detailed map than ever seen in Fortnite, players are likely to be overwhelmed with the heaps of content Epic Games has poured into their newest Chapter.
This article will quickly familiarize you with the new map, weapons, battle pass, vehicles, events, and changes to healing mechanics that can be found in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1.
Map
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 launched with a brand new map, giving you and your squad plenty of new discoverable locations to land at and discover. The map features something never before seen in Fortnite, a railroad. Some of the games most popular locations have also made a comeback with significant architectural changes. Spread throughout the new map are bosses to fight, safes to loot, and even a new native fruit: the Flowberry!
Fortnite Chapter 5 new map! pic.twitter.com/X7C64o2Ms9
— Ali-A (@OMGitsAliA) December 3, 2023
Weapons
After diving in, players will notice an entire new armory of weapons at their disposal. In addition to adding a slew of new weapons, Epic Games has changed the way guns operate, by implementing an entirely new weapon attachment system in Fortnite. Whether you love it or hate it, these weapon attachments can give you the edge you need to secure a Victory Royal in Chapter 5 Season 1.
New Weapons List
- Hammer Pump Shotgun
- Frenzy Auto Shotgun
- Nemesis AR
- Striker AR
- Thunder Burst SMG
- Reaper Sniper Rifle
- Ranger Pistol
- Ballistic Shield (includes Pistol)
Underground Battle Pass
With every new season, comes a new Battle Pass. The theme of this seasons battle pass is: Underground. This seasons lore focuses on Jonesy and his quest to save Peely from the High Society. Players will have the opportunity to acquire every High Society member or even Vengeance Jones, a new twist on the original Jonesy character. The Battle Pass rewards don’t stop there, with all new car bodies making their way into the tiers. Once completing the Battle Pass, the player will be able to unlock different variations of this season’s skins and vehicles, and even more V-Bucks!
Bosses
Roaming the new Fortnite map are 5 new boss fights that will drop all new loot, and even guide you to a safe packed with gold. Each boss drops a Society Medallion that slowly regenerates the players shield with each game tick. These are stackable for an extra shield bonus, but mark you on the map with a radius circle for all to see. The more medallions held in a players inventory, the smaller the radius revealing them on the map is. Each boss also drops an exclusively customized gun from Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1. It’s worth noting you will not be able to change any attachments on the boss exclusive weapons.
Oscar
Located not only in the new battle pass, Oscar can be found roaming in Lavish Lairs. Upon his death he will drop a Society Medallion, guiding you to Oscar’s safe location. Oscar also drops a mythic version of the new Frenzy Auto Shotgun for those looking to dominate in close range combat. Be careful when fighting Oscar, he is capable of throwing Cluster Clingers. Cluster Clingers are a new version of the original Clinger grenade. When throwing the Cluster Clinger it separates into three new clingers, doing significant damage.
Nisha
Nisha can be located in Fencing Fields, a location name paying homage to the once loved ‘Fatal Fields’. Nisha’s safe can be opened by picking up her medallion. Also sure to try out her exclusive Striker AR, featuring a red dot scope. Don’t take too long in your battle with Nisha! She’ll begin to regain her health after a short period.
Montague
If in search of Montague and his customized version of the Enforcer AR, you’ll want to guide your parachute to Grand Glacier. Like all the other bosses, he is surrounded by Society Enforcers. Montague has the rare ability to use shockwave grenades, sending both himself and the player flying.
Valeria
Valeria is one of the more difficult bosses to fight in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 due to her possession of Fireflies, an old Fortnite equipment making a return. Upon locating and defeating Valeria in Reckless Railways, she will drop Valerias Hyper SMG and her unique Society Medallion.
Peter Griffin
Quite possibly the most popular boss to be added to Fortnite. Peter Griffin makes his way from hit TV show Family Guy, all the way to Snooty Steppes. Upon death Peter will drop his mythic Hammer Pump Shotgun and Society Medallion. Peter also performs a well known scene from Family Guy upon death, giving credit to his origin.
Game Modes
Epics Games plans on further evolving the future of Fortnite with a collection of collaboration based game modes. Staring in Chapter 5 Season 1, players will be able to partake in not only LEGO themed game modes, but also racing game modes inspired by Rocket League. These game modes are both packed with content and new means of character customization. Epic Games has also consulted their recently purchased game developer, Harmonix, to bring a captivating rhythm game mode to Fortnite Festival.
Fortnite’s new LEGO game mode already features over 1,000 skins!
LEGO
Epics Games clearly put a lot of thought into their new LEGO game mode. The game mode already has over 1000 popular skins in a LEGO variation. Players are also capable of using some of their favorite emotes within the new LEGO mode. Playing the new game mode requires creating a world. This is where you can select whether you want survival effects such as hunger, elimination, and even temperature.
Many similarities to Minecraft can be found within the LEGO game mode. There are endless things you can build, and unique map generation for each world, making this game mode sure to last the test of time in Fortnite‘s metaverse. One of the most shocking features is free dedicated servers. This means your friends can play on your world even when you’re not.
Players are given the ability to either follow preset LEGO builds or the freedom the create their own. For those less entertained with building, there are enemies to fight and resources to be gathered. Caves are scattered throughout your world, filled with precious minerals to upgrade your builds. Even without the skeletons and wolves chasing you down, you’ll still be fighting brutal temperatures. You can use fire, consumables, and totems to aid you in your fight against extreme temperatures.
Epic Games merges two of their biggest games in their new game mode: Rocket Racing.
Rocket Racing
Rocket Racing is a new racing game mode coming to Fortnite in Chapter 5 Season 1 that features a collection of new cars and already popular Rocket League vehicles. With the addition of Rocket Racing comes new customization effects for vehicles, even in Battle Royale. The player is now capable of changing the body of their vehicles, found in the locker section of the main menu.
Rocket Racing is a fast paced, 12 person game mode. Reminiscent of Mario Kart, Rocket Racing features launch pads, boosts, and drifting. With games only lasting a few minutes each, it’s far less time consuming than Fortnite Battle Royal. Rocket Racing launched with a Ranked System, allowing players to climb the leaderboards from their very first game.
Fortnite Festival
In a more recent attempt to separate Fortnite from their Battle Royale origin, Epic Games has utilized their purchase of Harmonix, the video game developer behind Guitar Hero, to enhance their live events. Players will now be able to perform the music of their favorite artists, using a rhythm based game mode. Epic Games is kicking off this feature with an event known as ‘Fortnite Festival’. The musical event, which began December 9th, includes a wide variety of artists.
Within Fortnite Festival, players will perform 4 selected songs. Each squad member is able to play a different instrument and your difficulty will determine how hard that is. Building your individual score through high streaks, you’ll be able to activate Overdrive, a feature paying respect to Guitar Hero‘s ‘Overdrive’. Once activated your entire squad will get a boost to their score.
Fortnite Festival setlist features a wide variety of music.
Healing Changes
With the new update came changes to some of the oldest healing items in Fortnite. Players will now find that both Large Shields and the Medkit heal over time. This means you won’t have to waste an entire 10 seconds to restore those few HP you lost in battle. In addition to this convenience, players are now free to move at slow speeds while using all healing consumables. The reboot van now slowly ticks down when stepping away instead of immediately returning the timer to 0.
Sources: JOIN THE FIGHT IN FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE CHAPTER 5 SEASON 1: UNDERGROUND!, What is Fortnite Festival?, How Do I Play Rocket Racing?, Welcome to LEGO Fortnite!
