This is everything that changes with the latest update, Fortnite Chapter 4!
After a surprisingly short downtime and the Fracture event, Fortnite Chapter 4 is here! This is a whole new chapter. New map. New weapons. New mechanics. One of the biggest changes Fortnite has ever had. This season has loads of new content, and not all of it is easy to understand.
There are whole new systems at work in Fortnite Chapter 4. We’ve got a form of perks in Augmentation, loads of new POIs, and new movement mechanics. Things are looking more exciting than ever at the Battle Royale.
We will run through all the changes with Fortnite Chapter 4. Everything that’s new, what’s vaulted, and how it all works.
Everything New in Fortnite Chapter 4
The Island
The big change for Fortnite Chapter 4 is probably the new island. As with each other new Chapter’s starting point, we’ve got a whole new map. The last island only got four seasons, but this one is still brand new. There’s very little carried over aside from some POIs with some theming that’s familiar.
At first, this is going to be entirely blacked out for players. You won’t be able to see anything on the map until you’ve visited that area and discovered the mysteries for yourself. However, there are some key POIs to look at. These are some of the big new spots on the map that you can jump to before discovering the entire island.
The Citadel
This is a huge medieval castle that’s been added in. it has multiple levels, a boss character who drops an energy rifle, and even flags that you can raise. The weapon dropped here isn’t quite a mythic, but it is a spot to grab a high-tier gun early.
Anvil Square
Anvil Square very much feels like a supporting POI for the Citadel. This is a medieval-style village just outside of that POI. This likely ties into one or two of the Battle Pass skins, including an interesting new crossover for Fortnite. It’s a more traditional Poi with houses that have chests. It should be a decent drop for your early games.
Brutal Bastion
While we’re looking at POIs that tie into the Battle Pass, Brutal Bastion is going to be familiar to a lot of players. This is a new POI with energy effects and shields around, to give Doomguy a proper home on the new map.
Frenzy Field
This farm POI is returning to fill a space in the map that was missing last chapter. This more familiar location will likely be a bit of a hot drop. Fortnite’s often had a farm POI and this is the new one.
Shattered Slabs
This is a POI that centers on the Kinetic Ore and their associated weapons. It’s a mine, similar to some features on past maps.
The New Map’s Balance
The new map for Fortnite Chapter 4 seems to be taking a bit of a different turn. A lot of the POIs are designed around a particular theme with a connection in their loot. We might be seeing POIs that specialize a little more in one type of the season’s gameplay more than another. This could make for some more interesting drops and choices on where you go.
New Features in Fortnite Chapter 4
Fortnite Chapter 4 has quite a few new features, items and general concepts that are worth looking into. These are kind of new mechanics but not expansive enough to warrant being an entirely new system for the entire chapter.
Snowballs
Snowballs are around the map in place of boulders in the snowy areas. They work similarly to the last Chapter’s boulders, but with a difference. Players can now jump inside these snowballs and control the rolling. You can pilot a snowball into an enemy player! This might not be staying past the winter seasons, but it’s fun for now.
Kinetic Ore
This is a new feature for Fortnite Chapter 4. It centers around the Shattered Slabs, where Kinetic Ore is being mined. This is used in explosive weapons that use kinetic energy.
New Vehicle – Dirt Bike
Fortnite’s standard cars have remained, but they’ve gotten a brand-new vehicle too. A dirt bike is in the game! This is a single-person vehicle. However, it offers quite a few advantages over a car. For one, the diver can actually use a gun while driving. They can also have an easier job going off ledges and performing jumps. It isn’t quite Excitebike, but you can get creative with handling the dirt bike.
A big drawback is going to be how exposed you are. You’ll want to make sure you’re being careful. Players can take shots at you since you’re relatively exposed compared to normal cars.
New Mechanic in Fortnite Chapter 4 – Reality Augments
It wouldn’t be a full new Chapter without a few new mechanics, and Reality Augments are a big one. These are new additions to the game which changes the way everyone plays. They are most similar to a perk system, throwing Fortnite in line with games like Warzone. They work uniquely here, though.
As the storm phases progress, you’re going to get a little notification that augments are now available. Activate the menu and you’ll have a choice between two perks or to re-roll for two different options. You can add another Augment as the game goes on, so players are pretty powered up towards the end.
These are going to take some time to master and figure out what the best augments are. However, players should make sure they’re claiming them when available to get the most out of the game. There are a few different Augments, with some clearly being more useful than others; these are some examples:
- Aerialist – Glider redeploy is active and unlimited for the rest of the match.
- Light Fingers – Reload faster
- Supercharged – Vehicles have more health and no longer need fuel.
Hurdling
After adding sliding, sprinting, and climbing, what else is left for Epic to throw in for movement? Hurdling, is apparently the answer. Now, if players run at an obstacle, they’ll hurdle over it instead. This adds some nice fluidity to the movement system but is a bit specialist. Even in the example that Epic showed off, a player was hurdling over an awkward 1/3 edited wall, which is a pretty rare sight in the Battle Royale.
The Weapons in Fortnite Chapter 4
Fortnite Chapter 4 has loads of new weapons for players to get to grips with. New maps are cool and jumping over slight hurdles can be fun, but it’s the new weapons that are going to be the core of the gameplay. So what do we have with the new season? There’s been some big changes and some interesting additions to the loot pool.
Ex Calibre Rifle
The Ex Calibre Rifle is one of the new energy weapons. This is a semi-automatic rifle. When you fire it, a blade will stab whatever it lands on and detonate a few seconds later.
Thunder Shotgun
The Thunder Shotgun is a new pump action shotgun. It fires two shots at once and does some decent damage. It’s the more exact shotgun out of this season’s pool.
Maven Auto Shotgun
The Maven Auto Shotgun is the new rebrand of the auto. It’s an automatic shotgun; it fires fast and has a wide spread. It causes less damage than other shotguns, but definitely still pretty useful.
Red Eye Assault Rifle
The new AR brings back the red dot sight that was so popular with Chapter 3’s MK7. This is an AR that has a slower fire rate but decent accuracy.
Twin Mag SMG
This is the new SMG. It has a double magazine to allow for faster reloads. This is closer to the Rapid SMG than the more liked suppressed variety.
Tactical Pistol
Fortnite Pistol has had a change! The tactical pistol is a bit quicker than previous versions of the gun. It’s probably not going to be a gun that players go for over other loots, but it’s there.
Shockwave Hammer
Fortnite has gotten an oversized, overpowered hammer! This weapon is melee and has a pretty lengthy animation when you’re using it. It does quick a bit of damage to the environment and shockwaves enemies back as well.
New Consumables in Fortnite Chapter 4
New consumable items in Fortnite Chapter 4 have been added. These join a pretty wide roster of healing items so far. These are the new ones.
Slap Berries
These berries will replenish your health. They’ll also give you unlimited energy for a limited time, though, so you don’t have to worry about sprinting and running out.
Slap Juice
The slap juice is a drink you can find that restores health. They also give you more energy regeneration too. This is just faster regeneration though, not unlimited like with Slap Berries. Maybe processing the berries into an energy drink reduces their potency?
Sky Jellies
These jellyfish are new creatures that are roaming in the sky. These jellyfish give you a bouncing effect and health. They work kind of like the slurp mushrooms from last season.
Loot Drones in Fortnite Chapter 4
These are a kind of new, kind of returning, feature. They’re drones that will be roaming around certain POIs in each match. They’re drones flying in the air. If you shoot them down, you’ll find high-level loot below. You can tell which POIs these will be at since they’ll be hot drops. These have glowing text on the map to indicate higher-tier loot. They’re functionally the same as the Marvel superpower drones, but dropping weapons instead.
Capture Point
These capture points are a new mechanic for interacting with a POI. Your team can stand by the capture point for a short period of time until you raise your banner. Once you’ve claimed the POI, you’ll see chests and opponents marked in that area.
This is a great way of grabbing an early advantage in the game. However, you will have to stay by the capture point for a bit of time. Keep an eye out for enemies, as you’ll be an easy target during this wait.
Fortnite Chapter 4 Battle Pass
As with every new season, there’s a brand-new Battle Pass coming with Fortnite Chapter 4. This particular pass is great for those who love the crossover mash-up side of Fortnite, but may be a bit disappointing for fans of original Fortnite characters. There are loads of new skins, including Geralt of Rivia and Doom guy.
Fortnite in Unreal 5
The big change for Fortnite Chapter 4 is moving to Unreal Engine 5. This is going to give a bit of a graphical boost, so players might notice the game looks more impressive if you’ve got the settings dialed up. this is also going to facilitate Competitive 2.0, the next big update coming in January.
What’s Unvaulted in Fortnite Chapter 4
That’s everything new in Fortnite Chapter 4. There are a few returning weapons, though, too. A decent number of guns and other things have been unvaulted in Fortnite too. These are the returning weapons.
- Cluster Bow
- Flame Bow
- Shockwave Bow
- Stink Bow
- Unstable Bow
There’s been a fair few items vaulted in the new Chapter too. As usual, Epic has cycled out a decent number of guns. We don’t know exactly what’s missing just yet. However, it looks clear that nearly all shotguns are gone. There are the Chapter 3 guns, the Chrome, and other limited seasonal items; these have all been taken out of the game in Fortnite Chapter 4.
That’s everything new in Fortnite Chapter 4. There is so much new content to be playing through at the moment. Players will have to jump in and see how things like augments are going to affect gameplay themselves. Over the coming days, we’ll have more guides on how you can best optimize everything in Fortnite Chapter 4 and win more matches along with how the esports side of the game is going to work with the new season.
