Fortnite

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 patch notes: Downtime, map changes, new weapons, more

Nathan Warby
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 logoEpic Games
Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 is brings a heist theme to the game.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 is yet another major update for Epic’s popular battle royale, bringing plenty of fresh content. Here are the full patch notes for Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4, including the new weapons, POIs, and more.

Fortnite players have been spoiled when it comes to content in Chapter 4 Season 3. After the initial patch brought a new Battle Pass complete with a Transformers skin, the devs have kept things fresh with regular updates.

These have delivered a host of major crossovers, with the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen and even WWE taking over the map for a short time. Now, however, fans are ready for the next era of Epic Games’ hit battle royale, and Chapter 4 Season 4 is finally upon us.

Here are the early patch notes for the Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 update, including everything we know so far.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 start date & downtime

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 begins on Friday, August 25, 2023, as confirmed by Epic Games. Many fans had expected this date as it is the same day the Season 3 Battle Pass expires, and it was later announced through an in-game message.

Downtime gets underway on August 25 at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET / 8 AM BST, during which the servers are offline and players will be unable to log in. This will last for a few hours before the servers come back online and Chapter 4 Season 4 begins.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 theme

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 is titled “Last Resort” and features a heist theme. This was first confirmed by a teaser posted on August 20 that showed schematics of a building, along with the caption: “Cameras, guards, vaults, and the best team in the business.”

Players have pointed out that Chapter 2 Season 2 also featured a similar theme that was extremely popular, so it’s no surprise that the devs have gone back to it for Season 4.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 map changes

As is the case with every new season, Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 delivers three new named locations for players to explore. This also means that certain POIs have been removed to make way for the new landing spots, including The Citadel on the west side of the map.

Check out all the new locations in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 below:

  • Sanguine Suits
  • Relentless Retreat
  • Eclipsed Estates

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 new weapons

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 brings a host of new weapons to help players pull off their elaborate heists. One of these is the Rocket Ram, a heavy-duty weapon that looks like it will quickly destroy buildings, alongside the Business Turret which automatically targets enemies.

Check out all the new weapons in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 below:

  • Rocket Ram
  • Infiltrator Pump Shotgun
  • Scoped Burst SMG
  • Twin Mag Assault Rifle
  • Business Turret
  • Heist Bags

It also brings back a number of previously vaulted Mythic weapons, which are once again available to find around the map:

  • Gunnar’s Stinger SMG
  • The Foundation’s MK-Seven AR
  • Zyg and Choppy’s Ray Gun
  • Miads’ Drum Gun
  • TNTina’s Ka-Boom Bow
  • Ocean’s Bottomless Chug Jug
  • Kit’s Charge Shotgun
  • Kit’s Shockwave launcher

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 patch notes

Here are the full Fortnite Chapter 4 Season patch notes, as revealed by Epic Games:

Vampire Kado Thorne has made the Island his home in Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 4, draining the Island’s wealth and treasures to fund some pretty fancy real estate: Sanguine Suites, Relentless Retreat, and Eclipsed Estate. Heist goods from Thorne’s properties to take back what belongs to the Island — and more importantly — to thwart Thorne’s ultimate plan. The fate of the Island is at stake, and thievery’s the last resort. So are you in?

Know the Locations

Behind the luxurious exteriors of Sanguine Suites, Relentless Retreat, and Eclipsed Estate are strongly defended bases complete with cameras, laser grids, and guards. Thorne has filled ‘em with valuable items, and he’s also taken over Rumble Ruins, the Slap Juice factory, and a tower in MEGA City. Make sure you’re prepared before infiltrating anywhere run by Thorne.

Sanguine Suites.
Relentless Retreat.
Eclipsed Estate.

Gear Up

Along with existing and unvaulted weapons, prepare for your break-in with new ones:

Rocket Ram

When you’re entering a base, you can either take the stealthy route… or come flying with the Rocket Ram. When it’s time to escape the base, use the Rocket Ram if there’s no car around.

Infiltrator Pump Shotgun, Scoped Burst SMG & Twin Mag Assault Rifle

Once inside the base, break out the Infiltrator Pump Shotgun, the Scoped Burst SMG, or the Twin Mag Assault Rifle. The Twin Mag Assault Rifle has a flippable magazine that allows for a faster reload every other reload.

Business Turret

Want a weapon that’s a little more hands-off? Take hold of a Business Turret: a turret that looks like a briefcase while it’s in your hand, but transforms once thrown. The Business Turret will automatically lock onto nearby enemies and fire, so all you have to worry about is the placement!

In a base unprepared? Look for Heist Bags: duffle bags stuffed with heisting gear! Heist Bags come in handy for the empty-handed.

Heist Bags have a chance to contain a Crash Pad Jr. (new!), Remote Explosive (unvaulted!), Rocket Ram, ammo, healing items, and more

Get the Goods

Locked up in the depths of Thorne’s properties are Mythic items from Fortnite’s history:

Midas’ Drum Gun


TNTina’s Ka-Boom Bow


Ocean’s Bottomless Chug Jug


Kit’s Charge Shotgun


Kit’s Shockwave Launcher


Zyg and Choppy’s Ray Gun


The Foundation’s MK-Seven Assault Rifle

Gunnar’s Stinger SMG

Snag one of these… then use it to help you escape! Where to escape to? Head to the taken-over Rumble Ruins, Slap Juice factory, or MEGA City tower. Even though they don’t have the Mythic treasures, they still have plenty of great loot!

Make a Getaway

If you make it out of a Thorne building uneliminated, don’t look back — hop in the nearest car for a vehicular escape. The more cinematic the escape the better, so look for a Nitro Fang by Victory Motors.

Nitro Fangs have multiple looks, with one of them being a pizza delivery car facade.

Opponents on your tail? The Nitro Fang features a handbrake for making lock-tight turns.

Learn Tricks of the Trade

Chapter 4 Season 4 introduces new Reality Augments that’ll help your heist go swimmingly:

On The Go Bag

ANY container you open will have an item that would be in a Heist Bag.

Sniper Striker

Snipers give Siphon upon damaging enemies.

Ammo Drop

Not only grants ammo, but also makes it so that enemies drop more ammo than usual.

First Shotgun

Your Shotguns will deal increased damage on the first shot.

Pistol Salvo

Your Pistols will have a reduced fire rate but increased damage.

Fast Fisher

Swim faster and instantly loot fishing spots when you swim through them.

Use Old Tricks

Augment your robbing reality with returning Reality Augments:

Light Fingers

First Assault

Supercharged

Steady Hands

SMG Sign Off

Keymaster

More Parkour

Rarity Check

Sprint Lines

Medium Ammo Acquired

Mud Warrior

Scope Salvo

Gear Up Even More

Any weapon can help you in your heist, including unvaulted and carried-over ones:

Unvaulted Weapons


Remote Explosive

Suppressed Sniper Rifle

Suppressed Pistol

The Suppressed Pistol has been reworked — it’s now fully automatic!

Chapter 4 Season 3 Carryovers:


Sharp Tooth Shotgun

Maven Auto Shotgun

Havoc Suppressed Assault Rifle

Thermal DMR

Combat SMG

Heisted Breacher Shotgun (Exotic weapon)

Heisted Accelerant Shotgun (Exotic weapon)

Heisted Run ‘N’ Gun SMG (Exotic weapon)

Shadow Tracker (Exotic weapon)

Shockwave Grenades (technically not a weapon but yeah

Gain an Intel Advantage

There aren’t just guards at bases, but also at towers that are scanning the Storm. Upon defeating the head guard of a Forecast Tower, the guard will drop a keycard for downloading Storm info. Download it after the tower’s scan so you and the team gain knowledge of future Storm circles!

Survive for Stature

Stay standing to earn Survivor Medals! To upgrade to the next medal, complete a Survivor Quest in Battle Royale or Zero Build that challenges you to outlast a fixed number of opponents while getting a certain number of eliminations. The higher your medal rarity, the harder the Quests. The most expert survivors get the Mythic 1 medal!

There are seven medal rarities, with ten medal upgrades per rarity. These rarities are:
Common
Uncommon
Rare
Epic
Legendary
Exotic
Mythic

Upon getting the Common 1 medal, you’ll unlock the Prized Llama Back Bling. Reach the top of the other rarities to unlock new Styles for Prized Llama!

Meet the Team

The heist team is led by none other than maverick Nolan Chance. Chance, his team, and even Kado Thorne are the Outfits of the Chapter 4 Season 4 Battle Pass, with Chance auto-unlocking upon purchase. Other members of the team? Piper Pace the getaway driver, Fish Thicc the muscle, Mae the hacker, and Antonia the masqued maven. 

What to do when things get overcomplicated? Turn to the man who keeps it simple: the newest addition to the Icon Series Khaby Lame! The most popular creator on TikTok breaks into the Battle Pass to help the team take down Thorne.

A look at all the Chapter 4 Season 4 Battle Pass Outfits:

Nolan Chance

Never bet against the mastermind.

Piper Pace

Deliver the victory.

Fish Thicc

More ripped than the tide.


Mae

Impulsive hacker with an… explosive sense of humor.

Antonia

Destructive by design.


Khaby Lame

The solution is simple.


Kado Thorne

A voracious traveler — with a hunger for the finer things in life.

Those aren’t all the Outfits in the Battle Pass. Later in the Season, Ahsoka Tano steps into Fortnite:

Ahsoka Tano

Warrior. Outcast. Rebel. Jedi.

Chapter 4 Season 4 Ranked

Chapter 4 Season 4 means Chapter 4 Season 4 Ranked! As previously announced, everyone’s rank has been reset in Chapter 4 Season 4 Ranked to provide a fresh start for all players

Similarly to Season Zero, you’ll only need to play one Ranked match in Chapter 4 Season 4 to have your rank revealed (one match per Battle Royale and Zero Build). Your performance in your first match does not determine your initial rank placement. Rather, it reveals your rank and then updates your rank progress bar based on your performance in the match.

Played Ranked during Season Zero? Check out our Ranked Season Zero recap to read about Ranked changes in light of community feedback.

Competitive Notes

Competitors! Looking for details on Chapter 4 Season 4’s competitive offerings? Check out our Chapter 4 Season 4 Competitive Details blog post and learn about what’s in store.

Additionally, please note that the following features are not included in tournaments:

Kit’s Shockwave Launcher

Shockwave Grenades

Nitro Fang

On The Go Bag Reality Augment

Those were the full Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4 patch notes. For more on Fortnite, be sure to check out our other guides:

How to land at Hot Spots in Fortnite | Fortnite Exotic weapon locations | All Fortnite Reality Augments | What does Siphon mean in Fortnite? | What are account levels in Fortnite? | All Fortnite NPC locations

Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.