Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 update patch notes: New map, weapon mods, gameplay changes, more

Liam Mackay
Fortnite players on Chapter 5 map

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 is here with a brand-new map, Battle Pass, items, and gameplay changes. Here are the full patch notes for Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1.

Fortnite OG has concluded and Chapter 5 Season 1 has taken its place following Eminem’s Big Bang event. You’ll no longer be battling on the classic map as the new season has brought a new map alongside new weapons, items, gameplay changes, and more.

Here are the full patch notes for Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1.

New Fortnite map in Chapter 5 Season 1

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 map
A brand-new map replaces the original map from the OG season.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 has brought a brand-new map to explore, containing biomes such as chaparral, boreal forest, grassland, boreal tundra, and boreal snow.

There’s also a train traveling across the new map, and you can board it to defeat the guards and capture it.

Here are some of the POIs:

  • Ritzy Riviera
  • Rebel’s Roost
  • Reckless Railways
  • Hazy Hillside
  • Grand Glacier Hotel

New weapons & items in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

Fortnite’s Chapter 5 Season 1 update has brought a variety of new weapons and items including the Ballistic Shield and Grapple Blade.

Here are all of Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1’s new weapons and items:

  • Ballistic Shield
  • Hammer Pump Shotgun
  • Frenzy Auto Shotgun
  • Nemesis AR
  • Striker AR
  • Thunder Burst SMG
  • Hyper SMG
  • Reaper Sniper Rifle
  • Ranger Pistol
  • Grapple Blade
  • Cluster Clinger
  • FlowBerry
  • Grandeur Trailsmasher vehicle

New Bosses & Society Medallions in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

There are five new bosses on the island in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 – OscarNishaMontagueValeria, and Peter Griffin – and they’ll drop Society Medallion when defeated.

Having a Society Medallion in your inventory will have your shield slowly regenerate, and the more you have, the faster it goes. However, you’ll also be marked on the map when carrying them, and your location will be more precise the more you have.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 brings weapon mods

Fortnite player at weapon mod bench
Mod Benches are found in Vaults around the new map.

You can find Mod Benches in Vaults around the Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 map, letting you spend Bars to mod your weapon.

The devs said you can “add mods that reduce recoil, increase mag capacity, and more,” but “not every mod works with every weapon.”

Mod-compatible weapons can’t be bought from Characters or Vending Machines so you’ll have to find them in loot. Most of these mod-compatible weapons will already have mods on them, with Uncommon Rarity having one mod, Rare having two, Epic Rarity three, and so on. You’re free to change the mods on these weapons by spending Bars at the Mod Benches.

Healing & Reboot changes in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

Medkits and Shield Potions are back in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 but they’re quite different from how they worked before. Now, your health and shield will start restoring as soon as you use them and you’ll be able to move slowly while they work. However, you won’t be able to cancel them.

Reviving and the Reboot Van have also changed in Chapter 5 Season 1. Now, if you accidentally move too far away while reviving or using the Reboot Van, the timer won’t go back to zero, it’ll start slowly counting down.

Cars added in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

In Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1, your Locker will now have a section for Cars. Here, you’ll be able to choose your Car’s Body, Decal, and Wheels, and hopping into a Sports Car in-game will apply that look.

Rocket League players will be able to carry across some of their owned items like the Octane, Cyclone, Jäger 619, or Lamborghini Huracán STO Car Bodies, as well as “certain Decals and Wheels you may own in Rocket League.”

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 Match Quests

fortnite players in chapter 5 season 1
Fortnite’s Match Quests replace the Daily Quest system.

Each Fortnite player will have three Match Quests to choose from at the start of each game in Chapter 5 Season 1, replacing the old Daily Quest system.

These Match Quests are different for everyone and will expire by the end of the match, giving you the chance to choose the Quest you want to complete.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 gameplay changes

There are also a few gameplay and animation changes in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1:

  • Walls built by players now have a plank for propelling yourself upwards
  • Motion Matching and Procedural Layering for improved animations
  • Physics Based Animation for Gliders (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC)
  • Trailsmashers, Sports Cars, and Cluster Clingers disabled in Competitive

To get started with the new season, check out our other guides:

All Fortnite Weekly Quests | How to land at Hot Spots in Fortnite | What does Siphon mean in Fortnite? | What are account levels in Fortnite? | Best Fortnite keybinds and settings for mouse & keyboard | Best Fortnite controller settings