Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 What’s New? A Fresh New Game

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Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 What’s New? A Fresh New Game

What’s new in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1? It feels like the entire game has changed, this is everything that’s been altered.


Epic has kind of outdone itself with the latest Fortnite patch notes. For Fortnite C5 S1, we’re getting changes to pretty much everything. There’s a new map, new mechanics, new weapons, but even core features have changed for the first time. There's even a free crossover Lego Fortnite skin to claim! These are all of the major alterations in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 and why it has become an entirely new game.

New Map in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

It’s a brand-new Chapter and that means a new map. We’re looking at an entirely new island, with new POIs and some really unique new mechanics. The entire map is fresh. There are new locations, secrets, and bosses dotted around the map for you to discover.

Along with statis POIs, the new map has something different. We’ve got a train running all the way through this new island. You can jump in at its various stations to find loot and rotate quickly.

The new map has quite a few different biomes, although there’s a bit more snow at the moment. Epic has clarified there is a forest and tundra biome, but these areas are covered in snow for Winterfest 2023! Hopefully, we’ll get our first free skin of Fortnite C5 in this event too.

Bosses and Medallions – Fortnite Patch Notes

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

Five different skins from the Fortnite chapter 5 Season 1 Battle Pass are on the map as bosses. These drop new weapons, but also a society Medallion. Once you pick this up, your shield will automatically regenerate over the course of a match. What’s more, this stacks.

Once a player figures out how to get all 5, we might see some crazy gameplay going on. Each Medallion will go into your backpack, they don’t take up an inventory slot. There are more reasons than ever to take down a boss, but also a new downside. The medallion marks your position on the map to everyone. There’s no being sneaky or bush camping with one of these on.

New Vehicles

FNCH5S1SUV

After Fortnite OG stripped items back to their base, it’s nice to have vehicles back! There’s a new car, the Grandeur Trailsmasher. It’s an SUV and a new inclusion in the cars. All the old favorites are back too though, including Rocket League cars. They have a new cosmetic which is going to change their look in Fortnite C5.

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You can customise different items on the cars. These cosmetic pieces will tie into Rocket League and the new racing mode too. Once you’ve set your locker preset for a custom car, you’ll be able to use it in every mode.

Along with a Rocket League car, there are also new Lamborghini car pieces in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1. If you really want to get stylish with your car.

New Items and Weapons – Fortnite Patch Notes

Ballistic Shield

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

A new item is the Ballistic Shield. You can carry this alongside a gun. While it takes up an item slot, this riot shield can be held in front to take incoming damage while you fire around it. It has unlimited health but will go on a cooldown after enough damage. It's one of the most impressive Fortnite C5 items at first glance.

Grapple Blade

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

The Grapple Blade will feel familiar to some longer-term players, being quite similar to the Attack on Titan crossover item. It’s a grappler which can send you launching and swinging around the map. It also features a primary function of a melee attack. The best way to get around the map in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1.

Cluster Clinger

Clingers returning in the Fortnite weapon loot pool for OG was fun, but it turned out to just be a taster for this new item. A Cluster Clinger is. It's a powered-up version that is the sole explosive in the new Fortnite patch notes. Once it sticks it’ll have a short delay before triggering multiple explosions.

New Weapons in Fortnite C5

  • Hammer Pump Shotgun
  • Frenzy Shotgun
  • Nemesis AR
  • Striker Assault Rifle
  • Thunder Burst SMG
  • Hyper SMG
  • Reaper Sniper Rifle
  • Ranger Pistol

Every weapon is new, but they’re really just the starting point thanks to a new Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 mechanic. We've covered the best picks in our Fortnite Chapter 5 weapons tier list.

New Mechanics – Weapons Mods in Fortnite CH5

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

In Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1, we can modify weapons! New toolbenches can be found in vaulted which allow you to fit modifiers on guns. You can add scopes, magazines, grips, and more. This is going to let you customize all of your weaponry to make everything just perfectly tuned.

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A lot of the Fortnite C6 weapons spawn with mods, different amounts depending on what rarity the gun is. If you’re searching out a specific gun with specific mods, looting could take a while. This is a huge change in the newest Fortnite patch notes. 

Flowberry – New Items in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

 Flowberries recover some shield and grant a low gravity effect and cancel fall damage.

New Mechanics – Massive Healing Change

We don’t have too many crazy new heals this season, but Epic has finally made changes to the game’s heals. The Med Kits and Shields now function completely differently. You can move and heal in Fortnite C5.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

You’ll travel at a low walking speed, but you can move around while you take your meds. To accommodate how much more useful it makes them, these now heal over time while you travel and heal for slightly less. This could finally upset the minis meta that saw big pots dropped for Chapters on end.

Revivals Got Easier

Along with making heals easier, Fortnite chapter 5 has made it easier to revive. Reboots will now just gradually reset when you leave the van, not get wiped. If you need to slip away for a few seconds, it won’t ruin your reboot.

New Quests – No More Dailies

Another core element of Fortnite that’s been changed in Chapter 5 Season 1 is quests. Dailies are no more, we now have match Quests. These will be generated whenever you jump into a match. You’ll get fresh ones each game, but completing them for the bonus goals each day still yields the same XP.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1

Altered Movements – in Fortnite Patch Notes

Heals, map, weapons, surely at least walking is the same? No, Epic has changed all movement too.

There are new animations for player characters in Fortnite Chapter 5. What does this mean? Controls, speed, and feel of movement is completely different. The animations are slightly slower and more realistic. This is a change you’ll likely have to get used to over time.


Those are all of the huge changes with Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1. It's maybe the biggest update we’ve ever had. A whole new loot pool, new map, and even core mechanics like healing and moving have been completely upended. Fortnite might feel like a brand-new game again.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 What’s New? A Fresh New Game
Jordan Ashley
Ashley is a dedicated Fortnite player, in hour 3,000 of trying to finish above 90th.