It’s that time of the year again. Yes, a brand new Fortnite season has released around the world. Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5 Zero Point is now the 15th overall season of Fortnite, and it’s looking to be one of the best yet again.

The new season released on December 2, 2020, right after we were victorious in the epic battle against Galactus to save the map from destruction. Now, there are some drastic map changes that have taken place; and the map may get crazier as the season progresses.

With any new season, there are an ample amount of changes inside. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest Fortnite season.

Table of Contents:
Release Date
Season Length
Battle Pass
Map Changes
Mythic Weapons
New Weapons, Items, and Patch Notes
NPCs, Bounties, and Quests
Trailers
Other Gameplay Mechanics

Release Date

Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5 released on December 2, 2020.

Season Length

Chapter 2 Season 5 is going to last until March 15, 2021. This appears to be a tentative date, so there’s a chance we see some sort of delay yet again.

The season is just over 100 days long, making it about the same length as past seasons.

Battle Pass

Epic Games

Any new season comes chock-full of new skins, back bling, pickaxes, and emotes for players to check out.

This season is no different. All of the battle pass skins are called “Hunters,” so perhaps they will have something to do with the overall lore of Fortnite.

Anyway, here are all of the seven battle pass skins along with some highlights from the battle pass itself:

Battle Pass Skins

1. 1. Mandalorian: Tier 1, with two variants: Clothing at Tier 100 and Right Shoulder Beskar, which involves finding the Razor Crest
2. 2. Rease: Tier 15, with two variants: Nebula Racer at Tier 22 and Galactic Ranger, which requires Epic Quests
3. 3. Mancake: Tier 29, with two variants: Cake with No Name at Tier 36 and Lonesome Hero, which requires Epic Quests
4. 4. Mave: Tier 41, with four variants: Reactive Hair at Tier 46, Unstoppable at Tier 48, Reactive Tail at Tier 51, and Shieldbreaker at Tier 53
5. 5. Kondor: Tier 60, with one variant: Wrath, which requires Epic Quests
6. 6. Lexa: Tier 73, with two variants: Infiltrator and Warstrike, which both require Epic Quests
7. 7. Menace: Tier 83, with seven variants: Mask at Tier 85, Challenger at Tier 88, Light Helmet at Tier 90, Light Helmet - Plume at Tier 92, Undefeated at Tier 94, Heavy Helmet at Tier 96, and Undefeated - Flame, which requires Epic Quests

There isn’t a specific theme with the battle pass this season, but all of these skins come with their own unique glider and weapon wraps. These Hunters were sent to the island by Agent Jonsey, as Epic Games noted in this blog post. They also noted the following: 

"THE HUNTERS ON THE ISLAND ARE ONLY THE FIRST TO ARRIVE FROM OUTSIDE THE LOOP... THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, AGENT JONES WILL BRING IN EVEN MORE HUNTERS FROM THE REALITIES BEYOND. WHO WILL BE NEXT?"

Besides the new skins, perhaps the biggest highlight from the battle pass is that the fact that you can unlock the Baby Yoda back bling towards the end of the pass. This back bling is absolutely adorable, and we hope Epic adds more amazing cosmetic items like this one in the near future.

Epic Games

Battle Pass Cost

The Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 5 battle pass costs 950 V-Bucks. The premium version of the battle pass has been replaced by the Fortnite Crew subscription, which costs $11.99 per month and includes the battle pass, 1,000 bonus V-Bucks every month, and an exclusive monthly crew pack. Each monthly crew pack features an exclusive outfit and at least one accessory.

Map Changes

Epic Games

This new season has a lot of map changes. This is really the first time since the release of Chapter 2 that significant map changes have been made, and the new POIs look fantastic.

There are four new named POIs on the map, and there appears to be plenty of little locations that are lootable on the map. These new locations are some of the coolest Epic has added into the game.

Here’s a quick rundown of each of these new locations along with where you can find them on the map: 

• Hunter’s Haven - This is located just south of the center of the map, along the sides of the mountains. This POI appears to be where all of the battle pass skins are laying rest, and it has numerous buildings that are lootable. This is considered one of the best POIs on the map right now because it’s centered and has a decent amount of loot.
• Stealthy Stronghold - This POI is located at the northernmost point of the map. It’s covered by a massive wall and has an abundance of trees within the POI. This location has not been visited as much by players, but we are sure it will grow on players.
• Salty Towers - Yes, you heard that right. Tilted Towers is back, just not in its full capacity. The location has merged with Salty Springs to form Salty Towers. Some of the classic Tilted Towers buildings are back, a nice addition to Fortnite. 
• Colossal Coliseum - Last but not least is the brand new Colisseum in Fortnite. This POI towers over most others. It’s literally an area that has somehow ended up in Fortnite. This POI looks amazing, but the loot and ways to enter/exit the location are not optimal.

Some other map changes include: 

• Flush Factory from the Chapter 1 map is back. It’s located near Slurpy Swamp. 
• Fortilla was removed.
• Mandalorian’s ship is located just south of the Coliseum. You can even battle the Mandalorian there!

Mythic Weapons

Epic’s love for mythic weapons hasn’t disappeared this season, as they have added a few ones around the map. They’re not as powerful as we’ve seen in past seasons, but it wouldn’t hurt to find these from time to time. There are only a few mythic weapons in the game, including the following:

• Mandalorian’s Amban Sniper Rifle and Jetpack: This set of mythic weapons can be found after eliminating the Mandalorian himself at his downed ship. The Sniper Rifle can either be used as a melee weapon or a long-range sniper rifle. The other part of the Mandalorian mythic weapons is his jetpack, which has an infinite usage rate and is amazing! 
• Boom Sniper Rifle: While this one isn’t directly categorized under the mythic label, it is a new tier called Exotic. This sniper rifle is essentially a Heavy Sniper with the power of explosive rounds. It’s not easy to obtain, however, as you’ll need around 1400 Gold Bars to trade with a certain NPC.

New Weapons, Items, and Patch Notes

Epic Games

In classic Epic Games fashion, while there is a brand new season, there are no patch notes to be found anywhere. So, we have been discovering new weapons in every game, and we have a general idea of the weapons/items they have vaulted/unvaulted with the release of the new season.

Vaulted:

• All variants of the Burst Assault Rifle
• Crash Pads
• Epic and Legendary Pump Shotgun
• Fire Traps
• Legendary and Epic Combat Shotgun
• Light Machine Gun
• Revolver
• Scoped Assault Rifle
• Tactical Submachine Gun

Unvaulted:

• Charge Shotgun
• Double Barrel Shotgun
• Epic and Legendary Pistols
• Heavy Assasult Rifle
• P90
• Scoped Revolver
• Silenced Pistol
• Storm Scout Sniper Rifle 
• Submachine Gun
• Tactical Assault Rifle
• Tactical Shotgun

New Weapons:

• Dragon Shotgun

What do you think about the Pump Shotgun being vaulted for the third time? It’s a questionable decision from Epic to say the least.

NPCs, Bounties, Quests

Epic Games

This is a brand new feature introduced this season, and if we’re being honest, it’s one of the coolest Epic has ever introduced. 

Basically, there are going to be NPCs you can interact with all around the Fortnite map. Once you do so, you’ll have the option to partake in quests they give you or trade some of your Gold Bars for items.

These quests will vary depending on the NPC you speak to, but will generally ask you some of the following:

• Find X item.
• Visit X location.
• Eliminate a player within a certain time frame.

The Gold Bars we keep mentioning throughout this article are essential for Chapter 2 Season 5. They can be found by eliminating players, completing quests, or by simply looting chests. These bars can be used when talking to these NPCs and can be exchanged for weapons, consumables, or even hiring the NPC to fight alongside you.

This is a cool feature that we love from Epic Games. We’re sure they’ll continue to add to this as the season progress and for future seasons.

Trailers

Didn’t get a chance to check out the gameplay or battle pass trailer?

Watch them below!

Zero Point Story Trailer for Fortnite Chapter 2 - Season 5

 

Fortnite Chapter 2 - Season 5 Battle Pass Gameplay Trailer

 

A lot of stuff has happened on the story side of Fortnite. We’re sure we’ll know more details as the season progresses in the lead-up to the new season.

Other Gameplay Mechanics

Here are some new gameplay features that Epic has added this season:

• Zero Point Crystals: These let your player dash ahead in an instance with great speed. They can be consumed near the center of the map.
• Players can sink into the sand at the middle of the map. If you stand still for long enough, you’ll actually be completely beneath it all.
• Gliding into the Zero Point at the center of the map will automatically grant you 50 shield.

What do you think of the new Fortnite season?

Let us know in the comments section below!

 

Top image via Epic Games

This article was written by Nick Farrell, a multi-platform editor and writer in the games industry.