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Fortnite Chapter 3 is officially here, along with a new map, new skins like Spider-Man, and more.
We're looking at a whole new string of seasons, events, skins, and probably more marketing collaborations and crossovers than you can shake a pickaxe at. We've combed through everything Fortnite Chapter 3 has to offer so you know before booting the game up.
When does Fortnite Chapter 3 start?
Fortnite Chapter 3 is expected to start after downtime following The End event on December 4. So presumably, Fortnite Chapter 3 will start sometime on December 5.
When Chapter 2 arrived, Fortnite became a black hole for a day after a series of dimension-shattering rocket launches sucked everything into oblivion. This is more or less a cheeky way of performing huge amounts of maintenance, which is obviously needed when shifting to a brand new map, updating game features, and whatever else Epic is planning. Following the finale of Chapter 2, players were left floating in the ocean.
Watch the Chapter 2 finale
As fans predicted, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his debut during The End. You can watch the full Chapter 2 finale above.
If you need the Cliff Notes version, the Foundation has rescued Jonesy from the clutches of the Imagined Order and Dr. Sloane. Shortly after, he removed his helmet to reveal his identity as The Rock, though it's definitely Rock playing a character and not appearing as his real-world self.
After that, the Foundation/Rock and his pals (including the Scientist) rescued a number of Fortnite players and led them underground. Shortly after, a flood causes players to be washed up out into the ocean to witness the island flipping and revealing a brand new map. The Cube Queen also presumably was defeated, as she can be seen and heard screaming in defeat as the island capsizes on her.
Fortnite Chapter 3 battle pass
It would be weird for Fortnite to not include a battle pass for the inaugural season of Chapter 3, so of course they've got one ready. The official Polish Fortnite YouTube channel jumped the gun and posted its trailer early, and although it was quickly taken down players had already saved copies. Now Epic has posted an official trailer.
Yep, those are Spider-Man skins, as well as characters from Gears of War—Marcus Fenix and Kait Diaz (though it looks like Gears characters will be an item shop offering, not in the battle pass). Looks like the Foundation will be available as a skin as well.
As is customary, the Fortnite Chapter 3 battle pass also features a few original skins for players to earn. Check out the gallery below.
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Spider-Man: No Way Home will have its US release on December 17, which makes it an obvious tie-in.
Fortnite Chapter 3 gameplay changes
Two of the biggest gameplay changes coming to Fortnite Chapter 3 are sliding and web-swinging.
The sliding mechanic looks pretty similar to what you'd see in Apex Legends, great for traversing down hills and minimizing your hitbox.
Starting on December 11, players will also be able to swing high in the sky using Spider-Man's web-swinging gloves, which can be acquired like other items around the map. Not sure how rare those will be just yet, but depending on how quickly you can swing around, they could be a major meta changer.
So that's at least two new movement mechanics coming in Chapter 3. There's also a campsite, where players can apparently heal up and store items between matches.
Oh, and it seems like trees fall down instead of disappearing when they get chopped down. So that's nice.
One big change is that players will have more ways to earn battle pass XP outside of the battle royale mode. Typically, if you wanted to earn battle pass stars/XP, you were restricted to playing in one of the normal battle royale modes, or the 50 vs. 50 Team Rumble. Presumably, this means you can earn XP in alternate modes like Creative and LTMs. That will be great for players who want to earn higher-level skins, but don't have the interest or skill for intensely competitive multiplayer stuff.
Here's some additional gameplay changes in Fortnite Chapter 3:
- New weapons and tools, including a Slurp Juice sprinkler that you can deploy around your teammates.
- Some sort of "Victory Crown" that players can earn and possibly keep between matches.
- "Guzzle Juice"
- Wildlife animals return once again, including sharks, wolves, chickens, toads, boars, and crows.
- The Quadcrusher ATV returns.
- "Medmist Assist" healing item.
Fortnite Chapter 3 Map - Flipped
Above you'll see the official mini-map for Fortnite Chapter 3. As you can see, the number of biomes has been significantly diversified. Much like Chapter 1's later seasons, we actually have strictly defined regions with snow, sand, or greenery. In fact, probably because Chapter 3 is launching in December, just as the holidays ramp up, most of the map is in fact covered in snow and bushes are adorned in Christmas lights.
Here's the key POIs you'll want to know:
- Camp Cuddle
- Logjam Lumberyard
- Shifty Shafts
- Sleepy Sound
- Coney Crossroads
- The Daily Bugle building
- Sanctuary
- The Joneses
- Condo Canyon
- Chonker's Speedway
- Rocky Reels
- Greasy Groves
Make sure to keep visiting our Fortnite guides page for more details on Fortnite Chapter 3.
Joseph Knoop is a freelance writer specializing in all things Fortnite at PC Gamer. Master of Creative Codes and Fortnite's weekly missions, Joe's always ready with a scoop on Boba Fett or John Wick or whoever the hell is coming to Fortnite this week. It's with a mix of relief and disappointment that he hasn't yet become a Fortnite skin himself. There's always next season...