The beginning of a new chapter is a big deal in Fortnite. It brings a brand-new map players will be inhabiting for quite a while, along with a slew of new weapons, NPCs, quests, and locations. With the arrival of Fortnite chapter 7 season 1, though, we are also getting other changes, large and small, making for a better and more chaotic game.
Sure, the new season also brings Kill Bill and Back to the Future to the Battle Pass, but what’s really important right now is how your gameplay experience is about to change for the better. From the Battle Pass itself to a series of HUD upgrades, there’s plenty to talk about.
gamexplore recently attended a hands-on preview of chapter 7’s new map and some major updates to core parts of the game. Read on for some insight into the big changes.
Quality of life upgrades make a better game
Beyond the new map and rewards, the various quality-of-life upgrades are what stand out most in this update. Firstly, looking at the way the Fortnite Battle Pass is presented, Epic has iterated on its formula once again. While passes for Festival, Lego, and OG modes aren’t changing at this point, the primary Battle Pass has seen a significant upgrade. Now, instead of going through a series of pages in order, which often leaves the best rewards until the end of the pass, players are now able to select which pages they want to focus on. Basically, that means you can go after the Kill Bill or Back to the Future cosmetics first, rather than playing through an entire season trying to get your hands on them.
The other major changes come to the general look of the HUD in-match. After multiple seasons with little change, the information displayed is now far more useful than it’s ever been. Among the changes are visual indicators about the status of your ammo supply. If a gun needs to be reloaded, its on-screen slot will display a small yellow square with an icon noting it needs a fill-up. However, if you’re out of bullets for a given weapon, its slot will turn red.
Beyond that, there has been a slight overall redesign to the HUD that makes it look sleeker.
Players will also notice that Fortnite now sounds a bit… different. While it’s not clear what prompted this or how deep it goes, during our time previewing the new island, bullet shots and hits featured new sound effects. The only thought that came to mind was they sounded a bit closer to laser shots than before, though bullets were still being fired.
The Reboot Van is hitting the road
This is a weird one, but the Reboot Van can be driven now, and you’ll notice it has undergone a slight redesign, to make room for people people to fit inside. When your squad members get eliminated, you can now reboot them on the go. However, the van is going to draw even more attention to itself while you’re driving, so keep that in mind.
As if trying to get your squad back wasn’t already difficult in a sweaty game, doing it while also driving a very loud Reboot Van should be fun. It’s almost guaranteed to create chaos, which also seems to be the key to a number of other in-game changes. And if even that isn’t doable, there’s also an self-revive device being added.
The storm is no longer a flat circle
It’s been rumored for a few weeks now, but it’s true that the storm circle is no longer a circle. If you played Fortnite over the last week, you might have seen a tease of that with a circle shaped like a gigantic number seven. Now, there is no singular shape for the circle.
Sometimes it will be more extreme than others, but it’s of the utmost importance to keep your eyes on the border now so you don’t find yourself stuck in the storm.
Bye Bye Battle Bus
This is the big change that’s either going to land like a lead balloon with fans or be something they embrace. As you no doubt saw during the Zero Hour event, the Battle Bus has been destroyed. For as long as Fortnite has featured a Battle Royale mode, the Battle Bus has been the way you get to the island. That’s gone now.
Instead, with a West Coast-inspired map, you’re surfing your way into the island, literally. Everyone starts on their own surfboard, approaching the island from various angles. Just before hitting the shore, though, you get rocketed into the air for a proper glide in for landing.
This is a fun new mechanic in the game and one we hope sticks around for a while. However, one of the season’s ongoing missions is to collect broken pieces of the Battle Bus. So as much fun as the initial surf-in might be, enjoy it while you can because there’s no doubt we’re collecting bus pieces to rebuild the old girl.
In all, so far this is one of the most exciting starts to a Fortnite chapter in recent memory. There are enough visual and audible upgrades for a fresh coat of paint, while changes to how Reboot Vans and the circle work add fun, new chaotic elements to the proceedings. And surfing into the island is just too cool. So if The Simpsons season didn’t drag you in, now’s the time to join the Fortnite fandom.
Fortnite chapter 7 season 1 is live now, provided you’ve updated your game.
