Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1: new map, how to get The Rock and Spider-Man skins, and Battle Pass explained

Following the massive Fortnite live event featuring an all out battle against the likes of UFOs, zombies and the villainous Cube Queen, the game has ushered in a new era with Chapter 3 Season 1.

This is everything you need to know about the new chapter, including the details of the new map, characters, weapons and more.

What is Chapter 3 Season 1?

Chapter 3 Season 1 is the beginning of a brand new chapter, after Chapter 2 Season 8 came to an end on Saturday 4 December.

The island that players know from Chapter 2 has been turned upside down - literally, with the new chapter aptly named “Chapter 3 Season 1: Flipped”.

Fortnite says that Chapter 3 Season 1 is “a new beginning” and describes it as “a perfect starting point for new players and a perfect returning point for those who haven’t played in a while”.

How do I get a Battle Pass?

The Battle Pass for Chapter 3 Season 1 is available now for 950 V-Bucks, with players able to earn up to 1500 V-Bucks by playing.

You can buy a Battle Pass in-game by clicking on the Battle Pass option at the top of the screen, and then selecting “get it now”.

Choose the Battle Pass and confirm your purchase. After purchasing the Battle Pass, you can earn rewards by leveling up your Battle Pass.

What’s new with the map?

According to Fortnite, the new island is more than just a battlefield and instead is also primed for exploration.

One of the first things players will notice is that, thanks for a particular cold winter sweeping across the map, the western half of the island has been transformed into a wintry biome.

Fortnite recommends checking out the “suburban Greasy Grove” and the “industrial Logjam Lumberyard” as well as other spots.

If you’re partial to warmer weather, you’ll want to head to the east of the island which boasts “the tropics, with coastal keys, palm trees, and weather sights to see”.

While The Seven have outposts all across the map, the tropics are home to their home, called the “Sanctuary”. You’ll find this compound next to the coast, where you’ll be treated to a clear view of the colossal rock statue of the Foundation.

You’ll also be able to find the towering, web-covered Daily Bugle building in the area as well.

If it’s even warmer weather you’re after, set your sights on the south of the island, where you’ll find the desert. Here, you can “go off-road racing at Chonker’s Speedway, revel in cozy living at Condo Canyon” and even find the returning Butter Barn.

These are just some of the new spots found on the island - as the snow melts, even more will be revealed.

What new weapons are available?

A slew of fresh weapons are also available for players to check out, including:

• The Ranger Assault Rifle, which is forceful at medium range, but still quite capable at long range 
• The MK-Seven Assault Rifle, which is a medium to long range weapon with a high rate of fire, as well as a sight you can use whilst aiming 
• The Striker Pump Shotgun, which shoots a whole lot of pellets and boasts a high burst damage
• The Auto Shotgun, which may not deal as much damage as its Striker Pump counterpart per shot, but it does boast a faster fire rate and it reloads two shells at a time
• The Sidearm Pistol, which is an accurate weapon that deals high damage at medium range, and high headshot damage at close range 
• The Stinger SMG, which deals high damage to both opponents and structures 
• The Hunter Bolt-Action Sniper, which deals high damage and can shoot three shots per clip

Are there new characters and skins?

While the island is new to players, it has long been home to The Seven, and those they freed from “the Loop”.

Talk to characters from the island, like Guaco at Greasy Grove, Bunker Jonesy at The Jonses, and Lil’ Whip at Coney Crossroads to exchange Bars for goods and services.

With the Chapter 3 Season 1 Battle Pass, you can unlock characters like:

• The “Lotus Walker” Shanta, unlocked immediately with the Battle Pass
• The wanderer Ronin
• The no-nonsense Lt. John Llama
• The flavor-synthetic but attitude-authentic Gumbo
• The optimistic outlaw Harlowe
• The Island-raised and Island-defending Haven
• The leader of The Seven, called The Foundation, which you’ll be able to unlock later in the season

You can also equip yourself with Spider-Man’s Web-Shooters no matter who you’re playing as, and you can also put them on as Spider-Man himself.

“Speaking of Spider-Man, look out for new Spideys (plus a few friends and foes) dropping into the Item Shop throughout the Season!” Fortnite says.

Are there new ways to get around?

With the new chapter comes new mobility manoeuvres.

If you’re running downhill, you can try sliding to up your speed and avoid enemy fire. While sliding, you still have the ability to shoot and build. Hold the crouch button while running to begin your slide, whether you’re running downhill or not.

Starting 11 December, you’ll also be able to get fancy and swing after a slide as you’ll be able to pick up Spider-Man’s Web-Shooters, which you can also use to swing on buildings.

Also, if you’ve been knocked into a Down But Not Out state, you can crawl faster to help reach safety. Players will also be able to pick up items, sort their inventory and open Chests and doors.

Down But Not Out players on opposing teams can no longer be shaken down.

How does camping work?

If you’ve found a spot that you don’t want to leave behind, or you need a home base whilst you’re out and about exploring the island, you can throw down a tent to assemble it, rest in it and heal up in it - once you’ve found the tent item, of course.

You can store up to three items in your tent to collect in future matches. Two item slots are available automatically, but you’ll need to use your Bars to rent a third slot.

You can also camp with friends - if you’re playing in a duo, trio or squad, you can start a group campsite together. After one teammate throws down a tent, other teammates can interact with it to purchase their own tent with their Bars.

If you need to abandon your tent because the storm terrorising the island is set to destroy your campsite, you can still access your items in any other tents that you take ownership of.

What’s the crown?

If you place highly enough in a match, you could be bestowed with a Victory Crown. In your next match, you’ll be wearing the crown which, although comes with decent bragging rights, also makes you a target.

The crown will shine brightly, making you stand out to those with their eyes set on a Victory Crown of their own. If you manage to hold onto your crown during the match, you’ll earn bonus XP and if you win while wearing the crown, you’ll get an exclusive Emote which shows off the total number of Crowned Victory Royales you’ve earned in the season.

Victory Crowns are presented in the core solo, duos, trios and squads modes. The crowns are chosen by:

• Solo: top four players
• Duos: players in the top two teams
• Trios: players in the top team
• Squads: players in the top team

What about quests?

Weekly quests are no longer initiated on the island itself in Chapter 3 Season 1 - instead, players can see what quests are on in the “Quests” page in the Lobby, which means that you already know what you need to do before you climb aboard the Battle Bus.

There are three main types of quests, which will all be viewable from the quests page. You can also access the quests page during a match as well.

As well as the daily quests that get refreshed every day, there are the season and milestone quests as well that stick around for the whole season.

New season quests are added weekly, and milestone quests will have multiple stages. You can get bonus XP for completing a certain number of daily, season and milestone quests.

Visit the Sanctuary to unlock a new type of quest, which features a communication device, simply called “the Device”. Through the Device you’ll hear from the Scientist, the eccentric (and sarcastic) mastermind behind the Sevens.

Complete these quests and unlock the Seven’s many secrets.

Fortnite also says: “Starting with last Season’s v18.40 patch, players have been able to earn XP from Accolades in Creative (in maps/games/experiences that utilize the Accolade Device), as well as earn XP from Save the World.”

Players can earn XP towards their Battle Pass progress in Save the World when they:

• Earn Mission Badges (which you can gain through normal Save the World gameplay, such as exploring, building and combat)
• Complete bonus mission objectives 

What else?

Some actions on the new island are quicker to complete when players work together - for example, reviving a knocked teammate or starting up a Reboot Van.

Fortnite says that players will “also find special vaulted doors in your adventures that need more than one player to open”, so you’ll need to work with your team, for a temporary truce with an opponent or think of other ways to get creative.

Players can use the new Med-Mist to heal themselves, but they can also use it to heal their teammates. Whether you’re using it on yourself or another player, the Med-Mist restores health for as long as you spray it - you can even spray it whilst moving on foot.

However, be aware that there isn’t an infinite supply of Med-Mist, so you should be smart when deciding to use it.

Also new in terms of healing is the Guzzle Juice. It can’t be shared like the Med-Mist, but you can drink it to restore your health back to 100 over time - but you’ll want to keep a low profile after drinking it, as its healing will cease as soon as you take damage from an opponent.

Why isn’t Split Screen working?

Fortnite has said that “Split Screen has been disabled for the launch of Chapter 3 Season 1”, but the company says that it “plans to re-enable it as quickly as we can”.

Split Screen is only available on PlayStation and Xbox, with the feature not available to those playing on mobile, Nintendo Switch or PC platforms.

It is also limited to Fortnite: Battle Royale Duos and Squads, and does not include Creative, Limited Time Mode, Save the World or Solos.