Here’s everything you need to know before playing Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 Wilds

The evolution to the new season is now complete, and Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 Wilds is the jungle theme we deserve. It’s been a while since the last attempt at an untamed theme, but this seems to be the season where Epic finally gets it right. Here’s everything you need to know for Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 Battle Pass including the Battle Pass details, new map locations, weapons, and patch notes.

Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 Battle Pass details

The star of the season is without a doubt the Transformer Optimus Prime, which is the level 100 skin on the Battle Pass. You can also find the Optimus Primal skin available for purchase in the shop. We don’t currently know if there will be more Transformers available at a later date, but it’s possible some fan favorites could still show up.

There are also several wild and tropical themes and some mystical skins. Check out the trailer below to see more.

New jungle locations

Moving on to the new Points of Interest, you can see there are three in total. These include Rumble Ruins, Creeky Compound, and Shady Stilts. The locations take up a large area in the center of the map plus a northern jungle zone that replaced a snow-covered mountain.

There’s a lot of verticality in these locations plus ways to move around horizontally at fast speeds. You can take ziplines or bounce on mushrooms and Hop Flowers to reach new heights. Alternately, grind on vines, slide in the mud, ride on Raptors, or drive vehicles and speed boats to get around. The tree canopies also now serve at platforms you can traverse if you’re willing to take some risk at those heights.

There are also plenty of ancient ruins to explore around the jungle locations, with Secret Vaults inside containing rare loot.

Image by PC Invasion

Weapons, items, and patch notes

New weapons include the Transformers Cybertron Canon, Flapjack Rifle, Thermal Rifle, Kinetic Boomerang, and Wildwasp Jar. Epic also unvaulted the Combat SMG and the Drum Shotgun.

The Cybertron Canon counts as a Legendary weapon and fires energy bolts that explode on impact. You’ll need to charge each shot, but the Cybertron Canon is effective at demolishing structures to deal with campers.

The Cybertron Canon does 110 splash damage and stores up to two charges. These charges regenerate infinitely, but require 30 seconds to regenerate each charge.

Image by PC Invasion

The Flapjack Rifle already looks to be a fan favorite. It performs much like the old Drum Gun, but it’s not as accurate. The magazine capacity starts at 40 rounds per magazine and deals out 19 base damage for the Common variant.

The Kinetic Boomerang has some uses as a weapon with unique mechanics. Use it to score 60 damage without exposing yourself to prolonged enemy fire. We have a full guide that covers how to get the Kinetic Boomerang and the best way to use one.

The Thermal Rifle does exactly what the name implies. Use it to spot clever players hiding in the jungle overgrowth and avoid becoming the hunted. Speaking of which, Thermal Fish are also back.

Wildwasps serve as a new grenade type. Use these to track and swarm opponents and obstruct their field of view.

Additional notes on the new season

All of the advanced movement mechanics such as the EOD Gear, Katanas, and Spiderman Gloves are also now gone. Fortnite feels far more grounded once again, aside form all the movement options in the jungle biome. You can read the patch notes here for a full list of the weapons Epic vaulted from the previous season. The removal of Bubble Shields is one disappointing change.

Image via Epic Games

We tested out some of the new mechanics to get a feel for how exactly everything else works in the Wilds season and summarized everything else of importance below.

Mud acts similar to ice. You can increase slide distances by going through it, but it won’t affect normal running. You can also cover yourself in mud to deter Wildwasps.

There are also a variety of plants you can interact with which do different things. The blue Slurp Plant restores 25 health or shields. The Stink Flower looks much like a Pitcher Plant and causes gas damage directly to health. You can strike Stink Flowers with a Pickaxe to knock them several feet before bursting or just shoot them. You’ll also find Bomb Flowers which have the same interactive mechanics as the Stink Flower, but simply explode like grenades.

Fortnite’s running smooth and feels like it’s in a good state once again with this new season and the introduced changes. Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 3 is live now, so you can jump in and get going on the Battle Pass. Check back as we work through seasonal challenges and publish guides and walkthroughs.