Fortnite chapter 4 season 2 news: Patch notes revealed as changes go live

The latest spate of Fortnite downtime began early this morning, with the developers patching out all the content from Fortnite chapter 4 season 1, making way for the brand new goodies of season 2.

And as of 12.45pm GMT, we're pleased to report that the game is back up and running, filled with new surprises (including a fun rail-riding mechanic, and a 'Mega' new location).

As ever, you can expect changes to the Fortnite map and a whole new Fortnite battle pass. Keep on reading to learn all about it!

Fortnite chapter 4 season 2 news - early patch notes revealed

Teasing the new season in an official press release, Epic Games has declared: "Become MEGA in the new Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 2: MEGA!"

The official announcement also included lots of details about the season, essentially serving as an early pile of patch notes. We've broken these new insights into sections for you below.

Fortnite chapter 4 season 2 map changes

In terms of how the map is changing, per the announcement, players will now be able to "ride the grind rails of 'MEGA City' and swerve on its streets on a sports bike" in the new season.

The Fortnite map has been given a Japan-inspired makeover, with lots of reimagined locations playing into that new theming.

The description adds: "Go beyond the neon towers to the rest of the brand new biome: Steamy Springs, Drift Ridge, Kenjutsu Crossing, and more."

Fortnite chapter 4 season 2 battle pass

The video above shows you what a lot of the new Fortnite battle pass skins look like!

Epic states: "With every new season comes a new Battle Pass: anime protagonist Eren Jaeger will become available to unlock later in the season!"

That's right, folks, the rumours about Attack on Titan characters coming to the game have now been confirmed.

The announcement also says: "With this season’s Battle Pass purchase, [players will] automatically unlock the fine-tailored Renzo the Destroyer as well as streetwear savant Thunder, the elegantly casual Highwire, and more original Fortnite Outfits as you progress through the season."

Fortnite chapter 4 season 2 gameplay changes

As Epic has declared, players will be able to "roll new Reality Augments" in chapter 4 season 2!

"Seven new Reality Augments will be made available immediately: Munitions Slide, Shotgun Recycle, Dignified Finish, and more. Additionally, chapter 4 season 1 Reality Augments will carry over too."

The gameplay video above gives you a strong idea of what to expect from Fortnite gameplay in the new season, and there's also an official blog post from Epic that runs through all of the major changes in more detail.

When does Fortnite chapter 4 season 2 start?

As Epic Games promised ahead of time, Fortnite chapter 4 season 2 started on Friday 10th March.

This start date for the new season was confirmed by the Tweet below, which also hinted at the theme for the incoming battle pass and island revamp (more on that in a second).

When did the Fortnite servers go offline?

Here in the UK, Fortnite went offline at 7am GMT on Friday 10th March as the developers started patching in the new season of content. The game was down for a few hours, then!

Fortnite new season start time confirmed

When will the Fortnite servers come back online? Here's some good news - they just did!

As of 12.45pm GMT on 10th March, we are please to report that Fortnite is back online. We've just played a game to double check, and it is running like a dream. Grinding on rails is a fun addition.

Fortnite chapter 4 season 2 rumours are still going strong

In terms of rumours and speculation, many outlets are claiming that Fortnite's long-awaited first-person mode is likely to launch at some point in season 2.

The feature was added to the game in the v23.30 patch and could be accessed by playing around with the settings, but was still an early version riddled with bugs. We'd hope for a fixed first-person mode to be officially released soon in that case, with the upcoming season 2 a likely candidate.

Fortnite Creative 2.0, also known as Unreal Editor, was originally supposed to be released as part of season 1, but Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed on Twitter that the mode had been delayed until March — nicely lining up with the start date of season 2.

Little is known about Creative 2.0, but as the name suggests the mode will be a complete overhaul of the popular Fortnite Creative section including features such as model creation, item spawning and full storm control.

Sweeney has also confirmed another long-awaited feature: Fortnite's return to iOS. In a Tweet, Sweeney revealed that Fortnite will return to the Apple App Store this year. Perhaps that will occur in season 2, as well.

Season 2 may also see the addition of shoulder swapping and wall-running, which have been heavily rumoured for some time — though details on these particular features are scarce.

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Will there be a Fortnite live event between seasons?

There's no news yet on a Fortnite live event to cap off the outgoing season and tee up the next one, which makes us think it is very unlikely this time out. After all, the new season has just begun!

Long-term fans will know, of course, that Fortnite live events are a rare beast and that not every changing of the seasons gets one. And when they do happen, Epic tends to announce them in advance, so don't hold your breath until you hear something official. What are you doing still reading this anyway? Go and enjoy the new season!

Read more on Fortnite:

• Is Fortnite down? How to check the server status
• Fortnite battle pass - all the chapter 4 skins
• New Fortnite map - learn the points of interest
• What's in the Fortnite Item Shop today?
• Fortnite characters - where to find all NPCs
• Fortnite Refer A Friend - how to get the free skin
• Fortnite Anime Legends pack - all the details
• How to slide in Fortnite - which button is it?
• Fortnite gaming chair - price and where to buy
• Fortnite live event - when is the next one?

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