Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 has arrived, and wow is there a lot to unpack here. Following one of the game's most popular events of all time, the new chapter has brought some expected but exciting changes, such as a Chapter 5 map, Chapter 5 weapons and loot pool, and new battle pass characters, but beyond those expected headlines, there are a lot of smaller tweaks or changes to the game that you'll not want to miss. Follow along as we break down absolutely everything new in Fortnite for Chapter 5 Season 1.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 map

What's a new chapter without a whole new world to explore? In Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1, you'll be dropping onto a landmass that's never been seen before in the game. Ripe with major changes like a moving train that sprawls across the island, new vehicles like the Trailsmasher SUV, and tons of new points of interest, such as Ritzy Riviera, Rebel's Roost, and Hazy Hillside, you'll want to get acquainted with the new Fortnite Chapter 5 map here.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 weapons

A new chapter also means totally new weapons in Fortnite. This time, that includes a bevy of new assault rifles, SMGs, shotguns, and more. There's also a new mobility item, weapon mods, and even a ballistic shield. Find out about the full Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 weapons and loot pool here.

Seen here: Ballistic Shield

Seen here: The Grapple Blade

Seen here: weapon mods

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 battle pass

The Chapter 5 Season 1 battle pass is here, and with it comes the traditional eight-character lineup, including two new crossovers. One of them will be especially notable to longtime Fortnite fans, as it's been rumored for years. Yup, Family Guy's Peter Griffin is finally a part of Fortnite. You can check out our gallery to see everything in the new battle pass.

Seen here: Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 car cosmetics

In Chapter 5, a new type of cosmetic is coming to the game. Starting today, you can customize the Fortnite sports car by setting presets in your locker the same way you would choose a skin, back bling, or glider. For now, only the sports car is customizable, but the battle pass includes your first alternate car body, the Scorpion--that is, unless you have linked your Rocket League and Fortnite accounts.

If so, you'll also instantly unlock the Octane, Cyclone, Jager 619, and Lamborghini Huracan STO for Fortnite and a new game within Fortnite separate from battle royale or Creative--keep scrolling for that one--provided you own those cars in Rocket League already.

Lego Fortnite

Depending on your interests, the biggest reveal of Chapter 5 Season 1 may actually be the entirely new survival-crafting mode, Lego Fortnite. Built similar to past experiences like Lego Worlds and, of course, Minecraft, Lego Fortnite is a new, free mode launching soon and totally separate from battle royale and Fortnite Creative.

Epic and Lego have announced this mode together and have signaled it is the first public step in their years-long journey ahead to create a metaverse that is safe and welcoming for younger players, or anyone who likes Lego (which is everyone, right?)

One of the coolest parts about this new mode is that it includes Lego minifig versions of more than 1,200 Fortnite characters already in the game, and any skin that you already own which now has a Lego version is automatically in your locker for free starting today. (There's also a free Lego-themed skin you can get right now.)

Future Lego modes will come to the game, too, and Lego Fortnite as a survival-crafting game launches on December 7 and rewards battle pass XP. Find out more about Lego Fortnite here.

Rocket Racing

Lego Fortnite isn't the only new game coming to the expanding suite of experiences. Rocket Racing, which combines elements of kart racers, Fortnite, and Rocket League, is also coming soon, with customizable vehicles much like Fortnite battle royale is introducing. Like Lego Fortnite, playing this game grants seasonal battle pass XP.

Rocket Racing launches on December 8.

Fortnite Festival

The final of three major new games hitting Fortnite this season is Fortnite Festival, developed by Rock Band's legendary studio, Harmonix. The studio was acquired by Epic a few years ago and it seems Fortnite Festival is the fruit of the team's labor since then. A social co-op music-making game, Fortnite Festival essentially revitalizes the music genre with your favorite Fortnite characters, licensed tracks, and more. Like Lego Fortnite and Rocket Racing, it too rewards battle pass XP.

Fortnite Festival launches on December 9, with a special crossover with The Weeknd.

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 bosses

Bosses are back on the island, and in great number. At launch, five hostile bosses--each of them characters in the battle pass--roam the island: Oscar, Nisha, Montague, Valeria, and Peter Griffin. Defeating each of them drops a Society Medallion, which you can equip to give yourself a buff that regenerates shields.

Quality-of-life changes

Along with all of these things, the game is getting another technical upgrade. Improved animations in the form of features called motion matching and procedural layering can be seen in-game starting today. These enhance animations by creating better transitions between walking and running, turning directions, and using weapons. Physics-based animations can also be found from today, such as when you're gliding into a match.

Elsewhere, medkits and shield potions can now be consumed while you're on the move, albeit slowly. However, be aware that they can't be canceled, so once you begin to heal using one of these items, you're locked into those animations until they complete.

Another small tweak that should go a long way is how reviving and rebooting players works. Before if you moved away from reviving or rebooting an ally, the timer would instantly reset in full. Now, the timer slowly turns back.

For example, while solo-rebooting an ally for 12 seconds might've reset to 0 seconds if you moved too far from the van, it will now slowly tick backward to 11 seconds, then 10, and so on, which opens up more strategy and also no longer hits players who slightly moved with severe penalties.

Match Quests replace Daily Quests

Daily Quests are getting reimagined as Match Quests. At the beginning of each match, you'll have the choice of three Match Quests that expire at the end of that very match. If you don't complete all of them, you'll get a new round of Match Quests in the next round. As before, completing your first three Match Quests of any day gives you bonus battle pass XP.