The latest season for Fortnite Battle Royale has arrived and several changes have been made to the map and game which players have had mixed reactions to so far.

Those that played the game last season will have seen the Volcano destroy Tilted Towers and parts of Retail Row and it seems that the Fortnite builders don’t take too long to build as both areas have been rebuilt. Tilted Towers is now Neo Tilted and Retail Row is now home to the Mega Mall.

Another major change to the map with this update is the addition of Slipstreams. Slipstreams are tunnels of wind that will carry players, projectiles and vehicles down the stream. Additionally, players will be able to move faster and be able to change direction whilst going through the Slipstream. However, make sure you don't rely on the slipstreams too much as a noise will emit whilst riding through it which will alert nearby enemies of your presence. 

Fortbytes are another new addition to the game. These are a series of collectable computer chips that will be available to Battle pass owners and as collected, players will be able to decrypt a mysterious image. If players can collect all Fortbytes before the end of the season, they will be able to “unlock rewards and uncover the secrets of Season 9”. Most Fortbytes will require a challenge to be completed, one of which is to finish in the top 10 in solos/duos/squads 100 times. One reward we do know about will be the special Season 9 skin that will now require 90 Fortbytes to unlock rather than having players complete a certain number of challenges as was required for previous seasons.

Fortnite BR Season 9 Battle Pass Overview

In other minor changes, “better tactical audio when inside player-built structures” has been introduced which will mean that enemy pickaxe impacts and wallbreaks by close by enemies will be clearer and louder. Players that loved throwing grenades previously will be happy to know that they have been unvaulted although we won’t be seeing clingers, buried treasure, the pump shotgun, poison dart trap, scoped revolver, suppressed assault rifle, thermal assault rifle or balloons on the battlefield anymore. 

The multitude of changes and additions to the game seems to have created some extra stress for the developers as Reddit and Twitter have been filled with complaints from users who have been experiencing many bugs and issues with the game since the latest update. One issue will have players unable to properly land or open chests for a few seconds and leave you at a huge disadvantage when landing near enemies. The developers are aware of the issue and we will be hoping that it’s resolved quickly. 

The full list of additions, changes and bug fixes can be found with the Patch Notes on the Fortnite blog.

Will you be buying the Battle Pass for Season 9? And are you looking forward to exploring Neo Tilted this season? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.