Imagine, it's the summer of 2018. You fire up Fortnite, feeling the rush of excitement as the new update for Chapter 1 Season 5 finally drops. You jump from the Battle Bus and immediately notice that the map has changed – the southeast is now a vast desert biome! These are all memories that we thought we would never experience again, but that could change now. Various leaks on social media report that Fortnite is currently working on adding the desert biome from Chapter 1 Season 5 to Fortnite Reload.
Fortnite's Chapter 5 Season 3 is one of the most controversial seasons in recent years and is labeled by many players as the worst season ever. This can also be seen in the player numbers, which are shockingly low. Epic Games had to react to this and actually managed to keep thousands of players interested in Fortnite with the Reload mode.
What is Fortnite Reload?
The mode, in which you end up in a 40-player lobby on an OG Fortnite-based map with locations such as Tilted Towers or Pleasant Park, sometimes has three times as many players as the normal Battle Royale mode. Epic Games seems to have recognized the potential of this game mode and is now planning on a first big update since its launch. According to a post on X/Twitter by the well-known Fortnite leaker HYPEX, the desert biome from Chapter 1 Season 5 could now appear as a new location on the reload map.
Fortnite seem to be working on adding the CH1S5 desert biome to Reload [VIA @SpushFNBR & @KPMisParrot] pic.twitter.com/qRTP59N7Jo
— HYPEX (@HYPEX) July 24, 2024
Changes to the Map
When the Desert biome was added in Season 5, it replaced the location Moisty Mire and was renamed Paradise Palms and a smaller location called Pueblo. Today, it is still unclear if this biome will replace a location on the current Reload map or if it will simply expand the map. Since matches only included 40 players, expanding the map could make early-game encounters rarer as players would be more spread out. RaphooComix's map concept illustrated how an expanded map might function.
Check out my YouTube video for this concept! https://t.co/5IaXElq6A2Fortnite RELOAD: Season 3 - RIFTED#Fortnite #FortniteRELOAD pic.twitter.com/4BdRqPNaZg
— RaphooComix (@RaphooComix) June 23, 2024
Excitement for the Future
This addition implied that Fortnite Reload might adopt seasonal changes similar to the core Battle Royale mode. This meant that players could eventually experience major events like the Black Hole and the transition to Chapter 2. On the topic of Chapter 2, Fortnite OG is set to return later this year, paving the way for Chapter 6 and bringing back locations like The Agency. But first, with Season 3 wrapping up, a new Marvel-themed season featuring Wolverine and Deadpool is on the horizon.