Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 launch: our coverage of the new season now that it’s out

Hello and welcome

Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 launches in less than a day, bringing bug battling action to the battle royale mode. I’ll be telling you everything you need to know in the build up to downtime, including a look at timings, Battle Pass skins, and more.

Bad bugs

The rumors were true! Fortnite’s next season sees a bug invasion coming to the island. Luckily, the Power Rangers are on the team to help, and they’re powered up with new weapons and the mighty Dino Megazord. There’s a new faction called the OXR on their way, with awesome grey and orange armor, and explosive weapons perfect for taking down bugs.

When does downtime start?

According to the Battle Pass, Fortnite Super downtime is expected at the following times:

• East Coast (US): August 7 at 1:30AM ET
• West Coast (US): August 6 at 10:30AM PT
• United Kingdom: August 7 at 6:30AM BST
• Central Europe: August 7 at 7:30AM CEST
• Australia (Sydney): August 7 at 3:30PM AEST
• Japan (Tokyo): August 7 at 2:30PM JST

New weapons inbound

We now know of three new weapons coming in the next season of Fortnite. The first is an OXR minigun, and then there’s the assault rifle pictured in the image above. In addition, there’s the Swarmstrike: a multi-rocket launcher that has laser targeting. Expect these to be part of the new loot pool when Shock ‘N Awesome arrives.

Power Rangers in all their live action glory

Epic Games has released a live action trailer for the Power Rangers collaboration coming next season. It’s filmed just like the TV show, with loads of backflips and sparking explosions as the Rangers join the fight. I absolutely love the care that’s been put into this, and as a ‘90s kid, it all really takes me back to toy commercials and cartoons I watched as a kid.

Full reveal trailer just dropped

We now have the full reveal trailer for Fortnite Shock ‘N Awesome. We see Halo vehicles and skins, all new weapons, and a huge battle between a giant bug and the Dino Megazord. Check it out above.

Make the most of Fortnite Super

There’s a new quest following the events of the Fortnite Super Showdown live event that aired over the weekend (August 2). You’ll need to visit the tentacle outside Demon’s Domain. It’s bouncy too! You’ll want to make the most of the final hours of the current season, so focus on quests if you’re set on unlocking some of the later Battle Pass skins.

Unlock the Superman Outfit while you still can

There’s still time to unlock the Superman Outfit in Fortnite. It has a separate Battle Pass track, though it’s included with purchase of the main pass. You just need to earn levels while playing, and eventually you’ll get the Superman skin pictured above.

Supernova Academy Quests are easy to complete

If you’re looking for a way to earn a bunch of XP before the next season, consider working through the Supernova Academy quests. They mostly involve visiting different locations, speaking to NPCs, and using superhero weapons. You can also visit Midas around the map for some easy XP.

New Battle Pass skins

The new Battle Pass skins can be viewed in the image above. There’s the White Ranger, a Spartan, a Panda with a katana made from Bamboo, and an OXR officer. Looks like the White/Green Ranger will be the highest tier unlock, and then we’ll see a Dino Megazord skin in September.

New map fully revealed

Looks like we’re getting four new POIs with the new map: Swarmy Stash, OXR HQ, Rangers Ruin, and The Hive. You’ll be able to head to The Hive if you want to battle swarms of bugs, or land at OXR HQ to purchase weapons in exchange for Gold.

An Iconic Power Rangers weapon

The Blade Blaster will arrive mid-season, giving players a new sidearm that fires lasers, and can be charged for more powerful damage blasts. This one will likely launch alongside the Megazord in mid-September, but we’ll have to wait for an official release date announcement.

That’s all for today

Goodbye for now. I’ll be back on just before downtime kicks in, covering Epic Games taking Fortnite offline, and updating once it’s all ready to play. Once Chapter 6 Season 4 is here, you’ll be able to follow along live as I give early impressions of the new season.

Welcome back

I’m here to cover the launch of Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4. The game is now in downtime, so we’ll need to wait a bit until things are switched back on. Once they are, you can follow along live as I give my early impressions of the new season.

Downtime has just started

Fortnite just went into downtime, with matchmaking now disabled for all players. I’d expect it to last 2-3 hours, though in the past this has varied a bit. Stay tuned for updates on when the game is back online.

You won’t need the Battle Pass to unlock the Halo skin

Players who reach Level 100 will be able to unlock the UNSC Spartan skin for free, without needing to purchase the Battle Pass. This can be done from August 26.

You can pre-load the new season

Fortnite can be updated while you wait for downtime to end. You’ll want to do so, given that it’s a pretty big download, especially on PC. On PS5, my update file size was 27.413GB, so make sure to check on your chosen platform, so you can be ready for when servers re-open.

First look at the Green Ranger

Epic Games has shared an image of the Green Ranger skin that’s included in the Fortnite Battle Pass. Other Power Rangers will be added as skins via the Store, and the White Ranger is in the Pass also.

New bug medallions

There’s three new medallions to track down in Fortnite Battle Royale:

• Defeat the Queen at The Hive to receive the Mythic Enhanced Wrecker Revolver and Surge Medallion, which increases movement speed and gives a burst of speed when sliding.
• Defeat the Queen at Ranger’s Ruin to receive the Mythic Tactical Shotgun and Springleg Medallion, which gives you the ability to double jump, with fall damage immunity.
• Defeat the Queen at Demon’s Domain to receive the Mythic O.X.R. Assault Rifle and Carapace Medallion which gives 50 Health when you eliminate an opponent, and passively gives 3 Shield per second up to 50 Shield.

Queen bugs are taller than buildings

Queen bugs are the largest Fortnite enemy we’ve seen for a while, some taller than buildings. They’ll spawn after you’ve taken down a bug nest, and will continuously summon smaller bugs to fight you until you take down the Queen.

Fortnite is still down

We’re now a little over an hour into Fortnite downtime. I’d expect another hour at least, so stay tuned for updates.

Fortnite “servers not responding” error

Once you’ve downloaded the latest Fortnite update, you’ll be able to load up the game. Unfortunately, you’ll be greeted with the “servers not responding” error message. This is totally normal, and just a sign that the game is now in downtime. It started 90 minutes ago, so hopefully we don’t have too long to wait now.

Brand new Exotic weapons to try out

There’s a bunch of new exotic weapons to find on the new Fortnite map. Here’s what’s available:

• Eradicator O.X.R. Rifle: After successfully hitting an enemy, its damage ramps up with subsequent successful hits.
• Double Trouble: Two shotguns that can be double-pumped (swapped between with no delay).
• Shock n’ Slow Shockwave Launcher: Lobs Shockwave Grenades that cause a slowdown effect mid-air to both enemies and allies.
• Marksman Wrecker Revolver: Wrecker Revolver but with a higher hip fire rate and headshot multiplier.
• Exotic Slap Berry Fizz: Flowberry Fizz that also grants Slap.

Two hours into downtime. When is Fortnite coming back online?

We’re now two hours into downtime. In the last couple of seasons, downtime has lasted 2-3 hours. This means that the game could go live any minute. I’ll update once it does.

Roly Poly movement

The Roly Poly item will be added midseason, allowing players to roll and bounce around the map. This will be a major upgrade to movement, especially useful in Zero Build modes.

Welcome to the O.X.R

Every player will have an OXR rank this season. It can be increased during a match to grant access to better and better gear, much like the Supernova ranking from last season. Once you rank up, a drop pod will be sent to your location.

Game services are still “under maintenance”

I’m keeping an eye on the Fortnite server status, and things are very much still under maintenance. You can see this in the screenshot above. It shouldn’t be too long until things are back online, however.

Head to OXR HQ to purchase weapons

OXR HQ is a new map POI in Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4. It’s where you’ll find the new faction, who will sell you weapons in exchange for Gold bars. Could be a good drop spot.

That’s three hours of downtime

Fortnite has now been in downtime for three hours. It’s looking like maintenance may take a little longer than we expected. Keep this page handy, as I’ll update as soon as the game is back online.

Fortnite OG map revealed

Fortnite OG is also getting a new Season this week. Tomorrow, players will be able to jump into Season 5 tomorrow, and we’ve now seen the new map.

Dino Megazord skin releases next month

The Dino Megazord skin won’t be available once Fortnite Shock ‘N Awesome launches later today. Instead, it’ll arrive on September 16, and can be earned by completing Quests.

That’s four hours of downtime!

We just reached four hours of downtime, it’s looking like it’ll be a long one. On the server status page, downtime is now estimated at five hours on the longer end. So hopefully not too long to go.

All Power Rangers skins

As you can see in the image above, the Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, Pink Ranger, Yellow Ranger and the Black Ranger will be available as skins in Fortnite. These will be added to the store, while the Green Ranger and the White Ranger can be earned via the Battle Pass.

Free Back Bling with any store purchase

Make any purchase in the Fortnite web Item Shop during Chapter 6 Season 4 and you’ll instantly receive the Goldskull Peel Pack Back Bling! You can check it out in the image above.

Has downtime ended?

Fortnite is still under maintenance, and has been for the last five hours. By my estimates, we should be minutes away from the game going back online. This is based on the estimate currently shown on the Fortnite server status webpage. Hopefully we’ll be able to jump into the new season sooner rather than later.

Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 servers are still offline

The new season of Fortnite is still under maintenance. I’m keeping my eyes locked to the Fortnite Status X account for updates, as we’ve now blown past the estimated time for the new season.

Fortnite severs are back online!

The new season of Fortnite is now live. You can jump in to check out the Battle Pass, and then visit the new map locations. I’ll be heading to The Hive to see how the new bug enemies are.

The Battle Pass is live

You can now purchase the Battle Pass and get to work unlocking skins and other items. There’s a bunch of new Quests to help you get some XP early as well.

Ranger’s Ruin is a great drop spot

My first landing was at Ranger’s Ruin. There were bug nests to destroy, and then a Queen boss fight. I had to clear out a few players, but at the end of it all I had a very good loadout indeed. This included a Legendary Sweeper Shotgun.

That’s all from me!

I’ve now played a few games of Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4. I’m really enjoying the new weapons, especially the giant minigun, which is great for shredding vehicles. Hopefully, the new Roly Poly item arrives soon, as more movement options would be great. Bye for now!