It is finally time for a new era of Fortnite battle royale to begin. Epic Games has surprised us all quite early this year with the arrival of a new season and a new chapter for players to check out. Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped is the debut of a whole lot of new content for players to check out.

What is important to note about Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped, first and foremost, is the fact that it is the 19th chapter to date. What is notable about this particular fact is the strangeness in that it is actually the start of a brand new chapter in the battle royale game.

This was quite unexpected given that the original chapter of Fortnite had 10 seasons and the 11th one was the start of Chapter 2. We expected a similar situation with the 21st chapter or perhaps even the 20th being the new Chapter 3, but that is not the case here at all.

Epic Games has offered Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped to the community much earlier than planned, which is especially great since there is a new map for players to explore. This is not actually a brand new island at all, as The End of Chapter 2 event gave us an idea of what’s in store.

This new season features, technically, not a new map but rather the inverse version of the Chapter 2 map. The entire island has flipped over on top of itself and we are now looking at the map that was previously underneath the Chapter 2 island.

It is uncertain what exactly this means for the future of both Fortnite and the current island, but we will have to wait and see for now. In the meantime, this does mean that there are plenty of new locations to explore and a couple of returning ones as well.

While we will be sure to break down the full Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped map in the near future, for now, know that there are new locations like The Daily Bugle from the Marvel universe and The Seven’s Sanctuary that players will be able to visit, in addition to familiar ones like Shifty Shafts and Greasy Grove.

Kicking off the new content that is available in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped, we have several new weapons and items for players to use. First up is a new assault rifle and it is the Ranger assault rifle. This one is an AR that is built for players who want that longer-range action than regular ones.

The Ranger AR is built for devastating enemies at mid-range, which is typical for all ARs in the first place, but it is also quite good at long-range, too, so great for players who do not want to snipe but still have distance. Next up is another AR and this is the MK-7 AR from, well, The Seven.

It can handle mid to long-range with a strong rate of fire and a sight to help with aiming. This will be for those who like range but speed as well. If you’re wanting something a bit more powerful than this gun, be sure to take down The Foundation (likely at Sanctuary) and receive the upgraded version that includes even faster firing.

There are a couple of new shotguns, too, beginning with the Striker pump shotgun. With lots of ammo in this bad boy, you have high burst damage that will destroy foes up close. Then there is the auto shotgun, which is on the opposite end with an extremely fast firing rate and the ability to reload two shells at once, great for quickly shooting down enemies in close range.

For pistol fans or just those looking for a trusty weapon in the early rounds of the match, there is the sidearm pistol. It is a fairly accurate pistol that is a decent medium range and has actually extremely high headshot-capable damage within close range. This is one early weapon that should not be underestimated.

For SMG fans, you are not left out as there is the new Stinger SMG. The Stinger is exactly what it sounds like: able to tear enemies and structures alike apart within close range. However, one notable feature about the Stinger is the fact that it does decent damage at mid-range, too, making it a reliable companion.

And last but not least, there is the Hunter bolt-action sniper rifle. This is one powerful but somewhat slow rifle that can destroy opponents from far away. What’s notable about the Hunter version is that it has three rounds per clip, giving you a few chances to take down a single foe or enough bullets for multiple enemies in the right hands.

In terms of new items this season, there are two main ones that players should know about: the Med-Mist and Guzzle Juice. The Med-Mist is a special healing item that is not only great for recovering health yourself but healing teammates, too.

The Guzzle Juice is not for everyone, though, as it only heals the person using it. What it does is gradually recover your health over time until you reach 100 again. However, the catch with this item is that this health regen will end if you are damaged by an opponent.

With the arrival of a brand new chapter in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped, that means that there are some new gameplay mechanics to engage in at the same time. First up in the new mechanics that players can check out is the new camping feature.

How it works is that there is a new item in the game that is the tent, which players can discover around the island (outside of competitive modes) and put in their inventory. Once you have the tent, all you need to do is use it basically anywhere on the island and you set up the tent for a nice camping break from the usual battle royale survival.

While you have the tent out, you are able to rest in it to heal up and prepare for the next fight. However, the most important part about the tent is that it has storage included with it. You can store up to three items with it and the best part is that the game will actually save all three of them for the next match you are in.

How it works is that two of the storage slots will be automatically available while the third can be rented using the bars match currency. Then when you do the next match, all you need to do is find a tent somewhere on the island and you will be able to access those items quickly. This is a fantastic way to keep hold of some valuable weapons or items that you’ve found.

The tent and camping system is something that is built for multiplayer, too, allowing other teammates to use it. However, the catch is that they must spend bars in order to have their own tent to access.

Another key element of this season is the Victory Crown. If you end the match in a high enough place, you will receive a Victory Crown to wear for the next match. It will be placed on your head and stand out to anyone who comes across you.

Keeping the crown on your head will result in a bonus experience for that match and winning while wearing the crown will grant you an exclusive emote that lets you reveal how many Crowned Victory Royales you have this season. Players receive the Victory Crown if they are in the top four players for solos, top two teams for duos, or the winning team in trios and squads.

Other fascinating new mechanics in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped include the ability to slide down hills or just while running around the island. While sliding, you can shoot or even build, changing up some of the ways that players will defend themselves in the middle of the action.

If that is not cool enough for you, you can even swing in the Flipped season, starting on December 11. The Spider-Man web shooters will arrive and players can use them to swing around the island like Spidey himself. For downed players, things have been improved, like faster crawling, the ability to open chests and doors, and the shakedown feature is gone.

Another minor new feature is the ability to complete certain activities as a team. For instance, reviving a player or using the Reboot Van will be faster with more players. There are even some new locations that can only be accessed with more than one player, so solo players should find an enemy to temporarily work alongside.

While Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped is brand new to us, this “new” island location is home to The Seven and other interesting characters. There are plenty of new NPCs to interact with on the island, including Guaco at Greasy Grove, Bunker Jonesy at The Joneses, and Lil’ Whip at Coney Crossroads.

Speaking of new characters, players have the chance to unlock new skins this season with the Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped battle pass. The star of this season is Spider-Man, however, like his foe Carnage last season at the end of the Season 8 pass, it is going to take a whole lot of time to reach him.

Spider-Man is the final skin that you can unlock this season, basically requiring you to almost reach level 100 in order to get the most anticipated superhero skin of all time in Fortnite. Beyond Spidey, there are other new skins including Haven, outlaw Harlowe, the strange Gumbo, Lt. John Llama, the wanderer Ronin, and the Lotus Walker herself Shanta. She is the first skin unlocked immediately after purchasing the battle pass.

Of course, finding the home of The Seven means that you will be able to unlock one of them for the first time. Players will be able to finally play as The Foundation, voiced by The Rock himself, but not right now. The extra battle pass skin this season is the leader of The Seven and players will have to wait sometime to unlock him.

Spider-Man is not alone this season, either, as Epic is already teasing some of the new crossovers later on. Some new Spideys, including friends and foes alike, will be joining the game in the item shop throughout the season, so stay tuned for, hopefully, characters like Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and more.

Speaking of future additions in the game like more Spideys, there are other features that Epic is already teasing for later on in Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 1 Flipped. For starters, the weather on this side of the island is devastating and it looks like it will get crazier as time goes on.

The storm remains an ever-present threat on this island as always, however, there are new lethal weather options coming soon. This includes tornadoes that will be spinning players around and even shooting them out of it, but we presume at the possible cost of some health in the process.

There is also lightning that will appear in the first season, affecting players likely in some dangerous ways. The wildlife will continue to be a feature on the island for players to hunt down, but it seems that the raptors are gone in favor of a predator that even they are afraid of.

This beast has not been revealed or appeared on the new island, but will later this season. All we know about it, for now, is that it is “quite large” and it will roam around the locations. Is it finally time for the T-Rex to make its long-awaited debut?

Last but not least, there are some changes to vehicles that you should know about on the island. Gone are the shopping carts and ATKs this season, but the classic Quadcrasher is now back in their places. Furthermore, vehicles will now take more damage from explosives, but they also heal faster at campfires, so be sure to keep that in mind.