Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 is officially underway following a slightly longer than anticipated period of downtime.
Ahead of its launch, Developer Epic Games revealed all the new content heading to the blockbuster online game, from explosive new weapons to a murderer’s row of Battle Pass skins.
Here’s everything you need to know about Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 2: Lawless.
Chapter 6 Season 2 patch notes - what’s new?
Fornite’s latest update brings an altered map that’s stuffed to the gills with gold bullion. It’s yours for the taking if you can stave off the local mob boss - a menacing wolf named Fletcher Kane - and his cronies.
New map, locations, Dill Bits, and Boons
From his palatial Lonewolf Lair, Kane is keeping a watchful eye over his criminal empire, which spills out of the local mine (Shiny Shafts) before being transported to the local bank. It’s your job to steal the blinging cargo by hijacking Kane’s freight train and armoured cars.
The heists will take you to Crime City (where all the bandits hang out), home to the Hostile Hotel, Wise Guys Bookstore, and the Launder Mat.
Below, you can view the full map, which includes a mix of new locations (highlighted in yellow to the west of the Fortnite Island) and areas that have been preserved from last season, like the Demon’s Dojo and Shogun’s Solitude.
While you’re busy swindling, keep an eye out for Dill Bits, a meme coin launched by a rapping pickle named Big Dill. According to Epic, the cryptocurrency is more precious than gold.
As usual, you can spend your stash at Black Markets on Mythic and Legendary items (more on those below). These stations also offer Boons, which are essentially timed power-ups that can reveal where enemies are, and grant you extra ammo, gold bars or an energy spurt.
Need some respite from the skullduggery? Head to the Outlaw Oasis, a luxury spa resort for criminals seeking downtime.
Loot pool - new weapons and items revealed
The update’s weapons and items revolve around heists, helping you to break into safes and stave off Kane and his henchmen.
Thermite – A powerful explosive used to crack open vaults. Plant it and speed up the explosion by attacking weak points.
Plasma Burst Laser – A high-energy weapon perfect for breaking vault weak points quickly.
Rocket Drill (coming soon) – A destructive weapon arriving later in the season, great for blasting through obstacles.
Collateral Damage Assault Rifle – A hard-hitting AR designed for big impact.
Falcon Eye Sniper – A precision sniper rifle ideal for long-range takedowns.
Outlaw Shotgun (coming soon) – A powerful, close-range shotgun that packs a serious punch.
Pump & Dump (coming soon) – A dual-wield weapon combo, letting you hold a Pump Shotgun in one hand and an SMG in the other for close-to-mid-range combat.
The Kneecapper – An electrified baseball bat that stuns enemies. Wielding it also reduces sprint Energy cost and boosts sprint speed and jump height.
Port-A-Cover – A deployable shield that provides instant cover during firefights.
Pulse Scanner – A gadget that detects enemies, helping you track threats while looting.
Med-Mist Grenade – A throwable healing item that provides quick health recovery.
Gold Splash – Grants the Gold Rush effect and restores 20 Health (or Shield if at full Health).
Sub-Zero’s Kombat Kit - ice slide into foes and pummel them with a combo of frosty fists.
Battle Pass skins
A new season means a new Battle Pass. Once again, this costs 1,000 V-Bucks and comes packed with new skins and items.
It’s heavy on original skins this time around, but there’s one big pop culture crossover that should get fans excited.
Here’s how Epic describes the new and returning characters:
Battle Royale patch notes
The big change for Battle Royale this season is the addition of a new musical feature called a “Moment.” In the locker, you can now choose a Jam/Lobby track to play when dropping out of the Battle Bus at the start of a match and when you get the prized Victory Royale.
Alas, other players won’t hear your song when you win, and only player one’s track will play in split-screen mode.
Looking ahead, Fortnite will introduce Cowboy Bebop quests with XP to put towards bonus goals, which can net you a special wrap and loading screen based on the beloved anime. The quests will be available between March 1-18.
Fans of the show can also grab the Spike Spiegel and Faye Valentine outfits from the Fortnite shop from February 28.
When does Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 2 end?
This season will last until May 2, so just over two months, according to Epic Games. Players can expect plenty of smaller updates throughout, including version 34.10 in the coming weeks.
How long was Fortnite down?
According to Epic’s status page, all systems are now operational. We tested out the game once it was back up, and managed to get into a Battle Royale match without any issues.
Epic Games took Fortnite’s servers offline at 7am on Friday morning, and later restored them at around 12.20pm. During downtime, players were stuck on a loading screen and were unable to access any of Fortnite’s multitudinous game modes.
The disruption was supposed to last five hours, but appears to have spilled over by 20 minutes.
Welcome to Crime City!
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) February 20, 2025
Downtime for v34.00 begins at 2 AM ET with matchmaking ending shortly beforehand. https://t.co/esTzBIGezZ
That’s par for the course for a big update like today’s, which involves a raft of new content, including changes to the Fortnite map, a new Battle Pass, and Fortnite Store updates.
Notably, Fortnite went offline two hours earlier than usual this time around, which suggests Epic was trying to minimise disruption by scheduling downtime during the game’s off-peak period.
Bad behavior. Bad attitude. Plenty of Kneecappers.
— Fortnite (@Fortnite) February 13, 2025
C6S2 | 2.21.25 pic.twitter.com/wxKeMueYR5
How to pre-download the update on PS5 and Xbox
The night before the new season’s launch, Epic announced that console players can pre-download the update, ensuring they can jump straight into Chapter 6, Season 2 as soon as it’s live.
To start the pre-download, Xbox players should go to My Games & Apps > Manage > Updates.
PS5 players can also prepare for the update by setting their console to connect to the internet while in Rest Mode.
To do so, navigate to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Automatic Updates and enable Auto-Download and Auto-Install in Rest Mode for the pre-download to trigger automatically.
