Fortnite: What are the Chapter 7 gameplay changes and how do you use them to get a win?

The biggest shock of the chapter is the way you land on the island. The Battle Bus is gone, replaced by a giant-wave surf drop that gives you far more control over your spawn and opens up insane rotations if you manage your trajectory well. Wingsuits take this even further: perfect for correcting a bad drop or escaping a heavily contested zone. You’ll also find hot-air balloons, a highway cutting through the Golden Coast, and even drivable reboot vans, which become real moving objectives in squad play.

Downed players are now much more dangerous too. You can roll, slide downhill to escape, crawl-sprint, hop into a vehicle, or even grab a zipline. A nightmare for enemies trying to finish you off. Self-revive devices also let you get back into the fight when your team can’t pick you up. And to spice things up, rift anomalies temporarily change how certain areas behave: boosted loot, altered gravity, different cover. Gold no longer carries over between matches, pushing you to spend everything immediately.

The weapon pool is a full reset: Iron Specialist Shotgun, Double Striker Shotgun, Fatal Assault Rifle, Holo SMG, Avenger Sniper, Electric Cannon, and a new blade melee weapon. All of them were designed with clearer recoil, saved reload states, and more responsive gunplay. Classic utility items return too, like shockwave grenades, sticky grenades, and several iconic vehicles.

To turn all this into a win, play smart from the moment you land. Abuse the tsunami surf and wingsuits to target off-center POIs like Wonkeeland, Bumpy Bay, or Painted Palms: solid loot, quiet early game, and a ready inventory before big fights in Battlewood Boulevard or Sandy Strip. In mid-game, chain balloons, the highway, and vehicles to grab high ground on the edge of zone instead of playing the center too early.

Work the new survival tools into your plan: always keep one mobility slot (shockwave, wingsuit, nearby vehicle), prioritize self-revives in solo/duo, and coordinate them in squad through voice comms. Rift anomalies should be read instantly: a mobility or loot boost can give you the advantage for your entire rotation. And above all, remember that downed players are much harder to finish now — focus on positioning, not on securing the kill right away.