Fortnite community reports OG Chapter 1 features appearing in-game

The Fortnite community has started reporting strange occurrences in-game. Given that Fortnitemares 2023 celebrations are in full swing, this should be nothing out of the ordinary, but it is. According to a number of reports, certain items that are present in the loot pool are using old sound effects. Given that Epic Games strives to update sound effects, this is rather peculiar.

One such item has caught the attention of Fortnite theorist and lore-keeper, FNChiefAko. Sharing a post on Twitter of the Shockwave Grenade, in the video, the sound effect being used in the one that was first introduced in Chapter 1. Given that the sound was the same until the update v26.30, it seems as if Epic Games is prepping the community for what is about to come.

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Epic Games is taking players back to the good old days of Fortnite, one sound effect at a time

While leakers/data-miners are alleging that Chapter 4 Season 5 will involve a fair amount of time traveling, Epic Games has not revealed much. Following the update v26.30, the developers left two major clues in-game. The first being the Durr Burger located at Frenzy Fields, and the second being the Chapter 1 "Sky" teaser at Mega City.

While these are hints, they are rather vague. However, with the introduction of old sound effects, it is becoming clearer that time travel will take center stage next season. Based on the information at hand, after Kado Thorne's time machine goes haywire, a Rift will send the Chapter 4 Season 4 Map (Asteria) back in time to Chapter 1.

Based on speculation, Asteria and the Chapter 1 Map (Athena) will somehow merge to form the best of both worlds, in a manner of speaking. Since they will merge, so too will the loot pool, and this is where the old sound effects come into the picture. By all means, this is Epic Games dropping hints for the community to pick up on.

That said, with the Shockwave Grenade now using old sound effects, this indicates that the item may carry over to Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5. Since it was originally introduced during Chapter 1, it makes a lot of sense to see it as part of the loot pool. On that note, this raises a question if Chapter 4 Season 5 will look like the old days or look more modern due to the Unreal Engine 5.1?

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How will Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 5 look?

With Epic Games raising the bar and the graphical settings in-game, it is safe to assume that the next season might be mix-and-match of sorts. Assets used in-game might look the same to their OG counterparts, but with a more modern look and feel. It is very unlikely that old assets will be used given how far things have progressed.

With old weapon models making a return, these too will likely get a facelift to better utilize the power of the Unreal Engine 5.1. In fact, even if the old "Sky" that is being teased in Mega City makes a return, it will have a more modern feel to it. That being said, it will be interesting to see how the community reacts to these refurbished asserts from the golden age of Fortnite.