Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3, named Runners, launches on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 4 AM ET. Before that, the Shattered live event closes out Season 2 on Friday, June 5, at 7 PM ET, where Team Foundation faces off against Team Ice King one last time. Your faction choice will reportedly shape how you personally experience the event.

Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3: “Runners” Launch Blueprint

Gameplay ElementConfirmed Asset / FeatureOperational MechanicsCore Tactical & Meta ImpactCore MechanicThe Sprite System Layers unique active/passive ability buffs over your baseline loadout. Abilities Overhaul: Radiates area-of-effect healing (Water), triggers weapon explosions (Fire), or grants zero-g dashes (Zero Point). New WeaponChaos Reloader AR Sports a distinct orange-glow visual frame; pairs directly with Fire Sprites. Combustion Spree: Expected to port the auto-reload meta from Season 2’s shotguns straight into mid-range gunfights. New WeaponBurst Rifle Classic three-round burst execution profile; styled after a FAMAS design. Precision Striking: Highly lethal headshot multiplier potential; features a custom battle pass character skin variant. New WeaponTriple Barrel Shotgun Fires a three-round burst spread before locking into a lengthy reload animation. High-Risk Burst: Delivers devastating close-quarters damage but heavily punishes missing your shots. New WeaponRift Pistol Lore-heavy firearm resurfacing directly from the exposed Zero Point. Emergency Rotations: Functions like the classic Rift Rifle, permitting instant escape loops and skyward repositioning.

Mobility Item

The Seven Power Boots Tech-branded movement gear found inside mid-match sky rift drops. Velocity Boosting: Grants accelerated power-sliding capabilities and high-speed sprinting frames for a short duration. Map SectionTropical POI Hub Replaces the Dark Dominion region; leaves the Zero Point exposed in open air. Gravity Anomalies: Completely alters rotation pacing through localized movement and environmental physics shifts. Map SectionThe Duck Mansion Brand-new thematic outpost POI housing a specialized NPC vendor. Mythic Hunting Ground: Anticipated to serve as the exclusive spawn point for a high-tier Quackling character weapon variant. Map MechanicThe Seven Caches High-tier container boxes that drop dynamically onto the map via sky rifts. Hot-Drop Friction: Replaces conventional Rift Anomalies; serves as the primary gateway to secure The Seven Power Boots. Quality of LifeBattle Bus ADS Allows players to use Aim Down Sights functionality before jumping from the bus. Information Scouting: Permits teams to scout active Sprite spawns and dropping Seven Caches before choosing a landing spot.

Season 3 is not a minor refresh. Based on official trailers, Epic’s own social media posts, and the confirmed gameplay reveal, it brings a rebuilt loot pool, a reworked map section, a brand new central mechanic built around Sprites, and a battle pass loaded with familiar faces in fresh forms. If you want to know exactly what is and is not confirmed before you log in Saturday morning, this covers all of it.

Sprites Are the Core Season Mechanic, Not Just a Side Feature

Sprites first appeared in Chapter 6 Season 1 as background items, mostly used for passive buffs like area healing or a quick glide. In Chapter 7 Season 3, they are the main event.\

Epic’s gameplay reveal trailer opens with a “Power Up” prompt cutting straight to Sprite footage, and every trailer since has showed them prominently. Six confirmed Sprite types are coming to the island:

  • Water Sprite — Heals players in a radius around it

  • Fire Sprite — Buffs weapon firepower, and when paired with the new Chaos Reloader AR in the trailer, caused an explosion

  • Zero Point Sprite — Grants zero-gravity dashes with automatic refill over time

  • Skully Sprite — No mechanic confirmed yet

  • Duck Sprite — No mechanic confirmed yet

  • Earth Sprite — No mechanic confirmed yet

Up to eight total Sprite types are expected to be in the full season based on community trailer analysis, though only six have been shown officially.

The trailer also shows players collecting glowing blue orbs to power themselves up, which appears to be tied to Sprite interaction and may work as a season-wide progression mechanic on the island. This kind of active ability layering is a step up from anything Sprites did in Chapter 6.

Four New Weapons Confirmed for the Season 3 Loot Pool

The loot pool is getting a serious overhaul. Four new weapons have been officially confirmed in the gameplay trailer and Epic’s social content:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0gOqgZwsvo&pp=ygUbRm9ydG5pdGUgQ2hhcHRlciA3IFNlYXNvbiAz

Chaos Reloader Assault Rifle

The Chaos Reloader Shotgun defined the Chapter 7 Season 2 meta, and now Epic is adding an AR version. It carries the same orange-glow visual design and was shown in the trailer being paired with the Fire Sprite to create an explosive effect. Whether it auto-reloads like its shotgun counterpart is not confirmed, but that is the obvious expectation.

New Burst Rifle

A burst-fire rifle is joining the pool. It looks similar to a FAMAS in design and appears to have a unique skin tied to one of the battle pass characters. The burst audio in the official trailer suggests it fires in three-round bursts, though Epic has not confirmed the exact fire pattern.

Triple Barrel Shotgun

Three barrels means three shots before reload. The community expects a wide spread with heavy burst damage, much like a souped-up Double Barrel from Chapter 1, but with an extended reload that punishes missed shots. Epic has not officially confirmed the exact stats.

Rift Pistol

This one has story weight attached. Back in Chapter 2 Season 8, Jones dropped The Foundation’s Rift Pistol into the Zero Point. Now it appears to be resurfacing on the Chapter 7 island. It is expected to work like the old Foundation Rift Rifle, letting players create their own rifts for repositioning or escaping fights.

Returning Weapons to Watch

Several fan-favourite weapons are coming back, shown in official loading screens and trailers:

  • Stinger SMG — High fire rate, good hipfire, a reliable spray weapon back in the pool

  • Flex SMG — Higher damage when aiming in, faster fire rate when hipfiring; it was in Chapter 7 Season 1 and a lot of players are glad to see it return

  • Sidearm Pistol — From Chapter 3, reworked to hitscan with high headshot damage

  • Ranger Pistol (Chapter 5 version) — Returns with built-in Suppressor and Laser Sight as a suppressed full-auto pistol

Weapons expected to leave the pool include the Seven Power Gloves, the current Chaos Reloader Shotgun as a separate item, and all Overwatch collab gear.

New Mobility Item: The Seven Power Boots

A new mobility item called The Seven Power Boots is confirmed in the gameplay trailer. Footage shows a character using them to power-slide and sprint faster than normal for a short duration.

The presence of a Seven-branded item in the loot pool also carries story implications. If The Foundation wins the Shattered event (which the Seven Caches mechanic below supports), expect these boots to become one of the defining movement tools of Season 3.

New Loot Source: The Seven Caches

A new loot mechanic called The Seven Caches appears in the gameplay trailer. These containers drop onto the map from rifts in the sky, similar to a Rift Anomaly but with dedicated loot inside. They are expected to be the main source for The Seven Power Boots and are likely to contain rare items, making them a contested spot for aggressive players landing near them.

Map Changes: Dark Dominion Out, Tropical POI In

The biggest confirmed map change is the area around Dark Dominion. In the gameplay trailer, the Zero Point is shown exposed in the open air, surrounded by a brand new tropical POI replacing the Dark Dominion region.

Having the Zero Point out in the open means it will almost certainly function as a permanent POI anomaly, likely affecting movement and rotation options in that zone.

A second new location, the Duck Mansion, is also confirmed. It fits the season’s duck-themed aesthetic and is expected to house a Quackling NPC, potentially with a Mythic weapon variant tied to it.

Sandy Strip is expected to remain as a named POI but with a refreshed theme, sitting between the old desert zone and the new tropical area. Frigid Fortress, the Ice King’s home base in Season 2, is unlikely to remain in its current form after the Shattered event concludes that storyline.

Battle Pass: Every Confirmed Skin and Collab

Epic revealed the full battle pass lineup through official social media. Eight skins are confirmed:

  • The Guardian

  • Dylan

  • Cluster

  • Heatwave PJ (remix of classic PJ skin)

  • Vanguard Doctor Slone (reimagined version of Agent Slone)

  • The Voidblade

  • Wolfe

  • John Wick Pen & Ink — The assassin returns in a striking illustrated art style, with a Pitbull Pen & Ink Sidekick included

The TheBurntPeanut Twitch streamer crossover is confirmed as a Sprite Sidekick cosmetic.

Bonus cosmetics confirmed for the pass include the Gold Huntress Dylan skin, the John Wick Gunglider, the Marbled Speedboat glider, Dark Cubic Sneakers kicks, and the Blade of the Void pickaxe.

Unconfirmed leaks from before the season (sourced from former Epic contractor AdiraFNInfo) also pointed to Masters of the Universe, Kingdom Hearts, and Minecraft as potential collab skins. The Masters of the Universe film releases the same weekend Season 3 starts, making that timing notable, but none of these have been officially confirmed by Epic.

Aim Down Sights From the Battle Bus

One smaller feature confirmed for Season 3: players will be able to aim down sights while riding the Battle Bus. It was first announced for Fortnite Reload and is expected to roll out in Battle Royale at the same time.

The most logical use in a Sprites-heavy season? Scoping for Sprite locations, boss spawns, or The Seven Caches before you land, giving attentive players a small but real information advantage from the very start of a match.