Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3: Best Landing Spots (2024)

Picking the best landing spot on the Fortnite island can often mean the difference between defeat and a Victory Royale. Starting in the right location allows players to gather the loot they need to succeed and to potentially gain powerful advantages over their opponents. However, with major seasonal map changes introduced to the Fortnite island, even the most skilled fighters may need some tips on where to land.

The Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3 island is dominated by the Wasteland: a lawless desert populated by new NPC characters and bosses known as the Wasteland Warriors. Players who want a challenge can defeat these characters to retrieve gear and vehicles that perfectly fit the new season's focus on vehicle combat. Some of the best landing spots from previous seasons still exist as alternative quiet starts.

8 War Bus

Claim One Of The Most Powerful Vehicles In The Game

The War Bus is a unique landing spot as there are technically two War Buses, both of which constantly move around the island. Unlike the Train from previous seasons, a War Bus is generally hard to locate from the air, but can be tracked on in-game maps as a moving boss icon. Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3's new NPC bosses can either be found at fixed locations, or leading a convoy that includes a War Bus.

By landing and chasing down the War Bus convoy using vehicles such as Fortnite's Dirt Bikes, players can claim a variety of different rewards. The convoy is always accompanied by a boss NPC who drops special weapons when defeated, such as the Machinist's Mythic Combat Assault Rifle or Megalo Don's Nitro Fists and Mythic Combat Shotgun. Bosses also drop Medallions which grant powerful passive abilities such as shield regeneration.

Both The Machinist and Megalo Don can be tough to defeat, as they have special abilities. The Machinist can deploy Sentry Turrets and increase her movement speed by consuming Nitro, while Megalo Don will charge using his custom Nitro Fists item.

Alternatively, the War Bus can also be driven. The War Bus has two cannons on its roof and an EMP horn that damages shields and temporarily disables other vehicles. Unfortunately, players can't drive and use the turrets at the same time, so the War Bus is less well-suited for solo play. However, landing near the War Bus is a great option for Duos, Trios or Squads, allowing groups to claim boss gear and control a heavily armed and armored war vehicle.

7 Reckless Railways

Explore The Former Heart Of The Fortnite Island's Transport Network

Reckless Railways was one of the best landing spots in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1 where it was frequently a hot zone that drew players in with the promise of abundant loot. The Grand Station was an ideal spot to jump aboard the Train that circled the Fortnite island, and the streets were a true test of traversal skills in hectic close-range firefights.

In Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3, Reckless Railways is much quieter. The Train has broken down and no longer runs, and much of the focus has shifted to the Wasteland's new locations to the south. Additionally, the boss NPC Valeria who used to patrol a heavily guarded house has moved out. However, lots of ground loot and loot chests can still be found inside Grand Station and the surrounding buildings.

With fewer players visiting Reckless Railways, the town is now a better place for anyone who prefers quieter starts. Abundant loot drops make it easy to pack an inventory with an arsenal of starting guns and items, and the terrain still provides advantages for anyone skilled enough to traverse the town's streets and rooftops.

6 Rebel's Roost

A Quiet Hideout In The Forest

Rebel's Roost is a particularly small Point of Interest off the beaten path that best fits small teams searching for a quiet start. Inside the mansion, players can find enough weapons and ammo for a small team. Outside, an interactable totem provides additional Wasteland Challenges, which grant useful Bonus XP for leveling up and grinding through Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3's Battle Pass.

A Reboot Van can also be found outside the Rebel's Roost mansion; however, this is only useful for Duos, Trios, and Squads mode. Aside from the opportunity to open up new challenges for extra XP, the surrounding forest can also be explored and harvested for materials including wood and stone.

Gathering construction materials has become less important with the introduction of Fortnite's Zero Build mode. However, the game still features modes with construction enabled, so harvesting materials at Rebel's Roost can give players a good stockpile of building resources.

There are also other structures nearby, including a small dock directly to the west and a cabin to the east that contain extra loot.

5 Classy Courts

Claim Some Loot And Duel An NPC

Classy Courts stands out as a landing spot due to its well-balanced nature. This location features a complex of tennis courts with multiple loot chests and a significant amount of ground loot. Clusters of loot chests can be opened to obtain high-quality weapons and items, often within seconds of landing. Despite being a major Point of Interest, Classy Courts doesn't typically see much foot traffic at the start of matches, ensuring that players can loot in peace.

Once players have assembled a loadout, they can chat to the NPC Oscar in the southernmost building. Unlike most other NPCs, Oscar doesn't trade items for Gold Bars and instead offers a duel. Once defeated, Oscar drops his Mythic-quality Frenzy Auto Shotgun, which is arguably one of the best shotguns available in the game.

Unlike other boss NPCs, Oscar doesn't have a primary shield bar. As such, players with a stocked loadout and full health and shields can easily defeat him to claim his weapon. This creates an easy-to-follow approach for the early-game which involves grabbing the best weapons in the area before taking Oscar down for his Mythic-quality shotgun.

4 Grim Gate

Duel Cerberus And Use The Powers Of The Underworld

Grim Gate shares a lot with Classy Courts, including an abundance of available loot and an NPC that can be dueled. Unlike Classy Courts, it tends to be a fairly popular landing spot, so players who land here will have to manage the extra challenge of having additional opponents present.

Cerberus, who was previously a boss NPC in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2, now reappears as a character who can be dueled. Cerberus is also tougher than Oscar, as he combines an air dash and a damage-dealing spin attack with close-range shotgun blasts.

However, swimming in this area also provides a unique environmental buff. Players receive three Underworld Dash charges after diving into the glowing waters of the River Styx, effectively granting them an air dash ability. In skilled hands, this can be a useful advantage against Cerberus and other opponents.

Once defeated, Cerberus drops Cerberus' Mythic-quality Gatekeeper Shotgun: another excellent shotgun variant and a worthy addition to any player's loadout.

3 Brutal Beachhead

Battle Megalo Don And Take His Gear

One of the best ways to get a great start for any Fortnite match is to challenge and defeat a boss. Players can find Megalo Don, one of the three main boss enemies in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3, at Brutal Beachhead and defeat him to earn special items. Megalo Don will typically charge at anyone who attacks him and hit them with his Nitro Fists; however, this can easily be countered by attacking from range and using rapid-fire weapons to deplete his shields.

After defeating Megalo Don and his minions, he drops the following items:

• Megalo Don's Nitro Fists (Mythic)
• Megalo Don's Combat Shotgun (Mythic)
• Megalo Don's Medallion, which grants an infinite Nitro effect.

The Nitro effect includes a wide variety of buffs, including a movement speed increase. When running with Nitro, players can also knockback anyone they run into and demolish walls if moving fast enough. As such, Megalo Don's weapons and medallion are ideal for anyone who enjoys defeating their opponents at close-range. The medallion can also be used to unlock the garage holding Megalo Don's custom car.

2 Redline Rig

Battle The Machinist And Take Her Gear

As an easier alternative to fighting Megalo Don, players can land at Redline Rig and battle The Machinist instead. The Mechanist is one of the weaker bosses in the game; however, fighting her still requires some preparation, as she consumes Nitro to boost her movement speed and deploys sentry turrets as backup.

However, despite being slightly easier to defeat, The Machinist's equipment is arguably more useful than Megalo Don's:

• The Mechanist's Combat Assault Rifle (Mythic)
• Nitro Splash, which grants temporary Nitro
• Flowberry Fizz, which sprays liquid that regenerates shields
• The Mechanist's Medallion, which regenerates 5 Shield per second up to a maximum limit of 75/100.

The Machinist's Medallion provides a useful shield regen ability that reduces reliance on other items such as shield potions. Additionally, the Combat Assault Rifle tends to be more flexible and is a better all-purpose weapon compared to the shotguns obtained from other bosses.

Players can also explore the area underneath Redline Rig, which has additional loot and some vehicles that can be upgraded and modded for Wasteland exploration.

1 Nitrodrome

Enter Fortnite's Vehicle Combat Arena

Fortnite's Nitrodrome has everything players need to start off their matches in the best possible position. This large Point of Interest contains lots of ground loot and a boss fight against Ringmaster Scarr, who can be found in the Nitrodrome's control booth and viewing area. Defeating Ringmaster Scarr involves completing a two-phase boss fight.

The first phase is triggered when players enter the Nitrodrome, and a timer will begin a two-minute long countdown. Driving through the rings reduces the time by 5 seconds, while eliminating opponents reduces it by 20.

Once the timer reaches zero, Ringmaster Scarr will appear on the platform, triggering the second phase where she can be fought and defeated directly. Much like other Fortnite bosses such as Highcard, she also receives support from henchmen.

Once defeated, she drops:

• Ringmaster's Boom Bolt (Mythic)
• Ringmaster Scarr's Medallion, which provides infinite ammo and a 5% damage buff to all weapons.

The Boom Bolt is a newly introduced weapon type and fires explosive bolts that deal damage on impact and then explode, dealing additional damage. While lethal against other players, it's also excellent for damaging and destroying vehicles, making it incredibly useful since modded vehicles are extremely common in Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3.

In addition to the boss fight and large amounts of ground loot, the Nitrodrome arena also contains multiple vehicles and at least two vehicle mods. As such, it's the perfect workshop for players to build and mod new vehicles for Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3's fast-paced vehicle combat.

Fortnite

Platform(s)

PC , iOS , Mobile , Xbox One , Android , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Switch

Released

July 25, 2017

Developer(s)

Epic Games

Publisher(s)

Epic Games

Genre(s)

Survival , Battle Royale

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

ESRB

T for Teen - Violence

Metascore

78

Platforms That Support Crossplay

Mobile, PC, PS4,PS5, Switch, Xbox One &Xbox Series X|S

Number of Players

1-2