The return of the Fortnite OG season brought back the iconic map, flooding players with nostalgia and cherished memories—truly a blast from the past. It has also introduced an exciting storyline involving time travel.
Since it is back have you ever wondered which seasons were the original gangster seasons that made the game what it is today?
It was all before the Marvel superheroes took over, and new maps were released, not that they were bad but the old map had its charm. It was the time when Fortnite was still finding its ground and establishing a gaming formula that would make it a global sensation
Defining OG seasons
Typically the whole of Chapter 1 is considered OG as it was the first map with the most memorable POIs and with every season it moved towards greatness. Of course with the release of new Chapters, the mechanics, weapons, mobility, and new locations just kept getting better and better.
Also read: All about Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 4
However, the Chapter 1 seasons were basic, that simplicity is what many players adored. The map and gameplay have evolved so much over the years but OG seasons truly encapsulated the true essence of Fortnite.
The OG season we had in November 2023 brings back the Chapter 1 map. The OG seasons we are talking about are from the original Fortnite Chapter 1.
The Early Fortnite Seasons (Seasons 1-4)
The word OG was even used in chapter 1. It was specifically meant for the players who used to drop into the island during the first four seasons, while the game was still being refined and polished.
Season 1: The Beginning
Way back in September 2017, Fortnite Battle Royale was made public. Youtubers and streamers were playing, and the game had a certain attractiveness to it.
The game was still in the development process, there were only a few POIs, and the loot pool was very limited. Even finding a Gold Scar back then was so rare.
The game was new and the players were still learning the basic mechanics. You didn’t have as many intense build fights as you do now. Most building you would see back then were just simple walls and boxes. This was the beginning of a truly thrilling journey.
Season 2: Birth of the Double Pump
The release of Season 2 brought new additions to the game. New POIs like Risky Reels, and a battle pass featuring iconic skins like Red Knight and Sparkle Specialist.
Season 2 also introduced some new weapons namely the Zapatron sniper and Guided Missile but they were pretty overpowered so Epic vaulted them. This season also featured the introduction of progressive challenges, which dedicated players to keep the grind on.
This was also the season where players started to use the double pump meta. It was popularized by Daequan, in which you would carry two pump shotguns and shoot and swap them quickly. This allowed you to kill the enemy in two or three shots.
Season 3: Comet Craze
At the release of Season 3, a mysterious comet appeared in the sky, getting bigger and bigger. It eventually crashed into Dusty Depot leaving a giant crater and introducing a new POI – Dusty Divot. This continued the storyline of Fortnite
This season also featured the first-ever collaboration between Marvel and Fortnite and opened the doors for what we have seen up till now. It also introduced classic weapons like the Hunting Rifle, the Heavy Shotgun, the LMG, and much more.
Season 4 – The Rocket Launch
Epic was keen to keep the balance in the game. For this reason, the double pump mechanic was removed at the start of this season as it was too overpowered. Season 4 also featured an epic battle between superheroes and villains.
The best thing about this season was the launching of the rocket, the first live in-game event introduced in Fortnite. A rocket launched from the villain’s lair (located in the mountain northwest of Snobby Shores) and soared across the sky causing a massive shockwave that altered the game environment.
If you played this season you must know the joy and excitement it brought for us.
The Peak Era (Seasons 5-7)
This middle era of Fortnite was the peak. By this point, Epic had smoothed out a lot of the gameplay and added a lot of things that were wanted by the players.
Season 5: Worlds Collide
After the crack in the sky, this season started with new locations on the map, a giant Viking ship landed near Viking Village, the new desert area arrived with Paradise Palms, and an unnamed location which was later called the West World.
Many new weapons were also introduced like submachine gun, double-barrel shotgun, heavy sniper rifle, and many more. After two to three weeks of the season, a mysterious Cube appeared. Starting from Paradise Palms It rotated around the whole map finding its way to Loot Lake in the end. It then merged into the lake and shot the tiny island up into the sky, taking us into Season 6.
Season 6: Trick or Treat
Loot Lake was transformed into a bouncy purple jelly making it the new POI. This season took place during Halloween, and Epic just gave the island a spooky makeover. New shadow stones were introduced, which turned players into ghosts and zombies that spawned around the whole map. With this season new weapons came in like Six Shooter, Quad launcher, and Hunter Crossbow. This season was filled with new exciting things.
Season 7 – Planes
Christmas was here and the snow was too. A frosty iceberg collided with the island, bringing snow and ice parts to the map. If you waited for this at that time you know how much we were hyped for it. New locations like Polar Peak and Frosty Fights were introduced. Creative mode came into existence, allowing the players to master their skills in every possible way. The best part was the ice storm event which turned the whole map snowy. A special weapon named the Infinity Blade sword spawned in the middle of the polar peak which intrigued the players to have a taste of it. This season was a roller coaster of joy, the planes, the snow, and new weapons even though it was overpowered – it had its fun.
THE END SEASONS (8-10)
These seasons are typically called The new school era. At this time Epic Games just kept introducing new things and it was the time when Fortnite started to lose its touch.
Season 8: Volcanic Villainy
In Season 8, a massive volcano formed in the jungle biome, and the map became too crowded. New locations like Lazy Lagoon and Sunny Steps were added in place of Risky Reels and our favorite locations. Mobility was also increased, and a hamster ball was introduced.
Season 9: The Future is Yours.
Season 9 was set to have a futuristic theme. Many OG Fortnite locations had been swapped like tilted towers with neo-tilted and Mega Mall with Retail Row. Many weapons were vaulted leaving the fans aggrieved. Combat shotgun and tactical assault rifle were added. For mobility wind tunnels provided a quick way to travel around the map. It was a very controversial season, many of us liked it and many did not.
Season X: THE END
Season X had a very different touch. It explored different dimensions of Fortnite. Locations and items kept changing, returning from the past. Everything was chaotic and kept changing. It had us hooked on what was about to happen, until the End event game and sucked us into the black hole leaving us clueless on what was going to happen next. If you watched the event and waited for 2 days then you surely know the frustration and the excitement for Chapter 2.
What is OG Fortnite? The FAQs…
What season do you have to start to be considered an OG?
If you started playing from between Chapter 1 S1-S5, you are considered an OG player. Fortnite was still improving and changing back then. However, the whole of Chapter 1 was considered OG because it was the first map ever released.
What’s the difference between OG Season and Fortnite Chapter 1?
The OG season was a smaller and condensed version of the original Chapter 1. It took us through the same journey except for some minor changes. The OG season lasted for a month while Chapter 1 lasted for approximately a year.
Will the Fortnite Chapter 1 map come back?
The Fortnite team has teased on Twitter that the Fortnite OG Season will come back in 2024. They said, “OG season far exceeded our expectations. So much so that we’d like to bring it back… ”.
When was Fortnite released?
Fortnite: Battle Royale launched on July 21 2017 and has been growing massively since.
Why did the Fortnite OG season come back?
Players had been asking to bring the old map back for a while now and Epic Games finally decided to listen. In terms of storyline, we are traveling back in time to the OG map for an extraction mission.
Conclusion
The game has come a long way since the early days, nothing quite compares to the excitement around a new season launch and exploring all the changes for the first time. The OG seasons will always hold a special place for the players. Thanks to Epic for letting us live it all over again and bringing back Fortnite Season OG.
Even though the Fortnite OG season has ended, for now, the devs confirmed its return. For now, we can sit back and enjoy Fortnite Chapter 5.
