Fortnite update today: Metallica event patch notes explained

We have concerts, outfits, Jam Tracks and a ton of other Metallica-themed goodness coming our way in this new update, so fans of the metal band have a lot to dive into.

Without further ado, let's set our guitars to one side for just a moment and take a deeper look at everything that is coming to Fortnite Festival Season 4.

What changes in the Fortnite update today (13th June)?

Today marks the beginning of Fortnite Festival Season 4, which is themed around legendary metal band Metallica.

James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett will also appear in the game as skins alongside a new playable concert called Metallica: Fuel. Fire. Fury., which features six of their iconic songs including Enter Sandman and Wherever I May Roam.

The collaboration with the foursome is also going to extend across other modes in Fortnite, including Battle Royale, Rocket Racing and Lego.

The update is set to introduce the Battle Stage, too, which will bring a fresh, competitive way of playing the rhythm music game.

Up to 16 players will battle each other across a four-song setlist, where the four lowest scoring competitors are eliminated at the end of each song until only one person is left on stage, rocking out.

There is so much coming in this update, so read on for a full breakdown of what to expect.

Full patch notes for Fortnite Metallica event and more

With so much landing in Fortnite with the Festival Season 4 update, it is easy to get lost.

There are a raft of minor tweaks coming to Fortnite in Season 4, too, including the ability to set your owned Jam Tracks as lobby music, so you’ll be able to mosh to Metallica and bop to Billie Eilish while matchmaking, but read on for a full breakdown of all the major things happening in Fortnite from today.

Metallica

Legendary metal band Metallica are the Icons for Fortnite Festival Season 4, which means everything is going to be themed around them.

Outfits for the group can be obtained, with drummer Lars Ulrich’s being available immediately if you purchase the Premium Reward Track for 1,800 V Bucks. You can get Hetfield, Trujillo and Hammett’s by progressing through the Reward Track.

Special Puppet Master costumes are also up for purchase in the game’s shop until the season ends. Clad all in black, the band will appear with a skull on their chest and with flames burning out of their eyes.

For an extra layer of humour, the group will also be turning up in Fortnite in their LEGO formats. Running around as a LEGO James Hetfield is sure to be an experience.

Expectedly, there are also going to be multiple Jam Tracks included in the game’s shop until the season ends. The list is as follows:

• Wherever I May Roam
• The Unforgiven
• Fuel
• Enter Sandman
• Ride the Lightning
• Master of Puppets
• One (Premium Pass)

Battle Stage

Festival Season 4 will also see the introduction of Battle Stage, which adds a competitive spin on Fortnite’s rhythm music game.

Up to 16 players will compete alongside each other on four randomly chosen tracks that are currently on the Festival’s featured rotation to obtain the highest score possible.

At the end of each song, the four players with the lowest scores will be eliminated. At the end of the playlist, the last person standing will be crowned victorious.

But it isn’t quite as simple as mastering the rhythm of each song, as players will have opportunities to launch attacks at each other to get an advantage.

Unless you are in a private match with friends, you won’t be able to select your owned Jam Tracks, which helps to maintain an even playing field for everyone.

Metallica: Fuel. Fire. Fury.

Six of Metallica’s most iconic songs (yet to be revealed) will feature in a weekend of concerts. There will be multiple showtimes on both days, as listed below:

Saturday 22nd June 2024

• 2pm ET (7pm UK)
• 5pm ET (10pm UK)
• 11pm ET (4am UK)

Sunday 23rd June 2024

• 10am ET (3pm UK)
• 2pm ET (7pm UK)
• 5pm ET (10pm UK)

The event will last for 30 minutes per showtime and will be held in Fortnite’s Discovery screen.

Battle Royale

New Ride the Lightning guitars are set to be unleashed in Battle Royale mode during Season 4, which can be used to create an arc of lightning across the battlefield for players and their teammates to ride, before smashing back down to the ground dealing damage to an enemy.

Also, at the midway point of every match, an enormous stage inspired by Metallica’s M72 World Tour called Metallica Loot Island will descend from the sky onto Battle Royale Island. It’ll feature holographics of the band for players to run around under.

As you would expect, there is a stack of emotes and a loading screen that can be obtained from the mode’s Metallica-themed quests, with a limited Ringer Emote being available by competing in the Metallica Cup on 18th June.

Rocket Racing

It’s no surprise that Fortnite’s collaboration with Metallica is also including several extras in its Rocket Racing mode.

Firstly, there is a brand new track for players to zip around called Thrash Mountain. According to the update’s official blog post, the course is a "tribute to all things rock", with "instrumental monuments, a stretch of road like a fretboard and Metallica’s Fuel playing in the background".

Metallica-themed quests in this mode will also reward players with the Backfire Car Body, a Puppetmaster Backfire Decal and the Chasing Light Wheels. All of the above will be available until 16th August.

Jäger Bundle

A bunch of Jäger and Metallica-themed items are also going to be available in the game’s shop, which can be used in both Fortnite and Rocket League and can be seen in full below:

• Jäger 619 car body
• Circuit Pro Jäger decal
• Euphoria Jäger 619 decal
• Kraken Jäger 619 decal
• Storm Warning Jäger 619 decal
• Stripes Jäger 619 decal
• The Summit Jäger 619 decal
• Puppetmaster Jäger 619 decal

Now you are fully equipped to rock out in Fortnite for the next couple of months. For more information on Fortnite, why not check out our other writing below?

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