Fortnite: Bars and Bounties Explained

The fifth season of Fortnite: Chapter 2 launched on Wednesday, bringing fans the latest extension of the incredibly popular battle royale game. Season 5 has already brought quite a lot of new changes to how you play the game, between new locations, new systems for completing challenges, and a crossover with The Mandalorian. Those who have already jumped in to Season 5 might have seen some of those changes firsthand, especially with regards to two new parts of the game - Bars and Bounties. Luckily, Epic Games recently released an explainer detailing how both new features factor into the game.

In the new season, Bounties will operate as additional quests for players to do in-game, which can be accessed either through NPC Fortnite Characters or static Bounty Boards. Players who go up to and talk to the NPCs will be able to complete certain quests, or be assigned a Bounty Event for you and your party, which will require you to track down and eliminate other players in a certain stretch of time. Players who realize they have a bounty on their heads will be able to use the Tracking meter to determine how far away the Hunter is. If they make it through the stretch of time before being killed, they will walk away with the reward instead.

The reward in question is the aforementioned Bars, which are the newest in-game currency. While the best way to rack up Bars is by completing Bounties, Epic claims that you can earn them "from behind the couch, loot [them] from safes, or pluck [them] off fallen enemies." All of the Bars you collect in-game will carry over between matches, and can be used to splurge on weapons and other consumables and upgrades sold by NPCs, or even to hire them to fight alongside you. It is important to note that Bars are not a paid currency in the game, are not available during tournament and Arena modes, and are only available through playing or completing in-game challenges.

What do you think of the Bars and Bounties being added to Fortnite Season 5? Share your thoughts with us In the comments below!

Fortnite is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the game right here.