Fortnite’s Project Nova mod let’s you play the Chapter 1 map
Ah, the sweet nostalgia of the original Fortnite map. Whether it was having a natter with Tomatohead in Tomato Town or exploring the map on foot due to a lack of vehicles, the early days of Epic's battle royale behemoth are a memory many of us hold dear.
While it's all well and good that Fortnite has evolved into a much grander affair where we can take down Low Card Guards and launch ourselves across the map with the Rocket Ram, calls for the return of the OG Fortnite map continue to grow. Now, there's a way you can step back in time without being Doc Brown.
What is Fortnite's Project Nova?
As Epic continues to drag its heels on the return of the Fortnite Chapter 1 map, impatient players have taken matters into their own hands. Project Nova is a private multiplayer server that uses old assets, meaning old weapons make their return alongside forgotten POIs like Wailing Woods and Dusty Depot.
The default is the Chapter 1 Season X map, but there are options to visit other old friends. Although it's only been six years since Fortnite's beloved battle royale launched, the constant updates in seasons (let alone chapters) mean things have changed a lot.
If you're sold on Fortnite Project Nova, follow the creators' extensive tutorial and put on your best Renegade Raider skin:
- Sign up for the Nova Discord server
- Type #bot-commands/create in the server tab to create a Nova account via your email
- Download the VC_redist.x64 file and the NovaLauncher from the #download tab on the server
- Create a new folder and drag NovaLauncher, extract NovaLauncher, and open the NovaLauncher.exe file
- Click Settings and Easy Installer
- Type 75 and click Enter when the window opens
- Create a new Desktop folder and open it
- Copy the folder link into EasyInstaller and press Enter
- Select the folder where Fortnite is installed
- You'll need a new exchange code every time you open the launcher - head to the Discord server and type /exchange-code in the #bot-commands tab
- Copy the code into NovaLauncher and click Launch
Make sure you check the Nova Discord server uptime channel for when servers become available and reply in the reaction-roles channel on the Nova Discord to get notifications when a new match starts. It sounds like a lot of steps just to get the nostalgia of old Fortnite, but trust us, it's worth it to return to Anarchy Acres.
Project Nova has some potential problems
Click to enlargeAs pointed out by critics on Reddit there are some potential malware issues with Project Nova. One concerned gamer wrote, "PLEASE DO NOT download this onto your PC, Im not the most educated on malware and PC stuff, but I used Triage and found many trojan software."
Another warned, "I'm very late, but it's kind of a virus. Learned from experience. After downloading the game I suddenly had a redirect malware in my pc. After doing a full scan which took about an hour I found out it was a file inside of the game."
As with downloading any .exe file, you'll have to disable some antivirus software to get into Project Nova, and you should also remember that using the mod will technically violate Epic's Terms of Service. Thankfully, as Project Nova doesn't connect to your Epic account, you can't be banned for using it.
