Fortnite v39.40 Valentine Update Early Details Marvel Rivals Collaboration Skins February Content

Guides

Fortnite’s 39.40 patch drops a Valentine’s fuse: Honkai Star Rail collides with Marvel rivals as new guides light the way, but what surprises lurk behind the patch notes?

The 39.40 update will not only bring an end to the Fortnite South Park collaboration but also bring in a new wave of crossovers and even the yearly Valentine’s Day event to Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1. Here’s everything we know so far that’s coming with the Fortnite 39.40 update.

Fortnite Update 39.40 Downtime Details

Fortnite servers go offline for update 39.40 on February 14, 2026, starting at 4 AM ET and lasting about four hours. Epic Games schedules this window to deploy Valentine’s Day content, including Honkai Star Rail and Marvel Rivals collaborations. Players should queue Battle.net, Epic Games Launcher, and PlayStation Network updates ahead of time. Login queues may form at the end, so check the official @FortniteStatus account for real-time progress. Maintenance wraps by 8 AM ET, bringing new skins, modes, and crossovers live.

The 39.40 update in Fortnite will go live after a scheduled downtime of 1-2 hours on February 5, 2026, at 4 AM ET. The Fortnite servers will be taken down for maintenance, with matchmaking services and all playlists being disabled during update downtime.

Fortnite Update Early Patch Notes for 39.40

Epic Games rolls out Fortnite update 39.40 with Valentine’s Day themes and fresh crossovers. Honkai Star Rail characters join the battle pass, bringing new skins and emotes. Marvel Rivals adds limited-time modes featuring rival heroes in romantic showdowns. Players spot floating heart balloons across the map, plus love potion vending machines that spawn chaotic effects. Leaks confirm weapon tweaks, including a heart-shaped rocket launcher with homing projectiles. Check guides for exact spawn points and collab quests.

The 39.40 update is set to be much bigger in scale than the previous Fortnite 39.30 update, which mainly aimed at maintenance and cosmetic additions. Here’s everything that players can expect from the Fortnite 39.40 update:

Fortnite Valentine’s Day Event

The star of the 39.40 update is the 2026 Fortnite Valentine’s Day event, with Epic teasing the event with a social media post along with a tagline: “In February, Fortnite wears pink.” The event is expected to bring a new set of themed challenges and cosmetics for players to acquire for free. However, as of now, there are no signs of any free Fortnite skins being attached to the Valentine’s Day event.

Players can also expect to see Cupid’s Crossbow make its return to the Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1 loot pool. While the weapon mostly lacks any practical use, it has become a staple of the Valentine’s Day event over the years.

Fortnite x Honkai Star Rail Collab

The Trailblazers are making their way to the Fortnite Island with the 39.40 update. Epic released a cryptic teaser featuring two distinct swords belonging to Kafka and Blade, two beloved Honkai Star Rail characters, confirming their arrival in the Fortnite Honkai Star Rail collab. Players can expect to see Kafka wielding her signature purple katana as a pickaxe and a built-in emote inspired by her “Spirit Whisper ability.” Meanwhile, Blade is expected to wield his Fragmented Sword as a pickaxe, with a potential reactive style.

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Additionally, there is also the possibility that Kafka and Blade’s swords will be added to Fortnite as Mythic weapons. Epic might end up relegating these new Mythic weapons to the Blitz Royale mode, just like the Fortnite Bleach collaboration.

Marvel Rivals Wave 2

Epic Games is going all out for gaming collabs this year, with Twitter suggesting that the 39.40 update will bring another wave of the Fortnite Marvel Rivals collaboration. This new wave is set to feature Luna Snow and Magik, with both skins sporting their iconic looks from the beloved hero shooter instead of their comic book outfits. Players can expect to see a possible Jam Track for one of Luna Snow’s songs and Magik’s Soulsword as a back bling, pickaxe, or maybe both.

K-Pop Demon Hunters Wave 2: Jinu and the Saja Boys

It seems like the Fortnite 39.40 update is the patch for returning collaborations. Recent leaks from reliable Twitter and a teaser from the Korean Fortnite X account suggest that Epic Games will be revisiting the Fortnite K-Pop Demon Hunters collab, bringing Jinu and the Saja Boys from the hit Netflix movie to Fortnite Island. The leaks also hint at Derpy joining the game’s roster as a Fortnite Sidekick.

But the second wave of this collaboration doesn’t end here, as leaks also suggest that Epic is going to unvault the K-Pop Demon Hunters Mythics soon, adding them to the Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1 loot pool.

New Fortnite Festival Artist: Chappell Roan

The Fortnite 39.40 update will also bring the Midwest Princess herself, Chappell Roan, to the Fortnite Island. The artist is slated to be the headliner for the next Fortnite Festival season, replacing the current icon, Lisa. Chappell Roan is expected to receive two distinct outfits, with Twitter hinting at a style inspired by her iconic Medieval Knight Armor look from the 2024 VMAs and a “Pink Pony” inspired look featuring a cowboy hat.

Players can also expect to see a Pink Pony Club Sidekick and Chappell Roan-themed instruments in the Fortnite Festival Season 13 Music Pass.

Weapon Balance Changes

Epic Games released a hotfix to prepare players for the Fortnite 39.40 update, buffing multiple weapons across the board and evening out the loot pool’s balance. Here are all the weapon balance changes for the Fortnite 39.40 update:

Item Buffs
Tactical Assault Rifle Increased damage
Enforcer AR Increased damage
Holo Rush SMG Increased damage per shot, larger magazine, and faster handling time
Flex SMG Increased damage, larger magazine, and faster handling time
Dual Micro SMGs Increased damage, larger magazine, and faster handling time
Tactical Pistol Increased damage, improved range, and faster ADS time.
Soveriegn Shotgun Faster fire rate when aiming down sights.
Stealth Splash Increased effect time and able to carry a bigger stack.
All-Terrain-Kart Increased health

Vaulted & Unvaulted Items

Another update, another round of vaultings and unvaultings in Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1. This new update will make a lot of players happy, as Epic has already confirmed that Shockwave Grenades will be unvaulted with the Fortnite 39.40 update, with Crash Pad Jrs. being vaulted yet again. As mentioned before, the K-Pop Demon Hunters Mythics are also expected to return to the game. Here’s a full list of all of the vaulted and unvaulted items:

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Vaulted

  • Kenny’s Respawn Token
  • Cheesy Poofs
  • Stick of Truth
  • Crash Pad Jrs.

Unvaulted

  • Shockwave Grenades
  • Self-Revive Item

The Return of the Seven

Fortnite storyline fans have reason to rejoice as multiple leaks from sources like Twitter have pointed towards the Seven, the most important faction in the Fortnite story, making a comeback with the 39.40 update. This is because an unvault tag for The Foundation’s MK7 Assault Rifle was added to the game, alongside The Foundation himself returning as an NPC. With The Order already in captivity under the Dark Voyager, it seems like each member will slowly be reintroduced to the Fortnite storyline, which is undoubtedly a big win for lore fans.

End of the Fortnite South Park Mini Pass

The Fortnite 39.40 update will also mark the end of the Fortnite South Park Mini Pass titled “Born in Chaos.” This means that cosmetics like the Imaginationland Airship Glider and Terrance and Phillip Pickaxe will no longer be obtainable. Additionally, the Fortnite South Park skins will also leave the Item Shop with this update. As of now, it isn’t clear if Epic Games will remove the Cartmanland POI from the Chapter 7 Season 1 map.

New Weekly Quests

The 39.40 update will also introduce a set of new weekly quests for Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 1. You can complete the quests to progress through the Pacific Break Battle Pass more quickly. The new quests are expected to be tied to Jonesy and the ongoing storyline with the Dark Voyager.

Fortnite 39.40 patch notes detailed changes

Here are the main detailed changes in Fortnite v39.40 (Valentine’s “Love & Legends” update), focusing on gameplay, loot, and fixes.

New and returning items

  • Lock-On Assault Rifle added to the Chapter 7 Season 1 loot pool, functioning like a rifle version of the old lock-on pistol with target tracking.​

  • Flowberry Mist Grenade added, creating a mist that hides players, heals shields, and gives low-gravity to anyone in the zone.​

  • Unvaulted (Battle Royale/modes): Shockwave Grenades, Self-Revive item, Remote Explosives, Rumi’s Empowered Sword, Derpy Tiger’s Teleporter Mask, Zoey’s Golden Bubble Shield, Mira’s X-tra Spicy Ramyeon, MK-Seven Assault Rifle, Wings of Icarus, Empowered Cupid’s Crossbow, and Hunting Rifle.​

  • Vaulted: Kenny’s Respawn Token, Cheesy Poofs, Stick of Truth, Crash Pad Jr., Slurp Juice, plus most South Park collab items as that event ends.

Weapon and item balance

  • Tactical Assault Rifle & Enforcer AR: increased damage.

  • Holo Rush SMG: more damage per shot, larger magazine, faster handling.

  • Flex SMG: more damage, larger magazine, faster handling.

  • Dual Micro SMGs: more damage, larger magazine, slightly faster handling.

  • Tactical Pistol: higher damage, better damage retention at range, faster ADS.

  • Sovereign Shotgun: faster fire rate while aiming down sights.

  • Stealth Splash: effect lasts longer and you can carry a bigger stack.

  • All-Terrain-Kart (ATK): increased health, making it more durable in all modes.

Map, modes, and Discover changes

  • Dark Harvester (Dark Voyager’s Cube Cradle) now periodically fires powerful blasts that damage and knock back nearby players, making areas around it more dangerous mid-match.​

  • Wonkeeland POI reverts to its pre-South Park version after that collaboration ends.​

  • Discover menu rework: all variants of Battle Royale, Reload, and OG are now grouped under single tiles; pick the parent tile, then choose normal/Zero Build/Ranked etc. in a sub-menu.​

Quests and Valentine content

Example story/XP quests introduced with 39.40 include:​

  • Power down The Order’s cell to free her – 15,000 XP.

  • Ask The Order how to defeat Dark Voyager – 15,000 XP.

  • Damage opponents at Clawsy Lodge, Sandy Strip, or Humble Hills to clear transmitter sites – 15,000 XP.

  • Destroy metal objects to collect transmitter parts – 15,000 XP.

  • Assemble the transmitter near the Battlewood sign – 15,000 XP.

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These sit alongside broader Valentine “Love & Legends” event quests and cosmetics rolling through the update window.

Bug fixes and technical tweaks

  • Mantling and hurdling sound

How to use Flowberry Mist Grenade effectively

Flowberry Mist Grenades are best treated as a portable cover-and-heal tool that works like a Shield Keg fog: you throw it to create a mist cloud that restores shields, gives low-gravity, and hides vision until the canister or cloud is destroyed. Here are practical ways to use it well:​

Core usage tips

  • Use after fights, not during open duels. Heal and re-shield in the mist immediately after a fight or when you’ve just been tagged rotating in the open, instead of popping small, slow heals.​

  • Place it behind cover, not in the open. Drop or throw it just behind a wall, rock, or building corner so enemies cannot easily shoot the canister and delete the cloud.

  • Don’t stand still in the mist. Strafe or crouch-spam inside the cloud so anyone pre-firing the haze has a harder time tracking you.

Positioning and rotations

  • Use it as “mobile smoke” when rotating. Throw it ahead on a risky rotate across open ground, then run through the mist to break line of sight while getting shields back.

  • Combo with mobility. Hit a pad/vehicle/Impulse right as the mist ends so enemies lose vision, then you’re already moving to the next piece of cover.

  • Block third-parties. If a third party starts beaming you after a fight, drop the mist on the loot pile to both heal and hide the bodies/loot from clean sightlines.

Team play (trios/squads)

  • Call it out and stack in. Tell teammates as you throw it so everyone can step in and share the shield and low-gravity buff instead of scattering to use individual heals.​

  • Pair with a frontliner. Let your tankiest or best builder/positioner hold the front edge of the mist while weaker teammates heal deeper inside.

  • Use two in sequence. If you have multiple grenades, stagger them (throw the second when the first is nearly done) to maintain constant cover during long relocations.

Combat tricks

  • Fake a retreat. Throw the grenade as if you’re falling back, start healing in the back of the cloud, then peek out the side for a surprise angle while the enemy pre-aims the center.

  • Deny pushes through doors and tight spaces. Drop it at a choke (door, stair, narrow hallway); the vision block can make enemies hesitate or push blindly into your pre-aim.

  • Protect revives. In squads, throw it on a downed teammate behind cover so you can revive inside the mist, gaining shields while making it harder to get sniped.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Throwing it right on an exposed downed canister. If enemies see the canister, they can just shoot it to remove your cover and healing instantly.​

  • Staying in it too long when zoned. Use the mist to stabilize, then move; don’t sit in it while storm closes or an aggressive team is clearly pushing.

  • Using it instead of hard cover. Treat it as a supplement to walls and natural cover, not a replacement-good players will still blind-spray the cloud.

If you tell me your usual mode (solos/duos/squads and whether you play Zero Build or not), I can give you a simple loadout and rotation plan that makes the most of Flowberry Mist in that mode.

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Anfise is a passionate full-time writer, a profession she deeply values and feels grateful for each day. Currently, she's focusing on her debut fantasy novel series, infusing every page with her love for storytelling. When she’s not immersed in her writing - though that's a rare occasion - you’ll find her enjoying quality moments. In her downtime, Anfise loves exploring video games.

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