Fortnite Season 5 introduced a new form of currency, Gold Bars, that can be used to purchase weapons and upgrades. Here’s how you can get more of them in-game and for Fortnite challenges.
While Season 4 was a Marvel fan’s dream, Season 5 put the focus back on Fortnite lore, as Agent Jones brings together the world’s greatest hunters – including The Mandalorian – for a chaotic battle that will shape the future of The Island.
As well as a major map update that brought new areas like crystalline sands, players will be aware by now that a bunch of NPCs on The Island will offer you quests and bounties.
You can also hire them to be your allies or get intel on the surrounding area. But how do you afford them? Gold Bars.
What are Gold Bars in Fortnite?
There’s an in-game currency in Fortnite called Gold Bars.
Gold Bars can be used to upgrade your weapons, purchase new guns, or even hire NPCs as your own personal bodyguards. Time will tell how useful these allies will actually be, but it’s a nice addition to the game, especially as players slowly discover who their favorite NPCs are.
Epic Games described the new Gold Bars in a statement, which said: “Earn bars by completing quests and bounties, eliminating players, or finding hidden stashes around the island. Spend your earned bars on new exotic weapons, upgrades, intel, services and more.”
Unlike the game’s main currency, V-Bucks, these Gold Bars cannot be purchased with real-life money, which is good news for those who try to avoid micro-transactions.
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Gold Bars will also carry across between matches, so you can save them up. You can check how many you have by looking at the map.
How do you unlock Gold Bars in Fortnite Season 5?
The best way to unlock Gold Bars right now is to complete quests and bounties from NPCs on The Island. Not sure what to expect from bounties, or how to complete them? We’ve got you covered in our bounties guide.
It’s possible to unlock Gold Bars by taking out other players, who will drop some of their currency when they’re eliminated – if they have any.
There will also be hidden stashes placed around The Island, which players will no doubt uncover in rapid time. Keep an eye out for safes and treasure chests, which can contain small amounts of Gold Bars.
How to hire Fortnite characters with Gold Bars
Using your Gold Bars, you can actually hire characters as a bodyguard in-game. This can be achieved by following these steps below:
- Load up Fortnite Battle Royale.
- Jump from the Battle Bus near one of the NPC locations.
- Approach a character, until a speech bubble appears.
- Interact and use your Gold Bars to purchase the character’s services.
- Now, they have been hired as your Bodyguard!
Fortnite NPC locations
Now you know how to hire characters in Fortnite using your Gold Bars, it’s all about tracking an NPC down. Luckily for you, we have a complete guide on where each of them can be found on the island.
These locations can be found on the map below, put together by meetlootlama on Instagram.
If you’re looking for more Fortnite challenge guides, make sure you visit our dedicated Fortnite hub to get all the latest news on Season 5 updates, including patch notes and how to unlock new skins.