Fortnite Ballistic is a brand-new first-person, round-based 5v5 competitive game mode that is set to launch in Early Access on December 11, 2024.
According to The Fortnite Team, Fortnite Ballistic is all about "strategy, tactical teamwork, and individual prowess." Players will be split into two teams - Attackers or Defenders - and the goal is to either plant a reality-tearing Rift Point Device or stop the other team from doing so.
Much like other games of this style, there will be no respawns during a round and victory is achieved when the Rift Point Device explodes (45 seconds after planting!) or either team is wiped out. Players will swap teams every six rounds and the game will end when a team wins seven rounds total.
All players will start a match with a Ranger Pistol and 800 Credits, and more credits can be earned by killing other players or planting the Rift Point Device. Credits can then be spent at the beginning of each round on weapons and items to help players and teams achieve victory.
If players survive a round, they will get to keep their gear and shields. Items they use will not carry over, but they can drop weapons, smoke grenades, and flashbangs for their team or even pick them off of eliminated players.
Speaking of items, players will be able to choose one of five Flex Gadgets that they alone will be able to purchase and use during a match. Each player can hold up to two of their Flex Gadgets in their inventory, and they can not be dropped or picked up by other players.
The Flex Gadgets are as follows, via The Fortnite Team;
- Select the Proximity Mine to place a damaging mine down on the floor, wall, or ceiling to surprise an unsuspecting enemy. They can be picked back up and placed again and will explode if shot. Great for booby-trapping sites when defending!
- The Bubble Shield allows for throwing down a temporary protective bubble that’s impervious to bullets and projectiles such as grenades. It’s great for providing a shield for your team as you storm onto a site.
The Recon Grenade gadget marks any enemies detected nearby where it’s thrown, even through walls. Throw a Recon gadget onto a site before entering to get a read on who might be waiting to get the drop on you.
Old faithful! A thrown Frag Grenade will bounce and explode, dealing damage to nearby enemies. Careful — you’ll take damage from your own grenades (though your allies will not). Great for flushing players out from behind cover.
The Impulse Grenade gadget is a disruptive tool that launches enemies and allies away. It has many creative uses, such as launching teammates onto a site from afar.
When Fortnite Ballistic launches, it will do so with only one map - Skyline 10. There will also be a starting set of weapons and items, and adjustments will be made post-launch alongside new maps, weapons, and features.
What will be there at launch, however, will be Unranked and Ranked modes. In Unranked, spots will be filled if players drop from a game and players can remain on the same server after a match if they'd like. In Ranked, there is no backfilling and a rank penalty will be filed to anyone who leaves and they won't be able to join another match for "a period of time."
Unlike Ranked Battle Royale and Reload, matchmaking in Ranked Ballistic is based on the average rank of a party. Furthermore, the amount of rank each player earns in a match will be based on rounds won, rounds lost, eliminations, and assists, in that order.
Fortnite Ballistic arrives just after the launch of Fortnite OG and an epic event featuring Juice WRLD, Eminem, Ice Spice, and Snoop Dogg.
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Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
