Characters (also known as NPCs) are a type of AI and Gameplay Mechanic in Fortnite. They were introduced in Chapter 2: Season 5 and have been expanded upon and included in every season since, bar Chapter 4: Season OG.
Description[]
Characters are a unique type of AI which will spawn in every match, at various set locations. Unlike other AI, they can be talked to by the player, offering dialogue and various functions for the player to interact with. Talking to a character will add to the Character Collection Book.
There are four types of character in Battle Royale, each of them with a unique purpose and features:
- Neutral: These characters are by far the most common. They offer various trades in exchange for Bars, and will use dialogue to engage with the player. They will attack the player if provoked.
- Hostile: These characters attack the player on sight, acting like an IO Guard or Boss AI. They often drop higher tier loot when eliminated.
- Healer: These characters will offer a single line of dialogue, and allow the player to mimic the emote they are acting out, in exchange for periodic Chug Splash healing.
- Static: These are static machines which will offer the player one or more items for Bars. They are technically characters in terms of mechanics, but are not described as such in game. Examples include Bounty Boards, Upgrade Benches and Vending Machines.
- Phones: Phones are similar to Static objects, but can only initate quests.
Eliminating a Neutral or Hostile character will usually turn them into a Ghostly Form, which allows the player to interact with them normally (and interact with hostile characters without them attacking you). Some characters will spawn in a Ghostly Form as default, and some Hostile characters will not return as one.
Other than weapons, all Characters are equipped with a Harvesting Tool and a Glider (both default models, with some exceptions). The Character will use the Harvesting Tool to break a player's builds if it is blocking their path and will use their Glider if they are sent high into the air and allow Glider Redeploy.
Interacting with a Neutral character will provide the player with a Gift. This gift can range from a stack of Bandages, to a Legendary weapon.
Functions[]
Neutral and Static Characters, as well as Phones can have the ability to several of the following tasks for the player, each of which cost bars (except for conversation). Phones will only display quests, whereas Static characters will only display one or two functions.
| List of Functions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Icon | Description | Notes |
| Purchase Item |  |
Gives the player a selected item. | Characters will have a certain Stock of items, which is shared with every player in the lobby. |
| Bounty |  |
Initates a Bounty. | This function has since been replaced by Bounty Boards. |
| Duel |  |
Duel the character for a weapon. | Turns the character Hostile. Weapons are usually Epic rarity. |
| Hire Character |  |
Hire the Character to fight alongside you and eliminate other players. Players can give commands to hired Characters. In team based game modes, hired Characters can revive downed teammates. | Hired Characters will teleport to the player if the distance between them becomes too great. |
| Locate |  |
Locates a certain Item. | Marks all items in a large radius around the player, as if they had marked them themselves.
This function has been retired. |
| Quest |  |
Receive a Quest that grants Bars. | Quests could also be started by a Phone Booth.
This function has been retired. |
| Upgrade Weapon |  |
Upgrades your current Weapon to the next rarity. | Upgrade Benches now serve the same purpose.
This function has been retired. |
| Activate Rift |  |
Activates a Rift. | This will instantly teleport the player and nearby players into the sky. Characters do not come with you. |
| Activate Prop Disguise |  |
Disguise as a Prop. | Players get no control over which prop they are turned into. If turned into a Slurp Barrel, you will gain  10 Health or Shield when unproped.
|
| Patch Up |  |
Heal 50 Health. | Mending Machines also provide this service. |
| Mass Supply Drop |  |
Activate mass Supply Drops in The Storm Circle. | This function has been retired. |
| Small Tip |  |
500 Bars Disposal.
Upon tipping, the message "[Username] generously tipped the bus driver!" will appear in the elimination feed. |
The player receives nothing for doing this. |
| Large Tip |  |
4,000 Bars Disposal. | Upon tipping, the message "[Username] very generously tipped the bus driver!" will appear in the elimination feed.
The player receives nothing for doing this. |
| Conversation |  |
Start a conversation with the Character. | Usually included in Quest stages. |
| Reveal Future Storm Circle |  |
Reveal the future Storm Circle. | The Storm Circle will appear on the player's minimap as a Gold Ring.
This function has been retired and its function was taken by the Forecast Towers. |
| Reveal Nearby Chests |  |
Mark nearby Chests. | Marks all nearby Chest containers.
This function has been retired. |
| Reveal Nearby Character |  |
Mark a nearby Character. | Marks all characters in a large radius around the player, as if they had marked them themselves.
This function has been retired. |
| Reveal Nearby Cars |  |
Mark nearby Cars. | Marks all Cars in a large radius around the player, as if they had marked them themselves.
This function has been retired |
| Reveal Nearby Motorboats |  |
Mark nearby Motorboats. | Marks all Motorboats in a large radius around the player, as if they had marked them themselves.
This function has been retired. |
Special Dialogue[]
Characters will often have Special Dialogue with the player depending on different factors:
| Types of Special Dialogue | ||
|---|---|---|
| Variable | Description | Example |
| First Encounter | Dialogue will usually be different on first interaction. | "Call me "John" if you're friendly, or "Lieutenant" if you wanna be taught a lesson." - Lt. John Llama |
| Wearing Specific outfits | Dialogue can change based on which Outfit a player is wearing. | "Look who it is...". - Beef Boss, when the player is Tomatohead. |
| Locations Visited | Dialogue can change based on locations recently visited, in the same match. | "Ugh. You reek of sniff sniff patty-stink. Better hope the boss doesn't find out you went there." - Crustina after visiting The Durrr Burger. |
| Bars | Dialogue can change based on the amount of Bars the player has. | "Put all those Bars in the trunk and let's drive." - Marigold when the player has more than 2,000 Bars. |
| Time | Dialogue can change based on the amount of time since the player last played. | "Been so long since I last saw ya, ha, I thought maybe you'd gotten out! Guess not.." - Bunker Jonesy after the player has not played for 7 days. |
| Earned Accolade | Earning weapon accolades will change Vending Machine dialogue for the specific Vending Machine. | "You... really know how to handle one of these, huh?" - Assault Weapon Vending Machine after earning AR Specialist. |
| Knock Down | Knocking over a Vending Machine using a Saucer or Gravitron will cause the Machine have new dialogue. | "Please, I've got kids! One's a gumball machine, and the other's a newspaper box!" - Assault Weapon Vending Machine after knocking it over. |
| Emote | Using specific emotes near Vending Machines will cause different dialogue to be shown. | "A HUG? From my BFF?! You made me the happiest little llama on this whole island." - Mending Machine after using the Bear Hug emote near it. |
Trivia[]
- Characters can use Outfits that are unreleased to the player. Examples include Kyle.
- The Cube Assassin, Gunnar, and the Huntmaster Saber used to follow this rule before they were eventually released as outfits.
- Boss AI have returned as Characters in later seasons. Examples are Kit, Brutus, Jules, and Skye.
- Kit offered a Heavy Assault Rifle to the player, likely as a reference to Meowscles' Peow Peow Rifle.
- Skye offered the Wings of Icarus, as a nod towards Ollie.
- The Mandalorian, Ruckus, Predator, Doctor Slone, and Zyg and Choppy are AI Bosses that attack players on sight and cannot be talked to, though they are classified as Characters in the Character Collection Book.
- Raz is the first Character to become a Boss, while also being both a Boss (The Spire) and a Character (Colossal Crops) at the same time.
- Orelia is the first hostile Character to have Boss music and the only Character to be in Battle Lab.
- Characters will spawn in all standard Battle Royale modes, as well as Team Rumble.