Explosive Weapons are a type of weapon in Fortnite: Battle Royale. The purpose of these weapons is for a variety of different ranged combat. All Explosive Weapons use Rockets, except for the Party Royale Paint Launcher, which uses an exclusive Paint ammo, Recycler, which uses
Junk Ammo sucked up from the local environment, and Plasma Cannon which uses
Plasma Ammo.
Functionality
Explosive Weapons fill the role of a variety of different weapon ranges, depending on which explosive weapon is being used and for what purpose. All explosive weapons deal Splash Damage, meaning that from where the projectile lands, there will be a small spherical radius surrounding which will also deal damage. Explosive Weapons excel in Structure Damage, and many of them have different statistics for player versus structure damages. Players are also able to hurt themselves with Explosive Weapons, which limits their close range capabilities.
Some Explosive Weapons also have the unique mechanic of 'Rocket Riding' which allows a player to stand atop an explosive projectile and follow along with it until it detonates in the air or on a surface.
Other Explosive Weapons such as Kit's Shockwave Launcher and the Paint Launchers deal no damage to structures or players, as their uses are either for mobility, or for fun.
List of Weaponry
Name | Image | Rarities | Ammo Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Standard Playlists | ||||
Rocket Launcher | Common | ![]() |
Fires a slow moving explosive rocket. | |
Uncommon | ||||
Rare | ||||
Epic | ||||
Legendary | ||||
Pumpkin Launcher | Uncommon | ![]() |
Seasonal version of the Rocket Launcher. | |
Rare | ||||
Epic | ||||
Legendary | ||||
Quad Launcher | Epic | ![]() |
Fires up to four explosive projectiles before reloading. | |
Legendary | ||||
Burst Quad Launcher | Exotic | ![]() |
Exotic version of the Quad Launcher. Fires two rockets per shot. | |
Guided Missile | Epic | ![]() |
Removed Launcher. Missiles controlled by the player. | |
Legendary | ||||
Grenade Launcher | Rare | ![]() |
Shoots grenades which explode on a timer. | |
Epic | ||||
Legendary | ||||
Shockwave Launcher | Legendary | ![]() |
A weapon that launches Shockwave Grenades. | |
Kit's Shockwave Launcher | Mythic | ![]() |
Shockwave Launcher carried by the Kit AI. | |
Snowball Launcher | Uncommon | ![]() |
Seasonal Version of the Grenade Launcher. Grenades explode on impact. | |
Rare | ||||
Epic | ||||
Legendary | ||||
The Big Chill | Exotic | ![]() |
Exotic version of the Snowball Launcher. Freezes player's feet. | |
Egg Launcher | Uncommon | ![]() |
Seasonal Version of the Grenade Launcher. Grenades stick to surfaces. | |
Rare | ||||
Epic | ||||
Legendary | ||||
Proximity Grenade Launcher | Epic | ![]() |
Projectiles explode in proximity to players. | |
Legendary | ||||
Recycler | Rare | ![]() |
Harvests resources as ammo. | |
Epic | ||||
Legendary | ||||
Spire Assassin's Recycler | Mythic | ![]() |
Recycler carried by the Spire Assassin AI. | |
Alien Knockgun Launcher | Legendary | None | Projectiles knock back opponents in a radius. | |
Plasma Cannon | Legendary | ![]() |
Shoots a large energy ball which pierces structures and damages enemies. | |
Anvil Rocket Launcher | Rare | ![]() |
Locks onto and does extra damage to vehicles. | |
Epic | ||||
Legendary | ||||
Other Modes | ||||
Chitauri Energy Launcher | Mythic | ![]() |
Projectiles explode which deals a lot of damage. Exculsive to the Endgame LTM. | |
Orange Paint Launcher | Rare | Paint | Party Royale and Fortnite: Creative exclusive. Covers players in orange paint. | |
Purple Paint Launcher | Rare | Paint | Party Royale and Fortnite: Creative exclusive. Covers players in purple paint. | |
Cinematic Paint Launcher | Rare | ![]() |
Fortnite: Creative exclusive. Covers surrounding area in cinematic paint. |
Strategy Guide
- Most Explosive Weapons are able to damage the player, so caution is advised when firing them near yourself.
- Firing an explosive weapon, especially one with a slow projectile, can be used to destroy a wall and instantly attack those behind it. This is done by shooting a slow moving rocket or grenade, readying your other weapon, and firing as soon as the projectile destroys the wall.
- Shooting most explosive weapons under a player will allow them to 'ride' the projectile. This can be used to move players from one area to another with great speed, such as out of the storm.
- Explosive weapons are very useful in small storm circles because there will be a small area so there will be no place to opponents to hide so the rocket or grenade will not fail the shot and will easily damage opponents.
Trivia
- High Explosives an LTM which uses many of the aforementioned explosive weapons. It is also a preset for the Loot Pool in Battle Lab.
- Apart from the aforementioned weapons, the following will count towards explosives-related quests:
- Explosive Throwables, like Grenades and Proximity Mine.
- Saucer’s laser Cannon.
- Motorboat’s Rockets.
- The Common Rocket Launcher is the shortest lived Explosive Weapon, being removed in a hotfix for the Chapter 2: Season 1 release update.
- Although the Grenade Launchers do not fire rockets, but grenades, they still use Rocket Ammo for balancing reasons.