Explosive Weapons

Explosive Weapons
The Rocket Launcher, one of the various Explosive Weapons.

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	Rockets	Fires a slow moving explosive rocket.
		Uncommon
		Rare
		Epic
		Legendary
Pumpkin Launcher		Uncommon	Rockets	Seasonal version of the Rocket Launcher.
		Rare
		Epic
		Legendary
Quad Launcher		Epic	Rockets	Fires up to four explosive projectiles before reloading.
		Legendary
Burst Quad Launcher		Exotic	Rockets	Exotic version of the Quad Launcher. Fires two rockets per shot.
Guided Missile		Epic	Rockets	Removed Launcher. Missiles controlled by the player.
		Legendary
Grenade Launcher		Rare	Rockets	Shoots grenades which explode on a timer.
		Epic
		Legendary
Shockwave Launcher		Legendary	Rockets	A weapon that launches Shockwave Grenades.
Kit's Shockwave Launcher		Mythic	Rockets	Shockwave Launcher carried by the Kit AI.
Snowball Launcher		Uncommon	Rockets	Seasonal Version of the Grenade Launcher. Grenades explode on impact.
		Rare
		Epic
		Legendary
The Big Chill		Exotic	Rockets	Exotic version of the Snowball Launcher. Freezes player's feet.
Egg Launcher		Uncommon	Rockets	Seasonal Version of the Grenade Launcher. Grenades stick to surfaces.
		Rare
		Epic
		Legendary
Proximity Grenade Launcher		Epic	Rockets	Projectiles explode in proximity to players.
		Legendary
Recycler		Rare	Junk Ammo	Harvests resources as ammo.
		Epic
		Legendary
Spire Assassin's Recycler		Mythic	Junk Ammo	Recycler carried by the Spire Assassin AI.
Alien Knockgun Launcher		Legendary	None	Projectiles knock back opponents in a radius.
Plasma Cannon		Legendary	Plasma Ammo	Shoots a large energy ball which pierces structures and damages enemies.
Anvil Rocket Launcher		Rare	Rockets	Locks onto and does extra damage to vehicles.
		Epic
		Legendary
Other Modes
Chitauri Energy Launcher		Mythic	Energy Ammo	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	Energy Ammo	Fortnite: Creative exclusive. Covers surrounding area in cinematic paint.

Strategy Guide

The risk was calculated... but man am I bad at math.

This section outlines a strategy. Feel free to add tips, tricks and general advice about the topic.

• 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.