Ballistic

Type	Core Gamemode
Release Date	December 11th 2024
Win Condition	Win 7 Rounds (4 in Test Grounds) Attackers: Plant the Rift Point Device and detonate it, or eliminate all Defenders Defenders: Stop the Attackers, either that be by eliminating all attackers or by defusing the rift point device after it is planted.
Players Per Team	5
Max Players	10

“

Test your talents in a competitive arena. Compete in round-based, first-person 5v5 tactical gameplay in Ballistic—Early Access. Eliminate the competition and plant or defuse the Rift Point Device to earn credits and enhance your loadout. Purchase upgraded weapons and Flex Gadgets during the buy phase at the beginning of each round. The team that wins seven rounds will claim victory!

”

— In-Game Description

Ballistic is a PvP (Player versus Player) mode in Fortnite that was released in Early Access on December 11th 2024. It is a first-person round-based tactical shooter pitting two teams of 5 players against each other in an enclosed map. The attacking team aims to plant a Rift Point Device in one of two spots on the map and detonate it, while the defending team has to stop them.

Gameplay

Starting a Match

The Flex Gadgets that players can select.

Players are split into two teams: attackers and defenders. At the start of each match, players are granted 800 Credits and a Ranger Pistol. Players can then choose one of nine Flex Gadgets to use during the match: the Proximity Mine, Bubble Shield, Recon Grenade, Frag Grenade, Impulse Grenade, Fire Grenade, Overdrive, Med-Mist Smoke Grenade and The Wall. These Flex Gadgets are unique for each team member, meaning no two teammates can share the same flex gadget, and choosing them is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Flex Gadgets cannot be swapped out after the match has started.

Buy Phase

Every round begins with a 25-second intermission where players are able to stock up on their loadout using their Credits. Purchasable items include Assault Rifles, Shotguns, Submachine Guns, Sniper Rifles, Pistols, Smoke Grenades, and Flashbangs. Only one Primary weapon can be equipped alongside a Sidearm. Shields can be purchased with Credits, which cap out at 50.

During this time, the Rift Point Device sits in the attackers' spawn area, and a player can elect themselves to become the carrier by picking it up.

Players are not allowed to leave their spawn area for the entire duration of the buying phase; once the round begins, the rest of the map is made accessible.

Combat

Some of the weapons in Ballistic.

Ballistic is set entirety in the first-person point-of-view, and does not feature building. You can drop weapons and items for teammates, and pick them up from eliminated players.

Chokepoints are a common sight in Ballistic, making close encounters tense. Use Flex Gadgets like the Recon Grenade to mark the enemy players through walls, and Flashbangs to disorientate players to make way for an assault. It is not recommended to rush into battle; it takes a few bullets to eliminate players, with headshots dealing critical damage. Therefore, players are conditioned to be cautious with their movements, using stealth, the element of surprise, and their surrounding environment to their advantage.

Rounds last for 1 minute and 45 seconds, but the timer can be stopped if the attackers plant the Rift Point Device, after which the 45-second detonation sequence begins. If a carrier gets eliminated, another player on the attacking team can become the next carrier by picking up the dropped Rift Point Device.

If you get eliminated, you lose all the gear you possess and will not be able to respawn until the next round. Surviving players keep their existing gear and shields for the following round. After 6 rounds, attackers and defenders switch positions, with Credits and items being reset.

Win Conditions

The Rift Point Device that can be planted by the attackers, and defused by defenders.

In Ballistic, the first team to win 7 rounds (4 in Test Grounds) will come out victorious. A single match can last a total of 13 rounds (7 in Test Grounds).

The attacking team wins a round by either:

• Eliminating all defenders.
• Planting the Rift Point Device and detonating it. Attackers can still win by detonating the device even if their entire team is eliminated.

The defending team wins a round by either:

• Eliminating all attackers before they plant the Rift Point Device.
• Defusing the Rift Point Device during the detonation sequence.
• If regulation time expires.

When detonated, the Rift Point Device will produce a large explosion that will eliminate anybody caught in the blast radius. Taking cover behind a wall or hiding within Bubble Shield are ineffective. In addition, players can still be eliminated by enemy fire after a round ends.

After completing 3 rounds, both teams can request a Vote to Surrender, by pressing the interact key while viewing the Scoreboard. In the next Buy Phase, the vote will commence. Atleast half of the team needs to agree for the vote to succeed. Team who surrenders will automatically lose the match.

Early Access

When in early access, Ballistic has five maps (three of which are currently in their shell form), with a roster of 15 weapons and 9 flex gadgets.

Ranked Mode and Leaver Penalties

Ranked is the competitive mode for Ballistic. Unlike in Battle Royale and Reload, Ranked Ballistic matchmaking is based on the average rank of the entire party and not the highest-ranking player. Ballistic supports parties of up to 5 players. Ranks will reset at the start of each R&D Season (short for Refine and Design Season).

Disconnected players have a 3-minute window to reconnect to the match, otherwise they will receive a rank penalty and a temporary ban from Ballistic. The ban length escalates with each offense that is committed within 12 hours of the previous offense:

• First - 1 minute
• Second - 10 minutes
• Third - 30 minutes
• Fourth - 1 hour
• Fifth - 2 hours
• Sixth - 6 hours
• Seventh onwards - 12 hours

Penalties only start to wind down to the previous tier after every 12 hours without a match abandonment offense.

Available Items

List of Items Available in Ballistic

Sidearms Ranger Pistol 0 Hand Cannon 800 Machine Pistol 500 Ranger Pistol 0 Hand Cannon 800 Machine Pistol 500 Shotguns Frenzy Auto Shotgun 1,500 Hammer Pump Shotgun 900 Frenzy Auto Shotgun 1,500 Hammer Pump Shotgun 900 Rifles Enforcer AR 2,000 Nemesis AR 2,700 Striker AR 2,700 Burst AR 2,300 Enforcer AR 2,000 Nemesis AR 2,700 Striker AR 2,700 Burst AR 2,300 SMGs Thunder Burst SMG 1,100 Hyper SMG 1,800 Drum Gun 3,200 Veiled Precision SMG 2,300 Thunder Burst SMG 1,100 Hyper SMG 1,800 Drum Gun 3,200 Veiled Precision SMG 2,300 Ranged Reaper Sniper Rifle 4,500 Sovereign Sniper 1,500 Reaper Sniper Rifle 4,500 Sovereign Sniper 1,500 Consumables Flashbang 300 Smoke Grenade 300 Flashbang 300 Smoke Grenade 300 Shields Instant Shield 500 Instant Shield 500 Flex Gadgets Frag Grenade Recon Grenade Proximity Mine Bubble Shield Impulse Grenade Fire Grenade Overdrive Med-Mist Smoke Grenade The Wall Frag Grenade Recon Grenade Proximity Mine Bubble Shield Impulse Grenade Fire Grenade Overdrive Med-Mist Smoke Grenade The Wall Other Rift Point Device Credits Rift Point Device Credits Removed DL-44 Blaster Pistol 0 DL-44 Blaster Pistol 0 Unreleased Instant Large Shield Instant Large Shield

Update History

Update v33.10 - Fortnite Goes First Person

• December 11th 2024: Introduced Ballistic (Ranked and Unranked) and the Skyline 10 map.

Update v33.30 - The Drum Gun Hits Ballistic

• Introduced 1 new Weapon: Drum Gun.
• Adjusted stats of the Hammer Pump Shotgun, Frenzy Auto Shotgun and Reaper Sniper Rifle.
• Adjusted price of the Hyper SMG, Frenzy Auto Shotgun and Reaper Sniper Rifle.

Update v34.10 - Early Access Development Update

• Adjusted stats of the Drum Gun.
• Matches will now start only after the lobby is full.

Update v34.20 - Balance Changes and More

• Adjusted stats of the Hammer Pump Shotgun, Frenzy Auto Shotgun, Thunder Burst SMG, Striker AR, Drum Gun, Smoke Grenade, Recon Grenade and Bubble Shield.
• Adjusted price of the Striker AR, Nemesis AR, Drum Gun and Reaper Sniper Rifle.

Update v34.30 - Test Grounds Update #1

• Introduced Ballistic Test Grounds playlist, replacing Unranked Ballistic.
• Introduced 2 new Shell Maps to Test Grounds: Hammer Fall and Storm Chaser Cove.
• Introduced 2 new Weapons: Burst AR and Sovereign Sniper.
• Introduced 2 new Flex Gadgets: Overdrive and Fire Grenade.
• R&D Season 1 begins.

April 9th 2025

• Added Hammer Fall and Storm Chaser Cove to Ranked.
• Test Grounds are now a best-of-four instead of best-of-seven.
• Adjusted stats of the Hammer Pump Shotgun and Frenzy Auto Shotgun.

Update v35.00

• Adjusted layout of Hammer Fall.

Update v35.10 - Test Grounds Update #2

• Introduced 1 new Shell Map to Test Grounds and Ranked: Cinderwatch.
• Introduced 1 new Weapon: DL-44 Blaster Pistol, replacing the Ranger Pistol.
• Introduced the Sidearms Slot, Hand Cannon now occupies that slot.
• Introduced Vote-to-Surrender.
• Reworked Flex Gadgets. They are now given at the start of each round.
• Adjusted layout of Storm Chaser Cove.
• Adjusted stats of the Overdrive.
• Adjusted price of the Burst AR, Flashbang and Smoke Grenade.

Update v35.20

• Temporarily disabled the Test Grounds playlist.

Update v36.00

• Unvaulted the Ranger Pistol.
• Vaulted the DL-44 Blaster Pistol.

Update v36.10 - K-Zone Commons Update

• Introduced 1 new Shell Map to Ranked: K-Zone Commons.
• Introduced 1 new Weapon: Machine Pistol.
• Introduced 1 new Flex Gadget: Med-Mist Smoke Grenade.
• Introduced Pre-Game Warmup Phase.
• Introduced Pre-Match Team Balancing.
• All weapons now have a 0.8x leg damage multiplier.
• R&D Season 2 begins.

Update v37.10 - Hammer Fall Art Update

• Completed environmental art for Hammer Fall.
• Introduced 1 new Weapon: Veiled Precision SMG.
• Introduced 1 new Flex Gadget: The Wall.
• Introduced Buy Phase Refunds.
• Introduced Auto-Surrender.
• Adjusted layout of Hammer Fall, Storm Chaser Cove and K-Zone Commons.
• Removed movement accuracy penalty while aiming down sights and increased recoil on most weapons.
• Adjusted stats of the Reaper Sniper Rifle and Med-Mist Smoke Grenade.
• R&D Season 3 begins.

Trivia

• The codename for Ballistic is "Feral".
• For the most part, Ballistic features non-modular variants of weapons that were introduced in Chapter 5, and come pre-installed with mods, despite Ballistic not featuring any weapon modding. However, you can see the mods on the items when they are dropped.
• This is the first appearance of the Smoke Grenade since Chapter 1 in a non-OG setting.
• This marks the first instance of a first-person mode being implemented, instead of the usual third-person perspective.
• The theme for Ballistic, First Person, can be obtained through Season 7's Music Pass.

Gallery

• Promotional Images
• Other
• Branding

Promotional Images

Fortnite Ballistic Cinematic Teaser

Fortnite Ballistic Test Grounds Launch - Overview Trailer

Fortnite Ballistic Test Grounds Update -2

Fortnite Ballistic - K-Zone Commons - NEW Update

Teaser

Other

Playlist Image (C6S1)

Ranked Playlist Image from v35.10 to v36.10

Ranked Playlist Image from v36.10 to v37.10

Branding

Logo

Alternative Logo

French Logo