Fortnite Ballistic, the long-awaited first-person mode for Epic Games’ hit battle royale shooter Fortnite, will finally come to the game on December 11.
Epic Games first teased a first-person Fortnite mode in March, but now we have a clearer idea of how it will play. Ballistic is a round-based 5v5 mode with no respawns, similar to competitive shooters like Valorant or Spectre Divide. A team of attackers fights to plant and detonate a Rift Point Device in certain spots on the map, while defenders fight to eliminate the other team before they can do the same. While attackers and defenders will swap their roles after six rounds, Ballistic matches are a best-of-seven affair across both ranked and unranked play.
On a “buy screen” ahead of each round, players can purchase weapons and items with Credits earned through elimination and planting the Rift Point Device. Fortnite doesn’t have heroes with special abilities in the same way a game like Valorant does. Ballistic’s solution for that is Flex Gadgets like the proximity mine, bubble shield, and recon, frag, and impulse grenades that will give them an edge in battle. While Flex Gadgets do not go away upon death, weapons will, so players will need to be careful.
Please enable Javascript to view this content
Ballistic’s mode comes a year after the release of Lego Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival. These modes have some parity with purchases for the battle royale mode, but are aimed at keeping players engaged in Fortnite’s ecosystem. Specifically for Ballistic, Epic says players can equip any Fortnite outfits, back bling, kicks, wraps, sprays, or emotes they already own.
An early access version of Ballistic launches within Fortnite on December 11. At release, Skyline 10 will be the only map to play on.