Rumors about Epic Games bringing a first-person mode to Fortnite have been swirling for quite long time now. Some datamined reports from 2023 even claimed that the long-awaited feature would land during the year as a major overhaul to the enormous free-to-play sensation that is Fortnite B attle Royale. Today, Epic Games confirmed the first-person rumors, but the release isn't coming to the Battle Royale, at least for now.
The new perspective will debut in Fortnite Ballistic, a brand new early access mode that's launching on December 11. Apart from being a first-person experience, it will also offer much more tactical gameplay by being a round-based 5v5 competitive game mode akin to titles like Valve's Counter-Strike 2 or Riot Games' Valorant. Epic says it will be an adrenaline-filled mode that requires "strategy, tactical teamwork, and individual prowess" to gain victory.
Fortnite first person
Here's how the studio describes the arm and disarm mode's gameplay, which should be familiar to competitive FPS players:
In Ballistic, players are sorted into two teams at the start of the match: attackers and defenders. Attackers aim to plant a reality-tearing Rift Point Device at one of two sites on the map, while defenders do their best to thwart the device from being planted and detonated.
There are no respawns in Ballistic — a round is over if the Rift Point Device explodes, or either team is fully eliminated. After 6 rounds, players will swap sides, giving defenders a chance to be attackers and vice-versa. The game is over when either team has won 7 rounds total!
Elements like a per-match economy system that rewards both individual performances and teamplay, a shop to purchase weapons, shields, and throwables at the start of rounds, and varied weapons for different ranges and gameplay styles are incoming too. Find full details on the altered features, weapons, gadgets, ranked and unranked playlists, and more over here in the official blog.
Fortnite first person
The no-build Fortnite Ballistic mode will have just one map, Skyline 10, when it goes live next week on December 11 across all platforms, with more arenas currently in development at Epic.