Fortnite Ballistic – Everything You Need To Know

Introduction

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After dominating the Battle Royale genre for more than half a decade, Epic Games has decided to dip its toes into another widely popular genre—tactical shooters. While the tactical shooter space is largely held by two games, VALORANT and CS2, Epic Games wants to get a piece of the pie with their new mode called Fortnite Ballistic.

Ballistic is a competitive, team-based mode that emphasizes strategy, precision, and cooperation. This mode caters to players looking for a more focused and tactical experience within the Fortnite universe.

What is Fortnite Ballistic Mode?

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Fortnite Ballistic Mode is Epic Games’ attempt to make a tactical shooter within Fortnite. It’s a 5v5 match between attackers and defenders, where the attackers try to plant a bomb and the defenders attempt to stop them. It’s the same CS2 formula we all are aware of, only built within Fortnite’s game world.

The mode is still in early access, so the game mode is quite basic at the moment. The only mode that’s available right now is the bomb plant/defuse mode.  

How the Mode Works

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At the beginning of each match, players are equipped with just a basic pistol and 800 credits. These credits form the backbone of the mode’s economy system. During the Buy Phase, you can spend these credits on more powerful weapons and gadgets such as shields, smoke grenades, and flashbangs. Credits are earned through eliminations, planting or defusing the Rift Point Device (bomb), or winning rounds.

The match itself follows the classic Search and Destroy formula. If you are the attacker, you have to plant the bomb and guard it until it explodes. If you are defending, you have to stop the attackers from planting the bomb by killing all of them. Alternatively, if they succeed in planting the bomb, you have to defuse it.

This is exactly like VALORANT and CS2, but Fortnite Ballistic is a bit more fast-paced than those games.

The Map: Skyline 10

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Ballistic currently features a single map named Skyline 10. This is an urban battleground meticulously crafted to encourage tactical gameplay. At the time of writing, there is only one map but there will be more maps in the future.

Skyline 10 is a small map with two sites. As far as the layout goes, it’s as standard as a map gets in tactical shooters. You have an attacker’s spawn, a defender spawn, two sites connected by various routes, and a middle separating the two.

Players who have played Counter-Strike or VALORANT will feel very much at home in this map.

Weapons and Gadgets

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Like in other tactical shooters, you have a couple of choices when it comes to your arsenal. You’ve got shotguns, pistols, snipers, SMGs, and rifles. As for gadgets, you have your classic grenades including a smoke grenade, a flash, and an HE grenade. Players can also buy shields.

Fortnite Ballistic strays from the regular tac shooter path with its gunplay. This is quite different from the standard tactical shooters. For instance, gunplay in CS2 and VALORANT is quite reliant on counter-strafing and standing still when you’re shooting.

Fortnite Ballistic’s gunplay, on the other hand, is more resembling of games like COD and Apex. The guns are more forgiving, and you can outsmart players with your movement. 

The gunplay is almost exactly like Fortnite Battle Royale, with some minor differences. You’re in first-person view, for starters. On top of that, all weapons in Fortnite Ballistic are hitscan.

Modes

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Fortnite Ballistic caters to all players by offering both ranked and unranked modes. Ranked Mode is for those seeking a competitive experience, where matchmaking prioritizes balancing skill levels. Players’ performances in ranked matches directly affect their rank, creating a high-stakes environment where every win and loss matters. 

For those looking to enjoy the mode without pressure, Unranked Mode offers the same gameplay experience but without the added stress of ranks. This mode is ideal for casual gameplay and beginners. 

Both options provide players with opportunities to experience Ballistic in a way that suits their preferred playstyle. 

Gameplay Mechanics

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Ballistic’s gameplay draws heavily from tactical shooters like VALORANT and Counter-Strike, emphasizing skillful gunplay.

A match is divided into rounds, where teams either try to plant the bomb or prevent that from happening. At half time, teams swap over to the other side. The first team to reach the required amount of rounds wins.

You win a round by eliminating all enemy players. When attacking, you can also win a round by planting and detonating the bomb. When defending, you can win a round by defusing a planted bomb, or by letting the round timer run out before the attackers have managed to plant the bomb or eliminate all defenders.

In Fortnite Ballistic, you have a lot of movement options like sprinting, sliding, and vaulting. This makes the gameplay feel a bit more fluid and fast-moving than traditional tac shooters like CS2 and VALORANT. Fortnite Ballistic aims to feel a bit less like a chess match and more like a faster-paced shooting-first type of game.

The Future of Ballistic

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As Ballistic gains popularity, Epic Games has hinted at future updates to expand the mode’s content. New maps, weapons, and gadgets are expected, adding variety and keeping the gameplay fresh. 

The competitive community surrounding Ballistic is also likely to grow, with tournaments and leaderboards becoming key aspects of its ecosystem.

For now, there’s no official roadmap or anything like that for the game.

Conclusion

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Ballistic represents a bold evolution for Fortnite, merging the game’s iconic style with the depth of tactical shooters. Whether you’re a fan of Fortnite’s creative gameplay or a newcomer drawn to the strategic challenge, Ballistic offers an engaging and rewarding experience. It’ll be exciting to see how far Epic Games can take this brand new mode.