Epic Games has just surprised fans with the reveal of Fortnite Ballistic, an upcoming 5v5 tactical first-person competitive game mode launching next week on the popular Battle Royale game. Due to debut in early access on December 11, Fortnite Ballistic will release with a single map (Skyline 10), a starting set of weapons and a limited number of items. Epic plans to add more content and make changes based on player's feedback post-launch.
At the beginning of a Fortnite Ballistic match, players are divided into attackers and defenders, like in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, for example. Before the start, they can choose one of five Flex Gadgets to use during the match. Attackers have the goal of planting a reality-shattering Rift Point Device at one of two locations on the map, while defenders must foil their plan at all costs. A round is over when the Rift Point Device explodes or one of the teams is completely eliminated. After six rounds, players switch sides. The session ends when one team has won a total of 7 rounds.
In Fortnite Ballistic, players can buy their chosen gadget and keep two of their Flex Gadgets in their inventory each round. These cannot be dropped or picked up by other players. When used correctly, Flex Gadgets can make a difference in the outcome of a round. A few examples: plant booby traps with the Proximity Mine, shield the team with the Bubble Shield, mark nearby enemies with the Recon Grenade, and flush out foes with the Frag Grenade or Impulse Grenade.
From the get-go, players will get to pick between Unranked and Ranked matches. The former option offers a more casual experience and provides backfill for players who drop out of matches. Ranked play, on the other hand, is for those who want to test their skills against other players in a competitive environment where the winning team gains rank and the losing team loses rank. Moreover, Ranked matches are not backfilled. Players who leave ranked matches will receive a rank penalty and will not be able to join another match for a period of time. Matchmaking in Ranked Fortnite Ballistic will be based on a party's average rank.
What do you think about this new mode? Does it interest you, or will you stick to the permanently returned Fortnite OG?
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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