Fortnite introduces new ranked play for Battle Royale and Zero Build, offering an opportunity for players to climb ranks from Bronze to Unreal.
By: Shaun Savage - Published:
The world of Fortnite is set to get more competitive with the introduction of Fortnite v24.40, which brings the exciting new feature of Ranked Play for both Battle Royale and Zero Build modes. This latest development invites players to enable the Ranked option and embark on a journey that could see them ascend through the tiers of “Silver,” “Gold,” “Platinum,” and beyond.
The ranking system for Fortnite Battle Royale will span across eight levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Elite, Champion, and Unreal. Players will progress through three ranks within Bronze to Diamond, while Elite, Champion, and Unreal will consist of a single rank each. The objective remains the same: to continue ascending the ranks from Bronze to Unreal.
The advent of Ranked Play in v24.40 will mark the start of Ranked Season Zero, which will last until the end of Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 3. This period will serve as an opportunity for the Fortnite team to address any emerging issues, implement additional features, and fine-tune the system based on player feedback.
For players curious about their starting rank in Season Zero, it will be determined based on past match performance, as well as performance in the first Ranked Battle Royale and Ranked Zero Build matches. A single Ranked match in both Battle Royale and Zero Build is sufficient for your rank to be revealed.
Once players achieve the Unreal rank, they will retain this status for the rest of the Ranked Season, regardless of subsequent performance. Reaching Unreal also signifies a global standing among other Unreal players, with an assigned number reflecting their position. The Unreal leaderboard, which will be regularly updated on the official Fortnite website, will display players’ Epic display names and Unreal positions.
The ranking process is straightforward: players will see their current rank and a progress bar indicating their distance from the next rank in the Lobby if “Ranked” is set to “On”. The progress bar’s movement depends on match placement, the number of eliminations secured, and the ranks of the players eliminated. In team matches, all members will gain and lose progress equally, with the team’s rank determined by the highest-ranked player.
The initial rollout of Ranked Play in v24.40 will support Solo, Duos, and Squads modes in Battle Royale and Duos in Zero Build. Players will maintain separate ranks for both Battle Royale and Zero Build.
Ranked matchmaking will align Solo players with opponents of similar rank, while Duos or Squads will compete against teams with comparable ranks. Despite the existence of a party rank, individual rank progress will continue to be tracked based on personal and team performance in Duos/Squads matches.
The gameplay experience in Ranked matches will mirror that of non-ranked games, with all standard Battle Royale and Zero Build features available. However, v24.40 will introduce certain balance changes, such as reducing material caps from 999 to 500, slightly increasing harvesting rates, and having players drop 50 of each material upon elimination.
Fortnite’s Ranked Play aims to cater to both new and veteran players. To ensure new players are adequately prepared, those logging into Fortnite for the first time will need to complete a specific Quest (Outlast 500 opponents) before they can access the Ranked option.
Playing in Ranked matches offers the opportunity to unlock seasonal cosmetic rewards through completing Ranked Urgent Quests, and the final reward of Season Zero is the Burn Bright Emote, a symbol of success reflecting the player’s current rank color.
The addition of Ranked Play will lead to the discontinuation of Arena in v24.40. However, the remaining tournaments for Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 2 will not require a rank for eligibility, except for the Console Champions Cup, which will necessitate a minimum of a Platinum I rank in Ranked Battle Royale. This tournament is scheduled for May 23.
Starting from the next Battle Royale Season, player rank, along with other factors, will be considered as an eligibility requirement for Epic-hosted tournaments. This includes both cosmetic prize tournaments like the Icon Series Cups, and cash prize tournaments like FNCS competitions. The specific rank requirements for each tournament will be detailed in the official rules for the respective tournament.
