Fortnite has become a titan of the gaming world for both casual and competitive gamers. Even if you haven’t tried Fortnite, chances are you’ve probably heard of it. The game was formally announced in 2011 as a game conceptualized as a survival game above all else.
When early access debuted in 2017, the game had undergone considerable changes from when it was announced. Fortnite’s original concept was much darker and included zombies and gore. Instead, what the world got was a family-friendly, free-to-play game that was heavily influenced by PUBG and, for some inexplicable reason, a paid beta.
The initial response was mild, receiving a score of 6.5 on IGN. The game was far away from becoming the household name it is today. Once the game enabled cross-platform play and caught the attention of big names like Drake and Ninja, Fortnite started to pick up traction.
Twitch streaming brought the game into the limelight and has helped it stay there. Within a few months, everyone was talking about Fortnite, even if you weren’t playing it.
The history of Fortnite is fascinating, and all these years later, it’s also built out a name for itself in the eSports scene.
But how does the game work, especially for competitive play? If you’re someone who thinks it’s too late to learn or you’re too afraid to ask, here’s some background to help you understand all the ways this popular game is played.
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Understanding Fornite General Gameplay and Competitive Ruleset
One of the more daunting aspects of Fortnite is the countless games to play within the world. But the battle royale game format is probably the game mode most people think of when they think of Fortnite.
In this mode 100 players are dropped onto a map with limited resources. The goal is to gather resources, weapons, and other materials to survive and outlast other players. The last player standing wins the game.
Players can destroy parts of the map for resources, and building with these resources is an important feature of playing the game. You can also create basic structures for extra protection from other players, and you can continue to fortify your defenses as the game continues.
After Fortnite’s initial introduction, the No-Build game mode was introduced, where player buildiing is disabled. This mode has grown in popularity as it allows for faster-paced games and more intense showdowns. In No-Build, you’ll quickly find that defense is the best offense.
The Creative game mode lets the imagination of the players run wild. This mode allows you to create islands with games you can play with your friends or share online.
You can also choose from thousands of custom games created by other players in the database. Save the World is a PVE-focused game that still allows cooperative play, as you protect the world from hordes of dangerous monsters called Husks.
Fortnite and Epic Games like to bring in pop culture partnerships to add richness to the world, including Thanos, Marshmallow, and even Travis Scott. All gameplay modes are detailed on the Epic Games website to give you a better idea of how they operate.
Fortnite competitions take place regularly, with one generally occurring at least once a month. Any news about competitive games is posted online, so you can plan and prepare for any upcoming tournaments.
The events are also usually cross-platform and can be entered on PC or console, but console players are at a distinct disadvantage due to hardware limitations. Because PC has a leg up on other platforms, a few console or mobile-only tournaments have popped up to counteract the PC’s dominance.
Each Fortnite competition has its own ruleset that hobbyist gamers may not be familiar with. It’s a good idea to make sure you understand the ruleset unique to the event you’re signing up for.
In most tournaments, players compete for points, which they rack up by completing objectives, but the main goal is still eliminating other players and surviving the longest, as that will net the most points.
A “Storm Zone” that saps HP will force any surviving players close to each other to up the ante in the game and eventually force them to find a way to outlast the other competitors.
Fortnite Champions Series
Have you ever wondered what goes into setting up a Fortnite competitive league and how the eSport is operated? We have the answers.
Epic Games operates Fortnite as a competitive eSport. The FNCS, or Fortnite Champions Series, is the biggest event in the game.
The open format allows all players to compete, but the competition will eventually come down to the top-tier players.
The FNCS follows the same rules as most competitive Fortnite tournaments, but with teams competing against one another. Even though this series is open to any player, you’ll still need to pass the qualifiers to make it in.
Once you’ve reached Champion League in Arena mode, you can qualify for the Champion Series. The series rounds out with three sessions of semi-finals to qualify for the in-person final, the FNCS invitational.
Groups of duos and trios have been accepted in the past, but duos are considered the more classic format in competitive Fortnite. The 2022 tournament prize pool was over $3 million.
In these high-level games, there’s a lot to play for and a lot at stake in the FNCS. You can find the official rules for the FNCS on the Epic Games website.
In Fortnite, Epic Games has created a game for everyone, and this philosophy extends into their eSports community. With their largest competition available to everyone and constant updates to competitions with unique rulesets and diverse gameplay experiences, Epic Games has shown interest in cultivating an ever-expanding player base.
Because of this, the Fortnite eSports scene is still growing, offering more opportunities to more people to test their mettle against the most skilled players from around the globe.
I hope you enjoyed this informative post about Fortnite and its rise to competitive glory. If you have any questions, insights, tips, or experiences about Fortnite competitive play, please share them in the comments!
