Fortnite is finally adding a ranked mode.
Ranked mode is for both Battle Royale and Zero Build.
The ranked option will be available in Fortnite v24.40.
The start of the new ranked mode in Fortnite will be the start of Season Zero. Season Zero lasts until the end of Chapter 4 Season 3.
Your starting Battle Royale rank and Zero Build rank are based on your past performance and your performance in your first ranked match.
For both Battle Royale and Zero Build, you’ll only need to play 1 ranked match to find out your rank.
Ranked will start off with the following game modes supported:
Battle Royale:
- Solo
- Duo
- Squads
Zero Build:
- Duos
You’ll have separate ranks for Battle Royale and Zero Build.
Ranked will be a separate option from the standard modes, and players will be matched against opponents of a similar rank.
There will be a leaderboard and exclusive rewards for the ranked mode. Fortnite is making some balance changes to prepare for the new mode.
Read on to learn more about the new Fortnite ranked mode.
What are the different ranks?
The ranks span across the following (from lowest to highest):
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Diamond
- Elite
- Champion
- Unreal
Bronze to Diamond will have 3 ranks (III, II, and I). But Elite, Champion, and Unreal have only one.
So you would advance from Bronze III, to Bronze II, to Bronze I, and then to Silver III, and so on.
Once you reach Elite, you’ll be competing against other highly-skilled players. And you’ll have the chance to advance to Champion and finally to Unreal.
If you reach Unreal, then you’ll stay in Unreal for the entire ranked season. So you can’t go back to previous ranks for the rest of that season, no matter how poorly you play.
Players in Unreal will be given a number to show their rank against other Unreal players across the world.
You can see your Unreal position in Battle Royale and Zero Build on the Fortnite ranked leaderboard.
How does ranking up work?
If you have ranked mode enabled, then you’ll see your current rank.
You’ll also see a progress bar showing how close you are to advancing to the next rank or returning to the previous rank.
How much the progress bar changes after a match depends on the following:
- Your match placements
- The number of eliminations you (or your team) got in the match
Note that eliminations later in the match will count more than eliminations earlier in the match.
Also, the ranks of the players you or your team eliminated will be taken into account.
So if you’re a Diamond I player and you eliminate a Silver II player, then this will count less than eliminating a higher rank player.
Teams are treated as a single entity.
In other words, all the players in a team gain or lose progress equally, based on the team placements and eliminations.
How does ranked matchmaking work?
If you’re playing solos, then the matchmaking is simple. You’ll be matched against opponents of a similar rank to you.
But it’s a bit more complicated in duos or squads.
For duos or squads, your team will have a party rank.
Your party rank is equivalent to the rank of your highest-ranked teammate, and then your team is matched against teams with a similar party rank.
For example, if you had a squad made up of the following players’ ranks:
- Silver I
- Silver II
- Gold II
- Gold I
Then your team’s rank is determined by the highest-ranked player, which is Gold I in the above example.
So this team would matchmake as a Gold I team, and match against similarly ranked teams.
The difference between ranked and non-ranked games
You have the option to turn ranked on or off.
If you have ranked turned on, then you’ll be placed against other players that have ranked enabled. You’ll also be able to progress through the ranks, as explained above.
The following balance changes will also be made for the ranked mode:
- Material caps decreased from 999 to 500
- Harvesting rates slightly increased
- Players will drop 50 of each material when they are eliminated
You can expect all the loot and other gameplay features in the normal game mode.
Ranked mode rewards
The new ranked mode comes with exclusive rewards.
You’ll be given a “Ranked Urgent Quest”.
When you complete Ranked Urgent Quests, you’ll unlock seasonal rewards.
A new Ranked Urgent Quest is given every match, and progress doesn’t carry over between matches.
The final cosmetic reward for the first season of Fortnite ranked (Season Zero) is the Burn Bright Emote.
When you activate this emote, it will show off your current rank color (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and so on).
What ranked means for Arena and Fortnite competitive
Now that Fortnite has officially added a ranked mode, Arena will be discontinued.
The remaining tournaments for the season will not have a rank requirement, except for the Console Champions Cup. Players will need to reach Platinum I or higher to be eligible to compete in the Console Champions Cup on May 23.
But in the next season, your rank will be an eligibility factor for Fortnite official tournaments, hosted by Epic Games themselves.
The specific rank requirements for a given tournament will be listed in the official rules.
Conclusion
A ranked mode in Fortnite is a long-awaited addition for competitive players.
The ranked mode will provide a competitive environment for you to test your skills and climb the ranks.
I’m super excited that Fortnite is finally adding a ranked system.
Of course, Fortnite already had the Arena mode, but this never felt progressive or exciting enough.
Now that Fortnite has a serious ranked mode similar to other competitive games, it makes me want to play and get better and climb the ranks.
For sure this is going to be interesting, and it’s definitely going to have its problems at first.
But it’s going to be interesting to see how this impacts Fortnite’s popularity in the long term.
Are you going to be playing the new Fortnite ranked mode?