Many Fortnite players have been hoping for a ranked or competitive mode to hit the game, and those players might have finally gotten their wish. Epic announced along with World Cup information that a new mode called Arena would be releasing. This mode is always on, and using it will give you a chance to qualify for weekend Online Opens. Top players of this brand new mode will unlock access to the Fortnite World Cup Online Open tournaments. In other words, if you are competitive player that has been looking for a mode that is always available to you, then this is it! Here's the official description from Epic:
This is your chance to qualify for the weekend Online Opens. Players can compete on their own schedule to try and progress to the Champion League in the brand new Arena game mode releasing in v8.20. If you can climb to the top, you’ll unlock access to the Fortnite World Cup Online Open tournaments.
While competitive players have been hoping for this, some of the more casual players have been also wishing for it. It's no secret that the skill level of the game has risen tremendously as of late, with a lot of players who participate in the game capable of building and aiming at a high level. This leaves players who are more casual out for the most part, and while they have LTMs to play, there's still some players who'd like to at least have the ability to compete in the end of a standard game of Fortnite. With this new Arena mode, there will be hope that the higher skill players might start beating each other up rather than styling on the more casual players.
Update: March 27th, 2019
The Arena Mode has been added to the game (Solos & Duos), here's some more specifics from Epic:
- Compete any time and gain ‘Hype’ to advance to higher leagues and unlock exclusive tournaments, such as the Fortnite World Cup Online Opens.
- Each League is broken up into several Divisions, with players working their way from Open League to Contender League to Champion League.
- Scoring will update from division to division, with an increasing amount of Bus Fare lost with each match at higher divisions.
- Note: Matchmaking in Arena is based on players with similar Hype. As a result, players in higher divisions may experience longer than normal wait times before a match is found.
This new mode will be available once the v8.20 patch releases! Check out the rest of the information on the World Cup:
Hey Fortnite Competitors,
We’re excited to share with you the official rules for the Fortnite World Cup! The first week of Online Opens begins on April 13 with Solo competition. The following week will feature our first Duos tournaments. We will continue to alternate back and forth with Solos and Duos for the entire 10 weeks of Online Open play.
Fortnite World Cup Online Opens
Arena Mode (Always On)
This is your chance to qualify for the weekend Online Opens. Players can compete on their own schedule to try and progress to the Champion League in the brand new Arena game mode releasing in v8.20. If you can climb to the top, you’ll unlock access to the Fortnite World Cup Online Open tournaments.
Online Open Semi-Finals (Saturdays)
Every Saturday, players who have unlocked the Online Open will have a designated three hour window of time (according to server region) to play in up to ten matches and score points. At the conclusion of the three hour window, the top 3,000 players in each server region will advance to the Online Open Finals that Sunday (the following day).
$1,000,000 Online Open Finals (Sundays)
The top 3,000 players’ scores will reset for the start of the Online Open Finals. Players will then face off during a designated three hour window of time to play up to ten matches and score points. After the three hour window closes, winners will be verified and the top performing players will be notified of cash prizes earned from a $1,000,000 prize pool. Note that winning players will be required to provide additional information in order to process payments.
The highest ranked players from each week will be invited to the Fortnite World Cup Finals to be held in New York City, July 26-28!
Scoring
During the weekend Online Opens, players will earn points based on the scoring system listed below.
Solos
- Victory Royale: 10 Points
- 2nd - 5th: 7 Points
- 6th - 15th: 5 Points
- 16th - 25th: 3 Points
- Each Elimination: 1 Point
Duos
- Victory Royale: 10 Points
- 2nd - 3rd: 7 Points
- 4th - 7th: 5 Points
- 8th - 12th: 3 Points
- Each Elimination: 1 Point
Fortnite World Cup Finals Advancement
Players will qualify weekly to the Fortnite World Cup Finals based on performance within their server region according to the chart below.
World Cup Finals Qualification Solo Spots
SOLO
Server Region
Week
Europe
NA East
NA West
Asia
Brazil
Oceania
Week 1
8
6
2
1
1
1
Week 3
8
6
2
2
2
1
Week 5
8
6
2
1
1
1
Week 7
8
6
2
2
2
1
Week 9
8
6
2
1
1
1
World Cup Finals Qualification Duos Team Spots
DUOS
Server Region
Week
Europe
NA East
NA West
Asia
Brazil
Oceania
Week 2
4
3
1
1
1
1
Week 4
4
3
1
0
0
0
Week 6
4
3
1
1
1
1
Week 8
4
3
1
0
0
0
Week 10
4
3
1
1
1
1
To qualify in Duos competitions for cash prizes and the Fortnite World Cup Finals, players can only pair with one Duos partner during each weekend of Online Open tournaments. However, players can switch Duos partners from week to week. Duos partners that qualify for the Fortnite World Cup Finals cannot be switched for substitute players.
Rules
Players who compete in the Finals will be required to enable 2FA and link their account to an Epic ID. This adds an additional layer of match security. To enable 2FA visit epicgames.com/2FA, log in to your Epic Account and follow the onscreen instructions.
All competitors will also be required to acknowledge and accept the official rules in-game before participating in the Online Opens. These rules ensure the integrity of competitive play in Fortnite and that the Fortnite World Cup is fun, fair, and free from toxic behavior. The complete Online Open official rules can be found here.
More Information
To be eligible to participate in any Online Open match, a player must be at least 13 years old (or such other age, if greater, as may be required in such player’s country of residence). Minors must have permission from a parent or legal guardian in order to participate in the event. All players must also have their account in good standing and a minimum Account Level of 15.
Ticketing (coming soon), scheduling, and additional information is available on the Fortnite World Cup website here: www.fortnite.com/worldcup
The road to the Fortnite World Cup begins with you!