Epic Games have announced that a brand new Arena mode will be added to Fortnite in the upcoming V8.20 patch – seemingly ushering in the start of ranked play in the battle royale title.
The game developer announced their roadmap for the upcoming Fortnite World Cup on March 25, revealing more details on how players can get themselves qualified for the event with a mega $30,000,00 prize pool.
However, fans also spotted another detail – the announcement of a ranked mode – which is one addition that players, both casual and professional, have been craving for some time.
In the post, Epic revealed that the Arena Mode would be added to the game in the upcoming V8.20 game patch.
The unreleased addition, which would not be a limited time mode, will allow players to try and qualify for the ‘Champion League’ – the highest attainable level. By climbing to the top, players will have proved themselves worthy enough for a chance at qualifying for the Fortnite World Cup via Online Open events that will run on weekends.
Epic also announced the dates on which the World Cup event will get underway. Players won’t have to wait too long, though, as the first two-day portion of the lengthy will begin on April 13.
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This will be the first time those who qualified for the Online Open events will be able to try their hand at securing a qualifying spot for their respective region in the World Cup.
A ranked playlist has been in the works for some time, as Epic’s State of Development V4 post back in February of 2018 revealed that they were working on creating a better balance of skill throughout matchmaking.
Events, similar to a ranking system, have been trialed in-game since that post with the ‘Share the Love’ series that begun towards the end of Season 7 including placement matches and divisional rankings for players.
There have been other attempts since, with both the Scallywag Cup and Blackheart Cup being hosted during Season 8, giving players the chance to win a stake of the $100,000 prize pool.
So, there you have it. Ranked mode is on its way to Fortnite Battle Royale. It’s unclear just how the ranking systems will work, but we don’t have too much longer to wait in order to find out.