Fortnite Arena Mode Rules

Fortnite’s Arena mode is a great place to go to for higher-level play. If you’re sick of running into unskilled or new players in the regular game modes, then Arena is definitely for you. There are some strategies for grinding your way up to the Champions League in Arena mode and gaining access to events like the World Cup Qualifiers. However, you also need to know how the Arena mode works. The rules aren’t as simple as regular old Fortnite.

Arena mode is less prone to the changes that come with each update, it remains more of a constant game and not every new item is always available. This helps keep the meta-game more stable, even if it still isn’t enough for some pro players. However, Arena mode largely plays like a more organised version of Fortnite. There are some changes to the way things work, which you really need to understand if you want to win.

Arena Mode is your first point of entry to competitive Fortnite. If you want to play on the same level as the pros, you need to use some different rules. For better or worse these things are included in Arena mode to make it a more competitive game. It is still open to some exploits, but largely it is better balanced. These are the specific features of Arena mode that you need to master to progress.

Arena Mode’s Health – The Siphon

One of the biggest changes to the rules in Arena mode is the siphon. This little feature remains present in the game even after it was controversially removed from the main game in the v8.20 Update. This feature gives you a healing bonus when you make an elimination. This encourages faster and more violent play. It doesn’t necessarily mean passive forms of combat aren’t as viable in Arena mode, but it does give aggressive players a boost.

For each elimination you make, you’ll receive 50 HP or Shield depending on which of these is full and which needs healing. This should give you enough of a boost after an elimination that you don’t need to spend time deciding which battles to pick. You can throw yourself into confrontational situations without worrying too much about healing. Even snipers will benefit from not having to be as careful.

This mechanic is useful in Arena mode, but it doesn’t really go that far. You still need to carry healing items since 50 HP or Shield is hardly a full heal. If you’ve taken a hit or two in a close combat situation, then receiving 50 back isn’t really going to get you back up to scratch. It is important to keep this mechanic in mind when you end up in multiple player encounters. The possibility to profit from third personing a fight is higher with this the Siphon, but it also means another player might get a healing boost that catches you off guard.

Materials

There is a material cap in the Arena Mode that limits you to holding just 500 of each material. This rule can limit your building options quite a bit if you tend to rely on it. Most high-level pro players can build really fast,so can quickly run out of materials. However, they are skilled at gathering materials from other players a lot quicker than most others. This means the material cap isn’t as much of a problem for them. However, if your play style is too reliant on building then it might effect you.

Players who build super structures in the late game and hide away from others or take pot shots at them from afar will run out of materials with this cap. This is intentional. The cap discourages cheap forms of play, or at least attempts to. This material cap forces you to at least occasionally be confrontational as well as building rather than constantly relying on building to get you out of problems. If you want to succeed despite this material cap you need to be taking on players and limiting your building. You need to allow yourself to hold on to enough materials for an emergency even after a major build.

Other Changes in Arena Mode

The Arena mode of Fortnite includes a more stable map than the regular games. Changes to environments still happen like in the regular mode, but limited time features are often missing. Things like portals that pop up for crossovers aren’t always included in the competitive map. There doesn’t seem to be any real pattern or rules for what is included in Arena mode and what isn’t. You need to pay attention to updates to keep on top of things.

If you want to progress through the Arena mode and rise in the ranks of Fortnite, you need to pay attention to the Patch Notes. When new content is added it usually debuts in both Arena and regular modes. However, it doesn’t always stay this way. Often the first few days of an item’s availability reveals some exploit or bug. This gets it banned in competitive play pretty quickly. In the few days until it is patched, Players need to be careful. Otherwise, they  might be wasting their time searching for a weapon that is no longer available. A good example is the Storm Flip. That was added, nearly immediately banned, then reappeared in an altered form. This is a common trajectory that protects the balance of Arena mode.

The Unvaulted

Other changes like briefly un-vaulted weapons usually don’t effect Arena mode either. This is to stop some fluke combination of equipment effecting the metagame too much. At least that’s how it works on theory, a lot of pro players disagree with Epic’s interpretation of a balanced game sometimes.

Arena mode might not be as reaction or easy-going as a typical Fortnite match, but it can be a lot more rewarding. If you’re serious about making it up to the Champions League you need to be using the best settings and getting the best frames per second possible.