The competitive side of Fortnite still grows stronger every day as the game introduces its player base to different modes and unique tournaments that offer some hefty rewards to winners. Players ranging from amateurs to sweats compete against each other to level up their skill and prove their mettle in the competitive community.

Newer pros emerge in every tournament who challenge these OG sweats and grab the victory royale right from their hands in neck-to-neck situations. While several veterans continue to crib about the game and what Fortnite used to be, the new generation of pros adapt to the game mechanics and evolve their skills with every tournament.

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The launch of Zero Build in Fortnite Chapter 3, opened doors for the Zero Build tournaments and several such contests to appear in front of the competitive community. Amongst those, a test event which is currently listed in the compete tab for EU players, shows rewards being granted to each player bagging 1 point in the tournament.

Whiplash Test Event accidentally promises rewards to every player securing one point

Fortnite recently announced a bunch of tournaments for its player base ranging from Jewel Rush (Fives) to Money Wars (Solos), Whiplash (Duos), and Finest’s Realistic 2v2 Event. Amongst those, a description of Whiplash Test Event promised rather bizarre rewards that the community was left in disbelief.

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The rewards for the Test Event showed players who secure 1 point throughout the entire tournament will be rewarded with a whopping $2000 and 1000 V-Bucks in their Epic Account. Now even in the wildest of imaginations Epic would never reward the entire player base with such a hefty reward.

Upon seeing the news about this bug, the player base on Twitter went crazy and can only wish for this to be true. Moreover, they speculate that Epic will be removing these rewards and fixing the bug once v21.20 drops later tomorrow.

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As tournaments continue to pile up on the compete tab, players can now gain rewards from Arena by leveling up with their Hype points. The rewards range from wraps to emoticons that can be secured by Arena players as they tier up amongst the league in their competitive journey.

Fortnite Chapter 3 started off hot with Epic Games adding Spider-Man’s Web-shooters shortly after the start of Season 1. The gloved would give players the power to zip across the map insanely fast.

A fresh pair of Web-Shooters comes with 80 shots which is more than enough for most players. As well, if you eliminate a player with Web-Shooter, they will drop fully charged.

A traversal item this powerful is a must-have for competitive players, but it’s getting a serious nerf. Nerfed already in Fortnite v19.20, the Web-Shooters have been hit again.

Web-Shooters get huge competitive nerf

The Fortnite Web-Shooters were nerfed at the beginning of February as a part of update v19.20. This took the Web-Shooters from 80 uses to 20 in competitive modes.

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However, a second nerf lowers the number of times a Web-Shooter can be used even further from 20 to 10. This is a massive nerf as players can only use Web-Shooters for 1/8 of the time they normally could.

However, this nerf only affects competitive players. Web-Shooters in casual lobbies will remain at 80 shots.

Epic Games states the nerf is intended to “encourage players to make more strategic decisions.” While it is still a useful mobility item, players won’t be able to zip across the map as freely as they once could.

The reception this change has garnered is a mix of those in favor and against the nerf. Some players praise the nerf as it will stop players from constantly running from fights.

Those who oppose the change claim competitive is too sweaty without Web-Shooters. Regardless, here’s where you can find web-shooters in Chapter 3.

Fortnite’s Arena mode is where all of the best players go to assert their dominance. The better you perform the more Hype Points you earn. These Hype Points then translate into how good you are at the game.

However, full rounds of Fortnite can be slog as many players last until the final few circles. That’s why Fortnite introduced the Late Game Arena mode. This allows players to jump right into the most exciting part of a round of Fortnite.

With a massive number of players flocking to Late Game Arena, the question of who is the best has to be asked. That’s why Epic Games has released a tool that will allow players to see where they rank in the Late Game Arena mode.

Checking your Late Game Arena rank in Fortnite

Players can check their Late Game Arean Hype ranking via the official Fortnite Leaderboard. However, you will only be able to see your placement if you are in the top 100 players. Yet, you will be able to gauge your placement by comparing your Hype points to the top players.

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As of writing, alcapone047 is dominating the Late Game Arena mode with 139,759 Hype Points. And the 100th player on the leaderboard is Jalarity with 61,822 Hype. This shows just how massive the gap between the top 100 players is.

TROVO Cheapsht is in second place with 119,283 Hype. This shows that even the gap between first and second place is over 20,000 points. The grind between each placement on the leaderboard is insane when you look at how to earn points.

How to earn Hype points in Late Game Arena

Earning Hype Points in Late Game Arena can be a grind. Even winning only rewards players with a few Hype Points. And when you reach the upper echelon of Arena placements, you have to pay 4 Hype Points just to play a round.

Here’s how you earn points in Fortnite Late Game Arena:

• Bus Fare: -4 Hype
• Victory Royale: +3 Hype
• Reach Top 3: +2 Hype
• Reach Top 7: +2 Hype
• Top 12: +3 Hype
• Each Elimination: +1 Hype

So, if you were to win a round of Late Game Arena with five eliminations, you would earn 15 Hype Points. However, you would really only earn 11 since the Bus Fare costs 4 points. With thousands of points separating the top-tier players, it takes hundreds and thousands of well-played rounds to progress your rank.

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For more Fortnite, check out how to take down the Caretaker boss in Season 8, and stay tuned for more news and guides.

Thanos’ first Fortnite appearance was in 2018 during the Infinity War crossover event. A limited-time mode was introduced that allowed players to claim the Infinity Gauntlet and transform into Thanos. They would have a massive health bar, the ability to jump great distances and fire a devastating laser from the gauntlet.

Thanos returned a year later during the Avengers: End Game crossover event. This had a similar LTM that allowed certain players to play as the Children of Thanos. The first Child of Thanos that claimed an Infinity Stone would summon the power of Thanos and wreak havoc on their opponents.

Fortnite Thanos Cup Tournament

Now, Thanos is returning to Fortnite for good three years after his LTM debuted. There isn’t an LTM this time around, but there is a new tournament called the Thanos Cup. This is a Duos tournament that will take place on June 21. The winners of the tournament from each region will receive the Thanos Fortnite skin, back bling, and spray.

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Additionally, the Thanos Fortnite skin will be available to purchase in the Item Shop on June 26. We don’t know how many V-Bucks Thanos will cost, but he will likely cost a similar amount to other Marvel skins. We also don’t know if he has a pickaxe, glider, or emote with his set, as the tournament details only show his skin and Back Bling.

There is also a bonus incentive to participate in the Thanos Cup. While not every participant will earn the Thanos Fortnite Skin, everyone has the chance to earn the Thanos Watches! Spray. This spray is given to every player who earns 8 points or more during the tournament. Players will earn 9 points instantly for placing in the top 29, and each elimination is also a point.

In 2019, Epic Games dove headfirst into Fortnite’s competitive Esports scene. Following a $100 million prize pool for the year 2018, Epic put up another $100 million in 2019. This insane amount of prize money dwarfed other competitive games in comparison.

2019 was also the year of Fortnite’s first-ever World Cup. The Fortnite World Cup took place from July 26 – 28 in New York City and boasted $30 million in total prizes. One hundred of the best solo players from around the world, and 50 duo teams, competed for a massive amount of money.

Epic Games falls short of revenue goals

While the amount of money up for grabs seems quite impressive, it didn’t net Epic Games with the desired results. During the trial of Epic Games vs Apple, documents were shared that outlined the revenues that Fortnite generated from 2018 to 2019. Epic Games planned to make $4.59 billion during the 2018-2019 fiscal year but actually earned $4.2 billion instead.

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The documents stated that Epic Games had anticipated making $154 million more from Fortnite’s Esports scene than it was actually able to generate. While Epic Games is raking in billions of dollars a year, it’s unlikely that it will pour money into something that isn’t as profitable.

This major discrepancy in earnings could explain why there hasn’t been another Fortnite World Cup. After $100 million was awarded in 2019, 2020 saw a massive dip in prize money. The pool for the entire year was only $17 million.

Epic Games stated at the beginning of this year that it would be pledging $20 million in prize money for Fortnite’s 2021 competitive scene. This is $10 million less than the total prize pool for the Fortnite World Cup. Epic also stated that it had no plans for an in-person World Cup event this year.

The lack of prize money has been apparent over the past year as competitive Fortnite players have taken to social media to express their concerns. In 2019, the FNCS qualifier prize pool was $1 million a week for three months. Now, players are competing for a $3 million prize pool over the course of an entire season of FNCS.

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The Fortnite World Cup may return in some capacity, but players shouldn’t expect a massive $30 million prize pool. The worldwide pandemic could be to blame for the lack of in-person tournaments, but that doesn’t mean it’s the sole reason there haven’t been any. Epic Games might be focusing on the more profitable aspects of Fortnite to endure the game’s longevity.

After a rather uneventful year for Fortnite’s competitive scene in 2020, it’s no surprise that the top 20 highest-earning players look very similar to those of 2019. With no 2020 World Cup or millions of dollars worth of prize money up for grabs, there wasn’t a lot that could have affected the current standings.

2020 did see a lot of former Fortnite enthusiasts seemingly leave Fortnite for the foreseeable future. Tyler “Ninja” Blevins was at one time the most popular Fortnite streamer but has since left the game for other competitive shooters.

Instead, the same top-ranking competitive players such as Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf and Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson have maintained their places on the 20 top highest-earning Fortnite players.

When looking at a player’s earnings this list will only gauge players on how much they have earned by playing Fortnite. While Bugha and other players have earned money through brand deals, merch sales, and partnerships, earnings are defined as what a player has won strictly by playing competitive Fortnite.

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It’s also important to note that, while over half of the top 20 have earned over $1 million, none of the players have earned more than $300,000 since September 23, 2019. Others have earned as little as $20,000 over the past year and a half.

This chart was last updated on April 26, 2021.

When comparing the list above to the highest-earning Fortnite players in 2019, the same 20 players are still on the list. Some players have moved up the ranks while others have maintained their position on the list. The biggest reason there haven’t been any new names added to the list is because of the lack of high-paying competitive events.

A large number of competitive Fortnite events were held in 2018 and 2019 including the Fall Skirmish Series, World Cup Finals, and Winter Royale. These events had multi-million dollar prize pools that rewarded first, second, and third-place winners with large cash prizes.

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However, due to COVID-19’s impact on the world in 2020, Epic Games was unable to hold similar events. Competitive Fortnite took a back seat during the pandemic while crossover events and story-driven seasons kept players entertained.

With the pandemic still ensuing, Epic Games has stated it has no plans to conduct in-person tournaments throughout the course of 2021. FNCS tournaments are still taking place, but players won’t see the return of massive prize pools anytime soon.

Creative Mode was one of the most innovative additions that Epic has made to Fortnite. You don’t even have to play the base game mode to enjoy Fortnite, anymore. You can play Search and Destroy, deathruns, Zone Wars, Trivia, boxfights, and a lot more.

Competitive Fortnite players have taken to Creative Mode the most. Zone Wars gives you a simulated end-game and boxfights let you practice the most important element of high-level competitive play.

Fortnite Creative beta

Over a year ago, way back in, Fortnite v12.10, files were added to the game that we assumed would bring a massive change to Creative Mode. According to the game files, Creative can now support up to 50 players.

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A year after we first heard the news about an updated Creative Beta, we still have yet to see this in practice. Since it’s been so long, many players forgot that it was even on the horizon.

After the v15.50 update, however, data miners found some new files that relate to the Creative Mode expansion. According to them, Epic are testing a beta of Creative that should support 50 players.

Such a change would be a massive step for the game. You could truly play a mini-BR game with your friends if this change went through. YouTube creators and streamers could also manage private matches a lot easier, as there’s no chance of a code leak or an unwanted intruder.

The best part of this additional player count is the ability to truly simulate competitive end-game situations. Zone Wars is good practice for a lot of us, but not for those at the highest level.

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Anyone who has ever watched a tournament knows what we’re talking about. The end-game in professional Fortnite matches routinely has 40+ players in the final few zones. It’s pure chaos, and a 50-player Zone Wars lobby will be able to capture this.

Of course, the expansion also opens the door to a ton of other possibilities including massive boxfight battles and more. Epic will be focusing on the Creative side of things for the future of Fortnite, and an increased player count is an excellent first step.

Image Credit: Epic Games

Epic Games released a blog post, discussing the Season 5 FNCS, LTM tournaments, and more.

A new year means a new competitive Fortnite schedule, including the return of the Fortnite Champion Series for Season 5 on February 4.

The full calendar for the 2021 competitive Fortnite has yet to be completed at the time of writing, but that will likely be coming soon. The most exciting announcement for many players will be the return of Cash Cups and the addition of Friday Nite Bragging Rights.

Friday Night Bragging Rights is a platform-specific Trios tournament series that will have players battling for positioning and a shout-out from the official Fortnite Competitive Twitter account.

LTM tournaments will return for Season 5 as well, following the same Wild Wednesday format from last season.

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We saw players competing for early access to free Marvel skins in Season 4, but there’s no indication that something similar will be the case in Season 5. For now, it seems like the LTM tournaments will provide cash rewards to winners.

These tournaments will take place on alternating Mondays, with the formats released ahead of time of the @FNCompetitive Twitter account. Stay tuned for more information about all upcoming competitive events.

This will be Nick’s first time hosting a Fortnite tournament, although he’s no stranger to competition. Nick might be a content creator, first and foremost, but he competed in all of the Ninja Battles tournaments and even tried his hand at the FNCS in recent seasons.

Nick announced his upcoming tournament on Twitter on November 9. It will take place on November 22, giving players a chance to win some money before the Thanksgiving holiday.

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According to a follow-up tweet, the games will only be played on NA-East, although it’s not region-locked and anyone can compete.

The tournament only has two rounds: Open Qualifiers and Finals. Since it’s his own tournament, Nick will automatically make it into the final round. He’ll join the top 99 players from Open Qualifiers, fighting for their share of the $10,000 prize pool.

The tournament will be placement-heavy, with placement points going up by 1 for each 10 placements until the top 75. After that, each five placements receive a point until they make it to the top 30, where each placement will be a point until the top two. The top two earn two points and the winner gets five. Each elimination is also worth one point.

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We haven’t received official word of the prizing, yet, but we have to assume that it will be the same as the upcoming 1% cup. We’ll update this post if there are any changes.

1st    $5,000
2nd    $2,500
3rd    $1,250
4th    $800
5th    $450

You can register for the tournament here. Make sure that your account is older than 30 days and you have two-factor authentication enabled. Good luck to all of the competitors.

The excitement was short-lived, however, as certain players began to notice a flaw in the system after the EU phase of the tournament began. Players posted about this exploit on Reddit, but the most popular pro to uncover it was Benjyfishy, who experienced it in one of his games.

The UK-based pro was poised to go undefeated in his tournament when his opponent left the game. When Benjyfishy checked the leaderboard, he saw that his opponent’s loss didn’t count. Essentially, players could go undefeated as long as they left the game before they lost a match.

This exploit went under the radar for the duration of the tournament, but Benjy’s tweet alerted a lot of the low-tier NA players of the exploit – likely triggering more people to do it.

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The next day, on October 29, the Fortnite Competitive Twitter account announced that they were nullifying the results from the October 28 tournament. “When the mode is ready,” they wrote, “we’ll run another Box Fight Tournament.”

Joji, a Fortnite pro who was among the Box Fighting Tournament winners, took the cancellation on the chin. “I 100% don’t deserve to be paid out at all,” he explained on Twitter. “This is fully understandable. Obviously, it sucks but I feel bad for the people who got top-15 legitimately.”

In a follow-up tweet, Joji claimed to get more followers from not receiving payment than he did for winning the tournament in the first place.

We don’t know when the next Fortnite Box Fighting tournament will be. This exploit seems to have thrown a wrench in any Creative tournament that Epic could have hosted in the future. We can only assume that you could do the same thing in, say, a Zone Wars tournament.

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Let’s hope that this issue gets fixed sooner rather than later. We’ll keep you posted when we hear more.