Fortnite update v24.40 early patch notes: Ranked mode, balance and material changes, and more

The upcoming Fortnite update will completely change the video game. Epic Games has officially announced that it will introduce an exciting new mode called Fortnite Ranked Play. This highly competitive addition will replace the Arena mode and introduce a total of eight distinct Ranks for players to progress through: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Elite, Champion, and Unreal.

Besides Ranked Play, Epic Games will also make massive gameplay changes with the upcoming Fortnite update. More specifically, harvesting rates and material caps will be adjusted with it.

Furthermore, the development team will release several bug fixes with the update. We can also expect map changes, weapon-balance alterations, and a few more minor adjustments to the video game.

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The next Fortnite update will bring a new competitive mode

The v24.40 Fortnite update will be massive (Image via Epic Games)

The v24.40 Fortnite update will likely be released on Tuesday, May 16. Considering that Epic Games releases most updates at 4 AM Eastern Time, the next one will probably follow suit.

As the game developer has already announced, the new Ranked mode will replace the Arena. Players will be able to turn it on or off, so it won't be forced upon everyone.

In this new mode, players will earn experience and advance in Ranks based on their performance in each match, including their final placement and the number of eliminations they achieve.

Eliminations towards the end of a match will carry more weight than those at the beginning, and the rank of the opponents faced will also factor into the calculations.

The most exciting thing is that the Ranked will be enabled for both Battle Royale and Zero Build. While Epic Games hasn't confirmed this, there is also a chance that skill-based matchmaking will be turned off in non-Ranked modes.

The upcoming update will bring many balance changes as well (Image via Epic Games)

Since the Ranked mode will replace Arena, Epic has decided to make a few balance changes. These will mostly affect Battle Royale modes, although Zero Build offerings will likely receive some changes as well.

Here are the changes that will come with the v24.40 Fortnite update:

• Material caps will be decreased from 999 to 500.
• Harvesting rates will be slightly increased.
• Players will drop 50 of each material when they are eliminated.

The game-changing update will also bring many bug fixes. Epic Games keeps track of these fixes on its Trello board, and here are some of the biggest fixes that will be released:

• Outfits will no longer appear shiny or glossy
• Large rocks will grant more building materials
• Back blings will properly interact with the Clone Trooper outfit
• Players will properly enter the build mode after using the ODM Gear

The upcoming Fortnite update will likely bring even more changes to the popular video game. However, these haven't been revealed by Epic yet.