Fortnite update 8.01 released Wednesday morning, and with it came the start of a brand-new Gauntlet Test Event. You may have noticed something called a Bus Fare listed in its information. Below, we'll explain what that means and describe how the tournament works.
What's the Fortnite Gauntlet Test Event?
If you scroll over to your Events tab in Fortnite, you'll see that Solo and Duos Gauntlet events are featured. The competition is open to all until March 9 at 7 p.m. EST. Here are the basic rules.
- Victory Royale: 10 Points
- Second-Fifth: Seven Points
- Sixth-10th: Five Points
- 11th-25th: Three Points
- Elimination: One Point Each
At the end of the test, the top five percent of players advance to the Grand Finals. From that limited pool, the top 3,000 players will advance to the second round of Finals on March 10.
What's the Bus Fare
While the Solos and Duos Gauntlets are fairly ordinary in their premises, a new wrinkle to the formula is the Bus Fare. Players will be able to partake in an unlimited amount of matches during the tournament period, but a Bus Fare of two points will be deducted per match. A player's point total will never reach below zero, however.
The general point of the Bus Fare is to ensure that open Fortnite tournaments aren't just about who plays the most matches during the tournament window. More matches obviously means more chances to rack up high point totals, but, if there's a two-point deduction per match, eventually the lower-skill players get weeded out. While playing lots of matches is still important, you have to consistently perform well in those matches to overcome the Bus Fare. In terms of understanding the Fortnite Gauntlets, that's really all you need to know.
Fortnite is available on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC and mobile.
What are your thoughts on Fortnite's Gauntlet tournaments and the Bus Fare? Will this make tournament play more competitive? Tell us in the comments section!
