A weapon is an item that a player can use to do damage to another object or player. Most weapons use some sort of ammunition (ammo for short) unless they are melee weapons, like swords or hammers.
Weapons can add a layer of interaction to your game mechanics, but to make the most of weapons in your gameplay, it helps to understand the factors that affect how they work.
Finding Weapons
In Fortnite Creative, you can find weapons available in the Creative inventory by pressing the Tab key, then selecting Content > Weapons to open the Weapons category on the left.
The (1) Content tab shows all of the (2) categories for Creative inventory. You can apply various (3) filters to limit the items that appear, or use the (4) search box to find a specific weapon by name.
For more on how to use the Content Browser features, see Exploring the Content Browser Menu.
Weapon Characteristics
When you select the Weapons category, you can find details for any weapon by highlighting it then clicking the Details panel icon.
| # | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Toggle for weapon Details panel. |
| 2 | The weapon name for the weapon you select. You can only select one weapon at a time. |
| 3 | This provides both the name of the rarity value and the number of stars that represent that rarity. |
| 4 | The type of weapon (subcategory), and a visual of the type of ammo it uses. |
| 5 | A short description of the weapon. |
| 6 | The amount of damage the weapon deals against other players and the environment. |
| 7 | Fire Rate is how quickly the weapon can fire again after it is shot. The fire rate is measured in RPS (rounds per second). |
| 8 | Magazine Size is how many rounds a weapon can hold. |
| 9 | Reload Time is how long it takes to recharge a weapon when ammo is out, measured in seconds. |
Weapon Subcategories
Weapons is a category in the Creative inventory Contents tab and the Content Browser in UEFN, so different types of weapons are grouped into subcategories. Some weapons fall into more than one subcategory. Following are the basic groupings.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Assault | A type of rifle that's accurate, fully automatic, and fast-firing. It is good for medium to long-range, and uses medium bullets. |
| Bow | A weapon that shoots arrows. |
| Crossbow | A type of bow that usually deals more damage than a regular bow. It also shoots arrows. |
| Explosive | An explosive weapon is one of a variety of weapons that launch explosive devices. Most explosive weapons launch rockets. |
| Melee | This is a handheld weapon that can be used in close-range combat. Melee weapons don’t consume ammo, don’t need to be reloaded, and don’t ever break. |
| Pistol | A handgun that can be used at any range, but excels in close- to medium-range combat. Pistols are usually automatic or semi-automatic, although there are exceptions. Pistols usually use light bullets. |
| Rifle | A rifle is usually used for taking down opponents from a distance. Depending on the type of rifle, it can use light, medium, or heavy bullets. |
| Shotgun | Shotguns are good for close-range combat. Because they shoot their clusters of pellets in a cone shape that moves out from the weapon, the closer the shooter is to the target, the more pellets will strike the target, and more damage will be dealt. Shotguns use shells. |
| SMG | SMGs (submachine guns) shoot short bursts of rounds. An SMG is better in close range, and less accurate than most rifles over a distance. SMGs use light bullets. |
| Utility | Utility weapons are things that don't fit in any other subcategory. Examples would include the Kinetic Boomerang, Nitro Fists, and Shockwave Hammer, all of which have unique qualities. |
Rarity
Weapons are ranked by rarity. The more rare a weapon is, the more powerful it is.
Rarity affects a weapon's damage, magazine capacity, and other factors, such as spread (how widely the ammo can move off trajectory — think shotguns!) and recoil (the amount of upward motion on a weapon when fired).
You can see a weapon's rarity by its label and how many stars it has.
 |
 |
 |
| A Mythic weapon is the most rare and damaging of weapons. Mythic weapons have six stars. | Legendary is just under Mythic in rarity and gets five stars. | Epic is above average in rarity and has four stars. |
 |
 |
 |
| Rare is in the middle in rarity, and is represented by three stars. | Uncommon is just above Common in rarity, and has two stars. | Common is the lowest rarity in a weapon. It is represented by one lonely star. |
Filtering Weapon Searches
You can streamline weapon searches using the search box to enter a keyword. You can also use any of the options under the Filter tab.
Select Union to show all items from selected filters. Select Intersect to show items that include all of the selected filters.
Types of Ammo
Different types of weapons use different types of ammo. There are six basic ammos.
 |
 |
 |
| Arrows are ammo for bows and crossbows. | Shells are typically used in shotguns. | Medium bullets are for mid-range weapons like assault rifles. |
 |
 |
 |
| Light bullets are typically for handguns or submachine guns (SMGs). | Heavy bullets are used in long-range weapons like sniper rifles. | Rockets are for weapons that shoot explosives, like rocket launchers. |
You can filter your weapons view based on the type of ammo a weapon uses.
To add ammo to your island, go to Content > Items, then search or filter to find the ammo you need.
Infinite Ammo
You can equip a player with ammo for the weapons on your island, or you can provide infinite ammo, meaning the player doesn't have to be concerned about getting more ammo.
Ammo Options with Island Settings
To provide infinite ammo for all weapons and all players, go to Island Settings > Player > Inventory and use the settings below to adjust how ammo is used on your island.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| No Cooldowns | If this is set to On, cooldown timers will not start. This can also apply to some weapons, such as the Minigun. |
| Infinite Consumables | If set to On, players have infinite uses of consumable items, such as grenades and shield potions. |
| Infinite Reserve Ammo | If set to On, players have infinite reserve ammo for most weapons, so they can always reload. |
| Infinite Magazine Ammo | If set to On, players have infinite loaded ammo for most weapons, so they don’t need to reload. |
| Infinite Charges | If set to On, players have infinite charges for weapons and items that use them, such as the Shockwave Hammer. |
| Infinite Reserve Energy | If set to On, players have infinite reserve energy for weapons and items that need to reload their energy, such as the Wings of Icarus. |
| Infinite Loaded Energy | If set to On, players have infinite loaded energy for weapons and items that use it, such as the Wings of Icarus. |
Magazine ammo is ammo that's loaded in the weapon, while reserve ammo is the ammo that a player has in inventory and that will be used to reload. Infinite Reserve Ammo means the player can always reload that kind of weapon, while Infinite Magazine Ammo means they never have to load the weapon in the first place.
Infinite Ammo with Device Settings
Some devices, such as the Team Settings and Inventory or Class Designer devices, also provide a way to assign infinite ammo without using Island Settings.
Using a device instead of the Island Settings also makes it possible to select which teams or players have infinite ammo while excluding other players or teams.
When mixing settings for your weapons between Island Settings and devices, it's helpful to understand how these settings interact.
- Island Settings are the baseline, meaning they apply to the entire island experience.
- Team Settings and Inventory overrides Island Settings if you set specific values in the device.
- Class Designer settings override both Island and Team and Inventory settings if you use different values in this device.
Weapon Themes
Weapons have themes that coordinate with the themes used in starter islands and in prefabs and galleries.
For example, if you want to build a barnyard-based game, it would be more thematic to use an old shotgun as a weapon.
Of course, if your game were along the lines of Aliens vs Farmers, it might be totally appropriate to use rayguns.
When you're designing your own game, sometimes half the fun is breaking the rules!
Some weapons are categorized by their Battle Royale theme for the season they were a part of. Examples include MEGA and Wilds.
You can also use filters like Recently Added or New This Season to quickly find new weapons in the Creative inventory.
Using Devices to Enhance Weapon Gameplay
There are multiple devices in Fortnite Creative that interact well with the weapons in your game. These range from devices that provide weapons to players at start of game or in-game to a way for players to modify weapons for a more tailored experience.
Equipping Your Players with Weapons
The Item Spawner is a device that you can use to register weapons (and other items, including ammo!) on your island that players can then pick up during a game. See Item Spawner Devices for more on using this device to equip players.
The Item Granter is another device that you can use to place weapons and other items (including ammo) directly into player inventories during a game. See Item Granter Devices for how to set up and customize this device.
A third device is the Item Placer. You can use this to place weapons and other items (including ammo) around the island. Players can then pick up these items in-game. See Item Placer Devices for more on how to use this device.
Moddable Weapons
If you add a Weapon Mod Bench to your island, players can use this in-game to customize their weapons.
You can customize the device itself in Create mode to control things like which players can access the bench.
Players with access to the Weapon Mod Bench can customize their weapons in-game using the bench. However, not all weapons in Fortnite can be modified. To see a complete list of moddable weapons, filter your weapon view with the Modular tag.
Weapons that cannot be modified include:
- Melee weapons
- Dual-wielded weapons (one weapon in each hand)
- Unique mythic weapons
- Weapons that were released before the Modular tag was used.
For More Ideas
Different weapons have different quirks and features. The best way to discover these is to bring weapons onto your island and test them out. Nothing beats that hands-on experience for understanding the relative limitations and benefits of the hundreds of weapons available in Fortnite!
For fun shooting game tutorials, take a look at: