Strap in Starfighter, Star Wars is Taking Over in Fortnite: GALACTIC BATTLE!
A galactic reckoning is coming…
Imperial Star Destroyers exit hyperspace in formation around the Death Star, which looms with its superlaser array fixed on the BR map. Heroes from across eras are ready to strike back against the assault led by Emperor Palpatine from the shadows, and the Island’s fate hangs in the balance. Draw your lightsaber and ready your blaster May 2 in Fortnite: GALACTIC BATTLE!
An Imperial Takeover
Driving back the Imperial invasion will take every blaster and ship at your disposal, unless you feel a strong pull to the dark side… Either way, touch down at one of these new locations:
First Order Base
The First Order has claimed a mountaintop to house its imposing base of operations, which includes a hangar for repairing damaged First Order TIE fighters. There are five entrances, but its utility shaft is its main point of weakness and where you’ll find it easiest to sneak in.
Outpost Enclave
There’s an element of danger to the Outpost Enclave, a boisterous hub of smuggler activity where tensions are known to run high. While you’re in the area, check out the interior of the parked sandcrawler nearby.
Resistance Base
The underground Resistance command center is shrouded in foliage, hiding the facility's location from any ships passing overhead. Here, you’ll find X-wings and a ton of handy equipment for taking on the First Order’s fleet.
Vader Samurai’s Solitude
Darth Vader Samurai has seized Shogun’s Solitude and turned it into his own personal fortress. Deal with his stormtrooper samurai guards and you may get the chance to challenge the Sith Lord himself…
The Preferred Weapon of Force Users Everywhere
An elegant weapon for a more civilized age, the use of a lightsaber is the mark of a Jedi though it’s used by their sworn enemies, the Sith, as well. It’s handy for deflecting blaster bolts, and you'll sprint faster and can double jump with fall damage immunity while brandishing one. Lightsabers are not found but earned — you must train in the Force or, you know, just loot it off another player.
Find and train with hologram Rey to earn a Blue Lightsaber and learn Force Push, which shoves everything in front of you. If you’re of a different persuasion, train with hologram Emperor Palpatine to earn a Red Lightsaber and learn Force Lightning, a shocking new way to deal damage.
Force Lightning. Do it.
To use any of these Force Abilities, you must have a lightsaber equipped — any will do, it doesn’t need to be the one you earned in training. Force Abilities are tied to you and not your lightsaber, meaning that players who loot a lightsaber from an enemy or find one on the ground will not receive a Force Ability with it.
Defeat Darth Vader Samurai to earn a different red-colored lightsaber and learn Force Saber Throw, which flings your lightsaber directly in front of you like a dangerous plasma boomerang!
So Anyway, Start Blasting
As far as non-lightsaber weapons go, it’s blasters-only on day one! You’ve got your:
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Reliable DL-44 Blaster Pistol
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Heavy CR-2 Blaster (an SMG!)
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Close-range ACP Scatter Blaster and BARM-ST12 Scatter Blaster
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Close-to-medium range DLT-19 Blaster Rifle
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Long-range IQA-11 Marksman Blaster Rifle
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All-purpose A280-CFE Blaster Rifle
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(unvaulted) Highly accurate DC-15 Heavy Blaster Rifle
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(unvaulted) Empire standard Issue E-11 Blaster
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(unvaulted) First Order standard issue F-11 Blaster
Be careful about holding down the trigger, as these babies are prone to overheating!
All the new Blasters for Fortnite: GALACTIC BATTLE!
Though technically not a blaster, this one will cause a blast: toss a Thermal Imploder and run away before its compression vacuum ignites for big damage, ripping a hole in any nearby structures.
The Greatest Warrior of Parnassos
Captain Phasma is the commander of the First Order’s legion of stormtroopers. If you can infiltrate the First Order Base and defeat her in battle, you’ll be rewarded with the Mythic Captain Phasma’s F-11D Blaster and Phasma’s Blaster Medallion. The Phasma’s Blaster Medallion extends how long it takes a blaster weapon to overheat, and reduces its cooldown. (Cool!)
I feel like… like we’re being watched! Remember that Medallions make you visible on opponents’ mini-map, and the more Medallions you have, the more precise the radius of your exact location.
Pilot a Starfighter
The symbol of the Imperial Fleet, the Imperial TIE fighter is a single-passenger craft designed as an instrument of the Empire. Equipped with high-powered blasters, it can potentially be an instrument of your next Victory Royale.
Alternatively, hop into the pilot seat of a nimble X-wing and push the throttle to cover ground quickly! It's crucial to utilize its laser cannons, especially if you find yourself in an aerial dogfight.
May 8 - The Pull of the Force
Sensing a disturbance in the Force, Leia and Luke will arrive on the Island May 8 alongside renowned smuggler Han Solo to offer you strategic services.
Speaking of the Force, hologram Mace Windu will appear on May 8 — train with him to earn a Purple Lightsaber and learn Force Pull, which pulls in just about anything and anyone nearby. Rumor has it the Sith Lord Darth Maul will be around as a hologram as well, offering Red Lightsabers and teaching Force Throw. Pick up objects around you and throw them as projectiles!
May 15 - Chew on This
Chewbacca’s ETA is May 15, and he’s bringing his Wookiee Bowcaster to the loot pool to aid the rebels. You’ll also find the powerful CA-87 Jawa Scatter Blaster in Chests around the Island — new to Fortnite!
May 22 - Mandalorian Rising
On May 22, Mandalorians will intervene. You’ll be able to recruit a Heavy, Scout, Supply, or Medic Mandalorian to your team, and gain further advantage over your opponents with the unvaulted Mandalorian Jetpack! Also, keep an eye out for signature Mandalorian weapons: the Amban Sniper Rifle and the new dual-wield WESTAR-34 Blaster Pistols.
May 29 - Star Destroyer Bombardment
On May 29, assume control of a Star Destroyer’s turbolaser and lay waste from above! A single portal to the Star Destroyer’s control room will spawn every match — be the first to reach it and the capital ship is yours.
June 7 - The Final Showdown: Death Star Sabotage
Mobilize and take the fight to Emperor Palpatine in a live, in-game narrative event on June 7. Never tell me the odds!
Get the Star Wars Battle Pass
The legends are true. The Star Wars Battle Pass is chock-full of treasures from across the known galaxy.
The Star Wars Battle Pass has both free and premium rewards that can be claimed by earning XP in any Fortnite experience. To claim the premium rewards as you earn XP, purchase the Pass for only 1,000 V-Bucks or get it through Fortnite Crew along with all other Fortnite Passes! Included as premium rewards, here are the Outfits in the Pass:
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Apprentice Evie: Force-sensitive vigilante spreading peace across the Galaxy. (Instantly unlocked after purchasing the Pass or accessing it through Fortnite Crew!)
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Poe Dameron: The finest pilot in the Resistance.
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Wookiee Team Leader: Growl it out.
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Emperor Palpatine: Leader of the Empire. Ruler of the Galaxy.
Kaleesh cyborg and General of the Separatist droid army, General Grievous will be an unlockable Outfit in the Star Wars Battle Pass later in May. Unlock Grievous by completing objectives that’ll come online later in the Season! The Pass will be available to progress in from May 2 until June 7, 2025 Eastern Time.
If you get the Pass through Fortnite Crew, you’ll also get the OG Pass, Music Pass, and LEGO® Pass! That’s a lotta Outfits you can unlock.
Out of this World Accoutrements
Embrace the dark side with the new Star Wars + Porsche 911 GT3 RS Bundle, which includes the Darth Vader Wrapped Decal, Darth Maul Wrapped Decal, and Captain Phasma Wrapped Decal. Representing all three trilogies, these Decals can only be equipped with the Porsche 911 GT3 RS Car Body that’s in the bundle. Get it starting May 2 at 8 PM ET!
FASHION. The Jedi prophecy foretold that a chosen one would come and bring balance to the Force. What it didn’t foretell is that Star Wars Crocs would be hitting the Shop May 2 at 8 PM ET.
Throughout the Season, look out for new and returning Star Wars Outfits including the likes of Darth Jar Jar, Mace Windu, a customizable Mandalorian, and more!
More Star Wars… And Rewards
Learn how to unlock the First Order Stormtrooper Outfit and Asajj Ventress Loading Screen, and how to watch the first two episodes of Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld early in Fortnite! The show hits Disney Plus on May the Fourth, but you can start watching it on May 2 in Fortnite at 10 AM ET.
Galactic Battle Twitch Drops
We’re kicking off the GALACTIC BATTLE with Twitch Drops! Watch any channel in the Fortnite category on Twitch for 15 minutes cumulative between May 2 at 9 AM ET and May 5 at 9 AM ET to receive the Galactic Duel Loading Screen.
Watch for 1 hour cumulative during this time frame to receive Anakin’s Model Jedi Interceptor Back Bling!
How to Claim Twitch Drops
After meeting the time requirement to claim a Drop, you can claim it from the Drops Inventory page on Twitch.
Make sure your Epic account is connected to your Twitch account BEFORE claiming to avoid issues receiving the Drop in Fortnite.
Each Drop should be yours in Fortnite right after claiming it, though it may take up to 14 days in specific cases. Please note that these Drops are not exclusive — they may be purchasable in the Fortnite Shop at a later date.
Tournament Notes
There’s a whole host of tournaments to play in and prizes to play for during GALACTIC BATTLE. When the Season starts, head over to our Competitive Details blog post to get the full rundown on tournament offerings, and check out the Schedule page of fortnite.com/competitive for exact dates and times.
Please note that X-wings, TIE fighters, and the Thermal Imploder will not be available in tournaments. We’ll monitor other features, such as Force Abilities, and will make any necessary adjustments.
Update (May 2, 2025): The Thermal Imploder will be available in tournaments.
GALACTIC BATTLE Content Creation
Content creators in the Support-A-Creator (SAC) program will be able to monetize VODs containing Star Wars music on YouTube until June 13 at 7 AM ET including music from locations and Emotes. VODs containing Jam Tracks of Star Wars music will be monetizable for seven days following the individual Jam Track's release. No takedown notifications should occur for these VODs during these specified times.
More info:
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In order to monetize your GALACTIC BATTLE content, you need to link your YouTube and Support-A-Creator accounts.
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IMPORTANT: When uploading the content to YouTube, be sure to upload it as Unlisted or Public. If you upload the video as Private, it's possible you could receive a monetization claim on your video.
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For uploading the content on other platforms, refer to the channel’s platform policies for tips on how to avoid copyright strikes.
Although unlikely, if you do receive a claim on any SAC content, there may be a short delay in YouTube processing the release of the claim. During this time, please do not dispute the claim.
Not in SAC? Don’t worry, you can still share your highlights from GALACTIC BATTLE containing the specific music. However, you will not be able to monetize this content on YouTube.
Please note: For Twitch creators streaming GALACTIC BATTLE, we cannot prevent your VODs or clips from getting flagged by third-party copyright detection systems. The general recommendation is to disable VODs/clips when streaming GALACTIC BATTLE. For more information, see Twitch’s DMCA & Copyright FAQs help page.
There’s even more Star Wars to be had over in LEGO Fortnite — check out our LEGO Fortnite blog post for details. May the Force be with you, always.
