Fortnite: Patch Notes for May 16 Ballistic Update - New Map & Pistol

Cinderwatch is the latest map coming to Ballistic mode, but there are also a variety of smaller additions that'll help to balance the gameplay. Here's what you should know about the latest update to Fortnite's tactical FPS.

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Ballistic was released as Fortnite's first experience from a first-person perspective. Since its December 2025 launch, there haven't been many updates to Ballistic, but Epic is finally delivering some new content.

Cinderwatch is the latest map coming to Ballistic mode, but there are also a variety of smaller additions that'll help to balance the gameplay. Here's what you should know about the latest update to Fortnite's tactical FPS.

When Does the Ballistic Update Release?

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The second testgrounds update is planned to be released on May 16th at 4am ET. The Cinderwatch map is the biggest content drop in this patch, though a Star Wars weapon is also coming in the form of the DL-44 Blaster Pistol.

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How is Competitive Ballistic Changing on May 16th?

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The biggest change to the meta is the introduction of a dedicated pistol holster, which will allow you to hold a secondary weapon. Players may see an increase in the length of firefights since competitors will be able to fire more bullets without reloading. A new forfeit system will also save players a lot of time, allowing you to potentially play more matches per hour. The official patch notes below reveal everything coming to Ballistic mode tomorrow.

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Official Patch Notes for the 5/16 Ballistic Update

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Cinderwatch

Let it burn. Nestled underfoot an active volcano is Cinderwatch, an oceanside hideaway with Mediterranean vibes. Similar in size to Skyline 10, its tight streets and choke points encourage quick flanks and explosive combat. It joins the map rotation in v35.10 alongside Skyline 10, Hammer Fall, and Storm Chaser Cove in Ballistic’s Test Grounds playlist. It’ll also be in Ranked on day one!

Gadgets Are Now Free!

The best things in life are free, including gadgets!After selecting a gadget at the start of a match, you’ll no longer have to buy it.Instead, you'll boot into each round with two of your selected gadget at your disposal in your inventory, free of charge. 

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Gadgets are essential to what separates Ballistic from other tactical shooters. Making them baseline as part of players’ starting gear will increase their use in general, making rounds varied and less predictable. Your team will not only need to determine how best to utilize gadgets every round, but also how best to play around the enemy team being fully equipped with gadgets as well.

As a result of this change, we’re making some economy changes:

- Credits gained from winning a round reduced from 3300 to 3100.
- Credits gained from losing a round reduced from 2500 to 2300.
- Smoke Grenades Credit cost increased from 200 to 300.
- Flash Grenades Credit cost increased from 200 to 300.
- Burst AR Credit cost increased from 2000 to 2300.

From a Galaxy Far, Far Away: the DL-44 Blaster Pistol

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This blaster’s quite the traveler! Replacing the starter Ranger Pistol until v36.00 is the DL-44 Blaster Pistol, a reliable and accurate sidearm that packs a punch.

New Pistol Slot & Vote-to-Surrender

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New in v35.10 is a dedicated pistol slot, which means that pistols will no longer take the spot of your primary weapon. Buying the Hand Cannon or any other pistol added to Ballistic in the future will now replace the Ranger Pistol instead. (Or until v36.00, the DL-44 Blaster Pistol.)

Now, if you buy a pistol in the start-of-round Buy Menu, you won’t have that pistol AND a starter pistol. Rather, you’ll have your bought pistol and any primary weapon you’ve purchased as well.

We’ve also added the ability for teams to surrender. Any player can initiate a surrender vote after the third round of a match by opening the scoreboard and hitting the surrender button. At the start of the next round, the surrender vote will appear for that player’s team, and the game will end if the majority of the team votes in favor. In Ranked Ballistic, the surrendering team gets a loss and rank regression.

Map Changes to Storm Chaser Cove

Several significant layout changes have been made to Storm Chaser Cove in v35.10, following minor adjustments made to the map in v35.00. You’ll notice a wall has been added between Mid and Site B to increase flank time between those two areas. We’ve also slightly increased the size of Site B, and added low-sitting cover and props elsewhere. Let us know your thoughts on these changes, and we’ll continue to iterate as needed.

Early Access Development Update

Back in v35.00, you may have noticed we made several map changes in v35.00 to Hammer Fall as well. We’re looking for feedback on how those map changes are feeling, what you think of Cinderwatch, and how your matches are going with a dedicated pistol slot, free gadgets, and the vote-to-surrender functionality.

Share your feedback with us in a post-match survey in-game, the Fortnite Battle Royale subreddit (which we’re using for Ballistic as well), or in the English Fortnite Discord. 

Improvements & Fixes - v35.10

Storm Chasers Cove

- Fixed two exploits where players could leave the starting area before the barriers went down.
- Fixed several issues related to the mini-map not matching the actual space.
- Fixed an issue where players’ feet would clip into the floor in the Attacker’s Spawn area.
- Fixed an issue where Proximity Mines could clip into a pillar in Site B.

Hammer Fall

- Fixed an issue where players were able to Impulse Grenade themselves to an unintended spot near Statue Square.

Other Changes

- Overdrive’s duration has been reduced from 12 to 10 seconds, and its fire rate increase has been halved.
- Fixed an issue where players were sometimes unable to defuse the Rift Point Device when under the effect of Overdrive.
- Fixed an issue where the game would sometimes crash after selecting “Return to Lobby.”

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