Fortnite Characters have been a mainstay of the battle royale for some time now, offering handy services from selling you weapons to patching up your injuries, or even fighting alongside you as a hired specialist to give you that extra competitive edge. Interact with any of them you meet and you'll also receive useful items, as well as the opportunity to speak to them about certain topics and gain intel on the overall lore.
Watch out for the Scout, Heavy, Supply, and Medic Specialists when available, who are denoted by a specific icon and can be hired during matches, as they each offer a unique set of skills and can be issued with Fortnite commands to deploy them strategically, gaining you a tactical advantage. Scouts can mark targets and snipe them from distance, Heavies are immune to fire and throw explosives, Supplies keep you topped up with ammo, while Medics provide healing and even revival where possible.
Fortnite characters accept payment in the form of Fortnite gold bars, which you can spend with them on weapons, items, and useful services. Because the world of Fortnite is so large you might not stumble upon them by accident, so follow my guide to finding all of the Fortnite characters locations and you'll be meeting up with these elusive NPCs in no time.
How to find Fortnite Characters locations
You can find all of the current Fortnite Characters locations by bringing up the map screen while in a match, then moving over to the Characters tab. On the left you'll see the NPCs you've interacted with so far, and on the right is a map showing all of their locations – those you haven't met yet are represented by a (!) icon, and you won't know which is which until you go there and interact with them. Highlighting a character you've met will also reveal the services they provide at the bottom of the screen, which is useful if there's a particular specialist you want to hire.
Previously you could access this screen through the Collections option under the Quests tab in the lobby, however that option appears to have been removed. Therefore the only way you can check on your current collection of Characters is to open up the menu during a match.
You'll know when you're close to one as you'll see a speech bubble on your map, as well as on your screen above their head which you can see through walls – this is replaced with a specific Hire icon for characters you can recruit to fight by your side. Interact with them and the first time you meet you'll add them to your Collection, with a confirmation appearing on screen.
What do Fortnite Characters do
When you find one of the Fortnite characters and interact with them, you'll be given a variety of options to choose from, either taking on a task for them or buying something from them. Possible choices include the following, though not all are currently available:
- Duel - Defeat the character in combat to collect their weapon
- Hire - Recruit the character to fight alongside you as a specialist
- Patch Up - Recover your health
- Prop Disguise - Turns you into a prop until you use an item or take damage
- Rift - Opens a rift to teleport you into the sky so you can glide
- Storm Circle Hint - Shows where the next Storm phase will form on your map
- Tip Bus Driver - Post a tip to the Battle Bus driver in the feed
- Upgrade - Upgrade your equipped weapon
- Weapon - Purchase a weapon (including Exotics) from the character
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