FNCS Season 3 Is About to Start – Are You Ready?

FNCS
Image credit: Epic Games

New details have been released regarding the upcoming Fortnite Champion Series tournament for Chapter 2, Season 3 and we have all the details for you.

At the end of last season's FNCS Invitational, Fortnite announced that Chapter 2, Season 3 will retain the solo format for the next part of its most prestigious tournament series. After much speculation, it is now confirmed. The FNCS returns and with it a prize pool of $5 million.

How Does the FNCS Work?

The solo format will continue to be used at the third official Fortnite Champion Series event. The tournament is open to all players who reach the Champions Division in Arena Mode. After that, hopeful participants can join the queue on the official start date. Players will have four qualifying tournaments to play, starting on August 1 and ending on August 9. There will be two separate tournaments. One for PC players only and one for all console and mobile players.

Qualification

Each qualifying tournament grants players three separate rounds of competition. After the third round, the top 50 finishers for Europe, NA East, NA West, and Latin America automatically secure a place in the semi-finals, also known as heats. The top 25 for Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East will have an equal chance of reaching the semi-finals.

In addition, after all four qualifying matches, players will have the opportunity to qualify based on their series points. The top-point winners who do not make the top 50 in any of the third rounds will also secure a place in the heats.

In the first two heats of each qualifying round, players will have a maximum of seven games over two hours at their disposal. Six games will be played in the third round of each qualifying round. The four qualification dates are as follows:

  • July 31: Qualifier 1 - Rounds 1, 2, and 3 [Middle East]
  • August 1: Qualifier 1 - Rounds 1, 2, and 3 [All Regions Except Middle East]
  • August 1: Qualifier 2 - Rounds 1, 2, and 3 [Middle East]
  • August 2: Qualifier 2 - Rounds 1, 2, and 3 [All Regions Except Middle East]
  • August 7: Qualifier 3 - Rounds 1, 2, and 3 [Middle East]
  • August 8: Qualifier 3 - Rounds 1, 2, and 3 [All Regions Except Middle East]
  • August 8: Qualifier 4 - Rounds 1, 2, and 3 [Middle East]
  • August 9: Qualifier 4 - Rounds 1, 2, and 3 [All Regions Except Middle East]
FNCS Season 3
Image credit: Epic Games

Ascent to Level 2

The top 50 players from each qualifying match in Europe, NA East, NA West, and Latin America go into the second phase. The top two hundred players in these regions will also qualify using the cumulative series points mentioned above. A total of 400 players will participate in the second phase, which will lead to qualifying heats. The top 25 players from the Middle East, Oceania, and Asia will advance to the second phase along with 100 additional players from the cumulative series points.

Heats and the Grand Final

Players in Europe, NA East, NA West, and Latin America will be split into four heats after the qualifiers are completed. The top 25 from each round will be pooled into 100 players for the Grand Finals for each of these regions. For Oceania, Asia, and the Middle East, the top 25 from two separate heats will be invited to the Grand Finals with a total of 50 players. The Grand Finals will be held over three hours, with a total of six games.

The schedule for the heats and the finals is as follows:

  • August 14: Heat 1 Group Stage [All Regions]
  • August 14: Heat 2 Group Stage [EU, NAE, NAW, BR, ME]
  • August 15: Heat 2 Group Stage [OCE, ASIA]
  • August 15: Heat 3 Group Stage [EU, NAE, NAW, BR]
  • August 15: Heat 4 Group Stage [EU, NAE, NAW, BR]
  • August 15: Champion Series Grand Finals [Middle East]
  • August 16: Champion Series Grand Finals [All Regions Except Middle East]
FNCS Season 3 1
Image credit: Epic Games

Points System

Epic Games has consistently optimized the tournament scoring system with each round. Someplace more emphasis on ranking and others tend to be elimination points. The point system for FNCS Chapter 2, Season 3 is as follows:

  • Victory Royale: 14 points
  • 2nd: 11 points
  • 3rd: 10 points
  • 4th - 5th: 9 points
  • 6th - 10th: 8 points
  • 11th - 15th: 7 points
  • 16th - 20th: 6 points
  • 21st - 25th: 5 points
  • 26th - 30th: 4 points
  • 31st - 40th: 3 points
  • 41st - 50th: 2 points
  • 51st - 75th: 1 point
  • Each elimination - 1 point capped at 20 per game

Prize Pool

FNCS is offering a $5 million prize pool in Season 3, spread across all seven regions. The prize pool covers both the console and PC platforms.For a full breakdown of the prize pool distribution and rules, please refer to the official FNCS Chapter 2, Season 3 rules.

Live Broadcast

Fornite Champion Series (FNCS) transmissions will start on August 1, 2020, 19:00 CEST. From qualification to the finals, the FNCS will be broadcast on Twitch and YouTube for both Europe and North America (East).The FNCS broadcasts will show the qualification live on two weekends (August 1 and 2, and August 8 and 9) and the finals about a week later (August 14-16).The schedule is the same on each day:

FNCS Programme Plan

All times are in Central European Summer Time (CEST).

  • 1:00pm - Broadcast Begins
  • 1:15pm - Live EU coverage
  • 4:30pm - Break
  • 5:15pm - Live NA-East coverage
  • 8:30pm - Approximate end

Twitch Drops in the FNCS

Spectators on Twitch can win Fortnite items to match the FNCS - including a spray motif, an emoticon and a back accessory. All you need to do is link your Epic account to Twitch. Make sure that the drops on the channel you're watching the tournament on are active.

That's all the information about the FNCS for Season 3, for more Fortnite news and everything esports and gaming check out EarlyGame.

Tasho Tashev

Law graduate from Sofia University turned gaming journalist. Gaming has always been a passion of mine since I was a kid (shocker I know) so it was only a matter of time before I started writing about it. My high-school...