Fortnite Settings, HUD & Match Terms

By Treesz · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Fortnite players search for a handful of settings and match terms again and again: how to rearrange the HUD, why the HUD opacity slider is missing, how voice chat works across consoles and PC, why the game goes offline for hours on update day, and which burst pistol is meant. Where a common search term does not match a real setting or item, the section explains what actually exists in its place.

State on 2 November 2026: Chapter 7 Season 4, "Override" (Season 42, the Gaming Legends season with Sonic and Mega Man), ran from 20 August 2026 with update v42.00 and ended on 31 October to 1 November 2026, depending on time zone. Epic had not announced what follows when this page was checked, so loot-pool details below name the update they come from.

Term	Short answer
Burst Pistol	Usually the Hyperburst Pistol (vaulted) or its Exotic, the Unstable Voltage Burst Pistol
Cinematic Shot	Not a game feature; replay camera modes and UEFN Cinematic Sequencer
Cross-Platform Voice	Epic Parties: Party Channel and Game Channel
HUD Layout	Game UI settings and the HUD Scale slider
HUD Opacity	No global HUD opacity slider; Background Opacity is for subtitles
Maintenance Break	Server downtime on update day, usually 3 to 4 hours

Burst Pistol

No Fortnite weapon is called just "Burst Pistol". Players searching for it usually mean the Hyperburst Pistol, a 3-round burst pistol added on 7 June 2025 in update v36.00 (Chapter 6 Season 3).

Stat (since v40.00)	Common	Legendary
Damage per bullet	16	20
Critical hit (2x)	32	40
Reload time	1.43 s	1.17 s
Magazine	24	24

It is hitscan with first-shot accuracy and loses no accuracy while moving or jumping, and it can be reloaded while aiming.
Damage falloff starts at 30 metres, drops to 85% of maximum at 48 metres and bottoms out at 78% at 105 metres.
It is currently vaulted in Battle Royale, Reload, Blitz Royale and Creative. It has been vaulted and unvaulted several times since 2025, so it may return.
It has a Mythic version, the Enhanced Hyperburst Pistol, and an Exotic one, the Unstable Voltage Burst Pistol (21 damage, 42 on a crit): the last round of its first and last burst releases a small shockwave. The wiki lists the Exotic as available in Reload and Blitz Royale.

Cinematic Shot

"Cinematic shot" is a community phrase for a film-like clip, not a game feature. Two real tools back it up:

Replay Client (Career tab): Battle Royale and Creative matches are saved as replays unless you turn Record Replays off. A replay is the server re-creating the match, so replays only work on the patch they were recorded on. Camera modes include Third Person, Drone Follow and Drone Attach, and the HUD can be set to Fully Visible, Game Only or Replay Only. In the personal client the replay area is 250 metres around you.
Cinematic Sequencer: a device for playing back Level Sequence cinematics, available only in the Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN).

For clips, record the replay, hide the HUD and film with a drone camera. Do not expect the full map: personal replays have no Battle Map camera and no enemy health values.

Cross-Platform Voice

Fortnite voice chat runs through Epic Parties, which is available across platforms and games in Epic's services. Epic's help pages describe two channels: the Party Channel (everyone in your Epic Party, including from the Epic Games Launcher or store app) and the Game Channel (players on your team but in other parties).

Xbox and PlayStation party chat keep Fortnite voice from working; you must leave the console party, even if you are alone in it.
Communication settings can be Everybody, Friends Only or Off. Chat defaults to Off for accounts under 18, and parental controls can block voice chat.
Voice settings are saved to your Epic account and follow your party.

If your mic is silent, first check the console party chat, then the platform privacy settings, then the Fortnite audio settings. See the online play and lag glossary for connection problems.

HUD Layout

HUD (heads-up display) is the on-screen information: reticle, health and shields, resources, minimap, quick bar and the elimination feed. The Game UI tab in Settings controls where and how these appear. The community wiki lists these items:

HUD Scale: a percentage slider for the size of HUD elements.
Damage Numbers Scale: a separate slider for the size of damage numbers, where 100% is default.
HUD Options: on/off toggles for Player Health, Resources, Minimap, Quick Bar, Target Info, Pickup Loot Stream, Map and Backpack Keys, Elimination Feed, Net Debug Stats, Quest Progress and Control Prompts.
Reticle options: damage numbers cumulative or list, and hit feedback "Hit & Icons", "Hit Only" or off.

On mobile there is also a layout tool for the size of on-screen controls. The HUD Scale slider is covered separately on HUD scale.

HUD Opacity

Fortnite has no single slider that makes the whole HUD transparent. The opacity control that does exist is "Background Opacity" for the box behind subtitles, with the levels Clear, Low, Medium, High and Solid.

To make the screen less busy, use the tools that are there:

lower HUD Scale so every element takes less space;
switch off elements you do not need in HUD Options, for example Quest Progress, Control Prompts or the Pickup Loot Stream;
on mobile, use the HUD Layout Tool (reworked in Chapter 2 Season 3) to move and resize touch buttons such as Fire, Jump, the build pieces and the minimap.

Epic adds and renames settings between updates, so if a guide names a slider you cannot find, compare it with the Game UI tab of your current version.

Maintenance Break

A maintenance break is Fortnite's server downtime around an update or the end of a live event. During downtime all modes except UEFN are unplayable, the lobby is closed and you see a "servers not responding" error.

Downtime usually starts around 2 to 4 am ET and typically lasts 3 to 4 hours; it can be longer for a new season.
Epic announces it on Fortnite Status or in lobbies the night before.
Major updates are usually released every two weeks on a Tuesday; the week between them has content updates without downtime. During summer and winter there is a 4-week gap between major updates.
Longest outages: login and server issues on 11 April 2018 lasted 17 hours (players got the Rust Bucket back bling as compensation); on 3 October 2022 an unplanned 12-hour downtime came a day before update v22.10; the Chapter 5 Season 2 downtime (8 March 2024) was extended first by at least 8 hours and then by 5 more.
After a big live event Epic sometimes keeps servers down on purpose, so nobody can play on a map that the event has just changed.

Standalone terms linked from here

HUD Scale: the size slider, see HUD scale.
Launch options: command-line parameters set in the Epic Games Launcher, see launch options.
Ping color: marker colours and the network overlay, see ping color. The overlay is the Net Debug Stats toggle in HUD Options.
Party leader: the player who controls queueing and invites, see party leader role.
Recoil patterns: how weapon aim moves while firing, see recoil patterns.

Guides and services

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FAQ

Where is the HUD Opacity setting in Fortnite?

There is no global HUD opacity slider. Use the HUD Scale slider and the HUD Options toggles instead. Background Opacity exists only for subtitles.

How long is Fortnite downtime for an update?

Typically 3 to 4 hours, starting around 2 to 4 am ET. It can run longer when a new season launches.

Why can't I hear teammates on console?

Xbox or PlayStation party chat blocks Fortnite voice. Leave the console party, then check the chat setting in Fortnite.

Is the Burst Pistol still in Fortnite?

The Hyperburst Pistol, introduced in Chapter 6 Season 3, is vaulted in Battle Royale. Its Exotic version, the Unstable Voltage Burst Pistol, is listed in Reload and Blitz Royale.

How do I record a cinematic clip?

Open the match in the Replay Client from the Career tab, pick a drone camera mode and set the HUD to Game Only.

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