Battle Passes, Explained — Are They Still Worth It in Call of Duty and Fortnite?
Battle passes are everywhere, and they aren't all equal. Here's how they work in Fortnite and Call of Duty, how to tell if one is worth buying, and how to avoid the FOMO trap.
Few ideas have shaped modern gaming like the battle pass. Popularised by Fortnite and now standard in Call of Duty and most big live-service games, it changed how games make money and how players spend their evenings.
But is buying one still worth it? It depends on the game, on how you play, and on how much you value cosmetics.
How a battle pass works
The basics are similar almost everywhere:
- Each season comes with a pass: a long track of tiers filled with rewards.
- You earn progress by playing matches and completing challenges.
- A free track gives some rewards to everyone. The premium track, which you pay for, unlocks many more.
- When the season ends, the pass, and usually its exclusive rewards, are gone.
Rewards are mostly cosmetic: character skins, weapon blueprints, emotes, banners and similar. In most big games they don't make you stronger. They change how you look while you play.
Fortnite: the pass that can pay for itself
Fortnite's battle pass made the model famous, and one of its best features is that completing it rewards you with more V-Bucks than it costs. Finish a season's pass and you'll usually have enough currency to buy the next one, with some left over.
For regular players, that makes Fortnite's pass excellent value. Pay once, keep playing, and in practice you can keep buying passes without spending again. Fortnite has also expanded into other passes for some of its modes, so check what each one includes before buying.
Call of Duty: more rewards, more grind
Call of Duty's battle pass follows the same general structure: a free track, a paid premium track, and a premium bundle that skips tiers. Rewards lean toward operator skins and weapon blueprints, and the pass also includes free base weapons that everyone can unlock.
Call of Duty passes also return some in-game currency as you progress, which reduces the cost of future passes. But Call of Duty players often play several modes, such as multiplayer, Warzone and Zombies, so progress depends heavily on how much time you put in each season.
So, is it worth it?
Ask yourself three questions before buying.
1. Will I play enough to finish it?
A battle pass is only good value if you unlock what you paid for. If you play every week, almost certainly. If your playtime is patchy, look at the free track first and buy the premium pass later in the season if you're making good progress. Tiers you've earned on the free track count once you upgrade.
2. Do I like the rewards?
Look at the full reward track before buying. If there are one or two skins you'd buy anyway, the pass is probably cheaper than the store. If nothing grabs you, skip this season.
3. Am I buying out of fear of missing out?
This is the big one. Battle passes are designed around limited time, and that pressure is real. Buying a pass and then feeling obliged to grind it every night turns a hobby into a chore.
Healthy habits for pass-era gaming
- Never buy tier skips under time pressure. If you need dozens of tiers in the last week of a season, the pass wasn't right for this season.
- Use double XP and challenges efficiently, but don't let them dictate what you play.
- Skip seasons guilt-free. There'll always be another pass, and plenty of great cosmetics in the free track.
Battle passes aren't going anywhere. Used well, they're a fair way to support games you love and get some cool stuff along the way. Just make sure you're playing because it's fun, not because a progress bar says so.
Newsletter
Enjoyed this? Get the next one first.
Guides, settings and hardware takes on Call of Duty, Fortnite, PlayStation and Xbox. No spam, one click to leave.
The Casitsu team plays, tests and writes about Call of Duty, Fortnite, PlayStation and Xbox. Questions or corrections? Get in touch.
