Level Summary
Justice Junction is a small POI located in a rocky mountain corridor, styled as a banana-led legal district following their victorious uprising against smoothie-making criminals. The zone balances strong high-ground positioning with layered cover, flanking routes, and dynamic points of engagement, built to support both Battle Royale’s Build Mode and Zero Build playstyles.
Responsibilities:
Designed the level layout
Whiteboxed the level
Set Dressed the entire level with existing Fortnite assets
Lit the level for several different lighting situations including dusk and midday
Implemented enemy AI, loot chests, and ground items to populate the POI
Details:
Team Size: 1
Genre: Open World Battle Royale
Role: Lead Level Designer
Engine: UEFN
Early Blockout (Days 1-4)
Blockout Phase Iterations
A lot of the blockout phase was an attempt to discover what tools I had in UEFN. It was an engine I had not used before this design test. I spent a lot of time the first few days familiarizing myself with the tools and the assets I had to work with so that I could pull from that knowledge later when I had specific reference images I wanted to match. I think it helped a lot as I went from 1/450 applicants to 1/10 offered a design test to 1/2 who passed the design test.
The big changes from the blockout phase to the final ship were as follows:
Hills were replaced with rock structure formations to frame the POI as a stand alone area for the purpose of the design test. In retrospect I would go back to the hills and make them even in height with the buildings to promote a balanced combat zone for the players approaching the POI. This would help those players in two ways: (1) the hills provide a natural cover to hide behind on approach and (2) the hills offer a height advantage to contest the high ground from a distance
The courthouse went through several different art phases using assets from different sets. Ultimately there was no perfect piece for the large front triangle roof piece, so I reversed one that had symbols and kept it as plain as possible. This would be a piece I would want to work with an artist on to get it just right in a final shipment, but for a proxy location it was the best solution in the moment.
The roads were changed from a black landscape material with surrounding sidewalk pieces to grid road pieces with varying road path designs. This was better ultimately to allow ground destruction and the impact of explosives to be felt more readily.
A fourth building “Bail Burgers was blocked out and planned for shipment, but ultimately the rules were 3-5 buildings and in my mind the Courthouse functions as two large buildings combined. I didn’t want to push the rules too far, and ultimately removed the building to better align the POI size to the requirements of the test.
Courthouse:
The Courthouse serves as the visual and tactical centerpiece. It's the tallest structure with the most loot density and verticality. The rooftop offers multiple access points via ascenders, vents, and stairs, ensuring that its power can be contested from multiple angles. Tall windows, rooftop bushes, and sculpted terrain intentionally limit visibility from its highest points to avoid overpowered sightlines.
The courthouse is intended to serve as the primary landmark for Justice Junction, offering immediate high-ground opportunities and clear visibility across the POI. The goal with the Peel-y statue was to establish a strong visual identity and reinforce the legal theme with Fortnite’s tone in mind. I aimed for the building to feel like a central power structure, drawing players in both thematically and strategically.
The Police Station & Jail:
The station features tight corridors, a rooftop entry, and a secured jail tunnel linking directly to the Courthouse for quick flanks and thematic continuity. A giant sheriff’s hat on the roof marks it as the banana authority’s headquarters and serves as a clear visual landmark.
Inside, players move from the front lobby through an equipment room and locker area before reaching the jail in the back. The jail connects back to the Courthouse, creating fast rotations protected by cover from the rooftop spaces.
Camp, Hide, and Peel Law
The first floor holds modest legal offices where the grunt work gets done. Upstairs, gold and hidden art are crammed into the managing partner’s bathroom revealing some Saul Goodman style legal escapades.
A rooftop vent can launch players toward the news station from the roof. Other rooftop props offer cover from the Courthouse high ground. Inside, the layout favors slower, interior play—tight rooms, sharp corners, and vertical layers that reward hiding and close-quarters fights. Shotguns are more likely to spawn in this area to maximize the gameplay impact of close quarter spaces.
The Court Reporter Station:
Doubles as a forecast tower for gameplay purposes. Narratively this area serves as a banana news reporting station. Players can fight across cramped reporter desks, a green screen stage, and up into a technical server room packed with broadcast equipment. A super chest and the forecast tower functionality reward players who contest this area in the mid to late game.
This building was intended to serve dual functions: first, as a recognizable landmark through its rooftop antenna array; second, as a compact interior combat space with multiple floors of traversal. I aimed for it to support Fortnite’s forecast tower mechanics while fitting the legal district theme by branding it as a court reporting agency. The verticality was meant to offer rotation potential and strategic rooftop access without outclassing the courthouse in height.
Town Square:
The POI wholistically leans into satire, with bananas now in charge of enforcing justice. A heroic Peely statue stands in the plaza holding scales of justice. He is framed symmetrically by the other buildings and located in the center of the POI. Each building shows signs of Peel-y’s control over different aspects of the legal system in his pursuit to get justice for being turned into a smoothie.
MIRO Board
Gameplay Composition:
4 main buildings (courthouse is ~the size of 2 normal buildings in size and complexity)
47 total chest spawns (Based this number on POIs that I believe are fan-favorites and meet the size requirement of this test such as Flooded Frogs, Twinkle Terrace, and Lucky Landing)
4 super chests (one per major building, 1 C ranked chest for early game contesting, 2 B ranked chests for mid game power, and 1 S ranked chest for late game power)
55 ground loot spawns (Based this number on Flooded Frogs, Twinkle Terrace, and Lucky Landing)
18 ammo boxes (Ammo boxes vary wildly from POI to POI so I took an average of serval popular POIs and placed them as I thought they were appropriate based on aesthetic and functionality)
3 ascenders, 4 air vents, 1 bouncy umbrella for traversal around the POI
1 driveable vehicle, 1 vending machine for added POI utility