How Do Fortnite Sidekick Points Work?

There’s a brand-new type of cosmetic for this Fortnite mini season! Sidekicks, little pets that follow you around in each game. But what are Fortnite Sidekick points? When they were first announced, Epic promised the pets would collect these points regularly throughout the match. But just what side points actually do isn’t quite as clear. They don’t contribute to the Battle Pass, or anything like that. But they are vital for picking the version of the sidekick that you want.

A Fortnite Sidekick isn’t just the version you see in the shop. Players can customize them. It’s this feature which has been behind most of the controversy over Fortnite sidekicks. Mainly due to the one-time only customization, which locks you into a single look. It’s designed so that players must buy multiple versions of one Sidekick to get over options. Or if they change their mind down the road from the initial purchase.

However, Fortnite Sidekick Points are a barrier to some elements of customization. Players will need to earn enough of them to unlock everything, but they’re a bit vague. This is how Fortnite Sidekick Points works and how you can actually use them.

What Are Fortnite Sidekick Points?

Sidekick Points are a new form of XP that have launched with the Fortnite Sidekicks cosmetics. These are essentially XP for a specific item. It’s not an overall level or anything, it’s just a way for players to level up that Sidekick. They’re tracked in a similar way to levels in the general Battle Pass, but they have their own screen.

If you look through the Quests section of the game with your sidekick equipped in the locker, you should find what you’re looking for. A little tracker for each Sidekick! It’s in a different section to the appearance options, which is where you select your customization before you lock it in. It’s a little convoluted, but it’s basically just a little section to track progress. It’s unique to each sidekick, points don’t carry over. But it won’t take as long for each as grinding XP in Fortnite or anything.

As you earn more Fortnite Sidekick points, you’ll unlock more of the options for the cosmetics. Like emotes, and smaller things like that. How exactly can you earn them though?

How to Get Fortnite Sidekick Points

To actually get Fortnite Sidekick points, you just need to play. The game gives out sidekick points in all the same ways as XP. But it doesn’t make as big of a deal about it, you probably won’t notice you’ll collecting a ton as you go. It’s easiest to get these in Battle Royale.

Essentially, all you need to do is play with the sidekick enabled. If you pick which of the Fortnite sidekicks you want to use, then jump into a few games, you’ll end up with enough sidekick points to unlock the customization options. Without really focusing on it, it’ll just happen. It isn’t too tricky.

It’s nice to get a side of the game that doesn’t need grinding! You might not need to head to Fortnite XP maps just to unlock the Sidekick Points. It’s a shame stuff is still locked behind play time and not just customizable from the beginning.

Do You Need Them to Buy New Sidekicks in Fortnite?

Lastly, is there actually any link between the Fortnite sidekick points and unlocking more animals to bring around with you? No. You don’t need to earn sidekick points to get the cosmetics. They come from buying them in the item shop, or Battle Pass. You don’t need to earn anything. They can unlock different options for playing with them, which makes them a bit more fun. But it won’t impact unlocking sidekicks themselves.

You can essentially ignore Sidekick points. If you like a sidekick and play with them, you’ll get more points. Then you’ll unlock the other options for that pet. If you don’t want to use a pet, you won’t get the points, but it doesn’t matter since you’re not using them.

This does beg the question of why the sidekick points have been included at all. It seems they’re here just to incentivize players to turn their sidekicks on in-game. Although, making them tied to normal XP or just playing a certain number of games might have been less confusing. Since the Fortnite sidekick points are earnt the same as XP though, most players will likely complete these quests on their own. It doesn’t take any dedicated effort, just a bit of extra play time.