The rarest back blings in Fortnite are those that were only available for a short period, like during unique third-party promotions or specific regional events. There are also back blings that appeared in the Shop but haven’t been seen again after being absent for thousands of days.
Often, the rarest back blings are also the most sought-after, as many players chase the sense of uniqueness they provide. However, them being rare also means you can’t get them today. If you spot someone in your games sporting one of these back blings, they’re likely either a veteran player or someone who spent extra to acquire a phone or GPU, gaining the back bling as a special bonus. Below is a list of some of the rarest back blings in Fortnite.
Rarest Back Blings in Fortnite, ranked
1) Rust Bucket
In April 2018, Fortnite experienced problems with its systems, leaving some players unable to play. Due to this, they decided to give back to the community by awarding all players the Rust Bucket back bling.
Part of the Storm Scavenger set, Rust Bucket is considered a rare item as when it was given away Fortnite had a much smaller player base than it currently does and is unavailable for any player to acquire if they were not part of the game back in season three. It’s been impossible to obtain since April 19, 2018.
2) Response Unit
The Response Unit back bling launched as part of Fortnite‘s collaboration with NVIDIA. The cosmetic upgrade was originally only available with the purchase of a new NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics card, desktop computer, or laptop after November 2018.
This deal was called The GeForce Fortnite Bundle and was originally the only way to get the back bling until it was released in the Fortnite store as part of the Reflex outfit. Players who received the outfit through purchasing a GeForce bundle were gifted a different variant of the skin to the one available in the store. Response Unit has been unobtainable since March 4, 2019.
3) Backup Plan
The Backup Plan back bling was available as a Twitch Prime reward to users who linked their Epic Games account with their Twitch account between February and May of 2018.
Part of the Havoc outfit, The Backup Plan is so rare because both Fortnite’s player base and Twitch Prime’s user base were much smaller than they are today. This back bling has since been impossible to acquire and was only available through the collaboration with Twitch Prime.
4) Galactic Disc
This back bling is unique due to it being a floating disk as opposed to something that would normally sit attached to a person’s back. The Galactic Disc is one of the rarest back blings in the game due to it only being attainable through the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or Galaxy Tab S4 in 2018. This promotion ended on December 31, 2018 and has never returned, and will likely never be back again. It also gifted the player the Galaxy Outfit with their purchase.
5) Telemetry
The Telemetry back bling is only available inside a Nintendo Switch Double Helix Fortnite bundle. Due to Fortnite being a free game, people purchasing a switch may opt to get a different bundle and download Fortnite later, however, this is the reason why this back bling is so rare. Part of the Double Helix Set, the Fortnite Switch bundle also included the Pinpoint pickaxe and Double Helix player skin.
Following its launch, the Fortnite Wildcat Nintendo Switch bundle took its place, making new Double Helix Nintendo Switch bundles unavailable since late 2018. Nowadays, you might come across sellers offering a pre-owned version of this old bundle for thousands of dollars online.
6) Squire Shield and Royale Shield
The second season of the battle pass introduced many different shields, the first of which was the Squire Shield. The Squire Shield was available at tier one of the battle pass while the Royale Shield came at tier 21. Both shields are blue and white with a lion insignia in the middle. The two look virtually identical with there being minute differences in dimensions made to suit different player models.
In season two, Fortnite’s player count was nothing like it is today and not all of the players during that time purchased the battle pass, making these two shields some of the rarest items in the game today. They have been impossible to obtain since February 20, 2018, when the season two battle pass ended.
7) Penguin and Insignia
Both the Penguin and Insignia back blings became available as Chinese-exclusives awarded to players in trade for medals that can be earned by successfully inviting friends to the Wegame platform. Those friends had to continue to play 10 hours of playtime before the medals were awarded. Due to these conditions, unlocking these back blings was virtually impossible for players outside of China. The Penguin is modeled after the mascot of Chinese instant chat service Tencent QQ, which is owned by Tencent, which also owns Wegame.
The insignia is more of a traditional shield. Black with gold trim, the shield stands out among others available in the game today. The limited player base in China led Epic Games to shut down Fortnite in China, making these two back blings disappear from the game. They were never released in the West.
8) Black Shield
The Black Shield is probably the rarest back bling that was attainable to players of the game regardless of geographical location. As the name suggests, the back bling is a black shield with a dragon insignia on it. This cosmetic was only available to players who reached tier 70 in the season two battle pass. The player base was minuscule in comparison to today’s player count and many of the players at the time may not have purchased the battle pass. Attaining this shield was even more difficult as the game was not set up with as many XP challenges as it is today and the process of leveling the battle pass was mostly done by grinding wins and playing games instead of today’s daily and weekly challenges.
Players who have this back bling make a statement to the rest of the player base that they put in the grind back when the game was just beginning.
9) Buckled Bundle
The Buckled Bundle stands out as a unique Fortnite bundle that included three backpacks and has not made a comeback since its initial release. It featured the Buckled, Slashed, and Vintage backpacks, all available together for 800 V-Bucks. This bundle first appeared on August 29, 2018, and was last seen in the shop on November 26, 2018, never to return. These backpacks aren’t noted for their looks or uniqueness, which is probably why they haven’t been re-released. However, this rarity is what makes them so special.
10) Blue Shift
Blue Shift was included in the PlayStation Plus Celebration Pack 2, launched as a gift for PlayStation Plus members on June 18, 2018. It was available for three months before being swapped out for the next pack and has not reappeared in Fortnite since then. It’s now among the rarest exclusive back blings in the game.
