How to Get the 9mm Baba Yaga in Fortnite Runners — Quick Answer
- The 9mm Baba Yaga is a Mythic pistol tied to rescuing John Wick’s Dog. It is not found in chests or floor loot.
- John Wick’s Dog spawns in one of two locations every match: Sinister Strip or Battlewoods sewers. The location is random each game.
- Defeat the NPC guards around the cage, open it, and pet the dog. The 9mm Baba Yaga can drop from the cage interaction.
- The Mythic drop is not guaranteed. On bad RNG, you get a Legendary Lancehead Pistol instead. Try again next match if so.
- Petting the dog restores your health AND shields to full — useful regardless of whether the Mythic drops.
- If someone else already opened the cage when you arrive, you can still pet the freed dog and get the rewards.
- John Wick himself is a separate NPC on the map. He does not give you the pistol but can be hired as a bodyguard for 350 Gold.
How to get the 9mm Baba Yaga in Fortnite Runners is straightforward once you know the locations. The Mythic pistol does not drop from any chest or boss fight. The only way to get it is to find John Wick’s Dog, clear the guards, and open the cage. Here is exactly where to go, what you will face, and what the weapon actually does in 2026.
What Is the 9mm Baba Yaga in Fortnite Runners?
The 9mm Baba Yaga is the Mythic version of the Lancehead Pistol added to Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 3. It is part of the John Wick collab that came with the Runners season — John Wick is a playable skin in the Chapter 7 Season 3 Battle Pass, and his signature sidearm arrived as a collectible Mythic weapon.
The name comes from John Wick’s nickname in the films — “Baba Yaga” — and the weapon’s lore description references the TTI Pit Viper specifications from John Wick: Chapter 4.
9mm Baba Yaga — Weapon Stats and Mechanics
The 9mm Baba Yaga is a semi-automatic pistol with a 21-round magazine and high damage output. It is a hitscan weapon with First Shot Accuracy enabled, meaning your first shot after being still will always land on target.
Several mechanics set it apart from the standard Lancehead Pistol:
- Magazine throw on reload: When you are close to an enemy and reload, the gun automatically throws the spent magazine at them for bonus damage. This triggers on proximity — you do not have to aim the throw.
- Checkpoint Reload: If you start reloading and get interrupted, the reload resumes from where it stopped rather than resetting entirely.
- Tactical Reload: Reloading before the magazine is fully empty speeds up the reload animation compared to a dry reload.
- Reload while sprinting: You can reload while moving at full sprint. It slows you slightly but does not stop you.
- ADS while reloading and mid-air: You can aim down sights during a reload or while jumping. Useful for maintaining aim pressure without breaking movement.
The Mythic version has improved stats compared to the Legendary Lancehead Pistol. It fires faster and deals more damage per shot at the same tier comparison.
Honest Meta Verdict on the 9mm Baba Yaga
The 9mm Baba Yaga is a strong weapon in the right hands. It rewards players with fast click speed and good tracking, especially in close-range fights where the magazine-throw mechanic adds free chip damage on reloads.
That said, it is not universally considered the best Mythic this season. The weapon has noticeable recoil and the semi-auto fire requires consistent aim to get full value. Players who prefer ease of use may find the Ranger Pistol or an SMG more forgiving in close-range situations. If you tend to panic-fire in tight spots, the 9mm Baba Yaga will punish you more than a spray weapon would.
For players with strong tracking and click discipline — particularly on keyboard and mouse — it is one of the better sidearms available. For the full weapon rankings this season, see the Fortnite Runners best meta weapons guide.
John Wick’s Dog Location — All Spawn Points
John Wick’s Dog appears in exactly one location per match. Every game, the dog is at either Sinister Strip or Battlewoods — the spawn is random and you cannot predict which one it will be before dropping. There is no way to know in advance. Land at your preferred spot and check; if it is empty, the dog is at the other location.
Location 1: Sinister Strip — Easiest Access
Sinister Strip is the simpler of the two locations. The dog is in the main building at the south-center of the POI.
How to find it:
- Land at Sinister Strip and look for the large building just below the POI name text on your map
- Find the massive Dark Voyager rock statue outside the entrance — that confirms you are at the right building
- Enter the building and go to the main lobby or casino floor area
- The dog’s cage sits in the center of the room in front of the main staircase
- NPC guards patrol the area — clear them before opening the cage
Sinister Strip is a high-traffic POI because it also contains the Mythic Limitless Seven Sliders in the Electric Room and hostile guards throughout. Expect other players to contest this drop early in the match. Loot fast on the way in to make sure you have a weapon before entering the main building.
Location 2: Battlewoods Sewers — Trickier but Less Contested
The Battlewoods dog spawn is underground in the sewer system beneath the POI. It is harder to navigate but tends to be less contested than Sinister Strip, which makes it a better option if you are worried about player competition.
How to find it:
- Land at Battlewoods and head to the river that runs alongside the POI
- Jump into the river to enter the sewer tunnels — there are three entry points:
- Eastern wall tunnel: Enter from the eastern side of the river
- North-facing tunnel: Enter from the north end of the river
- Southern entrance: Access from the east side of the Golden Reel movie theater — follow the underground path inward
- Once inside the sewers, follow the sound of barking — the dog will bark as you get close to the cage
- Clear the guards and open the cage as normal
The sewer entrance adds extra steps, but the underground approach means fewer players know exactly which tunnel you are coming from. For players who want the Mythic without a head-to-head race at Sinister Strip, the Battlewoods sewer is worth learning.
How to Get the 9mm Baba Yaga — Step by Step
Step 1 — Land at Your Preferred Dog Location
Choose Sinister Strip or Battlewoods before you drop. Sinister Strip is faster to navigate but more contested. Battlewoods is harder to find but typically quieter. Either location gives you access to the same rewards.
Speed matters at Sinister Strip. If you hesitate after landing, another player may reach the cage before you. At Battlewoods, the sewer entrance adds navigation time but reduces the chance of a direct race to the cage.
Step 2 — Get a Weapon Before Approaching the Cage
Both locations have NPC guards that will open fire on sight. Do not approach the cage empty-handed. At Sinister Strip, there are weapons available in the building and surrounding area before you enter the main room. At Battlewoods, loot the surface before dropping into the sewers.
Headshots are the fastest way to clear the guards. Expect two guards directly at the cage and additional reinforcement waves after you open it. Close-range weapons work well in both locations given the tight interior spaces.
Step 3 — Clear All Guards and Open the Cage
At Sinister Strip, eliminate the two guards next to the cage first, then deal with the reinforcements that spawn after. At Battlewoods, the guard count is similar — roughly five total, though they spread across the sewer tunnels rather than clustering in one room.
Once all guards are down, interact with the cage to open it. The dog will be freed.
Step 4 — Pet the Dog Immediately
The moment the cage opens, walk up to the dog and press the interact prompt to pet it. This is the action that triggers the weapon drop and the health refill.
Petting the dog instantly restores your health to full and fills your shields to maximum. That is a full HP and shield top-up with no consumables required — genuinely useful at any point in the match, especially early when your shields may be incomplete.
The cage then drops either the Mythic 9mm Baba Yaga Pistol or a Legendary Lancehead Pistol. The drop is not guaranteed to be the Mythic — RNG decides which one appears.
Step 5 — If You Got the Legendary, Try Again Next Match
If the cage drops a Legendary Lancehead Pistol instead of the Mythic 9mm Baba Yaga, that is just bad RNG. Pick up the Legendary anyway — it is still a strong weapon — and attempt the same route next match. The Mythic drop rate is not 100% per interaction.
What If Someone Else Already Freed the Dog?
If you arrive at the cage and it is already open, do not leave. The dog will still be there in the lobby area after being freed. Walk up to the freed dog and press the interact prompt to pet it.
You do not need to be the player who opened the cage to pet the dog. Petting it after someone else freed it still gives you the full health and shields restore and still triggers a chance at the weapon drop. The interaction is available to any player who finds the dog, cage-opened or not.
This is one of the most consistently missed details in guides about this quest. Many players assume the interaction is finished once the cage is open and walk away empty-handed.
The Dog (Pen & Ink) Sidekick — Battle Pass Unlock
If you own the Chapter 7 Season 3 Battle Pass, petting John Wick’s Dog for the first time unlocks the Dog (Pen & Ink) sidekick cosmetic in your locker. This is a permanent unlock — it does not expire with the season.
After unlocking it, you can equip the sidekick in your loadout. Keeping it equipped during matches passively unlocks additional cosmetics tied to the dog over time. You do not need to do anything specific — just play with it equipped.
Players without the Battle Pass can still pet the dog and get the weapon drop and health restore. They will not receive the sidekick cosmetic unlock, but the in-match benefits are the same.
Where to Find John Wick NPC on the Fortnite Runners Map
John Wick himself appears as a peaceful NPC on the Shattered Coast map. Finding him does not give you the 9mm Baba Yaga — his pistol cannot be taken from him. He will not fight you if you attack him, and shooting him is pointless.
What he offers is a hire option. You can recruit John Wick as a Heavy Specialist for 350 Gold. Once hired, he follows your squad and fights on your behalf for the rest of the match. At 350 Gold he is one of the more expensive NPC hires this season, but a hired Heavy Specialist with his stats is useful for late-game situations where you need extra firepower in the final circles.
John Wick wanders the eastern side of Calamari Canyon in the desert biome. He does not have a single fixed spot — he patrols the eastern area of the POI, so check the canyon terrain if you want to hire him. Calamari Canyon is west of the Zero Point, which puts John Wick reasonably accessible from mid-map rotations.
9mm Baba Yaga vs Lancehead Pistol — What Is the Difference?
The 9mm Baba Yaga is the Mythic upgrade of the Lancehead Pistol. Both weapons share the same core mechanics — semi-auto fire, 21-round magazine, magazine-throw on reload when close to an enemy. The Mythic version has higher damage and a faster fire rate than even a Legendary Lancehead.
The Mythic also adds Checkpoint Reload and Tactical Reload on top of the base Lancehead mechanics. These make the weapon more forgiving mid-fight: reloads resume rather than reset if interrupted, and a partially-used magazine reloads faster than a fully empty one.
If you find a Legendary Lancehead from the cage drop or the floor loot pool, it is still worth running. The gap between Legendary Lancehead and Mythic 9mm Baba Yaga is meaningful but not dramatic enough to discard a Legendary version mid-match.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of the 9mm Baba Yaga
- Reload when near enemies. The magazine throw on proximity is free damage. Any time you are reloading close to an opponent, the throw happens automatically — use it deliberately rather than letting it surprise you.
- Use Checkpoint Reload to stay aggressive. If you get interrupted mid-reload, you do not lose progress. Push cover immediately after an interruption rather than waiting to fully reload.
- Reload before the magazine is empty. Tactical Reload speeds up the animation when you have rounds left. Habits built around other weapons will work against you here.
- Pair it with a primary rifle or shotgun. The 9mm Baba Yaga works best as a secondary weapon for close-range pressure while your primary handles the mid-range. A Chaos Exploder Rifle or Surgical Burst Rifle in the primary slot covers the distance the pistol cannot.
- Land at the dog location early. Both Sinister Strip and Battlewoods become contested quickly. The players who reach the cage first control the outcome. If you want the Mythic, make the dog location your primary drop for the match.
How the 9mm Baba Yaga Fits Into the Fortnite Runners Season
The John Wick collab is one of two major non-boss collaborations in Chapter 7 Season 3 alongside the Masters of the Universe crossover that brought Skeletor as a playable boss. Both collabs have dedicated Mythic weapons tied to them — the 9mm Baba Yaga for John Wick and the Mythic Reacher Extending Shotgun from Skeletor.
For the full picture of every Mythic weapon in Chapter 7 Season 3 and how each one is obtained, see the Fortnite Runners boss locations guide. It covers Skeletor, Voidblade, and Wolfe alongside the non-boss Mythics including the 9mm Baba Yaga, Mythic Striker Pump Shotgun, and Limitless Seven Sliders.
The dog location at Sinister Strip also overlaps with the Electric Room containing the Limitless Seven Sliders. If you are planning a Sinister Strip drop, you can attempt both unlocks in the same match — just clear the guards first and be aware the POI is one of the most contested landing spots on the Shattered Coast map.
How to Get the 9mm Baba Yaga in Fortnite Runners — Quick Reference
- Weapon type: Mythic semi-automatic pistol — Mythic version of the Lancehead Pistol
- Magazine size: 21 rounds
- Special mechanics: Magazine throw on reload near enemies, Checkpoint Reload, Tactical Reload, ADS while reloading and mid-air
- How to get it: Find John Wick’s Dog, clear guards, open cage, pet the dog
- Dog spawn location 1: Sinister Strip — south-center building, main lobby, cage in front of the grand staircase
- Dog spawn location 2: Battlewoods sewers — enter via river. Three tunnel entries: eastern wall, north-facing, or southern entrance via the Golden Reel theater east side
- Spawn randomisation: One location per match, random each game. Check one — if empty, go to the other.
- Drop guaranteed? No. Can drop Legendary Lancehead Pistol instead. Retry next match on bad RNG.
- Dog already freed? Still pet the freed dog. You still get full health and shields plus a weapon drop chance.
- Battle Pass reward: First pet unlocks the Dog (Pen & Ink) sidekick cosmetic. Requires Chapter 7 Season 3 Battle Pass.
- John Wick NPC: Found wandering east side of Calamari Canyon. Hire as Heavy Specialist for 350 Gold. Does not drop the pistol.
- Season end: August 19, 2026
- Also see: best Sprites in Fortnite Runners and the Chapter 7 Season 3 Battle Pass XP farm guide to stack progress efficiently in the same match as your dog run
