New to Fortnite? In this guide, we’ll go back to the basics and make sure you have the foundation necessary to be a ruthless Fortnite competitor. Perfect for new and existing players that want to improve.
Before we can dominate the fields of Fortnite, we need to know how to survive.
It’s time to build up the foundation that will take you to victory (royale), and if you plan on winning, you need to lose. Over and over again. Here you’ll learn how to make the path to success a whole lot easier.
There are a ton of mechanics that you as a player need to learn and understand, all while competing against 99 other players, which naturally can be a headache. Don’t stress, it will all start to unravel and make sense soon enough, you may end up surprising yourself by how quickly you’ll learn.
By warming up your aim, you’ll be priming your mindset for success. We have all had days where we simply got into a match and couldn’t aim to (literally) save our own lives. Your reactions need a little warming up but dying a ton in the process is a demotivator.
In a game of odds, the more players that drop around you, the more likely you are to be killed early in the game. Do yourself a favor and wait till you are at least halfway across the map before you drop. That will give you the chance to find weapons and heal up in relative peace before your first enemy encounter. Also, be sure to drop over low points in the map, that will allow you to free fall for longer, and get to the ground faster. In Fortnite, the very first winner is the person that touches the ground before anyone else.
Large Shield Potions grant you 50 health, while mini ones give you 25 each. It’s crucial to remember to drink minis first, as they cannot take you beyond 50 shields, meaning it will be up to that pot you have to grant you full health. You should also keep an eye out for Shield Kegs, Shield Fish, and Shield trucks that can be used no matter how much shield you have, provided you have at least a little shield empty. Make a point of keeping minis on you for later in the game too, they are consumed way faster, and could save you in an intense moment.
Here is the tactic that essentially everybody uses. Light up your enemy a little from a distance with an assault rifle, and as they are panicking to escape and heal up, intelligently close the distance between you and them. Once you’ve done that, you’ll shoot them once with your shotgun and finish them off with your SMG. They won’t even know how to react.
Guns have several rarities, but for the sake of immediate memorization, let’s discuss them by color Grey guns are the worst, these are what you’ll generally pick up just to survive. Green is the next best, followed by blue, purple, and finally gold. There is no sense in carrying a green pump shotgun and forgetting to take the purple one instead! Rarities are important to understand, but a green version of one gun may severely outpower a purple version of another. You’ll need to see what works best for you.
Would you fight in a war with earplugs in? Probably not. Being able to hear your enemy is extremely important after all! That’s why you should always play with headphones that allow you to clearly hear where your enemy is coming from, with some great built-in surround sound. You need to know where you are in relation to them so you can take them by surprise.
Along with hearing your enemy, it’s important to activate your Spider-Senses. In the game’s options, you’ll find a visual audio option. Make sure it’s ticked, as it will visually indicate the direction of enemies, treasure chests, and other in-game sounds to you. It’s a huge advantage.
Running from an active shooter in Fortnite will send you places, like an early grave. You have a magical ability to instantly place cover between you and bullets. How useful! Make sure to train your first reaction to gunfire to be to immediately build around yourself, it’ll be great for your health.
Doing that will have you claim back some power over the situation, and you’ll be able to heal up from any damage you may have endured. You can now shoot back from your fortress. It would be pretty awkward to realize you have no materials however, make sure to collect them habitually during the game.
Being higher than your enemy makes headshots (which do far more damage) way more likely. For that reason, attacking from high points such as mountains or structures you’ve created is a great idea. It allows you to control the situation while your enemy runs around like a headless chicken. Make sure you don’t fall however, most enemies will try to rapidly close the distance, and the last thing you need is to get into a shotgun firing, bunny jumping 1 vs 1 duel after taking fall damage. (Anything from less than 3 stories won’t hurt you).
It’s worth always keeping a gadget like shockwave grenades with you, they’ll allow for a quick escape and act as your second chance at life. If you’re driving, it makes sense to bring a repair kit or fuel tank. If you feel like being more aggressive, however, grenades will allow you to take out enemy structures and place far more pressure on the player. There are always new gadgets in the game such as jetpacks and lightsabers, and they could offer a serious advantage if you’re creative and can use them effectively.
This is war! The only winner is the last one alive, and if that means 5 kills instead of 20, so be it. Only take fights you know you’ll win, retreat from ones you won’t. Stay low, keep crouched to reduce the noise you make, hide in bushes, and observe enemies fighting so that you can swiftly destroy the victor in his damaged state. The winner of a 1 vs 1 duel is usually the enemy that 3rd parties you.
Another way to look at this is also to remember that at the end of the day Fortnite is a game, make sure you’re having fun!
