Taking and engaging in gunfights can be a daunting and tricky task to bring yourself to do in any shooter. This is especially true in Fortnite where one wrong move can send you back to the lobby altogether. Here we are going to break down how to take engagements confidently and strategically so that you can start winning and racking up those Victory Crowns!
Shooters all have one thing in common no matter what subcategory they might fall in: they all have gunfights. I mean this is obvious as it is one of the core mechanics of any good game. However, that is where the similarities seem to halt, as being very good in one game usually can help you with another game, but the core mechanics of each game are almost always different.
This is where Fortnite comes in; Fortnite is a unique game where encounters with enemies are almost always different and can be difficult to prepare for. Have no fear! This guide is made to help you mentally prepare for all sorts of different encounters so you can start winning engagements more frequently and go into them with more confidence!
Before we get into any sort of specific scenario, it is important to establish some groundwork before we hop out of the Battle Bus. In any video game no matter what the genre, and yes, I mean any game, having a good mentality is important to succeed. Now people might scoff at that, but it’s true, even games like Animal Crossing and Minecraft require a positive mentality if success is what you are looking for. This category of “Mentality” casts such a large net and is a topic on its own, but here are some things to keep in mind for when you are playing.
Ask any professional player for any game and they will tell you one of the most consistent things they do to improve their gameplay is reviewing their VODs. Now, this isn’t exactly a necessity for everyone, however reviewing gameplay is always a good thing to keep in mind if improvement in any sort of game is important to you. However, what we can take from VOD reviewing at the surface is understanding what went wrong and where. Humans tend to have a negativity bias and focus on the negative moments of a certain situation anyway, so rather than letting this hinder your gameplay, use it as an advantage. It makes it much easier to understand and reflect on what went wrong to avoid making those habits again.
One of the most common mistakes in any game that has a competitive setting is getting too cocky. Allowing ego to hold you from reaching your true potential in a game is something that happens to so many good players, and it is why you have that friend who is good at the game, but they are hard-stuck Gold 2 in Valorant or Silver 3 in League Of Legends. It is important to be comfortable in yourself and confident in your abilities, it is how you improve, but putting yourself on a pedestal and allowing arrogance to take hold of you is how you hold yourself back from being great. Popular Twitch Streamer JOLLZTV had a great way of putting this mental state: “To think that you are the best person in the lobby is confidence, to act as if you are the best person in the lobby, that is arrogance, okay? Separate the two.” So, learn to be confident in your abilities and skills, but do not allow them to get to your head.
Now that we have gone over the “mental prep” that not just Fortnite, but any competitive game requires to see more improvement on your end, let’s finally get into the game and talk about some scenarios and situations that you may encounter when you finally dive onto the map. It is important to take mental note of these scenarios, but do not stress yourself out trying to remember every single detail, take the concepts and run with them. Now, there are so many different situations you might find yourself in when you are in a match of Fortnite, and that would take an entire book to fill, so let’s go over some of the most common situations you might find yourself in.
Taking control of the fight is essential in ensuring that it swings in your favor, but how is this done? How exactly can we do this? It sounds easier said than done, and sometimes it is, however, there are a few key things that you can keep in mind to make sure that things go your way when taking engagements.
Right off the bat one of the most important things when you are in a gunfight obtaining the high ground if it is available. When you have the high ground in a gunfight, you have the angle advantage on your opponent, allowing you to see more of them, and them to see less of you. Now if you are playing with builds, it is very important to create the high ground yourself. Many times, this can be tricky, especially if your opponent knows what they are doing. However, when in doubt, keep it simple. If you have better aim than your opponent, most times their building abilities won’t matter as long as you have somewhat decent builds yourself. Don’t overcomplicate things and stick with the basics, a lot of the time if you have the high ground the situation will either end in a positive or neutral outcome.
Now, what about Zero-Build mode? Well, the same principle applies, however obtaining the high ground is a bit trickier since you cannot create the advantage for yourself, you have to find it in the environment around you. This is where utility plays a big role in the game. I always make sure I have Shockwave Grenades in my inventory, they make taking the high ground in a fight much easier than they normally would be. Grapple Gloves and other utility helps as well, but the distance that you can gain with Shockwave Grenades in a short amount of time makes taking the high ground a lot easier and faster.
One mistake I see so many people make is not utilizing the structures around them to give them an advantage. Depending on how far away you are from the enemy you are fighting, going inside buildings can be extremely useful for healing or repositioning. On top of that, if you have audio visualization on, it makes playing inside of buildings extremely well because you can see exactly where enemies are coming from.
Now, what if you are in an open area with no buildings nearby and you engage with an enemy? The first thing you should do is analyze the landscape. Are there hills to slide down to speed up your escape if it’s necessary? Are there any bushes to try and shake off enemies? Are there cliffs or mountains around to help you obtain a high-ground advantage? These are all important things to keep in mind when playing because they will help sharpen your decision-making skills on the fly.
The importance of having some form of utility in your inventory has increased over time, especially utility that helps with mobility. Shockwave Grenades, Grapple Gloves, Boogie Bombs, Chrome Splash, anything that can give you the upper hand in a fight is important to hold onto whether you plan on using it offensively or defensively. Understanding what utility can do for you in a situation is important because it could mean your life or the enemy’s.
As was just mentioned, it is important to analyze the situation you are in and assess whether you need to use your utility offensively or defensively. Depending on what items you may have available in your current situation, some might be better than others. For example, a Boogie Bomb Combined with a Shockwave Grenade can be great for retreating from a fight, but also really good for initiating a fight on the fly. Understanding what items do what and how they may interact with each other is always something to keep in mind
At the end of the day, the most important thing that you need to do to improve the most is play the game. You cannot just wake up one day and expect to be the best player at any game. It takes dedicated time to anything to get better over time. All great players have been logging in countless hours for years to get where they were. Now I’m not saying you have to play Fortnite every waking moment, but if getting good at the game is important to you, make sure you are getting your reps in.
Getting good at any game takes time, but there are some ways that you can accelerate your skills. At the end of the day, it all comes down to you as a player and how you handle the situations you find yourself in. Hopefully, some of the things we went over in this article will help you in your next venture in the Battle Bus!
