Fortnite Chapter 4 has been out for some time now, and players have had ample opportunity to explore and learn all the new features the game has to offer. From new weapons/items, a refreshed map, and the introduction of the Augment system, Chapter 4 has brought a host of exciting changes to the world of Fortnite.

For many of you, using these items have become quite comfortable, and you may feel like you have mastered the extent of Chapter 4 mechanics. However, there are many interesting interactions that you get when you combine multiple mechanics and items together, many of which you probably have never tried.

This article will cover some more discrete mechanics, and how to use them to your advantage in games.

Using Impulse Grenades as Shockwaves

A returning item that you probably don’t pick up often is the Impulse Grenade, which has fallen off in functionality when compared to an item like the Shockwave Hammer. Fortunately, the addition of Soaring Sprints has reinvigorated how Impulses can be used, along with many other items (you’ll see later on).

To do this trick, you simply need to start sprinting as soon as you throw your Impulse Grenade. The low gravity of the augment makes the trajectory akin to a real Shockwave Grenade, and you don’t take any fall damage. Additionally, Impulse Grenades come in stacks of 10, which is an increase from the stack size of 6 for Shockwave Grenades.

FNCS Champion Kami using this trick in a tournament

Furthermore, you can also use the Impulses offensively, by pushing players off tall structures. Previously, this strategy was less effective when standard Impulses dealt fall damage to yourself, and how Shockwave Grenades wouldn’t eliminate enemies if you knocked them off.

Using Balloons with the Shockwave Hammer

One of the less popular augments in the game right now is the Party Time augment, which periodically gives the player a balloon. In many ways, it’s not the most useful augment. However, it’s actually quite powerful once you use it with specific items. First, the Shockwave Hammer is a great way to get super high with the balloons, giving you instantaneous high ground over your opponents. This is most useful when you are forced to scale up a high mountain or tall structures. With the increased number of castles in this new chapter, it’s a great way to go up quickly.

In terms of weapons, the balloons are paired best with the Red-Eye Assault Rifle, as its perfect accuracy is great for ranged attacks, especially when enemies are further away.

The Party Time augment is also useful with balloon tricks in the past, such as using them with vehicles to fly, or equipping one at a time for faster rotations. This augment will also return in a later tip.

The Dub Shotgun

The Dub Shotgun is an Exotic double-barreled shotgun that propels the user when shot, similar to a Flintknock Pistol. It can only be obtained in Holo-Chests, costing the player 2 Keys. When you combine two barrels of knockback potential with Soaring Sprints, the player can actually permanently stay in the air, since you can reload before you touch the ground. Provided you have enough shotgun ammo, you can technically rotate anywhere around the map with one weapon.

Additionally, this same effect can be achieved with Party Time, as equipping one to three balloons greatly decreases a player’s falling speed. You can essentially continuously keep high ground over your opponents, making yourself a difficult target to hit.

An interesting use of this strategy is to stay above your opponents in smaller circles. This is a niche strategy that can net you wins in a fun and unique way,

Using the Sky Jellies

The Sky Jellies are probably one of the more unknown features of Chapter 4, but they are actually extremely useful. They have two primary functionalities: they heal the player 10 HP on contact, or they can be hit to become a Shockwave Grenade.

With the addition of Soaring Sprints, it makes sense as to why Epic chose to exclude Shockwave Grenades in the standard loot pool. However, having Soaring Sprints while encountering these packs of jellyfish enables you to replicate this effect, performing an insanely long jump.

You can further combine this perk with the Dub Shotgun, creating one of the most powerful movement strategies in the game.

The Bow Specialist Augment

Typically, Bows are not necessarily a player’s first choice of weapon. However, the Bow Specialist Augment enhances the draw speed of the bow, which makes a huge difference for specialized bows (Shockwave, Stink, etc.) For these bows, the special perk is only active when the bow is completely drawn. Thus, this augment increases the frequency of the specialized arrows.

The Stink Bow is extremely powerful with this perk. Before, it was limited by the frequency of the arrow, and radius of effect. Enemies could quickly run away or create more distance between the nearest surface. With this augment, you can continuously force the enemy into the stink effect, netting you more damage and even potential eliminations.

Additionally, the Shockwave Bow is another great use of mobility. This combination is arguably superior to all the ones mentioned, as players can hold up to 30 arrows, with low downtime in between shots. Combining this perk with Soaring Sprints gives the player insane mobility and versatility; you can mix in taking a shot at your opponent while staying agile.

Streamer “Chanzes” showing off the strategy

Giant Snowballs

Our final strategy involves the Giant Snowballs, which can be created in the snow biome by pickaxing any patch of snow. The snowball can grow up to a maximum size of 13 hits. You may already know that you can enter a Giant Snowball and use it similarly to a Baller, rolling around while staying protected. However, you can enhance this by launching the snowball beforehand using either an Impulse Grenade or a Shockwave Bow, then quickly entering the snowball. This launches the snowball with you as the passenger, creating an extremely safe rotation.

Additionally, you can use these Snowballs offensively. If you have the high ground over your opponent, you can roll the snowball directly into their cover. The largest size of snowball is sufficient in destroying structures of all sizes, dealing additional damage on contact. If you feel like playing a bit of baseball, you can use the Shockwave Hammer to propel the snowball in a direction of your choosing.

Conclusion

With the addition of all the new items and mechanics, Epic brought in many new and fun interactions between them to enable entirely new strategies. If you are looking for a fresh experience in your next Battle Royale match, try out these strategies to dominate the lobby in a new way!