How to win Fortnite | Digital Trends

Before even jumping into a match, go into the Settings within Fortnite and navigate to the Audio section. Here, you’ll find an option to Visualize Sound Effects. Turn this on and you’ll get a visual notification of many sounds, including enemy footsteps and chests. This will give you a huge advantage, as you’ll have a clear indication of where nearby enemies are at all times. Plus, it helps to know where chests are since having a robust loadout can lead you to victory.

With this in mind, it’s also smart to adjust your settings accordingly, as this can determine your performance as you play. Take a few moments to look through the settings and if anything catches your eye, try tinkering with it. Swapping controls, adjusting the graphics, and even changing the movement can alter how you play — many times for the better.

Before we dive into more advanced tips, let’s talk about how you start your game. The landing zone you select right at the start of the match will determine the flow of everything else. If you pick wrong, it can lead to an early elimination. Only the most confident and skilled shooters can make their way to the hottest named zones like Tilted Towers. Those places are just a murder fest waiting to happen if you aren’t prepared.

Instead, you might want to consider landing at those unnamed houses and areas on the map that are typically found near the named locations. Examples of these include the area to the west of Sanctuary and the section to the north of Sleepy Sound. These areas see fewer players but still have guaranteed loot.

You can also select the main locations on the map that aren’t as popular. These spots change each season, but typically the ones on the edges like Condo Canyon and Synapse Station are solid options.

It’s worth keeping up on what’s new in Fortnite. Is there a new location? Did a previously existing location receive a major change? Stay away from spots like those. For instance, Chapter 3, season 3 transformed the entire map in a major way, introducing spotsRave Cave and Shuffled Shrines. As soon as a season starts, these new areas are typically busier, but as time goes on, they lose their appeal, leading to a more spread-out distribution of players across the map.

Playing solo in Battle Royale can be quite challenging, but if you play your cards right, you’ll quickly learn how to outlast the competition. You don’t have the benefits of someone watching your back and you have to accomplish everything by yourself, but you have the added benefit of knowing everyone around you is against each other. It’s also easier to “third-party” your opponents as they attack one another. You can take advantage of this and strike at the most opportune times.

It’s debatable if Solos is tougher than team-based modes since they each have pros and cons. The nice thing is that you don’t have to worry about getting outnumbered by multiple enemies at once (typically), meaning most of your firefights will be one-on-one. And it can be nice to not have to worry about your teammates’ performance.

Preparation is key

We cannot stress enough how important it is to have a well-rounded loadout. This goes for playing solo or otherwise. After you land, your priority should be to find rare weapons that are suitable for any encounter. This means SMGs, assault rifles, and if you’re confident with a sniper, grab one of those too. Typically, the rarer the weapon, the more damage it does, so keep your eyes peeled for the better versions of the weapons you already have.

Along with that, you’ll want to always make sure you have healing items of some kind. Whether that be a medkit, shield potion, or any of the consumables — try not to leave your inventory void of any healing items. Unless you absolutely get the drop on someone, you’ll likely at least take a little bit of damage during a firefight, so keeping your character stocked up on healing items will ensure that you’re as prepared as possible for the next battle. And when you do need to heal, make sure you do it in an area that is clear from gunfire from other opponents.

Your goal should be to get max shields and health, along with healing items, and powerful weapons so you can be as prepared as possible.

How to win by playing aggressively

Let’s start by giving you tips on how to win Fortnite with the players who like to run in guns blazing. If you are an aggressive type, it isn’t impossible to win, but it is a little harder to accomplish, at least at first.

The biggest problem with playing aggressively is that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s around you while focusing on your singular objective of looting and eliminating as many enemies as possible. While you sprint around the map, we recommend hopping every few seconds to keep those pesky snipers on their toes. Make sure to get yourself some solid headphones with good surround sound support. You will want to hear every effect from footsteps to bullets and know which direction they are coming from.

Speaking of direction, you always be aware of the storm’s position. It’s easy to get swept up by the storm if you aren’t paying attention. In terms of your route, there are pros and cons to staying in the center of the circle versus sticking to the outskirts.

Timid players often wait until the last second to enter the circle, and you can take advantage of that. The later it is, the more cautious players become. If you set yourself up in the center of the circle with a solid fort, you will have a great vantage point of the area around you, but you’ll likely be spotted by your foes. You should base your positioning on your skill and confidence in the game. If you think you can handle multiple enemies, the middle of the circle might not be a bad spot.

Above all else, always be aware of where the closest piece of cover is. Even if you’re a skilled player, it’s easy to get outgunned by one or multiple enemies who have a better vantage point than you do. If you’re always aware of the cover that surrounds you, it’ll be harder to get caught off guard. If there is no cover, you’ll want to build walls around you quickly so you can reset the gunfight. This rings true for cautious or aggressive players.

Late game

It can help to build yourself a solid tower so that you can track all the remaining players when you’re in the final 10. However, you have to do it right. That means building a solid foundation so you don’t find yourself falling to your death in an instant. Do this by building walls around you, then ramps up, then more walls, then ramps, and repeat. This is also the time to utilize traps.

Set up a few traps near the bottom of your fort so you have the upper hand on unsuspecting assassins. This will give you peace of mind to focus on taking out players and retaining your throne in the center of the circle. When you get to this point in the match, you will want to have at least one sniper rifle, shotgun, and rocket launcher. Extra explosives like grenades are a plus, so it doesn’t hurt to also have those.

When you are in your fort, you will want to cycle through your sniper rifle for taking out defenseless enemies, and rocket launchers for eliminating other forts. The thing is, you don’t have to build a fort at the end. Doing so has its pros and cons, but some players can still perform well without building and that’s totally fine. Professional players will, of course, master the building technique, leading to more victories. But in casual matches, it’s completely plausible to get by without building once. Bottom line: We definitely recommend practicing building quickly because if you can master it, you’ll be better off.

SMGs are your best friend for those final duels at short range. But be sure to come equipped with weapons that are suitable for all situations. At the end of the match, it’s not uncommon to have an SMG and an assault rifle in our arsenal. Snipers are good, too, but they’re harder to use and require lots of practice to master.

How to win by being sneaky

There is nothing wrong with sneaking around and camping in locations. If you’re a player who prefers that style, your best asset is patience. When heading to the next circle, you will want to stay at the edge of the current area. Unlike the aggressive player, you will want to remain as far away from the action as possible until the very end.

This means heading to locations that are empty and collecting loot in anticipation of those final duels at the end of the match. If you hear shots nearby, head in the opposite direction, or find a good bush and watch what happens. One of the biggest misunderstandings players have about Fortnite is attacking every player you see. Survival, not kill count, gives you victory.

We recommend hiding in the shadows when you see other fights and waiting until the coast is clear to move. As the match nears its end, many players are in a hurry or have a full inventory and can leave behind valuable weapons. Take advantage of that. This also applies to Supply Drops. Never approach a Drop first, at least not right away. Instead, wait nearby and observe. If no one shows up after a bit, go for it.

With this style, you will want to mainly use fort construction (and other pieces of cover) for defense instead of offense. Build up walls only when you know you’ve been seen, or utilize a port-a-fort. In order to do this, take a second to hit each tree and rock that you pass throughout the match. That may seem odd, but every single material adds up if you continuously hit every object as you run past. You don’t need to completely destroy a tree or rock. In fact, doing that can quickly give away your position. Just make sure you have enough materials to get you by.

The final moments

In the last moments of the match, you will want to wait until the very last second to move to the next circle. It’s best to ensure that you are waiting until the final moments to approach safety. You should take the long way around mountains and towns if you have the time. Frequently hop from cover to cover to track where enemies are. Hold off from engaging until there are five or fewer people remaining.

Even then, you’ll want to take advantage of the fights. While players are distracted fighting someone else, pick the person who looks to have the upper hand and sneak up near them, or their fort. As soon as they win, unleash everything you’ve got. Destroy the foundation beneath them, and use your explosives and SMG to eliminate them.

If you gamble wrong and the person near you loses the fight, that’s fine. Your remaining enemy likely won’t expect you to be in the same exact spot, so use those precious seconds to either take over the fallen foe’s fort or sneak up behind your final enemy. The SMG will be your best friend for nabbing that Victory Royale if you’re up close. Otherwise, you can take advantage of enemies going up against one another to “third-party” one of them from afar. Then, take out the other enemy who will likely be low on health at this point. It’s always smart to take advantage of a player who could be at low health after they just had an engagement with another opponent.

Use the above tips to cement what kind of player you are: aggressive, sneaky, or somewhere in between. That’s important because the most integral part of winning team matches in Fortnite is by taking advantage of what you and your teammates do best and communicating as effectively as possible. It does your team no good if they don’t know what your next steps are.

Communication is key

It might sound cliché, but communication goes a long way in Fortnite. This starts by dividing up the roles between you. You will want to constantly communicate. If you land in a town, take one house while your teammate does another. If you’re in a squad, always make sure each person has a partner to watch their back. Know who the leader is for your group and follow their orders. This person needs to be confident and quick in their strategy and skills.

While many of the tips for standard Fortnite apply to Zero Build modes, the main difference is that your gun skill needs to be top-notch since you can’t quickly build a fort to hide behind. It’s a double-edged sword, as your foes are in the same boat as you are. This, in many ways, makes things easier since you don’t need to learn how to build walls around you. You can spend less time scavenging for resources, and more time moving around, allowing you to hopefully survive longer.

With that in mind, you’ll want to always be aware of where the next piece of cover is. Try not to run out in the open unless you absolutely have to. Instead, we always recommend having a plan in terms of maneuvering in and out of cover. It’s also smart to try and get a sense of how many enemies are nearby. Pay attention to the sounds of gunfire, footsteps, and the direction in which your enemies are shooting. You can then plan your route accordingly based on where your foes are, in conjunction with nearby pieces of cover for best results.

Editors’ Recommendations