10 Fortnite secrets and strategies every player should know
It's hard to ignore Fortnite — everyone is talking about it, YouTube is full of videos about it, and there's seemingly a new update every in the news every week. If you finally caved and downloaded it, only to promptly die at the hands of a twelve-year-old, this article is for you. Here are ten things every Fortnite player should know, including some strategies to help you get your first win.
1. Getting fast resources
Forts are a key part of Fortnite Battle Royale, hence the name. You need resources — wood, brick, and/or metal — to build forts, but getting an adequate amount quickly without drawing attention to yourself can be difficult. If you find yourself in a bind and you need resources now, find a guard tower with a wood base. That wood base provides a large quantity of wood in a relatively short period of time, but keep in mind that anyone nearby will see the entire tower fall and know you're there. Pallets primarily found in Dusty Divot are another great source of wood.
2. "Secret" lairs
In case you didn't get the memo yet, Fortnite Season 4 brought with it a meteor, a big hole in the ground...and surprise secret lairs for some possibly nefarious reason. These secret spots aren't terribly easy to find unless you know where they're at, but they're a good place to check out for ammo boxes and a huge cache of weapons. Even better, leave everything in place as bait and put a trap on the ceiling. The trap isn't visible to the person walking down the stairs until it's too late.
3. Editing fort components
Whether you're playing on console or PC, you have access to an editing feature that allows you to edit fort components. With this tool, you can add a door to a wall, remove a section from a wall to create a lookout window, and more. Editing is a key feature for not only building an ideal fort, but also taking a peak at what lies beyond your walls...when in editing mode, the panel turns transparent.
4. The most valuable weapons
Not all weapons in Fortnite are equal, and that doesn't apply to only color codes. Sure, a rare gun is more exciting to find than a common one, but an ordinary shotgun will likely help you more than a rare pistol. As any proficient player will tell you, the goal is to get one of each of the most valuable weapons: assault rifle, shotgun, and sniper rifle. Rockets and exploding plungers are icing on the cake.
5. Ride the storm
If you're still learning the ropes or haven't mastered the art of fighting more than one person at a time, riding the storm is a pretty decent way to pick up items and harvest resources without running into too many people. What do we mean by riding the storm? You stay as close to its limits as possible without getting caught. By the time you're forced into the center, most of the other players will already be gone.
6. Use a headset
Half the battle is Fortnite is sneaking up on others without having anyone sneak up on you. Though you can't hear a sniper in the distance or see the person crouching in a bush nearby, you can always hear someone walking close to your position. However, if you tend to play the game with just your TV speakers, it's much harder to hear that key detail, making headphones or a headset a valuable tool for avoiding ambushes.
7. Don't trust dancers
There's something of an unofficial rule in Fortnite: dance when an opponent tries to attack you as a way to partner up. If you're playing the game and someone starts dancing, that means they want to join you in battle. Don't trust them. While that can be a decent way to find an unexpected partner, it more often than not is a simple tactic to get your guard down, quickly resulting in your death.
8. Get the high ground
He who has the high ground wins (usually). When caught face-to-face with an opponent on the ground, you'd be well-advised to seek the high ground...ideally a hill or mountain, but a tall fort will do if that's all you have. When looking down at your enemy, you get a clearer shot; your enemy, though, is forced to squint from the ground. Just be mindful of rockets!
9. The enemy of your enemy
Too often the adrenaline rush of finding opponents overclouds one's thinking and the player, faced with possible death, joins a fight...only to die. If more than one opponent is nearby and the other two start fighting, don't interfere. The enemy of your enemy is your friend, at least until one of the two dies. While the others fight, spend that time building yourself a fort and coming up with a game plan.
10. Practice, practice, practice
Sure, it seems obvious that everyone has to practice to get better, but that doesn't make it any less discouraging when you meet a 10 year old with twice your number of wins.