How to Play Fortnite

Fortnite was released in 2017 and has been a hit ever since. This free to play game is packed with fun and is constantly updated to provide new content for players to explore.

How to play Fortnite

The purpose of this article is to show new players some helpful tips on how to play Fortnite so they can get their big win!

1. You can’t take the items from Spawn Island with you.

When you join a game, Fortnite loads you into a sandbox environment called “Spawn Island” as it waits to fill the game up with 100 players. You’ll see various loot that you can pick up such as guns, ammo, and building materials. You should treat Spawn Island as a practice area where you can practice your aim and building. You cannot die, so be adventurous, but you will have to be quick as you will likely only be there for less than 60 seconds as servers fill up fast!

2. Wait as long as possible to drop from the bus

Once the lobby fills it will transfer you from Spawn Island to the bus. Get ready, because the match has now begun! As soon as you can jump, the bus will begin honking. Players will begin jumping immediately to land at their favorite spot to get their loot before other players have the chance! Resist the urge to jump immediately as you will surely be outmatched from experienced players. As a new player, you should wait until the very end to jump as there will be fewer players to compete against in gathering loot. This also helps your game last longer as you familiarize yourself with the controls and different weapons. You should aim towards the roof of a house. Once you land on it, begin swinging your pickaxe to get in.

Fortnite Bus

3. Your glider deploys automatically

Once you have jumped from the bus you will begin freefalling. It can be a little nerve-racking as it seems like you are going to crash into the ground! Do not worry! Your glider will automatically deploy once you get close to the ground.

Fortnite Glider

Now that you have landed and are gathering loot, it’s time for some tips on how to best play the game.

4. How to drink shields

Fortnite has two different HP systems, shields and healthbar. Your healthbar will begin at 100% and will fall as you take damage. The shield system effectively works like armor to boost your overall health. So instead of having 100% health, it increases to 200%. This is important as the more health you have, the better off you are when battling other players.

Fortnite Health Bar

You will see a variety of different shields as you loot, but the two most popular ones you will see are small shields and large ones. The large shields give 50 and the small shields 25. Once you have 50 or higher shield, you cannot consume any more small bottles. So make sure you drink the small shields first, then drink the large shields.

Fortnite Shield Potions

5. Building cover when healing

Always build cover when healing. Using bandages and drinking shields all take time (up to 10 seconds depending on what you are using), so it is best to build some cover before healing. If you don’t you could be shot by another player!

Fortnite Fort For Cover

6. Assault rifles and SMGs are the best beginner weapons

Generally speaking, assault rifles and SMGs are the best weapons for beginners to use when learning how to play Fortnite. Avoid snipers until you become more advanced as they are difficult to aim and useless in close-quarter battles. The shotgun is a great gun to use for close-quarter battles. If you aim for the head you can quickly get a one-shot kill and be that much closer to your victory. Always have a shotgun in your hand when entering houses as you never know who is waiting for you!

7. Pay attention to weapon rarity scales

When you see weapons on the ground, you will notice that they are different colors. The is the rarity scale. Grey guns are the most common, with green, blue, purple, and gold in ascending order of rarity. The rarer your gun, the more powerful it is. Gold guns are by far the most powerful, always pick these up if you see them!

Fortnite Weapons Drop

8. Play with headphones on

Playing with headphones on is one of the few things you can do to give yourself an advantage over other players. With headphones, you can hear other player’s footsteps or gunshots in the distance and prepare for a battle.

9. You will receive fall damage above 3 stories

If you fall from above 3 stories (3 walls above one another), you will receive fall damage. The amount of fall damage you receive ultimately depends on how high you have fallen from. This will take a chunk of your health and make you more vulnerable. Try and slide down hills if possible.

10. Get the higher ground when battling

Getting the higher ground when battling is one of the most important pieces of advice in this tutorial. Make sure you are always above your opponent when battling as this will give you the advantage. You can get above your opponent by building ramps into the sky or jumping. The best way to do this is to build four walls around you, then build a ramp inside of that. This will give you the perfect platform and protect you from enemy bullets.

Fortnite Building Walls

11. Keep grenades, shields, and bandages in your inventory

It’s worth keeping a few of these items in your inventory as it can help you later on in the game. Chances are you will eventually need to heal so have shields and bandages are important. Grenades are helpful too as they can help take down forts that the enemy has built and ultimately destroy their high ground.

12. Snack on Apples and Mushrooms

Apples and mushrooms are located throughout the map near trees and other shaded areas. While you cannot carry them, you can consume them and regain health. You will gain five health per apple and 5 shield per mushroom. Don’t pass these up!

13. Don’t completely destroy trees

When gathering materials, trees are pretty much your best source of wood. When pickaxing trees it is important that you do not hit it so many times the tree falls. Leaving a destroyed path of trees will lead the enemy right to you!

Fortnite Trees

14. Make sure you have selected the correct lobby

Fortnite regularly releases different game modes and it is important that you double-check that you are joining the right one. If you are playing by yourself you will want to select “solo”. This ensures you are only playing against single players and not teams of two or more!

Fortnite Game Mode Selector

15. Crouching makes you quieter

It is likely you are not the only person reading this article and another player has seen the tip on playing with a headset. You can counter this by crouching when walking. This will make your footsteps quieter and people with headsets less likely to hear you.

16. You need the Battle Pass for pretty much everything

While Fortnite is free to play, there is a Battle Pass available for sale that allows you to unlock more items. The Battle Pass costs 950 V-bucks which is around $9.99. After you purchase you will unlock tons of challenges you can work through and earn really cool items!

17. You can change your skin, emotes, and stickers in the locker

All the skins, banner icons, gliders, harvesting tools, loading screen, contrails, emotes, dances, sprays and more are located in your Locker. You can switch them around and find the combination that you like best!

18. Use playground mode to practice building and familiarize yourself with the map.

Playground mode is similar to the “Spawn Island” I mentioned above. This is the perfect mode for new players learning how to play Fortnite to play. This allows you to become more familiar with the map, practice your weapon aim and building. All the possible chests spawn in playground mode too, so you can familiarize yourself with their locations and prepare yourself for the real game modes.

Fortnite Playground Gamemode

19. Form a habit of harvesting materials as you move

Having enough materials is very important as it allows you to build. Building allows you to get the high ground and protect yourself while your healing. If you are in a battle and run out of materials you could be in trouble and ultimately lose the game. The best way to make sure you always have materials available for use is to get into the habit of harvesting materials as you move around in the game.

Phew. You have finally learned how to play Fortnite! Now that you have read all of that, it is finally time to jump into a match! Good luck!

Back to top button
Close