Fortnite is likely the most popular game on the planet. It features a constantly growing playerbase on both the casual and competitive side. With the subtitle of Chapter 2 Season 8, you might worry about the transition from friendly games to serious matches.
I was recently in that position. Unfortunately, looking for information on how to improve my play felt overwhelming. Most guides focus on new developments in the meta, which often leaves newer players like myself lost. I eventually managed to find resources that helped me get better. Hopefully my struggle to grow helps new players get more Victory Royales four years into Fortnite.
Optimal Fortnite controls
Not everyone is going to enjoy using the same controls in Fortnite whether it’s simply due to preference or peripheral. However, there are certain control options you’ll want to set to keep up with the competition.
Every second counts in Fortnite so you’ll want to follow these options to make the most of every single one.
- Toggle Sprint: Off
- Sprint by Default: On
- Sprint Cancels Reloading: Off
- Auto-Open Doors: On
- Hold Swap to Pickup: On
- Auto-Pickup Loot: On
- Auto-Pickup Weapons: Off
- Turbo-Building/Builder-Pro: On
- Confirm Edit on Release: On
- Disable Pre-Edit Option: On
- Reset Build Choice: On
- Edit Hold Time (For controller players): 0.115
- Vibration: Off
These control settings allow you to move faster, open doors, and pick up loot without stopping, while “Turbo-Building” gives you optimal build inputs to build and edit more quickly. Test controller bindings to discover the most comfortable option for you. There are even pro-players you can copy like Scoped and FaZe Sway.
Where do you start in Fortnite?
Before you even think of looking for advanced techniques you need to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals. Without learning these you’ll lack the proper foundation to utilize the more advanced parts of the game. Imagine learning to build without learning what gun works best once you get the build advantage. Makes that structure useless right?
Learn:
- How does every gun or equipment in the current season work?
- What are the special weapons, tools, and vehicles in the current season?
- What weapons and tools work best in specific situations?
- What is the general layout of the map?
- Where are loot chests usually hidden throughout the map?
- What are the hottest places to land in the current season work?
There is a lot more you can ask yourself but these are the questions you’ll immediately want to figure out. Play the game. Don’t worry about winning or racking up kills. Just get acquainted with points of interest, loot, and popular tactics that make up the current Battle Royale season. Sooner or later you’ll find yourself making smarter weapon and location-based decisions.
Build!
Now we get to the most fun part of Fortnite. After probably losing match after match against someone that you shot once and saw explode into a two-story apartment, you’re probably wondering how to do the same or counter it. It all starts with a box.
You’ll want to master all of the different builds. Hop into creative and practice build drills for things like reinforced ramps, towers, 90s, and anything else that may push you toward that Victory Royale. Expect to fail at first, especially if you try to jump from basic boxes to epic towers within your first few sessions. Check out Billy Biceps for quality videos. He creates easy to understand guides for building and other Fortnite techniques that will help you quickly catch up with the competition.
Learn your edits!
A big mistake new players, myself included, often make is learning to build but not edit. Edits are the key to mixing and conditioning opponents, protecting yourself in strong positions, trapping opponents, and escaping bad situations.
Just like with builds, hop into creative and crank out edits as fast as you can to get it in your muscle memory. Soon your fingers will build exactly what you need in tense situations without wasting any time.
Go back to playing Battle Royale mode
Once you learn your builds and edits it’s time to get back in the game. Avoid the temptation to camp for a late-game spot. Instead, put yourself in situations where you can only survive through these new techniques. Hot drop in popular locations or push every enemy you encounter. Be fearless, then learn from every loss.
Why do this?
You need to learn to build and edit while keeping your composure. Play more games to improve muscle memory. These techniques are worthless if you don’t actively use them to win. They also set you up for one of the game’s main draws — build battles.
Once you learn all of the basics you can climb the skill ramp through more advanced techniques like right-hand peeking, gaining high ground, cone jumping, tunneling, and turtling. Remember that if you want to get better you will lose a lot. Keep playing and pay attention. Some players learn faster than others, but a little progress and a lot of fun are the real secrets to success.