Some video games leave a deep impact on the gaming industry as well as hardcore gamers. One such modern game is Fortnite which has gained massive popularity with players logging in from their gaming machines as well as their handheld devices. A battle royale setting laid out in a map, which is shrinking all the time, where you jump off a cargo plane and battle it out with 99 other players. Many gamers play this game as a first-person shooter while this has more strategy to it than straight-shooting alone. You can consistently end in the top ten rankings of every round without firing many bullets. The following ten tips will give you a definite jump start every time you lay off the plane. Follow the basics & work on your shooting, and the results are guaranteed.
Landing and Initial Steps
You start with nothing except a knife and therefore landing in an isolated area with a good chance of finding loot is the ideal way to go. It is important that you have a fair idea of where to land before you jump (refer to the last section of this post for good areas). You also need to land as fast as possible so take a diagonal route rather than jumping right over the top of the landing spot and deploy your parachute as late as possible. Look for loot as soon as you land, the earlier you have a gun the more chances you have of surviving the first part of the game.
Movements
Using the correct methods of moving around the map makes you a shadow which means you are in the sight head less often! The lower the noise, the better your chances. Therefore, avoid opening of doors, chests and running without a reason. Use the prone option to stick the gun out from behind the shield so your body is not exposed. Moreover, learn to use the sounds of other players to gauge their location. The earlier you learn this art, the better!
Collecting Resources
This is the very next step after landing and fining yourself a weapon. Sometimes, in the pursuit of a weapon the player should also collect resources. These resources include wood, stone and metal that helps in building structures which is an essential part of the strategy in this game.
Building structures
The elements you collect can be used to build a floor, wall, staircase, roof, doors, and windows. A logical question at this point will be “why do I need to build a structure?” The answer to this question lies in the fact that you need to save yourself from being sighted and fired upon and gain higher ground. What better way than building your own higher ground?
Pro Tip: Build an instant wall once in a long-range fight as it will give you substantial cover against enemy fire.
Playing the conditions
The most important aspect of every round is the storm which closes in after a designated time. The time and next safe area are displayed on your screen. The ideal way to move up the ladder of the game is by playing on the edges of the storm. Most of the players run towards the center so you avoid the initial crowd and save yourself unnecessary battles and health loss, sometimes even loss of life.
Pro Tip: Plan your move just before the storm shrinks because most players are worried about the storm than enemy players running in from far away.
Rarity of Weapons
You can walk around with a limited number of weapons only. Therefore, it is important to know the color-coding of weapons. The rarer the weapon, the more damage it inflicts. The color-coding of the weapons is depicted in the table below:
| Color | Rarity |
| Gray | Common |
| Green | Uncommon |
| Blue | Rare |
| Purple | Epic |
You can also use the same color guide to gauge the weapon of the opponent and decide whether to go one V one or not!
Usage of Weapons
Making the use of weapons a reflex action is what a great player works on. Therefore, it is ideal to store your weapons in the 5 equipment slot in an organized manner. Store your short-range guns (like pistols) on the leftmost, then the shotguns, rifles and finally the sniper weapons (to the rightmost).
Pro Tip: Try to level up your weapon with as many accessories as possible
Shooting and Aiming
This is one part of Fortnite that no guide or tip section of a gaming website can teach you. This is the skillset that you will have to learn on your own. However, the basics of first-person firing in the modern era are applied on Fortnite as well. The more stationary you are, the easier will it be to aim the enemy. Once you are on the move, the bullets scatter. You can also trace the player shooting at you with the tracing of the bullet and damage mark being inflicted on the screen.
Health Recovery
Keeping your health at 100 points all the time is ideal but you do get shot at and ultimately lose health. Therefore you must always look for supplements that add to your health points. The health recovery items are depicted in the table for easy reference:
| Type | Fills up HP | Maximum Hp | Time to Heal | Pro-Tip |
| Bandage | 15 with every use | 75 | Instant | Takes inventory space so should be kept only when no other medical aid is available |
| Medkit | 100 | 100 | Instant | Can only carry three and is to be used when HP is really low (around 20-30) |
| Shield | Add 100 more points to the Health | 100+100 (takes two shield potions to get to 100) | 5 second for each shield potion | Additional safety to your HP and must be deployed the moment it is found |
| Slurp juice | 25 HP
25 Shield points |
25 for each | 25 seconds | Should be used just before a fight so the health keeps increasing while you battle |
| Chug Jug | 100 HP
100 Shield Points |
100 each | 15 seconds (but the player cannot move for these 15 seconds) | Take cover or hide before using it or your character will be a sitting duck for 15 seconds in the open |
Map Knowledge
Where to land and what to look out for during the game is of the essence. The table below provides you a fair idea of what you kind of loot (guns, ammo & medical supplements) will you find in a specific section of the map along with popularity with the players playing Fortnite all around the globe:
| Area on the Map | Loot Density | Popularity |
| Anarchy Acres | Medium | Medium |
| Fatal Fields | High | High |
| Flush Factory | Low to Medium | Low |
| Greasy Grove | Very High | Very High |
| Lonely Lodge | Medium | Low |
| Moisty Mire | Medium | Low |
| Pleasant Park | Very High | Very High |
| Retail Row | Very High | Very High |
| Wailing Woods | Low | Low |
| Dusty Depot | Low | Medium |
| Salty Spring | High | Very High |
| Tomato Town | Low | Low |
| Loot Lake | Medium | Medium |
| Junk Junction | Low | Low |
| Haunted Hills | Medium | Low |
| Lucky Landing | Very High | High |
| Snobby Shores | High | High |
| Shifty Shafts | Low | Low |
| Tilted Towers | Very High | Very High |
This may not be a deep and comprehensive guide but every person that has ever played a game knows that you can watch as many videos, walkthrough, run through blogs; but you will always have to grind through a game by spending hours on it. However, any above average gamer will also tell you that you need a jump start and the remaining skills are built while playing the game. Just go through the list every now and then, and you will find yourself in the ending rounds above the 90+ dead opponents more often than not. Happy Hunting!