After watching many Fortnite Tips for Beginners videos and shorts online, most of them seem to be way over the heads of beginners. To further confuse beginners, a YouTube search for Fortnite Beginner’s Tips returns several popular entertaining spoof videos like this one that appear to be legitimate tips but are really parodies that suggest the viewer do exactly the wrong thing.
I consider myself a pretty average player so these tips are aimed at helping those that are truly just learning the game. Here’s my top 10 tips for those just starting out:
Tip #1
Dress for success – Camouflage
Choose a character skin that can help you avoid being seen by other players. Though dressing as a bright yellow banana can be adorable, as a beginner you won’t have much fun running across a green field as you will stand out like a sore thumb. Instead, pick a character that gives you the advantage to camouflage in your favorite map areas. Once you are logged in, you can purchase a variety of character skins in the Fortnite Item Shop tab with V-Bucks which are a virtual currency that can be used for a variety of Fortnite purchases. Below is a Toy Soldier skin that I like to use as it provides great cover in bushes, trees, and dark grass.
Tip #2
Land in remote areas
Many players jump out of the bus at the very beginning, therefore I recommend not jumping until the bus is at least half way across the map. Open your parachute quickly after jumping and glide to a landmark on the outskirts of the map that is not named. Typically if you land at a named landmark even if it’s on the outskirts of the map, you will encounter at least a few other players. As you’re approaching your destination from the air, try and spy a weapon or chest that you can get upon landing. Also, try and drink Since you’re first learning the game, landing in remote areas will give you the ability to find good weapons, gather building materials (“mats”), and drink your shields so you will be best positioned for your first encounter. Remote areas also are a relatively safe place to practice maneuvering, building, and learning how to use your weapons.
Tip #3
Aim Assist
This setting was a gamechanger for me! Aim assist greatly helps players using consoles deliver more accurate shots. It helps compensate for the fact that players that are on a console like XBOX are at a disadvantage when playing against gamers using personal computers since it’s easier to put the cursor of a mouse on a target than it is to accurately target with a game controller. There’s several detailed videos about Aim Assist on YouTube. Here’s a short video that shows you how to turn it on.
Tip #4
Turn on Visual Sound
This setting is extremely valuable as it allows you to visually see sounds on your screen. In particular, when someone is moving around near you, you’ll see an icon displaying their footsteps. It also will show icons for other noises like if someone is healing or when a vehicle is driving nearby. Here’s a short video that shows how to easily turn this feature on.
Tip #5
Close doors behind you
When a game of Fortnite begins, all doors to buildings, are closed. This means that whenever you see a door open, someone has already been there. The interesting thing is, a closed door does not mean that somebody has not been there. Most of the time I close doors behind me so no one can tell if someone has been or is currently there. To be extra tricky, when you are hiding in a building, if you leave the items you see there untouched, it will help you to surprise and ambush unexpecting visitors. So, close doors behind you…it pays to be polite!
Tip #6
Position yourself quickly, remain undetected
As the game wears on, the storm expands and the playing field shrinks. This concentrates the remaining players in smaller and smaller areas. Near the end of the game, I recommend hiding as close to the edge of the playing field as possible because there will typically be more players and battles near the center of the playing field. Therefore, finding a good place to hide on the outer edge of the playing field and once you arrive there remaining still will give you your best chances to survive the longest.
Tip #7
Hire a friendly character
Scattered around the map are characters that are not other players but are bots. Some of these characters are friendly and available for hire. These characters are depicted with a speech bubble with the “for hire” icon that’s shown in the below image. They can be hired by approaching them, interacting with them, and selecting the hire icon while interacting. A hired character will follow you around the map, scout enemies and help you battle them. Additionally, some even give you heals or ammo. You get a little of your gold deducted for hiring them but it’s a great deal. It’s good to travel with a friend! Footnote: If you see characters with a question mark or exclamation point over their heads, those are unfriendly characters. If you’re a beginner, avoid them.
Tip #8
Don’t build forts out in the open
As a beginner, you probably aren’t a master builder. Great builders can build strong forts fast so it makes sense for them to do so as they can gain the height advantage over their opponents while remaining protected by their structure. There is a HUGE downside to building out in the open. It’s literally a billboard that advertises to players exactly where you are. This is not a good thing. Especially as beginner. I recommend, don’t do this.
Tip #9
Explosives are a great equalizer
As a beginner, explosives are great weapons to help you eliminate better players. There’s a variety of explosive weapons you can find in Fortnite like grenades and rocket launchers. These are powerful weapons that you can use without needing to be in close range to an opponent. Try throwing multiple grenades quickly as they deal great damage. Lastly, explosives are also great at knocking down those impressive forts that you probably don’t know how to build yet!
Tip #10
Endgame – Be patient and pounce!
I get it. You’re excited. The game’s almost over. You’ve worked hard to collect some good weapons, maybe win a few battles, and have restored your health. You also are smartly positioned where you’re remaining still and hidden. Congratulations! You have put yourself in the best position to have a shot at a dub (win). Patience is a virtue at this point.
Remember, most likely, the best players remain. Try and wait it out as long as you can hoping that no one engages you. If they do, of course fight back. If not, wait until there are 3 players left. The moment you see the two other players begin battling, position yourself as nearby as possible while still doing your best to remain undetected. Your best chance of a win, is usually the very moment that their battle ends which means there is only you and one player left. More than likely the player that is left has been weakened from the battle they just fought. This is your moment. Hopefully you are close enough to POUNCE! Pounce immediately as they will try and heal quickly. As a beginner your best chance is to use a shotgun and aim high to inflict the most damage. The element of surprise combined with their weakened state should get you some dubs! Good luck!!!