Playing Fortnite may seem simple from a distance, but it’s one of the most mechanically intensive battle royales on the market. While you can get away with a decent aim and stand your ground in most shooter titles, you’ll need to get familiar with Fortnite’s unique mechanics.
The building mechanic is the first of those features that’ll directly affect your experience since it’s a core part of the game, especially if you’re looking to climb Fortnite’s ranked ladder. With time, you’ll be able to build with your reflex memory and still hold your own in simultaneous gunfights.
If you’re just getting started, however, you may find yourself going back to the main menu more often than you’d like. The first step you can take to improve at Fortnite will be to never get discouraged and focus on the fun parts of the game to keep yourself motivated.
Here’s everything you can do to get better at Fortnite.
Stop changing your keybinds
Constantly changing keybinds is a rookie mistake that often goes unnoticed by players who are just trying to find the right combination. The truth is there isn’t a perfect keybind layout. All keybind settings are mostly up to personal preference and even using the world champion’s setup may feel off at times.
Though there’s nothing wrong with using another player’s keybind layout, you’ll need to commit to them to build your muscle memory. Changing your keybinds too often will essentially force you to rebuild your muscle memory from the ground up, causing you to underperform in the meantime.
Spend more time learning the game than actually playing
You’ll technically become better as you keep playing Fortnite. Spending all your free time playing, however, can have some side effects. You’ll essentially be tunnel-visioned since you won’t get to analyze your gameplay or watch any other players who are better than you.
Your improvement rate can drastically increase if you start analyzing your replays or watching pro players’ streams or YouTube videos. You won’t be watching these to have fun, though, since you’ll need to keep your eyes open for anything you don’t usually do in your matches.
Pause the video in moments that require decision-making. Imagine the play you’d perform on that spot and compare it with what unfolds. This is an excellent exercise to get your brain thinking about Fortnite before actually playing the game.
You’ll be able to analyze these gameplay moments better since you won’t be against a timer. This practice will simply help you get better by watching high-ranked and professional players who tend to know all the ins and outs of Fortnite.
Take it slow
Even if you start copying professional players right off the bat, your results may vary. Don’t stress yourself out with hopes of immediate success just because you spent a day watching tournament replay. Improvement takes time, especially in a complex game like Fortnite.
Consider each match as an opportunity to test something new. Once you get familiar with your growth rate as a player, you’ll start feeling more comfortable as you hop into matches.
Practice building and aiming
Playing a regular Fortnite match can count as practice, but it’s actually the slowest form of working on your skills. If you’re trying to work on your building, it’ll take you a while to collect materials in a normal match.
You can take advantage of countless Creative maps, which are available for free. Custom maps provide players with all the necessary tools to work on their skill sets. There are maps to sharpen your building or aiming. Some of these maps even feature a built-in matchmaking system, allowing you to practice against other players who are also trying to improve at Fortnite.
Most competitive players spend hours in Creative maps before joining a ranked match. This helps them warm up before the actual competition alongside helping them build and strengthen their muscle memory.
Once you figure out the basics of building, you can focus on tricks and more advanced mechanics like claiming walls in build fights. If you’re just getting started, you can consider finding a video series on building for beginners on YouTube. This can kickstart your improving process while allowing you to save some time since it can take you longer to figure out certain mechanics as you continue to play the game.
Consider hot dropping twice
Hot dropping refers to landing in the most crowded areas in Fortnite. The center of the map can be an excellent example of this.
While rushing to the chests to find the first shotgun is fun, chances of someone else getting a gun faster than you will be higher, according to Murphy’s law. Technically speaking, hot dropping will significantly decrease your overall time in a match.
The less time you spend in a match, the less you’ll be able to use your skills that you’ve been working on. Dropping in less crowded areas will help you loot up before the real fights begin toward the end game. Even in semi-populated areas, you’ll still find competition that can help quench your early-game gun fight thirst.
Don’t skip out on building materials and healing items
Looting isn’t only about finding guns. Like bullets, materials also get scarcer as you approach the late game. You’ll need to collect as many of them as possible when you have the chance so you won’t run out of building materials in key moments.
Breaking chests and ammo boxes instead of interacting with them can be an excellent start to build up your materials. Try to hit objects around you with your harvesting tool as much as possible, especially during the early game. More often than not, you’ll want to retain from landing that final blow that will destroy a wall or a tree since you may draw unwanted attention once they disappear off the map.
Like building materials, healing items should also have a high importance in your inventory. You should always dedicate at least a single slot to shields or healing items since you never know what can happen as you move around the map. If you get shot by a sniper, you’ll easily be able to heal back, allowing you to walk into your next fight in prime condition.
Pay attention to your surroundings
Fortnite matches can get quite chaotic, making it harder to focus on your surroundings. You should always try to collect as much information as possible, however. If you hear footsteps across the street, you may want to start planning on whether you should escape or bring the fight to them.
This also applies to observing around you. You can spot building pieces of other players from far away. Especially in solo matches, you’ll be able to pinpoint how many players might be present in a build fight based on the speed and walls that they’re putting out. All of this information can help you decide on your next move and out-smart your opponents.
Take breaks
Even if getting better at Fortnite is your sole purpose in life, you’ll still need to consider burning yourself down. If you continue to push your limits, your improvement rate can drop. Taking short breaks will allow you to reflect upon your gaming session, while longer breaks will help you return with a clear mind.
Taking breaks also prevents tilting. If your matches haven’t been playing out according to your plan, the next ones may also be about to share the same faith as them once you start tilting.
Breaks don’t necessarily mean that you should completely stop doing anything related to Fortnite, though. You can still prepare your favorite meal, analyze a recent replay, or tune into a professional player’s stream. Once you start turning this into a ritual, Fortnite will slowly start feeling a lot more natural.
Never stop having fun
The most important rule of getting better at Fortnite is making sure that you’re always having fun. If improving at Fortnite or playing the game ever feels like a chore, you should stop. Forcing yourself to get better and play the game will accomplish the exact opposite.
You should continue to play and improve as long as you’re still having fun.
