There are no cheats or shortcuts to get good at Fortnite.
It takes a lot of time and practice if you want to be the best.
But, there are some useful tips and tricks that you can use to your advantage.
And in this post, I have compiled some of the very best ones. It doesn’t matter what skill level you are, either.
Whether you are a complete bot, an intermediate or a pro player, you will learn something when you read through every one of these tips and tricks.
Because this is a long list, you aren’t going to remember everything. So I suggest you bookmark this page and then you can return to it whenever you want.
Are you ready to learn something new?
1. How to land before other players
You want to hit the ground as soon as you can. So you can get a gun before other players and have the best chance of surviving the early game.
You know that to land quick you should aim to land over low terrain. For example, over a river, because it’s the lowest point on the map.
And you should avoid landing over a large mountain because that will force your glider to deploy early. So you will take a long time to hit the ground.
But did you know you could use the new slipstreams introduced in Season 9 to land even faster?
Listen, when you dive over a slipstream your glider won’t deploy until you reach it.
In other words, you’ll be able to hit the ground before any other player. You could even get a gun and start damaging players while they’re still gliding.
This is most useful for when you want to land at Mega Mall, Fatal Fields or Neo Tilted.
Just make sure you get a good angle when jumping out of the battle bus (and remember to thank the bus driver).
2. Farm, farm, farm
As you know, building is important in Fortnite.
That’s why there’s a “Fort” in “Fortnite”.
And in order to build you need materials—wood, stone or metal.
It takes 10 material to build a structure. And you gain material by hitting things with your pickaxe. This is known as “farming”.
Everything is destructible and, with the exception of player made structures, will give you some material.
Listen, it’s always better to have too much material. Because a lot of the time the winner of a fight is simply the player with the most material.
But don’t stand still when you are farming because you will be an easy target to hit. Always be moving.
Also, when you hit things you will see a small circle appear. Try to hit this because it doubles the amount of material you gain per swing and will reduce your total time spent farming.
3. Wood is the worst material to build with
In earlier seasons of Fortnite, wood was the best material to build with.
Because it had the highest starting health, so it could absorb a shot when you first placed it.
But not anymore.
Today, in every situation, wood is the worst material to build with because of the changes in patch v5.10 and a later building balance update.
The above graph shows the health over time for each material when you build a wall. As you can see, wood always has the lowest health.
Which makes sense, right? Because in the real world stone and metal are obviously stronger than wood.
Of course, wood is the easiest material to farm, so you should use it when you need to scale a mountain or get to a chest and so on.
Click here to learn more about Fortnite material in Season 9.
4. Weapons come out of the right-hand side of chests
How many times have you got into a chest opening competition with an enemy?
But you get the ammo or consumables and they get the gun and kill you?
Too many times, I’m sure.
Remember that the weapon will always come out of the right-hand side of the chest and that will increase your chances of winning your next chest opening competition.
5. Equip your pickaxe when looting
When your inventory is full with 5 items then whatever you try to pick up will be swapped with the item you have equipped.
As you know, this is annoying. Especially when you are trying to quickly loot the items from an enemy you just killed. You don’t want to spend too long looting because you’re vulnerable at this time.
Equipping your pickaxe solves this problem. Because it lets you run over the loot and spam your use key to collect all the ammo, resources, consumables and so on without messing up your inventory.
6. Avoid breaking large objects
Imagine you are farming a large tree for some wood. If you break that tree then it will be noticeable, even from a far away distance. And give away your position.
So, here’s what you should do instead: Leave the tree 1 hit from breaking. That way you get 90% of the material without the risk of exposing your position.
Also, it means that when another player goes to farm that tree, they would only receive a small amount of wood. And they would break the tree which would alert you (and other players) to their position.
7. You can see through your cone when you edit
You used to be able to see through any of your building pieces by editing out the tiles.
But Epic Games patched this because they felt it was unfair.
However, you can still see through your cone when you edit it.
This is useful for when you are in a base and want to see what’s happening outside without exposing yourself.
8. Cover traps using a cone
Spike traps in Fortnite deal 150 damage.
So, of course, you want to avoid taking damage from one.
Now you could simply destroy the trap by shooting at it. But this isn’t ideal for 2 reasons:
- It makes noise and brings attention to where you are
- It takes too long
The solution is to use place a cone and edit 3 of the tiles. This will cover the trap and you can walk through it safely.
9. An easy way to rotate your stairs
When you need to rotate your stairs, it can be difficult.
Sometimes the angle will be difficult, or you will need to move your mouse a long distance and make a mistake.
But did you know there’s an easier way?
Instead of dragging your mouse the entire way, you can just go from the center tile to the adjacent tile.
This is much easier because you don’t have to move your mouse as far.
And when you practice it you will find rotating your stairs this way is much quicker and more consistent.
10. Switch between your pickaxe and weapons to loot quicker
When you are looting a house you will sometimes need to go through doors or hit things to farm material.
And when you go through doors or hit things your character will stop sprinting for a short amount of time which slows you down.
But you can cancel the animation by switching to your pickaxe or another weapon in your inventory.
This will allow you to continue sprinting and loot houses faster than usual.
11. In a build battle use a different material to your opponent
Imagine you are in a build battle with an enemy and you both start with max (999) of each material.
Let’s assume you win the fight and get to loot the items.
If you both built using wood, and you both used all your wood, then you could not loot any of the other material. Because you are maxed out.
But if you built using stone and your opponent built using wood, then you could loot all of his stone to replenish your material.
12. Lower your settings
Do you want more Frames Per Second (FPS) when you play Fortnite?
Of course you do.
A higher FPS can help your game run smoother and even improve your aim.
And the most simple way to get more FPS is by lowering your video settings in Fortnite.
I have written a full guide on FPS in Fortnite, now click here to learn how to boost your FPS in Fortnite.
13. Don’t try to finish downed enemies right away
When you play duo or squad mode in Fortnite and you kill an enemy they aren’t instantly eliminated.
Instead, they are downed (or “knocked”) and put into a state of Down But Not Out (DBNO).
And when you first down an enemy there is a brief amount of time where they are impossible to damage.
But every day I see players tunnel vision in on trying to eliminate a downed enemy right away. What happens is their first few shotgun shots do zero damage.
And then they die to one of their teammates because they lost focus and weren’t paying attention to the rest of the fight. Obviously, this is not an ideal outcome.
Just to be clear, I am not saying you should leave downed enemies alive out of honor or respect or whatever. That’s silly.
Why would you want to give them an opportunity to be revived so you won’t get the kill or the loot?
I am saying you should pay attention and keep yourself safe. Build some walls around you the next time you knock an enemy because that will let you get the elimination in safety.
14. Bind your scroll wheel to something useful
By default, your scroll wheel is bound to “slot up” and “slot down”.
This lets you “scroll” through the items in your inventory.
Most likely you have the items in your inventory bound to a particular key. So you won’t need to use your scroll wheel to go through your inventory.
One good alternative keybind for your scroll wheel is for your “use” key. Because it lets you pick up items quickly.
But my favorite way is to use the scroll wheel to quickly reset your edit.
15. Wear headphones
Sound is of high importance in Fortnite. In fact, I don’t think I have played a game where good headphones are as much a requirement for success as they are in Fortnite.
You see, a good pair of headphones will allow you to orient yourself to the direction of sounds from things like enemy footsteps, chests, and nearby gunfire.
Of course, there are many headphones available to choose from. So it can get confusing.
But here are the ones I recommend: HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset.
They are comfortable, have great sound quality, and are compatible with consoles.
Click here to view the latest price on Amazon.
16. Gray, green, blue, purple, gold
These 5 colors are the order of rarity, from worst to best, for the items in Fortnite.
- Common: Gray
- Uncommon: Green
- Rare: Blue
- Epic: Purple
- Legendary: Gold
Try your best to commit this to memory. That way you won’t have to think about whether or not to upgrade one of your items.
Do you have trouble telling the different colors apart? Then you can go into your Fortnite settings and play with the color blind settings to find the ideal one for you.
17. Enable “sprint by default” in your Fortnite settings
In Patch v5.10 Epic Games added a “Sprint By Default” option to the Fortnite settings.
When enabled it makes sprint the default movement and the sprint key will instead be used to transition into walking.
I recommend you enable sprint by default for two reasons:
- If you play on PC with a keyboard, sprint by default frees up a useful key because your pinky finger naturally rests on shift. Some good options are crouch, edit, or a building piece.
- If you play on console with a controller, sprint by default means you won’t have to click your left thumbstick to sprint all the time. When I played with a controller this used to cause me some pain. You can also bind left thumbstick click to something more useful like jump for example.
Sprint by default may seem awkward when you first try it. But after a few games, you will get used to it and wonder how you ever went without it.
18. Use Builder Pro if you play with a controller
When I first started playing Fortnite on the PS4 in Season 1 there was only one button layout.
And it was terrible.
Thankfully, Epic Games have added more useful options. And you can even create your own custom keybinds with a controller, too.
But in general Builder Pro is going to be the best option for the majority of players.
19. Tap fire to control bloom
The shooting mechanics in Fortnite are a bit different from other shooter games.
In Fortnite you have a crosshair with some spread. And when you fire your weapon your shots will land somewhere inside your crosshair, randomly.
The crosshair gets larger when you hold the shoot button for a long time. Or when you are moving or jumping.
And the larger your crosshairs are, the more random your shots will be, and the less likely you are to hit your shots.
This is what is known as “bloom”.
You can control the bloom, to an extent, by tap firing your weapon instead of holding it down and spraying.
Moreover, when you stand still and aim down sites (ADS) for a brief time, you will receive first shot accuracy. Meaning you have full control over where your bullets go.
20. Crouch to reduce bloom
Continuing on from the concept of bloom.
By crouching, you can reduce the size of your crosshair and, therefore, reduce the randomness.
Simple.
21. Buy the Battle Pass to earn free V-Bucks
Ok, so this tip doesn’t impact gameplay. But who doesn’t want free V-Bucks?
As you know, the Fortnite Battle Pass is a way to earn over 100 exclusive rewards like skins, pickaxes, emotes, and more. It costs 950 V-Bucks.
When you get your Battle Pass all to Tier 100 you unlock all the rewards (worth over 25,000 V-Bucks). As well as an additional 1,500 V-Bucks, which is enough to pay for the next seasons Battle Pass, too.
So, the Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks and you can get up to 1,500 V-Bucks from it. That means you can earn up to 550 free V-Bucks every season.
Now, not everyone is able to unlock all of the rewards. That’s why I’ve written a guide making it easy for you. Check out the 5 steps to get your Fortnite Battle Pass to Tier 100.
22. Move unpredictably
You know you should always be moving when you play Fortnite.
But you also need to move in a way that makes it hard for enemies to predict where you will be.
You see, when you are running in a straight line, it’s easy for an enemy to track your movements.
So learn to make your movements dynamic by using a combination of jumping, crouching, and strafing.
23. Don’t have an inventory full of weapons
You never want or need an inventory with 5 weapons.
In general, you want to have a weapon for each range—close, medium and long.
For example, a shotgun, a submachine gun, and an assault rifle. Maybe you’ll want a sniper rifle or explosive item, too.
But you definitely want to always carry at least one healing item. Shields are best since they are the first to go when you take damage.
Also, in patch v5.30 Epic added the option to auto-sort consumable items to the right. I recommend using this setting because it’s usually where you want your consumables to sit.
24. You can use more than one campfire
The Cozy Campfire is a Rare utility trap that can be placed on a floor to heal you. It lasts 25 seconds and heals 2 health per second, for a total of 50 health.
You can use more than one at a time to increase the rate of healing. This is particularly useful for end game heal-offs as it makes it possible to out-heal even the final circle.
25. Use small shield potions first
You probably already know that small shield potions can only get you up to 50 shields.
But I see new Fortnite players make this mistake often, therefore, I need to mention it here.
Listen, small shield potions are sometimes called mini-shields. They are an uncommon item and are found in stacks of 3.
When you consume a small shield potion you will gain 25 shield. But once you reach 50 shield, you are not able to use another small shield potion.
So whenever you have a choice of shield potions to consume in your inventory, always drink the small ones first.
26. Chug the Chug Jug
Let’s continue on the subject of shields, OK?
The Chug Jug is a legendary consumable item.
When you use it, it grants 100 health and 100 shield after 15 seconds.
However, some players don’t like to use a Chug Jug in the early game when they have 0 shield. Because they say it will be more valuable when they are lower on health.
Yes, that’s true. But what if you get into a fight and die before you use it? Then it is worthless.
You see, having shield is one of the most important things in Fortnite. And your chances of winning dramatically increase when you have more shield than your opponent.
So just use your Chug Jug the next time you find one, please.
27. Use foraged items for health and shield
When you play Fortnite, you may come across items like fruit on the floor.
- Apples – restore 5 health, up to a maximum of 100.
- Mushrooms – restore 5 shield, up to a maximum of 100. Mushrooms are found in shady, swampy or wooden areas like; Dusty Divot, Lonely Lodge and Shifty Shafts.
- Bananas – immediately add 5 health but they cannot be used when you have 100 health. Bananas are found at the Tropical Biome
- Coconuts – grants 5 health overtime. Consuming a coconut when you are 100 health will grant 5 shield instead. Coconuts are found in the Tropical and Desert Biome. But you won’t find them lying on the floor. You will need to destroy palm trees to find them. However, not all palm trees will drop coconuts.
- Peppers – when consumed they will give you 5 health and increase your movement speed by 20% for 10 seconds. Peppers are found at the Desert Biome.
However, these items aren’t placed in your inventory. When you use them you receive the benefit there and then.
Which makes them useful for when you’re low on health or shield after a fight and do not have healing items in your inventory.
28. Don’t leave weapons on the ground (when you have a free slot)
When you are looting a house in the early game you might come across a weapon you might not want or need.
For example, a common tactical shotgun when you already have a rare one.
But when you have a free slot, I suggest you pick up any weapons you see. Especially shotguns.
Why? Listen, you don’t want to leave a weapon there for one of your enemies to collect because it could get you killed.
So just pick them up. It’s no harm and you can always drop or swap them out later.
29. Keep your inventory the same every game
Do you like to have your shotgun in the first inventory slot?
Then every game you play your shotgun should be in the first slot.
And if you like to have your assault rifle in the second slot, then it should always be in the second slot. And so on.
The reason for this is because when you keep your inventory the same every game, you will know exactly what item is in what slot. Without having to look or think about it.
Here is how I like to arrange my inventory:
- Shotgun
- Submachine Gun
- Assault Rifle
- Sniper Rifle or Explosives
- Healing Item
30. Be mindful of the storm
As you know, the storm is dangerous.
Therefore, you want to avoid being caught in it and dying.
But even though every Fortnite player knows this, so many players do get caught in the storm. Even advanced players.
I think it comes down to a lack of attention. So, get into the habit of regularly checking the map in the top right of your screen.
Because then you will know how long until the next zone and you can plan your next move.
31. The speed of the storm depends on where you are
The further you are away from the next circle, the faster the storm moves.
And the closer you are to the next circle, the slower the storm moves.
Because of this, you can outrun the storm if you are in the right place.
32. Take your time
A lot of players, especially new ones, get nervous and panic when they play Fortnite.
When you panic, you do things you normally wouldn’t do. In other words, you make mistakes that end up getting you killed.
The best way to counter nervousness is to simply play a lot of games to condition yourself to the way things are.
You can also try to remember that Fortnite is just a game. And the outcome really doesn’t matter.
My favorite technique is this: Take a big, long, deep breath. This can help ground you in the present and slow things down. Providing you with the time you need to make the right decision.
33. Keep up to date by reading the patch notes
Fortnite gets a new update every week.
That means it’s always changing and evolving.
So if you don’t play for a few days or weeks, you could get left behind.
Maybe your favorite item got nerfed or even removed. Or a new item got added and you don’t know what it does.
Fortunately, Epic Games posts each patch notes on their website for you to read and stay ahead of the game.
34. Don’t let skins intimidate you
“These items are cosmetic only and grant no competitive advantage”
That is the disclaimer written at the bottom of the Fortnite item store.
But is it true? Some skins certainly have a psychological effect.
For example, many players assume that someone using a default skin is a noob because they haven’t played long enough to get a different skin.
On the other hand, players think that certain skins suggest that a player is of a higher skill level. For example, the soccer skins.
You must remember that there is no direct correlation between a players skin and their skill. So you have to look past the skin and treat every player with the same level of respect and focus.
35. Communicate clearly in duos/squads to be a good teammate
Please don’t be that teammate that uses vague callouts like “he’s over there” when you spot an enemy.
It’s not helpful.
Listen, there’s a compass at the top of your screen for a reason.
Use it to call out the precise location of the enemy. For example, “North 350”.
Moreover, it’s useful to know the name of some common skins so you can tell your teammates exactly who to target. The current seasons Battle Pass skins is a good starting point because they are generally the most popular.
Don’t continually talk when you don’t need to, either. Your teammates may need to listen for a chest or an enemy and your voice could drown out those sounds and get them killed.
Finally, pay attention to the shield and health of your teammates. And, if you have spare shields or heals, offer them to your teammates.
That will make them more likely to share with you. After all, Fortnite is a team game (at least, when you aren’t playing Solo mode).
36. Pay attention to the hit markers
When you hit an enemy a number will appear telling you how much damage you did.
There will also be a color: blue or white.
Blue means your opponent has shield. And white means your opponent has no shield.
Knowing an enemy doesn’t have shield is a good indication that you can play aggressive and go for the kill.
It’s also useful information to communicate to your teammates, too.
37. Know where to farm to get the most material
Some things are more efficient to farm than others.
Here are some of the best things for you to farm for each material:
Wood
- Orange pallets – found in most industrial parts of the map and grant the most wood per hit
- Trees – you can find trees almost anywhere on the Fortnite map (just remember not to completely break them)
- Wooden fences – you can find these around the perimeter of most houses at; Salty Springs, Pleasant Park and Retail Row
Stone
- Orange rocks – found in the desert
- Stone rocks – found in many places of the Fortnite map
Metal
- Tomatohead – surprisingly this head that’s found on top of Tomato Temple grants the most metal in Fortnite, over 100!
- Durr Burger – also provides a good amount of metal and it’s found on the small hill northeast of Pleasant Park
- Metal fences – besides Tomatohead and Durr Burger these grant the most metal per hit and they have only 200hp
38. Breaking a Llama is quicker than searching it
Llamas are rare in Fortnite because only a few spawn in each game.
And Llamas are useful because inside there are a lot of materials and consumables.
You can either search a Llama like you would a chest. Or break it like a piñata.
You should always break the Llama instead of searching because it is quicker. And you can move while hitting it so you’re harder to hit, too.
39. Peek from the right-hand side
In Fortnite you always aim over the right shoulder of your character.
And, unlike other games like PUBG, there is no shoulder swap.
So you can use this view to your advantage to expose the least amount of your body to take the least amount of damage possible.
40. Never heal in the open
Getting killed when healing is a dumb way to die.
Because it could have easily been prevented by building.
So build. Or, at least, wait until you get someplace safe.
41. Use a cone for quick cover
You know you never want to heal in the open.
And you should always build to protect yourself.
But you don’t have to use 50 material to build 4 walls and a roof.
Instead, you can simply place a cone over yourself. Which will provide you with cover from all angles and only use 10 material.
Of course, sometimes the ground is uneven and you won’t be able to place the cone. In this case, you can use a floor first and then place the cone on top of it.
42. Check the bushes
Even though Fortnite is 2 years old, you will still occasionally find players camping in a bush, known as “bush wookies”.
I know because I recently died to a bush wookie…
Anyway, you can spot a player in a bush, even if they are well hidden.
Also, if you play using a controller, you can use aim assist to your advantage here because you will feel a slight “pull” when you hover over an enemy.
43. You can bounce on tires
Sometimes you might come across a pile of tires and you can bounce on these.
Also, if you time your jump just before bouncing on the tire, you can get even higher.
This technique can help get you into the top window at the barn in Fatal Fields.
Moreover, you don’t take fall damage if you land on tires.
So if you are able to place a Port-A-Fortress in the right spot when you are falling from a great height, you will be able to survive.
44. Jumping after gliding gives a slight boost
If you jump at the exact same time as you hit the ground after gliding you can jump further than usual.
This is called “bunny hopping” and you could do it up to 3 times, but this was patched.
Now, you can only do it once. Still, it can be useful for gaining more distance to surprise an enemy or to get away from the storm.
45. Use Auto Run to manage your inventory while moving
Auto Run is something you can use to run automatically.
By default, Auto Run is bound to the Equals key on PC.
And on console, you need to click your left thumbstick in twice.
You’ll know Auto Run is enabled because a running man will appear to the right of your health bar.
Auto Run is useful for when you are gliding at the start of the game and don’t want to hold the W-key to move forward.
But you can also use it to open and manage your Fortnite inventory while moving forward.
This is useful for when you need to drop something for a teammate when you’re running from the storm.
46. Use the same material when approaching an enemy
Say you see an enemy building a base and you want to engage on them. Then you should build toward them using the same material.
So if they are using wood then you should use wood. If they are using brick you use brick and so on.
This is because it will be difficult for your opponent to hear your building, as it will have the same sound.
47. You can catch yourself from further away by using a cone
Imagine you have built up to get the high ground.
But someone has shot you down and your building is about to collapse.
You need to attach to another structure or you’re going to fall to your death.
Well, you should use your cone (and not your floor) to try to catch yourself because it has a longer range.
48. You can cancel a Rift-To-Go
When you use a Rift-To-Go there is a brief time before you actually consume it.
And you can cancel the process by quickly switching to your weapon or your pickaxe.
But it will still make the noise as if you had used it.
You can use this to fool your enemies because they will hear the animation and look to the skies to shoot at you.
Then you can get an easy kill on them because they won’t be expecting it.
49. Shoot in a different direction to trick your opponent
Imagine you and your opponent are each in separate 1×1 bases.
You want to get the kill, but your opponent isn’t peeking.
If you just start shooting in another direction, to suggest that you are in a fight with someone else, your opponent could expose themselves for a moment. Giving you an opportunity to get the easy kill.
50. Bait opponents by fake healing
Say you are in a fight with an aggressive player.
You have taken a lot of damage and need to heal. So you box yourself in to protect yourself and buy some time.
But your opponent won’t stop trying to force themselves into your base. And you don’t have the time to get your heal off.
Well, what you can try is “faking” the heal. That is, start using your healing item, then edit out a window and go for the kill.
Your opponent will be thinking you’re trying to heal, so you can kill him when he is not expecting it.
51. Keep count of your opponents ammo
Again, imagine you are in a fight with an aggressive player that keeps trying to force themselves into your base by spraying down your walls with bullets.
What I want you to do is pay close attention to how many shots have been fired.
That way you can catch your opponent when they are reloading and you could get the kill without taking any damage.
Conclusion
Congratulations for reading this far.
I hope you have learned something new today.
And that you can use it in a game of Fortnite to help you become a better Fortnite player.
What’s your favorite Fortnite tip? Let me know in the comments!