Moving with Purpose
FORTNITE BATTLE ROYALE: TIPS AND TRICKS FOR BEGINNERS
Defending fortified positions is a useful tactic and an important part of Fortnite, but eventually, you’re going to need to make a move. As with other Battle Royale games, running in open areas is dangerous because you’re vulnerable to other players surveying the area from their own established positions. This is made even trickier in Fortnite Battle Royale by the game’s aesthetic and color palette, which makes your silhouette stick out vividly against the horizon. There’s also a fair amount of dust kicked up by your movement when you dash and a very heavy sound of footsteps even when you’re just rotating on the spot. You’ll need to make sure you’re always moving efficiently and with purpose so as to limit the enemies’ ability to locate you.
When moving over open ground, either run or crouch-dash between cover. Since dashing/sprinting kicks up a dust and makes you visible, only use it when you’re under fire or need to move quickly to avoid the storm. You should be keeping an eye out for shrubs, trees, cliff edges, boulders, or buildings that will provide cover from at least one angle. When you reach that cover, go into crouch mode to reduce your target profile. Unlike PUBG, there isn’t anywhere near as much coverage that you can use to conceal yourself, and there’s also no ability to prone. There is, however, one type of shrub that almost completely conceals you in crouch mode, and pine trees are quite effective too. The general rule of thumb is that you never want to be stood still out in the open, and you shouldn’t be moving once you’ve reached cover.
Fortnite is a third-person shooter, so use the camera effectively. You shouldn’t ever need to expose yourself to fire in order check what is around a corner or over a cliff. Manipulate your avatar so that it is always in cover and you’re able to keep an eye on your peripheral. This is especially important when moving through buildings. Strafe into rooms rather than just walking straight in. Before you move around a corner, pan the camera around to check there isn’t anybody camping around a corner. You can use this tactic to great effect from defensive positions you have built, too. As mentioned earlier, a heavy sound of footsteps is emitted even when rotating, so learn the limits of manipulating the camera before that sound is triggered to stay stealthy.
