These Fortnite building tips cover how you can step up your builds in-game to start winning more games.
After four Chapters of development, Fortnite has a lot of mechanics for players to master at this point. If you want to win games of Fortnite though, there’s one area that’s completely key, Fortnite Building. Building structures is what makes Fortnite Fortnite (Unless you’re playing in Zero Builds, then it’s more the absence of the core mechanic). It’s a mechanic that’s been pushed to its absolute limits though. If you’re using all of the Fortnite building tips, it’s pretty different to where the game started.
Originally players in Fortnite built actual forts. It’s strange looking back how long the title actually took for players to even figure out the 90! From there, Fortnite building tips have gotten exponentially more complicated. The game’s building now pushes you to use pieces in a way which dominates the grid that the Fortnite map exists on, even if it looks like a random mess from the outside! It can be pretty difficult to get to grips with all of the building mechanics and meta that have developed over all these seasons though.
This guide is going to break all of that down. The key Fortnite building tips to improving the most important area of your Battle Royale gameplay. How to get going building more efficiently and with purpose, how to build Fortnite structures that give a tactical advantage. The key shapes and moves to learn, and how to take your building to the next level. That’s along with some key Fortnite building tips to improve your muscle memory and reaction times with building. This is what you need to know.
Fortnite Building Tips
If you’re looking for how to build in Fortnite, the question can really mean two things. There are the absolute basics of buildings, like throwing up cover when you get shot at. Then there are actual Fortnite building tips, like using the right stagey to get height, protection, and elims. We’ll start with the basics, but more advanced strategies are covered further down.
Basic Fortnite Building Tips
1. Controls on Controller
This one won’t apply to everyone, but if you use a controller player you need to switch some things up immediately. It’s best to use Builder Pro. This is a key part of the best Fortnite settings. It might take some getting used to, but it is vastly superior to the traditional method of building.
Turn on builder pro, and instant building. This way, once in build mode each piece will be a single input. You can build instantly. It’ll take some practice, but it is by far the fastest way to build in the game.
2. Basic Cover Under Fire
This is so much of a Fortnite building tip basic that it should go without saying. Seeing some low-ranked games though, clearly it doesn’t. When you’re under fire, build cover. Block the shot. At first, throw up a ramp in front of you. That will allow you to move up the ramp and take a look at your opponent while still having cover. You should put a wall directly in front of the ramp to prevent that ramp from being shot out too easily. This is a basic shape. It’s also helpful to throw up another wall to your side, just for added protection so you can’t be easily flanked. This is a 90.
3. How to Build Fortnite 90s
The 90 is the most basic shape in the game, so where does the cranking 90s line come from? Essentially, it’s popping 90s one after another. You get shot at or spot an enemy, you put out a 90 on the ground floor ready to fight. Then your opponent does the same, so you pop another 90 directly ahead. You’re now two levels above the ground. This is a basic move when you get into a fight in Fortnite. Typically, your 90s will extend upwards and towards your opponent. That’s because how to build in Fortnite often comes down to taking one specific angle.
4. High Ground is Power
You’ll be cranking upwards because a lot of building in Fortnite comes down to two elements. Getting higher than an opponent, and getting cover. If you extended upwards with 90s or ramps, ideally you should end up right above your opponent. This puts you in a strong position. Once above, it’s much easier to line up your shot and take them out. It’s also much harder for them to get at you without exposing themselves.
5. Staying Protected
With those basic moves, you’re getting up high so you can take out opponents with close combat weapons. How do you stay safe up there though? The first danger is enemy shots. Your walls around you should be providing that cover, and you’ll be moving plenty too. Beyond that, you’re in danger of getting third-partied thanks to items like web shooters and more. There are even Fortnite Augments that explode builds. Stay alert and drop back down once your fight is over.
Advanced Strategies– Fortnite Building Tips
Those are some of the basic Fortnite building tips. However, that’s all pretty basic! If you want to up your building game still, these are some of the more complicated mechanics.
Box Fighting – Fortnite Building Tips
One key area for Fortnite building tips that comes up in both games and outside of actual fights, is box fighting. It’s a tactic in-game that’s become so dominant, a lot of players use creative game modes to just do box fights. This is fighting another opponent from a box, a 4×4 build box.
These situations come up quite a bit when players are playing defensively. One of the simplest methods for how to build in Fortnite is to throw up four walls and a roof for defence. You’ll be locked in there while you heal or just wait something out. The key when defending is to stop the attacking player from getting inside of your box, which you can’t do indefinitely. edit a back wall and let yourself out to a secondary box. From here, with more space you can start to build upwards to a better position. Don’t get locked down without an exit strategy.
When attacking a box, you’re trying to take their wall to take a shotgun shot. The key thing is to keep the pressure on so they can’t reorientate. Destroy their wall, and have the reflexes to put your wall in before they can replace it. Or grab the high ground and wait out their box tactics if you don’t feel like engaging.
Ramping Out
How to build in Fortnite often comes down to grabbing the high ground. 90s are the basics, but once you’re being matched build for build, you’ll want to get more advanced.
You should start utilizing ramps facing upwards towards your opponents. These give you more height along with closing the gap. It can be helpful here to start building two pieces wide. It gives you more control and blocks your opponent from placing their own builds there. These ramps will lock them out of the higher ground. Be careful just mindlessly ramping up though. If your opponent is close, they may take swiping shots as you push while pushing upwards. Use walls to block this and take your own shots.
It’s easy to end up spamming following these Fortnite building tips, but once you have the advantage you can line up your shot and stop building. Although, even the highest level of Fortnite esports sometimes look like build spam!
Piece Control and Edits
Each area in Fortnite only has so many slots for builds. If your builds are in those slots, you can edit and keep control over that area. If your opponents are in there, it can be difficult to get out of the aftermath of a build fight with the storm on your back. In box fighting, this applies to a single specific wall or ceiling.
In a box fight, the job is to destroy an opponent’s wall, put your own in. You then have piece control. This means you can edit a hole, take a shot through it, and end the fight. The same principle applies to general build fights. The more pieces in the build you control, the easier you can edit back through. Fortnite building tips covering this rely on getting good with edit speed too.
Conserving Mats
All of this probably sounds like you’re going to be building a lot! At first, you probably will be. Some key Fortnite building tips is to keep an eye on resources though. The new Fortnite Ranked Mode has brought a 500-mat limit to every mode, you can’t afford to blow through them anymore.
Try to watch how many mats you’re using, if your opponent is cranking to the sky. Consider boxing up and letting them exhaust their supply before you head in.
