5 actionable tips to improve Fortnite gameplay immediately

Fortnite seems like a rather simple concept on the surface. 100 players drop onto an island and battle it out until one person, duo, or 3-person squad is left. At its heart, it is so much more.

Where players land on the island has a huge impact on what loot they start the game with, their rotations on the island (more on that in a bit), and the terrain they have to deal with.

Toss in having to harvest materials to build structures, fishing, drivable vehicles, and a slew of weapons and items of varying rarity and stats, and Fortnite becomes a much deeper experience. Thankfully, new players can follow a few tips to enhance their gameplay and enjoyment of the game right away.

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Improve Fortnite gameplay with these 5 tips

The five ways new players can improve their Fortnite gameplay are learning the lingo, picking rotations, learning to build quickly, learning their weapon preferences, and optimizing controls.

Learn the Lingo

Cuddle Team Leader says, "Learn the lingo!"

Learning the lingo of Fortnite will go a long way when looking up other strategies and watching Fortnite videos. Some popular terms include:

• 90s: A building technique to rapidly grant a player higher ground
• ADS: Aim down sight.
• Clutch: Coming out in a tight situation unexpectedly.
• Cracked: This can mean either a player is good or is used when a player's shield goes down.
• Deagle: The Deagle, or Desert Eagle, are other terms for Fortnite's Hand Cannon.
• Downed/Knocked: When a player is down and crawling around in Duos or Squads.
• Lasered: Pinpoint accuracy.
• Mats: Building materials.
• Minis: Small shield potions.
• POI: Point of Interest.
• Rotation/Rotate: A way to describe a player's movement through the island. Usually memorized paths that include loot, materials, and good places to third-party other players.
• Stream Sniper: Players who watch another player's stream to discern their location in-game.
• Sweat: A player who works extra hard to show their skill at the game, even when it is not necessary
• Tac: Tactical Shotgun.
• Third-Partying: A term when a player arrives mid-battle between other opponents and takes one or more of them out.

While it may seem silly, many Fortnite players speak the lingo when filming YouTube videos or streaming. Knowing the terms can go a long way in a player's understanding of what is going on.

Picking Rotations

Chapter 2, Season 5 Map

Learning and picking well-defined rotations can help a new player survive a bit longer, stack up a good loot loadout, and provide them with plenty of materials to build by the time the storm circle shrinks down.

As a player rotates through some pre-defined rotations found online, they can start to figure out their own rotations that work better for their play style.

Learn to Build

Image via bestgamingsettings.com

Building is a huge part of Fortnite play, and a player that does not build can not be as successful as one who does. Learning the basics of building and learning some 1x1 templates and mastering 90s will go a long way in improving overall gameplay.

While not easy, it can be improved upon quickly if players use a bit of time during the start of each match to find a quiet spot to work on their building. Playing around in Creative is a great way to perfect building as well.

Learn Weapon Preferences

Lever action shotgun

Figuring out what type of weapons work the best for a player guarantees better performance. Players should take a match or two to determine what kind of weapons fit the playstyle they enjoy.

Remember, even though a player may prefer, it is always good to carry a kit that includes a weapon for close, mid, and long-range battles.

Optimize Controls

Builder Pro

Fortnite's default controls for controller or keyboard and mouse are fine out of the box. Moreover, there are better ways to set keybinds to swap weapons and build. For controllers, there is the Builder Pro control preset that works wonders. For keyboard and mouse, make sure to set building controls to keys, or extra mouse buttons, that are quick and comfortable to reach.