Fortnite was already popular, but an appearance earlier this month by rapper Drake in a popular player's Twitch livestream has built renewed interest in the video game.
Players seem obsessed with Fortnite: Battle Royale, a free-to-play game where 100 players are dropped on to an island, with the lone survivor left standing as winner. To keep the pace moving, players must also survive a massive storm threatening their lives.
The best way to explain it: picture The Hunger Games turned into a shooter, but with some influences from Minecraft. There’s a reason millions of people are playing this on PCs, video game consoles, and mobile devices.
If all this Fortnite talk has you itching to play, take heed of these important tips to help you stay alive longer:
It's less about killing and more about not dying
The first instinct when playing a shooter is to shoot. But not in Fortnite. The goal is to be the last one standing. Don’t feel the need to engage in battle if it’s not necessary. As you get better, maybe you feel a little frisky and you start chasing people down. A good reason to lay low? Listening for sound cues such as footsteps and gun fire. If you starting firing off for no reason, it could point others to your position. Take your time, especially early on as you learn the controls, the layout of the island and the game’s mechanics.
Avoid the crowds
The first thing players do in a match is choose the spot on the island where they glide down. Increasing your chances for survival means staying away from areas where lots of players will likely congregate. If you see spots with lots of buildings, odds are players will show up to grab gear. Early on, pick spots that are a bit more isolated. It gives you time to get resources and keeps you away from combat in the opening minutes.
Learn to build. And fast
Again, Fortnite is a shooter, so having great aim is important. But learning to build on the fly is equally valuable. When you bring up the building tool, you can choose one of four items: wall, floor, roof and stairs. Players also have three materials to choose from: wood, brick, or steel. All these materials can be obtained from the map, whether you chop down a tree, or tear apart the walls of a house. You can create long stairways to reach difficult spots, or you can craft a tower to gain a higher view and spot enemies farther away. It’s also a good defensive strategy to quickly assemble a fort to protect yourself from enemy gun fire. Starting out, get those basics down, then learn how to prop up forts quick.
Stock up on resources
Try to secure as much wood, metal and brick as you can. As you break down materials with your pickaxe, you may spot a dot inside a larger circle appear. Hitting that brings down that tree or wall faster.
Don't forget about the storm
To prevent players from basically building forts and never coming out, the game incorporates a deadly storm into the action. Pulling up your map shows a circle representing the safe zone. If you are outside the circle, the storm will hurt you until you are eliminated. Every couple minutes, that circle shrinks, meaning you might need to sprint to get into that safe area. Don't waste stuff like bandages or other healing items on yourself because you were too busy getting out of the storm.
