Fortnite is one of those games that often elicits a strong response from people. They either speak of it fondly or they detest it. Love it or hate it, no one can deny the impact it has had on the gaming world. Much like Minecraft, Fortnite has become a cultural phenomenon. Nearly every parent on the planet will have heard of the game. And certainly every dedicated gamer is aware of the monolithic hold Fortnite has on the younger gaming generation.

Fortnite, at its core, is an extremely fun gaming experience. Totally free to play, with the microtransactions only being focused on cosmetics. And an active player base that is showing no signs of dwindling. Fortnite is regularly updated. And each new update changes some of the key mechanics along with swapping out the various weapons, map locations, and in-game gimmicks.

If you’re looking to take your first steps into Fortnite, then this is the guide for you. We will be breaking down the basics of the game. So that you can easily secure your first victory royale!

The Gameplay

Fortnite is a battle royale game. This means that all the players within a match are competing to be the last player standing. Each match will drop in 100 players. You can run solos, duos, trios, or squads of up to 4. When playing as a team you are trying to be the last team standing.

Players are dropped from a flying bus above the map. They can glide down to different locations where they will scavenge for loot and try to eliminate other players. The game forces you to keep moving with a mighty storm that slowly engulfs the island. Moving the surviving players closer together over time. If you stay in the storm for too long, you will perish!

Inventory Management

During each match you spawn with a pickaxe, for destroying scenery, and five empty item slots. You can’t ever carry more than 5 items. So you need to manage your inventory carefully. I recommend having 2 to 3 different weapons along with a couple healing items. If you are carrying only two weapons you should also carry a set of grenades.

There are some important technical aspects you should know about the items in Fortnite. The small shield potions can only restore your shields up to 50%. After that you will need a large potion. Item rarity is denoted by the colorful glow surrounding it. The ranking system goes, green, blue, purple, orange. So if you find the same weapon you’re currently using, but in a higher grade, you should swap out for it.

You can change your game settings so that specific items automatically go into certain inventory slots. I recommend assigning weapons to the first three slots. This will allow you to swap between them more efficiently during a fight.

Cosmetics

Cosmetics are a huge part of the Fortnite experience. With over 1,940 player skins having been made. Cosmetics can sometimes be acquired for free as part of the unpaid battle pass tiers or during special events. But everything else will require V-Bucks to acquire. V-Bucks are the in-game currency that can be only purchased with real money.

The exchange rate for dollars to V-Bucks isn’t great. These days people are buying Fortnite accounts, rather than buying V-Bucks. Purchased accounts often come with a huge variety of skins and a stash of V-Bucks.

Building

One of the things that separates Fortnite from other battle royale games is the building mechanic. Nearly everything on the Fortnite game map can be destroyed, producing various building materials. These materials can be used to construct elaborate structures to provide advantages in combat or allow players to better navigate the map.

Building does take quite a lot of practice to get right. The issue is that too many veteran players are so good at building that it creates a huge disparity in skill level. So I highly recommend playing on the ‘No-Build’ mode. This levels the playing field massively.

Revival

When you are playing a solo match you only get one life. If you die, it’s game over! But, when operating as part of a team, death isn’t always the end. If you are knocked down you can be picked back up by one of your team. But, if you die, you drop something called a reboot card.

Your team needs to pick up this card and take it to a reboot van. If they manage to install the reboot card then you will be revived. But be warned, reviving a teammate sounds out a loud alert noise that will let nearby enemies know your location.