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Fortnite Battle Royale Overview

Fortnite is the game on every child’s mind at the moment. It is certainly the hottest Battle Royale on the planet right now. Games like PUBG and H1Z1 started a wave of Battle Royale games the gaming world was not expecting and so Fortnite was born on July 1st, 2017. 

There are two types of game modes in Fortnite. Save The World and Battle Royale. This guide will focus on the Battle Royale mode as it is the most popular. We will look at things like platform availability, weapons, items and more in Fortnite Battle Royale.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Platform Availability 
How To Play
Building in Fortnite
Loot Rarity System
Fortnite Map
Fortnite Weapons
The Vault
Ammo Types
Fortnite Items
ResourcesHealing ItemsGrenades/Bombs  • Explosive WeaponsTrapsForaged Items Camouflage Limited Time Items 
Vehicles
Battle Pass
V-Bucks

What Platform Is Fortnite Available On?

Fortnite Battle Royale is available to play on Playstation, Xbox One, PC, Apple and Android, and Nintendo Switch. It’s pretty much available to everyone and their granny. If you wish to play Fortnite, remember, the game is played online. Therefore, you may need to pay additional online subscriptions such as Xbox Live or Playstation Plus.

What Is Fortnite and How Do I Play It?

Fortnite Battle Royale is an online multiplayer Battle Royale game. Players jump from a big blue bus called the Battle Bus into a map with up to 100 players where they must fight it out to be the last one standing. 

Players must drop somewhere on the map, find weapons, gather resources and items while taking out enemies. It follows the typical Battle Royale play style where the storm closes in and creates an even smaller circle to fight in. However, Fortnite Battle Royale adds building into the mix. Players are able to build forts to hide and evade enemy gunfire.

Building

Building is the backbone of Fortnite. Especially for players who want to get serious and start winning more games. It’s essential to know how to build forts and ramps etc.

Building can be quite difficult to master and is certainly something you will spend most of your time doing. There are many different types of structures you can build. Some of the most common include ramps, turtles and 1x1s. 

Head over here to check out our detailed guide on how to get better at building in Fortnite. It takes you through all the different structures you can build, methods to use and tips for building.

Loot Rarity System

We will be discussing the rarity of items later on in the guide. Therefore, we will provide a table on the rarity of items in Fortnite Battle Royale below. The rarity of a weapon or item is classified into 5 groups, each with a different color to differentiate the rarity. Below are the rarities starting from best to worse:

RARITYCOLOR
LegendaryOrange
EpicPurple
RareBlue
UncommonGreen
CommonGrey

Map

The map in Fortnite Battle Royale changes every season. Epic Games are constantly mixing things up by removing and adding new locations. Check out the current Fortnite map from Chapter 2.

Head over here if you’re looking for the best landing spots in Fortnite Chapter 2.

Fortnite Weapons

There is a vast range of weapons in Fortnite. Everything from Assault Rifles, SMGs to Grenade Launchers. Listed below are all the weapons in Fortnite Battle Royale including vaulted weapons(see The Vault section below). Each weapon is categorized into its respective weapon class.

WEAPON CLASSWEAPON
AssaultAssault Rifle, Heavy Assault Rifle, Scoped Assault Rifle, Burst Assault Rifle, Tactical Assault Rifle, Thermal Assault Rifle, Suppressed Assault Rifle, Light Machine Gun, Drum Gun, Infantry Rifle, Minigun
SMGsSuppressed SMG, Tactical Submachine Gun, Compact SMG, Submachine Gun, Burst SMG
PistolsHand Cannon, Pistol, Suppressed Pistol, Revolver, Dual Pistols, Flint-Knock Pistol, Scoped Revolver
ShotgunsPump Shotgun, Tactical Shotgun, Heavy Shotgun
Sniper RiflesAutomatic Sniper Rifle, Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle, Heavy Sniper Rifle, Semi-Auto Sniper Rifle, Suppressed Sniper Rifle, Storm Scout Sniper Rifle
ExplosiveRocket Launcher, Grenade Launcher, Quad Launcher
MeleePickaxe, Infinity Blade
Tilted Town ExclusiveSix Shooter, Hunting Rifle, Infantry Rifle, Double Barrel Shotgun
CrossbowsBoom Bow, Fiend Hunter Crossbow, Cupid’s Crossbow

The Vault

The Vault in Fortnite Battle Royale is used to lock items and weapons in the game. For example, if Epic Games thinks the weapon should be removed for balancing purposes they may vault the weapon.

When the weapon is vaulted it is no longer available to use in the game. However, weapons can be taken out of the vault. Therefore, it does not mean the weapon is gone forever.

If you want to see an overview of all the weapons and items currently vaulted in Fornite. Head over here to our Fortnite Vaulted article.

Ammo

There are 5 different types of ammo in Fortnite. Each type of ammo is compatible with certain weapon classes mentioned above. Check out the table for the ammo classes and respective weapons below.

AMMOWEAPON
Light BulletsPistol, Suppressed Pistol, Tactical Submachine Gun, Suppressed Submachine Gun, Minigun, Revolver, Compact SMG, Submachine Gun(new and old) Burst SMG, Tactical Shotgun
Medium BulletsAssault Rifle, Heavy Assault Rifle, Scoped Assault Rifle, Infantry Rifle, Six Shooter, Suppressed Assault Rifle, Automatic Sniper Rifle, Revolver, Burst Assault Rifle, Thermal Scope Assault Rifle, Scoped Revolver, Drum Gun, Dual Pistols, Light Machine Gun
Heavy BulletsHunting Rifle, Hand Cannon, Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle, Heavy Sniper Rifle, Suppressed Sniper Rifle, Storm Scout Sniper Rifle, Semi-Auto Sniper Rifle, Flint-Knock Pistol
Shells ‘n’ SlugsPump Shotgun, Tactical Shotgun, Double Barrel Shotgun, Drum Shotgun, Combat Shotgun, Heavy Shotgun, Boom Bow
RocketsGrenade Launcher, Rocket Launcher, Proximity Grenade Launcher, Guided Missile, Quad Launcher

Items

There are several types of items or loot you can find around the world of Fortnite. The three main items you collect are resources, ammo(mentioned above) and healing items. 

Resources

There are three main types of resources to collect in Fortnite. Starting with the weakest to the strongest. They are wood, stone, and metal. Each resource has more durability than the other.

Moreover, each resource can be used faster than the other with wood being the fastest and metal the slowest. All resources are used to build forts. 

Wood

Wood can be found in abundance throughout the world of Fortnite. You will use it for a lot of the core building. Wood is the weakest of the resources. However, is the fastest for building.

Forested areas are packed full of trees to get wood from. In areas with houses, wood can be found on walls and floors. Crates at the side of street stores are a really good source of wood in Fortnite. 

Stone

Stone can be found all over Fortnite. You can obtain stone by breaking rocks and destroying buildings made of concrete. The best areas to find stone is around the forest areas. Forests are often scattered with rocks for you to destroy and gather stone from.

Metal

Metal is the third and strongest of the materials in Fortnite. You can gather metal from vehicles and machinery. Another great way to gather metal is in mines. 

Healing Items

Like in all Battle Royales there are healing items you can use to heal yourself after taking damage. In Fortnite, there is everything from bandages to juices you can drink to restore your health. Take a look at all the healing items below from best to worse.

Medkit

The Medkit is used to heal 100 health points. Upon using the medkit. You will be healed to max regardless of your health level. The medkit takes 10 seconds to use and can be stacked in 3s in your inventory. It only takes first place over the Chug Jug because it is a lot easier to find.

Chug Jug

The Chug Jug comes as a close contender to the medkit. A single use of the Chug Jug restores 100 health and Shield. However, it takes a little longer to use at 15 seconds. It can also only be stacked in 1’s in your inventory. Note that Chug Jug is a Legendary item in Fortnite. Therefore, is very rare and difficult to find.

Slurp Juice

Coming in after the Chug Jug is the Slurp Juice. These bad boys restore up to 75 of your health over time. If your health is full it will charge your shield instead. It is an Epic item so it is rare and more difficult to find. You can have a total of 2 Slurps stacked at the one time.

Shield Potion

Vital if you want to stay alive. The Shield Potion will restore 50 shield points and takes 5 seconds to use. It can be found quite easily around the map. Players can stack a maximum of 3 in the inventory.

Small Shield Potion

A lesser version of the Shield Potion. The small one heals up heals 25 shield points and takes 2 seconds to use. You can stack 6 of these in your inventory. Note, they cannot be consumed while moving.

Chug Splash

Unlike the other healing items the Chug Splash is consumed instantly. It heals 20 health points. Moreover, if your health is full it will heal your shield 20 points.

Also unlike other healing items, the Chug Splash can be thrown at other players. Throwing it at other players heals them 20 points for anyone caught in the radius. A maximum of 6 Chug Splashes can be stacked in your inventory.

Bandage

Finally, the most common healing item in the game is the bandage. It will heal you 15 health points to a maximum of 75 points. It cannot heal you 100 of your health. Bandages can be held in your inventory in 15’s

Grenades/Bombs

There are three grenades found around Fortnite. The Boogie Bomb, Shockwave Grenade and the Junk Rift. Grenades and bombs in Fortnite work quite different from other Battle Royale games.

Boogie Bomb

Boogie Bombs on explosion make players caught in the blast radius dance for 5 seconds. This makes them susceptible to enemy gunfire and attack. If the player takes damage while dancing. The effects will wear off. The Boogie Bomb can be stacked in 10’s. It is a Rare item.

Shockwave Grenade

The Shockwave Grenade throws enemies back on explosion. Players thrown backward will destroy objects they hit. However, they will not take any damage from this. The Shockwave Grenade is an Epic item and can be stacked in 6’s

Junk Rift

Junk Rifts are thrown and on impact will spawn a rift. The rift discharges any random object which falls to the ground. This object deals 200 damage on a direct hit and 100 to anyone caught in the shockwave. The Junk Rift is an Epic item and stacks in 4’s.

Explosive Weapons

Grenade

The Grenade deals 100 damage on impact and deals with a total of 375 points of structure damage. They can be stacked in 10’s. It is a common item in Fortnite.

Stink Bomb 

Stink Bombs when thrown omit a yellow smelly gas which damages players 5 points every half second. Beware that you can take damage from your own stink bomb if you’re caught in the yellow gas. You can stack the Stink Bomb in 6’s. It is an Epic item.

Traps

Damage Trap

Damage Traps are exactly what you think they are. They are traps that deal 150 damage to anyone who walks past or over them. They can be placed on walls, on the floor and on ceilings. They are an Uncommon Item in Fortnite.

Cozy Campfire

Used to heal and replenish health. The Cozy Campfire trap looks exactly like a foraged campfire found throughout the map. It lasts for 25 seconds and heals players nearby for the duration of its existence. 

Launch Pad

Great for getting out of a sticky situation fast. When placed, players can walk over the launch pad and it will fire them into the air. They can then glide to safety. The Launch Pad is an Epic item.

Foraged Items

There are numerous foraged items. Including, apples, mushrooms, bananas, coconuts, and peppers. All of them act in the same way, healing players 5 health points upon use. However, the coconut will replenish health over time and can replenish shield health if your health reaches the max.

Camouflage

Bush

A very rare and useful item. The Bush camouflages players so they look like a bush. Upon consumption, players will be camouflaged until they take any damage. Bushes can be stacked in 2’s.

Limited Time Items

Rifts

Rifts are essentially teleporters. They can be found around the map often in new locations added from updates. For example, Rifts can be found in the Wailing Woods and Loot Lake. They are rare and mysterious objects in Fortnite Battle Royale.

Vehicles

B.R.U.T.E

The B.R.U.T.E caused serious controversy on release in Season 10. It still annoys people to this day mainly because if it’s overpowered stats. The B.R.U.T.E is a giant mechanical suit that players can control and fire missiles and shotguns from.

Two people can man the B.R.U.T.E. One has to control it and the other has to control the weapons. It also has abilities that enable it to stomp, dash, and super jump enemies. 

Driftboard

The Driftboard can be found throughout the map. It is essentially a mobility vehicle to get players around the map faster. It can take a good bit of damage at 300 HP. Players can fire weapons while on the Driftboard.

Battle Pass

Introduced in Season 2, the Battle Pass is an in-game purchasable product. The Battle Pass itself consists of two parts. The Free Pass and the Battle Pass.

Essentially it is an in-game progression system built on tiers. Each tier players progress through, they unlock new skins and items.

Coincidentally, the Free Pass is free. Therefore, it grants players with bad to mediocre items and rewards. The Battle Pass itself is actually the paid Battle Pass that rewards players with higher tier loot and skins etc. The Battle Pass goes for about $9.49/ €8.60/ £7.62. Prices may vary from time to time. 

V-Bucks

V-Bucks are the in-game currency in Fortnite. They are used to purchase in-game content such as items and skins. Players can purchase V-Bucks with real money or earn them in-game. There are several ways to earn V-Bucks in-game. Some include: Completing quests, daily rewards, and earning V-Bucks from the Battle Pass.