Need some Fortnite building tips to help you secure that Victory Royale? While there's now a Zero Build mode in which building isn’t necessary for those who prefer something more straightforward, this is the guide for you if you love Fortnite's unique gameplay mechanics.
Fortnite stands out against other third-person shooters thanks to its building mechanics. Regardless if you’re playing on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, or you’ve invested in the best gaming PC, building in Fortnite can be hard to get your head around for those not used to the game's customizability.
That's where this guide comes in. You'll find some essential Fortnite building tips that will help you to seriously improve your game. Now, let's go get that number one Victory Royale, shall we?
Fortnite building tips for success
Fortnite building tips: hunter, gatherer
Not unlike reality, building in Fortnite requires materials. Thankfully, this third-person shooter's world is full of them. Wood, brick and metal are the options up for grabs; as you can imagine, they increase in strength from one to the next.
Your pickaxe can break trees for wood, walls for brick, and anything metal for metal. While swinging this weapon, you’ll be able to aim at highlighted points to earn double the materials - just remember it also deals double damage to the object or structure.
For reference, the standard “four walls and a ramp” staircase will use up 50 of any of the materials you have available - so it’s worth keeping as many on your person as possible. Also, while wood is the weakest material in Fortnite, it can be built more quickly than either Brick or Metal - so keep some in reserve if you can.
Fortnite building tips: What goes up...
While building your own cover is an integral part of surviving combat, a match of Fortnite is decided just as much by positioning - which is one of our favorite building tips.
There are four shapes for building blocks, but one of the most important is the ramp. This will allow you to scale some of the world’s trickier high points. Some may have untapped materials at the top, while others may simply be full of treasure. Of course, they also make for great sniping spots if you have the weapon for it.
With Fortnite’s construction not limited to real-world physics, it means you can hop off of one of these high points and build a series of “steps” on your way down. With fall damage a major consideration as you approach a match, working your way down the side of a mountain quickly with minimal damage can be key in flanking an opponent that has their sights set on the top of a mountain.
Fortnite building tips: Know when to engage
If you see a fort or tower being constructed in the distance, don’t feel bad about not engaging the enemy. If the map is still large enough that you can circumnavigate them, trust in other players to spot the same fort and rush the opposition.
On a similar note, if you are tempted to take them on, be prepared to knock out the base of whatever they’ve built. This will cause the structure to fall, often dealing a hefty chunk of falling damage if the opposition have made it up quite high. This can often net a kill or two as well!
Fortnite building tips: Editing is key
The fun doesn’t stop just because you’ve built a structure to the heavens. By editing pieces you’ve already placed, you can open up new combat and traversal opportunities to really catch an unaware opponent.
The best Fortnite players understand the power of tweaking what’s already built, like turning a wall into an arch or doorway to open up a new sightline. In fact, any of the game’s four basic building blocks can be tweaked in this way.
This means that if you end up above your opponent, you can edit a piece of the floor to open up a gap to shoot through. Of course, this should be considered something to watch out for when navigating an opponent’s structure too. Nowhere's safe in Fortnite, and that’s doubly true when you’re ten storeys up while chasing an enemy!
Fortnite building tips: Practice, practice, practice
While many players will form their own strategies, these things invariably take time. As the old adage goes, practice makes perfect - so try not to feel disheartened when someone cuts through your walls just as quickly as you can build them.
Building has a steep learning curve, but tools such as the Fortnite Building Simulator can work wonders for your skills and your confidence. This browser-based tool allows you to practice placing your walls, floors, ramps and roofs to your heart’s content, free from pesky distractions like bullets, enemies, or managing materials.
It’s only available on PC at present, but it allows you to try out control setups of popular Fortnite streamers to see which fits best for you.
Fortnite building tips: Control your own destiny
The final of our Fortnite building tips revolves around the subject of controls. This colorful shooter does offer some really unique tools for players looking to customize their setup - on PC or Console.
While PC players have plenty more keybindings to choose from, console players can change their layout to an option called ‘Builder Pro’ controls within the menu. This assigns a toggle between building and combat modes. While the combat side of things handles in a similar way to standard controls, toggling into build mode assigns each of Fortnite’s building blocks to a different shoulder button.
While it can take some adjusting (plus you’ll need to toggle your controls with a button press if you spot an enemy), this allows you to build surprisingly diverse structures without having to navigate Fortnite’s admittedly pretty intuitive building menu.
