You’ve heard the chatter, seen the emotes, and watched Fortnite take over pop culture, and now you’re ready to jump in.
Good choice! But, there’s just one problem: getting started can feel like showing up late to the party. It’s exciting, sure, but also a little overwhelming.
The good news? This isn’t some dense, hard-to-follow manual. Think of our guide as your ticket to catching Fortnite’s rhythm, picking up its language, and grabbing your first (of many) Victory Royales in style.
So gear up, and let’s get rolling…
What Exactly Is the World of Fortnite?
Alrighty, at its core, Fortnite Battle Royale is all about survival!
One hundred players are dropped from the flying Battle Bus onto a massive, ever-changing island.
Your mission? Simple, be the last one standing.
To do this, you’ll scavenge for weapons, gather resources, and outplay opponents as a shrinking storm forces everyone into a dramatic showdown.
However, to label it just a survival game isn’t entirely accurate. Instead, the developers (Epic Games) have crafted a universe, and beyond the flagship Battle Royale mode, Fortnite has a few different experiences:
LEGO Fortnite: A survival-crafting adventure where you build and explore with the classic brick aesthetic.
Rocket Racing: A fast-paced arcade racer from the creators of Rocket League.
Fortnite Festival: A rhythm game where you can perform hit songs on a virtual stage.
These different game modes provide a fantastic way to experience the Fortnite universe, but for the true beginner, the journey starts with the most popular game mode: Battle Royale.
Your First Steps into the Fortnite Universe
Before claiming victory, you must actually get into the game!
Luckily, Fortnite can be played for free and is available on nearly every platform, including PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, all of which support cross-platform play.
You can begin by downloading it from the device's official store.
Once you are in, you will hear mention of Battle Pass. This is the seasonal pass that unlocks cosmetic rewards, including skins and emotes, and allows you to purchase items in the daily shop.
Bear in mind, the skins, emotes, and gliders you choose don’t change your stats or offer any competitive advantage, but they do change your style.
Fortnite Build Mode vs. Zero Build Mode
The single biggest choice a new Fortnite player makes is their preferred style of combat. Here’s the breakdown:
Feature | Build Mode | Zero Build Mode |
|---|---|---|
Core Mechanic | The classic Fortnite experience. Gather materials (wood, brick, metal) with your pickaxe to build structures like walls, ramps, and floors for defense and offense. | A pure shooter experience. All building mechanics are disabled. Your only cover is the natural environment and an Overshield that recharges. |
Pacing | It can be incredibly fast. Fights often become build battles, where players quickly build towers for high-ground advantage. | More tactical and grounded. Relies on positioning, aim, and using the map’s terrain for cover. |
Skill Curve | Very high. Mastering both shooting and building/editing is needed for success. | More accessible for beginners, especially those with a background in other shooter games. |
Ideal For | Players who love creative, high-speed strategy and want the signature Fortnite experience. | Players who prefer a traditional shooter and want to focus on combat without the building learning curve. |
Our advice for the beginner? Start with Zero Build Mode, as it allows you to learn the map, weapons, and core shooting mechanics without feeling overwhelmed. Once you’re comfortable, head into the Build Mode to unlock the game’s original experience.
From the Battle Bus to Your First Firefight
Every match begins in the sky, and as the Battle Bus flies over the island, your first decision is when and where to drop.
Pro-Tip for Beginners: Let the bus travel most of its path, then jump late and aim for a smaller, unnamed cluster of buildings on the edge of the map. This gives you extra time to land, find a weapon, and pop a shield potion before your first encounter.
Once you’ve landed, this should be your order of priorities:
Find a Weapon: Look for the glow of floor loot or listen for the hum of a treasure chest. Weapons have a color-coded rarity system: Gray (Common) < Green (Uncommon) < Blue (Rare) < Purple (Epic) < Gold (Legendary). Higher rarity means better stats!
Get Shielded: Your health bar consists of two parts: green for health and blue for shields. You are significantly more durable with a full shield, so you’ll want to find and consume Shield Potions to max out your blue bar to 100.
Listen: The sound design in Fortnite is your greatest intelligence-gathering tool, as you can hear enemy footsteps, the direction of gunfire, and the opening of a nearby chest.
How to Survive and Thrive in Fortnite Combat
For a new player, your loadout should be simple. Focus on carrying a reliable assault rifle or SMG for mid-range fights, and a powerful shotgun for close encounters. Leave the sniper rifles for when you’re more confident with your aim.
And then there’s the Storm. This purple circle is constantly closing in, shrinking the playable area. To beat this, you’ll need to keep an eye on the storm by checking your map regularly, as getting caught in it will drain your health.
Build Your Way to Victory
When you’re ready to graduate to Build Mode, start simple. Use your pickaxe on trees, rocks, and cars to gather wood, brick, and metal. With these materials, you’ll want to master three basic structures:
The Wall: Under fire? Throw up a wall. Need to heal? Box yourself in with four walls and a roof.
The Ramp: A well-placed ramp lets you claim the high ground, which is ideal for pushing an enemy or escaping a difficult situation.
The 1x1 Fort: A simple one-by-one box allows you to peek out to shoot, heal in safety, or build higher.
Don’t try to build a palace in your first week. Just get comfortable with placing a wall under pressure, as that one skill will save you countless times.
For focused practice, jump into Creative Mode where you can build to your heart’s content without anyone shooting at you.
Your Mindset in Fortnite Matters Too
You know the fundamentals, now, how do you get better at Fortnite?
Play with Friends: Playing with other players is enjoyable and a great way to accelerate your learning!
Practice the Pros: Watch skilled players on YouTube or Twitch, paying attention to how they rotate, the fights they engage in, and how they utilize buildings to manage battles.
Study Weapons: Fortnite has new weapons and items being added at all times, so don’t hesitate to try something new and experiment.
Learn the Map: With a new Fortnite map and massive changes to the previous one arriving every season, you will need to learn the layout, the prime loot routes, and the fastest way to move around.
We hope you found this beginner's guide helpful. Keep in mind, the game is constantly changing, and you will grow along with it. Good luck!
