As Fortnite continues to explode in popularity, many new players find themselves thrust into a highly competitive meta that has developed over the past year without them. However, it’s important not to let yourself become discouraged— every player has to start somewhere.

Odds are, the strategies being utilized by other players come down to an understanding of core gameplay mechanics that are easy to miss when diving headfirst into competitive play. Read ahead for our primer of intermediate level strategies and tips, and avoid learning them the hard way via 100+ hours of trial and error.

Wood is Among your Most Versatile Assets

Avoid making the mistake of most early players by fervently scrambling for supply drops and weapons— getting your head around the fundamentals of building starts with recognizing the importance of keeping a stockpile of wood on hand.

The unassuming material touts a higher than average HP count, and can be placed down quickly in a pinch to withstand multiple shotgun blasts. Most pro players recognize the importance of crafting initial structures via wood and expanding upon them with upgraded materials (metal, brick) if time (and the situation) permit.

Pick your Battles

It’s important to remember that winning isn’t about steamrolling every opponent you encounter— the biggest setback of many new players is often the need to win every skirmish, rather than knowing when to back off and regroup.

If an enemy outclasses you in armor, ammo, or just plain skill, you’ll most likely be able to tell shortly after engaging them. Similarly, aspects such as location (pro-tip: always opt for the high ground), load-out, or being outnumbered factor into whether a plan of attack is a good idea. Sometimes, victory is simply going to mean escaping an encounter without being eliminated.

Communication is Key

Unless you’re playing on your own, effective communication is going to be your number one asset— it can’t be stressed enough how important it is to practice and establish a solid ability to communicate strategy among your teammates. 

You’ll immediately notice the difference between teams with solid intel and teams that simply play on the same server together— while casual co-op might fly in shooters, the objective based nature of the Battle Royale genre requires that you talk (and play) like an open book.

Sharing is Caring (but Seriously)

You should plan on getting yourself out of the habit of treating all loot as “first come, first serve.” A well orchestrated team effort is going to involve being considerate of each other’s load-outs— players that obsessively hoard all the loot they come across will most likely end up screwing each other over.

Go for the Structural Jugular

Getting used to a game where attacking buildings is just as important as attacking opponents can be jarring at first— that’s why it’s important to know what you’re doing when you’re first going up against a metal monolith.

Structures in Fortnite obey their own laws of physics: while a four story mega-shanty can be suspended in midair by a single wooden staircase, that same architectural nightmare can be brought to its knees by eliminating its link to solid ground.

Knowing where to focus your firepower when disrupting enemy structures will often be the difference between knocking a few walls off an enemy base and rendering your opponents homeless— try to plan your demolition expeditions accordingly