Games
Fortnite is now available on mobile, but getting a win is still as difficult as ever so we've got a few pointers to help you on your way to victory.
We can only assume that if you haven't managed to try Fortnite yet, it must be because you don't have access to a powerful PC or console, because it certainly feels like everyone is currently playing Epic's battle royale hit. But now you have a new chance to get your hands on Fortnite, at least if you're one of the selected few to be invited.
Fortnite Battle Royale has now launched on iOS and providing you get invited and have a fairly modern device, you can play the complete Battle Royale experience on your phone. This isn't some watered down experience, with smaller maps or changed building layouts, it's the exact same thing as the PC and console version – just with slightly lower textures and a new control scheme. You can even play with people on those other platforms.
Playing on mobile does have a few quirks, mostly thanks to the touch controls and small screen space, which can take a while to get used to. These changes, along with some mobile specific additions, mean that getting a win on mobile, especially if playing cross platform, is a little challenging at times. Somehow we've managed to pull off a couple of wins while playing on our phone, and have returned with a ton of tips to help you on your quest for a victory royale.
1. Use the new mobile sound indicator to ambush enemies
One of the big disadvantages mobile players have on paper is that playing with sound isn't always possible, because no one wants to be blasting out Fortnite audio in public. Fortunately, the team over at Epic have thought of that, and have added a handy visual cue that shows the direction of footsteps close to you, along with incoming bullets and chests that are close.
On mobile you can use this to your advantage. If you see some footsteps around you, move to a good angle, stay still and wait for them to walk directly into your sight line. With some practice, you can get pretty good at telling where a player is with this tool, and that will result in some easy kills.
2. Reinforce your stairs with panels
It takes a bit of getting used to, but building in Fortnite mobile is actually pretty easy. Sure, you may not be quite as quick as on PC, but you can still build super structures in a matter of seconds.
When you do this on PC, the standard meta is to reinforce your staircases with vertical panels around them so players have to destroy those before the stairs supporting you. On mobile, it can be very tempting to skip this step and just go with straight staircases, as it's much quicker and reinforcing isn't particularly easy. That's a big mistake, though, and will surely see you falling to your death sooner rather than later. Take the time, be safe, win.
3. Remember the llamas
Okay, so this isn't totally a mobile specific tip, but around the same time of the mobile launch, Epic also added llamas to the game. Scattered across the map randomly, these are a treasure trove of every kind of loot you could ever want. But it's very easy to forget that they exist, and on mobile they can be a little harder to spot. But if you see anything that looks even remotely like a llama then you should head for it, as the rewards can be big. Just remember that other people may have the same idea and you could be in for a fight.
4. Get up close and personal
Unless you have a scoped weapon, chances are you're going to need to get fairly close to people in order to take them down. Long range combat is totally possible on mobile, but it sure isn't as easy as being two foot away and armed with a shotgun. The small screen and less accurate control method make hitting long distance shots pretty tricky, even with some slight aim assist. Your best bet is to try and sneak up on foes.
5. Always aim down sights
On PC and console you can actually take quite a few fights without ever aiming and just hip fire spraying, especially up close. But on mobile that tactic certainly doesn't work. The controls just don't really make it easy to control recoil at all, and that's a big factor when spraying. Instead, aim down those sights and try tapping. We've found it works out much better than unloading a whole mag into the ground and then losing the fight.
6. Be wary of texture pop
This can be an issue on other platforms, but on mobile the pop in, where items randomly appear because they didn't load in, is quite noticeable, and more than a few times we've mistaken a normal bush popping to be someone trying to hide in one. Then when we shoot at nothing, it leaves us exposed. If you have a fancy, super fast iOS device this is less of an issue, but with older models you'll have to learn to look twice at everything before deciding if it's another player.
7. Turn auto pick up off
At first the auto pick up, when you collect a weapon or item as you walk over it (provided you have a free slot) is fairly useful, but after a while it starts to get in the way. No one wants to be walking around with five pistols, but with auto pick up that can happen pretty often. If you change the settings so that you have to tap to pick up items, it becomes much easier to manage your inventory in the early stages. Also, remember that you can open up your inventory and swap weapon positions by pressing the button to the left of your health bar.
