Playing Fortnite without taking advantage of its building mechanics is like trying to play Apex Legends without using any of your character’s special abilities. Sure, you can do it — but your odds of winning are going to decrease exponentially. However, there are good reasons people choose to play Fortnite without laying down a single staircase. Maybe they’re looking for a new challenge, as the game has become too easy with their expert building skills. Or maybe their building skills are terrible, and they want to avoid pulling out those blueprints at all costs.
No matter the situation, there are certain things you must account for when trying to play Fortnite without using materials. As a matter of fact, your whole playstyle is likely to change. Here are some tips to help you pull off a Victory Royale without building a single structure.
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Find top-tier weapons
If you’re not going to take advantage of building, you’re going to have to stock up on the best weapons in the game. While this is always necessary to win a Victory Royale, it’s even more of a priority for players who aren’t going to be building their own shelters.
However, getting powerful weapons isn’t enough — you’ll also want to stock up on powerful explosive weapons. Without a decent explosive, you’ll have a hard time taking down your opponent’s structures and leveling the playing field. If you can’t find a good rocket launcher or the Boom Bow, a Minigun is a solid alternative. So long as you have a few weapons that can eliminate the advantage of expert builders, you’re moving in the right direction.
Your best bet is to have a loadout that consists of one close-range weapon, one long-range weapon, an explosive, and then two gadgets. Depending on your playstyle you might be more comfortable switching some of these out with Potions and Medkits — there’s no set formula, so be sure to tailor your loadout to your personal taste. Just don’t forget the explosives!
Use gadgets
Once you’ve gathered up a few strong weapons, you’ll also need to pick up a few useful gadgets. The two you should focus on finding are Proximity Mines and Decoys. The reasoning for Proximity Mines is obvious — since you can’t build your own cover, you’ll have to booby-trap your surroundings to stay safe.
Decoys, on the other hand, are best used late in the game when there are only a few players left. At this point in the match, players typically start laying down massive towers to gain a height advantage over their enemies. But since you’re not building, you need to find another way to earn the upper hand. With Decoys, you can draw gunfire from your opponents and expose their position. Once you know their location, use your most powerful weapon to either attack them directly or blow up their cover.
Play the edge of the circle
One of the drawbacks to building is that it’s usually a dead giveaway to your location. It’s noisy, it’s slow, and it’s easy to spot from a distance. That means if you’re not using materials, you have one advantage — stealth. You should do everything in your power to supplement this, and that probably means playing the edge of the circle.
While your enemies might be rushing around to find a good position for their next tower, you can instead hang back and watch the action unfold. Playing the edge of the circle is one of your best options — so long as you can find prebuilt structures or foliage to hide behind. It also means you won’t have to watch your back and can instead focus on the action in front of you.
Don’t engage in every battle
Unless you’re a Fortnite pro, don’t feel the need to take out every player you come across. Remember, stealth is your only advantage, and while you might have the jump on an unsuspecting foe, you could expose your position to others in the area by trying to land a kill. Instead, rely on traps such as Proximity Mines to do the work for you.
However, it’s important to understand that you shouldn’t just hide the entire round. You’ll first want to stock up on powerful weapons — as you’ll need to pull out the big guns toward the end of the round — before hunkering down in a good location. And if you see an enemy that has a strong weapon or is about to loot one, it’s in your best interest to try and eliminate them. Just remember — stealth comes first, and it might be best to let everyone else do the heavy lifting for you.
Perfect your gunplay
This last tip is common sense, but improving your aim is the most important thing you can do to win a Victory Royale without building. Going an entire game without using materials puts you at a huge disadvantage, and the only way to make up for that is with impeccable gunplay. Understand the range of each weapon, focus on landing headshots, and learn which guns are best for destroying opponents’ structures. Even if you’re technically a better player, you could still lose to a lesser opponent who knows how to build a proper tower. The only way to claim a Victory Royale without building is to drastically outrank your opponent — and a bit of luck never hurts, either.
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