Fortnite is a whole lot of fun, but also a whole lot to get a handle on, especially when you’re just starting out. With these basics, you’ll be on your way to become a pro in no time. Learn how to handle yourself during your first couple of matches so you can build up your skills and emerge as the one, final winner of the island!

The Spawn Island is stuffed full of weapons and materials, but sadly you can’t take these with you. Instead, you should see this as the practice area it is. Try as much as you can. If you’re new, focus on basics first and try your hand at shooting and building, see how the commands work. If you’ve already played a couple of rounds, try that new weapon.

Unless you’re already a seasoned veteran at playing Fortnite, it’ll be smart to wait a bit before you press the button to jump from your bus. If you take your time, you can land a little ways away from the other players and gain valuable extra time to scavenge for items, build a little hidey-hole, and find your footing before engaging with everyone else. Try to see if you can land by a building – those are almost guaranteed to contain loot.

That brings us to the next point: get resources as early as you can! If you focus on them for a bit, you’ll be able to shield yourself from other players or build a lookout to target them from. Building is a central part of the Fortnite experience and allows for a lot of creative strategy that you shouldn’t miss out on.

It might be tempting to look at the building aspect in Fortnite and hole yourself up, but that’s not actually what the game is about. It’s made to move fast and so should you. Even if you don’t feel ready to fight yet, weapons, ammo, healing items, resources and other valuable loot is scattered across the map and your chances of finding it is higher if you keep moving.

Support items are there to support you, so don’t hoard them unnecessarily. However, it’s still smart to manage your resources a little: For example, it’s better to drink a small shield portion first rather than a big one, because your shield doesn’t go over 50 and that’s how much shield a big potion will give you. A small gives only 25, which will still allow you to drink a big one if you find one, clearing up space in your inventory.

It’s true, when the circle appears you’ll have to get there or be hit by the storm. But it’s not actually as much of a rush as you might initially think. Don’t keep still, but if you see a nice piece of loot on the way, you should obviously grab it. Much better to enter the fray with some useful extras on hand!

Building can save your life, but if you’re not used to thinking about building during an intense shootout, you might forget about the mechanic entirely. Don’t! You can protect yourself from fatal shots, break your opponent’s line of sight and open up a path to run away if that’s what you need. You can also build up to get to a better vantage point for attack or to stop your enemy from running away themselves.

It’s inevitable that you’ll find yourself outmatched here and there in a game with real, human opponents. Maybe you didn’t find decent loot or you miscalculated your offense. In those situations, it’s absolutely a smart choice to run. Just, don’t do it in a straight line, or you’ll be easy pickings for everyone behind you. Zig-zag, be smart about your sprints, and then you can regroup to come back.

It’s tempting to rush the action by running in guns blazing, but that’s also a great way to run out of ammo and find yourself a sitting duck. Be smart about your shots. With rapid fire weapons, you’ll want to shoot in controlled bursts, readjusting your aim in-between. With guns like a shotgun, line your shot up carefully, maybe snipe a little.

Everyone has their own favorite weapon, but if you want to play smart, you’ll carry both short range and long-range weapons. Nothing worse than finding yourself with a running opponent and you have nothing to pick him off at a distance. Make sure to carry one of each, and you’ll be prepared no matter what.