If you’ve been on the Internet for the past couple of weeks, you might have heard about a little game called Fortnite: Battle Royale. Fortnite is Epic Game’s take on the Battle Royale genre which was first popularized by Playerundergroud’s Battle Royale. But what exactly does Battle Royale mean? What is all this hype about? Is it a good game to play on your iPhone? If so, how do you play it? Read on to find out.
Download: Fortnite (Free)
What is Fortnite: Battle Royale?
While Battle Royale is built on top of the sandboxed Fortnite game, it is a standalone game and is completely free to play. You don’t need to own Fortnite (or know much about it) to get started. Fortnite: Battle Royale started on consoles but now it’s available on iOS.
And Epic Games and has pulled off an epic feat. The gameplay, the map, and even the graphics are the same. You also get weekly updates. And amazingly, it’s a pretty smooth experience if you have one of the latest iPhones. Battle Royale even has crossplay. While you’ll be at a bit of a disadvantage, you can play with your friends who are using a PS4 or a PC.
Note: Fortnite: Battle Royale only works on iPhone SE, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X; iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2, 2017 iPad, 2018 iPad, iPad Pros. It won’t work on the following devices: iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus; iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPod Touch.
On the face of it, the gameplay is quite simple. Up to 100 players are dropped on an island and whoever is the last person standing is the winner. But of course, the game is filled lots of little things you can do to give yourself a leg up.
You can play Fortnite on your own, with a friend or in a squad of three people. When you’re playing in the squad, the rules stay the same, it’s just the last squad standing that’s the winner.
How To You Play Fortnite: Battle Royale
To play Fortnite, you’ll need an Epic Games account. You can sign up right inside the game. If it’s not working, try using Epic Games’ website to sign up instead.
Once you’ve signed in, you’ll be transported to an area that Fortnite calls the Lobby. As this is your first visit, you won’t see much here. There’s your player avatar in the middle and a Play button in the bottom-right. Tap on the Change Mode button to switch the mode. You can choose between Solo, Duos, and Squads.
If you want to play with your friends, tap on the + button next to your avatar and choose one of your online friends from the list. When you’re ready, hit the Play button.
You’ll have to wait a bit while the matchmaking service does its work. Once there are enough players, you’ll be dropped to a staging area. You can roam around here, use your weapons or break into a dance move. Nothing you do in the staging area has any effect on the game.
Once enough players have joined in, you’ll all be thrown into a flying bus. The bus will fly over the island and here you can jump off of the bus.
You can pick where you want to jump off (in the forest, a township and so on) before the time runs out. When you’re falling, you can use the controls to change your directions and dictate your landing space. To slow down, open your glider.
Once you hit the ground, the next few minutes are really important. As you’re new, you’re on the ground with just a pickaxe. Anyone can kill you off with a gun in a few minutes. So as soon as you hit the ground, go looking loot boxes in one of the structures. Grab as much stuff as you can – ammo, guns, building materials, meds, shields – whatever you can get your hands on. Try to get a Shotgun, Assault Rifle, and a Sniper. Once you get these, you’re basically set for the rest of the game. Don’t worry about the aim so much. Fortnite’s auto-aim on iOS is pretty good.
Now, just go killing other users. But beware of the Eye of the Storm. To make the game extra interesting, the map keeps getting smaller every couple of minutes. If you’re out of the circle, you’re automatically dead. So when you see the Eye of the Storm, run inward.
Some elements in Fortnite are really cool. For instance, every structure you see in the game can be destroyed. You can take a hammer and break every wall down. Which means you can’t hide for too long anywhere. This adds a sense of urgency to the gameplay.
On the flip side, you can construct walls and stairs on your own. Stuck somewhere in the open and getting attacked? Put a wall and you’ll have a couple of seconds to think your next move.
You can create stairs to quickly climb on top of hills where you can set up a sniping point. Keep doing this for long enough. Keep killing and surviving. If you can keep doing it for long enough, you’ll be the last man standing.. and the winner!
The Controls
While you can change the touch sensitivity and toggle some of the graphics features, there is no way to change the controls of the game. You’ll just need to get used to their placement and interaction.
The controls are simple enough. The bottom right, you’ll see the familiar joystick to control your movement. Double tap the joystick to engage the auto-run mode. Swipe in the open area in the right to look around. As you do, your view and the aim will also change. Move around and place your aim right in the middle of the screen and tap here to fire your weapons.
Top right, the first button is for crouching and the one below is for jumping. On the top left, you’ll find the map, your health, and your shield.
Bottom left button that looks like tools is for building tools. Using this button you’ll be able to switch between all the available building materials. Keep building tools ready so you can quickly create a wall when someone is trying to shoot at you.
To pick up items, just tap on them on the screen. The items you’ve picked up will show up in the bottom of the screen. Tap on an item to switch to it. When you run out ammo, tap on the reload button that’s right on top of the item to reload the weapon.
Tap on the backpack icons to view all your inventory. From here you can rearrange all your tools.
How to Buy Things and Upgrades
Fortnite: Battle Royale is free to play and you can keep playing it forever without ever paying a penny. But you can pay for it as well.
Fortnite’s in-game currency is called V-Bucks (Vindertech Bucks or Vinderbucks). You can buy V-Bucks after clicking the cart icon from the top when you’re in the lobby. Of course, you can earn V-Bucks simply by playing the game and winning. Compete in daily quests, progress through games, win games, and complete available quests to win V-Bucks.
You can also use V-Bucks to buy the Fortnite Battle Pass. This gives you a free reward on every single tier. If you’re on a free pass, you get a reward every 5 tiers.
You can spend your V-Bucks in the Locker as well. As you progress through the game, more cosmetic items and upgrades will be unlocked. You can use your V-Bucks to buy these upgrades.
Download: Fortnite (Free)
Just Play
If you’re just starting out, it will take you many many tries to just to get a hang of it. Our advice is to not give up and to keep trying even though it gets frustrating. And yes, in the beginning, you’ll die in the first couple of seconds. That’s just how it goes. Keep playing and keep getting better.
Did you start playing Fortnite: Battle Royale? What are some of your favorite tips and tricks for winning and unlocking new items? Share with us in the comments below.
