Fortnite is a hit action-building game from Epic. While it features plenty of shooting, building forts and traps plays a big role, too. To do that, you need to gather lots of resources and supplies. This guide will help you gather more materials faster so you can get back to the action during the mission.
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Build smarter, not harder
Everything you build in Fortnite requires one of three primary resources: wood, metal, or stone. You're bound to run low on these materials now and then, which necessitates more gathering. But you can make your resources last longer by building efficiently.
Missions always have some kind of structure that needs protection. You could go all-out and build a massive fort that will keep enemies from getting anywhere near the objective. But the structure you build won't usually persist between missions, so that's a wasteful use of resources.
Instead, go with a minimal fort design with just a few floors, walls, and traps – and maybe upgrade a few structures to increase their effectiveness. As long as you can keep most or all of your team near the objective, a smaller fort should be more than enough to complete the mission.
Watch for weakpoints
Gathering resources involves your trusty pickax, which can be upgraded several times via the skill tree. These upgrades will naturally make it stronger and stronger, but the first upgrade you can buy, Weakpoint Vision, is the most important.
The Weakpoint Vision upgrade unlocks the ability to make critical hits with your ax. While scavenging, you'll see a circular spot appear on the surface of the object you're harvesting. When you see that critical hit indicator, aim your crosshair towards it while holding the pickax button. This causes you to harvest more material from the swing. You won't actually increase the total amount of materials you harvest from an object, but you'll speed it up so you can move on to harvest something else.
Choose the best class for gathering
Fortnite has four playable classes of heroes: soldier, constructor, outlander, and ninja. Each class has its advantages, but the outlander is easily the best for gathering materials.
The outlanders' abilities are what give them such an advantage at gathering. They have the best chance of finding rare items while harvesting, a chance of finding double the materials, and (eventually) can even see rare materials inside of harvestable objects.
You won't be the strongest fighter while playing as an outlander, but you'll certainly be able to acquire a nice pile of materials. Consider switching to this class for a few missions whenever supplies run low, after which you can return to the class of your choice.
Pick the right mission
You'll encounter several types of missions in Fortnite. All provide chances for gathering materials, but some missions are better for gathering than others.
For the greatest gathering opportunities, you'll want to pick untimed missions such as "Fight the Storm" and "Ride the Lightning." These both start out with untimed sections, and the prime action won't begin until players initiate it. Take advantage of that untimed phase to hack the area to bits with your pickax. If you can get a full team onboard for gathering runs, you can really take the level apart before worrying about completing the mission.
And of course, if you need a specific type of resource, check the map to find the areas which will have it in abundance. For instance, city areas have plenty of metal as well as vehicles from which to scavenge the all-important nuts and bolts resource. You'll find more than enough wood and stone in forest areas. Let the map point you in the right direction so you can stockpile quickly before things get too hot.
Gather your wits for the Fortnite
As a paid early access title, you'll need to buy a founder's pack in order to play Fortnite. The Standard Founder's Pack costs $39.99 and includes seven loot packs. For $59.99 you can get the Deluxe Founder's Pack, the Super Deluxe costs $89.99, and the Limited Edition one goes for $149.99 – each with more exclusive items and boosts.
Want to know more about Fortnite? Check out our first impressions and helpful Survivors guide.
