About a year ago, I posted a piece here on gXp listing the ten weapons, skins, and items that I enjoyed using the most in Fortnite Battle Royale. At that time, I had been playing the game for about five months and the game itself had only been out for about half a year. Fast-forward almost a full year and Fortnite Battle Royale has really evolved and changed as a game. Not in the sense that the game has changed its gameplay formula – no, this is still a battle royale game in all its glory; instead, the game has evolved the world and story, the lore that makes up the battle island that players find themselves on. New world elements, new story details, new character outfits, and new weapons and items for players to utilize in their quest for a Victory Royale have changed how players strategize and make their way across the battle island towards victory.
And when you look at how much has changed and how players have had to change their strategies in search of that precious win, you have to take a look back at how you used to play when the game was in its infancy to what the game is now and what you will use to hopefully be the last player or squad standing on the battlefield. Even looking back at what I used to utilize in most games a year ago to what I use in-game today, I can see how different my approach to winning a match in Fortnite Battle Royale has changed and evolved. The skins I use are much more in-tune with the stealth I utilize to make my way across the island; how I forego using med kits in favor of shields to survive; the weapons I use to help with my aim and bullet spread while in combat – almost every way that I play the game has changed and so have the items that I use.
So, what I present to you here is my 10 Favorite Fortnite Battle Royale Items and Weapons – Redux list for Fortnite Battle Royale. It’s been interesting looking back at how I played back then to how I play now, but that is the nature of the game, right? Evolve as the battle island evolves? Then again, that’s just one of the many reasons why Fortnite Battle Royale has been as popular the last year and a half, isn’t it?
Note: I will only be listing weapons and items that are still in the game; I will not be listing any items or weapons that have been vaulted (i.e. Revolver, Drum Gun, etc.) or are considered limited time items (i.e. Crossbow).
10. Twitch Prime Epic Trailblazer Outfit
They say that “clothes make the man” – but I have found that in Fortnite Battle Royale, the cosmetic skins really are there for fun and simple cosmetic aesthetics. But I have found that as I am a more stealth-type player than a run-and-gun player, some of the more camouflaged or slimmer skins are more to my liking. While I enjoy playing decked out in the Blue Team Leader, Elite Agent, Fate, Lynx, Raven, Reaper, and Rose Team Leader outfits, my current favorite outfit for making my way stealthily around the battle island is the Twitch Prime Epic Trailblazer outfit. She can blend in with most of the island’s surroundings, though she sticks out a bit in the new snow biome section – but even still, with her slim build and color scheme that blends in with most of the map, especially in bushes and in trees, it is my go to outfit for about 75% of my matches. A far cry from the Havoc and Rainbow Rider outfits I used to rock in most of my earlier matches.
9. Small Shield Potion
Because I choose to hide and pick my battles during a match of Fortnite Battle Royale than to go head on with most players in the game, I don’t need as much meds throughout the match as other players do. It is with that in mind that I choose to carry as many shields as I can by utilizing an item slot to carry the max amount of Small Shield Potions (6 in total) to use when I take damage during a firefight with another player. And since most players that I come across seem to carry bandages and other larger meds and shields with them in their trek across the battle island, when I do need to med up, I just take what I need from their dropped loot to fully heal myself. I then pick up my Small Shield Potions (and restock when I can) and continue my way to another Victory Royale.
8. Rift-To-Go
As I have said before, I try to make my way across the battle island as stealthily as I can. That means that I usually chose a landing spot that is furthest away from where I suspect most of the other players will be landing. More often than not I can make my way across the island to the next storm circle with ease. But there are those times that where I choose to land is about as far as you can get from the next storm circle as you possibly can get and getting to it is nearly impossible – and that is where this item comes in handy. If I can’t find or make it to a rift that is generated on the island, if I can find one (or 2) of these Rift-To-Go items as I am looting around my initial landing zone, it can be a real lifesaver. And I happen to have one of these in my inventory because I don’t manage to find my ideal load out, they even help to strategically move around quickly in the final circles of a match and find a more advantageous position to better take on the final players in a match.
7. Balloons
Okay, I’ll admit that when Balloons were first introduced into Fortnite Battle Royale I was completely dismissive of them as a pretty useless item. Then I started paying attention to how other players, more successful players, used them in matches and I started mimicking their plays to see if I could get the same advantage as they did. And you know what? It works. I have successfully used Balloons to outmaneuver and make my way around other players as quietly and quickly as I can. It also helps that you can carry a max of 10 Balloons with you as it only takes a max of two to really move around the map fairly quickly. And if I can manage to gather a load out that includes both, a full set of Balloons and a Rocket Launcher (more on this weapon in a bit), then I can really surprise other players by coming in from above and delivering one hell of a surprise attack to help me get that ever-so-sweet Victory Royale.
6. Slurp Juice
As I play a match of Fortnite Battle Royale, I emphasize weapons and maneuverability items over med and shield items. Because of that, if I manage to find a Slurp Juice as I am rummaging chest and locales for weapons and items, it is my preferred medical supply to carry with me during a match. (And if I can find 2 – the max amount you can carry of the item – the better off I am for it.) The Slurp Juice only takes .5 seconds to use and will replenish 75 health or shields, or a combination of the both, for its duration of 37.5 seconds. And when you can find an item that can potentially replenish both your health and your shields over time and takes less time to initially use than the other med and shield items, it really helps your cause for a Victory Royale. These helpful items have helped me in a good majority of my wins in Fortnite Battle Royale, and I will always save a slot or make room in my inventory to carry this item around during a match.
5. Stink Bomb
If I can manage to acquire a full set of 6 Stink Bombs during a match, I can really use them to my advantage as I am, by my own admission, a horrible builder. I get out-built by about 95% of the players that I come across – and that is where these stinky little buggers help out. Because I can use them to either flush out an entrenched opponent or trap them in their own builds outside of the storm circle, they help even the odds against players where I would normally be at a huge disadvantage. If I can land one of these items directly on an opponent, they will do 5 damage to a player every .5 seconds they are in the gas cloud, which last for a full 9 seconds. That’s potentially 90 damage on an opponent who can’t get out of the way in time. And if a player comes out of that cloud with that much health missing, they are easy pickings for me, even if they still may hold the advantage of the high ground.
4. Heavy Sniper Rifle
I absolutely love the Heavy Sniper Rifle. It does the most damage per hit of any weapon found in the game; and carrying one of these around as I make my way across the battle island and hide in treetops and bushes gives me a huge advantage. Both the Epic and Legendary do 150+ damage with a body shot to any player, instantly diminishing both health and shields to a dangerous level. But if you manage to land a head shot with one of these babies, both will do 350 or more damage to an opponent – and that makes this a one-shot kill weapon if you’re accurate with it… and as a long-time sniper/recon class player in other third-person and first-person games, I do believe myself to be a fairly accurate and patient player to fully utilize this weapon to its fullest.
3. Tactical Shotgun
Listen, I know that there are more accurate and more damaging Shotgun weapons in Fortnite Battle Royale; but when it comes to what I’m looking for in terms of damage and rate of fire, the Tactical Shotgun is my go-to Shotgun in the game – especially the Rare variant of this weapon. Dealing 75 damage to a player, it can eliminate an opponent in as little as three well-placed shots. And with a firing rate of 1.5 seconds per shot, it makes it a very efficient weapon even if you are not the most accurate shooter at close quarter combat situations. I used to favor the Heavy Shotgun during most matches, but since that weapon has been vaulted, the Tactical Shotgun is a pretty good alternative in my book.
2. Rocket Launcher
Even with the Heavy Sniper Rifle in the game, no weapon can make an opponent sweat more than the Rocket Launcher (even if they were just recently nerfed thanks to the v7.40 update). Able to quickly destroy structures as well as deal massive damage if it manages to hit a player (dealing 120+ damage for both the Epic and Legendary variants of the weapon), this can be a huge difference maker late in the game, especially against a fortified opponent. Alone, the Rocket Launcher is a formidable weapon, but when you can pair it with a set of Balloons and manage to get the high ground on an enemy, then you can really lay into them from above and surprise them with a rocket or two to take the win. In fact, my last three Victory Royale wins have come via the Balloon/Rocket Launcher combo. Hell, one of those wins was as a Solo player in Squads mode as I took down a squad of three to take the win.
1. Suppressed Assault Rifle
Out of all the weapons and items that can be found in Fortnite Battle Royale, the Suppressed Assault Rifle is the one weapon that I will never drop or leave behind once I find it in a match. For my money, it is the most accurate and stealthy weapon in the game and has helped me eliminate more opponents than any other weapon I have ever used in the game. I don’t mind using both the Epic or Legendary variants of this weapon, and I will rock both if I don’t have any of my other preferred weapons for my load out as both will do 87+ damage to an opponent and have a rate of fire that will keep most opponents on the defensive when coming across it. And even though other weapons do more damage to players, such as the Heavy Sniper Rifle and the Rocket Launcher, I have trusted my in-game life to this weapon more than any other. I trust the functionality and usefulness of this weapon in a match than any other weapon in the game, and that is why it is my current favorite item or weapon in Fortnite Battle Royale.
So, those are my renewed favorite picks of items and weapons in Fortnite Battle Royale as it pertains to how the game has evolved as well as my way of playing the game. Do you agree with some of my choices or do you have a completely different preferred load out? Let me know and let’s talk strategy.
