Okay, I gotta admit, ever since the start of Season 8 for Fortnite Battle Royale, I’ve really been loving all the changes to the map even though it has forced me to rethink a few of my favorite landing spots thanks to some areas being changed, vehicles being removed, and even some ziplines being removed from some areas. But that’s cool because I love exploring the map each and every season, trying to figure out where I can land to maximize my chances of getting that elusive Victory Royale. Actually, considering how bad I am at the game, I should say that I am looking for a landing spot that will maximize my chances of surviving deep into a game and maybe, maybe winning a round.
But with every round that I play, depending where the Battle Bus comes in from and where its last pass would be over, I have to think about which areas would let me maximize what loot I can get to obtain the best load out I can. Can I get the weapons I like? Can I max out the meds I would like to carry? Can I get those extra items that will give me an edge in upcoming fights? As I am in the lobby and even as I transition aboard the Battle Bus, I am constantly looking at the pop-up map to study and finally decide where I would like to land and start my trek through the island. And with one week having already passed in Season 8, the following five landing spots I describe below have been my favorites and have tended to allow me to obtain an agreeable load out at the start of the game.
Location 1: Northwest Factory
– just East of Junk Junction
This spot has been my favorite landing spot for the past three seasons as it has a tendency to be really empty or slightly crowded… depending on what temporary additions have been made to the map from time to time. So, I can have a pretty easy go at most of or all of the loot or I can get into a few quick fights and prep myself for later fights down the line.
I start off at the Factory that is East of Junk Junction and the two small buildings outside of it for a potential total of 4 chests to be found here. I then move South to the new Pirate-themed Truck on the small hill where I can also find potentially 2 chests. I then head East to the Race Track here and loot there for a bit, as there could be potentially 3 chests here, and also grab either a Quad Crusher or a Hoverboard to move faster across the map. I then head to the wooded area Northeast of here by the edge of the map where I may find 1 chest. Finally, I make my way up the mountain South of that location where the Outpost still remains here despite there being no more planes here because I can possibly find another 3 chests.
All in all, I can potentially find a total of 13 chests in this run. And that’s not counting whatever Ammo Crates and floor loot I may run across while I am looting this area. And because I have been coming to this area for the past few seasons, despite the changes that are made to this area, I can complete this run in about 3 minutes – if I’m not interrupted by a fight or two while I’m here. But this is by far my favorite landing spot whenever I get the chance to land here. And when I am in a Squad match with either my three kids, my wife, or a combination of the four, this is our favorite spot to hit because of the amount of loot to be found and how easily we can split up and come back together in a fairly quick amount of time.
Location 2: Crackshot’s Home
– North of Frosty Flights
When this area got added to the map and I first learned of how to find Crackshot’s Home in Season 7, I started coming here after I noticed that not many players would come here for loot. Which is pretty weird because there is the potential to find a good amount of chests and loot if you raid this area properly. But their pass on the area is my good fortune.
I start off landing at Crackshot’s Home, which is North of Frosty Flights, and the potential of finding 3 chests here. I then move Northwest to a small Outpost here where I may find 1 chest and a Hoverboard to move more quickly around the area. I then continue Northwest to the two houses by the edge of the map where I may run across another 3 chests. I then start making my way Southeast to the edge of the Ice Lake area, the one South of the Viking Mountain, where I may find another 3 chests here to loot. I finally continue my way East to the small waterfall at the edge of the Ice Lake where I may find 1 chest and a campfire, in case I have had a fight or two along the way.
When you count up how many chests you can find in this area, you have the potential to open 11 chests as well as finding a good amount of Ammo Crates and floor loot. And I don’t know about anyone else, but for some reason, when I happen to run this route, I tend to find a good amount of meds in this area. I’ve often ended this run with a combination of meds and shields that can help me last a long time in a round. It’s no exaggeration to say that I often come out of this area with 12 Mini Shields and 15 Bandages… more than enough to sustain me well into a round. And because this area is adjacent to the Ice Lake that used to be Greasy Grove, you can continue looting that area if you have the time and are so inclined.
Location 3: Tall Temple
– just East of Lucky Landing
This landing spot is just East of Lucky Landing and I love landing here because I get to start off the match on some high ground right off the bat. As I dig my way to the first couple of chests I want to loot, I get a good view of the surrounding area and get to see where other players land around me – especially if they head to Lucky Landing, Fatal Fields, or the Gas Station area just East of here. And any advantage I can gain on my enemies, believe you me, I’ll take it.
I start off landing at the very top of the Tall Temple East of Lucky Landing. I start making my way down from the top of the temple until I reach the bottom floor for a potential of finding 3 chests here. I then make my way to the Gas Station area East of here, maybe stopping at the truck hanging off the small cliff here for 1 chest and breaking the camel statue to find 1 more chest along the way. At the Gas Station, I quickly loot the area and will hopefully find another 2 chests in the area. I then make my way North to the small lake area here where I may also find another 2 chests here; one on the rock at the edge of the lake and one on the boat in the middle of the lake. I then head West to the forested area adjacent to Fatal Fields and I may find 1 more chest here, not to mention farming the trees here for materials. Finally, on this run, I head Northeast to the wooded cave area where I may find 1 more chest and more trees to farm for materials.
All in all, if I hit all the areas I like in this route, I may run across 11 chests along this run for a good amount of loot – not to mention the amount of materials I can farm in this area. I may be running around the area quite a bit while I’m here, as there is rarely any kind of vehicle here to quicken your movement, but near the end of this route you will find an RV and hitch North of there and find a Quad Crusher and some Hoverboards to quickly get you out of the storm.
Location 4: Cactus Mountain
– slightly Southeast of Paradise Palms
Ugh, I don’t really know how better to describe Cactus Mountain other than it is the mountain just Southeast of Paradise Palms with the five cacti at the top as well as being one of the “No Dancing” locales we had to visit in previous season challenges. But if the happens to come in over or pass over the lower East side of the map, I like landing here because there are a number of locations here that have quite a few chests in the area.
To start off with this run, I land atop Cactus Mountain East of Paradise Palms and maybe find 2 chests here to loot. I then descend the mountain on its East side and drop down to the location with the four rock pillars and possibly find another 2 chests here as well. From there, I head north to the RV parked near the edge of the map and hopefully find 1 chest here as well as either a Quad Crusher or a Hoverboard to aid in my mobility. After this area, I continue North to Calamity’s House, the one scene from the loading screen from Season 6 which prominently features her. At this location, I may hope to find another 2 chests to loot. Lastly, from there I head West to the stage coach to find 1 more chest and hopefully a Rift to make a quick escape or to hasten my way to the next circle.
If things work out right, I can come across 8 total chests along this route as well as a number of Ammo Crates and floor loot. There’s also a fair amount of farmable materials here, and that is a big plus. Also, if I happen to get the upper hand on a fight or two, I may deviate a bit and head into Paradise Palms to look for more loot and meds, especially if I’m a little hurt after a fight. I had to adjust how I approach this run from last season as, sadly, most of the ziplines that I used to use to get around this area have been removed. But after a week of trying this new route, I’m happy with what loot I can find here.
Location 5: Old RV Park
– East of Retail Row
The last of my five favorite Landing Spots for Season 8 is the Old RV Park… and the route that I take from here is a bit of a “work in progress” that I am still trying to finalize. However, the two routes that I take from this location offer me a number of chests to loot as well as a good amount of farmable materials. So, I am going to share with you both routes that I run from the Old RV Park and you can decide which one you think would work better.
Route A starts off with me landing atop the barn here and breaking my way in before searching the rest of the site and hopefully looting the 4 chests that can be found here. From here, I use the new Vent here to make my way to the Outpost North of here where I may find up to 3 chests. From here, I head West to the lava flow area where I may find up to 3 more chests on the solid rock islands in the middle of the lava flow. From here, I make my way Northwest using the vents to the new Pirate Base and I hope to find and loot the 3 chests that can appear here. From here, I finally make my way West once more to the tunnel underground here that you can still reach, either from the entrance at the top or through the tunnel entrance on the South where you can maneuver across the lava safely, to hopefully find 2 more chests here.
Route B starts the same way, but after heading North to the old Outpost, I then proceed Northeast to the areas Southeast of Sunny Steps. There are now some new Ancient Outposts here that I can loot and are easily accessible via the ziplines found here. The first outpost here can hold 1 chest I can loot before I continue moving North. At the next outpost here, from what I can discern from exploring here, I can find up to 2 more chests here. Lastly, I make my way Northwest to the final outpost I like to explore and hopefully I can open the 2 chests that may appear here. And while Route B seems to have three less chests to loot than Route A, what I really like about this route is the amount of materials I can farm here – and I mean all three types of materials: wood, brick, and metal.
The Route A option allows me to collect a possible total of 15 chests along this run, which is ideal for me. However, while the Route B option has less possible chests spawns with a total of 12 chests along the way, and it takes you father away from the center of the map, the amount of wood, brick, and metal materials you can farm here is ideal for builders. Granted, I am not much of a builder as I prefer to hit and run and use the natural terrain of the island for cover, building quick walls and ramps for jump pads is a lot easier when you have 500 of each material to work with. As I stated earlier, I don’t know which route I prefer taking after I land at the Old RV Park, but I’ve been experimenting with both this past week and I find both to be very agreeable with my play style.
And that’s it. So far in Season 8, these are my favorite landing spots; the spots where I feel I can land safely and then loot to my heart’s content while getting into the fight at my own pace. As it is, I am not a great Fortnite player, but by landing here and taking the routes I described above I can maximize my time in a round and hopefully make my way into the top 10 in a match – maybe even win one if I’m lucky. But these are my choices of where I like landing. What about you out there? Where do you like to land? Let me know and let’s talk strategy. And if you ever want to squad up with me, look me up on PSN at RJAC1978.
