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Without a doubt, the thing that separates the amateurs from the professionals is your ability to build. So long as your skills are lacking in this area you will never effectively defend yourself or attack the enemy. In order to master how to build in Fortnite on the Switch, you will need to know what to build, when and how. So let’s get to it.
Control Modes – How To Build In Fortnite On The Switch
Until you have mastered the basics, we absolutely recommend players to begin using the Old School control mode. This will ease you in gently to get comfortable with the controls. When you feel confident enough you should change to Builder Pro. Builder Pro will allow you to build quickly while managing and using the weapons.
To change the control mode, press + on your joy con to get to the settings menu, then select the cog icon, then use L and R to highlight Controller. Finally, you can select the desired control mode, then press X to apply the change.
Mining Materials
Using your pick axe you can chop almost anything you see in Fortnite and store it as building material. For instance, the trees and cabins will supply wood. Similarly, hacking at buildings and cars will supply you with more durable materials such as brick and metal. It is obviously preferable to build from brick and metal.
You can use five materials to build structures; Walls, floors, stairs. roofs and traps (traps are obtained by looting).
Old School
You can access build mode by pressing A. To cycle through the building structures, press L, rotate its position by pressing R, then use the right joystick to find the best spot to place it. Lastly you can place the structure by pressing ZR. (see below image)
Builder Pro
Once you have mastered the basics and know how to build in Fortnite on the switch, you need to switch to Builder Pro. The main advantage of builder pro is the speed you can build at. This is the most important when building under fire.
Build mode can be accessed during the game by pressing A. There is no cycling through the building pieces. Each piece has an assigned button:
- Wall – ZR – Tap to Select, Tap to Place
- Floor – R – Tap to Select, Tap to Place
- Stair – ZL – Tap to Select, Tap to Place
- Roof – L – Tap to Select, Tap to Place
- Trap – Y – Tap to Select, Tap to Place
To rotate the position of a piece, tap on the right joystick to rotate the piece, the right joystick is also used to find the best spot to place the piece. Lastly, you can place the piece using the buttons in the above list.
The 4 Basic Structures – How To Build In Fortnite on the Switch
If you want to learn how to build in Fortnite on the switch, then you will need to master the basic building structures. Without a doubt the 4 most important structures are ramps, sniper towers, bounce pads and finally traps.
Ramps
Indeed, if Obiwan taught us anything, it was that the higher ground always has the advantage. These ramps although temporary also provide defense as you can crouch behind their peaks.
In order to build a ramp, you will need to create a stairs, then under the stairs create a floor and then a wall to complete the triangle. Lastly, you can ascend the first stair by jumping and then repeat.
Sniper Towers
The secret isn’t just knowing how to build in Fortnite on the switch, it’s knowing what and where to build. A sniper tower is the simplest form of a fort. They can be built upon, expanded and booby trapped, but the basic idea is the same. If the base of the tower is destroyed then you will fall to your death, so be sure to build the at the least the base out of metal to prevent your enemies form toppling the structure. The defining feature is the V-shaped ramps that crown the tower, this allows you to snipe opponents from all directions.
To build a sniper tower, box yourself in by building 4 standard walls around yourself. Then within the tower build a stair case that allows you to build the next level. Repeat until you are satisfied with the height. Finally, at the top of the tower build a V-Shaped ramp.
When you have built your first basic sniper tower, try these additions to give you the edge:
Bounce Pad
Add a platform with a launch pad adjacent or in the center of your sniping position at the peak of your tower. If the enemy if overwhelming you, this is your getaway. It will launch you in the air you will then be able to deploy your glider to escape. A launch pad has to be set upon a floor piece.
TRAPS
You now have the basics and know how to build in Fortnite on the switch. The next step is strategy. Your enemies will try and destroy or gain access to the sniper tower.. To prevent this, create an entrance at the foot of the tower and booby trap the ground level. When your enemy enters to scale the tower they will be given a warm welcome.
In order to build a door at the foot of your tower you must do the following. Construct your first wall at the foot of your tower. Before placing it, press A to edit it. You will see the wall is now broken up into 9 tiles. Deselect the middle tile (make sure the symbol of the wall in brackets is on the tile then press zr). Deselect the one below the middle tile. Once you place the wall you will now have a doorway in the center.
Place the trap on the floor, ceiling or wall of your tower in front of the door. Your exit out of the tower will be the launchpad or you can build one of the lower level walls from wood and break out above the ground level.
You may want to begin scaling you tower or create another entry point which you can seal after the fact before you place the trap.
Conclusion – How To Build In Fortnite on the Switch
To summarize. Firstly you need to master the basic controls and graduated to using builder pro mode, Once you have done this, you need to familiarize yourself with the 4 basic structures; Ramps, Bounce Pads, Traps and Sniper Towers. Your focus should be on the speed with with you can build ramps and how durable you can build them. If you perfect the above then you are well on your way to becoming a pro in understanding how to build in Fortnite on the Switch.
For the latest news and information about Fortnite on Nintendo, be sure to check out Nintendo’s official Fortnite page, by clicking Here.
To check out other great articles for Nintendo Switch from Our Kid Tech, click Here.
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