Alexis Kestler
Fortnite‘s battle royale game mode pits 100 players against each other on a large island. The last player standing wins. With its unpredictable competitive gameplay and ever-evolving meta, Fortnite requires players to master a variety of weapons, items, and strategies to get those coveted Victory Royale‘s. Suppressed pistols and exotic shadow trackers can be extremely effective if used properly. This guide will provide expert tips on utilizing these stealthy weapons to eliminate opponents.
Introduction to Fortnite Battle Royale
Fortnite Battle Royale is all about looting, survival, and eliminating your opponents. At the start of each match, players skydive from the Battle Bus onto the island below. Your first priority is looting weapons, healing items, materials for building, and ammo from floor loot, chests, and supply drops. The playable area shrinks over time due to an incoming storm, forcing players into closer quarters. To win, you need to survive against the storm, environmental hazards, and 99 other players trying to eliminate you.
There are many potent weapons and items to discover, including assault rifles, shotguns, SMGs, sniper rifles, grenades, rocket launchers, and more. Building structures provides cover and enables you to gain the high ground over opponents. Situational awareness, stealth, accuracy, building skill, and quick decision making are all critical skills.
The Power of the Suppressed Pistol
While not the flashiest weapon, a suppressed pistol can be extremely deadly in the right hands. Suppressed pistols have the following attributes:
- Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary variants
- Uses Light Ammo
- High rate of fire capable of quickly depleting health/shields
- Integrated suppressor makes shots quieter with less muzzle flash
- Small reticle bloom results in good accuracy during sustained fire
- Effective damage dropoff range of about 2-3 tiles
- Excels at close to medium range fights
A suppressed pistol truly shines in close quarters compared to a standard pistol. The lower noise and muzzle flash give you an element of surprise and conceal your location. By catching opponents off guard, you can deal serious damage before they even realize where you are firing from.
Be sure to aim for the head and upper chest to maximize damage. While suppressed pistols lack long range capabilities, their DPS and stealth make them deadly ambush weapons. Carry a suppressed pistol as a backup to finish off weak enemies or as a secondary to a shotgun or SMG. With good movement and accuracy, a suppressed pistol can quickly eliminate unshielded targets.
Mastering Aim and Tracking
Here are some tips for aiming and tracking opponents with a suppressed pistol:
- Crouching improves accuracy; strafe side to side to make yourself a harder target.
- Fire in short bursts rather than fully automatic to control recoil.
- At longer ranges, tap fire individual shots instead of spraying.
- Allow the reticle to reset between shots to maintain tight bullet spread.
- Aim for the neck/head for maximum damage, then pull down to control recoil.
- When hip firing up close, use your movement to track opponents.
- Prefire around corners where you anticipate opponents based on audio cues.
- Take high ground for the accuracy bonus when possible.
With its fast fire rate, even veteran players can be caught off guard by the suppressed pistol‘s close range devastation. Use cover and build fights to close the distance safely against rifles and snipers. Simply barrel stuffing someone and holding down fire can shred their health. But also disengage and reposition if you get too close to a shotgun wielder.
The Shadow Tracker Exotic Weapon
The shadow tracker is a powerful exotic weapon that came with Chapter 2 Season 6. It takes the suppressed pistol concept further by literally tracking enemies. After aiming down sights at an opponent, it will temporarily mark their last known position every few seconds.
Stats:
- Epic rarity only
- Uses Light Ammo
- Integrated suppressor
- Marks opponents through structures
- Obtainable from special NPC characters
The shadow tracker‘s tracking ability gives you a major intel advantage. It‘s excellent for monitoring enemy movements through builds and keeping tabs on their location during a fight. Coordinate with teammates to have one player constantly marking enemies.
Pair the shadow tracker with a hard hitting suppressed SMG or shotgun to quickly capitalize on its tracking. If an opponent tries to heal or camp, you‘ll know exactly where to intercept them. The shadow tracker also combines well with explosives and fire to flush campers out of cover. Just beware it lacks long range capabilities.
Other Stealthy Weapons and Tactics
In addition to suppressed pistols and the shadow tracker, here are some other weapons and items that benefit stealthy play:
- Suppressed SMG – high fire rate shreds opponents up close with quieter shots
- Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle – powerful long range sniping with quieter shots
- Suppressed Assault Rifle – good flexible ranged weapon with lower noise
- Bush Consumable – hides your player model in a bush for an ambush
- Sneaky Snowman – disguise yourself as a snowman to avoid detection
- Crouch Walking – makes footsteps much quieter
- Walking/Crouching – reduces noise made while moving
- Builds – hide behind or within builds to mask your presence
Use these tools to keep a low profile and conceal your location from opponents. Monitor the storm circle position and predict where enemies will rotate through from the safe zone. Set up ambushes along these routes to catch players by surprise on their way to the circle.
Audio Cues and Situational Awareness
In the absence of visual information, audio cues become vital. Make sure you have game sound enabled and listen intently for any audio the gives away an opponent‘s position:
- Gunshots – know the unique sound of each weapon
- Reloading/charging – cues an enemy is vulnerable
- Building/editing – be aware of new structures being placed
- Footsteps – walking, running, crouching all make distinct sounds
- Glider – signals opponents landing near you
- Rifts – dimensional rifts also indicate incoming players
- Vehicles – gives away vehicles traveling nearby
Constantly monitoring the audio landscape helps you react faster. Distance and direction can be discerned from sounds. Make mental notes of opponent numbers, loadouts, positioning, building, etc. Game sense and situational awareness are just as important as mechanical aim. Make smart rotations around the safe zone based on where you hear enemy activity.
Loot Paths and Landing Spots
Here are some good locations to land if you want to use suppressed pistols and shadow trackers early:
Frenzy Farm – Easy access to upgrade bench and NPC for exotic shadow tracker, lots of chests, rotate to Ace‘s Armory for suppressed pistol
Lazy Lake – Houses have loot plus chance for suppressed pistol in underwater chests
Steamy Stacks – Shadow Vault can contain shadow tracker, buildings have loot
The Joneses – Loot, chests, shadow tracker from Special Forces NPC
The Daily Bugle – Good loot, chance of shadow tracker from Jonesy the First
Coney Crossroads – Easy access to The Imagined NPC for chance of shadow tracker
Greasy Grove – Dense loot area, chance of suppressed pistol in kitchens
Shifty Shafts – Good loot, shadow tracker from The Paradigm NPC
Loot quickly off spawn then play for picks and third party fights whenever possible. Use suppressed weapons to avoid attracting too much attention. Rotate along the outside of the safe zone to pick off players on the edge.
Solo vs Squads Adjustments
When playing solo against squads, a few adjustments can help:
- Sneak and reposition constantly to divide and confuse the squad
- Down a player then relocate before their teammates can trade
- Third party already engaged squads for easier picks
- Finish kills immediately so they can‘t be revived
- Use suppressed weapons to avoid drawing the whole squad‘s attention
- Carry explosives to damage groups clustered together
- Focus on isolating and eliminating one squad member at a time
- Be patient and wait for overconfident players to separate or push too far
Outnumbered fights require stellar positioning, game sense, and aim. Patience is key – don‘t take low percentage shots or overly aggression pushes. Wait for the squad to make a mistake then capitalize.
In Conclusion
Suppressed pistols and shadow trackers enable stealthy, precise playstyles. With the ability to ambush and track opponents, they are powerful tools in Fortnite. Implement the tips provided above and you‘ll be dropping many more elims. Use audio cues and situational awareness to your advantage. Master tracking aim at close range. And remember to reposition frequently to avoid retaliation. Combine these weapons with solid fundamentals and you‘ll find yourself winning more squad fights and solo games. Now get out there, stay sneaky, and eliminate those opponents!
