Outside of the main Battle Royale, Box Fights are probably the most popular mode in Fortnite. Box fights aren’t just a creative mode game though. They happen in the actual Battle Royale. This box fight guide covers strategy for both the creative modes that you can play and for using box fights in the actual game.
This is everything you need to know to win more box fights in Battle Royale. They’re a common strategy, particularly in stacked late games. Not knowing how to deal with this situation is one big thing that sets great players apart from the crowd. The creative mode box fights provide a great way to practice your box fighting. Unlike a lot of creative mode, this is what could be called realistic practice. Essentially, it is practiced in a situation that closely resembles an actual game. So unlike practicing aim in more fun modes, box fighting can fairly easily translate to actual use in the game. This box fights guide covers what you need to know about box fights and how to improve.
What are Box Fights?
Box Fights in Fortnite are when yourself, or your team, and your enemy are fighting in a small space, with plenty of building involved. Box fights in the most basic form involve a player boxing themselves up for defense. You have to defend yourself in these tight and enclosed spaces or get a kill.
Box fight servers are specific areas in a creative mode designed to let you hone your box fight skills. However, they occur pretty often in the normal game too. Even if a player doesn’t instantly lockdown into a box, a build fight easily progresses into a box fight.
Box Fights Guide – The Basics
In a basic box fight situation, you’re in a 1×1 box or your opponent is. You’re in a very close range, and one of you needs to get the kill. These are the basic tips and tricks:
- Weapons – In box fights, you’ll be taking your shot up close so a shotgun is important. An SMG is a good choice for shooting through walls, but a heavy sniper gets the job done quicker and quieter.
- Edits – Editing quickly is a key part of winning box fights. If you’re not an adept editor, then work on that before you try to master box fights.
- Walls – Your box’s walls are going to provide protection. They also block your shots. So it comes down to who owns that particular piece of building. The player who put it up can edit it and give themselves a clear shot.
- Piece Control – Piece control is battling over who has control of a particular build. With piece control, you’re in the dominant position.
- Mats – You need a lot of them. Not an issue in box fight modes, but in the actual game, you need to farm a lot before getting into these situations.
- Reaction Times – You need to be able to react to things quickly in box fights. Practicing in the isolated mode helps you build this speed. So this box fight guide can be helpful for overall play too.
- Ping, FPS, and Settings – You need a decent frame rate and ping to win out in box fights. In high-level games, the fastest input and ping decides who takes control of a wall. Try optimizing your Fortnite settings or check out the settings of pro players for some inspiration.
Box Fights Guide
Getting into a Box
There are two main forms of box fight, one on the attack and one defending. Getting into a box is a situation where you’re trying to break into your opponent’s build. They may have headed inside to heal, to frustrate you, or just to re-frame the positioning. This is what you need to think about:
- Starts with Taking a Wall – Winning in this situation comes down to taking their wall. If you can do that, you can edit a window in and hit them with a shotgun. In its most basic form, this is destroying their wall and throwing one of your own down quicker than they can rebuild. You then have piece control and can edit it.
- Speed in a Box Fight – Taking a wall can be done easily if you’re just plain faster than your opponent. If you’re not up against a particularly good player, you can take a wall easily. Decent players will be able to fight for that piece control though. The fastest way to build an edit a wall is to do it in blueprint mode, so make sure you’re opening this from knocking a wall down.
- Spray or Pickaxe – Firing at a wall with a weapon that’s good for destroying it is the best practice for speed. You might want to knock it once or twice with a pickaxe, but going straight from spray into building is faster than a pickaxe and saves you time once you’ve taken the wall.
- Distance – While a lot of players try and do this up close, you don’t have to. A pickaxe might have a limited range but you can fire, build, and edit from a whole tile away. You can have empty space between your box and the opponents and still take the wall.
When You’re Getting Pushed
If you’ve boxed up, then your opponent is likely to start pushing. As outlined in the other scenario, this puts you in a bad position. A bad player will be boxed into their 1×1 space, just trying to maintain piece control rather than take offensive action. These are some strategies for avoiding this:
- A Retreat Box – A tactic of a lot of high-level players is to throw up more builds. Not at random, but there will be a lot of building going on. Having a second box positioned right by your box gives you a space to fall back too. If you lose control of the first box, fall back. Equally, if you’re under pressure and not going to be able to take the advantage then falling back for some space might be a better choice.
- Getting Shots in – If you’re being pushed you need to start getting your own shots in. When they take your wall, get a shot in then fall back to your second box. This will restart the process. If your opponent stops to heal or tries a different position, then you’ve gained the advantage. If not, you’ve got some damage in.
- More Boxes – Always build another fall back box after you fall back. This gives you space, but also piece control over a lot of builds in the general area of your 1v1. The further back through boxes you move, the more your opponent is surrounded by builds that you can control.
- Angles in a Box Fight – Where possible, build your fall back boxes to give yourself a better angle. Try and keep the right hand peek from your fall back box to where your enemy is attacking from. This makes it a lot easier to get your shots in.
Death from Above – Box Fights from the Ceiling
In some build fight situations, you can end up attempting to take a box from above. This can be even more frustrating. This is what you need to do:
- Taking a Wall from Above – A decent player is going to add both a cone and a roof to their build. This makes it considerably more difficult to take control of that build. You put yourself in an unwinnable situation if you just keep throwing yourself at this build.
- Opponent position – Try to get a read on where your opponent is. If they have space to fall back in a box fight, figure out where they’re likely to move based on where you’re attacking from.
- Build – Throw up your own builds around their position and box. Establish control over pieces for when they attempt to move.
- When They Retreat – Most players under attack from above will eventually fall back to try and get a shot in on you. If you have piece control of a fall back box, they become an easier kill.
How to Improve Your Matches Through Box Fights
Box Fights are a pretty specific way to fight in Fortnite. They do occur a lot more often than you’d think though, especially in crowded later game situations. Practicing box fights in specific servers is going to help you work on your building, editing, speed, and aim. What’s great is that the practice is actually directly applicable to the real Battle Royale game too. So practicing can help you improve and win more matches overall.
One thing to keep in mind about translating box fights to the regular game is third parties. Not a concern in creative, but this is a common occurrence in real games. Make sure you’re protecting yourself from third parties with more builds. If you can’t do this, then you won’t be able to play as aggressively as you need to break out of a box fight.
Our other guides to Fortnite can help you master the rest of the game:
- The Best Fortnite Settings
- Fortnite Season 4 Weapons Guide
- Who are the Best Fortnite Players?
- Improving Your Frames per Second in Fortnite
- Fortnite Rotation Guide
- How to Build Like the Pros in Fortnite