There are plenty of advanced techniques that set the Fortnite pros apart from your regular players. Competitive players build at lightning-fast speeds, using the right shapes every time, they shoot straight and rack up eliminations. Their settings and keybinds help them with this, but they also have better technique. While a lot of this comes from practice and the sheer skill they’ve developed in the game through muscle memory, they also use some strategies that most players don’t. Peeking is typically associated with shooters that have more realistic gunplay or a slower pace like PUBG. However, it is possible to peek in Fortnite. It is one advanced technique that really sets some Fortnite players apart from the crowd.
Conventional wisdom would tell you that peeking isn’t that important in Fortnite. That peeking won’t do all that much to actually help you come out on top since it’s a third-person game. However, peeking is possible in Fortnite. What it makes it quite difficult is the pace of the game. Players don’t tend to be as contemplative as those in PUBG. It can be difficult to peek quick enough to actually help you out in a fight.
When in close combat, the most important thing is to build quickly to take advantage. However, on top of this peeking can help you best optimize your building to give you the upper hand. Peeking in Fortnite can be done in two ways, the first is your run of the mill peeking. The second is something a bit more specialist, called ghost peeking.
Peeking in Fortnite
Peeking in close combat should be done as part of your overall strategy. So when you’re under attack in a close combat situation, you need to get the high ground by building. Assuming that you’ve done this, you then need to peek to line up your shot and use your height advantage. Peeking successfully comes from doing this in an unpredictable way. If your opponent can tell where you will appear from to peek, they will easily take you out. Most players will build their high ground and then immediately peek over the top to find the opposing player. This is the first place a player on the low ground will look.
A simple move to get around the other player when peeking on the high ground is to flank. Build two ramps of high ground and then progress around the side of the midpoint of your structure. This will let you flank from a mid-high position and take your enemy by surprise. This sort of peeking will let you keep your advantage on the opposing player. This method also helps you keep yourself covered when peeking from above.
Over the Shoulder
Peeking from high ground at a mid-distance can also be done from the sides. Rather than building a side platform and exposing yourself, you can use your right shoulder view. This lets you peek at an enemy from a less predictable spot than the top while keeping yourself relatively sheltered from enemy fire.
Fortnite’s third-person view allows you to use the right-hand side partway up your high ground as cover. From this position, you can peek from an entirely unexpected place at an enemy on fairly level ground to yourself. Because of the way aiming works, this will only be possible from the right-hand side. You can angle the view around character peek around the structure. This lets you keep yourself safe and get a glimpse of what is happening outside.
Ghost Peeking
Ghost peeking was a really popular mechanic in the past that was used extensively by pro players, then it was patched. It turned out to be an exploit rather than a mechanic and Epic put a stop to it. However, watch pro players move around the map and you’ll quickly see that they didn’t entirely iron out ghost peeking. It is still possible to perform a form of ghost peeking, although it isn’t as easy or as useful as it previously was.
Crouching in a just out of sight spot and then hitting down the sights allows you to angle your third-person view to peek across from the structure that you’re on. The key to doing this is to perfect your positioning. To actually perform ghost peeking, the margin of error is now a lot more dangerous. If you practice on a creative map for a little while you should be able to get the hang of this positioning. It is easiest to practice on top of the usual ramp and wall high-ground build. From here, attempt to angle the top of the ramp as cover to ghost peek over.
When performed correctly, you will be out of view of your opposing player but with vision of the opposing player with your hitbox just out of reach. This angling is difficult and you need to work fast. Using the right key binds will allow you to do this a bit easier. Crouching and hitting the sights quickly enough to get this view will help you perform this properly.
Using Peeking to Win More Games
Peeking is just one part of a wider strategy. If you can master it, you will be able to hit more of the shots that you take. This has to go along with proper looting, landing in a good spot, and using the best settings possible. If you can manage all this, you should really improve your performance in Fortnite.