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Fortnite: The Complete Guide to Plane Combat

Fortnite: The Complete Guide to Plane Combat
Alex LaFreniere

Alex LaFreniere

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With the introduction of Season 7, many changes have come to the world of Fortnite. From the icy new map areas to new weapons like the Heavy Assault Rifle, Fortnite players have a ton of new content to add to their Battle Royale experience. Perhaps the biggest change, though, is the addition of planes. That’s right, fully-armed biplanes have been added to the world of Fortnite, and combat is about to take to the skies. Here’s everything you need to know about these new vehicles so you can become the next fighter ace.

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Fortnite: The Complete Guide to Plane Combat

The Basics

The first and most important step to getting airborne is actually finding yourself one of these planes. They’ve been scattered all over the Battle Royale map, but the most obvious place to locate a plane is on the airfield at Frosty Flights. It’s a risky strategy, though: most players will also converge on this area looking for a plane, so if you head that way, be prepared for a bloodbath.

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Alternately, you can usually look for planes by finding one of these red buildings:

fortnite airfield
An airfield and the red control building.

These buildings are usually located on top of hills adjacent to small airfields that usually house a couple of planes each. Though they aren’t marked on the map, that also means they’re less likely to attract enemy players, meaning you won’t have to frantically race to get airborne.

Once you’ve chosen a plane, a control layout should appear on the side of your HUD. The thing about planes is that once you start moving, you can only move forward, and you can’t stop. You’ll want to make sure you’ve got a clear path to take off before you start the engines, or you might find that your flight will end a bit prematurely.

Air vs. Air

Once you’re in the skies, you’ll find yourself up against two kinds of targets: aerial targets and ground-based targets. Of these two, aerial targets tend to pose a bit more of a threat. Players in other planes are usually easy to spot from a distance, which means you become a large, loud target the second you get in the air.

If you find yourself getting shot at, there’s really only one weapon you have to defend yourself: the plane’s main guns. These only fire forward, so you’ll have to have a direct line of sight to your target if you want to damage them. There is a way around this, however: if you’re playing a team mode, like Squads or Duos, your allies can ride on the plane’s wings and use their guns to fire in all directions. It can give you a definite advantage over your opponents.

fortnite biplane
A plane mid-flight.

When fighting another plane, the best strategy is to attack from behind. This allows you to fire on your opponents without them being able to counterattack. The key is maneuvering your plane to stay to your opponents rear, which is no easy feat. You’ll need to master the way your plane moves to keep the upper hand. In a pinch, you can also attack opponents head to head but this usually ends up with you taking just as much damage as your opponent.

Air vs. Ground

While in the air, you’ll also find yourself taking on ground-based opponents. It might be tempting to think of yourself as having the upper hand in a plane, but players on the ground can be extremely dangerous and do a lot of damage to your plane in a short amount of time. They’re more maneuverable and can hide easily, making it hard for you to target them.

That said, your plane’s guns can do a lot of damage to ground-based players. Line up for a strafing run or target groups of players, then unload with your machine guns and wreak havoc. The only problem is, if you don’t kill them in a single run, they’ll have time to hide and regroup.

There is another very powerful weapon in your arsenal that can counter hiding players, however: your plane itself. Use your plane’s boost and you’ll be able to ram through certain buildings, and skilled players can even fly low enough to run over players on the ground. As a last ditch effort, you can point your plane at a building that players are hiding in, boost, and then bail out kamikaze-style to wreak widespread destruction.

fortnite plane strafing
The aftermath of a successful kamikaze run.

For players who know how to use them, planes can give you a distinct advantage on the battlefield. Using the tips in this guide, you’ll be able to master the art of flight in no time.

Alex LaFreniere

Alex LaFreniere

Alex's first experience with video games came at the tender young age of 12, when his parents gave him and his brothers a PlayStation 2 for Christmas. They’ve probably been regretting that mistake ever since, because as soon he finished his first lap in Gran Turismo 3, Alex was hooked for life. In addition to writing for Softonic, Alex has turned that love of games into a voice acting career, and has voiced everything from grizzled old soldiers to vampire lords. When he's not gaming or getting behind the microphone, Alex can probably be found wandering the woods around Boston or putting together some new culinary delight in his kitchen.

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