Fortnite map guide: the best landing spots and loot locations

Fortnite’s map is an amorphous, monstrous thing. It barely resembles its original form, with huge makeovers hitting every corner with each passing season. Keeping up can be difficult, but Fortnite’s map is easy to navigate as long as you familiarize yourself with all the new hot spots for loot. 

Season 8 adds a new jungle biome, with several new POIs, so there’s a lot of new stuff to see and explore. Tragically, it means saying goodbye a few classic landing spots, too. 

Below, we take you through what’s changed on Fortnite’s map this week and detail all the new POIs that arrived with Season 8. 

This week in Fortnite map changes 

The center of Loot Lake is now being excavated, and there’s some kind of massive door or gate found at the bottom. It seems like this might be home to the next big map-changing event, like the cube or meteor before it. 

Datamines suggest that the door will indeed open, which makes sense. Doors were made to be opened, right? Stay tuned over the coming weeks to see if the door opens and what’s inside of it! Kevin, is that you?

New and improved locations in Fortnite Season 8

With the advent of Season 8, things are heating up on Fortnite’s island. The entire northeast corner of the map has been changed to a jungle biome, complete with new points of interest and alterations to old ones.

Sunny Steps

The main new addition to the map is not the giant volcano, as some might think, but Sunny Steps. This area is home to a number of little pyramids, all of which can be explored deep within to find many chests and loot spawns.

This area is about where Wailing Woods used to be, so it is a definite improvement when it comes to loot and overall density on the map, but we’ll miss farming all those massive trees.

Lazy Lagoon

The coolest new addition to Season 8 is undoubtedly Lazy Lagoon, taking the place of the golf course formerly known as Lazy Links. The lagoon is a bright blue body of water with loot spawns on its mini islands in addition to the bad-ass pirate ship docked within.

At the end of the dock is a mini town with a number of small buildings, and they also have a good amount of loot within them. If you can survive the open waters, this seems like it will be a solid place to land.

The Volcano

The Volcano, currently unnamed on the map but will most likely get a name from the community within days, is really hard to miss. The big black mountain is spewing out a river of lava, and it has also spawned a number of volcano vents around it and nearby that can help shoot you into the air.

Trying to land directly in the mouth of the volcano will launch you back out quickly, but if you build your way inside of it from a few openings alongside, you will find some pretty sweet loot spawns. But the danger is there, because the lava deals damage and will make you hop along like a cartoon character if you touch it.

Four Ponds

A minor addition to the map, these tiny ponds feature a couple of houses to loot along with a number of volcano vents. But the surrounding area seems like it will be fun, as there are quite a few buildings nearby to loot and hide in.

It also helps that this area is in between Sunny Steps and Lazy Lagoon, so it will definitely end up being either a top landing spot or secondary loot zone once the numbers have thinned in the new POI’s.

Basic tips and the best landing spots

We’ll jump into specific locations soon, but first, here’s five tips to think about on your descent, no matter where you’re aiming. And if you’re after tips for the game more generally, here’s a good list.

1. Catch people unaware as they leave major locations

If ten people land on a town, then one person will make it out alive with all the best loot. One advantage to dropping away from those locations is that you can gear up and then swing back around, catching those victors unaware when they think everyone is dead. If you can get a clean shot at somebody without them knowing where you are then you’ll have the upper hand, no matter how good their weapons are. And if you kill them, the spoils are all yours.

2. Drop late if you want peace and quiet

Most players will impatiently drop earlier in the Battle Bus’s journey because they don’t fancy waiting around. Use that knowledge to your advantage. If you’re after action, drop early. If you want a slow and steady game, leave it late.

3. Go the distance

The further the drop location you’ve picked is away from the path of the bus, the less resistance you’ll meet when you land. So, if the bus is hanging left on the map, the named locations on the right will be less busy. Pull your parachute early to travel further (the map is small enough that you can reach pretty much any location).

4. If you’re playing solo, head for more secluded spots

If you’re alone, you can get away with heading for smaller drop spots. A chest or two will give you enough gear to get your started, but trying to spread that across a duo or a four-man squad is difficult. So, if you’re playing with friends, aim for larger locations than you’re used to.

5. Keep your eyes on the sky

This is the most important thing to remember when you drop. You need to be aware of both where you’re aiming and where other players are dropping around you. Turn around in the air and look for parachutes, making a mental note of where others have landed. The more information you have, the better shape you’ll be in for the ensuing fight.

Without further ado, here are a few drop locations that will set you up nicely for a Victory Royale. We’ll be sure to add more as we spend time with Season 8. 

Salty Springs and Pleasant Park 

These old faithful locations haven’t changed much in the year-plus that Battle Royale has been around, and that’s saying a lot. Two of the original thirteen named POI’s have stuck around through thick and thin and they’re still popular landing spots due to their early engagements and amount of loot.

They’re interesting now more than ever, though, because of their age. Players might not think of landing here as much anymore when faced with an all new biome and crazy POI’s like Tilted Towers. See if you can fly under the radar here. Their centralized locations will allow you to rotate just about anywhere on the map.

Loot Lake

The new and improved Loot Lake is a godsend compared to the desolate pond it used to be. After Kevin the Cube terraformed the lake and changed its landscape entirely, it is now filled with chests and floor loot spawns. Plus, if you land here, you’re pretty much in the middle of the map and can rotate fast to wherever you have to head next. 

The abandoned town southwest of Paradise Palms

For an unnamed location, this might be the most consistently loot-dense areas in all of Fortnite. Paradise Palms pulls most of the try-hards, leaving this town fairly empty. Hit the western edge first and check the second story of each house for ground loot and chests. Work your way through the town, keeping an ear out for footsteps, and you’ll likely find six or so chests by the time you need to rotate out of there.

Depending on the storm circle you get, rotating naturally along the road cutting through the desert area is a good plan. You’ll have some nice views into Paradise Palms, and with all that loot from earlier, cleaning up the leftover players is usually a cinch. If the storm circle is further away than you thought, look around for a rift or golf cart and get the hell out of there. 

source: gamezpot.com