How to fall faster in Fortnite and land first - we bust the myths to find a foolproof method

News
By , published

Can you reach the ground before anyone else in Fortnite? We test the science of falling

How to fall faster and land first in Fortnite is a hotbed of myths and rumours because the obvious advantages if you can - land first and you get precious extra seconds to loot chests and grab guns before your enemies. But can you actually fall faster in Fortnite? This video examines all the options. 

Now you can reach the ground faster if you jump right, but you can't actually do anything to change the speed you drop. Instead it's about timing and positioning. 

Here are a few things to note: 

  • Your glider falls the same speed whatever you do. It doesn't matter if you stay still or zoom about - the rate of decent is identical. 
  • You glider opens a set distance above whatever's underneath it - ground, building, tree etc. So the lower the point under you, the later - and closer to the ground - your glider will open. 
  • Popping and closing your glider as you fall actually slows you down. It might look like there's a speed boost, but the jolt you see is minimal and overall you lose speed. 

With these things in mind we've worked out the best way to land first in Fortnite scientifically. 

How to fall faster and land first in Fortnite

An illustration of Fortnite: Battle Royale characters diving into battle.

The best way to beat your opponents and land first in Fortnite is to jump one and a half squares on the map before your chosen target. From there, dive straight down to the lowest point on the map you can see and, when your glider pops, fly into the location you're aiming for. 

This won't beat someone who's doing the exactly the same thing but it will beat anyone jumping right on top of wherever you're heading. It's not super complicated: you'll have a head start and will already be descending on your glider towards your landing zone, while your opponents are falling/gliding directly over it. 

Get the timing and the angle right, and you be able to touch down a good few seconds before anyone else and grab the nearest gun before enemy's toes taste the  ground. Be careful to take into account distance and high and adapt accordingly, though. For example, if you want to hit a Tilted Tower rooftop you might need to jump a little sooner. 

We've investigated even more Fortnite myths if you want to find out about falling faster, or what happens when you open three llamas in one match. 

Leon Hurley
Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.