How best to use Fortnite stink bombs to gas out your competition

Compared to grenades, clingers, gravity bombs, and timed explosives, the Fortnite stink bomb has never been viewed as a particularly useful handheld item. It’s less-than-powerful effects seem to pale in comparison to the other explosives that can kill an enemy with a single toss.

But contrary to that line of thinking the Fortnite stink bomb, a simple pickup that can be found out in the open or in chests and loot llamas, does five points of damage for every half second that a player is in the smoke. It’s a powerful tool that can be used for concealment, defense, and offense. Something that other explosives only wish they could do.

Stink bombs, while not as effective in a direct attack, can be used to provide concealment and force enemies out of hiding. It’s a versatile tool that’s perfect for strategies that deal with all sorts of opposition in Fortnite.

Creating a smoke screen

Moving safely between houses, trees and, buildings while under fire has never been easier than with a stink bomb. The clouds of green that emit once thrown act as perfect concealment when you need to get away from a troubling enemy.

That ability makes the Fortnite stink bomb a great pair for long range weapons like the semi-automatic sniper rifle and scoped assault rifle. It can give you time to move from one space to another within a zone that has zero-visibility. It can even be used to misdirect the enemy if you throw your smoke screen in one direction and run in another.

Pushing enemies towards you

You can toss a stink bomb a long ways making them useful in short to medium range gun fights, but even if you can’t hit the enemy directly you can still push them in the direction you want them to go. The gas clouds harm everyone around them, not just those inside, so you can force them in one direction if you place three stink bombs around your opponent strategically.

This is also effective for forcing goes out of their hiding spots-- rooms, shacks, and little caves are no longer safe. Be ready to mow them down once they come out coughing.

Trapping them in tight spaces

Fortnite’s standard building materials are fairly small, the boxes players can make can easily get filled with a well placed stink bomb throw. The gas can fit anywhere a player would hide or run through: truck beds, storage units, corridors, and player-built structures that are all over the place.

The gas won’t damage any structure, so it’s perfect for trapping players inside wherever they are hiding or sniping from while they struggle to find a way out of the gas’s range. This is especially effective for port a forts since three, or even two, stink bombs can fill the entire structure with gas forcing them to leave it entirely.

If you want more Fortnite tips, there's an extensive guide to the best Fortnite weapons, a breakdown of the best places to drop on the Fortnite map, and even a guide to the most likely Fortnite llama locations.