Fortnite Driftin’ Guide – How to Get a Driftboard, Pull off Tricks, and Get a Victory Royale

Fortnite has just introduced a new Driftin’ LTM that introduces an incredibly fun new driftboard into the mix. This speedy board lets you zoom around the map, pulling off tricks like Tony Hawk himself. It doesn’t get in the way …

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Fortnite has just introduced a new Driftin’ LTM that introduces an incredibly fun new driftboard into the mix. This speedy board lets you zoom around the map, pulling off tricks like Tony Hawk himself. It doesn’t get in the way of shooting enemies either – that’s the best part.

The Driftin’ LTM pits two teams of 32 against each other in a fight to the death – though most players will be more interested in pulling off the sickest tricks, so you can just pick them off at your leisure. Either way, it’s pretty much just Fortnite with two big teams and on speed.

In this guide, we’re going to help you conquer this new mode by providing a bunch of tips and tricks we picked up after a whole day of driftboarding around. That way you can maximise your fun for the limited time this mode exists for.

How Do I Play the New Driftin’ Mode in Fortnite?

That’s the easy part. Open up Fortnite and when you’re in the lobby hit the button right above ‘Play’, which usually details the mode you’ve selected to play. Here, tap ‘Driftin’ then ‘Play’ and the game will automatically throw you into a game with a bunch of players.

The usual rules apply: if you join as a squad you’ll all be on the same team when you start the match. If you play with a controller you’ll be paired with other controller users across all platforms. Bear that in mind.

How Do I Get a Driftboard?

Now to get to the fun part: getting a Driftboard. These new rides are only available in Red Supply Drops, which begin falling from the sky shortly after the game begins.

We recommend staying airborne for as long as possible, following a Red Supply Drop to the ground so you can pick it up immediately. For our first few games we landed then tried to find one. Unless one literally landed on our head, this put as at a significant disadvantage against enemy driftboard users who were zooming around mowing our hapless team to pieces.

If you just can’t find one while in the air, don’t panic. Land somewhere safe (i.e. not surrounded by enemy players) and immediately look up. Locate the nearest Red Supply Drop and start running towards it. A handy glowing icon on the ground details its exact landing location, so you can’t miss it.

Once you’ve found a Red Supply Drop, you’ll find a Driftboard inside along with a selection of the best weapons in the game. Loot up, swallow that shield potion, and let the game begin.

How Does the Driftboard Work? How do I Pull off Tricks?

It pretty much functions like any other controller, with a few exceptions. You push forward on the virtual or real joystick to move, hold the virtual or physical button for jump to crouch and go slightly faster, and press the button or down button on the dpad to get a short boost.

So it’s pretty simple stuff really, and not all that different from moving around normally. The only aspect that has a few growing pains is the jumping and crouching. Much like in a normal snowboarding or skating game you can crouch to gain a bit of speed and then release to jump. The longer you hold the button down, the higher you jump.

Initially, while using a controller, we wanted to just hold down the jump button to go forward, which doesn’t work. Don’t be fools like us.

In terms of tricks, they’re much easier to pull off than in the likes of Skate or a Tony Hawks game. All you have to do is move in a certain direction once in the air to pull off a trick. Push forward or back to do a front or backflip and to either side to do a 180 degree spin.

There is a bit of depth though, as you can combine tricks if you can get enough air. You can even push diagonally to pull off a really gnarly trick – just experiment and have a good time.

Driftin’ Fortnite: Tips and Tricks

Now for a bunch of miscellaneous tips and tricks that we learned while playing this mode:

  • Don’t worry about the storm so much if you’re on a board: The storm doesn’t seem to do as much damage as in the ordinary mode, and you can easily outchase it if it creeps up on you. We’re not suggesting you stay in the storm, of course, as it will still hurt you. It’s just not as big of a deal in this mode.
  • The storm shrinks AND expands: Another thing to note is that the storm shrinks and expands at random until a team has won. This isn’t really the mode for a tiny circle at the end. Those boards need room to breathe.
  • It’s more difficult to aim at speed, so use something automatic: This tip is particularly important if you’re at range. We had a lot more success using automatic weapons while at speed because it affords you more time to aim. LMG weapon types in particular are king of this mode.
  • Stick with your team: You might be tempted to play this mode solo, and you might even have some small success with that approach. We recommend you stick with your team though. There’s 31 other players who will have your back in a fight, so once you’ve got your Driftboard you might as well stick with them.
  • Crafting is less important: This mode is pretty much just about kicking back, pulling off tricks, and zooming around the map looking for someone to murder. While you can build, it’s less important here. Besides, the speed someone can approach you with makes building something quickly enough a serious problem. Make ramps though, cos that’s just fun.
  • You won’t find much in the way of loot: Don’t bother rummaging through houses for loot – you really won’t find any. Everything you need is inside a single Red Supply Drop so just find one of them and you’re good for the rest of the game. You won’t even need ammo as you get the maximum amount for each weapon when it drops.

Head of Editorial
Glen has over a decade's worth of experience in gaming journalism, writing for Pocket Gamer, Pocket Tactics, Nintendo Life, and Gfinity. When he's not badgering everyone about the dangers of passive text, you can probably find him playing Wild Rift.