Game jargon – Fortnite

Have you ever been in a game of Fortnite and heard some terminology you don’t know the meaning of?

In this guide, we share some of the most common terms or phrases used in Fortnite, and what they mean. 

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Battle bus:

The flying vehicle that brings the players to the island at the start of the match. Players jump out of the bus to parachute to their location of choice on the map to start the game.

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Bandies:

Colloquial way of saying bandages. These can be used to heal a player 15hp every 5 seconds, up to 75hp.

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Big pot:

Refers to the Rare Shield Potion that grants players an additional 50 shields when consumed.

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Camper / Bush camper:

Someone who hides in a bush during the match and waits until there’s an opportunity to get a kill to come out. If you are in a bush, nobody can see you, but you can see them.

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Cracked:

Can have a few different meanings, including:
– To describe a player that is good at the game
– To describe the noise and visual cue of an enemy shield breaking

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Downed:

In a team-based mode, players will be knocked down before getting eliminated – giving the opportunity for their teammates to revive them. Players will use this callout to signal they are in need of a revive, or if the enemy has a player downed. If a player is downed, you can eliminate them by doing more damage to them.

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Dub:

Another way of saying you won a game.

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Heal-off:

When the storm has fully closed in, players are required to use as many healing abilities as possible to stay alive. The person who has the most, or can find the most, wins.

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Hot drop:

A location or point of interest on the map which is a popular place to land after leaving the battle bus. These places will normally have some good loot available, or will just be a really good spot on the map.

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Meds:

Refers to any item that can increase your health.

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Minis:

Refers to the smallest shield available in the game that grants you 25 shields at a time.

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Padding:

Refers to when someone uses a launchpad.

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Point of interest / POI:

Any place on the map that has a name becomes a point of interest – e.g – Tilted Towers.

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Reboot card / van:

When a player dies in a team-based mode, they drop a reboot card, and a teammate has 90-seconds to pick the card up before it expires. When the player has the card, they need to take it to a reboot van to revive their teammate.

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Siphon:

A mechanic that allows players to gain health and shield when they eliminate an enemy.

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Spawn island:

The initial place where everyone spawns before going on the battle bus. It is possible to get back to this island during a match, but it is most likely to be deserted.

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Surge:

If there are too many players alive at certain points in the game, a storm surge will occur to eliminate those who have done the least damage in the match. The surge finishes when there is a certain number of players remaining in the match.

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The Storm:

The large ring that surrounds the map at the beginning of the game, and shrinks as the game progresses. If you are caught in the storm, you take damage, so players must stay safe in the storm eye.

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Thirst:

Refers to when a player rushes to kill a player after they have downed them.

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Zone:

Refers to the area in the centre that will not be closed in by the storm until the next phase. This zone is safe until the storm eye closes in. 

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These are just some of the many things you may hear in a game of Fortnite, but there are many more things to learn as you go through your matches. 

You can also check out some of our other Game Jargon guides for Overwatch, Valorant, League of Legends, CS:GO, and Rocket League on our website.

Want us to do a specific guide for a game? Let us know on the British Esports Twitter, and we may use your idea in the future.