Fortnite: Hard Reads impossible or unlikely?

Hard Reads are very satisfying to watch and especially to pull off. With Fortnite being as random as it stands many players doubt that it is possible. I think it is, but very unlikely. Some may argue that Hard Reading is just another word for situation awareness or game sense. To me Hard Reading is the flashy plays that punishes an opponent for playing so predictably.

Hard Reads: What are they?

Hard Read: “Predicting what your opponent will do, then reacting in a cool or flashy way.” 

To me it is much more than just leading a sniper shot or stopping your opponent from pushing. It’s a solid understanding of the game’s fundamentals and understanding the psychology of the players in game. Understanding the game makes you a good player, understanding the players makes you a great one.

Always keep track of your material count // In-game screenshot by Cosinejoe

How Hard Reads apply to Fortnite build fights

Hard Reads are difficult to pull off with RNG but it is still possible, just unlikely. With random factors such as bloom, storm placement and loot drops, it’s hard to obtain a solid grasp of what you’re getting yourself into in each match. There are factors that you can get a good hold on such as build fights. Reading your opponents’ details can mean winning that fight or losing it. When you see your opponent acting aggressive, pushing you for a build fight, you should anticipate what they are going to do. What weapon they have equipped and when you damage them do they have shields or not?

Below are screenshots of Hard Reads

Listen for audio cues, they can give away where the enemy is // In-game screenshot by Cosinejoe

• Final Circle top 2
• Me (Shade) lost high ground to (Fireworks Team Leader)
• Me double ramping up, then about to change my direction
• Fireworks Team leader saw the situation and made the play on me

I played the top 2 scenario very poorly. What I should have done to prevent myself from being red was be more unpredictable than a straight double ramp up to Fireworks Platform. If I would have been more aware of my opponent’s location I wouldn’t have died the way I did.

Listening for certain sounds can give you that extra edge // In-game screenshot by Cosinejoe

• Me (Shade) Low on health with Slurp Juice effect going
• Hearing my opponent’s (The Ace) foot steps, I take the charge
• I edited where he was expecting me to pop out of.

Earlier the same match I landed in Dusty Divot. I did walk away from this location with 3 kills under my belt but this encounter should be worth noting. The Ace Skin saw I took a lot of damage from looting and dealing with jump duels. I set up a 1 by 1 and faked I was going to heal up. I faked him out by starting the animation and waiting until he fired 2 shots from his shotgun.

RNG can make hard reading very difficult, but there is and always will be a human element that can be red. Players are prone to act predicable in game every now and then, and there will always be that one player to capitalize on it. Think beyond “W+M1”.

Featured image courtesy of Thenextweb.com

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