Killing Thanos isn’t the way to win in Fortnite’s Infinity Gauntlet mode

There’s no doubt that the centerpiece of Fortnite’s new Avengers: Infinity War tie-in mode is Thanos, but at its heart, it’s still about the battle royale — and the main goal is still to be the last player standing.

It’s hard to blame anyone for staying focused on the powerful Titan wandering the map, but regular players remain the most dangerous part of the Infinity Gauntlet game mode. In fact, if you want to win, you’re probably better off treating Thanos like an environmental hazard and avoiding him when the match begins, because the best matches are when he becomes Infinity Gauntlet’s final boss.

While everyone else is desperately clawing at their chance for the gauntlet, you can get ready for the real test: actually winning the game.

You definitely don’t wanna dance with this guy

Thanos is strong — like, really strong. Early on in a game of Battle Royale, facing him basically means an instant kill, so it’s in your best interest to avoid him at all costs. The Thanos icon on the map is basically a giant warning sign letting you know where not to be.

Not only is Thanos himself tough to take on, but chances are that the other players near him are too. Four or five players all taking on Thanos at once will make short work of him, but after he goes down — or sometimes before — everyone there is going to turn on each other as they remember that you win by being the last player alive, not by killing Thanos. A match in Infinity Gauntlet mode could even end without Thanos showing up at all, and it’s far more likely that the firefight kills you than he does. After all, regular players can shoot you from anywhere. At least you know where Thanos is coming from.

Thanks to these intrepid Thanos hunters, the first seven or eight minutes of the game basically turn Thanos into a tornado. Wherever he goes, a path of destruction is sure to be left behind, no matter which players wear the gauntlet in the end. If you can see the storm coming, it’s best to get out of the way. If you aren’t that lucky, you might be better off hiding in a basement than joining the fray.

You’ll never be a god

Epic Games

While this strat might sound a bit cowardly, it’s important to remember that outside the addition of Thanos, this mode is basically just a faster version of regular Fortnite. Since the safe zone is shown at the beginning of the game, most players drop inside of it, so there are plenty of people you can, and should, fight — as long as one of them isn’t purple and holding a gauntlet of infinite power. You’re playing it safe, which means you might get to reach the true test of skills: fighting one-on-one against the Titan to end a match.

Thanos can’t do much damage unless he’s very close to you, and every ability he has can be blocked by a wall or stairs. That means if you can fight him from far away, or block his slow attacks when he gets close, you have a pretty good chance at taking him down and winning the game. And if you’re lucky enough to find a sniper rifle, well, that can make things a whole lot easier.

This battle is one of Fortnite’s most fun challenges and easily the highlight of the limited game modes so far. Taking down Thanos early on may be too tall a task, but once you have some materials and weapons, the face-off becomes a little more fair. After all, Thanos may have all the power in the universe, but you can build stairs really fast.

Epic Games