To play in the Alpha Tournament, click the icon above the Play button and then click the Alpha Tournament button.

Players are matched against opponents with similar scores during the session, and if you score 20 points in a session, you earn a coveted golden pin. 

How to Get Points in Fortnite’s Alpha Tournament

You begin earning points at 3 eliminations; you then earn 1 extra point at 5 eliminations and 7 eliminations.

Additional points (in 1 point increments) are awarded if you:

Get in the Top 10 Get in the Top 3 Get Top 1 Victory Royale  

Points reset at the beginning of each day during the Tournament, so you only have a limited number of hours to hit 20 points and earn the pin.

Because of this point set up, aggressive play is rewarded. Don’t hide. Don’t be a bush. Don’t play it safe. Land in hot zones such as:

Tilted Towers  Pleasant Park  Lazy Links Paradise Palms

Essentially, jump where everyone else is. Once you land (and you probably already know this), immediately go for any location with a chest or floor weapon so you can come out swinging.

Finding loot faster than the opponents is key here. Hit high loot areas for critical early-game gains. Go to the basketball court in Greasy Grove, basically all the buildings in Tilted Towers, or the grocery store in Retail Row. 

Best Situational Weapons for Alpha Tournament

No matter where you land, stick to the high ground for headshots whenever possible. Also, try lurking indoors with a shotgun or other close-range weapons for quick kills in tight spaces. 

Individual play style can have a big impact on how you rack up your kills, but in general, these are the best weapons to try to pick up in the Alpha Tournament:

Any SMG  For spray and pray outdoor fighting High rarity Assault Rifle (AR) For outdoor fighting at medium range Pump or Tactical Shotgun  For indoor or close-quarters fighting Bolt action or heavy sniper rifle Long-range headshots if your playstyle keeps you at the edges of each area

Best Choke Points in Alpha Tournament

For spray and pray outdoor fighting

For outdoor fighting at medium range

For indoor or close-quarters fighting

Long-range headshots if your playstyle keeps you at the edges of each area

Long-range headshots if your playstyle keeps you at the edges of each area

Long-range headshots if your playstyle keeps you at the edges of each area

Long-range headshots if your playstyle keeps you at the edges of each area

While aggressive attacking with SMGs and shotguns is key to getting kills quickly, some players will still prefer to lie in wait and snipe. In that case, these are some excellent choke points to rack up kills:

The RVs north of Tilted Towers  The hill above Dusty Divot with a clear line of sight down below Any rooftop at Greasy Grove (if you land on the gazebo at the south end of the area you will likely arrive directly at a chest spawn)

Best Defensive Strategies for Alpha Tournament (If You Must)

If you want to rack up the most points in the least amount of time, it can actually be more efficient to get 5-7 kills, and then die on purpose and join a new match.

Trying to get all the way to the #1 spot may take more time than it’s worth, especially if you end up dying just shy of the top 10 or top 3 spots.

Defense is less important in an Alpha Tournament match as you’re fighting against the clock to get quick kills before the daily points reset. If you are want to try to get to the Top 10, 3, and 1 spots, however, there are two key defense options to utilize in the Tournament.

Jump frequently Avoid headshots Build 1x1 tower bases Learn to quickly build ramps if the bottom gets taken out for quick escapes

There is literally no reason to hide in this mode. In essence, Alpha Tournament wants you to play differently and get out of your comfort zone. Acting like a bush will get you nowhere. 

Fortnite Alpha Tournament Schedule

Here’s the full breakdown on when each Tournament will be running; don’t forget individual session times will vary by region each day:

Alpha Tournament (Solo): October 16-21 Beta Tournament (Duo): October 23-25 Friday Night Fortnite (Squad): October 19-November 30 Salty Springs Cup (Solo): October 27-31 Tomato Temple Cup (Duo): October 28-November 1

A Word on Alpha Tournament Bugs

As you might have expected, the rollout of a major new Fortnite mode means unexpected bugs and hiccups.

Most notably, Alpha Tournament is currently suffering from incorrect scoring (preventing you from getting the pin) and matchmaking problems. 

A patch is, of course, expected to fix these problems in the next day or so, but for now, you need to know these issues persist and you may not get the score you earned. Check out a full rundown from Epic regarding known issues at Reddit here.

Got any other tips for surviving in the Alpha Tournament? Let us know your favorite strategy below, and check out our other Fortnite guides here.