One of the features added to Fortnite chapter 2, season 6 is the new crafting mechanic, allowing you to upgrade weapons on the fly. This new mechanic rewards you for exploring and gathering resources, granting you more powerful weapons depending on what you find throughout your journey.
The crafting system isn’t too wildly complex, but the game doesn’t do the best job of explaining how everything works. That’s where we come in. In this guide, we’ll detail how the new crafting system works, including a step-by-step guide on how to craft, how to find certain materials, and a list of known recipes at the start of the season.
Here’s how to craft weapons in Fortnite.
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How to craft weapons in Fortnite
The crafting system in Fortnite is relatively simple. To access the crafting menu, press up on the D-pad and then tab over to the Crafting by using R1 on PlayStation, RB on Xbox, or R on Nintendo Switch. Here, you’ll find a list of weapons that can be crafted based on the materials you have in your inventory.
There is a handful of crafting recipes that have been added with season 6. Typically, these recipes involve combining a base weapon (that you find around the world) with a certain material to make a stronger, upgraded version. For example, a Primal Weapon can be crafted by using any weapon of choice, plus four animal bones. Once you have all the required materials, each one will have a green checkmark next to it within the crafting menu, indicating you have the resource to make that particular weapon. A red X indicates you’re missing the required number of materials needed to craft that item.
If you don’t have the base weapon on you, the crafting menu will not offer any sort of upgrade. It will only notify you of potential upgrade paths if you have the base weapon in your inventory. The cool thing about this menu is that it gives you a list of stats that tell you how effective a weapon will be. This way, you can compare and see if it’s worth it to even pursue a specific upgrade.
All base weapons have an upgrade of some kind, so make sure you check out the crafting menu to look at what’s available.
Gathering crafting materials
There are two main materials you’ll need when crafting in Fortnite: Animal bones and mechanical parts. These are found around the map and can be gathered by smashing certain objects with your pickaxe. You can also collect them after you’ve defeated an enemy player.
Here are some objects you can destroy to find the parts you need.
Animal bones
Animal bones are found from animals around the map. Hunt an animal and it will drop animal bones, such as chickens and boars. We had luck destroying the spikes with animal skulls on top of them, as well.
Mechanical parts
You’ll find mechanical parts by destroying heavy machinery like cars, forklifts, trucks, and any other type of vehicle.
Weapon recipes
Currently, there is a handful of crafting recipes that you can follow to make the weapons you’d like. Of those recipes, there are two main weapon categories: Primal and Classic/Mechanical weapons — both corresponding to the main resources we’ve covered above (animal bones and mechanical parts).
Primal weapons are constructed out of Makeshift gear and have a more handmade look (matching the primal theme of season 6). Classic weapons, on the other hand, are what you’d expect from Fortnite in previous seasons, like a pump shotgun or SMG. Both categories have pros and cons and should be selected based on playstyle. Remember to compare the stats of your desired weapons by looking in the Crafting menu.
Below are the known crafting recipes that have been added with Fortnite season 6.
- Hunter’s Cloak: Meat (1) + animal bones (2)
- Primal weapons: Any weapon + animal bones (4)
- Primal Flame Bow: Primal Bow + gas canister (1) / firefly jar (1)
- Primal Stink Bow: Primal Bow + stink sac (1)/stink fish (3)
- Classic weapons: Any weapon + mechanical parts (4)
- Mechanical Explosive Bow: Mechanical Bow + grenade (6)
- Mechanical Shockwave Weapons: Mechanical Bow + shockwave grenade (2)
If you’re wanting to craft Primal weapons, you’ll need lots of animal bones, whereas Mechanical weapons will require mechanical parts. Use that knowledge to adjust your path accordingly, as certain areas are better than others for specific parts.
It’s possible more weapons, materials, and recipes will be added as the season progresses, and if so, we’ll update this list accordingly.