Mastering the Double Pump Technique in Fortnite: A Comprehensive Guide

If you’ve been playing Fortnite for a while, you’ve probably heard about the strategy known as double pumping.

We will explore the ins and outs of double pumping, including the benefits and drawbacks, how to master it, and alternative strategies you can use. Whether you’re looking to up your game or learn how to counter this popular tactic, we’ve got you covered.

What Is Double Pumping in Fortnite?

Double Pumping in Fortnite is exploiting a game mechanic that allows you to bypass the standard cooldown time to fire a shotgun, thus providing twice the fire rate at the cost of holding your shotgun in two slots, and replacing the pump shotgun in-between shots to skip the reload period.

You replace the pump shotgun between shots by switching to another weapon. It has been highly effective in earlier versions of the game but has been nerfed and it is not nearly as effective anymore. Double Pumping as of version 5.0, was dramatically less powerful and not frequently practiced. With the changes in the subsequent updates, it is still not a strategic necessity and valid strategies exist that don’t include double pumping. As it stands double pump cannot be viably equipped by the player anymore.

How to Set Up Double Pumping?

To set up Double Pumping in Fortnite, you must make sure that you choose two Pump Shotguns of different rareness different tiers in your weapon slots. Then switch between them to avoid the slow draw and cycle the double shotguns as you blast opponents. You can double pump in very similar ways using Clash of Clans or Battlefield.

This means one moving side to side to evade an opponent’s fire or build a fort and the other peering out to track your opponent and deliver the coup de grâce with a double blast. Be sure to have enough small ammo or shells to quickly switch between the two weapons.

Step 1: Equip Two Shotguns

Easy! To make a double pump in Fortnite, you have to equip two pump shotguns. Two tactical shotguns will not work for a double pump strategy, and having two pump shotguns and a tactical shotgun will also not work to complete the strategy. They can be tac SMGs, tac ARs, or any rifle or SMG. The strategy will be less effective, but it will still work.

Switching between two pump shotguns and another weapon, such as a rifle or SMG, is referred to as the standard double pump strategy. Similar to using two pump shotguns rather than a pump and tactical shotgun, this will delay some rounds every now and then. But by combining these two strategies, you can greatly increase its effectiveness.

Another popularity double pump in Fortnite strategy offers the ability to double pump between two pump shotguns and any other shotgun. This is referred to as running pump-tac-pump. It allows the player to switch to a different type of strategy if the attack was a surprise or there is a real likelihood to lose. The pump-tac-pump run is more likely to optimize victory in accidental situations. The main pitfall can arise with the aim if the weapon is continuously switched back and forth.

Step 2: Switch Between Shotguns

This is the most crucial step as a user must be able to press the corresponding buttons on the left side of the keyboard while turning to the next opponent on the screen.

Users can replace the shotguns with other weapons because they aren’t as important during practice rounds on the map or in very active engagements. Why? If you accidentally pull out the wrong weapon in either situation, there is more time to fix this mistake, more shots on the magazine, and other types of weapons reload faster than shotguns.

What Are the Benefits of Double Pumping?

The levels of pump shotguns when double pumping in Fortnite 1v1 exaggerate the amount of damage that multiple types of weapons do. Making shotgun aiming and practice a more consistent experience. They hit hard and can do over 100 damage in a single shot. Reloading two weapons in sequence is faster than reloading the crossbow or bolt action sniper after every shot.

Increased Damage Output

Double Pumping in Fortnite increases damage output when using shotguns. Shotguns, including the Pump, are classified as High snap aim weapons according to Dr. Benjamin Finkel in an Aim Lab peer-reviewed paper. This category is characterized by a high skill cap that repeatedly highlights an individual player’s ability to make splashy plays particularly at close ranges. Accordingly, double pumping in Fortnite increases the splash of damage with both Pump Shotgun and Heavy Shotgun weapons by allowing players to quickly switch between the two and fire at a faster rate. At close quarters, the damage output is virtually doubled. In a competitive shootout, the total damage output is expedited in comparison to other single-fire weapons including Pump and Heavy.

Faster Firing Rate

A benefit of double pumping is a faster firing rate compared to single-shot shotguns. This is because while an enemy must wait for the time between shots for the pump shotgun’s pump animation to finish before continuous shots like those during double pumping can be performed.

A base pump shotgun has a delay of 0.7 seconds between shots regardless of the rarity of the shotgun. It should be noted when analyzing DPS, the damage per shot and magazine size, as well as reload times, also play a role. The pump shotgun has a damage of 80 at point blank range and a magazine size of 5 shells with a slow reload of 5.7 seconds. These are the same specs for both the green and blue variants of the pump shotgun. The legendary and epic versions of the pump shotgun have a faster reload of 4.8 seconds and of 4.6 seconds, respectively, and come with higher damage outputs at 85.

More Versatility in Close-Range Combat

Against an experienced opponent, defending against a single pump shotgun is manageable during a proverbial Fortnite dance. Challenges are presented by people who have mastered double pumping.

Every time you take cover during a fight, engage in a close encounter, reload the shotgun, or become disoriented, an opponent who is adept at double pumping has an opener in close-range battle, assuming they don’t have to reload.

If they can successfully find a shot, the opponent can quickly swap to a faster shotgun to deliver additional shots or return to the original pump shotgun shooting even faster. This lethality is what makes close-quarters battle against serious Fortnite gamers who double pump such a challenging and deadly struggle.

However, when the partial double pump ban was implemented in Season 5 of Fortnite, players who took advantage of it were no longer able to quickly swap back and forth between two pump shotguns. Tests with pump tactic partners are still possible, but the enhanced lethality and technical abilities required to accomplish this are reduced dramatically.

What Are the Drawbacks of Double Pumping?

The drawbacks of double pumping in Fortnite include longer switch times, which have increased over time due to balancing updates, a losing focus on improving aiming skills, and a loss of benefit from other weapons. Longer switch times take away the usefulness of the hop-hop quick switch or jump-shoot maneuver, leaving only the quick double shotgun switch maneuver that works about 5% of the time and simply is not worth it.

Losing the focus of improving your aiming and on the game itself is another big drawback. Double pumping is not supported by the game the way it once was, and players are much better off honing their skills with a pump, tac, or heavy shotgun.

Over-using double pump instead of improving your aiming and gameplay with a variety of guns is a losing strategy in the long term. Finally, a disadvantage of double pumping is that it does not allow for additional, possibly beneficial weaponry. Using another, less popular weapon type either in conjunction with a shotgun or instead of their secondary, allows for more versatile play.

This is especially true in the days of increased toolbox weapons like the Shockwave Grenade or the Stink Bomb. While pump shotguns with SMGs will always be the most efficient way to play Fortnite, players have handicapped themselves by relying solely on the double pump strategy.

Slower Weapon Switching

With the removal of double pump switching, another option is the normal weapon switch, which is known as slower weapon switching. Besides pump shotguns, the switch between assault rifles is still quick. Players can combine pump shotguns with SMGs and assault rifles.

In building fights players can shoot a pump shotgun before they build, switch to one of their other weapons, and once they have build, switch back to pump shotgun immediately. They can stop and shoot going back-and-forth in building fights and get as many accurate shots to the enemy as possible, in the shortest time span. The playstyle was even used by streamer Ninja and is extremely effective.

Using SMGs or other weapons in the gap between pump shots will increase the potential damage nerf to less than double tapping, as the builds in the game leave the opponents less exposed than before.

Limited Range

• Players who double pump in Fortnite miss a degree of accuracy and firepower when equipping Shotguns at range. During Duotage Double Pump Montage #4, models of Gold, Tactical, Pump, and Heavy were tested and when bolts fell onto the island, the player was unable to hit a single target outside the 10-11 meter range.
• Versus opponents who are skilled, missing hearts because opponents are too far away with Double Pumps can often be the end of you.

Far-off opponents require an Assault Rifle or Submachine Gun and/or a full inventory of Matting to keep who you are at bay, says Redditor u/oz101k. Ideally ARs or Mini-Guns are used, but SMGs are also effective.

Takes Up Two Inventory Slots

In Fortnite, the Double Pump requires two shotguns. Shotguns are classified as close-range weapons and are generally the most powerful weapon in Fortnite in terms of base damage. Double Pumping abuse during Fortnite’s early seasons allowed players to fire them at the maximum fire rate without the need for a full reload as there was a bug in the game. Although the bug has been removed in Fortnite patches, using multiple pump-action weapons is still an effective technique. But with the latest patch, the pump still has the fast switch times but the Charge Shotgun replaces the pump’s powerful 60-90-120 scaling body shot damage, while the Tactical Shotgun is the budget option neuroses overusing.

Keep fast-firing shotguns whenever necessary until you upgrade to something at least as poweful as a blue pump at 80 body and 160 head, but be aware they’re much less powerful when it comes to building breakneck shotgun circles. They all feature higher shots the longer time between shots you await before swapping from/to a new weapon. Nevertheless, the Traditional Shotgun and Tactical Shotgun were supplanted by new ones that were slightly quicker so worth stepping aside from the old Fortnite habits.

You need varied weaponry in your quick bar. Double pumping occupies TWO of your five inventory slots, which limits your options for carrying other weapons, healing items, or utility items. Two assaulting shotguns are not necessary because each has distinct strengths at various ranges. The Tactical Shotgun is specifically intended for close-quarters combat since it has high power with a quicker recovery time than the Pump Shotgun, whereas the Pump Shotgun just needs a few shots but removes building structures faster and does more headshot damage.

How to Master Double Pumping?

You master double pumping in Fortnite by managing and navigating its various downsides. Practice dropping your sniper or assault rifle momentarily mid-fight to build a wall or ramp. Heal up from shield or health damage when switching weapons, and never build a fight around a double pump reload. This exercise will help your multitasking, and layer other skills on top of your double pump proficiency.

Another downside of double pumping is that it has less maximum damage output per second than the pump to tactical shotgun switch. To mitigate this, in sufficient downtime switch to pump tactical shotgun so that you can efficiently stave off more well-equipped opponents.

Practice Switching Between Shotguns Quickly

Practice switching between shotguns and firing them at what is known is Fortnite as the fire cap, the first weapon’s inability to fire again quickly after the second’s (barring Ghost Peeking or the use of Edits between shots); this will shorten the time required before a second shot.

Practicing firing against a Murder Hole target to ensure the maximum damaging of the enemies. Editing is a powerful utility in Fortnite that can be used against the opponent. Here is a video by youtuber itsJerian that covers editing to get free Pump Shots.

In Fortnite, to get free pump shots you can ghost-peek or using walls, which are edits that force the enemy to expose themselves fully or almost fully upon taking the next shot. Practice defensive Strategies utilizing builds such as Box Fighting and Ramp Walls for defense so that you can always focus on positioning to ensure the maximum success of your shot.

Fortnite Amigo has a solid video on Box Fighting.

Use Double Pumping in Close-Range Combat Situations

Trading shots with a double pump setup without building is strongly discouraged because if you make no effort to build and are hit with several shots, within seconds you will be downed or at least extremely weak compared to if you make an effort to build and keep range. It is recommended that you try double pumping against foes only in close combat situations for this very reason as it can deal plenty of damage even at medium ranges.

Experiment with Different Shotgun Combinations

After you learn the basics of double pumping, experiment with different shotgun combinations. For example, the Heavy Shotgun has a faster fire rate, but lower damage compared to the Tactical Shotgun. This combo can double pump effectively.

Old SMGs (vaulted by at the beginning of Chapter 2 in Fortnite) and Dual Pistols are other potential options besides shotguns to combo comparable to double pump, but since their replacement in the game these are basically a thing of the past.

What Are the Alternatives to Double Pumping?

The tac smg, heavy shotgun, and other combinations can be used as alternatives when double pumping. The tac smg is particularly effective as it can do consistent high body damage and destroys structures. SummerSkyMagHta saw strong benefits from removing double pump from a preferred playstyle.

Double pump delays too much for even one kill, and the Tac SMG had almost the same firerate. And it had with 50-round mag’. As for today, double-pump had absolutely no purpose. Having two separate shotguns in the inventory was doing less actual damage throughout the game.

Pump-SMG Combo

The Pump-SMG combo is the simplest variation of double pump in Fortnite. Once you have fired your pump shotgun (usually at close range), switch to another weapon that is quick and easy to use in order to continue firing on an enemy while your shotgun reloads, such as an SMG (Submachine gun). immediately switch back to your first pump when the reloading is over to increase the damage rapidly (this may be as little as 0.8 seconds according to the stats).

There is no real strategy for doing this as you do not require precise aiming with the shotgun. Because the damage is amplified by the close range, this combo move is the most useful for players just beginning their career in double pump. Furthermore, the pump-SMG combo was never actually patched like the pure double pump was, and so the double-pump shotgun is a perfectly good combo move to begin with in the current Fortnite meta.

Pump-Tac Combo

The pump-tac combination has a slower fire rate but, with a single trigger pull, you can switch between the two shotguns to increase damage output to opponents at different distances. Accurate but slow pump shots – which are the second shotgun hit in a combo sequence – can be used against enemies in the mid-range.

Dahjor is so confident this weapon pair will increase your efficiency and success rate that he published his 3rd tutorial focusing entirely on this combo on Mar 27, 2021 entitled “The best double pump combo! pump and tac for beginners! (A Detailed Guide)” Although the pump and tac combo has been replaced by the pump and lever action shotgun since Fortnite Chapter 2, Season 8, the same dual-use principles apply.

Heavy Shotgun

The Heavy Shotgun deals 73 damage per shot when only running and 116 damage per shot when also jumping while being midrange. The Heavy Shotgun is fully automatically fire and cycles about 1.5 seconds between shots making it the fastest firing shotgun.

The Heavy Shotgun is found in epic (purple) and legendary (gold) versions. The heavy shotgun, especially the legendary and epic variants, will make any player pay attention to your shots and make sure that they do not come close to you. The Heavy was vaulted in Chapter 2, Season 1 and Midas’ drum gun and Minigun were briefly unvaulted to give it a proper sendoff, but reappeared in Chapter 2, Season 4 for the Marvel-themed season. It exited the game on March 16, 2021.

How to Counter Double Pumping?

Countering double pumping in Fortnite is done with the following strategies:

1. Building and dodging: As double pumpers will be close to you, you must build and dodge most shots. Jump to the side frequently and build defenses to surprise the enemy.
2. Keep your distance: Weapons like the Burst Assault Rifle and the Heavy Assault Rifle are good for mid-range targets.
3. Avoid Close Combats: You may have to avoid close combats, but this does not allow the player to take responsible shots if the TTK (Time to Kill) of the weapon the player has in possession is less than 4 seconds. Make sure your inventory has ranged weapons against double pumping enemies.

Avioding close combat with these players is crucial. Keep your distance from them to drive them into a longer range battle where holding damage on multiple targets is harder with the double pump. Making mistakes while dodging pump shotgun shots up close is near fatal and counters the strategy of how to double pump, which is to take these types of engagements.

Few other points according to Fortnite professionals are that long-range weapons are effective against the standard double pump, as wasthe time is clear had written there is a clear chance for missing shots because of the financial penalty when it comes to the weapons. A more versatile weapon like SMGs or silencers can be helpful in blocking the double pump.

Keep Your Distance

The main point of double pumping is to maintain space between you and your opponent. Double pumping is effective because players can deal a high amount of damage in an instant, and it is optimal to stay out of an enemy’s effective range if they are carrying a shotgun. Once you’ve emptyed your gold pump, either go in for a quick build, quickly retreat to get out of their optimal firing range, or go pick up another gold pump if fighting in close quarters.

Build and Use Cover

Using Build and Use Cover is standard advice for playing effectively in Fortnite, and the same applies if you’re double shotgunning. Use Turbo Building to always be as easily protected as possible. If you’re trapped with no building materials, run away and look for a different entrance. This will be the number 1 priority when trying to maximize your damage with double pump as others in the game will likely also be running the same strategy. If you’re too easy to shoot because you’re not utilizing building and cover, you can actually be doing less effective damage than if you’re using a slow pump and rely on them being distracted without good cover. Fortnite Youtuber Calder recommends “Shooting then building, always, no excuse. Especially when you’re standing still in a base or by a cliff.”

Use Weapons with High Damage Output

Fortnite weapons with a high damage output can make the double pumping technique more effective. The following weapons have a high damage output among shotguns:

• Double Barrel deals 143/150/157 points of damage per shot.
• Charged Shotgun charges up to 200 points of damage when firing which can guarantee a knockdown with a single hit.
• Pump Shotgun deals 100-105 points of damage per shot.

Use Traps

Traps are small, deployable items that are used to either damage or eliminate enemies. When properly used with the double pump technique, a trap can quickly end a player that has survived sustained shotgun fire. A player can quickly deploy a trap after their shotgun clip runs out or when other methods of damage fail. The trapped player will almost always be eliminated once they are stuck for a massive 150 points of damage by the trap. The damaged player cannot immediately return to hiding or draw a weapon, and there is often not enough time to bandage wounds before the trap goes off. They must quickly deploy their own trap in the hopes of surviving the trap deployment failure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is double pumping in Fortnite?

Double pumping is a technique in Fortnite where players use two pump shotguns to rapidly shoot at an opponent, dealing massive damage.

How do I perform the double pump in Fortnite?

To perform the double pump, you will need two pump shotguns and a good sense of timing. After firing one shotgun, quickly switch to the other one and repeat the process.

Is double pumping still possible in Fortnite?

No, double pumping is no longer possible in Fortnite as it has been removed from the game due to being too overpowered.

Can I use any two shotguns for double pumping?

No, only pump shotguns can be used for double pumping in Fortnite. Other shotguns, such as tactical shotguns, do not have the same rate of fire and cannot be effectively used in double pumping.

What are the advantages of double pumping in Fortnite?

Double pumping allows players to deal high amounts of damage in a short amount of time, making it a popular technique for taking down opponents quickly.

Are there any disadvantages to using the double pump in Fortnite?

Yes, double pumping requires precise timing and quick reflexes, so it may take some practice to master. It also takes up two inventory slots, limiting the number of other weapons or items you can carry.