Mastering the Crouch in Fortnite for Nintendo Switch: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you a fan of Fortnite on your Nintendo Switch but struggling with crouching controls?

We discuss the importance of crouching in Fortnite and guide you on how to master this essential move on your Nintendo Switch.

From using default controls to customizing your settings, we cover everything you need to know.

Find out the benefits of crouching, learn some tips for strategic gameplay, and enhance your gaming experience on the Nintendo Switch.

What Is Fortnite?

Fortnite is a world-famous and highly popular fight-to-the-death online multiplayer game. Players can participate in solo rounds, or they can team up with one or more friends to face off together or against other groups. Anyone with the need to test their skills in a high-intensity environment against other gamers should find plenty of opportunities in Fortnite.

What Is Crouching in Fortnite?

Crouching in Fortnight is the action of moving the character to a lower, crouched stance, to more safely navigate the game environment in a way that lowers sound and bullet hit exposure.

This movement is distinct from lying flat, defined as a prone position which further decreases the player’s visual profile for minimized sound and bullet hit exposure while also further slightly reducing the move speed of the character. Players who are more exposed may eventually choose to crouch for additional protection while moving rapidly to another location.

Why Is Crouching Important in Fortnite?

Crouching in Fortnite offers more maneuverability and precision when shooting enemies at long range and increases accuracy when shooting RARs. Crouching also reduces weapon sway for guns, making them easier to control during rapid fire. Fortnite players who frequently get into close to medium range fights can benefit from decreased hitbox size if they crouch during these engagements. Beyond these benefits, crouching in Fortnite with a quick crouch can be highly versatile, enabling players to crouch and walk and even drop off ledges or cliffs without taking fall damage.
Players can also use crouching as a way to rapidly peek up or out of structures, cover, or just to hide in tall grass or dip their head in water to avoid detection.

How To Crouch in Fortnite?

In Fortnite, players can crouch by using the C, Ctrl, or Z buttons on the keyboard, by pressing the right analog or the left analog stick according to the console they are using, or by dragging the icon down in the HUD. Crouching in Fortnite is accessible to both mobile and console gamers. On the higher-performing PlayStation, Xbox, and PC systems, crouching adds a level of skill to the game, while on touchscreen devices and less powerful systems, its gameplay function is minimal.

On the Switch, players can crouch by pressing the right analog on the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller while in handheld mode, or pressing the left analog as a button three times while in console mode.

Using the Default Controls

To crouch in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch while using the default controls, lightly tilt the right analog stick down. As the default settings adopt a twilight-esque form of crouching where a character contorts their body at a strange angle, remember this may put your character at a disadvantage. When you are playing Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch, the default controls are locked and you don’t have the ability to reconfigure them.

Customizing Controls

There is no in-built crouching feature in Fortnite for Nintendo Switch so one way to crouch is remapping the Slash Building Option key or other non-useful keys to enable crouching. To do this, refer to the advanced settings of your Switch to change the button triggers. You can also use external customizable controllers such as the popular Elite Series 2 Controller or Razer Wolverine Ultimate controllers. Customize the paddles to perform whatever action you need, such as crouching.

How To Crouch in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch?

To crouch in Fortnite with a Nintendo Switch, make sure that you are using this mapping for standard controller layout called Type A: press either the Right joystick or ZR shoulder button to crouch. The right joystick can be pressed by pressing down on it, otherwise known as the R3 button on some platforms, whereas the ZR button is on the top right shoulder of the controller and is always called ZR whether you are looking at it directly or seeing a digital clone of the controller in the key-binding menu.

The ZR button is particularly good for crouching as it allows you to continue with regular jumping and shooting and not have to stretch a finger across the back of the controller to press it while still continuing to use the left joystick to move.

Using the Joy-Con Controllers

The tiny Joy-Con controllers can be used on their own, attached to the Grip controller holder, or slid onto the sides of a Nintendo Switch. Crouching with the Joy-Cons is done by using either the Left or Right Analog Stick (default setting) or the Jump Key (Builder Pro setting), the same way the switch is meant to move around with in the game.

In the default setting, move your fingers to the Left Analog Stick (directional clicker on the left side) down to make your character crouch. In the Builder Pro setting, move your fingers to the Spacebar Key (Mines/Materials Key) on the right Joy-Con and click it down to crouch. This is the best method for crouching with a Nintendo Switch because it is located in a more easily accessible location than the Joy-Con sticks.

Using the Pro Controller

The Pro Controller is a special controller for the Nintendo Switch that includes buttons and joysticks layouts that mimic classic game controllers like the Xbox and PlayStation. It is also able to make use of the full range of buttons available in these classic controller types. To crouch while playing Fortnite using a Pro Controller for the Nintendo Switch, you use the right joystick to navigate through menus to the Input Settings option before enabling the Crouch button feature.

Using the Nintendo Switch in Handheld Mode

While utilizing the Nintendo Switch Crouch Switch's motion controls in handheld mode the user benefits from the same convenience and ease as when crouching in docked mode.

Flip the Switch Epic controller into handheld mode and take advantage of its gyro sensors. These are used as a team player to add an extra layer of physical motion for the motivated player who may benefit from it while engaging with the Nintendo Switch of Motion Retrofitting.

What Are The Benefits of Crouching in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch?

The benefits of crouching in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch are to be a harder target, potentially gain accuracy, move somewhat more quietly, and build faster. Crouching and strafing while in combat makes for a harder target if the opponent returns fire. Crouching increases weapon accuracy, is quieter, and reduces the player’s profile which can result in both faster building and less likelihood of taking damage when under fire.

When and how much to crouch is a key component of overall Fortnite strategy. Crouching, particularly when sniping or in one-on-one combat, is a vital component of reducing one’s noticeable targets, communicated eloquently by the phrase, make yourself small, in order to evade elimination and to deal maximum damage.

Not every situation is the same and as such, determining the correct time to crouch is one that every player will need to make on the battlefield decision at the time. Players must constantly be aware that crouching leaves them vulnerable and thus should only crouch when they know they are hidden and protected, otherwise it allows the enemy to easily spot and eliminate them. Crouching while behind cover and against walls (strafing) is a good way to prevent snipers from seeing, and thus targeting players. However, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer as there are numerous factors that must go into the decision to crouch and when. Individual circumstances of health, equipment, location, and strategy will determine the decision. A player should not crouch because it is beneficial or avoid crouching because it turns them into a more stationary target. The game is too complex for that.

Improved Accuracy

Crouching delivers improved accuracy in Fortnite. According to Frameratekeeper.com, crouching moves a character’s Camera FOV down, allowing players to use it immediately after landing to improve their accuracy further. Due to the slow walking speed as compared to the usual, crouching makes it easier to shoot at an enemy who is walking or running aimlessly or unexpectedly. To trigger the feature, simply drag the crouch button to the aim button. This feature is achieved by the character’s crouch and move style and quicker direction change.

In the battleground of Fortnite, there is hardly any likelihood of a zoom-in mode equivalent to GTA 5. Most Fortnite players do not realize that when the crouch button is held down or tapped, it allows for a more focused shot than just being stationary. It also helps in reducing a player’s headshot sector. A player must be extremely dexterous and agile to take advantage of the positioning and accuracy assist provided by the crouch feature without sacrificing overall flexibility in fighting in Fortnite.

Better Stealth

The basic rules of Fortnite on the Nintendo Switch are the same as other platforms. Therefore the reasons for crouching in Fortnite on the Switch are the same as for other platforms. According to a Forbes article by Dave Thier, the most important reason for crouching is that it improves aim. The other reasons for crouching are better stealth, to confuse enemies, and to reduce if not eliminate recoil.

Using the Nintendo Switch controller, left thumbstick is used to move while right thumbstick movement can help with tracking. Thus users switch between crouching for aim and stealth as needed. Crouching in Fortnite is done on the Nintendo Switch, the same way crouching is done on Fortnite mobile. Simply tap the running icon on the right side of the screen. This will instantly make the character crouch. To stop crouching, simply tap the crouch icon again.

Easier Movement

Movement can help you become harder to hit by enemies because Bumper Jumper allows you to easily jump while retaining full control over your camera – meaning you can jump and aim without letting go of your camera stick. Bounding around as you move may not be useful since it makes you an easier target if your opponent is a good shot.

Nonetheless, you are able to adjust your button layout so that moving around is fluid, including rolling and proning. Function Evade on the button that you use for building, and Extension #4 either on the button you use for jumping or for crouching to take full advantage of the new Control System until you find the most comfortable layout.

What Are The Tips for Crouching in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch?

These tips cover the Fortnite crouching experience on the Nintendo Switch:

1. Figure it out before you play seriously: Fortnite console players on Reddit were enraged at a prior crouching change because they were not able to play friendly matches after it was abruptly implemented without having the knowledge of a change. N64 closing used to be the right thumbstick button in 2018, but was abruptly changed without any warning in an update. So it is understandably frustrating for a user for the unbeknownst to them crouching settings or button to change.
2. Switch while in a safe place: If Fortnite switches your crouching button for some unforeseen reason after a major Fortnite update, then it might make sense to switch the button again until you have some more time to change your crouch button setting in the settings menu when you have more time and are not in a critical stage of play.
3. Test to see if you have two crouching options: Ferrarriboy135 on Reddit explained that Nintendo Switch has two options for crouching with the second one being only available in Combat Pro. Make sure you know how to crouch using Combat or Builder Pro. For Combat Pro, in the button settings menu, R3 might be the one for crouching, L1 the one for Repair/Upgrade, or vice versa.

Practice Using Different Control Methods

Practice different control methods to crouch. Find the controller layout that you are most comfortable crouching with. The default crouch buttons can be helpful for easy use, but others find them uncomfortable to use. Different key binds for crouch might help you find the one that is most comfortable for you. Experiment with the different control layouts and keybinds and choose the one that suits your unique style.

Use Headphones for Better Audio Cues

Using headphones with your Nintendo Switch console can help you crouch better in Fortnite by providing valuable audio cues. It can also help you hear enemies around you better in general which may allow you to crouch more effectively.

According to an article by the Pennsylvania State University, headphones can in general help with better callout communication, better target tracking, and ear protection. In Fortnite, players can gain an audio advantage over others by using headphones and adjusting their audio settings. This can help them hear approaching footsteps of other players who move forward without crouching.

Use Crouching Strategically

The mobility of the Nintendo Switch makes it suitable for crouching and hiding in various places in Fortnite to achieve W-key style (moving from one enemy to another quickly while dishing out continuous damage) or to reduce exposure in building fights. Crouching for a more stable camera while editing in close-quarters combats and during looting in Tilted Towers can be helpful because there are so many tight spots and items to move between. This segment from Seconds from Greatness gives some additional tips.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Crouch in Fortnite With a Nintendo Switch?

Crouching is an essential move in Fortnite, especially when you need to hide or take cover. On a Nintendo Switch, it may seem a little different from other gaming consoles, but it’s actually quite simple. Here are some frequently asked questions about how to crouch in Fortnite with a Nintendo Switch.

1. How do I crouch in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch?

To crouch in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch, simply press and hold down the right joystick. This will make your character crouch down, allowing you to move around while staying hidden.

2. Can I change the crouch button on my Nintendo Switch?

Yes, you can change the crouch button on your Nintendo Switch to a different button if you prefer. To do this, go to your controller settings in Fortnite and remap the right joystick to a different button of your choice.

3. Do I have to hold down the crouch button the entire time?

No, you don’t have to hold down the crouch button the entire time in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch. Once you press and hold it, your character will stay crouched until you release the button.

4. Why is crouching important in Fortnite?

Crouching is important in Fortnite because it allows you to move around while staying hidden. This can be useful when you need to take cover or sneak up on enemies without them noticing you.

5. Is there a way to crouch while aiming in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch?

Yes, you can crouch while aiming in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch. Press and hold down the right joystick to crouch, then use the left joystick to aim and shoot.

6. Can I crouch while building in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch?

Yes, you can crouch while building in Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch. Press and hold down the right joystick to crouch, then use the left joystick to move around and build structures.