Fortnite: How to deal melee damage to opponents

Despite Fortnite being a battle royale game that focuses on gun-play for the most part, there are times when melee weapons must be used. For this very reason, Epic Games introduced the Shockwave Hammer in Chapter 4 Season 1.

Players can use it to 'thump' their opponents into the dust or send them flying into oblivion (or The Storm). With the season concluding and the medieval theme transitioning to a futuristic-Japanese theme, the Shockwave Hammer is likely to be vaulted.

Before that can occur, the developers are trying to coax players into using it one last time and deal 200 melee damage to opponents in Fortnite. That said, here are a few easy ways to complete the challenge.

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A step-by-step guide on how to deal melee damage to opponents in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1

1) Find and use a Shockwave Hammer to deal melee damage

It's easy to find a Shockwave Hammer this late in the season (Image via Epic Games/Fortnite)

Finding the Shockwave Hammer in the current phase of the season is a cakewalk. The spawn rate of the weapon is fairly high and it can be found just about anywhere. Aside from the usual Oathbound Chests and Capture Points, they can also be found lying about on the ground.

Players can find them by simply eliminating opponents in combat, however, that is, only if they have it in their inventory. For those up to the task or feeling like taking on an NPC Boss, they can always fight The Ageless Champion to acquire the Ageless Champion's Shockwave Hammer.

In the hands of an expert, the Shockwave Hammer can be used to achieve a solo 'squad-wipe' (Image via Epic Games/Fortnite)

Once the weapon has been secured, the next step is to deal damage. This is the tricky part. Since players have to get close ENOUGH to their opponents to hit them with the Shockwave Hammer, it's easy to panic when coming under fire on the approach.

For this reason, it's always smarter to use the item's secondary ability to close the gap before slamming to the ground and dealing melee damage to opponents. If timed correctly, players can deal over 100 damage per hit.

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2) Use the Harvesting Tool to deal melee damage

Whip out your Harvesting Tool and deal damage to opponents that have been knocked down (Image via Epic Games/Fortnite)

The alternative method to deal melee damage without using a Shockwave Hammer is rather low-tech, but it's one of the most popular choices in the game. Much like how the Harvesting Tool can be used to break builds and gather resources, it can also be used to inflict melee damage on opponents.

However, given that it's more of a utility tool than a weapon, the damage dealt per hit is capped at 20. Of course, this doesn't mean that it cannot be used to eliminate an opponent, but the time taken to do so is extremely high. Within that time frame, opponents can whip out a shotgun or SMG and make short work of their attacker.

A safe way to use the Harvesting Tool to deal melee damage is by first knocking out the opponent using traditional weapons. Once disarmed and on their knees, players can spend their sweet time dealing melee damage using the Harvesting Tool. At times, rushing opponents that are unaware of their surroundings could also work out. However, if their teammate is nearby, the attack might end badly.

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Note: The aforementioned method only works in modes where there's more than one player per team.