How to get Nitro in Fortnite – should you use it on yourself or your car?

✓ At a glance

Nitro in Fortnite

• Nitro is a buff that can be applied to either yourself or a vehicle
• It grants increased movement speed, decreased fuel/stamina consumption, and increased reload speed for weapons
• We recommend using Nitro on yourself over a vehicle as it’s more useful in combat

Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 3 is here and it’s brought a massive update centred around all sorts of vehicles, and what would a car-themed update be without Nitro? Well Epic Games know what’s up, and they’ve added Nitro to the game in this update, but not in a way that you’re probably used to.

We’ve put together this guide to tell you what you need to know about Nitro in Season 3. That includes what it is and how it works, how you can find it in-game, and what the benefits are so you know if it’s worth using at all.

What is Nitro in Fortnite?

Nitro is a perk that you can get to infuse yourself or your vehicles with some handy perks. If you choose to use Nitro on a car, you’ll receive the following benefits:

• Increased driving speed
• Ramming deals massive damage and knockback (if driving fast enough)
• Decreased fuel consumption
• Attached attack mods are buffed

Alternatively, if you choose to use Nitro on yourself, you’ll receive these benefits:

• Increased movement speed
• Can deal damage and knockback from running into players and buildings
• Decreased stamina consumption, letting you sprint for longer
• Increased reload speed
• Immunity to fall damage

Where to get Nitro in Fortnite

The best way to get Nitro is by defeating Megalo Don and getting his Medallion. This will give you infinite Nitro, meaning the perk won’t ever run out as long as you have it in your inventory. Additionally, all of the cars of his Wasteland Warriors have infinite Nitro, making it the best option if you can take them all down.

But if you would rather get your Nitro without a fight, there are still ways you can do that. There are Nitro Splash canisters found all throughout the map that give you a small amount of Nitro and shields. And just like there are barrels that give you shields, some Nitro barrels can give you Nitro instead.

Should you use Nitro on yourself or on your car?

This comes down to personal preference, but we would recommend using Nitro on yourself instead of on a car. The movement buffs from the faster movement speed and decreased stamina consumption mean you can travel around much more easily, and will have an advantage over players without Nitro in a fight.

Additionally, damage and knockback from running will let you charge into players and buildings to disrupt them, while increased reload speed will give you a huge advantage in longer fights. And lastly, the lack of fall damage is handy, especially when using the Nitro Fists‘ aerial attacks.

That isn’t to say you should never use Nitro on your car. If playing in a group, it might be a good idea to have one player use Nitro on a car while the others use it on themselves. That way you can get the benefits of a vehicle without losing out on what makes Nitro so good in combat.

Additionally, plenty of players have found that using a car with mods to boost defence can give you a huge boost against other players, so if you feel comfortable using vehicles then it might be worth using your Nitro on your car, just be careful not to get caught out if your vehicle is destroyed.