New Setting in Fortnite: Simple Edit

The new Simple Edit feature became available with Chapter 6. As someone who has spent hundreds of hours building and editing in Fortnite, I know how steep the learning curve is, especially for newer players or those who just stick to Zero Build mode. With Simple Edit that's no longer the case, making Fortnite’s build mechanics more accessible to noobs.

How to Enable Simple Edit in Fortnite

Easy. Just follow the steps below to start using the Simple Edit feature.

1. Go to Settings.
2. Navigate to the Game tab under the Building section.
3. Turn on Simple Edit.
4. (Optional) Enable Tap to Simple Edit for even faster performance and minimal delays.

How Does It Work?

Simple Edit is exactly what it sounds like: a simpler way to edit builds. It allows you to do edits with a single button press, skipping the step of selecting edits manually. Think of it as an auto-editing shortcut: the location of your crosshair decides which edit it will make on your build.

However, there's still room for error. As the system relies heavily on where your crosshair is positioned, being slightly off can result in unintended edits. It’s not perfect, but for most players, it’s a massive improvement in build and editing speed.

Who Is Simple Edit For?

This feature is a blessing for beginners and casual players that struggles with Fortnite’s traditional editing. If you avoid building modes because the skill ceiling is too high, and you're immediately outclassed by fast builders, then Simple Edit is for you.

Great for players using controllers

I was reading a Reddit thread on the topic and as a PC player I had never considered the difficulty of fast editing with a controller. Seems like the console and controller players are in agreement: the new Simple Edit makes building and editing so much easier, and less painful for your wrists and hands.

Here's more tips and tricks on how to improve your Fortnite builds on console the good old way, written by my brother Adan.

A pro's perspective on Simple Edit

That said, pro players and those who prefer advanced, precise edits will find it limiting because around half the edit options are not available with Simple Edit. For newer players though, these limitations won’t really matter, as they’re not edits commonly used by beginners anyway. 

In other words, the skill ceiling for Simple Edit is low, but you'll eventually feel "skill capped" compared to regular builders due to the lack of edit options. It's possible that Epic Games will add more "crosshair locations" for more simple edit options, and that will certainly piss off the skilled players that stick to regular editing. I get angry even thinking about it. Please Epic, don't tell me that my hundreds of hours practising in Creative Mode was all for nothing. I'm definitely not alone feeling like this.

Either way, in official competitive matches the Simple Edit setting is not allowed. What's your opinion on this? Let us know on our Discord server!

Is Simple Editing allowed in tournaments?

No, the Fortnite tournaments that you find and play directly in the game does not allow Simple Editing as of now. However, knowing how greedy Epic Games are and the fact that Simple Edit is prone to bring more casual players to the mix, it's easy to predict that Simple Edit will eventually be allowed in those tournaments.

If you want to use Simple Edit in a competitive setting today, you'll have to find a third party website that organize tournaments and cash matches between players.

Ever heard of GameChampions? Wink wink ;)

My Personal Take

As someone who has spent countless hours perfecting my edits, I first saw Simple Edit as a gimmick. But after testing it, I can see its value. It’s not for everyone, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a tool for players who want to enjoy the building and editing in Fortnite without the steep learning curve.

I won’t be using it myself because I prefer the extra control of traditional editing, but I appreciate how this feature lowers the skill barrier, making building and editing in Fortnite more inclusive, especially for console players. On PC, I'm confident that I will almost always win a 1v1 against someone that is using Simple Edit when our overall skill level is similar. Their editing is more predictable with the limited build options, giving me an edge.

However, for players transitioning from Zero Build or just starting out, this is a game-changer. 

But let's see how this setting evolves, because Epic Games also recently removed the editing delay for Simple Edit and they're likely to continue tweaking it. Stay tuned!