How to Pick an Epic Location for Your Fight Scene

Now, grab your swords, blasters, and bows and arrows, and let’s get started. 

1. Somewhere Meaningful to the Characters

One way to immediately give your fight scene a spike in intensity is to set it somewhere important, familiar, or meaningful to your characters. 

An example of this in an existing piece of media is the final duel between Zuko and Azula at the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This heightens the conflict between this, ahem, explosive duo because the location reminds them that they are dueling in their home: the palace where they grew up. 

By setting Zuko’s final battle in a familiar arena, the writers of ATLA heightened the stakes of the fight by reminding Zuko how much he has to lose. His character arc has centered for so long on finding his family’s approval, and facing off with his sister in what used to be their home makes the climactic duel all the more compelling. It’s subtle, but effective. 

In your own writing, then, how would you apply this principle? Perhaps, in a similar vein to our favorite banished prince Zuko, you could remind them of what they’re fighting for by setting the battle near their home. Perhaps the villain’s sidekick shows up at your hero’s family farm, and the threat of destruction of your hero’s home pushes them into a scuffle. Or perhaps the epic showdown takes place where the story started, and thus brings the characters back to the beginning. 

Thus, setting the fight somewhere with meaning charges the action with emotional subtext, and gives your characters an added layer of something to lose. 

2. Somewhere Full of Obstacles

One iconic example of a fight scene in cinema is the initial encounter between Inigo Montoya and Westley in The Princess Bride. Aside from the witty banter and eye-catching choreography, what makes this duel interesting?

One answer: the rocky terrain, and the intimidating edge of the Cliffs of Despair looming in the background. 

As a viewer, you clutch at the edge of your seat, constantly worried if Inigo or Westley will trip and fall. The filmmakers did an excellent job of letting the terrain shape the movement of the battle, as the rocky ground works both for and against the two combatants.

Ultimately, the location itself becomes an obstacle for both of the characters to fight against, not just each other. 

Another example of this principle is the final showdown between Anakin and Obi-Wan in The Revenge of the Sith. Having literal rivers of lava flowing around the characters makes for a hair-raising duel, don’t you think? Same thing with the brief but iconic wrestling match between Frodo and Gollum in The Return of the King. The ever-present danger of a hostile environment heightens the intensity of the combat itself. 

So, in your own writing? Throw some dangerous surroundings in the mix. Force your hero to cut their way through underbrush or around quicksand or above a swirling pool of lava whilst trying to evade the villain’s attacks. 

3. Somewhere with a Ticking Time Bomb

Though this point is very closely related to my previous one, it has an extra dash of spice added to the metaphorical dish. If the terrain is already fighting against your characters, why not ramp up the intensity a few degrees further by giving your characters a limited time frame? Your characters must then finish the fight before time runs out or face dire consequences. 

Now, to illustrate what I mean by this, I will be pulling from one of my favorite video games: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. (Yes, video games are a valid form of storytelling; change my mind, I dare you. Also, spoilers for Uncharted 4 if you haven’t played it.)

For those of you unfamiliar with the game, Uncharted 4 follows protagonist Nathan Drake’s search for legendary pirate treasure. The final battle of the game finds Nathan trapped in the treasure hold of a ship, challenged to a swordfight by his partner-turned-rival. And, just as a side note, this ship is sinking and on fire.

To use my earlier metaphor, this location makes for an incredibly spicy fight scene. 

Nathan has an incredibly limited amount of time to defeat his assailant, get out of the sinking ship, and find the rest of his treasure-hunting team, never mind save the fabled treasure hoard. Each clash of the swords echoes with the knowledge that time is running out.

Plus, I mean, come on. Having a fight scene happen on a sinking pirate ship (which is, lest we forget, also on fire) is pretty awesome. A heavy sprinkling of downright coolness is rarely a bad thing.

Moving away from my love of Uncharted 4 into a more writing-related example, let’s say your hero is about to defuse a Big Scary Doomsday Contraption. You know the ones—they always have a countdown clock going somewhere. She’s almost finished deactivating the device, but bam—the villain arrives, lab coat flapping dramatically behind him. Besides “defeat the villain,” the ensuing altercation has another goal: “defeat the villain before time runs out.” 

4. Somewhere Inconvenient

Have you ever had something happen to you that was just downright inconvenient? Like getting an important phone call in the middle of a cafeteria line, or realizing you left your computer charger in your dorm room and have to walk alllllll the way back up the hill to get it? (As someone who goes to college in East Tennessee, a.k.a. A Place With Too Many Hills To Count, this is a frequent obstacle my colleagues face.)

While I imagine that you have most definitely experienced this, dear writer—we’re all human, after all—have you considered adding this frustrating element of day-to-day life to a fight scene?

Imagine with me for a moment: your hero is strolling down his school’s hallway, and along walks his arch nemesis: the school bully, and he’s looking for a fight. The one problem, aside from the incoming punch-out? The hero realizes he’s walked right in front of the principal’s office. And so, by making the location of an otherwise ordinary fight scene inconvenient for our poor hero, you have opened the door for even more conflict to fill the subsequent pages. 

The original Toy Story illustrates this in a tussle between Woody and Buzz. In this brief scene, the two characters fight in and around Andy’s car. When action knocks them out of the vehicle, the location becomes incredibly inconvenient because Andy drives away, leaving the two toys stranded at a gas station.  

5. Somewhere Unexpected

Last, but definitely not least, consider setting your fight scene somewhere unexpected. 

Have your characters bump into a gaggle of goons in an ice cream parlor. Let the villain show up behind the bleachers at a soccer game. Not only will this throw your reader a curveball, but it will provide an interesting, perhaps incongruous backdrop to what would otherwise be an ordinary fight scene. 

For instance, in my current work-in-progress, I plan on having a riot break out during the middle of a civil wedding ceremony. (Don’t ask. Actually, do ask. I love talking about my novel.) In my carefully-laid machinations, the juxtaposition of the setting and the ensuing violence produces the confusion I’m seeking to evoke in both my characters and my future readers. 

The ending of The Incredibles displays this concept nicely. After the Incredibles defeat Syndrome’s Omnidroid, they rush back home to reunite with baby Jack-Jack. But unfortunately for the super-family, Syndrome is waiting for them in the middle of their kitchen. The unexpected nature of the Incredibles’ encounter with their arch-nemesis intensifies the action that follows.

Therefore, consider setting your fight scene in the last place your characters (and audience) expect. As long as it fits the tone of your story and makes sense within the world you’ve created, go nuts. 

In Conclusion

Unfortunately for my carefully-crafted outline, your story is unique, and thus the situations leading up to each scene, fight or otherwise, are different. That is why these five ideas are intentionally open-ended—it’s up to you, dear writer, to choose if or how you wish to incorporate them. However, I hope that I’ve at least helped get your creative gears spinning with a few fresh ideas for your WIP. 

And on that note, dear writer, pick up your pen (because it is indeed mightier than the sword), go forth, and write the epic showdowns, duel of the fates, and battles of the ages your story deserves. I believe in you!

What tips and tricks do you like to use when plotting out your fight scenes?

What fight scenes in books, movies, or video games had the coolest locations?