Top 10 Rarest Pickaxes in Fortnite

Embrace your inner Fortnite aficionado by taking a look at some of the rarest pickaxes in Fortnite.

Image via: Epic Games

Epic Games allows you to have a high degree of customization related to your aesthetics and skins in Fortnite. One such area is the pickaxe, where several cosmetic skins for the tool have been released over the years. As with any game, some skins are more challenging than others. This article covers the rarest pickaxes in Fortnite.

The pickaxe is an essential mechanic in the game, allowing you to mine and break materials. It also acts as a last resort to damage enemies if you are out of options. While the skins do not change the efficiency or mechanics of the pickaxe in any way, they do modify the appearance quite a bit. These skins can be acquired by completing challenges, buying them using V-bucks, or through the battle pass in Fortnite.

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The 10 Rarest Pickaxes in Fortnite

10. Pulse Axe

The Pulse Axe is the first pickaxe to be added to a Fortnite Battle Pass. It was available as part of the battle pass for Fortnite Season 2. Since this harvesting tool was part of the battle pass of an OG season, not many players could acquire it. The pickaxe has also not returned since its first appearance in Season 2.

The only people with this harvesting tool in their arsenal have been playing the game since its conception. Hence, this is one of the rarest pickaxes in Fortnite.

9. Armature

The Armature is an uncommon Pickaxe in Fortnite that debuted in January 2019. The pickaxe was part of the Tech Ops set and could be bought from the store for 500 V-bucks. The tool was featured in the store for nearly a month before disappearing, never to be seen again. Considering that fewer players directly purchase items from the shop than owning the battle pass, the Armature is even rarer to find in Fortnite than the Pulse Axe.

8. Drumbeat

The Drumbeat was first introduced in the in-game shop in September of 2018. The pickaxe had the same cost as the armature at 500 V-bucks. However, what makes this pickaxe stand out is that, compared to the Armature’s month-long tenure in the shop, the Drumbeat was only available for purchase for two days. It reappeared for a day in November of that year but was never seen again. Its 3-day availability makes this one of the rarest pickaxes in Fortnite.

7. Pot o’ Gold

This cloverleaf-shaped pickaxe was first introduced on St. Patrick’s Day in 2018. This epic pickaxe cost 1200 V-bucks to purchase from the store. While the item has reappeared numerous times in Fortnite, most recently in 2023, The high cost has still averted many players from buying it and continues to be a rare-found item.

6. AC/DC

This voltage-themed pickaxe appeared in Chapter 1, Season 2’s battle pass in 2017. While the name might imply its relation to the popular band, it’s simply a wordplay on the pickaxe’s electrical theme. Players had to reach tier 63 to unlock the pickaxe, which makes it rarer than some of the other battle-pass pickaxes on this list. The skin was never seen again after its appearance in Season 2.

5. Pointer

While this pickaxe was available for three months, from July to September 2018, its limited geographical availability makes it one of the rarest. The pickaxe was introduced to the game as a promotional activity and was only available to Fortnite players in China. Players on Tencent’s Wegame platform could redeem this pickaxe by watching Battle Royale on the Huya platform for one hour per day for three days.

4. Stealth Angular

Stealth Angular Axe — Image via: Epic Games

In 2018, Fortnite ran a promotional offer along with NVIDIA. Epic Games gave out free cosmetic items to players who purchased NVIDIA graphic cards, desktops, and laptops from November 29th onwards of that year. The Stealth Angular Axe was one of the promised items in this offer. What degraded the rarity was Epic re-introducing the item in the Fortnite store for 500 V-bucks. This outraged players who had spent hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars purchasing NVIDIA items to get this exclusive skin in the famous battle royale.

3. Permafrost

The Permafrost is an epic pickaxe that remains one of Fortnite’s rarest to date. Players had to fulfill several conditions to obtain this pickaxe in the game. First, they had to purchase the Season 5 battle pass and reach tier 100 to complete it. They also needed to complete at least four Ragnarok challenges that were ongoing at the time by obtaining 250,000 XP.

Acquiring such a high amount of XP in a single season is no easy task. Thus, despite being a free pickaxe in the game, it remains one of the rarest, as only the most dedicated Fortnite players got a chance to use it. The pickaxe was part of the Harbinger set in the game. The pickaxe sports a medieval look, partially encased in ice and emitting a blue aura.

2. Raider’s Revenge

This epic pickaxe sported a rugged look and was part of the Storm Scavenger Set. While this epic pickaxe did not require as much effort to unlock as some of the previous entries on this list, it continues to be one of the rarest pickaxes in Fortnite due to the circumstances of its launch. The pickaxe was released early in the game’s lifecycle.

You could only purchase this pickaxe from the seasonal shop if you had attained level 35 in Season One. Additionally, the pickaxe cost 1500 V-bucks to buy. At the time of the pickaxe’s release, not many fans were playing the game dedicatedly enough to reach a high enough level to buy the pickaxe. Not many players were willing to spend that amount of money on the game then. The pickaxe was last seen over 2000 days ago.

1. FNCS Axe of Champions

The FNCS Axe of Champions is the hardest pickaxe to earn in Fortnite. It is awarded to the winners of the FNCS season, the premier tournament in Fortnite: Battle Royale. It is open to all players in the Champions League in Fortnite’s Ranked Mode, Arena. Once a new champion is crowned, the Axe is removed from the previous winners.

The tournament format changes almost every season, from solos, duos, trios, and squads. This means that only 1-4 players possess this weapon simultaneously. Hence, the FNCS Axe of Champions is, and always will be, the rarest pickaxe in Fortnite.