Rarest Fortnite Pickaxes in 2026

Pickaxes get less attention than skins, but collectors still track them closely. Some sat in the Item Shop for a few days seven years ago and never came back. Others were tied to phones, prime subscriptions, or shut-down servers.

Rarity in Fortnite pickaxes comes down to four things. How the item was obtained (Battle Pass, shop, hardware promo, region exclusive, or competitive prize). The size of the availability window. Whether it ever returned. And how early in Fortnite’s lifespan it dropped, since a 2017 cosmetic exists on a much smaller pool of accounts than anything from 2022.

The single rarest pickaxe in Fortnite right now is the Axe of Champions 3.0. It is the active FNCS competitive prize, currently held only by championship-winning trios from the 2025 Global in Lyon, with rotating ownership for new winning duos in 2026. How the item was obtained (Battle Pass, shop, hardware promo, region exclusive, or competitive prize). The size of the availability window. Whether it ever returned. And how early in Fortnite’s lifespan it dropped, since a 2017 cosmetic exists on a much smaller pool of accounts than anything from 2022.

Top 10 Rarest Pickaxes in Fortnite

The order below reflects current 2026 availability and account ownership pool, not historical shop history alone.One important note before the list. The OG Season Shop returned in late 2024, and Epic has since re-released several previously “untouchable” items including Raider’s Revenge. That changed the rarity meta. The ranking below reflects what is actually scarce on May 5, 2026, not what was scarce in 2022.

10. Crowbar

Release date: September 6, 2018 (Chapter 1 Season 5).

How it was obtained: Earned for free by completing High Stakes Challenges in the limited-time Getaway mode. It was never sold for V-Bucks.

Last Seen: March 2019.

The Crowbar returned once in March 2019 when High Stakes Challenges ran a second time, but it has been gone ever since. It was never sold for V-Bucks. Part of the Getaway Gang set, it pairs with the Wild Card outfit and still has a strong “sweaty player” reputation in the community.

9. Leviathan Axe

Release date: December 4, 2020 (Chapter 2 Season 5).

How it was obtained: Sold in the Item Shop for 1,000 V-Bucks standalone or 2,200 V-Bucks as part of the Kratos Bundle.

Last Seen: March 19, 2021.

This was the first Gaming Legends Series pickaxe in Fortnite. It also has a built-in emote and a reactive frost effect that builds up on every hit. The likely reason it has not returned is the licensing situation between Epic and Sony around PlayStation-exclusive characters, though dataminers have spotted the Kratos Bundle in the shop API more than once without an actual release.

8. Diamond Jack

Release date: April 22, 2020 (Travis Scott Astronomical event).

How it was obtained: Purchased in the Item Shop for 800 V-Bucks or 2,000 V-Bucks in the Astroworld Cyclone bundle.

Last Seen: April 27, 2020.

The Diamond Jack appeared in the shop only six times across that one week and has been absent since. The most likely reason for its disappearance is licensing and brand sensitivity following the 2021 Astroworld Festival incident, though Epic has never officially confirmed why it was pulled. There is no clear path to a return.

7. Instigator

Release date: March 29, 2018.

How it was obtained: Free reward for linking an active Twitch Prime (Amazon Prime Gaming) subscription to an Epic Games account.

Last Seen: Late 2018 (when Twitch Prime Pack 1 expired).

The Instigator has a tactical military design that pairs with the Havoc and Sub Commander outfits from the same pack. The Twitch Prime Pack 1 promotion ended in late 2018 and has not been offered again, which makes this one of the cleanest examples of a permanently expired promotional item.

6. Permafrost

Release date: July 12, 2018 (Chapter 1 Season 5).

How it was obtained: Unlocked via Ragnarok Challenges after reaching the Ragnarok skin in the Season 5 Battle Pass.

Last Seen: End of Season 5.

It is part of the Harbinger set and has a medieval, ice-encased blade design. Battle Pass items do not return to the shop. That locks the Permafrost permanently to accounts active in mid-2018 that owned and progressed through Season 5.

5. AC/DC

Release date: December 14, 2017 (Chapter 1 Season 2).

How it was obtained: Tier 63 reward in the Chapter 1 Season 2 Battle Pass.

Last Seen: February 2018.

The AC/DC is shaped like an electric guitar with a lightning crackle on every swing. Season 2 ran from December 2017 to February 2018, when Fortnite Battle Royale was barely two months old and the player base was a tiny fraction of today’s. That release window is why this is the rarest Battle Pass pickaxe still in circulation.

4. Stellar Axe

Release date: November 2018.

How it was obtained: Exclusive to owners of a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 or Galaxy Tab S4 during the promotional window.

Last Seen: Late 2018.

The pickaxe has a cosmic, star-flecked design that matches the Galaxy skin from the same promotion. The promotion closed in late 2018, and Samsung-exclusive Fortnite cosmetics have never been re-released through any other channel. Without the right hardware bought in the right window, this one stays out of reach.

3. Power Grip

Release date: Late 2018 (Chapter 1 Season 5).

How it was obtained: Free promotional reward exclusive to the Fortnite China client.

Last Seen: November 15, 2021 (when Fortnite China servers shut down).

Fortnite China shut down its servers permanently on November 15, 2021. Anyone who did not play on the Chinese client during the active period has no way to get the Power Grip today. The pool of accounts that owns it is fixed and shrinking.

2. Pointer

Release date: Late 2018.

How it was obtained: Free reward exclusive to players on the Chinese client.

Last Seen: November 15, 2021.

Same situation as the Power Grip. Servers offline since November 2021. No path to obtain it on the current global Fortnite client. Pointer and Power Grip together are the two cleanest examples of region-locked items frozen out of existence by a server closure.

1. Rarest Fortnite Pickaxe — The Axe of Champions 3.0

Release date: September 7, 2025.

How it was obtained: Awarded as a competitive trophy to FNCS Global Championship winners.

Last Seen: Currently active with rotating ownership among top-tier competitive winners in 2026.

The Axe of Champions 3.0 is the next iteration after the 2.0 version, which was eventually released in the Item Shop in September 2024 for 1,200 V-Bucks. For 2026, Epic has confirmed that winning duos in each FNCS region will receive the 3.0 for the following Battle Royale season, so ownership rotates rather than staying with the original three holders. 

That still keeps the pool extremely small. Epic has not confirmed any Item Shop release for the 3.0 yet, so as of May 2026, this is the rarest pickaxe in active Fortnite. For tournament context, the official Fortnite Competitive page on fortnite.com tracks all current FNCS rules.

Honorable mention

A few rare pickaxes worth knowing about, but with caveats.

• Raider’s Revenge — Released October 26, 2017, as a Chapter 1 Season 1 Season Shop item priced at 1,500 V-Bucks (unlocked at Level 35). For years it was the standard answer to “rarest pickaxe in Fortnite.” That changed when the OG Season Shop returned in December 2024, and Raider’s Revenge re-appeared as recently as January 2026. It is still rare, but not in the same tier as it once was.
• Merry Mint Axe — Released December 14, 2019, distributed only through codes packaged with physical Fortnite merchandise sold at GameStop and other licensed retailers in late 2019. Codes expired in 2020, and the axe has not been re-released. Original code packaging now sells on collector markets for noticeable prices.
• Frozen Axe — Released December 19, 2018, as a free reward from the 14 Days of Fortnite challenges. The challenge required players to thank the bus driver across multiple matches. The event ran until January 14, 2019, and has never been repeated.
• Trusty No. 2 — Released June 19, 2018, as a Tier 79 reward in the Chapter 1 Season 3 Battle Pass. Part of the Hired Gun set. Like all Battle Pass cosmetics, it cannot be earned again outside the season it came from.
• Axehammer — A Save the World reward locked behind reaching Commander Level 275 in PvE. The grind alone keeps the ownership count low, and Save the World is no longer sold to new players, which adds a second wall.

How to obtain rare Pickaxes in 2026?

None of the pickaxes on the main list can be earned through normal Fortnite gameplay in 2026. The Battle Pass items (AC/DC, Permafrost) are locked to their seasons. The challenge rewards (Crowbar, Frozen Axe) ended years ago. The promotional items (Stellar Axe, Instigator, Merry Mint Axe) had their windows close. The China-exclusive pickaxes (Pointer, Power Grip) became unobtainable when Fortnite China shut down on November 15, 2021. The Axe of Champions 3.0 belongs to active FNCS winners.

There are two options worth knowing about. First, watch the Item Shop. The Diamond Jack and Leviathan Axe both technically could return if Epic re-negotiates the relevant licenses. Item shop history is tracked in real time on community sites like fortnite.gg, which is the closest thing to an authoritative database for shop appearances. Second, watch upcoming FNCS cycles. The Axe of Champions 3.0 may eventually reach the shop the way the 2.0 did, though Epic has not confirmed a date.

A third option that gets mentioned often is buying a Fortnite account that already has the cosmetic. This needs an honest warning. Buying, selling, or sharing an Epic Games account is against Epic’s Terms of Service, and there are real risks involved: account recovery by the original owner, scams, loss of access, or a permanent ban on the account itself. If you are still interested in marketplaces that list Fortnite accounts with rare cosmetics, treat any listing as carrying that risk and read the seller’s terms in full before paying. There is no fully safe way to obtain a vaulted pickaxe today.

The most honest answer for most readers is simple. If you missed the window, you missed the window. Track the shop, follow Epic’s announcements, and watch what happens with the Axe of Champions 3.0 later in 2026.