We dig these flash Fortnite pickaxes

What are Fortnite pickaxes? When you get down to it, what really sets Fortnite apart is its blend of arcade feel with the battle royale genre and... that's basically it. Until you get to pickaxes, which allow you to not only destroy almost anything on the map around you, but also lets you harvest materials to build new structures.

Yes, the glorious pickaxe, breaker and builder of worlds, destroyer of cover, and the bane of my existence. Considering pickaxe skins come out just as fast as player-character skins, I figured it would be a good idea to show off the best Fortnite pickaxe skins we've gotten since the very beginning.

The best Fortnite pickaxes

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AC/DC

Your enemies will be thunderstruck with this pickaxe, excuse the pun. This design isn't too busy, which lots of pickaxes fall prey to, but you definitely won't mistake it when someone is swinging it at your head.

Astral

The closest you'll come to being Sailor Moon in Fortnite. In the name of the moon, punish those noobs.

Bitemark

Every parent knows what a nightmare these things are, especially when they're munching on your toes thanks to a hyperactive toddler... or significant other.

Branch Basher

Whether it's the dead of December or feeling like Texas in July, you can whip the holiday spirit into your opponents with this pickaxe.

Director's Cut

I love this one because it's not so much a pickaxe, it literally looks like an old timey director's camera tripod. All it's missing is an irish cap and a funny paper megaphone.

Driver

I've seen enough mobster movies to know that a golf driver is an incredibly deadly weapon, and you'll be shaving more than a stroke or two off your game.

Star Strike

Halo energy sword? Halo energy sword. Totally.

Peely Pick

Adding to the existential nightmare that is Peely's existence...

Razer Smash

There's a cuter version of this pickaxe, but when presented with the option, I'll always go for the more metal version.

Star Wars: Riot Control Baton

TRAITOR!

Scampi

1) These guys are cute

2) I'm really disturbed by the idea of repeatedly smashing two living things into walls and trees.

Six String Striker

Coco ain't got a thing on my KD ratio.

We'll be updating this pickaxe best-of list as more come out, but in the meantime, here's how to get one of the game's most coveted pickaxes.

How to get the Fortnite Minty pickaxe

One of Fortnite's most highly sought after items, the Minty pickaxe is no simple harvesting tool you buy from the in-game item shop. It'll require you to actually get out of your own home (gasp!) and make a purchase, and even then it'll still take some luck. Here's how to get one.

Step 1: Find a participating retailer—like Gamestop, Smyths, Game—that sells Fortnite merchandise. It varies from region to region, so consult this list below:

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom 
• Ireland
• France
• Germany
• Australia/New Zealand
• Italy

Step 2: Check if that retailer is giving away promotion codes for the Minty Pickaxe with purchases of Fortnite merch. This is the only way to get one. It's probably worth a phone call before you drive across town.

Step 3: You'll either get a promo code on a card or the code will appear on your receipt.

Step 4: Redeem that code on the Epic Games' website.

Is the Fortnite Minty Pickaxe still available?

As far as we've seen, there's nothing to suggest the Minty Pickaxe is sold out. That said, you'll want to give your retailer of choice a phone call to see if they actually still have any codes on hand before you drive all the way there and waste your time.

Hungry for more Fortnite? Check out the best Fortnite creative codes, or everything we know about the Fortnite chapter 2 season 2 release date, or check out the best Fortnite skins.