FORTNITE Championship Series (FNCS) has some super rare pickaxes that you can’t snag by completing challenges or grabbing from the shop.
Ahead of the Festival Season 7 launch, we’re diving into what the FNCS pickaxe is called, how you can get your hands on it, and how long you get to keep it.
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What is the FNCS pickaxe called?
The Fortnite Championship Series FNCS pickaxe we’re talking about is called the Blade of Champions.
It’s one of the rarest pickaxes in Fortnite, right up there with the OG ones from the early seasons that haven’t shown up in the game for ages.
Only a select few players ever get their hands on this legendary item.
Epic Games saves it exclusively for an elite group of competitors.
How do you get the FNCS Blade of Champions?
With an item so incredibly rare, players are keen to learn how to get their digital hands on the Blade of Champions.
But you need to be one of the best players in the world out of hundreds of thousands of gamers, as it is only given out as a reward to FNCS winners.
Since FNCS kicked off in 2019, seasonal winners didn’t just score a chunk of the prize pool, they also got the exclusive in-game Axe of Champions.
The pickaxe was the ultimate bragging right since only FNCS winners could rock it, and only until the next season.
But in November, Epic Games announced a major change: the Axe of Champions was being swapped out for the new FNCS Blade of Champions.
Starting in Chapter 3 Season 2, winning FNCS teams got to claim the Axe of Champions 2.0—a trophy that showed you’d conquered Fortnite’s biggest tournament.
For nearly two years, it was the ultimate flex in Fortnite cosmetics.
Then, Epic Games surprised everyone by making it available for all players to buy.
But now, with the Fortnite Festival just around the corner, the developers are gearing up for a fresh chapter.
The ID of the Blade of Champions is Pickaxe_FNCS_S32.
It can be purchased from the Item Shop for 1200 V-bucks when listed.
You can usually only get the blade by winning a FNCS tournament, meaning it’s primarily exclusive to the top players in the competitive scene.
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However, sometimes it may become available for purchase in the item shop for a limited time.
Does the FNCS pickaxe get removed?
Each season, the Blade of Champions gets passed to the winning trios of the next FNCS Major.
Right now, it’s Peterbot and Pollo who’ll get to show off the Blade, holding onto it from November until the end of Major 1.
The gaming pair are two standout Fortnite players who’ve proven themselves in the competitive scene, earning this epic prize.
After that, the fight for the Blade—and the coveted title of FNCS champion—keeps going strong throughout the year.
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In the past, the Axe of Champions was taken away from the previous owners of the weapon if and when a new duo from each region wins in the next FNCS.
Every FNCS Major wraps up with the Major Finals, a two-day showdown featuring 12 intense matches to determine the champions.
The winners don’t just take home their share of the prize pool—they also earn the bragging rights as the best Fortnite players in their region.
On top of that, they get to wield the Blade of Champions for the entire next season, showing off their hard-earned victory to the world.
What rank do you have to be to play FNCS 2025?
If you’re looking to compete in the 2025 Fortnite Championship Series, you’ll need to be in Division 1.
Your division is based on how well you perform in the FNCS Trial, so bring your A-game to earn your spot at the top.
Throughout the season, players can climb divisions and rack up more prizes by performing better in weekly matches.
Only Division 1 players can make it to the Play-In Stage and eventually the Major Finals.
Just like last year, there will be three Major Finals to fight for the title.
In the Grand Finals, better known as “Grands” in the Fortnite community, the top 50 duos from each region face off in 12 intense games over two days (6 games per day).
The total prize pool for Fortnite FNCS 2025 is a massive $8 million, which is a slight bump up from last year’s $7.67 million.
We’re still waiting for the full breakdown of how the prize money will be split by region and event.
As for the Blade of Champions Pickaxe, it’s already been claimed by the 2024 Global Championship winners, Peterbot and Pollo—and it’ll also be handed out to all FNCS 2025 champions.
How can I watch FNCS 2025?
The FNCS 2025 will be broadcast across multiple streaming platforms, including inside Fortnite itself.
Here’s a list of the main official English-language channels that will have coverage during the FNCS 2025:
