Epic Games has just put this pickaxe, the Axe of Champions, into the item shop today for 1,200 V-Bucks to add another cosmetic for the players to buy, but it also has so much history behind it. The item was once revealed by HYPEX through his Twitter account, and the community reaction has been… well, quite something in itself.
Axe of Champions pickaxe is one that has seen Fortnite competitive events, mainly FNCS tournament settings. It acted as a trophy for the winners for the most part or an item given away in some special promotion. Now, the pickaxe can be bought by anyone anywhere. And that is where fun lies.
The said tweet from HYPEX stated, “AXE OF CHAMPIONS IS OUT (1,200)” linking to the item shop, and the reply section exploded. Some players are excited for the release. JettmetaX said, “Gonna grind for it,” while Tjay added, “Tuff 🔥.” Tearing things down were some.
Brock, or rather Broxcky, had a strong negative view saying, “They better give us a rare style for this or else we will be quitting the game.” And soon enough, the backlash began. One responded, “Quit the game bro no one gives a shit,” and then Vilainfrancais added, labeling Brock as “a cry baby for pixels on a screen.” Ouch.
Also intense is the rage directed for digital assets. To continue, it is just a pickaxe. But cosmetics are serious business on the Fortnite side. Some players consider that placing an item for general availability, which was previously available to only a select few, undermines the joy of those who were given it directly. Even Nick Kyander got involved, “Like if you had it before from FNCS,” implying that the original owners might feel some way about it.
On the other hand, some are simply confused why it is being sold now. JaviAuraX remarked, “Isn’t this like every other fncs pickaxe?” which is a valid viewpoint- there really have been several champ axes throughout the seasons. Following that is the down-to-earth response from KnightOw7 stating simply, “I don’t own any of the AXE of Champions,” which is probably truthful for the vast majority of the player base.
Another weird perspective about the random questions that keep being directed at HYPEX about matters totally outside of Fortnite is user jeremiah_k024 wishing “fornite is refunding my skins any rson why it js keep refunding my skins,” while lvnasnow pleaded, “Why did fortnite remove 3k v-bucks from my account.” Like, my dude, HYPEX is just a leaker, not customer support.
Now we have the weird philosophical reflections: edgemetax threw in “Just as one cannot smoke weed and be successful, One cannot play Fortnite and pretend to be successful.” Deep thoughts by the Fortnite community.
And no doubt about it, Epic knows some stirring. Vanishingly rare competitive items going into the shop are bound to stir emotion-those who are thrilled about finally getting the item, and the ones who feel like their exclusive flex is being snatched away. A smart business move indeed-would be money left on the table when it is clear people want to buy these cosmetics?
The pickaxe looks really slick from the image-with that classic champion axe style with very good detailing. At 1,200, it’s not the most expensive pickaxe on the market but not cheap either. So for context, it’s close to $12 in V-Bucks price, if one were to purchase the smallest pack.
Epic has lately kept with this trend of bringing competitive items more into the grasp of the average player. Other FNCS items and even some tournament-only cosmetics have been seen making the same way into the shop. It makes sense from a business standpoint- the competitive scene adds ego to an item, and later they will sell it to the rest of the world on the grounds of prestige acquired.
The replies to this give insight into whether the strategy is working or not- some, who now get to finally own these items, will forever feel that it takes away some recognition that ought to have gone to those who earned them by competing. But, in the final analysis, it’s just an axe in a game; the choice to buy it either way says more of your opinion for Fortnite cosmetics than anything else.
The Axe of Champions has been one very, very highly anticipated item. If they indeed feel ready to take on the controversial pickaxe, they better brace for scorn from the purists of competitive who see it should stay exclusive. But hey, it’s your V-Bucks. Spend them how you want.
