In Fortnite Battle Royale, the first weapon or tool you are given is a pickaxe. Fortnite officially refers to it as a harvesting tool, because its main purpose is breaking objects and collecting building materials, but “pickaxe” is the standard everyday answer.
Players begin each match with the harvesting tool before finding weapons in chests, on the ground, or inside supply drops. Swinging it at trees, rocks, vehicles, and structures produces resources such as wood, stone, and metal. It can also damage opponents at close range, although it is far less effective than firearms or other combat items.
The pickaxe is separate from a player’s loadout of carried weapons and can be customized with different designs. A common mix-up is answering “assault rifle” or another gun: weapons are acquired after landing, while the harvesting tool is available from the beginning. Epic’s documentation commonly uses “pickaxe” and “harvesting tool” for this starting item.