Fortnite: Free 'Shooting Starstaff' Pickaxe along with 20% price drop on V-Bucks in-game

Fortnite's Chapter 2, Season 3 is coming to an end. As Epic Games makes way for the new season to drop, an exciting reward has been granted to all the players as a farewell gift.

Fortnite's Season 4 is scheduled to drop after 14 days from now. Subtle hints are now starting to appear all around the Battle Royale island and point towards what the new season could have in store for the players.

Speculations range from the season being based around the 'Medieval' period to some theorizing that we might see the return of 'The Visitor' from Chapter 1, Season 4.

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Fortnite's free 'Shooting Starstaff' pickaxe is now available

The pickaxe, which was leaked during previous updates, was expected to be an item shop cosmetic. However, much to the surprise of many, the item can now be claimed for free. The 'Shooting Starstaff' pickaxe is a blue rarity item which comes in two different variants.

How can I go about claiming the free reward?

As simple as it sounds, all that the players need to do in order to claim the pickaxe is log onto the game. Once you are in, you will be greeted with a message that reads the following:

“Oh Hello! Here is a Shooting Starstaff pickaxe to kick-off the Fortnite mega drop. Starting right now enjoy up to 20% savings when purchasing V-Bucks and real money offers.”

Once you see the screen, click on either 'Equip' or 'Claim' button that appears at the bottom.

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V-Bucks are now 20% cheaper

For the first time in the history of Fortnite, Epic Games has decided to slash its in-game currency's prices by 20%

V-Bucks are now 20% less expensive in Fortnite (Image: Epic Games)

The rates are as follows:

• 1000 V-Bucks: $7.99
• 2800 V-Bucks: $19.99
• 5000 V-Bucks: $31.99
• 13,500 V-Bucks: $79.99

Effective immediately, players can now buy the currency at discounted prices.

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The current state of the game

Recently, Fortnite has seen a lot of competition, with 'Fall Guys', 'Rouge Company' and other games gaining popularity at an exponential rate.

Additionally, many Fortnite pros have been seen leaving the game, while the ones who stayed have been continuously complaining about the state of casual and competitive lobbies, and how much-needed reforms are required to bring the balance back.

Although price drops and free rewards may work as a short-term tactic to attract the players back, it remains to be seen how Epic Games deals with the issue in the future.