Fortnite: What Counts as a Melee Weapon?

Now that Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3 is here, players have been dropping onto the island to explore all of the content new to the game. Since Fortnite is constantly changing, so is the map to include new areas, traps, and hiding spots for players. Seeing everything new the game has to offer week to week might be a little daunting without a guide, but luckily, Fortnite‘s weekly challenges do a good job at highlighting things that players should keep an eye on.

One of this week’s challenges asks the player to engage with the various Runaway Boulders that are littered across the island. The challenge is “Dislodge or destroy Runaway Boulders with a melee weapon” and requires three to be dislodged or destroyed in order to gain the XP. This raises an important question: what exactly counts as a melee weapon in Fortnite?

More Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3 guides:

Where to Find Exotic Weapons | How to Interact with Sunbird, Moon Hawk & Rustler | All Vaulted & Unvaulted Weapons | Where to Find Ballers | How to Defeat Darth Vader and get the Mythic Lightsaber | How To Use Reality Saplings

Fortnite Melee Weapons Explained

While it might seem relatively straightforward, because Fortnite has introduced so many different weapons and items to its catalog over the years, knowing what is and is not a melee weapon can be a little bit confusing. To clear things up a little bit: no matter what, the default pickaxe is always classified as a melee weapon regardless of what cosmetic skin is attached to it. Because you always have a pickaxe regardless of your other equipment, anyone is able to complete the Runaway Boulder challenge from the moment they drop onto the island.

The pickaxe deals 20 damage per hit, so it’s not a particularly powerful tool, but when it comes to completing this week’s challenge, it certainly gets the job done. If you’re looking for something that packs a little bit more of a punch, keep an eye out for other melee weapons as they’re introduced into the game.

Currently, there’s only one other melee weapon in the Fortnite loot pool: Darth Vader’s lightsaber. Lightsabers have made periodic appearances in the game and are all classified as melee items that deal between 25 and 150 damage depending on the type of swing the player uses. To get Vader’s saber, you’ll need to follow the Imperial Shuttle that flies past the Battle Bus and drop to its location. From there, you’ll need to kill Darth Vader to claim his lightsaber so make sure to stock up on a decent weapon or two to take him out.

With either Vader’s lightsaber in hand or your trusty pickaxe, keep an eye out for the giant boulders sitting ominously at the top of hills that you can push with your melee weapon.