Fortnite pickaxe is causings computers to crash with Blue screen of death, here's why

Cosmetic glitches/bugs in Fortnite are not uncommon, but having one that causes computers to crash with the dreaded "blue screen of death" is rather concerning. Considering that BSOD only occurs when the system encounters a massive error and has to reboot, seeing it trigger due to a cosmetic is frightening.

Nevertheless, for the sake of 'science', TGPlays (Andre Rebelo) posted a video in which he showcases how a single cosmetic item causes the game (and his PC) to crash and encounter the "blue screen of death."

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The Dread Oracle Axe lives up to its name in Fortnite

The Dread Oracle Axe (Harvesting Tool) was introduced to Fortnite in Chapter 2 Season 4. It's part of the Darkening Set, priced at 2,500 V-Bucks in the Item Shop. Ironically enough, the set was last seen in-game on January 7, 2023.

While there's nothing ominous about the cosmetic items in the set, the Dread Oracle Axe has a dark secret. The lighting/glow effect that's present on it does not work as intended. TGPlays explains by saying:

"If you equip the Dread Oracle Axe, it has a dark hidden secret. Every time you swap (out) from your pickaxe to your weapon, the color-glow effect will stack forever. It can even crash your game."

Usually, when an item is equipped, its effects (if any) are showcased on the screen. As soon as they are unequipped from the player's character's hand, the effects disappear. This is true for all items in-game that have special effects on them.

However, for some reason, the lighting/glow present on the Dread Oracle Axe stacks every time it's equipped and unequipped. The effect does not go away and the intensity of the effect grows over time. It goes from a mild shade of purple that highlights the edge of the Dread Oracle Axe, to an intense ball of light.

According to TGPlays, after about 30 minutes of triggering this glitch, his game dropped to 5 FPS while using the Dread Oracle Axe. Upon repeating the glitch a few more times, his game froze and his PC crashed to meet the "blue screen of death."

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Should you avoid using the Dread Oracle Axe in Fortnite?

Well, it all depends on how often a player will use the Dread Oracle Axe during a match. Based on statistics, the average Fortnite player should not encounter this problem during their time spent in a 22 minute match.

While the Dread Oracle Axe will be used to collect materials, most players will not be spam-equipping or spam-unequipping the Harvesting Tool for 30 minutes at a stretch. This 'should' hold true for Zero Build and the normal BR mode.

However, players with devices that do not possess enough computing power may notice FPS dropping over time. Since the lighting/glowing effect stacks, it will affect the performance of the GPU. That said, it's best not to use it if possible.

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When will Epic Games fix this glitch?

Given that this glitch can only be triggered after equipping/unequipping the Dread Oracle Axe an ungodly number of times, it's not a 'glitch' in the true sense. Furthermore, considering the number of time-sensitive 'core' issues Epic Games currently has to investigate at present, this is not a top priority.

With that said, this will take some time to fix. For the time being, the Darkening Set will likely remain vaulted and kept clear of the Item Shop. Players who own the Dread Oracle Axe, should be careful while using it in Fortnite Chapter 4 Season 1.