Information about the Pickaxe in Saints Row, including how to obtain it, how to upgrade it, how to unlock its Signature Ability and how to unlock the Longsword Visual Mod.

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You can buy the Pickaxe from any Friendly Fire from the start of the game. It’ll set you back $1,000.

How to Find and Upgrade the Pickaxe in Saints Row¶

The Pickaxe is a Melee Weapon in Saints Row, and it can be acquired by purchasing it from any Friendly Fire store location in Santo Ileso. It’ll set you back a $1,000, and can be purchased as soon as you’re done with the Mission Making Rent.

As with all weapons, the Pickaxe can be upgraded three times, depending on your level. At level 5 you’ll unlock the tier 1 upgrade, which will set you back $5,000. At level 10 you can upgrade this weapon to tier 2, which costs $25,000. Finally, at level 15 you can max out the weapon by upgrading it to tier 3, which is quite expensive at $100,000. Upgrading the Pickaxe will increase its Damage and Bleed Damage.

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You can grind out the Pickaxe’s Signature Ability by provoking enemies via @TCHA and using the Pickaxe to kill any enemy you see with a yellow armor bar.

How to Unlock the Bloodsucker Signature Ability for the Pickaxe¶

All weapons have a Signature Ability, which will grant the weapon a special ability when its unlock conditions are met. Unlike normal weapon upgrades, you can’t buy Signature Abilities, which can include boons such as life leech, area-of-effect damage, knockback, full-auto firing mode, armor-piercing rounds, elemental damage and bonus damage over time, and so on. Once a Signature Abilities unlock conditions are met you can activate it by visiting Friendly Fire or using the armory at your HQ. Signature Abilities can also be toggled off, if you prefer.

The Pickaxe’s Signature Ability is Bloodsucker, which causes you to “Gain a small amount of health every time you hit an enemy.” To unlock this Signature Ability you must “Kill 5 specialists with regular attacks.” To perform a regular attack, just press the / . Specialists are [Tough] enemies from various factions that often bear unique weapons not found in the hands of lesser foes - if you want to be safe, just kill every Tough enemy you encounter (anything with a yellow armor bar in addition to the normal red health bar). Summoning foes with a 1-Star @TCHA Side Hustles is bound to spawn a few specialists.

Lowering the difficulty will make grinding this Signature Ability much easier. Like most Signature Abilities, you can grind this out fairly easily by just repeatedly summoning rival gangs by leaving negative reviews via @TCHA Side Hustles.

How to Unlock the Longsword Visual Mod¶

The Pickaxe has a rather unique Visual Mod you can unlock - the Longsword. This will make the weapon appear like a two-handed sword, although its stats remain unaffected. To unlock this Visual Mod you’ll need to complete the 1-Star @TCHA Side Hustle for the Santotel Hotel in West Providencia. You can equip Visual Mods by customizing the Pickaxe at Friendly Fire or Saints HQ. You need to have this Visual Mod in effect to progress the Challenge Have at Them, Boys.