Up to +5-20% Strength based on the charge time of your heavy attacks. Stacks 3 times.
+5-8% Strength for 4.5s on Kill. Stacks 5 times.
+30-42%Melee Strength for 3.5s on Hitting 3+ Enemies with a Ranged Attack.
+5-8% Strength for every shot fired during continuous fire. Stacks 5 times.
The biggest drawback on the pickaxes is that despite their huge size, their range isn't any longer than Ogryn's other options and is considerably shorter than the Shovel V's special attack. This, combined with their slowness, makes it difficult to close the distance on enemies and hit them before your team does. Karsolas can build them fast, but the other two can struggle to build up stacks.
The Karsolas (Light) and Borovian (Medium) picks have a "Pull" special that yoinks enemies, stumbles them towards you (depending on their weight), and applies a debuff that makes them take 10% more damage for ~6 seconds. It does not stumble or move Muties or Monstrosities. To make use of the "Pull" special while on the move, you want to Pull while sliding, then slide again and charge the strikedown heavy while sliding. This lets you enter combat at basically full speed with a powerful strikedown heavy.
Note: the talents used are for that particular karsolas build. Vary them based on your preferred blessings and weapon. Crunch in particular shouldn't be used on any other build besides Karsolas Thrust.
The light pickaxe has the simplest horde-clear moveset, but that doesn't mean it is a lightweight against armor. The weapon special is a powerful stagger that pulls the enemy slightly closer. After using the weapon special, the next attack (light or heavy) becomes a powerful strikedown. The next light after that combo is also a strikedown.
Two best ways to build it:1) Heavy-focused: Thrust and Slaughterer or Slow and Steady or Headtaker; Rocks
2) Light-focused: Slaughterer/Headtaker and Confident Strike; Frag Bomb. Pick up Brutish Momentum
Dump stat: Defenses (need 50% or more still)
You can't hit more than 2 maulers with one attack, and only 1 mauler if you hit the head. When up against multiple maulers, Light-attack build uses pulls and strikedowns, whereas Heavy-attack build uses chained heavies aimed at the torso and occasional Yoinks/Pushes to interrupt.
Heavy Build Combos
Light Build Combos
Note that you can use pushes without doing a push attack by holding block for just a moment after pushing. It can be helpful to push before charging a heavy in cases where you don't want to push attack.
Blessings
S Tier
A tier (great)
B tier (good)
C tier (usable)
Plays similarly to the Karsolas. It's noticeably slower (both in attack speed and move speed) with a little more damage, especially against big targets. it's a powerful weapon, but your slow speed also leaves you vulnerable to waves of specialists. It works decently in this build, but the Karsolas (Light) pickaxe works better for it.
If you get a few buffs, can one-shot muties with Heavy 2. Use special as they approach for a faster strikedown.
Dump stats: Cleave Targets, Defenses
Same as Karsolas; All or Nothing goes up to A tier because the push attack is really good and can be used in combos. It also makes one-shotting muties easy. Thrust down from S tier to A tier, it is still good but the charge time starts much later than on Karsolas.
I recommend Slaughterer and either Thrust or All or Nothing.
Combos
Multi target A: Light 1 + Push Attack: simplest combo. It handles packs of ragers and hordes with ease thanks to its speed and stagger. The push attack damage is lower than normal attacks, but with a bit of power it will kill plenty. Great synergy with All or Nothing. If using Confident Strike, you should instead Push Attack + Light 1+2
Multi target B: Light 1 + Tap Block - use to kill horde faster when you don't need to be defensive. If you have
headtaker & slaughterer, this is your nosh and butter. Zero synergy with Confident Strike.
Multi target C: Push Attack + Heavy 1 (+ Light 3): use against hordes, and especially small groups of medium Elites or when you need to conserve stamina compared to the light attack version. Great synergy with Thrust. The light attack combos into the push attack very quickly, but can be skipped if you need to block early.
Multi target D: Heavy 1 + Light + Light + Light. Use with confident strike.
Versatile A: Light Combo. Use when there's 3 or fewer enemies or you need to utilize Confident Strike. Mix in Heavy 2 as needed.
Versatile B: Special + Light + Light - for 1-2 medium elites.
Single Target A: Special + Heavy (+ Light) - for big stuff
Single Target B: Special + Heavy + Light + Light + Heavy - longer combo for bosses and Reapers.
The Borovian is a great choice for Gunlugger builds. See here: https://darktide.gameslantern.com/builds/9c63953b-802e-4106-8e97-1b9c9d1cb03b/gunlugger-pickaxe
Lights are strikedowns, and so is Heavy 1. But lights chained after the second heavy become wide attacks. Your main hordeclear combo is Push Attack + Heavy 2 + Light then repeat Heavy 2 + Light.
The special attack is a push, rather than a pull, but it applies the exact same Pull debuff as the other picks. It has a bit of an uncomfortable delay if you try to use it after a heavy attack so it is best used after a light attack.
Recommended blessings: Thrust and either Slaughterer, Headtaker, or Wrath, in that order of recommendation. I don't recommend using Slow and Steady as most of the extra toughness regen will be overkill with talent regen. Confident Strike is actually better than Slow and Steady for survivability because it lets you regenerate toughness on the lights or specials attacks in between heavies which helps your survival more than increasing heavy hit restoration. Just keep in mind pushing or blocking resets it.
Heavy 2 + Light main horeclear combo for this weapon. It gets noticeably faster once heavy hitter reaches 5 stacks.
Push Attack + Heavy 2 + Light most common way to open the combo.
Heavy 2 + Light + Special + Heavy 2 alternate combo that applies Pull debuff.
Heavy 1 + Light + Heavy 1 single target combo when you don't have 5 stacks of heavy hitter yet
Heavy 1 + Light + Light + Heavy 1 single target combo when you have 5 stacks of heavy hitter already.
Pickaxes are fairly slow, so your ranged weapon should be something you can equip quickly to deal with specialists. If not running rocks, it also needs to be able to deal with Gunners. Here's a breakdown in order of my recommendations for this build.
Kickback can really tear through groups and has great ammo efficiency. Knocks down enemies chasing your teammates, as well as shooters so you can move up for the kill. I recommend any combo of Blaze Away, Inspiring Barrage, Run and Gun, and Expansive, though others like Surgical can be good too.
Grenade Gauntlet is basically just a reloadable rock whose special attack can be used as emergency crowd control against big groups of scab ragers and maulers (the special counts as a heavy attack for maintaining heavy hitter). The reload is long but I think of it as 4 rocks you get every single fight, then I have rocks when I need to reload. It's also good at clearing specialists behind a horde (jump and shoot, they're taller than the horde), poxbursters, and snipers up to 40 meters away. Two shots will kill a Reaper, and 1 will open up a Bulwark or knock down a Crusher to help a teammate.
Ripper V is quite reliable, much better range than the kickback, especially firing unbraced shots in controlled bursts. You can also slap on Can Opener to help debuff armor and bosses. Good choice if you want to run Unyielding instead of Carapace on your pickaxe.
Stubbers are fun. Achlys (light) is the only one that can be pulled out quickly, whereas Gorgonum has better stats but horrible draw speed.
Rumbler just... isn't in a good place right now. Ammo efficiency is crap and the only way to use it effectively is to stack Blaze Away and the radius blessing, which requires firing a fifth of your max ammo just to build up the buffs to make it a great weapon. With sticky charges it's great for taking out Reapers, but a Gauntlet can do that in just 2 shots while being good against specialists and gunners as well.