Is melee a viable build?

[Tarpon]

So I've been attempting to make a melee build and not getting very far. Just doesn't seem to be very practical to try and get up on an npc and start hacking away before they start pumping me full of lead. Been able to survive a little, but usually run out of healing items and bleed to death before finishing a mission. Any advice?

[Valnak]

Bring a loud pistol. Then find a place you can draw enemies to so that you can reliably hit them while running without them hitting you back. A door is nice to help you. Shoot the pistol to draw enemies in, then chop them up. I doubt this works against the wheel demons on the moon.

[󠀡󠀡]

Melee is incredibly powerful but requires getting used to. Corner melee can cheese most enemies.
If you do it right then you should not even be getting hit.

[Cubertino]

There are some very powerful melee builds (e.g. Capet + Eclipse Blades). As long as there are doors, tight corridors, and covers, it's more than viable. Just don't use them for Defense missions on open maps, especially in the late game. You will get shredded by ARs and shock weapons.

[Elims]

Carry a sidearm: With melee weapons you are incapable to deal with multiple foes coming at once to you and missing an attack may expose you to a snowball effect where you end dead. Understand that when you get injury in your hand or arm can lower not only your accuracy, but your melee damage. You want your foes spending the last AP moving towards you and you don't want to spend last AP using a melee attack in an ideally situation.
To cover for those weakness you may need to carry a range weapon capable of shooting many bullets as possible to overkill or overcompensate a melee attack that did not connect to a foe. An automatic shotgun or SMG with penetration capable bullets may be adequate for that.
Remember that Eclipse Blades's Carnage or Terror Pack's Insanity can raise not only your melee damage but your range damage too, so don't get locked into a "only melee" mentality. Scouts of Hades's Combat Focus + Blind Fury, Tunnel Rat's Caution, Valkyrja Squad's Emergency Revival (if you use Zeus) or Phoenix Brigade's Overcharged Battery (for battery based melee) can assist in the usage of melee weapons too. The only restriction you should consider is clone's inherent attributes.

Shift + Left Click: You can throw your melee weapon (if the weapon allows it). Weapons with Accurate Throw have a 100% hit chance if thrown (it will hit the first target in contact, including covers, be aware). Weapons with knockback chance + piercing throw (axes in general) can hit a foe multiple times or hit multiple targets.
You may consider using a Servo Backpack.
You can explode explosive barrels with a thrown weapon.
The maximum thrown distance is 4 squares.

Knockback: Be aware of weapons with knockback chance. It will most of the times be detrimental to you than helping you. Sometimes you don't have the luxury of choosing to hit a target with a wall in their back.