Is going a knife build bad?

[Strifeboy]

I feel out classed by everything I face.

[happybjorn]

I haven't played one, but the general consensus seems to be yes, it's bad. It can still work well enough to finish the game.

All melee builds seem to have a hard time in the early game though. Things will get better as you get better gear and more feats.

[Strifeboy]

Originally posted by happybjorn:

I haven't played one, but the general consensus seems to be yes, it's bad. It can still work well enough to finish the game.

All melee builds seem to have a hard time in the early game though. Things will get better as you get better gear and more feats.

Good to know, fighting 1 v 3 is a real reload fest haha.

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Knife builds are hard, but with the right feats and gear can be at least okayish, especially now that energy edges are a thing for melee weapons, since the main problem is that knives do (very) poorly against high mechanical DT, which you see a lot of in deep caverns and expedition.

Honestly, from what I've seen, it seems as though spears seem to offer the most promise for melee builds now, as they synergize well with medium/heavy armor (riot armor w/ shield, in particular). You'll still probably prefer to chuck grenades everywhere in late-end game just to kill things before they kill you, but with low-ish AP sledgehammer levels of damage and autocrit from impale, you won't be going TINK TINK TINK all the time against metal armor, strongmen, crabs, etc.

[Sergio the Wanderer]

Guns are for wussies, all I need is a knife!

Yeah dude, I really like to play using a "knife build", if you need tips, I will be happy in help you.
But my english sucks, if its okay for ya.

[Morgian]

Knives work fine against living opponents who bleed, but machines are a hassle, like the robots in the DLC. Best to keep an alternate weapon against such foes with you. Spears are great, but I never got to build an energy edge (found only crappy parts), so I used a shocking one. Hammer is your other obvious choice, but I think spears are superior. I also went riot vest and shield, which eliminates most melee problems, if you buy the shield feats. I assume that knife plus shield will be OK, too. You need to work like 2-3 feats into your build to make spears worthwhile when you are going knife.

Btw, there is a huge gap between crafted and bought spears.

[Karina]

If you going knife- go with metal armor and 8 strength. Metal armor has serrated blades upgrade. Also, having 8 strength unlocks sledgemmaer for you, which should solve your issues with armored targets. I played with such build- it was not bad.

https://underrail.info.tm/build/?HggQBwMDAwYAHgDCoCgAAFUyAABubgArbgAAAABqAE05JEVCEzwGAEsxEhYmKMKzJy_inY0K4qe-Bd-_ something like that

[pyatr]

Knives can absolutely be as deadly as guns or heavy melee weapons. I can do more than 100 non-critical damage with 14 dexterity, 7 attacks per turn and 259 melee effective skill. And that is without opportnuistic attack and blindsiding which would increase my damage by 40%.
Other than that you only need Expertise feat and Expose Weakness for armored enemies.
I will report again when I stab Tchort to death.

[Yaz Mataz]

Knives are strong. Best played with Crafting.

[pyatr]

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/766100111178156714/4FD722190194616470869FED499FCB9F716D8902/

[dergefata]

Nice! What do we do when we meet the Devil, lads? Poke him in the eye.