Machettes need a buff

[Illyahr]

Either more damage or higher dismember chance. They offer no protections against multiple foes. Clubs can knock down, sledges can knock back, fists can stagger, but machetes will kill after they zombie has hit you a few times, just wait a moment.

They aren't even very good in their own tree. Hunting knives will knock down with a power attack, for only a few less damage but twice the speed. What's worse, machete power attacks make noise and will alert zombies before sneak attack can trigger, where the knives don't

[Demios]

Peoples always forget that bleed slow up to 20% for a full irl minute on knives/machette , it is quite usefull to keep control of a runner group if you know how to slice! =)

[RNG_Wizard]

I've been going down such a massive rabbit hole trying to understand the game's dismember functionalities and bleed mechanics, it's strangely difficulty to find info.

The big selling point for the machete does seem to be a 100% dismemberment bonus, but that stat is entirely hidden, doesn't really have any synergy with Deep Cuts, and dismemberment gets very inconsistent with difficulty and gamestage.

As for bleed, with 1dps for 20s per stack, that's a hard sell. I hear the value in slows and ignoring resistances, but it's a double-edged sword because bleeds don't benefit from damage boosts so they drop off very hard. Other weapons do more damage faster with more utility and crowd control.

All to say, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ do we need more transparency on all of this works, and we 100% need knife books and probably even a bleed buff or full on rework.

[Pain Weasel]

Originally posted by RNG_Wizard:

I've been going down such a massive rabbit hole trying to understand the game's dismember functionalities and bleed mechanics, it's strangely difficulty to find info.

The big selling point for the machete does seem to be a 100% dismemberment bonus, but that stat is entirely hidden, doesn't really have any synergy with Deep Cuts, and dismemberment gets very inconsistent with difficulty and gamestage.

Certain enemies also have a dismemberment resist. The feral and radiated versions of zombies have a decreased chance for dismemberment (70% and 40% I think) which could be why it appears inconsistent at later game stages since you are probably fighting higher tier enemies with more dismemberment resist.

[RNG_Wizard]

Originally posted by Pain Weasel:

Originally posted by RNG_Wizard:

I've been going down such a massive rabbit hole trying to understand the game's dismember functionalities and bleed mechanics, it's strangely difficulty to find info.

The big selling point for the machete does seem to be a 100% dismemberment bonus, but that stat is entirely hidden, doesn't really have any synergy with Deep Cuts, and dismemberment gets very inconsistent with difficulty and gamestage.

Certain enemies also have a dismemberment resist. The feral and radiated versions of zombies have a decreased chance for dismemberment (70% and 40% I think) which could be why it appears inconsistent at later game stages since you are probably fighting higher tier enemies with more dismemberment resist.

Yup, there are a ton of factors in play that aren't really intuitive.

You have 5-50% dismemberment chance based on the stat associated with the weapon used, which is mentioned in the perks.

Machetes have a 100% dismemberment bonus, which isn't mentioned anywhere, putting it at 150% dismemberment chance at max agility I believe? I'm unsure on whether any of this is additive or multiplicative.

A few other weapons have smaller dismemberment boosts in the 20-30% range, like shotguns and knuckles.

As you mentioned, ferals and irradiated zombies have dismemberment resistance. Some zombies also have specific parts that are completely immune to dismemberment.

And for the possibly biggest factor which I can't find 100% confirmed specific details on, the damage dealt in correlation to the target's current hp also seems to be a factor in dismemberment. That's why the machete's 150% dismember doesn't always dismember large zombies or ferals with their 30% dismember resist even though it should still be a 100%+ chance; if your damage is half of the zombie's health, it seems to half your dismember chance for example.

That also means that more than any weapon the machete drops off against tankier zombies, ferals, radiated zombies, animals and most specials as your dismember rate rapidly plummets. You have health values, dismember resistance and difficulty modifiers all reducing your dismember chance, and there's no way I'm rolling the dice for a ~5-10% chance against a radiated, bear or wight that's in melee range.

[Demios]

Originally posted by RNG_Wizard:

Originally posted by Pain Weasel:

Certain enemies also have a dismemberment resist. The feral and radiated versions of zombies have a decreased chance for dismemberment (70% and 40% I think) which could be why it appears inconsistent at later game stages since you are probably fighting higher tier enemies with more dismemberment resist.

Yup, there are a ton of factors in play that aren't really intuitive.

You have 5-50% dismemberment chance based on the stat associated with the weapon used, which is mentioned in the perks.

Machetes have a 100% dismemberment bonus, which isn't mentioned anywhere, putting it at 150% dismemberment chance at max agility I believe? I'm unsure on whether any of this is additive or multiplicative.

A few other weapons have smaller dismemberment boosts in the 20-30% range, like shotguns and knuckles.

As you mentioned, ferals and irradiated zombies have dismemberment resistance. Some zombies also have specific parts that are completely immune to dismemberment.

And for the possibly biggest factor which I can't find 100% confirmed specific details on, the damage dealt in correlation to the target's current hp also seems to be a factor in dismemberment. That's why the machete's 150% dismember doesn't always dismember large zombies or ferals with their 30% dismember resist even though it should still be a 100%+ chance; if your damage is half of the zombie's health, it seems to half your dismember chance for example.

That also means that more than any weapon the machete drops off against tankier zombies, ferals, radiated zombies, animals and most specials as your dismember rate rapidly plummets. You have health values, dismember resistance and difficulty modifiers all reducing your dismember chance, and there's no way I'm rolling the dice for a ~5-10% chance against a radiated, bear or wight that's in melee range.

I also agree/concur that lower Hp enemies seem to dismember more often!