Best melee weapon?

[Rader]

Apperantly melee weapons have differences in them which affect their range and speed, but are these changes noticable enough for there to be a best melee weapon? Or all they all too insignificant to make a major difference

[Yaddii]

Would strongly recommend you to get melee mods from the workshop.

[JAiZ]

The objectively best melee weapons are the axe, katana, machete, and css knife. They're all pretty similar, and tend to come down to personal preference mostly, but fact is that the css knife is the best melee of all (disregarding it's horrendously bad animations), followed by the axe which is slower, then the machete which has the annoying Left-right-left-left-right-left swing pattern, and lastly the katana because it doesnt seem to consistently land hits. All of these can cut smoker tongues, so that plus their respective property lands them in the top melees list.

The crowbar is a close runner up, it can cut smoker tongues and has the fasterst "shove after melee" speed, but the melee speed alone is slow and feels bulky (plus it's animations are absolutely grotesque yes im using fancy words now)

the worst melee weapon is objectively the nightstick/tonfa, just because of how terrible it is at actually landing hits.

[Johnny Casey]

I might be wrong, (especially about weapon's hitbox) but here's what I know.

*** Quickie ***

All melee weapons do the same damage and have the same range.

* [Weapon]: (Swing speed) / (Hitbox scale) / (Swing pattern)

* Blade

• Axe: Slowest / Largest / Left to right
  
• Katana: Average / Average / Left to right
  
• Crowbar: Slowest / Small / Left to right
  
• Machete: Fast / Small / Left to right
  
• CS knife: Fast / Large / Right

* Blunt

• Frying pan: Average, Slowest* / Large / Left to right
  
• Baseball bat: Slow / Average / Left to up and down**
  
• Guitar: Slowest / Large / Left to right
  
• Night stick: Fastest / Smallest / Left to right
  
• Golf club: Identical to Katana
  
• Cricket bat: Identical to Baseball bat

* The delay between first two swings are identical to Katana's speed; Average
** Second and third swing pattern is up and down, and thus, has the very small hitbox


---


Jump to the conclusion, blade weapons are technically better than blunt weapons. Here's why -

* The common infected killed by blunt weapons often have their hitboxes on their own for a brief moment after they've been killed, blocking the survivors' path for a moment. Blade weapons do not have this issue.
* Blade weapons - including chainsaw - can cut the smoker's tongue even if it's coming right in front of your eyes to get you, if you time it correctly. But this is rather a matter of 'cool' performance than a practical reason.

Now on to other matter that I would like to address

Frying pan is an interesting one. As I stated, the delay between first two swings is identical to the one for Katana. So its swing speed goes like; Average - Slowest - Average ... Note that you can cancel the slower third swing by using shove attack after you initiate the second swing.

Baseball bat is the only melee weapon that has 3 types of swing pattern. the first one is right to left and its hitbox is good. But the second swing is up to down swing, slightly tilted as diagonal. So its hitbox is very small, as I stated. Like Frying pan, you can avoid doing the second swing by shoving after first swing.

About Chainsaw, it has a long delay before you deploy, fastest attack with smallest hitbox, and it attracts the nearby infected. You may want to know that while chainsaw is deployed, the wielder takes only half of the damage. I don't know if it's including special infected attacks or not, but it does reduce the incoming damage from C.I. by half.

That's all. If I ever have made mistakes here, please correct them with your knowledge.

PS: I never use melee.

[sʜᴀ]

Originally posted by JAiZ:

debatable stuff

yay

Originally posted by JAiZ:

The objectively best melee weapons are the axe, katana, machete, and css knife.

Only slashing weapons are top tier?
To be fair, if I have a sniper to defend myself against smokers, I'll go for blunt weapons as they are more consistent at killing commons in the swing path while shoving the ones you didn't directly hit. Dunno why it happens but I feel all slashing weapons have a tendency to "forget" that common in the middle of the screen, which doesn't happen that often with blunt type melees.
Therefore, I think the Guitar is a top tier weapon for it's wide horizontal swing. It's the best "get away from me you pricks" melee weapon, better than the axe in that regard.

Originally posted by JAiZ:

but fact is that the css knife is the best melee of all (disregarding it's horrendously bad animations)

It almost never "forget" a common, maybe due to its huge amount of hitrays, so I'd say it's the best slashing melee.

Originally posted by JAiZ:

followed by the axe which is slower, then the machete which has the annoying Left-right-left-left-right-left swing pattern, and lastly the katana because it doesnt seem to consistently land hits. All of these can cut smoker tongues, so that plus their respective property lands them in the top melees list.

Cutting smoker's tongue with a melee is gimmicky once you've got enough map knowledge to know where to go if you hear a smoker so the tongue can easily be dodged.
Or you have a sniper and boom headshot, works aswel.

Originally posted by JAiZ:

The crowbar is a close runner up, it can cut smoker tongues and has the fasterst "shove after melee" speed, but the melee speed alone is slow and feels bulky (plus it's animations are absolutely grotesque yes im using fancy words now)

The crowbar it the finest form of the art of melee. In order to be used effectively one must take fights one after the other as the crowbar struggles when there is more than 3 commons arround you. So your movements must be on point, you must know your timmings as well as reading the commons striking patterns (so you put down the one that's going to hit before the other one). It's the melee that ask you the most to "be aware", you don't just go in the middle and 360 all the commons in one swing.
And as you said, the bash goes out pretty fast so you can actually react and deadstop a hunter while fighting inside the mob.
And also
It's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Crowbar!

Originally posted by JAiZ:

the worst melee weapon is objectively the nightstick/tonfa, just because of how terrible it is at actually landing hits.

autistically disagree.
The tonfa is just really hard to use but I've been practicing it recently.
TBH once you've understood the pattern, and move the mouse accordingly to flatten and lengthen the swing, it's so damn fast you can go through the c2m4 (the barns) gauntlet eyes closed.


adding this for reference https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=412007318

Originally posted by Johnny Casey:

You may want to know that while chainsaw is deployed, the wielder takes only half of the damage. I don't know if it's including special infected attacks or not, but it does reduce the incoming damage from C.I. by half.

Thanks i've learn something. But what happens if you get hit from behind in versus or normal diff ? Are you immune, do you take 1dmg every 2 hits, or it just clamps back to 1 in that situation?

[JAiZ]

Originally posted by ################################:

Originally posted by Johnny Casey:

You may want to know that while chainsaw is deployed, the wielder takes only half of the damage. I don't know if it's including special infected attacks or not, but it does reduce the incoming damage from C.I. by half.

Thanks i've learn something. But what happens if you get hit from behind in versus or normal diff ? Are you immune, do you take 1dmg every 2 hits, or it just clamps back to 1 in that situation?

Applies to all difficulties, if you're hit from the front on expert it only deals 10HP damage per hit, and 5 from the back per hit (contrary to the usual 20 front and 10 back).
It halves all damage for all difficulties, which would mean on easy you can get hit from the back 3 times before even taking one point of damage.

there was a video on youtube showcasing it, but I'm too lazy to look for it

[Rumanesc Rapper]

Originally posted by Rader:

Apperantly melee weapons have differences in them which affect their range and speed, but are these changes noticable enough for there to be a best melee weapon? Or all they all too insignificant to make a major difference

Meat scepter

[LunaGalaxy]

I can tell you confidently
I have used every each one of them, and katana is the best and most useful one.

[JAiZ]

Originally posted by LunaGalaxy:

I can tell you confidently
I have used every each one of them, and katana is the best and most useful one.

Except when it randomly decides to not hit the infected you just slashed at, while spraying blood and playing the hit sound.

[ᴿᴱᴻᴱ™]

Originally posted by Rader:

Apperantly melee weapons have differences in them which affect their range and speed, but are these changes noticable enough for there to be a best melee weapon? Or all they all too insignificant to make a major difference

Every melee got a range of 80 units.

[SeriouS_Samurai]

Anduril, flame of the west, forged from the shards of Narsil

[Funky White Boy]

I prefer the machete, id say the baton and frying pan are the worst.

[wiggy]

knife > fast axe/crowbar > katana > axe > machete

[AustrAlien2010]

Frying pan and knight stick. Because they do not decapitate. Which is kind of sweet.

(You may want to use the search function, btw. It's right over there.) --->

[ok]

pan = katanas kiiling power

[Nodoka]

Sharp weapons cause the ability to cut tongues.