Melee Weapons Information (v41.56)

Ever wonder what factors influence your damage output with Melee Weapons? This content comes straight from the game code. You can find this info browsing your files with a java decompiler, but it's very difficult to read. I make this easy for you.

Notes from the author on how to read this

Since the code is written mostly as a set to sequential instructions instead of an actual formula, assume that every bonus mentioned in each bullet of the list is multiplicative instead of additive. So, let's say your character is both Drowsy (50% damage reduction) and Moderately Exerted (50% damage reduction). First you multiply your damage for one (x0.5), then the other (x0.5), for a 75% reduction total. They're not added together (100% damage reduction? No damage? We know that's not the case).

I tried to write every bonus and reduction in the order I found them in the code.

Damage

• Increased by +10% between LV3 and LV6 of Long Blunt, Axe and Spear. Increased by +20% if LV7 or above. Assuming the corresponding weapon class is used.
  
• Increased by +5% for every Strength level.
  
• Reduced by pain and injury on Hand_L and UpperArm_R.
  
• Reduced by the character’s weight trait: Underweight -20%, Very Underweight -40% and Emaciated -60%.
  
• Reduced by 10% for every level of Panic and Stress moodle, after LV2. Slight Panic and Anxious moodles do nothing.
  
• Decreased by Endurance moodles: x0.5 (Moderately Exertion), x0.2 (High Exertion), x0.1 (Excessive Exertion) and x.0.05 (Exhausted).
  
• Decreased by Tired moodles: x0.5 (Drowsy), x0.2 (Tired), x0.1 (Very Tired) and x.0.05 (Ridiculously Tired).

Source: /zombie/ai/states/SwipeStatePlayer.class - public void ConnectSwing

• Increased by +40% if character has trait Strong. Decreased by -40% if character has trait Weak.
  
• Increased by +10% for every Weapon skill level. Assuming the corresponding weapon class is used.
  
• Multiplied by Critical Damage Multiplier (CritDmgMultiplier) in case of Critical Hit.

Source: /zombie/character/IsoGameCharacter.class - public void Hit

Critical Chance

• Uses the weapon's innate Critical Chance stat.
  
• A Two-Handed weapon loses a third of its critical chance when swung with one hand.
  
• Increased by +3% for every Weapon level. Assuming the corresponding weapon class is used.
  
• Decreased by -5% for every level of Endurance and Heavy Load moodle.
  
• Decreased by -1.3% for every level of Panic, rounded down (integer).
  
• Decreased by -6% against Tough zombies, increased +6% against Fragile zombies (Zombie Lore sandbox settings)
  
• If the value is lower than 10%, set to 10%. If the value is higher than 90%, set to 90%.

Source: /zombie/character/IsoGameCharacter.class - public void Hit

Combat Speed

• Uses the weapon Base Speed stat.
  
• Base Speed is decreased by -23% when swinging Two-Handed weapon with one hand.
  
• Base Speed is increased by +25% if you have the Axeman trait.
  
• Reduced by -0.07 for every level of the Endurance and Heavy Load moodle.
  
• Increased by +0.03 for every Weapon skill level. Assuming the corresponding weapon class is used.
  
• Increased by +0.02 for every Fitness skill level.
  
• Randomly multiplied by 1.1 or 1.2.
  
• Multiplied by the Combat Speed Modifier (clothing)
  
• Reduced by injury to the arms.
  
• Reduced by the Thermoregulator Combat Modifier: Hypothermia (cold) or Hyperthermia (heat) LV2 is -34%, LV3 is -67% and LV4 is -90%.
  
• Capped for maximum or minimum speed. Meaning there’s a point where you can’t swing faster or slower.

Source: /zombie/character/IsoGameCharacter.class - protected float calculateCombatSpeed

The reason that I don't write the moodle and skill bonuses as percentage multipliers of the combat speed is that I don't know exactly how the resulting number of the "calculateCombatSpeed" code translates into the speed of the animations. Example: a hammer is swung by a newly created unemployed character with no traits. The resulting Combat Speed number would be either 1.21 or 1.32. 1.32 what? Is that slow or fast?

Also note that weapons of the Heavy subclass (like the Sledgehammer) use a different set of animations, which will always be slow.

Endurance Cost

• Proportional to a weapon's weight: in general, a weapon of weight 2 will use double the endurance of a weapon of weight 1.
  
• Decreased by -20% when you reach Long Blunt, Axe and Spear LV8. Assuming the corresponding weapon class is used.
  
• Decreased by a percentage according to your Fitness level (LV1 -5%, LV5 -15%, LV10 -25%)
  
• Decreased or increased by the weapon’s Endurance Mod: Stab-subclass Short Blades use half the endurance compared to weapons of the same weight, while some weapons of the Heavy-subclass use 3X (Wood Axe) or 4X (Sledgehammer) more endurance than a weapon of the same weight.
  
• Increased when using a Two-handed weapon on a single hand, depending on its weight.
  
• Increased by +30% if the character has the Asthmatic trait.
  
• Overkill: when the damage you would do upon the next hit is much greater than the remainder health of the zombie, the Endurance spent is reduced by -80%.

Source: /zombie/ai/states/SwipeStatePlayer.class - public void ConnectSwing

Condition

Weapons have two stats related to how long they’ll last when used: Condition and ConditionLowerChanceOneIn.

When will a weapon lose condition? The game will roll a random number between 0 and:

[ConditionLowerChanceOneIn + (MaintenanceMod×2)]
Source: /zombie/ai/states/SwipeStatePlayer.class (public void animEvent)

MaintenanceMod is an integer, resulting from:

MaintenanceMod(int) = (MaintenanceLevel + WeaponLevel/2)/2
Source: /zombie/characters/IsoGameCharacter.class - public int getMaintenanceMod

Remember, integers are rounded down, so you’ll only get an increase if the combination of Maintenance and Weapon levels reaches the next integer number.

If you roll 0, the weapon loses condition.

Short Blunt

Name	Weight	Min Dmg	Max Dmg	Crit Chance	Crit Dmg	Condition Max	Condition Loss %	Base Speed	Max Range
Hammer	1	0.5	1	20	3	10	1 in 30	1	1.1
Ball Peen Hammer	1	0.5	1	20	3	10	1 in 30	1	1
Club Hammer	1	0.5	1	20	2	10	1 in 25	1	1
Wrench	1	0.5	1	20	2	9	1 in 15	1	1.1
Lead Pipe	1.5	0.7	1.2	30	2	15	1 in 20	0.93	1.15
Metal Bar	1.5	0.7	1.1	30	2	8	1 in 15	0.95	1.2
Night Stick	1.5	0.6	1.1	25	2	15	1 in 20	1	1.2
Metal Pipe	1.5	0.6	1	30	2	8	1 in 15	0.95	1.2
Pipe Wrench	1.5	0.5	1	25	2	10	1 in 25	1	1.1

• Common loot: you’ll be able to find plenty of weapons of this class if you know where to look for. Garages, sheds, warehouses and maintenance rooms will usually yield hammers and pipes. Metal fences of any kind yield metal bars when disassembled or destroyed by zombies. Sinks, toilets, showers and bathtubs yield metal pipes when disassembled.
  
• Low Endurance Cost: with weights ranging between 1 and 1.5, you’ll be able to swing your weapon for longer. You might take more swings to kill than other weapons, but every time you score a 1-hit kill you beat the other heavier weapons in cost efficiency.
  
• Durable: most of the weapons you’ll be using have great durability. And those with the lowest can be acquired in large quantities using the Metalworking skill.
  
• Knockdown: blunt weapons have an increased chance of knocking down a zombie upon a hit. This can be very useful because it allows you to kill zombies in less hits or momentarily decrease the zombies that can attack you.
  
• One Handed: having your secondary hand available lets you equip useful items on them while remaining at full combat capacity. Items like: containers, flashlights, radios, etc.
  
• Low damage: even with the highest damage bonuses and using the best weapons, you’re looking at lower chances of killing zombies in a single hit than with other weapon types, often relying on crits and on average taking 2 hits for every kill.
  
• Crawlers: with low damage and high knockdown, spawning crawlers will be a common occurrence. Crawlers aren’t very dangerous but require a different approach to kill and will mess up with your targeting when mixed with Shamblers.
  
• Short range: makes kiting more difficult and missing can place you at a zombie’s attack range.

Long Blunt

Name	Weight	Min Dmg	Max Dmg	Crit Chance	Crit Dmg	Condition Max	Condition Loss %	Base Speed	Max Range
Crowbar	2	0.6	1.15	35	6	15	1 in 70	1	1.25
Baseball Bat	2	0.8	1.1	40	2	15	1 in 20	1	1.25
Spiked Baseball Bat	2	0.5	1.5	30	5	15	1 in 10	0.95	1.28
Shovel (any)	1.5	0.8	1.9	40	2	10	1 in 10	0.8	1.6
Canoe Paddle Double	2.2	0.8	1.9	50	2	10	1 in 10	0.8	1.6
Garden Hoe	1.5	0.6	1.7	35	2	10	1 in 10	0.85	1.6
Spiked Plank	3.1	0.5	0.8	25	5	10	1 in 2	0.85	1.32

*Weight multiplied by the EnduranceMod when calculating Endurance Cost

• Jack-of-all-Trades: Long Blunts have a weapon choice for most situations. They have the most durable weapon in the game (Crowbar), a weapon that balances damage and repairability (Spiked Bat) and a weapon with high damage and long range (Shovel).
  
• Trait Skill Bonus: because of the Baseball Player trait on character selection, you can have a +75% xp bonus for Long Blunt skill on all your character builds.
  
• Knockdown: the increased chance of knockdown will help you kill faster during your first weapon levels or when moodles and injury decrease your damage.
  
• Long Range: helps you with kiting and killing zombies on the floor from a safer distance.
  
• No 1H option: if you need to carry an item in your secondary, like a flashlight, you might have to either incur in a heavy penalty by using a Long Blunt with one hand or use a different weapon.

Axe

Name	Weight	Min Dmg	Max Dmg	Crit Chance	Crit Dmg	Condition Max	Condition Loss %	Base Speed	Max Range
Stone Axe	1.2	0.5	1.5	15	5	5	1 in 5	1	1.2
Hand Axe	2	0.7	1.5	15	5	10	1 in 15	1	1.1
Axe	3	0.8	2	20	5	13	1 in 22	1	1.2
Pickaxe	3	1	2.2	25	9	13	1 in 20	0.8	1.6
Wood Axe	3*3	1.3	3	50	12	15	1 in 25	Heavy	1.35

*Weight multiplied by the EnduranceMod when calculating Endurance Cost

• High Damage: on average, the highest out of the common weapons.
  
• Renewable: Although the Stone Axe comes with low durability and will rely on your Maintenance and Weapon levels to last, it has great damage for its endurance cost, allowing you to have a quality weapon at any point in the game. Assuming you have access to foraging.
  
• 1H Option: The Hand Axe can be carried on your belt and used along with secondary items while remaining at full combat capacity.
  
• Rare Loot: Stone Axe aside, it’s going to be difficult to find the higher tier Axes with some regularity. You’ll often rely on zombie loot acquired using the Stone Axe. The Hand Axe will be the axe that you will find the most but won’t last as long as you’d like it to.
  
• High Endurance Cost: the high tier Axes weight 3, which will drain your endurance quickly.

Spear

Name	Weight	Min Dmg	Max Dmg	Crit Chance	Crit Dmg	Condition Max	Condition Loss %	Base Speed	Max Range
Crafted Spear	1.7	1	1.5	30	10	5	1 in 2	1	1.4
Garden Fork	1.5	1	1.5	30	10	10	1 in 15	1	1.37
Spear With Scalpel	1.5	1	1.6	30	10	6	1 in 3	1	1.42
Spear With Knife	1.5	1	1.6	30	10	7	1 in 4	1	1.45
Spear With Screwdriver	1.5	1.2	1.6	30	10	7	1 in 4	1	1.45
Spear With Hunting Knife	1.5	1.2	1.7	30	10	7	1 in 8	1	1.48
Spear With Machete	1.5	1.3	2	30	10	12	1 in 10	0.9	1.55

• High Damage and Crit: even the low tier Crafted Spear boasts enough damage to kill in one hit while having a low Spear skill level, thanks to the high critical chance and extreme critical damage multiplier.
  
• Renewable: you can create Crafted Spears anywhere you are, assuming you have the required tools.
  
• Impale: the stab animation of the spear has +30% crit chance (Source: /zombie/character/IsoPlayer.class – public void pressedAttack). The stab animation is disabled when other zombies are near the character.
  
• Quick Slash Attack: the speed of the slash attack allows you to dispatch clumps of zombies that other weapons would have issues with.
  
• Long Range: coupled with its quick slash animation, the spear is the king of dispatching hordes while backpedaling.
  
• Charge Attack: sprinting with a spear equipped will have switch you into a charging stance. Connecting with this charge instantly kills a zombie and has an increased chance of reducing its condition.
  
• Fragile: with the Crafted Spear durability being so low, you will be required to carry multiple weapons at all times, bloating your inventory. It will also put you in dangerous situations, as sudden breaks might have you carelessly using a shove attack that can put you into a zombie’s attack range.
  
• Static Stab animation: used when engaged with single zombies, the stab animation has your character remain static while the animation ends. This can put you in extremely dangerous situations as you have no manual control: the game isn’t perfect at calculating the safe distance when zombies come from certain angles. If you happen to miss you will be placed at a zombie’s attack range.
  
• Difficult leveling: Without a bonus to the Spear skill, gaining levels is going to be quite difficult.
  
• Short Range Ground Attack: despite the spear’s length, its ground attack range is quite short.
  
• Minimum Range: the spear class has greater minimum range than the other classes, meaning you’ll be forced to shove at close range, making it not an ideal weapon to use in tight spaces.
  
• Inventory fiddling: a consequence of your weapons breaking so often is that you’ll be constantly browsing with your inventory to equip new spears and toss broken ones, interrupting combat.

Short Blade

Name	Weight	Min Dmg	Max Dmg	Crit Chance	Crit Dmg	Condition Max	Condition Loss %	Base Speed	Max Range
Hunting Knife	0.5*0.5	0.6	1.2	50	3	10	1 in 15	1	0.9
Screwdriver	0.4*0.5	0.3	0.7	10	10	10	1 in 6	1	0.85
Kitchen Knife	0.3*0.5	0.3	0.7	25	4	10	1 in 2	1	0.9
Ice Pick	0.15*0.5	0.6	0.9	10	5	10	1 in 7	1	0.85
Meat Cleaver	1	0.4	0.8	15	5	10	1 in 15	1.2	1

*Weight multiplied by the EnduranceMod when calculating Endurance Cost

• Negligible Endurance Cost: with the stab subclass having an Endurance Mod of -50%, you will spend so little endurance attacking than in certain cases, depending on your stats, you will gain endurance during combat.
  
• Jaw Stab: the stab subclass has a chance of instantly killing a zombie even at full health. The chance of a jaw stab happening depends on entirely on your Short Blade skill level (Source: /zombie/ai/states/AttackState.class). You also have a chance of getting your weapon stuck on the zombie’s corpse, lessened by your Short Blade skill level (Source: /zombie/ai/states/ SwipeStatePlayer.class). However, the jaw stab attack will only happen if you’re engaged with a single zombie, as any aggressive zombie in close proximity will disable the attack.
  
• Stealth Attack: successfully sneaking upon a zombie’s back will allow you to use a stab subclass Short Blade to instantly kill them.
  
• One Handed.
  
• Low Damage: even with a Hunting Knife and scoring a crit, it will usually take 2 hits to kill a zombie while having the highest damage bonuses.
  
• Very Short range: the stab subclass has a max range so short that you will have trouble attacking zombies without triggering the shove attack.
  
• Rare Loot: although it will be somewhat common to find Hunting Knives as zombie loot, it’s not going to be easy to have one available at all times as they’ll rapidly lose condition with the number of attacks you need to score kills. You might have to resort to using the other weapons, which are vastly inferior.

Long Blade

Name	Weight	Min Dmg	Max Dmg	Crit Chance	Crit Dmg	Condition Max	Condition Loss %	Base Speed	Max Range
Machete	2	2	3	20	5	13	1 in 25	1	1.23
Katana	2	8	8	30	10	10	1 in 15	1	1.4

• Kings of Damage: The Long Blades have the highest min and max damage in the game, paired with high crit damage multipliers to boot.
  
• Overkill: With damage so high, you will often meet the criteria for overkill (-80% endurance cost).
  
• 1H Option
  
• Extremely Rare Loot: being the rarest melee weapons in the game, you’ll have trouble even finding a single one to start increasing your weapon levels. A Machete used with low Long Blade skill level will have trouble matching the damage output of the other more common weapons brandished at high skill levels.
  
• Difficult leveling
  
• The Machete repair reset: items resulting from recipes, like attaching or reclaiming weapons from a spear, are created as new items. You can use the Attach Machete to Spear recipe to create a Spear with Machete and it will have a Repaired count of “Never”. Reclaim the Machete, and your Machete will also have a Repaired count of “Never”. You can use this to repair your Machete multiple times without incurring the repairing penalties. Moreover, you can use Glue and Wood Glue to repair the Spear with Machete, items that you can’t normally use to repair a Machete. The resulting Machete from the reclaim recipe will have the condition of the ingredient weapon, with a full condition weapon easily obtainable with Wood Glue (+75% at Carpentry LV7). Doesn’t come free however, since you’ll quickly go thru your finite repair supplies just to keep a single Machete in working condition.

Miscelanea

• Makes Holes in Clothing: weapons make holes to clothing when they have a stat in their file called "DamageMakeHole=TRUE". In general, weapons in the Short Blade, Spear and Axe class will make holes while weapons of the Blunt class won't, but there're some exceptions (Shovel1, Shovel2, Garden Hoe, Spiked Bat and Spiked Plank are some of them).

[dave.gerard]

Great article but the one weapon I came here for isn't in the list. The hand scythe.

[Aurélio]

Very through and useful guide.
Good reference for newcomers, also nice for build analysis and further understanding of the game combat system.

[Skyrunner]

Excellent comprehensive guide.

[Valchrist]

Other things I thought of that might fit this guide are rates on pushing vs fall percentage, and ground-attack damage multipliers.
Also, how is weapon XP calculated? Is a kill worth more than an attack, and does more damage equal more XP?

[Valchrist]

To the pros/cons of the short blades, I'd add in that the meat cleaver has a pretty high knockdown rate, making it more effective at fighting small groups while backpeddling than others in the class.
It also has a sweeping area of attack and the longest range in its set, making it a little less risky to use than others of its type.

[Nameless Oblivion]

[quote]The resulting Combat Speed number would be either 1.21 or 1.32. 1.32 what? Is that slow or fast?[/quote]

I'd hazard a completely uneducated and untested hypothesis (see also "guess") that this is read as "swings/attacks per second" or similar. Lower speed factor (reduction) would result in a reduction in swings-per-second.

Timing tests would be needed to confirm.

[Dwarfling]

@WesleyZuc I'm aware and have also done testing myself. The bonus is there in the code, but I believe it to be bugged.

[WesleyZuc]

The axeman trait realy works? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLMVdJISHJI

[Marksman_Mark]

This is my favourite kind of guide, top marks!

[Ricky'Rooster'Thunderpants]

thanks dude!