Project Zomboid: 8 Best Melee Weapons, Ranked

Highlights

• Electric guitars are great early-game weapons and provide good damage, but high stamina cost.
• Nightsticks are essential backup weapons with great durability and effective for zombie clearance.
• The baseball bat is reliable and balanced with superior range and durability for efficient kills.

The most used tool in any Project Zomboid player’s arsenal is their trusty melee weapon of choice. With an escape plan, guns are excellent for clearing regions, but their loud noise will always attract unwanted attention. The game has six weapon types that all can be leveled separately.

Leveling the weapon type results in increased efficiency and will turn the player into a zombie shredder at higher levels. Some weapon groups are better suited to handling larger groups of zeds, while others excel at quick takedowns. As far as melee weapons are concerned, it’s hard to go wrong with the following options.

8 Electric Guitars

Key Characteristics: Great Early Game Weapon

• Damage: 0.8-1.2
• Range: 0.61–1.35
• Attack Speed: 1.1

During the early game, players are often scrambling to get their hands on a reliable weapon. Many homes will have an electric guitar and players should consider using it at the start of the game.

The electric guitar does great damage for the early game and is a break-and-dump type weapon until gamers get their hands on a better weapon. The main downside of the electric guitar is its high stamina cost to use, as players will quickly become exhausted when swinging it.

7 Nightstick

Key Characteristics: Backup Weapon

• Damage: 0.6-1.1
• Range: 0.61–1.12
• Attack Speed: 1

No matter what weapon players are using, having a backup weapon is a must-have. A nightstick is a one-handed belt weapon that can save lives if players run out of ammo or their main weapon breaks.

The weapon has great durability and can easily be found on police zombies. The weapon only weighs 1.5 and is an essential bring-along if players are planning a long zombie clearance. Players with a high short blunt skill level will get the most out of this weapon as its damage will be increased.

6 Baseball Bat

Key Characteristics: Reliable & Balanced

• Damage: 0.8-1.1
• Range: 0.61–1.5
• Attack Speed: 1

The baseball bat is perhaps the most iconic weapon for tacking down zombies. Players can immediately spawn with a baseball bat if they turn on the starter kit in the custom sandbox settings. Baseball bats are commonly found in regular homes.

While the baseball bat has superior range, attack speed, and durability to the spiked baseball bat, its lower damage will be felt on tougher zombies. Characters with higher strength will turn the baseball bat into a murder machine.

5 Spiked Baseball Bat

Key Characteristics: Easy Damage Upgrade

• Damage: 1-1.5
• Range: 0.61–1.28
• Attack Speed: 0.95

Crafting a spiked baseball bat requires a baseball bat, five nails, and a hammer. The crafted weapon has higher damage at the cost of a slight nerf to weapon speed, durability, and range. Higher damage weapons will mean that players will have to swing less, thus incurring less fatigue.

Since baseball bats fall into the long blunt category, they will receive a damage bonus at levels 3 and 7. Repairing the spiked baseball bat is easy as it uses nails and glue.

4 Crowbar

Key Characteristics: High Durability

• Damage: 0.6-1.5
• Range: 0.61–1.25
• Attack Speed: 1

The crowbar is another preferred weapon of many Project Zomboid players. The weapon boasts the highest durability in the game, but cannot be repaired. Players will find enough crowbars in their journey to always have one ready for combat. After the first ten in-game days, zombies will spawn with a crowbar impaled to their back.

To make up for its average damage, the crowbar is a versatile powerhouse capable of removing barricades, picking up furniture, and prying open locked doors with Common Sense, a popular mod for Project Zomboid.

3 Axe

Key Characteristics: High Damage & Durability

• Damage: 0.8-2
• Range: 0.61–1.2
• Attack Speed: 1

A fan-favorite weapon of many players, the axe is easy to find in fire stations and gives excellent damage and durability. Players starting with the firefighter or lumberjack profession will have a head start in the axe skill and can start annihilating zombies faster. Players with a headstart in the axe skill will obtain the damage bonuses faster.

The axe can be repaired and will last players a long time. Players should use another axe type to chop wood and keep the regular axe strictly for combat use to get the most out of their weapon.

2 Katana

Key Characteristics: Highest Damage

• Damage: 8
• Range: 0.61–1.4
• Attack Speed: 1

Most melee weapons and guns are easy to find, but this rule certainly does not factor in the katana. The katana has the highest damage in the game, surpassing all melee and ranged weapons. Usually, one hit from the weapon will eliminate every zombie.

The major downside to the weapon is the inability to repair it. Players attached to their katana can find good mods that will allow the weapon to be repaired. On top of its lack of vanilla repairability, the katana has a very low durability rating and shouldn’t be relied on for consistent use by players.

1 Spear With Machete

Key Characteristics: Excellent Range

• Damage: 1.3-2
• Range: 0.98–1.55
• Attack Speed: 1

As rare as machetes are, it would be a waste not to craft them into a spear with a machete. In Build 42, players may craft new and unique weapons that are easy to make and provide superb damage. For now, rationing machetes into spear machetes is the best use of materials.

The spear with a machete has the longest range in the game and offers amazing durability and damage. The one-hit kill potential of the spear also elevates the machete to a higher level. Players can level their spear skill with other spears to get the most out of the spear with a machete.