Dayz Best Melee Weapons (From Worst To Best)

Updated:

15 Apr 2023

10. Wrench

Health Damage: 15-25
Blood Damage: 0
Shock Damage: 20-30

All you have here is an adjustable wrench, nothing more, nothing less. It is a great tool to have that doubles as a decent weapon.

While its strengths lie in its can opening and mechanical abilities, this tool should not be ignored as a solid weapon. It’s got some decent damage output and is better than fists.

This works amazing as a makeshift holdout weapon, as no matter what you’re wearing, it will fit inside the inventory. Use it to make your escape and defeat your captors.

What the Wrench excels in:

Decent damage in a small package.
Easy to use as a tool and weapon.
Very easy to find.

How to get the Wrench: Found in any industrial zone.

9. Screwdriver

Health Damage: 12-18
Blood Damage: 100
Shock Damage: 17-25

A tool built exclusively for screwing things together to make sure they don’t come apart. Plastic handled with a steel pointed rod.

Used in a similar way to the Wrench, the screwdriver is a good upgrade from fists that most won’t expect to use as a weapon. It also has more tool based uses than the wrench.

Many survivors have taken a screwdriver to the neck without even realizing their opponent had a weapon.

What the Screwdriver excels in:

Sneaky weapon no one expects.
Spawns just about anywhere.
Great tool usage for mechanics and escapes.

How to get the Screwdriver: Found in just about any house or industrial area.

8. Hunting Knife

Health Damage: 15-20
Blood Damage: 100
Shock Damage: 17-25

The hunting knife is your go-to tool for gutting wildlife, sharpening sticks, cutting brush and foliage, or stabbing a survivor in the chest with.

Between the ton of versatile uses, and combat potential, it’s a great option for any player. It does great damage, and is quick to use.

One of the best weapons for slicing unexpected survivors to pieces. Also great for crafting, shaving, skinning, and removing restraints.

What the Hunting Knife excels in:

Versatile use as a tool.
Relatively easy to find.
Great damage.

How to get the Hunting Knife: Found in hunting shacks and hiking areas.

7. Crowbar

Health Damage: 15-30
Blood Damage: 0
Shock Damage: 25-35

A sizable steel rod meant for prying open doors, windows, hatches, and other coverings.

The first large weapon on our list, the crowbar, is better than smaller melee weapons as it can absolutely destroy any enemy you come across. It has high durability as well.

With one of the fastest large weapons for attacking, you can easily wipe out survivors and infected alike with ease. Don’t be afraid to use it in a pinch.

What the Crowbar excels in:

Fast, heavy hits.
Extremely easy to find.
Has some good tool usage.

How to get the Crowbar: Found in towns and industrial areas.

6. Machete

Health Damage: 15-25
Blood Damage: 100
Shock Damage: 20-27

Machetes are a family of wide-bladed tools predominantly used for cutting away thick brush and branches. While considered similar to a hatchet or axe, its design is completely different, giving it a larger damage surface for combat.

One of the best weapons to get for melee, hands down. The machete rips through infected and survivors like butter.

Most servers will spawn you with a machete, which leads to hilarious, all-out warfare with freshies that makes Rwanda in the nineties look like a birthday party.

What the Machete excels in:

Great bleed damage.
Fast attacks.
Great tool applications outside of combat.

How to get the Machete: Found in residential locations.

5. Nailed Bat

Health Damage: 20-40
Blood Damage: 100
Shock Damage: 30-40

Baseball, the American pastime, is known the world over and is played just about everywhere. The baseball bat is one of the most iconic items in human history and great for hitting with.

Honestly, if it weren’t for the crafting requirement, needing two different items, the nailed bat would be much higher. This weapon is an absolute menace in combat. It’s quick, for a large weapon, hits like a truck, and causes tons of bleed damage.

Witnessing a nailed bat in combat is something to behold. I was once lucky enough to watch a man through my sniper scope take on two men with just a bat and the shirt on his back.

What the Nailed Bat excels in:

Heavy bleed damage per hit.
Fast attack for a large weapon.
Easy to make.

How to get the Nailed bat: Find a baseball bat and attach nails to it.

4. Pickaxe

Health Damage: 20-40
Blood Damage: 100
Shock Damage: 30-40

The tool of the working class, the pickaxe, has been the arm of the building of nations as long as history has been recorded. It has *also* been used as a weapon for the extorted workers for just as long.

The pickaxe has an incredible range that lets you really reach out and touch somebody. All it takes is a good swing, and you’ll most likely knock somebody out, rarely needing a second attack to keep them down.

Pickaxes are hilarious weapons to wield, as no one expects them to be used in combat. You can easily surprise people with them.

What the Pickaxe excels in:

Tied for the longest melee damage.
Spawns very often, so you’ll find them easily.
Knocks someone out in one to two hits, always causes bleed damage.

How to get the Pickaxe: Found in industrial locations and on farms.

3. Sledgehammer

Health Damage: 25-50
Blood Damage: 0
Shock Damage: 40-50

The largest hammer around, the sledgehammer, is used mainly in demolishing structures. It could hypothetically be used as a regular hammer to…mixed results.

A sledgehammer WILL knock someone out in a single hit, if they have no ballistic helmet. It will not cause any bleed damage, but its shock damage is extremely high.

This is the knockout machine for any bandits or slave traders in Chernarus, you can take all the unwilling prisoners you want with this amazing weapon.

What the Sledgehammer excels in:

Extremely heavy hits that are unmatched.
Will send someone to the ground unconscious, allowing more moral bandits to rob without killing.
Can be used for mining.

How to get the Sledgehammer: Found in industrial areas and farms.

2.Firefighter Axe

Health Damage: 20-50
Blood Damage: 100
Shock Damage: 30-40

This axe was developed for the needs of Chernarus’ brave firefighters. With a standard axe head and a driving tip on the back, this tool is designed to get people out of burning buildings.

This was once the weapon to grab while looting, as it can silently kill infected in a single hit, plus its use for chopping down trees and breaking into bases. It is very strong in both combat and extra uses, but its bright colors leave much to be desired.

Everyone has fought off a survivor with a firefighter axe, they’ve also fought off a horde of infected with one. It is the quintessential melee weapon in the game.

What the Firefighter Axe excels in:

Strong hit, only one swing to kill the infected.
Silent, for keeping yourself out of sight.
A must have for survival due to being able to cut down trees.

How to get the Firefighter Axe: Found only in fire stations.

1. Splitting Axe

Health Damage: 15-40
Blood Damage: 100
Shock Damage:25-40

A simple woodsman's axe. There is nothing special about this axe except that it was built to last in the tough pre-infection region of Chernarus.

Many may be asking why the Splitting Axe, a near carbon copy of the Firefighter Axe, is above it on this list. The reason is extremely simple, it has a significantly higher durability. It also, as of this writing, has better camouflage, as spray paint will not spawn to alleviate the previous axe’s bright colors.

Same as above, it has become the new quintessential melee weapon that every survivor uses as soon as they can. It truly has no downsides.

What the Splitting Axe excels in: