You are stranded on a big space rock, oh no! What do you need to prioritise? Shelter, food, medicine, and of course defence! This article will go into detail about the best melee options available in vanilla Rimworld.

10. Beer

You may be surprised to see this on a melee weapons list but it is possible to use beer as a weapon! It isn’t a particularly good weapon, and it has a bit of a long crafting process… but it’s a fun option.

 It does a whopping 4.5 DPS (wow) and has a 2 second cold down so it is actually pretty quick. For a bit of a joke it is a great option, or maybe if you want a really tough challenge. Other than that though it isn’t really any use.

What are the benefits?

• As a weapon… none
• It is a mood booster

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Beer 

In order to get beer you need to:

• Plant hops, you need a minimum of plants skill 3
• Research Beer Brewing
• Construct a brewery to process 25 hops into 5 wort, no minimum skill level is needed
• Place 25 wort into a fermenting barrel and leave it be for 6 days. After that time each unit of wort will have been converted into a beer. 
• Enjoy! 

9. Breach Axe

As the name suggests the breach axe is far better at tearing down buildings and breaching walls than it is against people. It is a weapon that primarily does blunt damage and therefore uranium is the best material to use. Typically though the breach axe isn’t much use to the player, but is something they need to be wary of as it will be used against them.

    What are the benefits?

• 10x damage multiplier against buildings
• 2 second cooldown

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Breach_axe 

 For a Breach Axe, you will need to have Smithing researched as well as access to either a Fuelled Smithy or an Electric Smithy, it will cost you 50 material.

8. Club

The club is probably the best starting weapon available in the game, it requires no research and can be crafted at a simple crafting spot. On top of that clubs have no quality level which means any of your colonists can craft a club without sacrificing the effectiveness of the weapon. 

It is a blunt weapon and therefore does not cause the bleeding effect which means it will take a few more swings to kill an opponent vs a sharp weapon. However, as a blunt weapon, it is more effective against armoured attackers when compared to weapons that deal in sharp damage. 

What are the benefits?

• Cheap
• Easy to craft
• No research required

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Club 

A club only requires 40 material to craft and can be made at a Crafting Spot. 

7. Knife

The primary selling points for Knives are that they are the cheapest melee weapon and they take very little time to craft. They put in a lot of hard work in the early game as they aid you in levelling up your crafters.

Its very quick cooldown makes the knife a very skill friendly choice, even if the colonist misses their attack a follow-up stab will come quickly after.

What are the benefits?

• Quick cooldown
• Skill friendly for crafting and wielding
• Cheap and quick to produce

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Knife 

The Knife requires a Crafting Spot and only 30 material. 

6. Ikwa 

The Ikwa is basically a short spear with stabbing as its primary damage type, this makes it great for punchy targeted damage. The likelihood of getting in a well-placed stab to an organ is higher while preserving the rest of the body. This means the Ikwa is actually a great choice of weapon for hunting. 

Like the knife, the Ikwa has a quick cooldown which makes misses and mishits less detrimental allowing less skilled colonists the chance to level up a bit without risking their lives. 

What are the benefits?

• Stabbing damage
• Great for hunting
• Good training weapon

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Ikwa 

In order to craft an Ikwa, you will need to research Smithing and have access to a Fuelled Smithy or an Electric Smithy. It will take 50 material. 

5. Gladius

The Gladius is a really well balanced option if you are after something that can cope with a variety of scenarios this is a pretty good shout. It has a really good balance between DPS and cooldown, all wrapped up in a very budget friendly package. 

In terms of cooldown, it is on par with the knife, offering a rather quick damage output. 

What are the benefits?

• Cheap
• 2 second cooldown 

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Gladius 

    To craft a gladius you will need to have Smithing researched and either a Fuelled Smithy or an Electric Smithy. It will only cost you 50 materials. 

    You can buy a gladius from any outlander combat and orbital combat supplier, or steal one  from pirate raiders. 

4. Thrumbo Horn

This is a fantastic melee weapon and if you manage to get your hands on one you’re quids in. The reason the Thrumbo Horn isn’t higher on the list is because as soon as you get access to longswords and maces it gets outshined.

On the upside,their damage output is pretty consistent and has good armour piercing which makes Thrumbo Horns a good choice for early tomid game. 

What are the benefits?

• Average of 8.6 DPS
• No material cost

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Thrumbo_horn     

    To get your hands on a Thrumbo Horn you will need to kill and butcher a Thrumbo.

3. Spear
   

The spear is the forgotten middle child between the gladius and the longsword. It is a great middle-ground in terms of both dps and material cost. It offers 3 different melee attacks that each do a different damage type. This means the spear can hold its own pretty well against armoured attackers, better than the longsword at least. 

In terms of DPS, the spear has the second highest base number (for a crafted weapon) in the game so it is a great choice. 

What are the benefits?

• Average 7.35 DPS
• 23 Stab damage
• 13 Blunt damage 

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Spear 

To craft a spear you need to have Long Blades researched on a research bench. You will of course then need either a Fuelled Smithy or an Electric Smithy. In terms of materials, you will need 75.

They can also be bought from a war merchant, combat supplier, or stolen from raiders.

2. Longsword

A very good lethal choice of melee weapon. Great for hacking off limbs and causing serious lacerations, like any sharp weapon the long sword’s attacks cause the bleeding effect. This means it can be incredibly difficult to protect potential captives from bleeding out and dying.

In terms of DPS, the longsword has the highest output of all of the melee weapons, and you may ask why is it not in first place? Well, the answer to that is the longsword is at a significant disadvantage against armoured opponents. 

Another reason the longsword is not first is that it sometimes wastes a hit or two lopping off a finger or toe rather than anything significant. 

What are the benefits?

• 23 Stabbing damage
• Average of 8.6 DPS 
• Crits on internal organs

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Longsword 

In order to craft a longsword, you will need to research Long Blades on a research table. You will then need to build either a Fuelled Smithy or an Electric Smithy. Finally, you will need a grand total of 100 materials. 

They can also be bought from outlander or combat suppliers, or stolen from attackers.

1. Mace  

This is probably the best choice of melee weapon throughout the game. Maces are pretty good at breaking through armour and do a decent chunk of damage, there is also the added bonus that they can stun enemies. 

Later in the game, you definitely want to be wielding uranium Maces wherever possible as all of the attackers wear a lot of armour. It also means you can save your precious plasteel for other things.

The damage type for the Mace is of course Blunt which means you are given the option to capture attackers rather than outright killing them. It downs the enemies and nullifies the threat efficiently and allows you the option of gaining captives.

What are the benefits?

• 24% armour penetration 
• 15.7 Blunt Damage
• Average of 7.02 DPS
• Chance of stun

https://rimworldwiki.com/wiki/Mace 

In order to craft a Mace you will need to research Smithing on a research table, then you will need to build either a Fuelled Smithy or an Electric Smithy. Lastly, you need to have 50 of your chosen material.

They can also be purchased from outlander suppliers, or stolen from raiders. 

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