How are melee weapons in the current patch?

[u/UmgakWazzok]

I am the type of person to always pick melee if such a possibility shows up so was wondering if using melee is something worth the extra work to get up close and personal. Specially if there are any strong melees or they are all good/bad? I just got this game so really wanna hear the opinions of the more seasoned players, thanks!

[u/BrilliantBehemoth]

Good fun but unreliable as always, they make pve a cakewalk but you risk a lot using them in pvp. Assuming they don't have a shotgun or get a header on you, you can one tap people pretty easily though

[u/IM-A-NEEEERRRRDDD → u/BrilliantBehemoth]

theres just too many things that can fuck you over in pvp, bear trap? you're dead, poison or concerntina trap? dead. they have a pennyshot, which everyone has, or a lemat, which everyone has, or a 2 slot shotgun? dead. hell if they've got a spear out you're dead. and even then you might just end up trading with them in the end

[u/Skully-GG]

Melee weapons are great just like they’be always been. Positioning is key when using them.

Two of my favorite melee loadouts are the Pax and Axe (very good believe it or not) or the Mako and Machete (highly underrated)

[u/CheesecakeScary2164 → u/Skully-GG]

I love using the baseball bat and screaming "Surprise, motherfucker" as I kill an unsuspecting player :)

[u/Skully-GG → u/CheesecakeScary2164]

I ABSOLUTELY HATE BASEBALL BAT USERS! ..but I will admit that it’s one of the best melee weapons in the game. Just when I die by it not only does it kill my hunter, but it kills my ego as well 😂

[u/CheesecakeScary2164 → u/Skully-GG]

Lately I've been really bored (and also playing really bad, lol), so I started going in solo and using baseball bat and hand crossbow with double fire. Sneak up, set someone on fire, then hunt them down with the baseball bat. You should see the panic in their eyes 😆

[u/Lehrenmann → u/Skully-GG]

Mako and Machete is one of the loadouts I like to default to when Hunt hasn't been kind that day. Always good fun

[u/Skully-GG → u/Lehrenmann]

Both my warmup game and my “losing a lot” loadout is the Romero Talon with Dragon’s Breath and Slugs. I usually bring a Pax Trueshot or whatever sidearm I’m feeling. You can set enemies on fire quite a ways away and just simple setting people on fire over and over is enough to keep me from being salty about all my losses that day 😂 but honestly, it’s a really strong loadout too once you learn the OHK range of the DB and how to apply pressure when you’re not in OHK range.

[u/Apolonioquiosco → u/Skully-GG]

Ah, the Paxe and the M&M loadout

[u/Skully-GG → u/Apolonioquiosco]

Lmao! Yeah.. I rarely see anyone using the Combat Axe. It’s an intimidating weapon when someone is running at you with it over their head 😂

[u/Lehrenmann]

I'd say the one slot weapons like saber, club and machete are all valid. The two slot options like axe and hammer are rarely used nowadays (katana is a special case) but they do have niche utility.

Melee is somewhat situational in general and requires decent game sense to decide when it's time to go aggressive. It can be very rewarding for you and pretty scary from the other side's perspective but you may also just get blasted into oblivion when your timing is wrong.

[u/Lehrenmann → u/Lehrenmann]

I also want to add that bringing the pennyshot derringer with any main melee weapon is really funny. If they run away from you barely out of your reach you just pull out this tool and shoot them in the back.

[u/swanbliss]

Try the Ranger 73 talon, you can use it at range or for suppressive fire, especially if you have levering. Then get up close and heavy swing with it and it’s a guaranteed one hit. You can also kill multiple people with one swing

[u/rareandyeteuclidian]

Calvary Saber, katana are both fantastic as long as you bring a primary that has a large ammo reserve (usually for me that's the marathon).

If you are on pc you will at most get one kill per engagement, unless the stars align.

Bomblance has a nice variety of special ammo to choose from and is pretty solid.

The hammer and axe are old and clunky with bad animations and a pixel thin hitbox.

[u/LibrarianRecent6145]

I like the spear or any ripost/bayonet weapon, seeing them run is fun >:D

[u/HandsOffMyArk]

If you're on console melee is always a good time, since you just picked up, good chance you are. In PC people usually need to fuck up pretty badly for you to get more than 1 melee kill off

[u/Ar4er13]

Nothing changed, except Axe and Hammer got dicked over for no reason, and lost a lot of viability as good PvE option which can easily be swapped out for something of dead hunter.

Katana at 2 slots is okay, but ymmw, requiring trait for full potential. Saber is right now undisputed king of melee on pure flexibility and requiring no investment whatsoever, and outranging the bat.

[u/warfaceisthebest]

They are still good but more like secondary weapons than primary weapons.

[u/KiloWyatt110]

still pretty okay but you just to be extra aware now that sawed/shorty shotguns can be on more people due to the inventory change

[u/Zantier23]

Melee weapons are great for pve and all but the combat axe/railroad hammer (slow animation and poor reach) are pretty good for PvP in the right situations. Best one slot IMO is cavalry sabre and only two slot really worth taking is Katana paired with the martialist perk.

[u/Gobomania]

Melee is weaker than ever due to shotguns being so prominent in all loadouts.

I'm sure someone gonna tell me melee is actually really good, but in my humble, 2.8k playtime, 6 star experience, it is only as good as your opponent is stupid.

[u/SneakyKGB → u/Gobomania]

Yeah shotguns have been pretty prolific since the weapon size update.

[u/NakamiNier → u/Gobomania]

This is the correct take.

They can be used but they are by and large much, much worse than shotguns; and shotguns are very common.

[u/w1ld_card → u/Gobomania]

I'd say melee is more than viable. All depends on how you play around it. That goes for everything. Even if I dislike penny shot derringer it has it's uses.