Guns are absolutely useful in DayZ, but what they have in power, they definitely lack when it comes to subtlety. You’ll find that a lot of DayZ players aren’t exactly trigger happy even if they have the best guns in the game. That’s because shooting can attract more enemies to your location; it’s often better to be prepared with a melee weapon of your choice.
You can use nearly everything in DayZ as a melee weapon. You can even hit enemies with clothing if you want to. When looking for melee weapons, you’d want ones that can cause serious damage – as well as giving shock and bleed status effects. If you’re new to the game, here are some of the best melee weapons to get in DayZ first.
Knives
There is an assortment of knives that you can get in the game; each of them deals minimal damage. This might not seem like an ideal weapon at first, but you must consider that you can attack swiftly with the knife. It’s also light, and it takes up minimal space in your inventory. It’s a good weapon to have in hand to use when defending yourself against zombies, wildlife, and even other humans.
All knives in the game cause the bleed status effect. With a little patience and the right strategy, you can use knives to take out any enemy in the game. You can make a makeshift knife using two stones which you can find on the beach mostly. This is the best starter weapon there is as it also allows you to hunt for wildlife like chickens easily.
Pickaxe
The pickaxe is one of the most underrated weapons in the game. It’s primarily used as a digging tool, but many don’t know that it has one of the highest damage outputs. Of course, the downside of the pickaxe is that it is very heavy, and it can also take up a ton of space inside your inventory as well.
The pickaxe can deal with the bleeding status effect on your enemies. However, if you swing at their head and make contact, there’s a good chance that you can one-hit zombies. The pickaxe can be found in small villages and farms. It’s a good weapon to have in-game early on, so keep an eye out for it. It will help you farm for better items eventually.
Shovel
The shovel is a fairly common weapon that you can find inside homes and farms. It deals a good amount of shock damage, meaning it can knock out human enemies pretty quickly. The downside is that the shovel is pretty heavy, so it takes a while to wind up and hit your foes. The good news is that, like most melee weapons, you can hold and charge your shovel hits.
One of the upsides to the shovel is that you can use it for other things too. For instance, you can use it to dig up worms that you can eat or bait when fishing. It’s a very handy weapon that’s easy to find. Keep in mind that the shovel doesn’t do much damage, but you’ll have the time to leave and escape since you can knock out players with it.
Chainsaw
The chainsaw is a good weapon for taking out multiple enemies at once and for chopping trees of course. However, keep in mind that you need fuel to use the chainsaw. Without fuel, it’s a useless weapon. As a melee weapon, the chainsaw causes the highest bleed damage possible, so it’s good to use against humans as it can drain them of blood quickly.
It can be found in farms and hardware stores. The problem with the chainsaw is that it can be pretty loud. Don’t use it if you’re in urban areas, as it won’t take long for zombies to flock to your location once you begin using the chainsaw. As a general rule of thumb, you should use it if there are around 4-5 zombies in the area as it can easily clear them.
Fire Axe
The fire axe is definitely the best melee weapon in the game. It’s found exclusively inside fire stations. It has the highest damage, it obviously doesn’t need fuel, but most importantly, however, the fire ax has impressive range. While you can use it to cut down trees, the weapon is best reserved for use against humans and zombies alike. It’s a rare weapon, but it’s definitely worth the trouble.
In terms of stats, the fire ax offers high reach, damage, bleed effect, and swing speed. It’s definitely the best melee weapon out there. If you can, make sure to grab more than one. You can find at least 2-3 inside fire stations, but you can find the fire axe inside some homes around the map as well.
These melee weapons are currently considered the best in DayZ. Make sure you stock up on them and not just on firearms. While guns are powerful, they are still very noisy, and in most cases, they can be troublesome for you as well. DayZ veterans will tell you that melee weapons are going to be your best bet at survival from beginning to end.
