Melee Weapons

Melee weapons are any weapons used in close combat, they may be bludgeons, blades, or just about anything you can find in a pinch (i.e. improvised weapons). Melee weapons inflict damage through physical contact such as through crushing (e.g. a hammer), cleaving (e.g. an axe), or by penetration (e.g. a spear), or by a combination of effects (e.g. polearms).

List of Melee Weapons

This list includes many but not all improvised weapons. Weapons that produce a combination of effects are listed only their main damaging effect.

Cleaving Weapons

• Axe
• Chainsaw
• Entrenching Tool
• Halberd or Poleaxe
• Meat Cleaver
• Swords such as Broadswords & Katanas

Crushing Weapons

• Baseball Bat
• Club
• Crowbar
• Flail
• Golf Club
• Hammer
• Mace
• Lead Pipe
• Rolling Pin
• Staff
• Sledge Hammer
• Skillet
• Tire Iron

Penetrating Weapons

• Icepick
• Knife
• Pen or Pencil
• Pitchfork
• Screwdriver
• Spear
• Swords such as Epees & Rapiers

Appeal to Survivalists

The appeal of melee weapons is that they are low tech and do not run out of ammunition. The weakness, naturally, is that they expend a lot of personal energy to use and some require skill and training to master (e.g. Katana). When combating zombies remember that their weakness are head attacks. With cleaving weapons attempt decapitation. With crushing weapons destroy their ability to bite with jaw attacks before finishing with skull blows. With penetrating weapons go for the eye sockets or ears to penetrate the brains.