7 Days to Die has undergone several massive changes throughout its long early access period. While the melee weapon types in the game generally haven’t changed, combat, skills, and other overall balancing updates for 7 Days to Die have shaken things up over the years, and players would be wise to be well-informed on their choice of weaponry to stand the best chance of survival.
Managing the perfect balance of stamina efficiency and damage output is crucial for melee combat in 7 Days to Die. Additionally, some melee weapons provide game-changing utility effects that players should also consider when choosing to commit to investing in one or more specific weapon types.
7 Days to Die: Armor Tier List
The 1.0 update for 7 Days to Die has added 16 new armor sets to the game, and players should consider which is best for their preferred playstyle.
S-Tier Melee Weapons in 7 Days to Die
- Batons/Stun Batons
- Knives/Machetes
- Spears
Batons/Stun Batons: Batons may be lacking in damage, but the utility of stun batons with the repulsor mod arguably makes up for this. Being able to stun and knockback crowds of zombies can often turn the tides of a doomed quest or Blood Moon horde fight because it gives players a brief moment to reload, heal, repair, recover stamina, or make an escape.
Knives/Machetes: This weapon type comes with a natural bonus to sneak damage, but getting into melee range while sneaking is easier said than done, so using bladed weapons for this purpose can be hit-or-miss, pun intended. Instead, the true value of the bladed weapons is that they can apply more Bleed DoT stacks than any other weapon type. So, combining the bladed weapon’s fast attack speed with its low stamina cost and ability to Bleed enemies, knives and machetes can take out some of the toughest zombies in 7 Days to Die with relative ease.
Spears: This weapon type can be brutal when starting a new playthrough in 7 Days to Die because of its high stamina cost. However, the utility and passive effects of spears are arguably a worthy investment in the long term. Specifically, spears can gain the ability to pierce multiple enemies and inflict Bleed and Fire damage. On top of this, spears naturally come with the ability to negate an enemy’s armor, which makes them great for dealing with both heavily armored targets and groups of enemies.
A-Tier Melee Weapons in 7 Days to Die
- Sledgehammers
- Wraps/Knuckles
Sledgehammers: By default, sledgehammers have the highest damage with a single attack, though they also have the highest stamina cost and the slowest attack speed compared to other weapon types. Running out of stamina mid-fight can be a deadly mistake, so this is generally a difficult weapon type to commit to despite its raw power.
Wraps/Knuckles: The appeal of knuckle weapons is that they have the fastest attack speed and the lowest stamina cost of any weapon type in 7 Days to Die. Since sledgehammers can consistently knock enemies down and knuckle weapons deal increased damage to downed enemies, these two weapon types make a deadly pair, especially considering their contrasting stamina efficiencies.
B-Tier Melee Weapons in 7 Days to Die
- Bats/Clubs
Bats/Clubs: Bats and clubs are reliable, mid-tier weapons, but they lack some of the unique utilities that other weapon types have. Still though, these weapons can be a great alternative to sledgehammers for players who are already investing in the Strength skill tree in 7 Days to Die.
C-Tier Melee Weapons in 7 Days to Die
- Unarmed
Unarmed: Unarmed melee can be permanently buffed via skills and skill books, and temporarily buffed by meds and food in 7 Days to Die, but all this is arguably too costly of an investment that doesn’t pay off. Sometimes, though, when players run out of ammo or break their primary weapon, the best weapon is the one that players always have on them.
7 Days to Die
- Released
- June 28, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
How long will you survive? With over 18 million copies sold, 7 Days has defined the survival genre, with unrivaled crafting and world-building content. Set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead, 7 Days is an open-world game that is a unique combination of first-person shooter, survival horror, tower defense, and role-playing games. It presents combat, crafting, looting, mining, exploration, and character growth, in a way that has seen a rapturous response from fans worldwide. Play the definitive zombie survival sandbox RPG that came first. Navezgane awaits!
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- The Fun Pimps
- Publisher(s)
- Telltale Games
- Engine
- Unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Number of Players
- 8 (PC), 4 (Consoles)
- Platform(s)
- Linux, macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One
- How Long To Beat
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 3 GB (November 2023)
- Metascore
- 45
- Steam User Rating
- 88% (October 25, 2023)
