Melee Weapons In 7 Days to Die

When facing hordes of the undead, choosing the proper melee weapon is essential for extended survival. Unlike Range Weapons, they do not need to be reloaded and most make very little noise. But not all weapons are created equally. In order to wield the weapon that fits your style, you must factor damage dealt, durability, range, and speed.

In This Article:

• Melee Weapons
• Tools Used as Weapons
• Other Items Used as Weapons
• Tips and Suggestions

Note: 7 Days to Die is currently in Early Access Alpha testing. This article was written based on version 9.3. Updates will be added if any information changes in future updates.

You will find a selection of weapons that have the primary function of being a Melee Weapon in the Ammo/Weapons section of your crafting page. These weapons have a greater speed than most improvised Melee Weapons, and are crafted from resources that are commonly found in 7 Days to Die.

Clubs are effective weapons that can be built using sticks and iron. The club attack is a quick jab, hitting the zombie with the bottom of the club. A hit to the head will cause the zombie to be stunned, giving the player time to strike again before being attacked.

Wooden Club

• Crafted From Sticks (6)
• Lower damage and durability than the other clubs
• The same damage as the Bone Shiv
• Can be repaired using sticks

Iron Reinforced Club

• Crafted from Sticks (4) and Scrap Iron (2)
• Slight increase in damage and durability
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Barbed Club

• Crafted from Sticks (4) and Scrap Iron (1)
• Listed as have more damage and durability than the Iron Reinforced Club, even though it needs one less scrap metal
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Spiked Club

• Crafted from Sticks (4) and Iron Ingot (4)
• Almost double the durability and damage of the Wooden Club
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Knives are used in a stabbing motion, which causes the player to extend their arm. This leaves the player open to attacks. The stabbing motion also requires more aim than the clubbing motion, but a hit to the head will still result in the zombie being stunned.

Bone Shiv

• Crafted from a Large Bone
• Same damage as the Wooden Club
• Low Durability
• Can not be repaired

Hunting Knife

• Crafted from a Stick and Iron Ingot
• Same damage as the Spiked Club
• High durability
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Your Fireaxe can split more than wood, and deals more damage to an Entity that the previously mentioned Melee Weapons. However, most tools are much slower than clubs and knives. This can make it difficult to fight hordes of zombies.

The gas powered tools are the quickest Melee Weapons, delivering multiple hits in rapid succession. But these tools continue to attract zombies with their loud engines. I only turn these on when I need to.

When not being used to brain a zombie, tools can be used to break blocks, shovel dirt, plant crops, and upgrade buildings. They have more reach than many Melee Weapons and are more durable. However, their slow speed can keep most of them from being an ideal weapon.

The Fireaxe and Sledgehammer cause enough damage that it can make up for the lack of speed. But, they require more aim than clubs.

Gardening Hoe

This slow tool does less damage than any other melee weapon. There is no reason to ever use this as a weapon. If you plan on using the Gardening Hoe as a weapon, then I suggest having a First Aid Kit ready.

• Slow and ineffective as a weapon
• Crafted from Sticks (3) and Iron Ingot (2)
• A single stick by itself causes more damage
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Shovel

• Crafted from Sticks (3) and Iron Ingot (4)
• Same damage to entities as the Wood Club and Bone Shiv
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Repair Tool

• When used as a weapon, is faster than most tools
• Crafted from Short Iron Pipes (7)
• Same entity damage as the Iron Reinforced Club
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Stone Axe

• Crafted from Stick, Sharp Stone, and Plant Fiber
• Resources can be found easily
• Faster than the long-handled tools
• Can be repaired using Small Stone

Pickaxe

• Crafted from Sticks (3) and Iron Ingot (4)
• Must have good aim
• Same damage to entities as the Stone Axe, but slower
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Claw Hammer

• Crafted from Forged Iron (2) and a Stick
• Faster than most tools
• Same entity damage as the Barbed Club
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Fireaxe

• Crafted from Sticks (3) and Iron Ingot (2)
• High damage and low speed
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

Sledgehammer

• The highest entity damage of any Melee Weapon
• Very Slow
• Can be repaired using Metal Strips

The Chainsaw and Auger are the quickest and most effective melee weapons. However, they draw zombies with their loud engines and go through gas almost faster than you can fill it up. The sequence for filling the gas tank also gives the zombies an opportunity to attack, similar to loading ammo.

You can not currently craft power-tools at this time. they are rare, but can be found in vehicles.

Chainsaw

• Quick and easy to maneuver
• Unlimited Durability

Auger

• Quick, but harder to maneuver than the Chainsaw
• Unlimited Durability

There are a few items that can be used as weapons when desperate. They cause more damage than a punch, but not by much. Their only strength is an unlimited durability, with the exception of the Long Bone.

Stick

• Is abundant and easy to obtain
• Can be used to build various Melee Weapons

Torch

• Use as a weapon while lighting your way
• Crafted with a Stick and a Cloth Fragment or Plant Fiber
• Can be placed on the wall

Coal Torch

• The same attributes as the Torch
• Crafted with a Stick and a Lump of Coal

Flashlight

• Often found on Bloated Zombies
• Can be used to see at night

Large Bone

• Found in animals and Zombie Dogs
• Can be turned into a Bone Shiv

• I normally start a game using the Stone Axe as a weapon, and move on to the Spiked Club as soon as I am able to Forge Iron Ingots.
• Watch for Crawlers when using Melee attacks, they can sneak up on you and cause a sprained ankle.
• Every time you hit something with your weapon it loses one durability point
• Your Melee Weapon will break when its durability reaches 0
• It is often better to repair weapons or tools that are crafted using Iron Ingot, it will take more iron to build a new one.
• You can scrap a weapon or tool with 1 durability for the same amount as if it was new