Top 10 Best Melee Weapons in Fallout 4
As a professional gamer with over 200 hours invested in Fallout 4 and multiple melee character builds, I‘ve become an expert in identifying the most powerful, end-game viable melee weapons suited for different playstyles.
There are tons of options to choose from. Through extensive testing and number crunching, I‘ve narrowed it down to the definitive top 10. This guide will assist you in choosing the Best Melee Weapon in Fallout 4 for your needs.
How Damage and Swing Speed Interact
Before getting into the rankings, it‘s important to understand how base damage versus swing speed work when determining the best DPS (damage per second) melee weapons.
- Weapons with slow swing speeds but high damage seem powerful at first glance. However, faster weapons usually surpass them in practical application with more hits landed per second (DPS).
- So don‘t always look for the biggest damage numbers alone. You want to evaluate weapons based on damage x swing speed to estimate overall DPS.
- As a general rule of thumb, faster weapons benefit more from damage boosting perks/mods. While slow, heavy weapons gain more from swing speed bonuses instead.
Now let‘s dive into the top 10 melee weapon rankings based on maximum end game potential at higher character levels!
#10 – Rockville Slugger (Far Harbor)
Base Stats:
Damage: 18
Speed: Medium
Weight: 5
Legendary Effects:
- Staggering
- Poisoning
The Rockville Slugger is the signature weapon of Far Harbor‘s resident dealer, Dejen.
This wooden baseball bat may seem simple, but its legendary effects combined with upgrades make it a formidable choice for melee builds focusing on debilitating opponents.
Both the "Staggering" and "Poisoner‘s" legendary prefixes cause additional effects alongside the bat‘s base damage:
- Staggering – 20% chance to stagger on each hit
- Poisoner‘s – Deals 7 poison damage over 10 seconds
These effects allow you to lock down enemies, preventing them from fighting back or fleeing while you pound away at them!
Some key things that give the Rockville Slugger a top 10 slot:
✅ Medium swing speed for solid DPS
✅ Debilitating legendary effects
✅ Available very early in Far Harbor DLC
❌ Short reach requires close quarters
Where to Get It: Kill or pickpocket Dejen in The Nucleus area of Far Harbor
Recommended Perks: Big Leagues, Blitz
Ideal Build: Close combat skirmisher focusing on disabling groups of enemies up close with staggering, poison, then finishing them off rapidly with optimized DPS potential from faster swing speeds.
The Rockville Slugger is a formidable melee option available early for Far Harbor DLC players and makes for a fun debilitating weapon build!
#9 – Grognak‘s Axe
Grognak’s Axe is a…
