Even though the Simulation genre gets a lot less attention than other genres like FPS and RPGs, it still has one of the best and most influential games in the gaming community. From being able to pilot a commercial airline to managing an entire kingdom, the possibilities are endless. Another popular Simulation sub-genre is construction and management, which games like Sim City and RimWorld masterfully bring to life.
But, RimWorld is more than a simple top-down construction and management indie game since it also features a unique combat system that players will need to master to keep their colonies safe. And while players have access to a wide variety of weapons, melee-type weapons are more than viable against other colonists, raiders, or mechanoids. But with so many melee weapons available in RimWorld, players will need to know which ones will keep the enemies at bay.
7 Elephant Tusk - Early Game
The early stages of RimWorld can be one of the most challenging phases in the game since players will need to fend off raiders, mechanoids, and wild fauna until they manage to build a shelter. And the best part is that players can obtain the Elephant Tusk melee weapon by slaying an elephant which is quite common to find roaming about the plains.
But, players should not go overboard while defeating an elephant since damaging it too much will also damage the Elephant Tusk. And while this melee weapon is best used at the start of the game, players can use it against armored raiders or mechanoids later in the game.
6 Club - Early Game
Another suitable melee weapon for players in RimWorld is the Club, even if it may seem less durable than the Elephant Tusk. The Club is one of the best blunt-type melee weapons since it has superior DPS compared to other weapons. And, just like in other popular survival games like Minecraft or Rust, players can upgrade the Club's quality to Uranium, which is the highest in RimWorld.
Moreover, players have two different attacks they can perform with the Club: Poke (deals nine damage) and Blunt (deals 14 damage and has 21% armor penetration). Fans can craft the wooden Club with 40 wood, which is always in abundance in RimWorld.
5 Knife - Early and Mid-Game
Despite having a low damage output, the Knife merits being included as one of the best melee weapons in RimWorld since it has the shortest attack cool down compared to other weapons. On top of that, players can make the Knife at a Crafting Spot ideal during the early game when players don't have access to other crafting-related buildings.
The only downside of the Knife is that players will need to research Smithing before they can start to craft them. But, once researched, players can easily equip all of their colonists with them since they are cheap and easy to craft.
4 Warhammer - Mid-Game
The world of RimWorld is often harsh and unforgiving, especially since many powerful raiders and mechanoids are waiting for unprepared colonists. And most of the time, these enemies come equipped with heavy armor which can absorb the blows of most weapons. Fortunately, the Warhammer is one of the best armor-piercing melee weapons in RimWorld since it has over 30% armor penetration.
And to counter the heaviness of the melee weapon, players can use the Nimble Trait (one of the best Traits in RimWorld). Unfortunately, players can only obtain the Warhammer if they have the Royalty DLC, which also includes other useful tools and weapons.
3 Gladius - Mid-Game
The Gladius is one of the best well-rounded melee weapons in RimWorld since it has a decent amount of DPS while having a moderate cooldown rate. And since it's classified as a Sharp Weapon, players can inflict Bleed on enemies after a few swings. Players should remember that the Gladius only performs well against un-armored enemies and hardly does any damage against heavily armored raiders or mechanoids.
Gamers will need a colonist with a crafting level of 3 or more to craft the Gladius, which is why it's a mid-game melee weapon. Moreover, it takes 12,000 Ticks (3.3 minutes) to craft, but players can cut the time in half with specific research projects (the same can't be said for more brutal survival games where some crafting recipes can take hours to complete).
2 Bionic Arm - Late Game
A unique feature of RimWorld is colonists have a chance of getting injured, which will force players to amputate any of the injured body parts. That means players can create super colonists by placing bionic body parts, especially with the Bionic Arm since it's a melee-type weapon. The Bionic Arm primarily deals Blunt damage and has a passive 18% armor penetration.
Colonists with a Bionic Arm will also gain a 25% buff to Manipulation, which allows them to perform certain tasks at a faster rate. But, of course, players will need to consider some downsides to the Bionic Arm, like constant repairs or malfunctions.
1 Eltex Staff - Late Game
The Eltex Staff is one of the few melee weapons in RimWorld that cannot be crafted and can only be looted (Imperial Bestowers) or bought (Combat Supplier or War Merchant). But, despite being difficult to obtain, most players consider the Eltex Staff one of the best support melee weapons in RimWorld since it can reduce Neural Heat and buff other Psycasts (colonists with psychic abilities).
Sadly, the physical damage output of the Eltex Staff is one of the lowest in the game, so players should avoid using it as a primary attack weapon. Players can further increase the Eltex Staff's support capabilities by equipping a colonist with the complete Eltex loadout (Eltex Robe, Eltex Shirt, Eltex Vest, and Eltex Helmet).
RimWorld is out now for PC.