Weapons

Weapons cover everything used to fight the dead, from axes and bats to rifles and pipe bombs. Melee weapons fall into six classes, and each class trains its own skill. Improvised weapons turn pipes, pans and planks into clubs. Firearms need ammo and draw zombies with every shot. Explosives blast, burn or lure crowds from a distance.

All Weapons Categories

Best Weapons

Firearms hit hardest, but every shot pulls zombies in from far away, so the melee classes fill the main rows and the firearms get one row of their own.

For	Name	Image	Stats	Spawn ID
Hardest hitter	Katana		8 damage	/additem Base.Katana
Longest reach	Field Hockey Stick with Nails		1.63 range	/additem Base.FieldHockeyStick_Nails
Best crit chance	Saxophone		70 crit chance	/additem Base.Saxophone
Most durable	Baseball Bat - Sheet Metal Reinforced		25 condition	/additem Base.BaseballBat_ScrapSheet
Hardest-hitting firearm	Double Barrel Shotgun		2.2 damage	/additem Base.DoubleBarrelShotgun

Melee Classes

Every melee weapon belongs to a class. Axes train the Axe skill. Long Blunt weapons such as the Baseball Bat train Long Blunt. Short Blunt weapons such as the Nightstick train Short Blunt. Long Blades such as the Katana train Long Blade. Short Blades such as the Hunting Knife train Short Blade. Spears train the Spear skill.

Each class plays differently. Axes and long blunt weapons hit hard with two hands. Short blunt weapons and short blades leave one hand free. Spears reach further than most other weapons. Long blades are rare but deal some of the highest damage in the game.

Improvised weapons still train a skill in most cases. The Lead Pipe trains Short Blunt. The Plank trains Long Blunt. Knife spears train Spear. Only a few items, such as pens and the Stone, stay outside every weapon skill.

Strongest Weapons

Each class has a clear top weapon. The Katana deals a flat 8 damage, far above anything else. The Sledgehammer and the Wood Axe each reach 3 damage at the top of their range. The Cudgel with Brake Disc deals 2 to 3 but weighs 6.

The one-handed classes hit softer. The Mace deals 0.8 to 1.4 among short blunt weapons. The Hunting Knife deals 0.6 to 1.2 among short blades. The Spear with Long Metal Head deals 1.2 to 1.7 and reaches 1.48.

Among firearms, the full-length shotguns hit hardest at 1.5 to 2.2. The MSR788 Rifle, the M1A Rifle and the MSR7T Tactical Rifle reach the furthest, at 40.

Skill and Leveling

All six melee skills level the same way. Experience comes from hitting enemies with a weapon of that class. Level 1 needs 75 XP, and level 10 needs 9,000 XP. Each skill raises attack speed, damage and critical chance. It also reduces muscle strain.

The skills add flat bonuses at set levels. Level 3 adds 10 percent damage. Level 7 raises the damage bonus to 20 percent and adds 20 percent range. From level 8, each swing costs 10 percent less endurance.

Traits change the XP rate. Fast Learner raises it to 130 percent. Slow Learner lowers it to 70 percent. Reluctant Fighter lowers combat XP to 75 percent. The Brawler trait adds Axe 1 and Long Blunt 1 at the start.

Strength and Fitness matter for every melee fighter. Strength increases melee damage and knockback. Fitness increases melee attack speed and slows exhaustion. The Strong trait gives extra knockback from melee weapons. The Weak trait gives less.

Durability and Repair

Every melee weapon has a condition bar. Each hit has a small chance to cost one point. The chance differs a lot between weapons. The Crowbar has a base 1 in 70 chance, so it lasts a very long time. The Kitchen Knife has a 1 in 2 chance and wears out fast.

The Maintenance skill protects every melee weapon. Its in-game text says it decreases the chance of melee weapons being damaged. Maintenance XP comes from melee combat. The weapon's own skill helps a little as well.

Most wooden and many metal weapons take tape and glue repairs. Fix With Duct Tape, Fix With Glue and Fix With Wood Glue are the common ones. Fix With Epoxy is the strongest repair and needs Maintenance 3. Bladed weapons can also be sharpened with a Whetstone, a File or the Grindstone workstation.

Firearms and Explosives

Firearms use the Aiming and Reloading skills. Aiming increases the chance of a hit and of extra damage. Reloading speeds up loading guns and magazines. The Police Officer starts with Aiming 4, and the Veteran starts with Aiming 2 and Reloading 2.

Each gun fires one round type. The M9 Pistol fires the 9x19mm Round. The JS-2000 Shotgun fires the 12g Round. The MSR788 Rifle fires the 7.62x51mm Round. Guns are very tough, with a base 1 in 200 chance to lose condition per shot. Weapon Parts such as scopes and sights fit with a Screwdriver.

Explosives are mostly crafted. The Pipe Bomb explodes, the Fire Bomb burns, and the Noise Maker lures zombies away. Each bomb can take a timer, a motion sensor or a remote trigger. The Engineer occupation knows the bomb recipes from the start.

Crafting

Weapon crafting starts in the wild. Make Crude Stone Axe, Make Stone Hammer and Carve Spear need only simple materials. Bind Spear Head ties any knife to a Long Stick. Knapping turns flint and stone into blades and axe heads.

Nails and scrap upgrade basic weapons. Make Nail-Spiked Weapon turns a Baseball Bat or a Plank into a spiked club. Make Railspike Cudgel and Make Sawblade Cudgel need Carpentry 6. The Carpenter and DIY Expert occupations know most of these recipes. The Handy trait teaches them too.

Metalwork makes the best weapons. Blacksmithing forges axe heads, mace heads, knife blades, spear heads and sword blades. Forge Sword Blade needs Blacksmithing 9 and an Advanced Forge. Welding makes scrap metal swords, cleavers and morningstars. Make Scrap Metal Sword needs Welding 8.

Locations

Weapons turn up all over Knox Country. Fire stations hold Firefighter Axes. Sports stores and school gyms hold Baseball Bats. Police stations hold Nightsticks, pistols and shotguns. Kitchens hold knives and pans.

Some weapons have special homes. Swords and maces sit in medieval weapon displays. The Katana sits in Japanese weapon displays. Gun stores carry guns, ammo and weapon parts. Army surplus stores carry Hatchets, Machetes and the Entrenching Tool.

Notes

• Two-handed weapons such as the Wood Axe can be carried on the back.
• A Whetstone keeps most blades in fighting shape.
• Firearm damage, range and capacity are listed on the Firearms page.