There are few things better in an RPG game than having options. Being confined to one particular playstyle in a game that encourages freedom of play is pretty boring. Sometimes you don’t want to play with guns all of the time. Sometimes you want to get up close and personal with your opponents.

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Luckily, The Outer Worlds not only has a nice assortment of guns but also a sizable armory of melee weapons as well. This list will go over the 10 best in the game. Note that this list will be excluding any science weapons that happen to be melee-oriented and will only account for the vanilla version of the game, which does not include the recent Peril on Gorgon DLC.

10 The Hammer of Olympus

A unique melee weapon that the player can find around the devil’s peak area on Monarch. Do a little searching, and you should discover it lodged in some rocks. This aptly named weapon comes with default shock damage.

The Hammer of Olympus is one of the hardest-hitting melee weapons in the game once you max it out. Being a unique weapon, though, it is already pre-modded and has no option to swap other mods onto it. This somewhat limits it in its capabilities in a few situations. Even with that little limiter, this hammer is still a solid choice for smashing some enemies, especially automechanicals.

9 Pulse Hammer

A more common 2-handed hammer weapon. Unlike its unique brother, the Pulse Hammer comes with plasma as its default damage type.

The Pulse Hammer also has the benefit of being able to mod its grip. So, there’s a couple of options afforded to this weapon as a result. Other than that, it isn’t all that different from the Hammer of Olympus. It hits just as hard, and its plasma damage isn’t too bad when you aren’t dealing with any armor in the mix. Overall, it’s a solid alternative to the Hammer of Olympus.

8 Supper Time

A unique weapon that the player can obtain via The Secret People quest, a quest that puts the player in a rather unsavory family's residence. Just unlock the room on the upper floors of the house, and you’ll find it sticking out of the family’s supposed next “meal”.

Anyway, Supper Time is a rather special unique weapon. Not in its looks, but its mechanics. If you can keep a rhythm going, the player can practically swing this weapon indefinitely. For a 1-handed weapon, that’s pretty convenient. It means the player doesn’t have to awkwardly stop swinging after they’ve exhausted every available move in a string. Its biggest drawback is its rather low overall damage output compared to other weapons on this list. The default corrosive damage isn’t too bad though. And even if this weapon can’t be modded, it still has a fair amount of utility.

7 Officer’s Spine

A more common, 1-handed melee weapon, Officer’s Spine is essentially Supper Time, but with the option to give it a few mods. It also can’t be swung continuously, which is a bummer.

Regardless, it’s still a pretty solid weapon. Having the option to mod it is always nice. It comes with default corrosive damage, so there’s a good chance the player might not bother with modding the blade, but the option is there should they choose to. Modding the grip is pretty much a must, though, as it can improve its rather modest overall damage output.

6 Sentry Sabre Mk 2

The upgraded version of the standard Sentry Sabre just provides an extra mod slot. Again, more options are always great.

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The Sentry Sabre itself is a pretty good all-arounder kind of 1-handed melee weapon. Modest flat damage, but pretty good DPS overall. The mod slots give it a bit more extra utility if you’re a player who’s looking for that in your slice-and-dice weapons. Even its base design isn’t really all that ostentatious. As basic as it may look, it’s still a reliable and competent blade to have on the side in a pinch.

5 Rapti-Prod

A unique tossball stick that was apparently made to specifically keep Raptidons in check. As a result, it does some bonus damage to Raptidons and comes with default shock damage.

The bonus Raptidon damage, as well as the shock damage, makes this stick pretty versatile even if it is a unique weapon. Makes for a good automechanical cleaner as well as a monster masher. On top of that, it’s the hardest-hitting basic melee weapon in the game when maxed out. So, if the player prefers a lot of big hits with 2-handed weapons, this one has got them covered.

4 Ionized Paper Knife

Another unique 1-handed melee weapon. The Ionized Paper Knife’s name honestly might undersell it just a little bit. It’s basically a plasma cutter but with a mechanical difference similar to Supper Time.

That’s right. This baby can be swung infinitely if you can get the timing down. Now, the basic plasma cutter already has really high DPS as a 1-handed melee weapon. Take that and give the player infinite swinging capabilities, and this thing could basically shred anything in its path. It may be unmoddable, but the default plasma damage and sheer killing potential make up for it.

3 Pro Tossball Stick

The upgraded version of the common tossball stick. A hard-hitting 2-handed melee weapon. It excels at big hits just like the Rapti-Prod.

It may not be as great at smashing Raptidons, but it’s got some mod slots to work with. It’s overall DPS is also pretty good when compared with other 2-handed weapons in the game. Since it can be modded, it has a bit more flexibility in the long run overall. So, if the player has more of a preference towards keeping their options a little more open but still likes to capitalize on hefty hits, this weapon might satiate their needs.

2 Vortex Mace

A more common 1-handed melee weapon that looks more a like plunger than a mace. Don’t let that fool you though. Those rotating spikes atop its handle are poised to scrub your face off.

The Vortex Mace is quite the damage monster when maxed out. With high DPS and considerable flat damage for a 1-handed melee weapon, it’s definitely a weapon you don’t want to be on the other end of. Having the luxury of mods just makes this thing even more dangerous. Getting this weapon to maximum efficiency might be a little expensive, but it’s worth it.

1 Impact Hammer Mk 2

The only other 1-handed weapon that beats out the Vortex Mace in sheer power. The upgraded version of the basic Impact Hammer comes with that extra mod slot for some added utility.

Not much to really say about this little mashing tool. Among melee weapons, it’s capable of the highest DPS in the game while also having very high flat damage numbers for a 1-handed weapon. And with those always useful mod slots, this weapon can practically do it all. If you want versatility, power, speed, or just about anything else, the Impact Hammer is a great choice.

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