DayZhas come a long way from starting as a mod forARMA 2to becoming a fully-fledged unforgiving survival game. And with continuousupdates that have added new characters, weapons, and gameplay stability,DayZhas become a fan favorite for survival game enthusiasts. But, with every update, surviving the fictional land of the Soviet Republic of Chernarus has only become more difficult.
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Fortunately,DayZfeatures dozens of weapons that can make surviving a lot easier, especially if the player knowsthe best strategies to survive. And one weapon class that can give a player the upper hand while fighting off hordes of Infected and other players is melee weapons. But, not all melee weapons will ensure victory, so players should learn which ones are the best of the best inDayZ.
Updated July 16, 2025 by Daniel Dilena: Even though DayZ was released in 2013, it has remained the go-to Zombie/Survival game that every hardcore zombie player has dreamed about. And since the studio behind DayZ has continued to provide QoL updates, its playerbase has grown significantly to the point it hasover 50,000 concurrent players. One aspect that lures players into DayZ is that the fictional Soviet Republic of Chernarus is massive, with several different biomes and landmarks.
But, each area in DayZ can be dangerous to explore, especially with other players lurking around. And since Ammunition is scarce, players are left with choosing a melee weapon to fend off zombies and enemy players. That’s why we wanted to give players more legroom when choosing thebest melee weapon in DayZby adding a few more entries to this DayZ melee weapons ranked list.
15Meat Tenderizer
One of the newest melee weapons to be added toDayZ, the Meat Tenderizer is a decent weapon that will help players with more than zombie bashing. The Meat Tenderizer can help players create a formidable base since it allows players to make fences or tower walls.
Moreover,DayZfans can use it to open Canned Foods (with a 30% to 60% spill rate). But, despite its usefulness, gamers should only use the Meat Tenderizer in dire situations as its base damage is relatively low, and it has no chance of causing bleed, one of the strongest status effects inDayZ.
14Stone Knife
Despite being a primitive-type weapon, the Stone Knife is extremely handy the first few days inDayZ. This melee weapon can take down almost any small animal in a single jab while hardly weighing anything. On top of that, the Stone Knife can cause the Shock status effect, which can cause a player to become paralyzed momentarily.
In earlier versions, players would spawn with a Stone Knife into the world, but players would exploit this starting weapon by killing themselves to spawn at a more convenient location like near a town or facility. But, as of the patch 1.17 (which introduced dozens of tweaks and weapons), players no longer can spawn in with the Stone Knife.
13Screwdriver
Another weapon that merits being included asDayZ’sbest melee weapon is the Screwdriver since it has a quick stab speed with a 100% chance of causing Bleed. The Screwdriver also only takes up three slots in a player’s inventory, making it the perfect compact melee weapon to carry around.
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Players can use the Screwdriver to lock their radiators or batteries, much-coveted items inDayZ. Finally, gamers can use the Screwdriver to remove certain player-made restraints, making it easier to escape a trap or if held prisoner by another player (which is quite common in other games likeRust).
12Crowbar
DayZfans can find the Crowbar in most villages, but it’s more commonly located in industrial areas of Chernarus. This melee weapon is a long-range of attack (4.1), making it the ideal choice to “poke” enemies from a relatively safe distance. But, as with other utility-based melee weapons, the Crowbar can help players perform actions other than attacking.
For example, players can use the Crowbar to dismantle player-made structures like walls, rooms, or fences. Furthermore, the Crowbar can be used as a makeshift pickaxe to break large formations.
11Farming Hoe
The Farming Hoe is perhaps one of the most versatile melee weapons inDayZsince players can use it for many actions. But, of course, the reason why it’s included in thisDayZmelee weapons ranked list is because it can kill an unprotected player in a few swings.
Apart from the melee damage, the Farming Hoe can be used to bury the body of another survivor, which is critical since zombies are attracted to dead bodies. Players can find a Farming Hoe on any farm, but players should do so cautiously as farms are the ideal camping ground for other players.
10Baseball Bat Nailed
TheBaseball Bat Nailedis a melee weapon that can cause serious damage to whoever is on the receiving end. And while this classic zombie killing weapon does a decent amount of damage to Infected, it shines against other players. And that’s because it has a 100% chance of inflicting Bleed status, which can lead to a Heart Attack (which will ultimately kill the player if they don’t know how to cure it).
Fortunately, players can find Baseball Bats in almost any residential home inDayZ. Once they find one, they only need to have twelve nails to craft the Baseball Bat Nailed, which is also easy to find.
9Sledgehammer
Even though theSledgehammeris technically a tool, players can also use it as a blunt weapon inDayZ. It has one of the highest Heavy Damage outputs in the game, plus it can break nearly any player-made fortification (especially after the 1.16 Update).
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But, as players can expect, the Sledgehammer is a heavy-type blunt weapon, which means that they’ll get reduced movement speed while using it. So, players shouldn’t use the Sledgehammer while fighting Infected Runners, as they tend to be faster than normal Infected.
8Shovel
TheShovelis another survival tool that players can use as a lethal weapon. While it doesn’t have any Bleed Chance, it does have a good Damage Range (3.7) for a melee weapon.
And whether a player uses the Shovel as a melee weapon or not, it’s an essential item to have in their inventory. The main reason is that players can bury loot in the ground, thus hiding it from other players. Plus, if a players' teammate dies, they can bury them with honor and dignity.
7Pickaxe
ThePickaxeis one of the most important tools inDayZsince it can create plots of land to plant seeds and mine rocks (both crucial resources to survive the dangers ofDayZ). But, despite being primarily used to build bases and gather resources, the Pickaxe is also a formidable melee weapon.
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It has a decent Damage Range (3.7 while Sprinting) plus does massive blunt damage. Players can find the Pickaxe at any farm, but they should tread lightly as Infected hordes love to gather in these particular areas.
6Kukri
Despite being one of the lightest melee weapons inDayZ, theKukrihas proven that size isn’t everything. This Nepali-style machete can tear through any horde of Infected, especially the Heavy Police, which carry Stab Vests. Moreover, this melee weapon is useful to remove player-made restraints like rope or wires.
Sadly, the Kukri is a Rare melee weapon, so players shouldn’t expect to find one right off the bat. So, those lucky enough to find one should not waste its durability on Low Tier Civilian Infected.
