There are a total of 9 known Melee weapons in Starfield. You must utilize Melee weapons for close-range combat if your primary and secondary weapons are running low on ammo. There are some decent choices for it in Starfield. This guide will discuss the best Melee weapons for your builds.
Important Read: Starfield Best Weapons
Key Takeaways
Starfield Best Melee Weapons

Refer to the table below which summarizes all the Best Starfield melee weapons by comparing their stats:
Melee Weapon | Damage | Mass | Value |
Va’Ruun Painblade | 62 | 1.8 | 11260 |
Wakizashi | 49 | 1.35 | 6140 |
Tanto | 40 | 0.45 | 3075 |
Osmium Dagger | 28 | 2.7 | 2395 |
Barrow Knife | 22 | 0.34 | 1220 |
UC Naval Cutlass | 20 | 1.4 | 935 |
Rescue Axe | 17 | 1.4 | 650 |
Combat Knife | 16 | 0.36 | 505 |
Ripshank | 12 | 0.4 | 365 |
Va’Ruun Painblade
- Damage:62
- Mass: 1.8
- Value: 11260
The Va’Ruun Painblade is a close-range melee weapon with the highest physical damage stats in Starfield, but it’s heavy. As long as you stay within your backpack’s mass limit, its weight won’t be an issue.
Consider the Va’Ruun Painblade for stealthy area clearance, as it can take down enemies in fewer hits, simplifying combat.
To obtain it, explore multiple systems and planets, or use console commands on the PC platform with the item ID.
If you picked the Wanted Trait at the character creation phase, you will deal more damage with Va’Ruun Painblade and most likely one-shot them.
How to Get: After your character reaches level 5, visit any nearby vendor to purchase it for 11260 Credits.
Wakizashi

- Damage: 49
- Mass: 1.35
- Value: 6140
Wakizashi is a Katana-styled Melee weapon that can be utilized to slice enemy necks. It is an S-tier weapon that stuns the enemies as you swing this weapon on them. It is preferrable against opponents that carry heavy weaponry, as they won’t stand after getting hit by Wakizashi.
How to Get: Players can randomly find it by looting chests or from the bodies of dead NPCs.
Tanto

- Damage: 40
- Mass: 0.45
- Value: 3075
Tanto is a bronze-colored short sword that has two swinging animations. It is a great Melee weapon to grab at earlier levels, as 40 Physical Damage is enough to eliminate opponents with two or three hits. Note that you will need to load yourself with consumables if you are depending on dominating with Tanto.
Osmium Dagger
- Damage: 28
- Mass: 2.7
- Value: 2395
Osmium Dagger is an A-tier Melee weapon designed specifically for stealth gameplay. Its 28 Physical Damage can destroy opponents, as you can swing the daggers multiple times while wasting less time. However, its heavy as the mass of 2.7 will take a lot of space in your backpack. Therefore, get rid of other heavy items, such as extra helmets, to create space.
Barrow Knife

- Damage: 22
- Mass: 0.34
- Value: 1220
The military-designed Barrow Knife is to be used when your rifles have less ammo in them. It is one of the best Melee weapons that has a negligible mass of 0.34 while dealing significant Physical Damage of 22. Players can buy it from their nearby store merchants for 1220 Credits, which is cheap.
UC Naval Cutlass

- Damage: 20
- Mass: 1.4
- Value: 935
UC Naval Cutlass is a fancy long knife that bears a mass of 1.4, which takes some space in your bag. Players must pair this Melee weapon with a quick-fire rate weapon that can lower the health bar of opponents to 20% or less. Next, you can whip out the UC Naval Cutlass and swing it on the enemy’s face to eliminate them in combat. It is considered one of the best melee weapons in Starfield.
That is it for the Best Melee weapons in Starfield. The presented list of weapons has higher physical damage than the others, as they are capable of killing enemies faster. Leave feedback for us in the comments below if this guide helped you.
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