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Starfield Best Melee Weapons: All Weapons & Where to Find Them

BY ON October 17, 2023

Looking for the best melee weapons in Starfield? There are just nine melee weapons in Starfield, with an additional three that are unique, named variants. While Legendary perks can be rolled on melee weapons for further customization, you might be wondering just how they stack up against each other in base damage, and where you can acquire them. This Starfield ranking guide will list every single melee weapon in the game, from worst to best.

Ripshank

At a base damage of just 12, the Ripshank is the absolute bottom of the barrel melee weapon you can find in Starfield, and can be bought at almost every vendor across the galaxy:

  1. Denis Averin in the UC Exchange in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  2. Manaaki Almonte in the Trade Authority in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  3. Anya Griffon in Centaurian Arsenal in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  4. Wen Tseng in UC Distribution Center in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  5. Antonio Bianchi in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  6. Vicente Salinas in Apex Electronics in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  7. Zoe Kaminski in the Trade Authority in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  8. Clint De Haven in Clint’s Collectibles in the settlement of Gagarin Landing, on Gagarin in the Alpha Centauri System.
  9. Carlos Shenton in Best Defense in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  10. Fast Hoang in The Pit Stop bar in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  11. Belle Rowland in Rowland Arms in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  12. Duncan Lynch in the Trade Authority in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  13. Emerson Shepherd in Shepherd’s General Store in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  14. Franchesca Moore in Frankie’s Grab & Go in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  15. Frank Renick in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  16. Hatchet in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  17. Kolman Lang in the Trade Authority in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  18. Styx in Neon Tactical in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  19. Aludra Tahan of the Crimson Fleet in The Depot aboard The Key StarStation in the orbit of Suvorov, in the Kryx System.
  20. Marcel Duris in the Trade Authority aboard The Den StarStation in the orbit of Chthonia, in the Wolf System.

Combat Knife

The Combat Knife is a step above the Ripshank, just as commonly available, and certainly more professional looking. With a base damage of 16, you’ll be looking to roll for Legendary perks if you intend on using it for long. At level 4, these vendors may have it in stock at any given time:

  1. Denis Averin in the UC Exchange in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  2. Manaaki Almonte in the Trade Authority in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  3. Anya Griffon in Centaurian Arsenal in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  4. Wen Tseng in UC Distribution Center in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  5. Antonio Bianchi in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  6. Vicente Salinas in Apex Electronics in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  7. Zoe Kaminski in the Trade Authority in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  8. Clint De Haven in Clint’s Collectibles in the settlement of Gagarin Landing, on Gagarin in the Alpha Centauri System.
  9. Carlos Shenton in Best Defense in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  10. Fast Hoang in The Pit Stop bar in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  11. Belle Rowland in Rowland Arms in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  12. Duncan Lynch in the Trade Authority in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  13. Emerson Shepherd in Shepherd’s General Store in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  14. Franchesca Moore in Frankie’s Grab & Go in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  15. Frank Renick in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  16. Hatchet in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  17. Kolman Lang in the Trade Authority in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  18. Styx in Neon Tactical in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  19. Aludra Tahan of the Crimson Fleet in The Depot aboard The Key StarStation in the orbit of Suvorov, in the Kryx System.
  20. Marcel Duris in the Trade Authority aboard The Den StarStation in the orbit of Chthonia, in the Wolf System.

Rescue Axe

With a base damage of 17, and commonly lootable off of corpses, by level 5 the Rescue Axe may be also available to purchase everywhere including:

  1. Denis Averin in the UC Exchange in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  2. Manaaki Almonte in the Trade Authority in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  3. Anya Griffon in Centaurian Arsenal in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  4. Wen Tseng in UC Distribution Center in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  5. Antonio Bianchi in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  6. Vicente Salinas in Apex Electronics in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  7. Zoe Kaminski in the Trade Authority in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  8. Clint De Haven in Clint’s Collectibles in the settlement of Gagarin Landing, on Gagarin in the Alpha Centauri System.
  9. Carlos Shenton in Best Defense in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  10. Fast Hoang in The Pit Stop bar in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  11. Belle Rowland in Rowland Arms in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  12. Duncan Lynch in the Trade Authority in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  13. Emerson Shepherd in Shepherd’s General Store in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  14. Franchesca Moore in Frankie’s Grab & Go in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  15. Frank Renick in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  16. Hatchet in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  17. Kolman Lang in the Trade Authority in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  18. Styx in Neon Tactical in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  19. Aludra Tahan of the Crimson Fleet in The Depot aboard The Key StarStation in the orbit of Suvorov, in the Kryx System.
  20. Marcel Duris in the Trade Authority aboard The Den StarStation in the orbit of Chthonia, in the Wolf System.

UC Naval Cutlass

The UC Naval Cutlass has a base damage of 20, and at level 8, can be found at the following locations:

  1. Denis Averin in the UC Exchange in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  2. Manaaki Almonte in the Trade Authority in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  3. Anya Griffon in Centaurian Arsenal in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  4. Wen Tseng in UC Distribution Center in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  5. Antonio Bianchi in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  6. Vicente Salinas in Apex Electronics in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  7. Zoe Kaminski in the Trade Authority in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  8. Clint De Haven in Clint’s Collectibles in the settlement of Gagarin Landing, on Gagarin in the Alpha Centauri System.
  9. Carlos Shenton in Best Defense in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  10. Fast Hoang in The Pit Stop bar in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  11. Belle Rowland in Rowland Arms in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  12. Duncan Lynch in the Trade Authority in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  13. Emerson Shepherd in Shepherd’s General Store in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  14. Franchesca Moore in Frankie’s Grab & Go in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  15. Frank Renick in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  16. Hatchet in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  17. Kolman Lang in the Trade Authority in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  18. Styx in Neon Tactical in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  19. Aludra Tahan of the Crimson Fleet in The Depot aboard The Key StarStation in the orbit of Suvorov, in the Kryx System.
  20. Marcel Duris in the Trade Authority aboard The Den StarStation in the orbit of Chthonia, in the Wolf System.

Barrow Knife

This tiny knife surprisingly does higher damage than the UC Naval Cutlass at 22 base attack. At level 10, these vendors may stock the Barrrow Knife for purchase:

  1. Denis Averin in the UC Exchange in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  2. Manaaki Almonte in the Trade Authority in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  3. Anya Griffon in Centaurian Arsenal in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  4. Wen Tseng in UC Distribution Center in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  5. Antonio Bianchi in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  6. Vicente Salinas in Apex Electronics in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  7. Zoe Kaminski in the Trade Authority in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  8. Clint De Haven in Clint’s Collectibles in the settlement of Gagarin Landing, on Gagarin in the Alpha Centauri System.
  9. Carlos Shenton in Best Defense in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  10. Fast Hoang in The Pit Stop bar in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  11. Belle Rowland in Rowland Arms in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  12. Duncan Lynch in the Trade Authority in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  13. Emerson Shepherd in Shepherd’s General Store in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  14. Franchesca Moore in Frankie’s Grab & Go in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  15. Frank Renick in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  16. Hatchet in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  17. Kolman Lang in the Trade Authority in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  18. Styx in Neon Tactical in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  19. Aludra Tahan of the Crimson Fleet in The Depot aboard The Key StarStation in the orbit of Suvorov, in the Kryx System.
  20. Marcel Duris in the Trade Authority aboard The Den StarStation in the orbit of Chthonia, in the Wolf System.

Osmium Dagger

This ornate slender dagger has a base damage of 28 and is exclusively lootable from Va’ruun ships–you will have to hijack enemy ships and plunder the weapon from corpses and containers in order to acquire the Osmium Dagger.

Fortune’s Glory: Starfield Rare Melee Weapon

The first Rare melee weapon in this ranking, the Fortune’s Glory is simply a named variant of the Osmium Dagger above, with the same 28 base damage. Found on the planet of Hyla II in the Hyla System during the course of the main mission “Unity”. Around the back of the Scorpion’s Sting puzzle tower is a receptacle where the knife is just lying in plain sight for the taking. It has the Staggering Legendary perk by default, which expectedly has a small chance to stagger enemies.

Tanto: Starfield Melee Weapons

A large step-up in damage output from the last weapon, the Tanto has a base damage of 40. At level 24 it will be commonly available in the stock of the following vendors:

  1. Denis Averin in the UC Exchange in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  2. Manaaki Almonte in the Trade Authority in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  3. Anya Griffon in Centaurian Arsenal in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  4. Wen Tseng in UC Distribution Center in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  5. Antonio Bianchi in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  6. Vicente Salinas in Apex Electronics in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  7. Zoe Kaminski in the Trade Authority in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  8. Clint De Haven in Clint’s Collectibles in the settlement of Gagarin Landing, on Gagarin in the Alpha Centauri System.
  9. Carlos Shenton in Best Defense in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  10. Fast Hoang in The Pit Stop bar in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  11. Belle Rowland in Rowland Arms in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  12. Duncan Lynch in the Trade Authority in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  13. Emerson Shepherd in Shepherd’s General Store in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  14. Franchesca Moore in Frankie’s Grab & Go in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  15. Frank Renick in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  16. Hatchet in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  17. Kolman Lang in the Trade Authority in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  18. Styx in Neon Tactical in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  19. Aludra Tahan of the Crimson Fleet in The Depot aboard The Key StarStation in the orbit of Suvorov, in the Kryx System.
  20. Marcel Duris in the Trade Authority aboard The Den StarStation in the orbit of Chthonia, in the Wolf System.

Wakizashi: Starfield Ninja Build

This katana is the highest damage melee weapon that is widely available for purchase, but only after level 30. These vendors may stock it for purchase:

  1. Denis Averin in the UC Exchange in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  2. Manaaki Almonte in the Trade Authority in the city of Cydonia, on Mars in the Sol System.
  3. Anya Griffon in Centaurian Arsenal in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  4. Wen Tseng in UC Distribution Center in the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  5. Antonio Bianchi in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  6. Vicente Salinas in Apex Electronics in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  7. Zoe Kaminski in the Trade Authority in The Well District of the city of New Atlantis, on Jemison in the Alpha Centauri System.
  8. Clint De Haven in Clint’s Collectibles in the settlement of Gagarin Landing, on Gagarin in the Alpha Centauri System.
  9. Carlos Shenton in Best Defense in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  10. Fast Hoang in The Pit Stop bar in the settlement of HopeTown, on Polvo in the Valo System.
  11. Belle Rowland in Rowland Arms in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  12. Duncan Lynch in the Trade Authority in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  13. Emerson Shepherd in Shepherd’s General Store in Akila City, on Akila in the Cheyenne System.
  14. Franchesca Moore in Frankie’s Grab & Go in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  15. Frank Renick in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  16. Hatchet in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  17. Kolman Lang in the Trade Authority in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  18. Styx in Neon Tactical in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System.
  19. Aludra Tahan of the Crimson Fleet in The Depot aboard The Key StarStation in the orbit of Suvorov, in the Kryx System.
  20. Marcel Duris in the Trade Authority aboard The Den StarStation in the orbit of Chthonia, in the Wolf System.

Syndicate Enforcer: Starfield Epic Melee Katana

An Epic variant of the Wakizashi that has the same base damage, but rolls two Legendary perks: Berserker, which does more damage the less armor you have, and Lacerate, which randomly applies the bleeding status effect to targets. You can obtain it during the course of the Ryujin Industries faction quest “Guilty Parties”, but also outside of the quest if you want to get it early. The Syndicate Enforcer can be found inside a yellow weapon case in the Seokguh Syndicate Hideout, which is located in the city of Neon, on Volii Alpha in the Volii System. 

Va’ruun Painblade: Starfield Best Common Melee Weapon 

This odd looking one-handed melee weapon has the highest base damage among melee weapons at 62 damage. The Va’ruun Painblade is difficult to come by, and can only be bought from a single known vendor: Zuri Abara of the Crimson Fleet in The Depot aboard The Key StarStation in the orbit of Suvorov, in the Kryx System. It may also be randomly looted from the corpses of Va’ruun Zealots and Crimson Fleet pirates.

The Last Priest: Starfield Best Melee Weapon

The Last Priest, the best Starfield melee weapon.

A Rare variant of the Va’ruun Painblade with the same base damage of 62, in addition to a Legendary perk: Elemental, which randomly deals Corrosive, Radiation, Poison, and Incendiary damage. You can acquire this weapon by siding with the Hunter over the Emissary during the mission “Unearthed”, and following through on his request during the mission “Infinity’s End”. Upon returning to him, you will be given The Last Priest as a completion reward.

Those are all the melee weapons in Starfield ranked from worst to best. Check out more of our Starfield guides on the best sniper rifle and the best mods for the game.

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