Up close and personal. As it should be!

The shields in Dead Cells may protect you from damage and the ranged weapons may keep you safe, but nothing is quite as satisfying as slicing and dicing your way through this rotten castle. These weapons will ensure you leave nothing in your wake but a pile of vanquished enemies. Here is a list of the five best melee weapons and where to find them.

5. Valmont’s Whip (Best for Long Range)

    Taking inspiration from a game near and dear to the heart of this genre of Metroidvania, Valmont’s Whip is an excellent way to take on your foes. While this game is (unfortunately) free of vampires, there are plenty of enemies just waiting to take it on. This blueprint is dropped from Disgusting Worms, enemies who inhabit both sewer biomes. 

Why Valmont’s Whip is Great

• This weapon’s massive range gives you an excellent option for tearing through your enemies from afar.
• Its heavy crits deal 2.8x damage.
• It scales with both brutality and tactics, making it usable in many builds. 

Valmont’s Whip Details: https://deadcells.gamepedia.com/Valmont%27s_Whip 

4. Hattori’s Katana (Best for Area Damage and Mobility)

    Walk the path of the samurai with this weapon, cutting through enemy after enemy on your way to becoming a swordmaster. This weapon boasts a special attack that is unleashed if you hold down the attack button, sending you dashing forwards and devastating every enemy on your way. The blueprint is dropped from Weirded Warriors, foes found in the Stilt Village, the Corrupted Prison, and the Forgotten Sepulcher. 

Why Hattori’s Katana is Great

• Excels at killing large groups of mobs, as everyone caught in the dash will be hit.
• The dash gives you great mobility, letting you get out out of tough situations. 
• The weapon’s three-hit combo also packs a punch. Using it together with the dash is almost unstoppable.

Hattori’s Katana Details: https://deadcells.gamepedia.com/Hattori%27s_Katana 

3. Rapier (Best for Burst Damage)

    This weapon capitalizes on one of the game’s most basic mechanics: rolling. If you are anything like me you are rolling every chance you get. And every time you roll this lovely weapon will inflict a few critical hits. The blueprint is dropped by Scorpions, poisonous baddies found in the Toxic Sewers

Why Rapier is Great

• Lighting fast strikes become doubly deadly when raining down crits. 
• The crit condition is very easy to attain, favoring an in and out playstyle
• Best in focusing down one enemy at a time. 

Rapier Details: https://deadcells.gamepedia.com/Rapier 

2. Symmetrical Lance (Best for Area Damage)

The Symmetrical Lance is a badass boss weapon wielded by the game’s final boss: The Hand of the King. It has a giant blade at each end, and, unfortunately, will probably be the last thing you see in a few runs. After you kill him for the first time you unlock this weapon. If you kill two enemies in a row, every hit crits for six-second. On top of that, the second swing in each three swing combo hits in front of and behind you. 

Why Symmetrical Lance is Great

• Badass. It is the weapon wielded by the game’s final boss and there’s something special about that.
• Best when surrounded by enemies. Its long reach and powerful blows will turn frantic engagements into a piece of cake.
• Does decent damage to single targets, especially if you take advantage of its long-range. 

Symmetrical Lance Details: https://deadcells.gamepedia.com/Symmetrical_Lance 

1. Spite Sword (Best for Retaliation Damage)

    I’ve played close to 200 hours of Dead Cells and I still get hit all the damn time. Which is the beauty of this weapon. After you get hit you dish out non-stop crits for eight seconds. You can get this blueprint from Buzzcutters, those awful flying red nuisances that populate almost every area. 

Why Spite Sword is Great

• Becomes the silver lining on getting hit.
• Has amazing synergies with some of this game’s mutations, like Vengeance.
• Great especially on lower difficulties when you can take more hits before getting killed.

Spite Sword Details: https://deadcells.gamepedia.com/Spite_Sword 

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