Aiming distance weapons can be tricky inStarbound. There’s often so much happening on screen that it can be hard to locate the crosshair. Melee weapons, on the other hand, are incredibly accurate. A player needs to try to miss with a melee weapon; if the enemy is within range, swing the weapon.
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Melee weapons typically do more damage than distance weapons inStarbound. The trade-off is simple. Melee weapons force the player to get closer to the enemy, but the player can also kill the enemy much faster. Most melee weapons can also hit multiple enemies with one attack. Fortunately, there’s a wealth of wondrous melee weapons to be obtained inStarbound. This list will include melee weapons that also have a secondary function that causes them to act as a distance weapon.
10Supernova Gauntlet
Gauntlets aren’t a very popular weapon inStarbound. The reason for this is their poor range; players need to get their characterright next to the enemyto score a hit. This poor range forces many players to leave gauntlets in storage. This range is countered with anincredibly high rate of fire; this helps bring the Supernova Gauntlet’s damage in line with most of the weapons listed here.
The special ability of this weapon is activated by performing a combo with another gauntlet equipped on the other hand. This allows combos to be finished with a double-fistedSupernova Rush attack. This dash has great range and can hit multiple enemies as the character dashes forward.
9Ixodoom’s Claw
This mighty axe isdropped by the bossIxodoom in the Ceremonial Hunting Grounds. This huge two-handed axedoes a tremendous amount of damage per swing. When swinging this weapon, the player must wait one second as the character heaves the axe into a ready position. Once ready, the axe actually swings pretty fast when released.
The special ability of Ixodoom’s Claw is a spray of slime. This slimeemits several blobs of slime in a widening spread shot. This slime not only damages enemies, but it also slows their movement speed by 80% and reduces jump height.
8Soulseeker
There are better swords than Soulseeker inStarbound. It does average damage, doesn’t have a combo attack, and lacks a special ability, but its attacks do at leastknock most enemies back. This sword isn’t here because of its damage potential or overpowered special.
The Soulseeker is on this list because it is something unique inStarbound; this isthe only one-handed broadsword in the game. This allows the player tocarry a distance weapon(like a grenade launcher) in one hand and Soulseeker in the other. Doing this gives the player a level of flexibility not found in most melee builds.
7Violium Broadsword
The Violium Broadsword isessentially a lightsaber. Its blade is retracted when not in use, leaving the character holding the handle. This swordstrikes for considerable damageand has a three-hit combo that does above-average damage - for a broadsword. This legendary blade requires the Separators' Table to be crafted.
The Flipslash is the special ability of the Violium Broadsword. Thislaunches the player forward in a spinning attack, making the character resemble Yoda when he was fighting Count Dooku. This does decent damage, but more importantly, it gives some protection and makes killing flying enemies a lot easier.
6Hokucide
The Hokucide is a two-handed sword with a curved blue blade. If one goes by the stats, this sword appears no better than the standard broadsword. Whenupgraded at the Weapon Upgrade Anvil, thisbecomes one of the most damaging melee weaponsa player can use.
The special ability of Hokucide is called Great Wave. Thissends out a wave of water that knocks enemies back. This wave doesn’t do any damage, but it also doesn’t use any energy either - there is a bit of a cooldown time between waves though. A combo followed by a wave is a great way to keep enemies away while doing significant damage in the process.
5Lucaine’s Energy Whip
The only whip to make this list, Lucaine’s Energy Whip is made of pure electrical energy. This weapon is unique in that it isthe only two-handed whip in the game. Like the other whips, Lucaine’s Energy Whip has fast attack speed and a great range. The damage dealt by this whip is over twice that of the next-best whip.
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This electric whipcan fire a large electric orb as a projectile. This orb does a fair amount of damage but can also pierce enemies and bounce off walls up to five times. This weapon has the added benefit of illuminating the area when carried; when it strikes, it gets much brighter for a moment.
4Solus Katana
The Solus Katana makes an excellent primary weapon. The damage is not as high as some of the weapons on this list, but it makes up for this witha faster combo than many other weapons. This sword also provides some illumination when exploring dark caverns.
Kunaiblast in the Solus Katana’s special; whichprojects three flaming knives. These knives explode when they hit the enemy or after sitting on the ground for a few seconds. If used on a target in melee range, all three of these knives typically hit; otherwise, they fan out while flying through the air. Using the Kunaiblast while in the air halts the player’s fall, making itgreat for avoiding fall damage.
3Asuterosaberu DX
This is one of the most popular melee weapons inStarbound. First and foremost, this isone of the most damaging melee weaponsin the game. Asuterosaberu DX also covers a large area when it’s swung and has a fast swing animation. This weapon’s combo does more than most swords.
Astral Tear is this weapon’s special; itcuts a hole in reality. This hole remains for about six seconds and damages enemies that are caught in its hitbox. The damage is reduced by one-fourth, but this tear in reality is great for zoning purposes.
2Protector’s Broadsword
Thisweapon is craftedfrom the Broken Broadsword and isone of only two normally attainable tier 7 weaponsinStarbound. In terms of damage per swing, there are few melee weapons that can top the Protector’s Broadsword. This sword’s attacks also have a high knockback rating.
The special ability of the Protector’s Broadsword is theability to be empowered. This empowering cause the player’s energy to begin depleting - it also causes the sword’s blade to glow white. The damage is increased while empowered, and when the player runs out of energy the swordsends out a wave of energythat damages all enemies in its path.
1Firestorm’s Fury
This is, in most players' opinion, the best melee weapon inStarbound. The base damage is fantastic, and each hit causes knockback; this isgreat for keeping enemies at a safe distance. This knockback effect doesn’t prevent all three combo swings from landing and allows the player to safely spam this combo. Hits from this sword alsocause the burning status effectof the target, which inflicts persistent fire damage.
This melee weapon’s special ability turn it into a distance weapon. Firestorm’s Furycan act as a flamethrowerto burn approaching enemies. The range of this flamethrower is quite good; the damage is also quite good, and it can hit multiple enemies.
Starboundis available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PlayStation Vita.
