GunZ Melee Guide
Introduction
This guide will go into detail and compare the different types of melee weapons: Kodachis, Daggers and Swords. We will have a look at their strengths and their weaknesses. We will touch on statistics as well as some of the lesser known traits of each weapon.
Statistics
Bounty
I never found Bounty to be too much of a limiting factor in GunZ, but I thought I should touch on it. It isn't huge, but there is a difference in price between the different melee weapons. Kodachis are a tad more expensive than Swords, which are a tad more expensive than Daggers. Again, like I said, unless you're spending money frivolously, trying to buy all the best guns to try them out, or just bought a couple rings, bounty should not limit your decision.
Weight
Like Bounty, the weight of your offence shouldn't sway your decision too much when choosing weapons, but it's still something to think about. Unlike Bounty, the difference in weight is significant. Let's take for example the level 9 Dagger, level 10 Sword and level 10 Kodachis. We're looking at 6 Weight, 12 Weight and 18 Weight respectively. That being said, the average armor you can net per weight is about 2. So going from a Dagger to a Kodachi may mean a difference in 24 Armor. Yikes!
Sustained Damage (DPS)
Now we're getting to the fun stuff. Sustained Damage, or DPS (Damage per Second) is the damage that can be done over time to a single target. This would mean the damage done if the target were standing there and you just kept swinging. We'll just talk about the Sword and Kodachis because the Dagger is quite a ways behind these two in terms of damage. The Sword and Kodachis have very similar Sustained Damage and this was most likely done on purpose. For example, the level 43 Kodachis damage sits right between the level 40 and level 50 Swords DPS. I'd say if you were looking for swing damage, dagger shouldn't be on your list and you should consider a Sword or Kodachi.
Spike Damage
An often over-looked type of damage. It's defined as the ability to do big number damage, or alot of damage over a short period of time. Often, in Gladiator matches or in more Korean-style oriented Deathmatches, you'll be lucky enough to sneak a melee hit in every now and then. What you're looking for, is for that hit to do the most damage it can, and that's where Swords shine. They have the best damage per hit which can explain why many people opt for this weapon when do Gladiator or Korean-style so when one Sword swing does manage to get through someone's block, it hurts. As well, that would also explain why many of these types of players use Shotguns (for their high Spike Damage).
Knockdowns
Introduction.
A topic so important, it deserved its own section. The Sword and Kodachi have similar, if not identical, knockdowns. The opponent is uppercutted in the air and then drops to the floor a couple feet infront of user on their back. The Sword does an uppercut animation, while the Kodachis have a spin-and-slice animation. The Dagger-user lunges forward and attempts a stab. If successful, the opponent collapses and is knocked back a few feet, then falls on his back.
Getting to the Opponent
This is where the Dagger shines. Upon right-clicking when using a dagger, your character will lunge forward to stab your opponent. This makes it alot easier to get close and to nail your knockdown. With the Sword and Kodachis, you have to be right upto your opponent and he has to be within melee range for your knockdown to hit. While swinging, you also remain still on the ground. This can make it almost impossible to execute a knockdown without the Dagger if the ennemy is running away.
Time to Recover
I may not be 100% correct, but when using the Dagger knockdown, it would seem the bracket in which you can hit Spacebar to recover (so you or the opponent isn't knocked down) is shorter when using the Dagger animation which means people are most likely to miss or not have enough time to hit their spacebar. The victims of Sword and Kodachi knockdowns can recover anytime while they ascend up in the air.
Post Right-Click Animation
So you missed your knockdown or they recovered? Unfortunately, for Dagger users, they're stuck inplace doing a stabbing animation for a second. This leaves them quite vulnerable to be attacked. Fortunately, for Sword and Kodachi users, after an uppercut swing, they are free to move as they please.
Knockback
All the melee weapons knockdowns have sort of way of knocking back the user. This comes in handy in maps such as Island or Dungeon where there are gaping pits to feed your ennemies. The Sword and Kodachi users remain the same position and knock your opponents up and backwards and even if they recover, they are unable to move in any direction to avoid the fall. Unfortunately for Dagger users, when you lunge, you may fallback with your opponent and end up in the same hole as them.
Blocking
An incredibly important part of the game is the ability to negate any bullets and slashes on the upper half of your body. One can only do this while Blocking with a Melee weapon. A tremendous disadvantage to those using daggers is they cannot block at all! This feature is reserved only to Sword and Kodachi users. How much Blocking is valued, varies from person to person, but speaking for myself, it's quite important.
Combos
Combos with melee weapons happen when you click multiple times on your left-mouse button and your character executes a sword swinging combo. For some of us who are a click happy, this means your character will go into combos when you don't want them to. Your opponent may have run away, but you're still standing there finishing off your combo swings because you were so eager to get a swing in that you clicked frantically. Dagger users need not fret because there are not combos for Dagger users, every swing was like the last.
Swinging While Running
Only Dagger users may swing their weapon while running through maps. This does help when pushing someone else into a corner and keeping them there. Sword and Kodachi users must stand still to swing.
Korean-Style Play
This is a rising trend in the world of GunZ. It involves flying through the air, weilding a sword, scaling walls and performing quick Shotgun shots. Unfortunately for Dagger users, performing some moves such as scaling walls felt alot more sluggish. Your toon tends to bounce off the wall rather than scale it. However, Kodachi users rejoice! The lower delay made a significant difference as it allowed you to get more swings in the air or against a wall which makes it quite a bit easier to perform some of the more elusive moves.
Summary
What it all comes down to, is what you want to do with your weapon. If you're a knockdown type of guy, dagger may be the weapon for you. Beware, however, in higher level rooms, users are more and more aware of knockdowns and will recover more and more as levels get higher. Swords are the most mainstream and are appropriate for average and extended use. Kodachis have their niche, but don't do anything too special that make them worth their extra weight.
