Remnant 2 best melee weapons

Remnant 2 has close to 40 melee weapons in its arsenal. With so many options, it can be hard to know which one to carry into battle. 

If you’re looking for information about Remnant 2’s melee weapons, you’ve come to the right place. This article will walk you through the best melee weapons in Remnant 2 and what makes them so effective.

1. Stonebreaker: The best melee weapon in Remnant 2

This is the only melee weapon that made it into the A-tier of our best weapons list for Remnant 2. And can you blame us? Remnant 2 prioritizes ranged combat above all else to avoid massive damage from your opponents. 

The Stonebreaker is so good that it being a melee weapon is hardly a concern. It’s a long blade that swings with a wide swoop and causes a stagger effect, making it perfect for zoning enemies that are swarming you. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been saved by the Stonebreaker’s stagger giving me a few more seconds to think.

The Stonebreaker’s mod, the Faultline, is highly entertaining. Activating it allows you to soar through the air and smash the ground, damaging all opponents around you, making the Stonebreaker even better at clearing mobs, and for my money, it’s the best melee weapon in the game.  

2. Atom Smasher: Remnant 2 melee runner-up

The Atom Smasher looks a lot different to the Stonebreaker. Instead of a big sword, it’s a big hammer. However, functionally, they have a lot of similarities.

They both consume a lot of stamina, deal high damage with a stagger effect, and have a wide range of motion to keep enemies off you. As you can see, I consider the “get-off-me” element of melee weapons in Remnant 2 paramount, and for good reasons

There are two things that put the Atom Smasher below the Stonebreaker. 

Firstly,  its mod isn’t quite as good. The Accelerator mod speeds up your swing so you can attack more, but I think the area attack of the Stonebreaker, which adds a ranged component, is far more useful. 

Secondly, although it’s faster, the Atom Smasher doesn’t damage opponents as efficiently as the Stonebreaker. In my opinion, if you want a quick weapon for short range, just use a handgun. When opponents are so close that you need a melee weapon in Remnant 2, you need to hit as hard as you can. 

3. Spectral Blade: Great for clearing out swarms

The Spectral Blade is an awesome-looking sword. Significantly faster than the Atom Smasher and Stonebreaker, the Spectral Blade has an even better stagger effect and it’s fantastic against weak spots. That said, it’s not as long as the above options, doesn’t cause as much pain, and doesn’t deal any ranged or splash damage. But it’s the Spectral Blade’s, stagger bonus that makes it worth using in melee combat. 

The Spectral Blade’s mod lets players perform a spin attack that damages all enemies around them for more damage than usual. It has a decent range to it, which is useful for swarms. This is a fantastic melee weapon that packs a punch. Even if it’s not quite as impactful as Remnant 2’s heavier melee weapons, the Spectral Blade is a great choice if you’re looking for something a bit faster and more graceful. 

4. Labyrinth Staff: Ideal for Remnant 2 mod power builds

The Labyrinth Staff might look like a strange choice. Its stagger modifier is lower, it’s not too fast, and it doesn’t have the highest damage output. However, the Labyrinth Staff has the invaluable ability to generate 10 percent mod power any time one of its hits connects. This is perfect for builds that rely on their mods for damage.

The Labyrinth Staff also has a charged attack that hurts all enemies around the player, which generates a whopping 50% additional mod power. What more is there to say? The Labyrinth Staff isn’t just a weapon, it’s a tool—and a useful one at that. 

Related: Remnant 2: How to get the Labyrinth Staff, explained.

5. The Dreamcatcher unlocks secrets in Remnant 2

The Dreamcatcher is another weapon that mainly serves as a tool. It’s a fine weapon on its own—it does decent damage, has a very slight stagger effect, and is fairly long. 

On top of this, though, it has some very unique effects. When you hit certain sleeping NPCs and enemies with the Dreamcatcher, you can trigger certain storylines, open up new areas, and even nab crafting materials for weapons like the Crescent Moon Bow. To get several weapons in the game, you need to get the Dreamcatcher before you can craft them. 

The Dreamcatcher also has a very effective charge attack that works with its mod, Dreamwave. After you deal a certain amount of damage with the weapon, your charged attack will send out a Dreamwave that slows your enemies down and speeds you up—perfect for quick escapes or wracking up damage.

6. The Hero’s Sword in Remnant 2 is underrated

The Hero’s Sword is my pick for the most underrated melee weapon in the game, especially considering it first becomes available after you finish the campaign. It’s not as strong or as fast as other weapons higher-up on this list, and it doesn’t have any strange mystical effects—but it’s the definition of reliability. It’s fast for how big it is, and has a great stagger modifier.

It wouldn’t be my first choice of melee weapon, but if it’s all I had, I could fend off foes with this all day. This is because the Hero’s Sword has a mod that lets you send out a projectile attack. Charged attacks can hit opponents far away, making the Hero’s Sword great for—you guessed it—zoning. 

I’m still scratching my head at the fact that the Explorer, which I believe is the worst archetype in this game, starts out with this sword. 

7. Remnant 2’s Assassin’s Dagger is surprisingly effective

As much as I value damage output over everything when it comes to melee weapons, I have to admit there are a few benefits to the Assassin’s Dagger. 

Sure, it’s among the weakest weapons in the game with its standard attacks. But it’s very fast, allowing you to get lots of hits in, and has a surprisingly high stagger modifier—higher than the Stonebreaker’s. It also does well against weak spots and its modifier and charged attack have a vicious one-two punch. The charged attack can deal 200 damage and make opponents bleed, and the mod, Bloodthirsty, increases damage against bleeding targets.

The Assassin’s Dagger can put out a lot of damage fast, but in general, you need to your opponents to be too close for comfort for me to rate it any higher on this list. But perhaps a more agile player could prove me wrong by wreaking havoc with it!