Best Melee Build in Starfield: Designing Your Character for Maximum Damage

In the highly anticipated game Starfield, character customization plays a crucial role in determining your playstyle and abilities. If you prefer a melee build, like myself, you may feel initially restricted as there are limited options compared to gun-based characters. However, fear not! After extensive gameplay and experimentation, I have discovered the ultimate melee build in Starfield that will give you the upper hand against your enemies and make them tremble before your blade.

Choosing the Best Background for Your Melee Build

To begin with, it’s recommended to select the Chef background. This background grants you the Dueling skill, which is the central ability for the best melee build in Starfield. Additionally, the Gastronomy skill proves to be surprisingly helpful as it allows you to consume food items for XP boosts, enabling faster leveling. Lastly, the Scavenger skill comes in handy during the early stages of the game, allowing you to find extra Credits for a much-needed boost.

Enhancing Your Melee Build with Traits

Image: PC Invasion

Now, let’s discuss the optimal traits for your melee build:

• Alien DNA
• Introvert
• Neon Street Rat

Personally, I highly recommend the Alien DNA trait due to its health boost, which significantly improves your survivability in melee combat. The slight drawback of reduced effectiveness of healing and food items is hardly noticeable. For a true Ronin experience, where you operate without active companions during missions, the Introvert perk proves invaluable. It reduces your oxygen consumption when adventuring alone, crucial for executing hit-and-run tactics. However, if you prefer having a companion, the Extrovert perk offers the same benefits while allowing you to bring a companion along. Lastly, choosing the Neon Street Rat trait adds flavor to your character, especially since Neon is where you’ll find the best melee weapon in Starfield – the Wakizashi.

Optimizing Your Skills for Maximum Damage

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Now, let’s delve into the essential skills for your melee build in Starfield:

Key Combat skills:

• Dueling
• Armor Penetration

Vital Physical skills:

• Wellness
• Fitness
• Stealth
• Pain Tolerance
• Nutrition
• Gymnastics
• Energy Weapon Dissipation
• Martial Arts
• Cellular Regeneration
• Concealment

Key Tech skills:

Focus on ranking up the following skills first: Dueling, Armor Penetration, Stealth, Martial Arts, and Concealment. These skills form the foundation of your sneaking damage. Prioritize skills that reduce damage, such as Pain Tolerance, until you have enough points for Concealment, which will significantly enhance your survival rate once the initial sneak attack concludes. For added flair, consider investing in perks like Gymnastics, which enables combat sliding and grants a speed boost after performing slides or mantling. Additionally, I recommend acquiring the Security skill early if you plan on utilizing the Lockpicking mechanic, as it allows you to hack containers and computers. Unlocking up to Rank 3 in Security grants access to Master locks. However, if Lockpicking isn’t part of your playstyle, this skill can be ignored.

Unleashing Devastation with the Best Melee Weapons

Image: PC Invasion

Now let’s focus on the most formidable melee weapons available in Starfield:

The undisputed champion of melee weapons is the Wakizashi – a katana that deals a staggering 49 Phys damage. To obtain this exceptional weapon, visit the vendor named Hatchet after joining the Ebbside Strikers. Start the questline at Madame Sauvage’s Place in Neon to gain access to this remarkable faction.

• Note: Avoid choosing the Va’ruun Painblade due to a known bug that causes self-inflicted damage while swinging the weapon during combat.

If, for any reason, you are unable to acquire the Wakizashi, the Tanto serves as an excellent alternative. The Tanto inflicts 40 Phys damage and can be easily obtained at the UC Surplus store in The Well, making it accessible during the early stages of the game. Refresh the shop’s inventory by waiting for 24 local hours for the Tanto to become available.

Author’s Note: This guide was crafted based on my experiences playing Starfield on both Xbox Series S and PC.