While Remnant 2 is primarily a third-person shooter, it doesn’t box you into utilizing the "run and gun" strategy. It has, in fact, given more emphasis to melee weapons this time around compared to its predecessor. Remnant 2 gives you more freedom in how you build your character and tackle the various deadly enemies that litter its numerous dungeons.
If you want to invade the personal space of the various monsters in Remnant 2, the game provides you with a selection of gnarly melee weapons to do just that. There are some top-tier melee weapons that, with proper setup, can allow you to overcome most of your encounters with the Root’s horde up close and personal.
8 Assassin’s Dagger
Despite being relatively one of the weakest melee weapons in the game, Assassin’s Dagger’s speed and weapon mod cancel out that unimpressive damage output it initially brings. Found in the Council Chamber of Losomn, you will need to bring the Assassin’s Dagger to Nimue to make it usable in battle.
You will notice the low damage that the Assassin’s Dagger can deliver, which might make you skip it for something with better damage stats; however, its Bloodthirst mod is something you should not balk at. The Bloodthirst weapon mod will increase damage to enemies afflicted with the bleeding status effect by 25 percent. Now, add this dagger’s ability to inflict 200 bleeding damage for 10 seconds with its charged attack, and you will see its true value.
7 Gas Giant
This biomechanical giant hammer can inflict toxic and corrosive status effects on enemies, and along with its decent stagger capability, it can keep enemies wobbly long enough to give you time to back off. This poison hammer also comes equipped with the Dying Breath mod, which unleashes a noxious cloud of gas that envelopes a three-meter radius for 15 seconds.
This combination of heavy and passive damage is made for efficiency if you pair it up with the Nebula handgun, which not only inflicts corrosives but also turns enemies killed into poisonous gas bombs. You will need to let Tal Ratha eat you and then defeat his metaphysical form to acquire the necessary item to craft the Gas Giant.
6 Labyrinth Staff
Don’t overlook the Labyrinth Staff, despite it being a regular weapon, as things are not always as they seem in the world of Remnant 2. What it lacks in damage, it more than makes up for with its special and unique ability to generate Mod power. Each normal swing with the Labyrinth Staff can generate 10 percent, while its surprisingly good charged attack can add 50 percent mod power.
Now, besides being a mod-generating melee weapon, it is classified as a regular weapon, which means you can equip it with any weapon mod. Are you starting to see why the Labyrinth Staff is deceptively good? The ability to attach any weapon mod combined with its mod power-generating capability can create a truly frightening close combat armament that can easily surpass other melee weapons considered upper-tier. As the name implies, this weapon can be found in The Labyrinth dungeon.
5 Red Doe Staff
It will take a bit more effort, but acquiring the Red Doe Staff is something you should consider, as it is one of the better melee weapons in the game. You will need to revive the Red Doe, fight the Corrupted Ravager for the special key item drop, and then craft this legendary weapon.
The Red Doe Staff has the unique ability to cast an attack spell that deals 160 damage and a ten percent health regen to you and any teammate within its immediate vicinity. Keep in mind that certain requirements must be met to trigger the Red Doe Staff’s special ability. First, you have to deal a total of 250 damage and then use a charge attack to trigger the Lifeline mod. That health regen can be extremely useful if you can manage to keep it going constantly.
4 Dreamcatcher
Since you will constantly find yourself swarmed by hordes of nasty enemies in Remnant 2, a handy and reliable crowd-control weapon should be something that should be in your arsenal. In terms of handling dozens of aggressive monsters, all trying to claw your face off, the Dreamcatcher is the best melee weapon for the job with its wide and sweeping attacks along with its special abilities.
The Dreamcatcher Staff can deliver slow-down effects on enemies along with stacking Reverie. Yes, you heard that right; the Dreamcatcher can effectively slow down a group of enemies while also boosting your damage and speed by 2 percent per stack of Reverie for 15 seconds. If you can keep stacking Reverie and inflicting slow on enemies, you can turn yourself into an absolute buzzsaw of death that will handle hordes of enemies in record time.
3 Atom Smasher
This advanced hammer melee weapon can be described as the bull in the China shop because of how devastating it can be to its surroundings when used properly. You can find this powerful melee weapon in the Terminus Station, and it is a must if you travel to N’erud.
What makes the Atom Smasher exceptionally more devastating than the other hammer weapons is its Accelerator weapon mod, which increases its attack speed by 10 percent for five seconds. You can activate this perk by doing a charged attack, and the advantage of a speedy, heavy-hitting weapon is self-explanatory.
2 Spectral Blade
The Spectral Blade doesn’t only look cool; it is also one of, if not the best, melee weapons in Remnant 2. As expected for such a powerful weapon, obtaining the Spectral Blade won’t be an easy feat. You will need to defeat Sha’Hala to get a key material for crafting the Spectral Blade in McCabe’s Shop.
Once you do manage to create the Spectral Blade, you will find it to be a highly balanced weapon with impressive destructive power. Its weapon mod, the Whirlwind, can inflict up to 232 damage and has a range of eight meters. It also has a +105 percent for weak spot damage, which can take out normal cannon fodder in an instant.
1 Iron Greatsword
The Iron Greatsword looks brutal, and it hits with such ferocity that it encapsulates the idiom, "What you see is what you get." What is even more amazing about the Iron Greatsword is that it can be obtained early in the game or as a default if you choose the Challenger archetype.
The Iron Greatsword has the highest base damage output and features a decent array of attacks, making it the preferred weapon for a lot of melee-only builds. As a regular weapon, the Iron Greatsword also doesn’t come with unique weapon mods, but that can be an advantage as it gives you more freedom to experiment. The Iron Greatsword is such a fantastic melee weapon that you will probably be using it through the endgame section, and that is an impressive feat for what is a basic starting armament.