![A Fortnite pickaxe with Doom's castle in the background](https://gdm-assets.b-cdn.net/images/ncavvykf/siege/a04381289f0eadf1d7639a181a3cc947600a1e4b-1920x1080.jpg?auto=format)
Curious about what qualifies as a melee weapon in Fortnite? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
With Chapter 5 Season 4 just starting, fans are eager to find out exactly the best weapons to take with them on their journey to earn themselves a Victory Royale, with melee weapons usually being reliable ones.
In this guide, we'll explain what a melee weapon is in Fortnite and provide a list of all available melee weapons in the game. We will also specify which weapons can be obtained as of Chapter 5 Season 4 and which ones are vaulted.
Melee weapons in Fortnite explained
As the name suggests, a melee weapon in Fortnite refers to any type of gear that can deal damage to opponents or structures and requires hand-to-hand combat, rather than long-range shooting. It's as simple as that.
Does the pickaxe count as a melee weapon?
A common question among Fortnite players is whether the trusty pickaxe counts as a melee weapon since it's a tool that every player has at their disposal at all times.
The answer is yes, your pickaxe does count as a melee weapon, although it in combat is not recommended as does a meager amount of damage to opponents.
All melee weapons in Fortnite
Now that you understand what qualifies as a melee weapon in Fortnite, here is the complete and updated list as of August 2024.
![A Fortnite melee weapon with the town of Doomstadt in the background](https://gdm-assets.b-cdn.net/images/ncavvykf/siege/c78ba4028f571e8a2b3d6ccce340a8f073a207e0-1920x1080.jpg?auto=format&h=405&w=720)
Melee weapons are incredibly versatile tools.
- Pickaxe: Designed to gather materials and inflicts minimal damage to enemy players.
- Infinity Blade: Mythic sword that deals high damage and gives extra HP
- Sideways Scythe: Weapon with a leap, swing, and dash attack.
- Lightsaber: Mythic weapon which can block damage. Variants include Obi-Wan, Luke's Blue, Luke's Green, Rey, Kylo Ren, Mace Windu, Sith Apprentice, Jedi Padawan, and Jedi Training
- Darth Vader's Lightsaber: Can block damage and hurt enemies. It's the only lightsaber that can be thrown
- Kingsman: It can block damage and allows temporary glider redeploy.
- Wolverine's Claws: Superpower that allows players to melee opponents and structures with single swipes, as well as dash forward mid-air
- She-Hulk's Fists: Repeatedly melee opponents and build up a combo, which increases the damage per hit. Has a built-in double-jump and slam.
- Amban Sniper Rifle: A sniper rifle with a melee attack
- Shockwave Hammer: A massive hammer that primarily functions as a traversal tool but can deal serious damage to enemies as well as knock them away from you
- Kinetic Blade: It powerful katana that can do massive damage as you slice enemies, and push them back. Has three charged moves that allow you to move swiftly across the map
- Thorne's Vampiric Blade: A Mythic version of the Kinetic Blade
- ODM Gear: It can swing against surfaces and do damage to enemies as a result
- Grapple Blade: Used to traverse swiftly by grappling to different surfaces and swinging towards them. Can be used as a weapon with fast swipes that deal damage in a large area
- Donatello's Staff: Part of the TMNT Mythic weapon set. It can combo opponents, be used as a traversal tool, and has an area of effect slam attack
- Leonardo's Katana: Part of the TMNT Mythic weapon set. It can combo opponents, be used as a traversal tool, and has an area of effect slam attack
- Raphael's Sai: Part of the TMNT Mythic weapon set. It can combo opponents, be used as a traversal tool, and has an area of effect slam attack
- Michaelangelo's Nunchaku: Part of the TMNT Mythic weapon set. It can combo opponents, be used as a traversal tool, and has an area of effect slam attack
- Chains of Hades: Can be used to attack opponents and pull items. It deals 55 damage in the first two attacks, 80 in the third, and has a secondary attack that deals 60 damage while pulling opponents and items, including players in cars. It can also pull items from Fishing Spots
- Nitro Fists: A versatile melee weapon with three distinct functions, including basic punches, air punches that give players a massive boost, and an uppercut punch to launch enemies into the air
Chapter 5 Season 4 melee weapons
Sadly, there are no unique melee weapons available in the main battle royale mode at the moment besides the pickaxe.
It is expected that classic weapons such as Wolverine's Claws make a return considering there's a Wolverine Peely skin in the battle pass, but nothing of the sort has been confirmed by Epic Games.
And that's it. For more content, check out the brand-new POIs available in Chapter 5 Season 4.