ARK Survival Ascended Best Melee Weapon: What is the Best Melee Weapon in The Game?

On the island of ARK Survival Ascended, there are numerous strategies to counter the surrounding dangers. While ranged weapons are commonly preferred, the convenience and ease of use of melee weapons should not be underestimated. 

This guide aims to explore the best melee options available in the game, comparing their strengths to help players make an informed choice. Let's delve into the top melee weapon in ARK Survival Ascended without further ado.

What is the Best Melee Weapon in ARK Survival Ascended?

At the time of writing, three weapons hold the top spot as the best melee weapons in the game: the Pike, the Sickle, and the Sword. Among these three, quite unsurprisingly, the Sword takes the top spot as the most powerful melee weapon in ARK Survival Ascended. But why is this the case?

While the Pike and Sickle are powerful in their right (both sporting similar damage outputs, and the Sickle has quite a fast swing rate), the Sword trumps both in terms of damage dealt per swing, as well as the swing speed per hit.

The Sword deals just over 2k damage per swing, and with 1.9 swings per second output, it easily overtakes the other two in terms of both attack speed and damage output (with the Pike and Sickle dealing roughly 1.2k damage each and having a swing rate between 1.5 and 1.7 swings per second).

Now, that isn't to say that the Pike or Sickle don't have their place, as the Pike gives you far more range than the Sword, and the Sickle can be a suitable substitute for the Sword if you're in a pinch and need a melee weapon to take care of some aggressive smaller dinos. But overall, the Sword will be your best friend for most close-range encounters in ARK Survival Ascended.

So there you have it; the most powerful melee weapon in ARK Survival Ascended is currently the Sword, thanks to its high damage output and fast rate of fire (or swings, in this case). We advise that all survivors have a Sword on hand when trekking through the island, and as always, good luck to all our fellow survivors on the island.