Long blade weapons in Project Zomboid

In Build 41 the long blade group was small: the katana and the machete. Build 42 adds swords. pzfans.com lists 14 long blade entries in build 42.19, four of them broken versions. They fall into three groups:

• Found weapons: the katana and the machete.
• Forged weapons: the sword, shortsword, simple sword, simple shortsword and forged machete. Their blades are made at a forge, a new Build 42 system covered on the blacksmithing page.
• Scrap weapons: the scrap metal sword, scrap metal shortsword and scrap metal chopper. These are cheap, short-lived makeshift blades.

The katana, sword, simple sword and scrap metal sword are two-handed. The rest can be used with one hand. For how blades compare with other categories, see the weapons overview and the full melee weapon list.

Figures are Build 42 script values from pzfans.com (42.19), checked against pindrop.gg where it lists the same weapon. Condition is maximum durability. "1 in" is the chance of losing one condition point per hit. Hits is condition multiplied by that chance, a rough lifespan before Maintenance bonuses.

All of these weigh 1.5 to 2, except the scrap metal sword at 3. The machete and chopper can knock zombies down, while the swords cannot. The katana's flat damage of 8 is listed by both sources and is far above everything else. pindrop.gg calls it 3.2 times the next weapon on damage rate. With the Weapon Multi Hit sandbox option on, the two-handed swords and katana can hit up to three zombies per swing. The option is off by default.

Long Blade is a melee combat skill on the skills page. Raising it makes these weapons hit harder and more reliably. It uses the standard combat curve: 32,775 XP to reach level 10, with 9,000 of that for the last level alone. Fast Learner multiplies gains by 1.3 and Slow Learner by 0.7. See skill leveling for the details.

Unlike most combat skills, Long Blade has a full set of five skill books in Build 42 according to pindrop.gg (one source). Reading one multiplies the XP you earn while your level is in its range.

Sources disagree on what forging a sword needs. pindrop.gg ties the blade recipes to Long Blade levels, while pzfans.com lists Blacksmithing 8 for the crude sword blade and 9 for the sword blade. Both may apply, so plan for a high Blacksmithing level. The skill books page lists where books spawn.

Found long blades are uncommon, and the katana is rare. pindrop.gg counts the room types in the loot data where each one can spawn:

• Machete: 57 room types. It is the long blade most players actually find, in sheds, garages and outdoor stores.
• Katana: 11 room types, mostly pawn shops, with a small chance in kitchens.
• Sword: 3 room types. In practice most swords come from the forge.

The other swords and the scrap blades are crafted only. For which buildings to search, see loot locations.

Long blades handle wear differently from blunt weapons. Tape and glue do not work on them, and the blade also has a Sharpness value. A dull blade does less damage.

pindrop.gg and pzfans.com both say the katana has no repair or sharpening route in Build 42. Its 150 hits are all you get. Sharpening the machete restores sharpness but not condition, and sharpness cannot go above the current condition percentage. Sharpening tools, from best to worst: a grindstone, a whetstone in hand, then a file. A slip costs one point of condition, and the chance falls with Maintenance level. Each sharpening gives 5 Maintenance XP. More on this is on the maintenance page.

Opinion A katana is the strongest melee weapon you can find, but it cannot be repaired, so save it for emergencies and hordes. Do not use it for routine clearing. The machete is the practical daily pick. It is common, one-handed, lasts about 325 hits and can be kept sharp.

Opinion Once you have a forge, the sword is the long-term answer. It has the same damage as the machete, more reach, and you can make more. Scrap blades are only worth it as stopgaps, and the scrap chopper's 50 hits make it barely worth the metal. For a full ranking across categories, see the best weapons page, and for crowd tactics see combat.