Long blunt weapons in Project Zomboid

Long blunt is the biggest melee group in Build 42, with nearly 100 entries once tools, instruments and crafted clubs are counted. All of the useful ones are two-handed. The table shows the main weapons you can loot. Damage is base minimum to maximum. Condition is the maximum condition and the 1-in-N chance a hit costs a point, so a higher N means it lasts longer. Speed is the stats site's swing value, where higher is faster.

Pipes are not long blunt. The Lead Pipe uses Short Blunt, and the Iron Pipe with Railspike counts as an Axe weapon. The Iron Bar and Steel Bar are the long blunt metal bars. For every melee weapon in one list see the melee weapon list.

Upgrading is where long blunt gets strong. Nails are the easy first step, and the Long Blunt skill itself unlocks better reinforcements as it levels. Reaching a level teaches its recipe.

Nails raise a bat's damage by about a third but halve its wear rating (1 in 20 to 1 in 10). Sheet metal goes the other way: modest damage but the toughest bat in the game. Other Long Blunt unlocks are Barbed-Wire Wrap Weapon at level 3, Bone Spike Weapon at 6 and Carve Bat at 10. Nails and hammers are covered under carpentry, scrap mauls under welding, and keeping weapons in shape under maintenance.

Long Blunt raises attack speed and damage with long blunt weapons and reduces the muscle strain they cause. You level it by hitting zombies with one. It needs 75 XP for level 1 and 32,775 XP in total for level 10. TV and VHS skill shows give XP too, but by default they stop helping once the skill reaches level 3.

• Construction Worker starts with Long Blunt +1.
• Baseball Player trait gives +1.
• Brawler trait gives Long Blunt +1 and Axe +1.

With no starting level, XP is multiplied by 0.25; +1 gives 1.0, +2 gives 1.33 and +3 or more gives 1.66. Even one starting point quadruples early XP, so Baseball Player is cheap value for a bat build. See skill leveling and traits and occupations.

Long blunt weapons trade raw damage for reach and pushing power. The stats tables give most bats, shovels and the crowbar a knockback value of 2 or 0, while the sledgehammer, mauls and cudgels reach 3. A strong knockback pushes zombies away or onto the ground, which is what keeps you alive in a crowd. A downed zombie can be finished with a stomp or a follow-up swing.

Shovels and hoes have the longest reach of the group, up to 1.6 against 1.25 for a bat (one source). That extra half tile is useful for hitting from behind a fence or doorway. Exact knockdown chances depend on skill, weapon and traits and are not published in a reliable form for Build 42. For more on swings, shoves and stamina see combat.

The crowbar is the durability champion. With condition 15 and only a 1 in 70 chance to lose a point per hit, it outlasts almost anything, and it pries open doors and windows too. Its damage is low (up to 1.15), so kills take more swings.

The sledgehammer hits hardest (2 to 3) and is a vital tool for knocking down walls and stairs, but it is slow and weighs 6, so stamina drains fast in a fight. It has its own page: sledgehammer. Shovels are common and decent, but wear quickly (1 in 10) and you may want to keep one for farming instead. The golf club is weak and fragile (condition 5) and best treated as a first-day stopgap.

Opinion Early game, a Baseball Bat or Crowbar. The crowbar lasts far longer; the bat is the better base for nails. Nail a bat as soon as you have a hammer and five nails.

Opinion Mid game, the Metal Baseball Bat (condition 20, 1 in 25) or a Baseball Bat with Rake Spikes once you reach Long Blunt 5, which hits like a spiked bat but wears like a sturdy one.

Opinion Late game, the Baseball Bat - Sheet Metal Reinforced is the safest everyday weapon thanks to the highest durability of any bat. For raw power, the Jawbone Morningstar or a Cudgel - Sheet Metal Reinforced combine high damage with good wear, while the Kettle Maul and Sledgehammer hit hardest but cost a lot of stamina. Compare with other types on best weapons and weapons.