Melee weapons

Melee Weapons are weapons used in close-range combat. They generally deal higher damage than ranged weapons and require no ammunition. In Warband, thrown weapons can also be used in melee.

Stats

Example of weapons stats

• Name: The name of the weapon. This may include a single Modifier, indicating improved or reduced stats.
• Type of handling: Weapons can be wielded one-handed, two-handed, or as a polearm. A shield cannot be used with all two-handed weapons and some polearms. Some weapons can be switched between the different forms of handling by pressing "X" or by equipping or unequipping a shield.
• Sell price: Without any modifiers, this price is exactly one-tenth of the base value of the item, and one-twentieth of the purchase value from a store. When looted from battle, items will display their base value. Modifiers will change this value.
• Weight: Affects your overall encumbrance (the speed at which you move on foot and travel). It also increases the chances of the "stun" effect when you strike an opponent's block. The collision of a high weight weapon with a low weight weapon sometimes results in a "stun" effect where the person carrying the low weight weapon cannot respond with another strike. During this period the person with the low weight weapon can only block a second swing from the heavy attacker. With the roles reversed, a heavier weapon will not be stunned by a low weight weapon. The weight of the weapon also affects the crush through blocks threshhold of weapons.
• Damage: Damage dealt swinging the weapon. Some weapons (like scimitars) are swing-only.
  • "c" (cutting): Cutting weapons often do Bonus Damage against lightly armored targets but significantly lower damage to heavily armored assailants compared to piercing and blunt damage. These weapons benefit the most from the Power Strike skill due to their inherently higher damage, which can eventually overcome their penalties against heavy armor.
  • "p" (pierce): Damage dealt by thrusting the weapon or firing bows and crossbows. Some weapons (like some spears) are thrust-only. Piercing weapons have higher armor penetration than cutting weapons without losing as much effectiveness as blunt weapons against lightly armored targets.
  • "b" (blunt): Damage dealt by some weapons with the swing or the thrust. Hammers are an example of a typical blunt weapon. Blunt weapons have highest armor penetration and do lower damage against lightly armored targets. These weapons will always knockout the target; there is no way to kill a target with blunt damage. This makes these weapons the only reliable way to capture Prisoners, since a charging horse doesn't deal enough damage to reliably knockout enemies. Additionally, blunt weapons have a chance of knocking a target over depending on the weapon's weight and speed.
• Speed rating: Affects attack and block speed as well as weapon speed bonus (how quickly the weapon is moving upon impact and how much bonus damage is added as a result). It also affects the weapon's ability to crush through blocks. Speed rating additionally affects how quickly you can recover from a glancing blow (often referred to as a "poke") and resume usage of your weapon to block or strike.
• Weapon reach: This determines how far you can strike. Ideally, its value should be higher if you wish to fight on horseback, though many of the shorter weapons are also the perfect length for striking enemies in the head after grazing them with your horse to disrupt their blocking. Shorter weapons are preferable in tight quarters, such as the stairs in many multiplayer siege battles, the middle of a massed infantry melee, and the final stage of single player siege battles inside of the keep. The full damage of the weapon is also easier to achieve with shorter weapons as maximum damage is inflicted only when the tip of a weapon (the fastest moving point) contacts your target. Conversely, while longer weapons have more difficulty applying maximum damage, their potential damage is higher than a shorter weapon's.
• Requirements: Many melee weapons require a certain minimum level of Strength to use.

Types

There are three types of melee weapons governed by the character's proficiencies. There are also some multi-role weapons that can be switched between different types.

One Handed

One-handed weapons are usually fast, light, and can be used with a shield, but they have a shorter reach and don't deal as much damage as Two-handed weapons or Polearms.

▼ Show/Hide One-handed weapons ▼

Weapon	STR	Speed	Reach	Swing	Thrust	Weight	Price	Modifiers	Other
Wooden Stick	-	99	63	13 (blunt)	-	2.5	4	-
Torch	-	95	95	11 (blunt)	-	2.5	11	-	Cheats only
Cudgel	-	99	70	13 (blunt)	-	2.5	4	-
Club	-	98	70	20 (blunt)	-	2.5	11	-
Spiked Club	-	99	70	19 (pierce)	-	1.5	45	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Spiked Club	-	97	70	21 (pierce)	-	3.0	83	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Iron Mace	-	99	73	22 (blunt)	-	2.0	45	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Knobbed Mace	-	98	70	21 (blunt)	-	2.5	98	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Spiked Mace	-	98	70	23 (blunt)	-	2.8	152	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Spiked Mace	-	98	70	28 (blunt)	-	3.5	180	Balanced Heavy Chipped Rusty
Flanged Mace	-	103	70	24 (blunt)	-	3.5	122	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Winged Mace	-	98	70	24 (blunt)	-	2.5	212	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Hammer	-	100	55	24 (blunt)	-	2.0	7	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Military Hammer	-	95	70	31 (blunt)	-	2.0	317	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Sickle	-	99	40	20 (cut)	-	1.5	9	-	Can't be used to block
Military Sickle	9	100	75	26 (pierce)	-	1.0	220	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Hatchet	-	97	60	23 (cut)	-	2.0	13	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Hand Axe	7	95	75	27 (cut)	-	2.0	24	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Fighting Axe	9	92	90	31 (cut)	-	2.5	77	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
One Handed Axe	9	98	71	32 (cut)	-	1.5	87	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
One Handed Battle Axe	9	98	73	34 (cut)	-	1.5	142	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
One Handed Battle Axe	9	98	72	36 (cut)	-	1.8	230	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
One Handed Battle Axe	9	98	76	37 (cut)	-	2.0	550	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Iron Battle Axe	9	97	71	35 (cut)	-	1.8	250	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
One Handed War Axe	9	98	76	34 (cut)	-	1.5	190	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Iron War Axe	9	97	71	38 (cut)	-	1.8	360	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Cleaver	-	103	35	24 (cut)	-	1.5	14	-	Can't be used to block
Soldier's Cleaver	-	96	95	31 (cut)	-	1.5	193	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Military Cleaver	-	96	95	35 (cut)	-	1.5	263	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Knife	-	110	40	21 (cut)	13 (pierce)	0.5	18	Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty	Can't be used to block
Butchering Knife	-	108	60	24 (cut)	17 (pierce)	0.8	23	Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty	Can't be used to block
Dagger	-	109	47	22 (cut)	19 (pierce)	0.8	37	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty	Can't be used to block
Pickaxe	-	99	70	19 (pierce)	-	3.0	27	Balanced Heavy Chipped Rusty
Fighting Pick	-	98	70	22 (pierce)	-	1.0	108	Balanced Heavy Chipped Rusty
Military Pick	-	97	70	31 (pierce)	-	1.5	280	Balanced Heavy Chipped Rusty
Falchion	8	96	73	30 (cut)	-	2.5	105	Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Nomad Sabre	-	100	97	29 (cut)	-	1.3	105	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Sabre	-	99	97	30 (cut)	-	1.5	191	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Sabre	-	99	98	31 (cut)	-	1.5	294	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Heavy Sabre	-	98	96	33 (cut)	-	1.8	384	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Scimitar	-	101	97	30 (cut)	-	1.5	210	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Elite Scimitar	-	100	103	32 (cut)	-	1.5	290	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Short Sword	-	102	85	26 (cut)	24 (pierce)	1.0	152	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Nordic Short Sword	-	103	85	28 (cut)	21 (pierce)	1.3	162	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Strange Short Sword	-	108	65	25 (cut)	19 (pierce)	1.3	321	-	Part of the strange set
Sarranid Sword	-	99	97	26 (cut)	19 (pierce)	1.5	108	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Nordic Sword	-	99	94	28 (cut)	20 (pierce)	1.5	147	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Nordic Sword	-	99	95	29 (cut)	21 (pierce)	1.5	276	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Sword	-	99	95	27 (cut)	22 (pierce)	1.5	163	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Sword	-	99	95	28 (cut)	23 (pierce)	1.5	243	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Nordic Short War Sword	-	103	86	29 (cut)	21 (pierce)	1.3	280	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Nordic War Sword	-	99	95	30 (cut)	21 (pierce)	1.5	394	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Short Arming Sword	-	103	86	26 (cut)	24 (pierce)	1.0	243	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Arming Sword	-	99	95	29 (cut)	24 (pierce)	1.5	410	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Arming Sword	-	99	100	29 (cut)	28 (pierce)	1.5	480	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Long Arming Sword	-	96	105	33 (cut)	28 (pierce)	1.8	550	Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Sarranid Arming Sword	-	99	97	28 (cut)	19 (pierce)	1.5	218	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Sarranid Cavalry Sword	-	98	105	28 (cut)	19 (pierce)	1.5	310	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Sarranid Guard Sword	-	99	97	30 (cut)	20 (pierce)	1.5	420	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty

▲ Show/Hide One-handed weapons ▲

Two Handed

Two-handed weapons deal more damage per hit and have a longer reach than their one-handed counterparts, but they are generally slower and cannot be used with a shield.

▼ Show/Hide Two-handed weapons ▼

Weapon	STR	Speed	Reach	Swing	Thrust	Weight	Price	Modifiers	Other
Axe	8	91	108	32 (cut)	-	4.0	65	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Two Handed Axe	10	96	90	38 (cut)	-	4.5	90	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Battle Axe	9	88	108	41 (cut)	-	5.0	240	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Sarranid Battle Axe	10	89	95	49 (cut)	-	3.0	350	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields Unbalanced
Two Handed War Axe	10	96	92	44 (cut)	-	4.5	152	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
War Axe	10	86	110	43 (cut)	-	5.0	264	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Sarranid War Axe	10	90	90	46 (cut)	-	2.5	280	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields Unbalanced
Great Axe	10	94	96	47 (cut)	-	4.5	316	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields Unbalanced
Maul	11	83	79	36 (blunt)	-	6.0	97	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Can crush through blocks Unbalanced
Sledgehammer	12	81	82	39 (blunt)	-	7.0	101	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Can crush through blocks Unbalanced
Great Hammer	14	79	75	45 (blunt)	-	9.0	290	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Can crush through blocks Unbalanced
Iron Mace	-	90	95	35 (blunt)	22 (blunt)	4.5	470	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Can crush through blocks Unbalanced
Shortened Military Scythe	10	90	112	45 (cut)	-	3.0	264	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Voulge	8	87	119	35 (cut)	-	4.5	129	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Shortened Voulge	10	92	100	45 (cut)	-	4.5	228	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields
Bardiche	10	91	102	47 (cut)	-	4.8	291	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields Unbalanced
Great Bardiche	10	89	116	50 (cut)	-	5.0	617	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields Unbalanced
Sword of War	11	94	130	40 (cut)	31 (pierce)	3.0	524	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Two Handed Sword	10	97	110	40 (cut)	28 (pierce)	2.8	670	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Great Sword	10	95	125	39 (cut)	31 (pierce)	2.8	423	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Great Sword	10	96	120	42 (cut)	29 (pierce)	2.8	1123	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Strange Great Sword	11	92	125	38 (cut)	-	3.5	920	-	Part of the strange set
Two Handed Sabre	10	96	120	40 (cut)	-	2.8	523	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Two Handed Sabre	10	96	120	44 (cut)	-	2.8	920	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
War Cleaver	10	93	120	45 (cut)	-	2.8	640	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty

▲ Show/Hide Two-handed weapons ▲

Polearms

Polearms generally have a longer reach than other melee weapons, though they are tricky to be used effectively without a horse.

▼ Show/Hide Polearms ▼

Weapon	STR	Speed	Reach	Swing	Thrust	Weight	Price	Modifiers	Other
Pitch Fork	-	87	154	16 (blunt)	22 (pierce)	1.5	19	Balanced Bent Cracked
Military Fork	-	95	135	15 (blunt)	30 (pierce)	2.0	153	Balanced Bent Cracked
Battle Fork	-	90	144	15 (blunt)	35 (pierce)	2.0	282	Balanced Bent Cracked
Staff	-	100	130	18 (blunt)	19 (blunt)	1.5	36	Balanced Bent Cracked
Quarter Staff	-	104	140	20 (blunt)	20 (blunt)	2.0	60	Balanced Bent Cracked
Iron Staff	-	97	140	25 (blunt)	26 (blunt)	2.0	202	Balanced Bent Cracked
Scythe	-	97	182	30 (cut)	14 (pierce)	2.0	43	Balanced Bent Cracked
Military Scythe	-	87	155	36 (cut)	25 (pierce)	2.5	155	Balanced Bent Cracked
Hafted Blade	-	95	135	37 (cut)	20 (pierce)	2.8	185	Balanced Bent Cracked	No shield
Hafted Blade	-	93	153	39 (cut)	19 (pierce)	3.3	350	Balanced Bent Cracked	No shield
Glaive	-	90	157	39 (cut)	21 (pierce)	4.5	352	Balanced Bent Cracked	No shield
Poleaxe	13	77	180	50 (cut)	15 (blunt)	4.5	384	Balanced Bent Cracked	No shield
Shortened Spear	-	102	120	19 (blunt)	25 (pierce)	2.0	53	Balanced Bent Cracked
Boar Spear	-	90	157	26 (cut)	23 (pierce)	1.5	76	Balanced Bent Cracked
Bamboo Spear	-	88	200	15 (blunt)	20 (pierce)	2.0	80	Balanced Bent Cracked
Spear	-	98	135	20 (blunt)	26 (pierce)	2.3	85	Balanced Bent Cracked
War Spear	-	95	150	20 (blunt)	27 (pierce)	2.5	140	Balanced Bent Cracked
Pike	-	81	245	16 (blunt)	26 (pierce)	3.0	125	Balanced Bent Cracked	No shield Cannot be used on horseback
Ashwood Pike	9	90	170	19 (blunt)	29 (pierce)	3.5	205	Balanced Bent Cracked	No shield
Awlpike	-	92	165	20 (blunt)	33 (pierce)	2.3	345	Balanced Bent Cracked
Long Awlpike	-	89	185	20 (blunt)	32 (pierce)	2.3	385	Balanced Bent Cracked
Jousting Lance	-	61	240	-	17 (blunt)	5.0	158	Balanced Bent Cracked	Couched lance damage
Light Lance	-	85	175	16 (blunt)	27 (pierce)	2.5	180	Balanced Bent Cracked	Couched lance damage
Double Sided Lance	-	95	128	25 (cut)	27 (pierce)	4.0	261	Balanced Bent Cracked	Couched lance damage
Lance	-	80	180	16 (blunt)	26 (pierce)	2.5	270	Balanced Bent Cracked	Couched lance damage
Heavy Lance	10	75	190	16 (blunt)	26 (pierce)	2.8	360	Balanced Bent Cracked	Couched lance damage
Great Lance	11	55	240	-	21 (pierce)	5.0	410	Balanced Bent Cracked	Couched lance damage
War Hammer	-	81	120	38 (blunt)	38 (pierce)	3.0	125	Balanced Bent Cracked	No shield Cannot be used on horseback
Polehammer	18	50	126	50 (blunt)	35 (blunt)	7.0	169	-	No shield Cheats only
Long Spiked Club	-	96	126	23 (pierce)	20 (blunt)	2.5	264	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Long Hafted Spiked Mace	-	94	140	28 (blunt)	26 (blunt)	2.5	310	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Long Hafted Knobbed Mace	-	95	133	26 (blunt)	23 (blunt)	3.0	324	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Voulge	10	88	175	40 (cut)	18 (pierce)	3.0	129	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields No shield
Long Bardiche	11	89	140	48 (cut)	17 (pierce)	4.5	390	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields No shield Unbalanced
Great Long Bardiche	12	88	155	50 (cut)	17 (pierce)	5.0	660	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields No shield Unbalanced

▲ Show/Hide Polearms ▲

Two-handed/One-handed

Two-handed/One-handed weapons can be used either in both hands or in one hand with a shield. These weapons have the advantages and disadvantages of both weapon types, depending on how they are used.

▼ Show/Hide Two-handed/One-handed weapons ▼

Weapon	STR	Speed	Reach	Swing	Thrust	Weight	Price	Modifiers	Other
Bastard Sword	9	98	101	35 (cut)	26 (pierce)	2.0	294	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Heavy Bastard Sword	9	96	105	37 (cut)	27 (pierce)	2.3	526	Masterwork Tempered Balanced Chipped Rusty
Morningstar	13	95	85	38 (pierce)	-	4.5	305	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Can crush through blocks Unbalanced
Spiked Staff	9	95	117	24b	20 (pierce)	2.5	200	Heavy Chipped Rusty
Strange Sword	9	108	95	32 (cut)	18 (pierce)	2.0	679	-	Part of the strange set

▲ Show/Hide Two-handed/One-handed weapons ▲

Polearm/Two-handed

Polearm/Two-handed weapons are all large axes that can be used as either polearms or two-handed weapons.

▼ Show/Hide Polearm/Two-handed weapons ▼

Weapon	STR	Speed	Reach	Swing	Thrust	Weight	Price	Modifiers	Other
Long Axe	10	Pole: 93 2H: 88	120	46 (cut)	Pole: 19 (blunt) 2H: None	4.75	390	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields Unbalanced No shield
Long War Axe	10	Pole: 92 2H: 87	125	50 (cut)	Pole: 18 (blunt) 2H: None	5.0	510	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields Unbalanced No shield
Great Long Axe	10	Pole: 91 2H: 85	127	54 (cut)	Pole: 19 (blunt) 2H: None	5.5	660	Heavy Chipped Rusty	Bonus against shields Unbalanced No shield

▲ Show/Hide Polearm/Two-handed weapons ▲

Melee Modifiers

Weapons can have modifiers that indicate increased or decreased stats. While one of the available modifiers is "Heavy", the Heavy Sabre, Heavy Bastard Sword, and Heavy Lance are actually different weapons from their "non-Heavy" counterparts; these cannot carry the "Heavy" modifier, thus there is no Heavy Heavy Sabre.

Equipment Modifiers
One Handed • Two Handed • Two Handed / One Handed Name Strength Requirement Damage Attack Speed Price Shop/Loot Chance Masterwork +4 +6 +5 +9 +1 +1650% 30% Tempered - +4 - +670% 40% Balanced - +3 +3 +250% 50% Heavy +1 +2 -2 +90% 70% Chipped - -1 - -28% 100% Rusty - -3 - -45% 100%
Polearms Name Strength Requirement Damage Attack Speed Price Shop/Loot Chance Balanced - +3 +3 +250% 50% Heavy +1 +2 -2 +90% 70% Chipped - -1 - -28% 100% Bent - -3 -3 -35% 100% Rusty - -3 - -45% 100% Cracked - -5 - -50% 100%
Polearm / Two Handed Name Strength Requirement Damage Attack Speed Price Shop/Loot Chance Heavy +1 +2 -2 +90% 70% Chipped - -1 - -28% 100% Rusty - -3 - -45% 100%
Bows Name Power Draw Requirement Damage Missile Speed Price Shop/Loot Chance Masterwork +4 +5 +1 +1650% 30% Strong +2 +3 -3 +360% 40% Bent - -3 -3 -35% 100% Cracked - -5 - -50% 100%
Crossbows Name Strength Requirement Damage Missile Speed Price Shop/Loot Chance Masterwork +4 +5 +1 +1650% 30% Bent - -3 -3 -35% 100% Cracked - -5 - -50% 100%
Thrown Name Power Throw Requirement Damage Missile Speed Price Shop/Loot Chance Balanced - +3 +3 +250% 50% Heavy +1 +2 -2 +90% 70% Bent - -3 -3 -35% 100%
Ammunition Name Stack Amount Damage Price Shop/Loot Chance Large Bag +13% - +90% 30% Bent - -3 -35% 100% Note: Thrown weapons can only carry the "bent weapon" modifier.
Firearms Name Strength Requirement Damage Missile Speed Price Shop/Loot Chance Masterwork +4 +5 +1 +1650% 30% Tempered - +4 - +670% 40% Balanced - +3 +3 +250% 50% Bent - -3 -3 -35% 100% Cracked - -5 - -50% 100%
Armor Name Protection Price Shop/Loot Chance Lordly +6 +1050% 25% Reinforced +4 +550% 25% Hardened +3 +290% 30% Thick +2 +160% 35% Sturdy +1 +70% 50% Crude -1 -17% 100% Battered -2 -25% 100% Ragged -2 -30% 100% Rusty -3 -45% 100% Tattered -3 -50% 100% Cracked -4 -50% 100%
Shields Name Durability Resistance Price Shop/Loot Chance Reinforced +83 +4 +550% 25% Thick +47 +2 +160% 35% Battered -26 -2 -25% 100% Cracked -56 -4 -50% 100%
Horses Name Riding Requirement Armor Speed Maneuver Charge Damage Hit Points Price Shop/Loot Chance Champion +2 - +4 +2 +2 - +1350% 20% Spirited - - +2 +1 +1 - +550% 60% Heavy - +3 - - +4 +10 +90% 70% Stubborn +1 - - - - +5 -10% 100% Swaybacked - - -4 -2 - - -40% 100% Lame - - -10 -5 - - -60% 100%