Something that slashes. If you think running up tot he slow moving creature that is dangerous only at short range and hitting it is a good idea then you probably need to slit your wrist as soon as the zombies start showing up.
Poll: Which is better for when the zombies come, something that smashes or slashes?
- Thread starter Hectix777
- Start date
This may seem like a cop out on the question but for me it is a bit of both since my particular favourite zombie killing weapon of choice is a fire axe, which would basically do both if you hit a zombie in the head with one. Plus a fire axe makes opening locked doors a lot easier.
I'd go for smashing.
The advantages:
As long as there's room to swing, you need not much training to hit the head and smash it. Also, depending on decay, you might not even need much force.
Less chance to get it lodged in the victim. Got your blade caught in the ribcage? Your axe or pick is firmly stuck in the skull? Well, you're having a bad day if you need another swing.
Little maintenace needed. Blades neet to be sharp to be effective (unless you use the dulled one as a hacking/smashing weapon), and spikes and pointy bits tend to break off sooner or leater.+
Easy to replace. Your bat broke during the last fight? No problem, simply pick any other object of similar weight and length.
And to those who proposed chainsaws: they have three major problems: they need fuel, they are loud and thus attracting more zombies, and they are unwieldy and hard to use in a manner where you don't maim yourself in combat.
The advantages:
As long as there's room to swing, you need not much training to hit the head and smash it. Also, depending on decay, you might not even need much force.
Less chance to get it lodged in the victim. Got your blade caught in the ribcage? Your axe or pick is firmly stuck in the skull? Well, you're having a bad day if you need another swing.
Little maintenace needed. Blades neet to be sharp to be effective (unless you use the dulled one as a hacking/smashing weapon), and spikes and pointy bits tend to break off sooner or leater.+
Easy to replace. Your bat broke during the last fight? No problem, simply pick any other object of similar weight and length.
You should get two melons, and cut one to pieces with a knive, and smash the other one with a bat. Then get back here and tell us which caused more splatter. With zombies having no blood circulation, I think cutting or slashing would be the cleaner and safer procedure in this regard, and thus the only downside of smashing.Merkavar said:
And to those who proposed chainsaws: they have three major problems: they need fuel, they are loud and thus attracting more zombies, and they are unwieldy and hard to use in a manner where you don't maim yourself in combat.
The best procedure against the true original Romero type of zombie is to simply walk away from them at a modest pace, so they cannot catch up with you.
The only challenge is to avoid places where you can get surrounded.
Breaking bones or cutting of limbs is not going to happen and zombies don't need blood, so clubs and swords are ineffective.
Getting zombie bits on you also makes you a zombie, so not an option.
A long broom handle with a sharpened end to poke through the eye into the brain would be a better idea, but unless you have mastered such an unusual skill, that won't work either.
So you walk or you use firearms.
The only challenge is to avoid places where you can get surrounded.
Breaking bones or cutting of limbs is not going to happen and zombies don't need blood, so clubs and swords are ineffective.
Getting zombie bits on you also makes you a zombie, so not an option.
A long broom handle with a sharpened end to poke through the eye into the brain would be a better idea, but unless you have mastered such an unusual skill, that won't work either.
So you walk or you use firearms.
Yes I can just imagine the disastrous consequences of being surrounded and deciding to pull out your trusty katana or axe. Bam the blade doesn't want to leave that guys skull. Dead person.plugav said:
Smashing, beyond the whole thing of human skulls being difficult to chop through, bladed weapons tend to spill a lot of excess blood so there's that much more risk of accidental infection. A smashing weapon, such as a sledge hammer, on the other hand, you really only need one or two good swing down a zombie and there won't be nearly as much blood splattering back in your face.
Also.
Also.
You are officially my favorite person ever.The Mehster said:Yep.
I had to do it.
What kind of zombies are we talking about? Fast or slow? Destroy the brain, doesn't matter, or can't be killed? Infected if you are bitten only, or other manners of infection? There are too many variables here.
I assume you are referring to Return of the Living Dead zombies since you referred to them as "brainmunchers," so in that case I would probably take a slashing weapon, so you could actually dismember them. Though it really wouldn't matter since you can't really kill RotLD zombies...
I assume you are referring to Return of the Living Dead zombies since you referred to them as "brainmunchers," so in that case I would probably take a slashing weapon, so you could actually dismember them. Though it really wouldn't matter since you can't really kill RotLD zombies...
Really, a chainsaw, well here's just a question that popped into my head, what are you gonna do when it runs out of gas?SvenBTB said:
If you're gonna go with slashing go with a fire axe or something, far less bulky, no need for power, and not nearly as much blood splatter to worry about.
Smash, always. You need to kill the brain and the only way to do that is by caving in the skull. Also it's a hell of a lot easier to crush bone than it is to cut it which is why my zombie apoc 'weapon' is a crowbar.
Following the rule destroying the brain is the only effective method: Smashing, overall. There's plenty to be said for Slashing and Piercing weapons, but even less for Cutting (A japanese sword (katana) would be cutting for example.) Slashing and Piercing weapons would still be rather effective because Zombie bodies are in a perpetual state of decomposition - the skull and head tissue would not stand against a chopping machete. A rapier could easily pierce through as well.
This then brings up the issue of what qualifies as 'destruction' of the brain. Would chopping it in half with a machete do the trick? Would a hole less the a a quarter's diameter, delivered by a rapier, be enough? Do you want to take that chance?
Removing the head as a first measure would actually still work. If you are adapt with a katana, a Cutting/Slashing weapon, then it is probably best to still select it when Z-Day comes, slice off a Zombie's head, and then stab through the skull. The above issue of 'is that enough' comes into play again, as well as the matter of what does the zombie's body do while you are completing the double-tap (term stolen from Zombieland.)
So this leads me back to Smashing, the best choice for Z-Day. Why? Primarily because of the lack of skill required to score kills. The best thing that I've seen is actually a Cricket Bat(spelling), as used in 'Shaun of the Dead'. It's wide, heavy, got a good sized handle, and has a protrusion for extra smash-ability. All bladed weapons require far more skill, with the slightest degree of incorrect placement possibly causing a vital error. A machete could veer 2 degrees off the path you think you've swung it and it could become lodged in the zombie's head, while only cutting through 70% of the brain. Then while you try and retrieve the weapon, for a second strike, the Zombie bites your shoulder (classically). However, a smashing weapon is far more likely to succeed even if you are intoxicated. If you take a Cricket Bat to a Zombie's side for instance, it won't kill them but will likely still split them in two or severely cripple them.
HOWEVER, there's another issue that comes into consideration for anyone having skill with a bladed weapon. The blood. Many zombie and zombie-esque movies insist that the zombie's blood (or hell, other fluids that would gush out) that get(s) into your body, via your mouth or open sores, will convert you. Being that this is the case, Blades actually have an advantage. The majority of the time any Bladed weapon will have a far lesser amount of blood that exits upon impact, and it can actually be controlled with the movement of the attack so that the attacker can direct their body to a different location then where the fluid releaved from the kill will travel. With a Smashing weapon... there's just no telling for sure where the guts will go. So if you are in mid-scream, or breathing heavily, or have open cuts from other sources of horror-survival, then the gross stuff is far more likely to enter your body.
This then brings up the issue of what qualifies as 'destruction' of the brain. Would chopping it in half with a machete do the trick? Would a hole less the a a quarter's diameter, delivered by a rapier, be enough? Do you want to take that chance?
Removing the head as a first measure would actually still work. If you are adapt with a katana, a Cutting/Slashing weapon, then it is probably best to still select it when Z-Day comes, slice off a Zombie's head, and then stab through the skull. The above issue of 'is that enough' comes into play again, as well as the matter of what does the zombie's body do while you are completing the double-tap (term stolen from Zombieland.)
So this leads me back to Smashing, the best choice for Z-Day. Why? Primarily because of the lack of skill required to score kills. The best thing that I've seen is actually a Cricket Bat(spelling), as used in 'Shaun of the Dead'. It's wide, heavy, got a good sized handle, and has a protrusion for extra smash-ability. All bladed weapons require far more skill, with the slightest degree of incorrect placement possibly causing a vital error. A machete could veer 2 degrees off the path you think you've swung it and it could become lodged in the zombie's head, while only cutting through 70% of the brain. Then while you try and retrieve the weapon, for a second strike, the Zombie bites your shoulder (classically). However, a smashing weapon is far more likely to succeed even if you are intoxicated. If you take a Cricket Bat to a Zombie's side for instance, it won't kill them but will likely still split them in two or severely cripple them.
HOWEVER, there's another issue that comes into consideration for anyone having skill with a bladed weapon. The blood. Many zombie and zombie-esque movies insist that the zombie's blood (or hell, other fluids that would gush out) that get(s) into your body, via your mouth or open sores, will convert you. Being that this is the case, Blades actually have an advantage. The majority of the time any Bladed weapon will have a far lesser amount of blood that exits upon impact, and it can actually be controlled with the movement of the attack so that the attacker can direct their body to a different location then where the fluid releaved from the kill will travel. With a Smashing weapon... there's just no telling for sure where the guts will go. So if you are in mid-scream, or breathing heavily, or have open cuts from other sources of horror-survival, then the gross stuff is far more likely to enter your body.
Hmm... I think I have to go with Slashing.
I agree, that if you want to 'kill' a zombie, you have to destroy it's brain, at least in most of the cases. But playing Dead Space 2 taught me a valuable lesson: 'killing' zombies is a waste of energy. Swinging around with a sledgehammer will exhaust you in mere minutes- not a good thing if you like surviving. Machete, katana or other sharp, slashy object doesn't require as much force to work properly, is much more handy, and can cause a lot of damage to muscles, if not even bones- one hit in zombie's hip might be enough to render it unable to walk. Sure, it would still be 'alive', but MUCH less dangerous.
I agree, that if you want to 'kill' a zombie, you have to destroy it's brain, at least in most of the cases. But playing Dead Space 2 taught me a valuable lesson: 'killing' zombies is a waste of energy. Swinging around with a sledgehammer will exhaust you in mere minutes- not a good thing if you like surviving. Machete, katana or other sharp, slashy object doesn't require as much force to work properly, is much more handy, and can cause a lot of damage to muscles, if not even bones- one hit in zombie's hip might be enough to render it unable to walk. Sure, it would still be 'alive', but MUCH less dangerous.
Everyone knows blunt weapons are best for dealing with the legions of the undead. Skeletal ones especially, but almost as effective for zombies.
Slashing, without a doubt. Even if you can't decapitate the zombie, cutting off his leg will definitely slow down.
Just going by D&D, zombies have DR 5/slashing. If I were fighting skeletons (DR 5/Bludgeoning), then I'd want a blunt weapon.
In reality though, I'm just gonna rely on my stockpile of ammo first and then worry about getting in melee range.
In reality though, I'm just gonna rely on my stockpile of ammo first and then worry about getting in melee range.