All Melee Weapons PVP Tier List and In-Depth Look - Armored Core 6 (Outdated)

Finally, it's here! The long awaited melee weapon tier list. Sunk about 11 hours of editing into this, but here it is at last, enjoy!
My Twitch - / moodthedestroyer
Silver Lining AC Share ID - K6BPPXH9R6QB
Emerald Lining AC Share ID - RJR8DFT4Q0WU
0:00 Introduction
0:56 New Build Showcase
1:49 Pulse Blade
3:49 Important Message
4:05 Pulse Blade
4:23 Laser Slicer
7:33 Laser Dagger
10:01 Plasma Thrower
11:05 Laser Lance
14:04 Moonlight
16:32 Pile Bunker
18:04 Chainsaw
21:15 Laser Blade
23:37 Stun Baton
25:50 Coral Oscillator
28:49 Final Tierlist

[@JoeSmith-xp5ll]

Fun fact about the Laser Slicer - the spinning you see it doing during the charged hit's lunge actually briefly acts as a shield, reducing incoming damage that crosses it's hitbox by about 40%.

[@Cretaal]

The chainsaw and plasma whip do the same as well

[@CodenameMood]

Aware of it, but I didn't mention it because people might start walking at others and charge attacking and getting bonked in the mouth.

[@justinl8791]

Yep, actually it turns out the Slicer, Plasma Thrower(I'm just gonna call it The Hammer) & the Chainsaw can block some damage while charging. Crazy attention to detail. NEVER CHANGE, FROMSOFT.

[@technodude458]

@@justinl8791 the thrower can also redirect plasma beams

[@iESCAP1SM]

@@technodude458 if only it actually reflected them. Imagine the skill cap

[@sweetinvictus654]

the plasma thrower with quads is the most nasty opener. you gotta give it a chance

[@muchluck7981]

Also get on a wheelchair

[@Michael_MW]

@@muchluck7981 Wheelchair OP

[@RashFever26]

Yeah it's brutal

[@Dodexus]

The plasma thrower also gives damage reduction like a shield when you’re charging it… so there’s that

[@JamesMBC]

I've seen that in other people's streams and vods, but I have never been able to land a hit in training mode, even with static enemies. Is it a bug? Why does the plasma whip visually connect with the enemy, but still not actually touch them? How can you use it as an opener when it seems like the attack has no hitbox at all?

[@alchemistbanii]

That Oscillator tech is single handedly the funniest thing I've seen in this game yet. I genuinely love it and hope to see it more

[@warriorfire8103]

Moment he said manual aim it clicked for me.

[@VonSilvermont]

I am a laser dagger enjoyer. The charged attack is very good for catching people and the weapon cooldown is extremely quick. Making it possible to use it as an opener and a finisher.

[@smoothmidnightfudge7450]

No idea how well it works in PVP (still working through NG+ and got detoured doing an obnoxiously complex decal design for my latest build) but I absolutely adore the laser dagger in PvE. The low weight and energy footprint means you can fit it into basically anything, and it does shockingly good damage for how quick the cooldown is, especially as an overload punish. The first hit comes out so fast too. Very easy to get hits with. I’ve found myself throwing it into builds a LOT where I have energy/weight really tightly optimized but still want a melee weapon.

[@JamesMBC]

Me too. the Laser Dagger is my favorite weapon in the game. Can actually be mained due to it's low cooldown, and the choice of attacks (1,2 3 hits or charged), plus the speed and melee cancels make it the most versatile weapon, if used correctly. Also, the low weight and energy requirement means it can fit almost any build, wortking as a great backup weapon for builds that are carying heavy guns.

[@I_am_a_human_not_a_commodity]

If you can get solid hits with the laser dagger, it's absolutely devastating.

[@jeast9648]

That's what I've noticed. The cool down is so fast that you can almost spam it. And the damage during acs overload is actually pretty crazy.

[@jeast9648]

Only problem for me is the short lunge range which can be remedied by running a light build with a lot of energy for dash canceling.

[@jcman-lp6lg]

Laser lance has a special place in my heart because it trivializes CEL 240

[@GusCraft460]

I’ve grown surprisingly fond of the laser dagger and the stun baton. However, I use melee weapons very differently than most. Instead of openers or finishers, I use melee weapons to compensate for low ammo weapons. I don’t need to use a weapon with only 20 rounds to kill a light MT, so instead I use a melee weapon. Both the stun baton and the laser dagger have very small EN and weight footprints, so they can be a great way to clean up adds without wasting precious ammo.

[@TheEPICskwock]

Openers and finishers is referring to pvp combat. For pve it doesnt matter what ypu use as long as you find the build fun

[@afrokoku-jin5161]

Kicking mobs works for this purpose as well

[@technodude458]

I just boost kick into them nobody expects the giant heavy tank with twin Gatlings and Songbirds to jump right at you

[@zenks5883]

I just on my 4th playthrough discovered that reverse joint legs have different kick animation and its so fricking cool, its the coolest thing ever imo, kicking little MT's and watching them fly to the orbit is incredibly fun 😁

[@fallenangemon0]

Let me just say the format of this video is fantastic. Tiers lists + clips of properly utilizing each weapon makes for EXCELLENT content!

[@emm6101]

Moonlight being ranged is how you want to use it thanks to the impact, its great to stagger and 2 hits means even if they dodge you can likely still hit them.

[@glacierfox5237]

I mainly use moonlight just for the pressure as my guns are reloading or if they are close to staggering

[@emm6101]

@@glacierfox5237 I use it as part of the dance to stagger them then hit with something big. While it does stop you in your tracks, you can time it during their dash you will hit them. Almost never charge attack tho.

[@l.a.wright6912]

And the charge attack is incredibly deceptive

[@hypertion]

I legit love how good the starter blade is. But melee in ac6 feels off for how it has been traditionally in ac.

[@CodenameMood]

If the enemy is ACS Overloaded, why in the world would I downgrade to a melee that forces me to stand completely still and punish far less than others. And outside of ACS Overload, any decent player can dodge it.

[@landbeforetimeee]

Plasma thrower is awesome in pvp, you can't convince me otherwise. It's fast, and it's the only melee "finisher" that can consistently escape assault armor. Single hits to secure stagger are surprisingly easy to pull off as well. Never use the charge attack and you're set.

[@TheSweetSpirit]

Well plasma thrower's only really good on quads or tanks, like said - and I agree.

[@CodenameMood]

You are forced to stand still, it's range sucks, and it's damage is not as good as other finisher weapons. And it's charge attack is useless despite the damage reduction on hold.

[@jakethesnake9484]

@@CodenameMoodIf you build around it the plasma thrower is insane. I think you’re writing it off too quickly because of your own avoidance of quad/tank builds. My current build has quad legs, with basho arms and plasma thrower and its incredible

[@CodenameMood]

As I said, it's ONLY good for quads/tetra, makes it too niche.@@jakethesnake9484

[@spinyslasher6586]

@@jakethesnake9484 This guy is extremely biased towards bipeds, he pretty much has zero build diversity, don't try to argue with him.

[@TommioRS]

Pulse Blade, Laser Blade and Pile Bunker for me. They just seem the most none gimmicky and straight to the point.

[@fl4avv721]

Pile bunker is gimmicky.

[@christsang9728]

​@@fl4avv721Yeah as in hard to land but whatever it hits gets FUCKED

[@stoovano]

​@@fl4avv721but it's a gimmick that does 70% of your opponents hp

[@victornguyen1175]

Pile Bunker is THE gimmick melee weapon. Just a point-blank single hit nuke and just about useless for anything else.

[@Zelisius]

The laser lance is my favorite. Its just Sooo satisfying to land a charged hit, plus you can use it to super smash bros yourself back onto the arena if you fall off with no energy. And plasma thrower is nice with tanks as you dont stop moving when attacking

[@CodenameMood]

I said that in the video!

[@famielxing687]

Finally a tierlist from someone who actually showed gameplay of why it’s rated that way

[@christopherremillard2574]

Now you need to talk about melee combos. Some are frighteningly effective and very fun to use.

[@Cleptomancer]

Thanks Raven. I'm sure the Allmind also appreciates your contribution 👍🏾

[@barnebyoconnell8176]

Excellent tier list. I really appreciate the time you took to lay out your arguments and show us gameplay to back it up. Learning the manual aim lets you surprise people with the Oscillator is surprising and funny news.

[@Foostini]

i put this list in C tier

[@ProfesorFrodoJSchitz]

Dual Moonlights and a Nebula have been my go-to in pvp. Moonlights double slash is just long enough to charge Nebula. Bait them with the double slash while charging Nebula, then left off the trigger to plasma storm them, swap to the other Moonlight and double slash again. Timed right the first blade will be cooled down and can be brought back out to further extend the combo.

[@strikerhutassa]

Its very very cool how different our tier lists were. Excited to play you again sometime soon gamer. Gonna have to bust out my plasma thrower against your stun baton since we ranked those in the exact opposite positions lmao

[@shadystorms150]

An option you should seriously consider is barehanded melee as it does pretty decent ACS. But more importantly it has an extremely long stagger in ACS so you can effectively ACS break someone with a fully charged chainsaw, extend the stun with 3 punches, then chainsaw them again for the kill.

[@CodenameMood]

I've heard of it. But last time I fought a punch user, I just triangle dashed around them in a loop, their punch could never hit me and I'd melee them myself, seemed the animation lock for it is brutal. So I didn't consider it as it technically isn't a "weapon" either.

[@melancholicminerva6370]

I gotta say, I didnt know about that Oscillator trick, im gonna have to start using that. Tbh though, I feel like you treated Moonlight a bit too harshly. Its damage and ACS might not be the highest, but its uncharged attacks are quick and if youre close theyre hard to dodge. Even you yourself got hit by several in the gameplay featured. Ive been using it on my melee/missile boat build (SOUP and APERTIF missile launchers on the right side, with Red Moonlight and the Coral Oscillator on the left), and it can apply great pressure due to how quick its cool down is. I understand your reasoning, I simply think its more of a B class of weapon. Great Video nonetheless, im definetely gonna tell some mates of mine about the weapon combos you showed.

[@arcturus960]

Redshade being forgotten: In all seriousness don’t take inspiration from tier lists and all parts are quite good (excluding the Joso generator) all parts have purpose and are meant for other builds

[@arcturus960]

Also I should add that because all parts suit different playstyles I see way too many AC6 tier lists contradicting each other. Decide what’s best for you yourself and don’t be sheep

[@UltraKardas]

@@arcturus960 Objectively false. This is a PVP tier list, and some weapons aren't cut out for PVP. Moonlight can get some use out of its normal ranged attacks, but its charged melee seems a little lacking for it to be higher tier. You can go back in time and try out using musket rifles, and bayonets.See how that build works out for you. I know listening to people is hard for an ego like yours, but not all tools are going to be as impactful as others.

[@l.a.wright6912]

​@UltraKardas moonlight charged attack is a feignt. It's way to easy to trick people into getting hit by it

[@Cloudz2021]

@@arcturus960 I also disagree about his ranking on Moonlight, but all parts do not have a purpose. There are objectively bad parts & weapons. The only reason you'd want to run them is to "be different" or meme builds. In a stat based game there have to be bad parts.

[@mitasova9064]

ermmm!! but your using zimmerman!!!

[@CodenameMood]

Look out your window.

[@whatcodeSV]

Love to see the baton get the credit it deserves, been using a build similar to Silver Lining. Zim and punch swapping can nearly perma stagger with the baton's explosion setup. Huge surprise to see you rank the chainsaw so high, the wonky hits have me weary. The manual tech with coral blade is so badass, seriously impressive.

[@mickthick6170]

the zimmerman/pilebunker was doing all the work

[@CodenameMood]

*Earshot noises*

[@mickthick6170]

**dies**

[@Ask4This]

glad to see someone else use the manual aiming tech with the oscillator, that always seems to catch people off guard.

[@chicomaru]

That was a wonderful insight. Appreciate the video. My take about the laser blade, I honestly think it can also be a decent opener since its light attack shoots you quickly farther ahead. I do enjoy melee weapons in this game and I thank you for the great content!

[@iESCAP1SM]

Great video and great discussion in the comments. Lots of good tips and playstyles explained by the community, which oozes of enthusiasm tbh

[@zhouyongkang5331]

Plasma Thrower is probably the best melee for tetrapods tho

[@CodenameMood]

I did say it's good for wheelchair/quads only. But that makes it too niche.

[@reenierkendrickdelosreyes9264]

hahaha! unescapable cutscene! brilliant description of the slicer, my melee weapon of choice for single player, hard to make work in pvp for sure. Love your vids man, keep it up!

[@SephirothsBIade]

Very well made and informative. As PVE only I learned several details of these weapons. I question the Coral oscillator charge attack in "intended" use as there seems to be a bite out of the wrong side of the pizza cone exactly on the target making it occasionally miss what is right in front of it.

[@J.aime_le_pain181]

I find the lance's use to be finishing filling the overload bar, wich is what it excels at, pair this with big stick energy for a 10 second fight

[@marczwander893]

Love everything about this, well done!

[@CodenameMood]

Thank you!

[@Wywern291]

The stun baton felt really difficult to use in PvP from the little I did, but if it's incredible PvE performance is anything to go by, I'm not surprised it can be insane in PvP too. ACS into heavy into another ACS into full light combo with the weapon's very high Direct Hit boost was a nuclear combo.

[@CodenameMood]

Again, it is in technical terms. We don't live in a perfect world, obviously it's difficult to land it due to ping and whatnot.

[@I_am_a_human_not_a_commodity]

Zim with the PB and default laser on that high mobility build are absolutely god-tier when used by a skilled pilot. I've been struggling to get the timing right, but when I do it's so satisfying :D Thank you for the awesome video! Your time and effort is greatly appreciated!

[@CodenameMood]

Thank you! People are rather resentful of the video apparently, Plasma Thrower and Moonlight copers.

[@MadassAlex]

Regarding the laser dagger and laser blade: Each makes an excellent setup for an assault armour punish, as the dagger combo and sword charge leave you near to your opponent. With good timing, you can break ACS, deliver the attack, and still have time left to connect with assault armour. I particularly like this with the laser dagger due to its quick cooldown and interactivity with boost kick, enabling a lot of melee pressure without spending two weapon slots on melee weapons. This approach is an alternative to pile bunker as a finisher but much more flexible. It does prevent you from using pulse armour, but gaining a weapon slot (essentially) is a tradeoff worthy of consideration imo.

[@sweetinvictus654]

also a tip for any one looking to use the chainsaw in pvp, go for the charge attacks they are gonna award you with so many one shots it'll make you feel like a monster. just begin the charge before they break acs and try to be as level with them as possible, let it rip and enjoy the damage !

[@sweetinvictus654]

you only lose the ability to OB while charging too, you can QB around while maintaining the charge. my absolute favorite melee

[@gladiumthebrazilian7803]

It also works as a shield!

[@ebeaudoin8644]

Maybe I'm wrong and this only works against bots in the campaign, but I think you've misplaced the laser lance. It has deceptively high tracking on its charged attack, and more importantly any hit from its charged attack staggers the enemy, confirming the rest of the attacks. This very frequently overloads enemy ACS, making it a deceptively effective opener. It doesn't have the same mind games as others, but for lack of a better term it just works.

[@CodenameMood]

The every hit into confirm isn't particularly true. Enemies can get clipped by one hit, but you will zoom past them if they had any kind of momentum beforehand. It's bad as an opener because any decent player can react to it from default.

[@ebeaudoin8644]

@@CodenameMood must be a campaign special then I guess, the bots don't dodge it at all

[@CallofWar5]

I have had amazing success with the plasma thrower on my biped builds. Great for vibe checking incoming melee or cqb shotgun rushers. Love it as both an opener and finisher

[@Gumpinn]

Same here, i tryed making a missile build, it was missing the plasma thrower to get AC's that chase you hold their distance.

[@briancrabtree309]

Those combos were so clean, I gotta try this style out

[@raferd1]

I did not know the pulse blade normal attack did not stagger, it explains why I get hit in PvP even when I land the 2 hit.

[@zacharystevenson5845]

i'm not one for pvp but i loved the stun baton in the first playthrough of the solo campaign. Heard everyone calling it bad and i honestly didn't get it, it seemed good to me. Didn't even know about the charge attack setting up for a second ACS strain, i'll have to try it out myself lol. good video!

[@MisterCynic18]

Glad to see respect put on the stun baton

[@IsraTheBlack]

Finally someone who recognizes the pulse blade as the best. Charged attack for staggers, double hit against staggered. Only issue is that the first attack pushes enemies sometimes away so the second slash misses. Btw charging the chainsaw counts as a shield.

[@jardanicrosx6749]

you done it again, my guy!! love the vids. Btw, in your pvp vids, dont you use hard lock on to your enemies?

[@CodenameMood]

I do not! I'm sure there's merit to it, but I find it too wonky personally.

[@theinfinitydie1582]

Something I want to say that I feel goes undervalued is the flexibility of certain weapons as both openers and finishers, particularly the pile bunker. I feel the dagger and pulse blade are more obvious in their flexibility since their light attacks will stagger during ACS overload, but the pile bunker light attack I think is solid as an opener option. It falls short in terms of raw damage, but the cancel window before and after the hit almost rival the dagger imo, and the impact damage is insane for how easy the move is to land compared to some other melees. Obviously it shines a lot more if you can land the heavy attack during a punish since it will wipe 90% of an enemy's HP, but if they only have like 50%, it's worth clocking them in the face with a punch to get them into overload far sooner and using the light attack combo of a previously mentioned weapon to finish the job.

[@Dakingsnake]

I loved this vid. New sub!

[@deeeich267]

Thanks! I’ve been waiting for something like this!

[@JerichoDeath]

"Next up is the moonlight" *shows Redshift* I know that they play the same but given that they are different weapons, it means that you can actually run "dual moonlight" in order to mitigate the cooldown on the basic attack.

[@CodenameMood]

You jeopardize too much if you run both.

[@inixi8ocelot]

Moonlight/Redshift are great against players who are unaware in 3v3, but in 1v1, it's too slow and easy to react to against light stun gun/baton builds.

[@kerbodynamicx472]

In PVE I often use the Laser lance as opener and Pile bunker finisher, finishing most of the arena fights in 20 seconds and this combination even made short work of Ibis.

[@DAK893]

Personally, I enjoy using the laser lance. You can charge your other weapons during the lunge, so if you can follow up with an even more damaging attack.

[@Lodestone8]

Plasma thrower is like a guy who sucks at his job, but is excellent at somebody else's. On quads and tanks it rules as you stated, but I even get some use of it as a reverse joint, that sheer amount of stagger from good range is excellent as an opener, being stuck is a bit rough, but I say the payoff's worth it.

[@techsomat5757]

would like to note that the damage multiplier of staggered enemies on the pulse blade also make it one of the games best finishers. the damage output become some of the best in the game when combined with the basho arms and the melee boosters. absolutely insane burst damage potential. like 3/4 of the cleaners hp in on stagger type damage.

[@stevepaul5812]

watching you play this game makes it look incredibly fun, i'm not sure if i want to buy it for the pvp but i'm considering it, i think the stun baton looks the best so far leaving the enemies with 70% of their stagger bar after an overload looks nuts

[@CodenameMood]

The story is fantastic too, I highly suggest it!

[@Gumpinn]

Came here to say it ssweel, the story is amazing. Took me around 28/30h to complete full story not rushing it nor checking any guides. After that there is the opption to S rank everything. I bet i could replay all missions and enjoy them. I accidently missed a thing on the 4th playthrough so had to finish it so i could get the mission i was missing. Enjoyed every mission playthrough 4 even tho i thought i finaly could start pvp and was abit bummed about it, wanted to unlock all weapons before i did pvp. (there is 3 playthrougs that are uniqe and special with the choices you can make) If you youst play not checking to many guides playthrough 1-3 you will have a 4th maybe a 5th playthrough to look forward to as a single player!

[@user-rn7wf7ry4s]

plasma thrower is stupid good on quads especially with the extremely silly quad kick. explosive thrower is also technically a melee weapon and is like plasma whip where it can move on a quad/tank. it trades 2 hits for having a massive hitbox so it's probably worth the trade. But you could also just use both and alternate between CD. moonlight has a pretty solid range of 280 which can outrange quite a lot of stuff. Not a lot can deal the stagger and damage the moonlight can at 280 range, and with 2 large hitboxes, other than explosives. But its stuck in place so extremely vulnerable to explosives.

[@RenoKyrie]

Ban Quad Kick spamm, just no

[@CodenameMood]

Quad Kick Spam works with anything, this doesn't justify the Plasma Thrower. As for the moonlight, it's dodgeable by any decent player unfortunately.

[@Eo-ms3kw]

The explosive thrower actually isn't a melee weapon. It doesn't get increased damage from melee specialization.

[@_VISKAR_]

Playing in 21:9 resolution is nice for PvP especially when using the Oscillator. And yeah the manual aim with it is great when doing longer stunlock combos, since punch combos into charge attack if you turn the camera. Also chainsaw is OP despite the doubters, just requires more planning with setups and positioning like you said. Some really cursed builds/combos exist for it.

[@Zane12ai]

Stun baton is super slept on, its just so versitile. For starters it can be used as a budget laser slicer, the it can stunlock the opponent with AoE, and it has amazing dash canceling. Its direct hit adjustment is nothing to scoff at either, being the second highest of every melee weapon. And when your apponet pulse armors, all you need to do is an assault armor counter and you shove them right bac into a stunlock due to the batons rediclous cooling. And if that doesnt work, again its a versatile weapon, you have 2 types of stagger punnish for the cost of one. Also, I didnt even know pulse blade could be charged, i mea surei giessit makes sence every other melee weapon can, but i genuinly thought it was identical to the forst slash durring testing

[@NemesisUmbral]

After getting more insight into how to use the dagger as an opener, it gave me the idea to run it alongside the Slicer for a Steel (Haze) Requiem build. Of course, I will steal the Zimmerman as the primary weapon from this video.

[@CodenameMood]

It's too good for opener builds, perfect range for ACS overload.

[@keenheat3335]

moonlight and redshift charge attack can go through obstacle, no other projectile can. You can hide behind obstacle, use scan to lock down and charge attack to hit enemies while behind cover. Great for map with lots of obstacle

[@Gumpinn]

I love to do this ❤ If you wanna get good at the game you have to learn how to use everything at you disposal to your advantage. So many ppl is youst ignoring 40% of the game. Cosplaying rabbits jumping and mindlessly spamming all their attacks. So much hidden features and the freedom to play how you want. I tryed to do a missile build a few days ago where i shoot the missiles then escape for them to recharge then do the same again. As soon as i went back to old habbits not doing the escape oart i started loosing. Then when i played my hide and seek game that was 50% the point of the build i started winning. (i like to fly and turn through crannies and buildings "dopamine" delux)

[@sirzirconium9231]

I don’t know how often laser drones are spammed but I’ll run em both on my shoulders with a high stagger RH wep (Chang chens, ducket, laser shotty.) Usually off-hand the lance but dagger works too. A fully charged drone attack on a stunned enemy is actually stupid, and locks em down enough to get caught by lance charges. Fun stuff.

[@GrubbyLight]

I’m a gremlin and if you really want to high risk high reward use the laser lance as an opener as its charged attacked near full staggers and swap to pile bunker after. Downside is if you miss the charge good luck and both melee weapons are heavy

[@satanicpuppyoverlord9054]

Moonlight is great low effort low skill ceiling close range accompaniment but I can't call it a melee weapon tbh. It's great for a quick burst of acs damage for punishing

[@nxvh9062]

yeah in terms of use, it's closer to a shotgun style of weapon than a melee

[@bohlam6c]

@@nxvh9062 yeah a shotgun with no ammo is pretty accurate. i found that most of the time, it's better to use the Moonlight "defensively" as a pressure tool or to punish people who are too eager to dash in.

[@CodenameMood]

I feel like at that point you should just run anything else as a finisher weapon. Again, it's comparitive to other melee weapons, it's too niche to be good.

[@Cleptomancer]

I was playing around with the melee cancel on the Laser Slicer & found you can cancel out of the charged hit during it's combo. This opened up my thoughts on taking trades 🤔

[@WildWolfGod]

I will say, one good thing the Laser Dagger has going for it is the really fast uptime on the cooling.

[@TristiAlacria]

Moonlight slashes have the unique property of phasing through the pulse shield launcher shields. So you can launch a shield and camp behind it, letting it protect you during the vulnerable windup and control the opponent's position relative to it. With this combo you can spam moonlight slashes relatively easily and use it as a powerful projectile. I really recommend trying it out!

[@CodenameMood]

Okay but, what if I just.. Ignore all of it and melee cancel to him with my pulse blade and then pile bunker him? Because he is stuck in Moonlight animation?

[@Gumpinn]

​@@CodenameMoodyou forget the giant healthpool on quads and wheelchair legs. And the opponent can dodge or AA/PA if you charge into the attack its litteraky 30% chance you come out on top. Also i dont think he reffers to matching against a melee build. I think he ment that you should give it a try, moonlight is better than you are giving it credits for. Using it in close quarter is comparable to a sniper build rocking the 100% close range chip trying to be under 100meters to the opponent. Its a stupid way of judging it. I have almost only played light weight builds, and some builds youst hard counters melee builds. Then you need to dodge like 90% of the attacks or you get one shooted. Where you have to stagger them two times to win thanks to their giant health pool. Personaly i hate Zimmermans, but i dont tell people they are turds for using it and that it suck. If i win i win if they win they win dosent matter aslong as they play good so the match is intresting. Id rather have fun while playing than cheesing my way through pvp. But hey thats me you do you, the video was top notch tho even tho i dont think its fair.

[@CodenameMood]

@@Gumpinn The zimmerman is OBJECTIVELY busted and needs nerfs. I run into Moonlight players every day, they are NOT a problem to dodge or to deal with, it's just not as threatening as other melee weapons.

[@Gumpinn]

@@CodenameMood Welp you got me there 😝 But as with all fromsoft games, its "getting good" that is the meta, dosent matter which weapons you have as long as they are descent you can beat any weapons.

[@Drischa]

I know you've probably heard this a million times already but I think that plasma thrower on bipeds is usable - the tracking on the first hit is just so good that I don't think I've ever had someone dodge it. It's basically a button to instantly build someone's stagger bar if they come within range. If you use it just after a quick boost (sort of the opposite of melee cancelling) then you retain a bit of motion during the swing. I'll admit that it's too easily punishable though and the second hit is rarely worth using unless the enemy is ACS overloaded and you're in pretty close range. landing both hits on ACS overload does a decent amount of damage, extends the stun (making it safe on ACS similar to the laser slicer) and isn't as strict on range as the pilebunker. It's a strange mix of opener and finisher to me. I have been struggling to fight enemies with other "true" melee weapons as I can't get the hang of melee cancelling and dodging.

[@ClubbingSealCub]

Plasma thrower actually very good with the tank legs from my experience, since you can keep zooming while firing it.

[@CodenameMood]

I did mention it's only good on quads and tank legs.

[@wack6692]

Pile bunker also has very good vertical tracking so if your opponent likes to go up your in luck

[@giantflamingrabbitmonster8124]

I personally like to think of the moonlight as a whiff punish, rather than Finisher/Opener. If the opponent gets over zealous and commits to a melee or other attack that pauses them, and you manage to dodge but you're too far away to close the gap fast enough to punish, the moonlight is a very forgiving counter, especially with its huge AOE. I understand that this list is built for higher skill, quick, fight ending capability, but for us mid-tier players the moonlight can do solid work, and I really think that a high skill, patient player could get a lot of mileage out of it. Also something you didn't mention but did use in the clip is that the charged attack ignores cover. Was spectating a lobby where a player secured a win with it when his opponent tried to kite behind buildings. Niche for sure, but worth mentioning.

[@LordKore]

fun fact. All melee tracking gets a 30% boost with hard lock on.

[@thomas.poggers842]

Bro what plasma thrower is cracked

[@CodenameMood]

ONLY on Tetra and Quad. Can't be compared to other weapons.

[@thomas.poggers842]

@CodenameMood what nah I run it on biped as a poke spacing tool and it's amazing

[@SilverGlint]

"It's all Zimmerman, it's all Pilebunkers doing the heavy lifting" :). Good video Mood

[@CodenameMood]

Don't look out your window.

[@Ram2rol]

Dagger+fist = combo master tier.:P Once you get the stun, you can go back and forth between dagger and fist a few times. You can do 2xdagger then a punch, then 3xdagger chain, or heavy attack. Whatever you feel like doing. Super fun. Must be quite annoying to be on the recieving end tho. It kills every time unless they manage to use armor or I fail the timing. If you get the stagger with the heavy dagger attack, you got enough time to do a fist, 1(-2?)xdagger, fist, 3xdagger/heavy Combined with a shotgun and a pulseblade as secondary weapons, it's a pretty fun combo. I do wonder tho if the stun baton can do something similar since it got a fairly short cooldown as well. Maybe 2xbaton, 2xfist, baton.

[@ogelpeace4610]

Amazing video. Did not think the chainsaw, stun baton and oscillator were S tier. I’m convinced now tho. I need to get more practice with them.

[@RenoKyrie]

Please dont Earshot my House just because i use Plasma Thrower 😭

[@CodenameMood]

It's okay with tetra and wheelchair. Otherwise, you will get earshotted for sure.

[@Old_Man_Bernard]

Don’t underestimate the HMMR, it can be used while moving like a heavy weapon and is super accurate while doing so, very good for wheelchair

[@CodenameMood]

That's what I said, exclusive to wheelchair and quads. Makes it too niche.

[@TheGodzebra]

​@@CodenameMoodLove you ❤ but when you use all of the above weapons on what are essentially two very similar builds you can't claim niche use. Your playstyle is niche, and the plasma thrower simply doesn't fit your personal requirements. That doesn't make it bad or niche, it just makes it a good choice for quads and tanks. That said, I don't think the basic or heavy should stop movement, and the heavy's hitbox or method of delivery need to be changed drastically.

[@bassbxinfinitynebula8736]

Idk I'd give moonlight at least B or A. You just gotta use it properly. It's not a finisher it's a tool to keep your distance. It's still a meele tool but a projectile. The thing is, you gotta treat it as such.

[@willostrand6555]

The cat bit and the plasma thrower bit made me chuckle you sir should be proud of this video

[@CodenameMood]

You bet I am!

[@ThatJT]

“I’m going to earshot your house” is unironically so funny

[@KKKuma]

For Laser dagger you can do Laser Dagger into a kick and into another laser dagger. It is super digusting how fast it CD

[@nicololisandro]

oscillator tech is insane!! i tried it out, and i find it hilarious how consistent that hits lol

[@CodenameMood]

It's not like they can react to it!

[@tasin2776]

I didn't think I was a melee addict until I realised for the final boss in ng++ I just wouldn't swap to a better double shotgun double stun needle build. I had to get that sword vs sword for 3rd phase.

[@huffee]

i actually really like the laser dagger as a stagger punish weapon too if you drop your right hand weapon after the stagger you can combo into the first 2 hits of the dagger, do a slightly delayed punch and then charge attack and it's all guaranteed

[@CodenameMood]

I feel like it's too low damage as a punisher, you can get more value out of other weapons for that manner.

[@huffee]

@@CodenameMood Yeah it's not super high damage but the dagger has other upsides, it's nice to go for if it's guaranteed to kill.

[@CodenameMood]

@@huffee At that point play anything else as a finisher!

[@huffee]

@@CodenameMood maybe i'm misunderstanding what you mean by finisher. i think it's nice utility while also being high damage on stagger, regardless i'm having success with it

[@AutistiCat2406]

S tier: pulse blade, laser dagger, stun baton A tier: coral oscillator, laser blade,plunker (pile bunker) B tier: chainsaw, lance, coral moonlight, fist C tier: moonlight, plasma thrower, explosive thrower

[@gedgar4502]

plasma thrower is goated on tetra trust me. my source is reliable

[@CodenameMood]

I did say it's only good on tetra/wheelchair. Too niche.

[@Lodestone8]

That was redshift, it's very similar to moonlight but they do differ in type of damage and charge attack power so, they're different weapons.

[@Ezekiel_Allium]

Disclaimer: have not tried out pvp, so I'm talking about the arena here I love the laser lance as a hybrid opener/closer. Build up acs stain with ranged options until it's at the point where the lance's first hit will posture break, and after the full second hit while their bar is red, whip out the dagger and try for a charged attack, depending on their recovery you could either get them while they're still stunned, or just as they start to move while their bar is still red.

[@CodenameMood]

Arena to PVP rarely translates well, so you'd have to go fight people and see the potency there!

[@Ezekiel_Allium]

@@CodenameMood I assumed that might be the case. I'll be trying out the PvP today, so we'll see how well it works out on the real thing lol.

[@spaghettisama]

My main story build was the laser lance as opener and pile bunker as finisher. If you time it right the final hit of the lance charge attack stuns your enemy and leaves you right on top of them, so you can switch to the pile bunker and finish them off with a charged attack. Many fights ended before intro dialogue even started. Does not work as easily on tetra and tanks.

[@madcat789]

Not a bad tier list. Good job.

[@LazyMaybe]

How do you feel about Basho arms vs more balanced arms? From your build choices you probably agree with me that the latter are usually better to get ACS overload more reliably, but I figured I'd ask regardless.

[@Gumpinn]

The dmg difference is big, it depends on how you play and what you try to achieve. A build with only missiles and a melee weapon wont need arms that have firearm specialisation. It prettymuch depends on the build you are running. The arms that have around 150 melee spec was the difference in dmg i needed to bring town heavy AC's. Before going all in on doing as much dmg as possible i had a hard time matching against wheelchair/quad AC's almost allways lost. Now the difference is huge, i still struggle with wheelchairs, but not as much. Quad matchupps feels alot more fair now when my dmg is higher.

[@Drischa]

Oh hey, I really like your DRG videos, glad to see you're into AC6 as well. I always notice that zero profile picture. Hope you're having a good time

[@ReelRai]

Plasma thrower is absolutely bonkers strong in PvP, how the hell is it not S if not SS

[@CodenameMood]

You must be fighting the wrong people.

[@frustratedsquirrel]

I like the stun baton because it's quite friendly to weapon bay combos. Landing that charged attack gives you time to switch to the chainsaw and try to catch the opponent again. Feels like a reset in a fighting game.

[@CodenameMood]

Truly, the microstun on the explosion is terrifying.

[@virtualsaturn89]

Does recoil control work for semi automatic weapons? I'm wondering if mind alpha arms were worth using there with the low melee specialization

[@Saybin]

DARP! Will watch in full later, but well done!

[@Saybin]

Good summary, but we all know I can't melee :V

[@CodenameMood]

@@Saybin You'll get there.

[@IrateSquatch]

watching melee tier lists is always funny because you can spot the quad/tank leg enjoyers vs the people who dont like them purely off of where the plasma thrower ends up

[@nvll7862]

i think the laser lance is great as an opener imo the melee cancel is pretty good w the kikaku lunge and from my experience the tracking is insane when you get an optimal angle and distance i use it on a medium weight reverse joint build

[@CodenameMood]

From people I've fought, the Lance has probably been one of the easiest to dodge on reaction. It is genuinely really slow, not sure how people use it as an opener.

[@TheUltimateRey]

The plasma thrower has an extra hit box on the charge, if you’re on top of the enemy hitting them with the charged swing and you release the blast will hit them

[@CodenameMood]

At that point just do that with any other melee weapon that won't lock you and can actually lunge.

[@morioh6623]

Moonlight is really good for baiting out the enemies dodge for heavy hitting weapons. This video was great

[@Sabbathfaax]

As much as i love the Chainsaw, i have a hard time putting it in S tier. Hitbox is too inconsistent and people often fall out of it / just dont get hit outright. Easily one of the worst weapons to deal w airborne targets too

[@sweetinvictus654]

yeah you gotta stay very level to get the max damage, such is the truth for most of the melee though. the charge attack is the move 100%

[@muchluck7981]

Regular chainsaw user here. The weird hitbox is mainly due to the chainsaw having the melee trust property for all of it's attack. Your thrusters will actually affect your lunge with the charged attack. Staggering your enemy in the air feels bad but it's still possible with quick piloting to get the hit down. The best part of chainsaw however is how it acts as a shield while charging, giving you some protection a shield would have given

[@ougioshino6940]

I hope we get a patch to fix the saw hitbox honestly

[@sweetinvictus654]

@@ougioshino6940 it would make the chainsaw so meta, and I'm here for it

[@CodenameMood]

As I said, technical terms. In a perfect world, it has way too much and is really good. I did say it's wonky hitbox wise in the video too.

[@ougioshino6940]

Watching the Saw in S tier makes me so happy. Really underrated

[@Spyger279]

Yes, the Plasma Thrower sucks at throwing plasma. It's not a bad flail though.

[@CodenameMood]

Good one.

[@RyanWithersAway]

That last oscillator match was so clutch at the end