BEST Medieval Weapon for a ZOMBIE Apocalypse?

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#zombiesurvival #medieval #sword #shadiversity

[@shadiversity]

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[@reverendbernfriedaxewielde8443]

Tip for Shad. GarandThumb, Kentucky ballistics and Demo Ranch all have videos about putting a shotgun to a head. Yes, a shotgun with buckshot, in a close quarters situation like Resident Evil1, WILL take a zombie's head off.

[@tylerrobbins8311]

Great video Shad love what you and the boys do, please keep it up.

[@Pvp22277]

Going with a Bore spear and a Short sword And a axe

[@vinnie666]

Oh, and pu dao. 1:1 ratio,I prefer being able to rest my chin, so about 5 American feet. That's the correct answer to this video

[@Thesydjeffriescollective]

Been watching some of your fantasy rearmed videos of late. Very good takes. Have you considered a sort of magic rearmed series? More specifically like what sort of weapons, armor, and gear would be best used by/ against those that use specific abilities like the sort of beings like those in modern comics? Like fire generation/ kinesis; levitation; water manipulation; eye beams; etc. I'm interested in what your take would be.

[@deeznutso0930]

I cringed so hard when shad said a shotgun wouldn't destroy a skull.

[@Assdafflabaff]

Lol. Clearly he doesn't watch Garand Thumb.

[@Nioclas64]

Same, Shad needs a crashcourse on shotguns, so he knows about birdshot vs slugs. A big part of why Americans dominated in the treches is how OP shotguns are at Braining people.

[@AzureGreatheart]

Pretty sure Trenchguns (which are pretty early versions of *shotguns) were so good at wrecking anything in front of them that Germany tried to have them banned. Edit: _*MODERN_ shotguns. Good grief.

[@Riceball01]

@@AzureGreatheart Trenchguns were nothing more than shotguns modified for military use not an early form of shotgun. If you want to talk about an early form of shotgun look up the blunderbuss.

[@tibimarin]

Stick > firearms

[@ActionJackson1993]

It's sad how my favorite Australians don't actually understand firearms

[@Assdafflabaff]

He needs to start watching Garand Thumb or Kentucky Ballistics. You learn pretty quickly what shotguns can and can't do.

[@Nioclas64]

Imagine thinking shotguns can't brain ppl Tell me you aren't American without telling me you aren't Murican

[@Daniel_Rood]

No doubt. Best zombie gun in my opinion isn't the biggest, I'd go with a .22. Ammo is plentiful, it's easy to shoot, it's fairly quiet (relatively) and it'll do brain shots easily enough.

[@Riceball01]

@@Assdafflabaff Or Taoflaedermaus for a pretty much dedicated shotgun channel and what kinds of things can be done with custom slugs out of a shotgun. Of course the only thing wrong with that is that during a zombie apocalypse you're not likely going to be able to do much reloading, much less creating custom shotgun slugs.

[@doemacmonkey]

I’m Australian and I’d want a shotgun - up until I did the maths on rounds I could carry, so if it’s a fortified position give me a shotty, if I’m moving on my own, give me a silenced pistol caliber - I’ve seen videos done on this that decided .22 would be best on rounds carried- still not convinced they do enough damage to a zombie’s brain. But then, the myths are never clear on that.

[@joeychristensen1113]

People forget zombies don’t rely on vitals but still need bones to hold them selves up. You shatter those. They can’t move. Especially if you know where to hit. Muscles and tendons cannot do their function without bones.

[@edwardbrown3721]

Also basically any solid hit with a blade on the spine would paralyse it by digging like 1.5 inches in, they still need their spines

[@helmetmcbarin]

​@@edwardbrown3721they could be magic zombies instead of biological so destroying the spine on a magic zombie wouldnt paralyse them but severely effect there movement

[@jblockminermc5401]

@@helmetmcbarinif it’s a magic zombie that doesn’t fall to its spine (where all the muscles are connected to) getting damaged then I don’t think any weapon besides some kind of complete obliteration spell would save you.

[@helmetmcbarin]

@@jblockminermc5401 i wasnt really thinking along those lines what i mean by magic zombies is ones raised from the dead not being kept alive by a disease think necromancer, there not really ghost zombies but destroying bones would stop them from standing up right or moving fast at all so you dont really need to obliterate them

[@roguerogue.3153]

That is why a mace would be my first pick. No need to cut off bits when I could disable them. No getting stuck in bone. No chipped blades.

[@professorpandemic7295]

When our girlfriends think we're out cheating on them...

[@craptastic4527]

You guys have girlfriends?

[@danielaramburo7648]

Gf: he is thinking about his other girl!!!! Me: (what would be the best sword in a zombie apocalypse….?)

[@robertjensen1438]

During a zombie apocalypse Normal Zombies: BRAAINNNNSSS!! Vegetarian Zombies: GRAAINNNNSSS!! Body Builder Zombies: GAAINNNNSSS!! Plumber Zombies: DRAAINNNNSSS!! Conductor Zombies: TRAAINNNNSSS!! Weatherman Zombies: RAAINNNNSSS!! Gamer Zombies: GAMMMMESSS!! Depressed Zombies: PAINNNNSSS!! What do you call a zombie making stir-fry? Dead man WOKing.

[@knightjack]

The last one is golden. 👍

[@BullfrogActual]

Laundry Zombies: Stains! Construction Zombies: Cranes! Pilot Zombies: Planes! Bowling Zombies: Lanes! Medical Zombies: Veins!

[@AndyPlaysGames]

Wow

[@chricre]

Sponsored by hello fresh.

[@joescott1526]

This man waited his whole life for the opportunity to post this comment. 😊

[@guillaume4519]

Tyranth "This is a very nerdy video today" Shad "Of course ! Who do you think subscribes here ??" 🤣

[@nextcaesargaming5469]

A thing that is not understood by most about zombies is that, regardless of whether or not they are animated corpses or if they are living 'infected', the torso is actually still a very valid target. A lot of the nerves and muscles governing movement of the arms and legs are in the torso, and even if it is undead, information must be sent to the muscles to make them move and the muscles themselves need to be in a sufficiently undamaged state to still function. Destroy the muscles and/or the nerves enough, and the zombie will drop. May not 'die' if the brain itself is undamaged and if it is truly undead, but still no longer a threat. In modern circumstances, dump enough shots of sufficient power into the torso and the zombie will still go down. In medieval circumstances, just brush up on muscle anatomy and use that knowledge to hack a couple of times in the right places of the midsection with a sufficiently choppy weapon like an axe or a greatsword. Also, obligatory 'Aussies don't understand guns' comment in response to the whole shotgun thing. I love ya shad, and you're a medievalist not a gun-nut, so I don't blame you for that mistake. Perhaps having a collab episode or two with Kentucky Ballistics or Demolition Ranch could help remedy that knowledge gap? I'm totally not just fishing for an awesome scene of a fully armored Shad on Scott's range holding the 4-Bore...

[@SmithandWesson22A]

"We've Zombiefied a Shad torso with green blood" 😅 In my head I heard this in Scott's voice

[@Z3R0NULLZ3R0]

Add Brandon, Donut, talking balaclava and flannel daddy as well, get the whole crew together

[@angelichero6236]

ig it also depends on which depiction of each since theres some were they have almost no shoulder muscle from it rotting away and can still freely use the arm, is that realistic i would say no if crack heads/ opium junkies didnt exist and show that if you feel no pain wounds that should stop you wont always

[@GGBlaster]

The biology of zombies is something woefully under-explored in fiction. But that’s probably a good thing, because zombies might be less threatening, and the genre less interesting, if we applied too much irl science. Even in undeath, an irl zombie is still vulnerable to a heart or lung shot. Both organs and their systems are essential to providing muscles (and in fact all cells) with the oxygen and nutrients needed to keep doing their job. So zombies could indeed die from bleeding out or suffocation. So yeah, shooting a zombie center mass would still be fatal, even if the zombie had a few seconds left to try to get one last bite.

[@thehermitthetower1126]

if they are undead there in no reason to assume they would need nerves because they arnt immune from rotting and zombies still walk around half rotted, each individual part could have the potential to remain animate even if seperated from the main body.

[@hydecleese8877]

Before watching the video, I would say any blunt weapon that deals blugeoning damage, like a mace, hammer, staff or club. They don't need to be kept sharp and it doesn't matter too much if they get a bit rusty or crusty from the gore.

[@helmetmcbarin]

Why is it edited if you supposedly posted this before the video

[@hydecleese8877]

@@helmetmcbarin I forgot to actually list the weapons initially.

[@helmetmcbarin]

@@hydecleese8877 right... 🙃 you totally didn't watch the video and then comment to make your initial thought look less stupid

[@hydecleese8877]

@@helmetmcbarin Correct. If I wanted to cheat, I would have just not made a comment at all until I'd watched the video.

[@MDP1702]

@@helmetmcbarinThen he could just delete his original comment and make a new one?

[@xoso599]

Fast or slow zombies. Bite or fluid infection vector. Alive biological rage zombies or undead magic zombies. The answer is always a tank with a mine clearing flail.

[@doemacmonkey]

Yeah zombie type changes things, also what’s great for killing a couple of zombies might not be best if you have to keep it up all day, unless you are Aragorn, we are not going to keep swinging a sword all day without our arms giving out.

[@kevinsears7300]

Only 1 kind of zombie, and thats the undead magic kind... EVERYTHING ELSE you listed is NOT A GODDAM ZOMBIE YOU GODAM AMERICANS!!! To educate you on the undead pantheon, there are very few self-rausing undead: liches, gaunt lords, the chinese version of vampires, and draugr... Thats it, very short dammed list, yes? Mummies require a ritual, vampires, windigos and ghouls(what you ineloquent fools call a zombie) are turned Ghasts, weights skeletal warriors, revenants and zombies all require something to RAISE them from the dead... a demon, lich, gaunt lord, necromancer, you get the idea So how did Americans screw up something thats been around FOREVER? Hollywood did it. The movie is called Night of the Living Dead, and it features... a ghoul. In fact, the movie even calls the damned thing a ghoul. But then the REVIEWERS came in and mislabeled the thing a zombie... typical blonde moment at the grammys, cause at the grammys, just about everyone makes blondes look somewhat smart by comparison (all the drugs, kills braincells) So THEY called it a "zombie movie" and from there there was an actual zombie movie, with a proper witch. This really got the "zombie" theme rolling, and by 1960 everyone and their dog was trying to create some new kind of zombie. Seriously, its like we dont fukin exist, they call eberything a zombie, and no matter how many you kill and have a spirit posess(revenant, not zombie, zombies are soulless, and cant speak) correcting the screwup just doesnt work. They even got damned mummies walking around like a ghoul. Mummies have the same freedom of movement as the living, its just a fragment of the original soul posessing the corpse afterall. Remember when the sky used to turn green and the undead burst out of their graves? THOSE ARE ZOMBIES. Note: i excluded incorporeal undead, as they follow a whole mess of other rules. Phantoms and the ancient scourge, wraiths, can regain partial corporeality, but they dont have a proper corpse

[@qiblik]

Imho The main difference between the raging "living" zeds and magic undead is the point at which they lose control over the body - the "death" With raging zombies you have to either separate the head from the body, which is physical hard as you need to chop through the spinal cord or damage the brain beyond its capacity to control the body, and that can be difficult to ascertain. Human brain is very adaptable by itself. If we count in a virus that can make you go berserk forever I think the morning star is a way to go. If you can't remove it, make it a useless mush. Stabbing the brain would do nothing as the virus would rewire the remaining parts brain to do its biding. With magic zombies you need to dismember the thing and burn it until nothing remains. Since the magic that puts the zombie into motion doesn't care about it not having a head. Sure, it might not be able to hear, smell or see but it will still be able to move.

[@fast_richard]

Mine clearing flail could be effective. You might like Book three of Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International series. Monster Hunter Alpha features a very large truck mounted snow blower (aka snow cutter or rotary snow plow) deployed against zombies.

[@booperdee2]

princess Diana had one of those

[@EJdelGato]

Standard buckshot rounds made for home defense or medium-game hunting would do plenty of severe brain damage to stop an unarmed target, living or otherwise. Not to mention the hydrostatic shockwave caused by receiving a buckshot blast to the face would cause instant incapacitation to something of humanoid size.

[@Sawtooth44]

but now hear the following solid slug shots

[@ALovelyBunchOfDragonballz]

Theres plenty of footage of ballistic dummies being shot, shotguns are many things but they certainly arent weak on the receiving end.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

​@@Sawtooth44 you think thats devastating? Both of my Shotguns are loaded with PDX Defenders. 4 pellets of Buckshot and a Solid Slug. For those times when you really must insist that the group of people breaking down your door must share a Shell.

[@ShrockWPS]

​@@justinlast2lastharder749 Gosh, please tell me that is inside a Benalli M4 because that would be the perfect scenario.

[@Sawtooth44]

ive only ever used 2 guns in my life @@justinlast2lastharder749 both are rifles, so no i dont have the full context

[@TheLegendMaster]

I remember when Joerg Sprave from The Slingshot Channel wanted to make a full zombie film where rubber-powered weapons were the items of choice, he argued that being fairly silent, they were superior to guns. Unfortunately it didn't really happen but he did make a short film as a consolation.

[@aldrinmilespartosa1578]

I think the only downside of it would be the material availability. Slings would be cheaper if you train hard enough.

[@Ziomiramiks]

9:27 Nate just casually twirling the dagger like a boss :) loved it

[@Asteroid-hitchhiker]

Dammit, I knew I should’ve reported that necromancer to the village guard

[@potatomatop9326]

The trebuchet - because it's all about launching dead weight!

[@steemlenn8797]

And the zombie will definitely be dead if hit by a trebuchet!

[@MayBeSomething]

Shad: "I'm so tempted to go with a polearm, but it's the cutting ratio." Me: Soooo, swordstaff/glaive?

[@markweaver8845]

I was thinking swordspear to maximize likelihood of hitting a running target with the blade

[@nolan4339]

@@markweaver8845Try looking at the design for a Tri-point double-edged sword, or even the Monk's spade. I think they have the potential for being pretty devastating against zombies. There are probably even some good ways you could optimize a halberd or voulge to make a spear-like weapon that does not penetrate too deeply and thus allow you to push the zombies back while doing massive internal damage to slow them up.

[@justadude3789]

17:00 The hard bone soft bone conversation gave me a fun idea. Probably could fit in a survival story and give the zombies a bit more variation. New "fresh" zombies are easier to break down because they're still soft. However, they still have all their muscles and senses intact. On the flip side older zombies, the longer they last, and the more bone is exposed and dried out the harder the bone gets making it harder to break through and destroy the brain. So fresh zombies you have to worry about their speed, and the older ones you have to worry about their endurance.

[@Grave1383]

Hatchet with a crow's beak. Blunt, slashing, and pierce damage.

[@tallthinkev]

Might get stuck

[@Grave1383]

Every weapon might get stuck. But at least the axe blade will be wide and thin enough I can leverage the hole to hopefully loosen it wth minimal effort and movement. And if the solid spike breaks off the other side it is still a hammer.@@tallthinkev

[@bloodyirishman9155]

This is basically my go to. I just picked a sheetrock hammer main hand and framing hammer offhand so I can could swing with both or at least have a backup until I can pickup another (easily at any general store, hardware store, or construction site).

[@koosh138]

a pair of spontoon tomahawks

[@bloodyirishman9155]

@@koosh138 I could live with that. My set is basically these but found in far greater quantity around the country.

[@tedtunich]

Nate had the right idea with a Morningstar. It's big, heavy, and blunt, and that is what you want. No blade to break or dull, no pointy bits to get stuck, and whatever body part you hit with it is going to be destroyed. Head? Splat. Smash a kneecap and it's a crawler. Bust an arm and it's off balance and probably falling down. A torso hit though, yeah, you'll break some ribs but it's not going to care and will just keep coming. The only issue with that kind of weapon is the handle is wood and it can break, so you'll want a custom job where the head is welded onto a metal rod. Lots heavier? Sure, but you're not going to want to be fighting more than 2 or 3 at a time anyway. Meet a horde and your legs are your best defense, fighting would be too risky no matter what weapon you are using so you run, and you better hope you've been keeping up on your cardio. But really it all depends on what type of zombies they are. If it's OG night of the living dead shamblers....well, if they catch you then it's just natural selection. D&D style zombies would be a joke. World war z and we're probably all dead anyway.

[@xavierhugo9269]

Good points but some types if wood can be very durable

[@riccardomariani9648]

If we have a world war z type of zombies im not even trying. Just give me a gun and a bullet

[@Nugire]

WWZ are basicly the same as OG night of the living dead. OH! Oh. You are talking about the "movie". We don't talk about that garbage.

[@darthnihilusthebestsith]

What you're looking for, that solid metal mace with utility purpose as well, that's called crowbar and its fuckin amazing

[@TheHornedKing]

Solid metal maces were a thing.

[@poopee6314]

Crowbar. It is massively multipurpose. It can even smash skulls, you can climb with them (especially with two), and so much more... my main would be a pole arm. Distance, stopping power, crowd control, and it doubles as a staff/walking stick.

[@Myomer104]

For a primary weapon, I think I'd take a bar mace (essentially four half-inch-thick bars of steel welded together into a plus sign that tapers toward the handle) or a bardiche/naginata (a sword on a stick). I'll take a falchion/messer as a backup.

[@ajohndoe17]

I absolutely second the bar mace. In high school my friends and I went through this entire discussion and when I stumbled upon the bar mace my answer became an easy one. It’s a solid piece of steel with nothing to sharpen and no wooden handle to repair/replace.

[@justinn8541]

For fighting zombies hordes: Sword. One on One: Spear. General survival: War Hammer or Axe.

[@ewanfinlayson3520]

I agree, IMO for a horde the main thing you would want to do is cleave the front rows legs to slow the rest. but in all honestly doesnt really matter what weapon you have medievil or modern if there are enough your screwes

[@m.dave2141]

In one on one a halberd makes much more sense imo, maybe not a very long halberd tho

[@aeto2764]

U should think about weapon's durability. Swords gonna wear fast i recon using labor tools. They wont wear easly

[@Mapleaple]

American Kami Riot Spear. It's a mix of all those

[@brianmoyachiuz905]

So like vermintide

[@halbaloney4593]

I guess I can't get mad at an Australian for not knowing shotguns. It would be like getting mad at a North Korean for not knowing barbeque.

[@bigredwolf6]

Oh I’m pretty sure they’re familiar with it considering they were the Korean barbecue in the Korean War.

[@treyhelms5282]

I don't know if it's a North Korean thing, but Korean BBQ is awesome.

[@Gefehhka]

​@@treyhelms5282That would be South Korea.

[@treyhelms5282]

@@Gefehhka Cool! Like Korean BBQ when I had some in Japan some years back. Sure it was for tourists, but the food (I think beef) off that little grill was delicious.

[@MotionTwelveBeeSix]

​@@treyhelms5282 Not sure what you mean by 'for tourists', but kbbq is pretty much identical everywhere. The main difference is lower meat quality/'unlimited meat'/tons of rice being popular outside korea. Every street in seoul has bbq restaurants, its incredibly common and not at all targeted towards foreigners.

[@Stresscat1]

In defense of the mace, it would be useful against targets other than the head; namely, shattering the pelvic girdle.

[@nolan4339]

I think the Halberd polearm design is pretty close for what you would want and could probably be optimized for zombies. I think the traits you want in a polearm is a spear tip that is prevented from going in too deep and retracts easily, but is broad enough that it will sever large portions of flesh as it is used to push zombies away and keep them at range. Additionally, it has an ax cutting surface and piercing pick for finishing them off. The main issue with it may be the ease in which it could be grabbed, so it may be beneficial to extend the bladed edge under the head to allow cutting of anything the might prevent pulling it back. Another design I found with these traits is the tri-point double-edged sword, which may actually be a very zombie-optimized polearm design. And even the more simpler Voulge has some very good ways it could be optimized for zombies.

[@Hot_Dice]

You had me at best medieval weapon… and the answer is polearm.

[@beowulfsrevenge4369]

A goedendag would be great against zombies.

[@Hot_Dice]

@@beowulfsrevenge4369 I was thinking poleaxe or a bec, really the hammer side I expect to do the heavy lifting. But hell yeah a goedendag would be great

[@Sawtooth44]

against large zombies or in a defensive position, yes but against hoards or in a place where you cant realy swing it? no, they get past your damage zone and your a dead man

[@turkicsayajin2274]

Spear, mace, shield

[@koreancowboy42]

Polearm can only do so much especially if your armored up. So not only will you have to strike the zombies head and back up so as to not get surrounded or caught in a bad position. But if that polearm might get you tired and it might get stuck.

[@trathanstargazer6421]

Going to bring back a Shadiversity classic! The Goedendag! Just reinforce the end with metal and you have a head crusher and a spear!

[@darthnihilusthebestsith]

I thought the same!

[@stevenscott2136]

This would be my choice also. Especially since I can easily make one with stuff I have lying around the workshop. In fact, maybe I'll go ahead, just in case...

[@nemoexnuqual3643]

That is a beast of a weapon.

[@Tatsitimdead]

I love how Shad is talking about being impenetrable with his metal armor, meanwhile his hands are completely uncovered. Another thing that needs to be considered is if it's transmitted through blood, and even that has some subtlety like how much the particular zombie's blood is coagulated since that will affect how much it gets spread around. Another consideration is if the zombie still has control over its head after it's been decapitated, because that can technically be a danger if they can still bite, even if they can't grab you. Also, a shotgun can definitely penetrate the skull, and can go clean through a head out to any range you would be wanting to use it.

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Eh, that was done in period. There are tons of manuscripts pictures of warriors in full armor fighting but there hands and feet are uncovered. Plus, zombies aren’t know for being smart or fine motor control. Grabbing or biting hands may be out of there wheelhouse

[@guillaume4519]

I disagree. Hands ger injured very quickly and it's probably the easiest thing to bite.

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

@@guillaume4519 ....... How would you know that? Also, scholagladitora basically has said in high stress situation, people tend to aim for large targets like the head and torso, he refers to swings like with a stick at the head and torso as going caveman. Zombies, with the exception of I am legend zombies, are more the most part clumsily and braindead. Hands are fragile, but they also the easiest to move around and you defend the protect to your hand with yout sword. Extensive hand protection isn't universal thing. Just look at chinese sword. hell, we see flipping manuscripts of medieval fights or guys in full armor without gaunlets or stuff on thier feet. Finally, we talking about in most fiction, flipping rotting people here, human's aren't sharks or alligators, we lack the muscles and teeth to be really efficent at biting. Even assuming shad's hands are vulnerable, gaulnets would be overkill. Just put on some good leather gloves his hands would be fine. Hell, Shad would be better off wearing chainmail, it is much less low maintenence and a zombie isn't biting through rivetted chain.

[@RachDarastric2]

Hands are a huge target when animals bite a human. The animal understands that the hands give the human a huge advantage and will try to disable it. I'm sure a zombie would try the same tactic.

[@Phoboskomboa]

One thing they overlooked is how useful a spear tip or polearm would be in controlling a zombie. If it's just one zombie, by far the easiest and safest way to handle them is a thrusting weapon. You don't have to worry about timing your strike. They aren't defending, and even with their shambling they're coming right for you. You could headshot them from a safe distance, no problem. If they get too close, you can give them a relatively weak hit to the leg with the back end and they'd fall. You can stab into their torso and shove just a little to the side and they'd fall over. All of these motions are much lower energy than a killing blow from a sword or axe and unless you're cornered, knocking down a zombie is as effective as killing them. Plus, in the scenario where you have 5 zombies coming at you, none of the melee weapons would allow you to kill them all before they're on you. But a really long polearm would let you trip all of them, especially if you do it by tripping them into one another so they all fall in a pile that you can jump over. Hell, you'd even be able to enhance your jump with the polearm's back side. Also, when you're out on the road for dozens of miles, you have a nice walking stick. Another thing people overlook is that disabling the brain is not the only way to stop a zombie. Limbs with broken bones simply don't work. It's not a matter of pain. A zombie cannot stand on a broken femur. A zombie with a cut quadricep cannot walk. Cut jaw muscles can't bite. Your goal when faced with a bunch of zombies should not be to go for killing blows, trying to get through 5 skulls. Go for the legs, the eyes, the lower jaw. Be mobile and render each one combat ineffective one by one and then once they're all writhing on the ground, finish them off safely.

[@TwistedSisler]

It's still a higher risk of missing the target though versus using a medium sized blade. It's a bit like how pistols are the worst home defense weapon since they are the hardest weapon to hit your target with. The average person in either scenario isn't going to be well trained enough to efficiently use one over other weapon types that are easier to wield. Plus, a spear would have a much greater chance of getting stuck or caught in a rotting corpse and it would happen more often which is potentially very dangerous even if you think there's only one target.

[@Phoboskomboa]

@@TwistedSisler I don't know if I agree with the getting stuck thing. With a long polearm, you have much better leverage and a shorter blade. It seems like it would be less likely to get stuck and easier to remove than a cutting weapon like a sword. Imagine if you're trying to chop a head off and the zombie stumbles so you come in through the collar bone and into the rib cage. Now your sword is halfway through the thickest part of the zombie and squeezed by the two sides of the sternum, shoulder blades, and/or a bunch of ribs. Plus, you've got a relatively tiny handle to hold on to and pull or try to wrench it out. And even IF your spear is stuck in a zombie, now, you've got a flailing mass of chaos at the end of a long stick that you can position your hands far apart on to get really good leverage and slide them around on the ground to trip up other zombies. I think the best weapon would be a halberd with a thick chopping axe head and a sturdy thrusting point. And the axe shouldn't have that taper to it that would make it likely to get caught on clothing. You'd need a better weapon for indoor encounters, but honestly, I don't think a melee weapon is best indoors anyway. Even a short sword is going to be hard to swing well enough in close quarters. That's what you'd save your very limited handgun for, or just make use of some heavy and thickly spiked gauntlets if we're going full no modern weapons.

[@TwistedSisler]

@@Phoboskomboa My pick and personal opinion would be a shield and longer styled short sword. The shield is key. Knocking the zombies off balance when you are inevitably outnumbered would be critical in saving your life.

[@Phoboskomboa]

@@TwistedSisler For close quarters, definitely. For larger hordes that you have to get past, a shield would be better, but that's a really dangerous situation that you should be avoiding in the first place. If you're in an open area, the long weapon lets you deal with threats long before they get close enough to be a problem. I just think a really strong gauntlet is better than a sword or even a bludgeoning weapon. So I'd go small shield plus polearm. But then I've only trained hand to hand martial arts, so maybe I'm just biased toward punching and I see the biggest advantage of a melee weapon as being reach, so I'm also biased towards a long weapon if I'm going to use one. Remember, you don't need to smash a zombie's brain in order to remove them as a threat. A broken jaw gets rid of 80% of the danger.

[@hanneswiggenhorn2023]

I think the problem with polarms/spears is that zombies don't have any self-preservation instinct, so you can't keep them at a distance. Blade weapons work still somewhat decently close up if you have the armor to support it, but a spear doesn't give you many options

[@BluegrassKnight]

I think y'all are forgetting about the fact that in a post apocalypse scenario, there will be many times that you'll be in tight spaces and that means large blades would be hindrance, I think a short sword and one-handed battle axe, with a dagger back-up would be your best load-out! Also, I think your discounting the utility of just stabbing into the face, most large daggers, swords, axes, and even spears can penetrate the brain case far more easily than you think it will and remember the brain stem in the upper neck is also an instant kill as well!

[@disgruntledtaco3640]

Personally, a mace is preferred, doesn’t require as much maintenance as a sword, and u can swing it more freely than a sword and produce good results

[@kitsunepop1077]

i would personally have a medium sized shield, a mace as a primary and a short sword as a backup. the ability to hold back a zombie temporarily with the shield followed by a strike to the head with the mace. i feel like (with practice) i would be able to dispatch a couple of zombies at a time with that method, using the sword as backup/tool as needed plus, always use the buddy system and if there's a horde, turn around and leave

[@benwagner5089]

You just have to be careful the zombie doesn't get a hold on the shield, especially if you can't get your arm out in a timely manner.

[@kitsunepop1077]

@@benwagner5089 the way I always figured was at best, the zombie would try and reach past the shield, possibly pushing down, but not actively attempting to disarm me, as it were. the scenario usually comes down to what type of zombie it is the zombies I usually imagine are the resident evil or walking dead type ones; reanimated bodies with basic motor controls for "walk forward and eat" rather than dawn of the dead or left 4 dead zombies which seem much more focused on killing and spreading the virus if a zombie's fast I'm just gonna dig a hole and die lmao

[@helmetmcbarin]

​@@benwagner5089most medieval shields didnt have straps just a handle that you hold so no your not stuck to the shield

[@helmetmcbarin]

Shields are very much useless in a zombie apocalypse provided you have armour then the shield will be an inconvenience the only way a shield is useful is in pushing zombies over however if your wearing armour then you dont need a shield to do that. you wouldnt even need that much armour maybe even just gamberson armour would stop bites

[@Ackalan]

I would add a few things to the shield, four wide and long back stubs, long enough to brace the shield against the ground with me under it, and still be able to move my arm close to my body so I won't get pinned in a pile up. Three long downwards facing spikes in front to impale the zombie and move the shield with it if it tries to crawl over me to get to my face, but still let the zombie fall off if I'm still standing.

[@TheCesplin]

A board cutting heavy/long blades vs small light blades video might be interesting. the short sword vs Claymore but here is the twist you chop the boards until you physically can't, and test again a week later with a different blade weight. so if you can chop through a 2x4 (90x45mm) with one hit of the claymore but you can only swing the claymore 20 times before you are exhausted but the short sword you can swing 75 times but it takes three chops to get through the same 2x4 (90x45mm) board. I think it would make an interesting video and a good way to compare blades of different weights.

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

Spears have good distance. And armor is a great idea too. Especial armor with sharp parts. You need to keep those things away from you. But, you might want to also consider what kind of zombie it is. Because if it is magic based and not infectious, you would benefit more from sacred objects instead of weapons.

[@crazialex]

A spear wouldn't work, the second they get too close its useless and your screwed. I think a falchion would work wonders

[@GS_CCC]

Spear would suck, they would just ignore being pierced and now it is stuck on it.

[@tylerrobbins8311]

I think a partisan would probably be the best type of spear.

[@ranndomundead9112]

spears will get stuck, slashing and piercing is just a liability. hammer/mace is the way to go

[@LibertyDIY]

Leather armor would do the job

[@RoseKindred]

So, let us say 3 years in and no more supplies are being made: For "medieval" I would pick a spear with a removable tip. That way if the shaft breaks you can put it on a new one. For "modern" I would say a decent pry/crowbar, especially with the utilitarian aspect. Clothing: Gambeson/leather padding over chainmaile. Silences it plus keeps mobility.

[@grbdevnull5611]

I misread "removable tip" as "removable hip" and thought things were about to get really weird.

[@mrsanity]

@@grbdevnull5611 a replacement hip from a old person zombire would make a reasonable improvised weapon....

[@_stonhinge]

For modern, look up "Halligan tool". Firefighters use them for a variety of things. In fact, in a zombie apocalypse, a firehouse is a good source of gear. Their bunker gear isn't something a zombie is going to bite through and there should be axes and Halligan tools galore.

[@xavierhugo9269]

I'd personally go with a longer club or a mace. and to the point shad brought up about not being able to stop them with hits that arent to the head, but id agrue you would be able to break the bones of the zombie, it can still disable an arm without having to cleave it off. And as extra benefits to a blunt weapon in the apocalypse, you virtually need no maintenance, it has no risk of getting stuck,id argue it has more stopping power and if ypu were to striker the neck or leg and break any of the bones they wouldnt be able to continue chasing even if you dont kill it. I see some important benefits without most of the detriments that other weapons would have. And aslong as you connect with your strike follow ups wouldnt be that difficult and with abut of extra reach it could be a good grappling implement and also could be used to shove zombies out the way kinda like you could do with polearms except without the unesable reach once they get to close

[@steemlenn8797]

My thoughts! Always would go with shield + mace and the leaf sword as backup and utility tool.

[@googlename3859]

Goedendag time. Even in an apocalypse an iron shod stick would be very simple to make even if you don't include the spike, and delivers more than enough punishment

[@xavierhugo9269]

@@googlename3859 actually yeah I'd agree, having a club with a spike ontop would probably better then your standard longish club cause the spike could be used pretty easily to keep zombies out of reach

[@kingofspades76]

Now that I see the rapier laying there… I wonder how useful a Katana with a basket hilt would be, and how much emotional damage it would inflict on Tyranth xD

[@big_petebear8535]

It totally depends on how strong the zombies are and how fast they move. If they sprint, a polearm is basically a death sentence of you miss and they end up inside your guard. Now slow shambling none-scary zombies like the Walking Dead? Polearm all day. All you really have to worry about is there strong grasp so keep a distance and move a lot.

[@haypro4713]

Billhook is always the answer

[@MuscleWizard.]

the main thing i see here is nobody accounts for the maintaining of the weapon. which pretty much renders any edged weapons useless for an average person that doesn't know how to sharpen such weapons. So, the best bet would be a mace (better if it's a full metal one). And you can make normal wooden spears yourself to use occasionally, with some makeshift shields too (you can use a metal trash can lid or make a wooden targe yourself etc.)

[@cjmk5923]

Even maintaining an Edge would become difficult.

[@MuscleWizard.]

@@cjmk5923 yeah, even if you were a blacksmith or such, it would become bothersome with the amount of chopping you would be doing.

[@John_Redcorn_]

You dont need a razor sharp edge on an axe tho.

[@MuscleWizard.]

@@John_Redcorn_ true, but it's still a nonfavorable weapon simply because it gets stuck on skull. Don't ask why i know that.

[@hammerhead7754]

you guys forgot to talk about Billhooks. A Billhook would be perfect for crowd control against zombies because you can stab them with the spare part and you can drag them with the hook and it's a multi-use weapon/tool for farming.

[@texmex8220]

I would like to add a bonus to the bludgening weapons. You can "take out" a limb by rendering it useless, the skeleton is the framework and levers that muscles use to move the body. If you can take out a femor, a humerous, a shoulder, you can render a zombie immobile. In my opinion you want something nimble, strong and with the least chance of getting stuck. I'm going with the mace or morning star for the primary weapon. Don't have to worry as much about edge alignment, but still have to be wary of glancing blows, no edge to sharpen, and depending on the type I could carve a new haft out of any stick suitable. #2 pick is a dagger with a wide blade. As the gentleman in blue said, we also have to be concerned about daily tasks. Cutting brush, rope, food, carving new handles for the mace etc. I will add the caveat that once used as a weapon on said zombies it will no longer be relegated to secondary but as an off hand weapon. I would not trust any method no matter how spotless for me to comfortably use it as an everyday tool again with such a high risk of infection UNLESS bites are the ONLY way to get infected.

[@jamesalexander8193]

The problem with longer weapons is how often in a zombie apocalypse are you in buildings look for food, medicine or supplies. Also longer weapons would have the advantage of cutting off legs, a zombie that is crawling is easier to deal with than a walking one. Against humans zombie dipped arrows, after the arrow in the knee they turn in the night getting a zombie on the inside of an enemy base

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Well, that sort of depends if we are modern methods of attachment, thing instead of a rivet, a flat head screw for a poleweapon and instead of rondel, a screwdriver with a weapon usuage friendly hilt.

[@marcusc9931]

For slow zombies, if you're going for two handed chopping, you might as well go for an executioner's sword. It doesn't care about hitting bone, can take off the head or a leg at the knee. It will get you tired, but it doesn't need to hit anything twice, so it balances out.

[@isaacowen3295]

solid idea, maybe a short halberd or pole axe could be lighter and give the same damage though? or just a great axe?maybe needs a bit more skill though with the shorter edge

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

Yeah...see...getting tired is a pretty big worry when a horde of zombies is coming at you...

[@marcusc9931]

@@justinlast2lastharder749 if you're outnumbered 10 to 1, there are very few weapons that could help you anyway'

[@brandonfoley7519]

​@@marcusc9931don't get tired 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

​@@marcusc9931I mean...an 8ft 1 inch Steel Pipe would be pretty damn good. Pretty light, good distance, won't break, ect. They are also threaded, so you could attach a weighted end to it if you wanted as well.

[@hidayakamo]

Dear Shad, a 42 years old medieval-dad here, a hit with a mace, without any padding would destroy an arm bone... So arm is gonna be incapacitated, just hanging. My personal preference the old Bill, is an axe, a hook to send the dead to the ground, and a spear. (To target the face or just keep the impaled things at distance)... And a shovel. Nasty cuts, and u can... Dig.

[@montecorbit8280]

At 4:37 Tongue out behind helmet face shield.... That reminds me of the scene from Spaceballs. The president tells Dark helmet not where the face shield down in his presence he doesn't know what he's doing behind it....

[@seanrea550]

A note on food for any society before industrialization is that you live season to season off the fields around your lands. So famine may become an issue if the villages are not protected.

[@80krauser]

With proper prep and good luck a modern survivor would do far better than a Pre Industrial one. Potatoes alone allow one family to feed four with a minimum of land and tools. Modern meat animals like rabbits, dwarf livestock and fruit/vegetal varieties are better in a lot of ways. Not saying it’s fool proof, last year it hit 100F for 100 days straight and did not rain appreciably for close to 120. But with to things like composting, chemistry skills, container gardening and such it would be easier to spread out production. But that depends on having a lot of skills, materials and the right seeds/saplings/breeds. So it is a tossup. Edit Yes I understand OP said Pre Industrial but I had to share my Autism. And the zombie people so rarely look into real low tech options for things and it is just silly. Like looking for gas for five seasons instead of making up a wood gasifier or a biogas digester.

[@seanrea550]

@@80krauser share away fellow aspi. you are right and to add to it we also have better knowledge of methods to preserve food and what to look for to know what food is unsafe avaliable to us. As such some foods can be kept longer coming to a lowteck peak with canning (cans or Mason jars or possibly clay pots that have been sealed) with pasteurization. It is part of the reason we have soups that are shelfstable for months. Beyond that is salting, pickling, or smoking all of which would have been known to midevil peoples but not fully understood.

[@dudefullofjelly]

@80krauser the problem with things like wood gasification is that if you don't know how to build one at the start of the apocalypse, you can't Google how afterwards. Also if you don't have seeds you can't have what you need delivered next day from amazon. Who can navigate without a sat nav these days and even if you could who has a paper road map printed in the last 20 years? Life would be incredibly hard post apocalypse

[@80krauser]

@@dudefullofjelly Skill Issue. Also hence my statement about luck and prep.

[@panickmode577]

A goedendag Swing it like a club, thrust it like a spear And a smallsword or big knife

[@Wastelandman7000]

Good loadout. I was thinking along the same lines.

[@SkepticalCaveman]

Tomahawk with a hammer head on the back. It's lighter than other axes, great survival tool, easy to make a new shaft and works great with a shield. I would use the hammer head for the zombies and the axe head as a tool.

[@nazrulnadziruddin9641]

I discussed this topic with my friend and both of us came to the same weapon: a club/ stick/ baseball bat. SInce it's zombie apocalypse, we will be needing a weapon that can be made instantly, no need to be maintained etc.

[@eagle_and_the_dragon]

Spear for open ground, Gladius for buildings/tight encounters. Covered in gambeson; you'd be invincible.

[@benkayvfalsifier3817]

But would gambison be the best choice? If we're assuming these are stereotypical, dumb zombies, then something bite proof would suffice. Like the chain mail divers use when swimming with sharks. The human bite force isn't that strong, so I doubt a zombies' bite would be any different.

[@jesperstoringgaard8367]

@@benkayvfalsifier3817 Gambeson is also bite proof. And it has the added bonus of being a warm sweater in the cold.

[@Firbl]

A spear or a halberd for a longer distance. I'm not sure with a gladius it had to be more massive, after all, swords will suffer a lot in durability. as armor I would choose something light slippery made of plastic or leather. gabeson is easy to catch and would be difficult to wash.

[@brandonfoley7519]

​@@Firblgambeson would soak up the juices Ew

[@benkayvfalsifier3817]

@@jesperstoringgaard8367 True, but that also means it's a hot coat during the summer.

[@RatchildUK]

Full armour and pata like spiked gauntlet with a free hand for grabbing/pushing/pulling. Grab, punch, grab, punch, grab, punch etc. Use the body as a shield and as CC by pushing them into each other.

[@Raz0rking]

I wanna see zombies bite through full plate armour indeed

[@Mprokess]

@@Raz0rking They dont need to bite... you wont be able to kill them fast and effective enough, they would crowed up and just overhelm you... with that heavy armor, it would not take long untill they would get you on the ground (just by weight of their body as they would be grabing you, trying to get through the armor). You would just end up laying on the ground with zombies everywhere on top of you... unable to move, slowly dying.

[@artificerdrachen6908]

That's why having a bit of metal armor is key, mostly on your arms, neck and head.@@Mprokess

[@MagmaZero4112]

Rip and tear, rip and tear, till it is done.

[@johnsullivan937]

Thanks for this content guys, going through a very hard time in my life and it really helps just having some nice nerdy fun content to watch. I'd definitely go with that short zombie sword + a shield and then the mace as a backup. You guys brought up good points about the blades becoming dull, but I didnt recall hearing anyone bring up how much more durability a steel mace will have. After your sword gets dull, you'll always have that hunk of steel to swing around and smash some skulls, not having to worry about dullness at all.

[@joshtiscareno1312]

To beat the zombie, you have to think like a Cobra Kai: Sweep the leg. Zombies cannot fight effectively if the legs are severed or crushed. At that point they're reduced to a crawl where they can be either easily avoided or picked off at your leisure. So what you want is a weapon with enough length to sever or break a leg. The bigger swords would be good for this (claymore, longsword, kriegsmesser, etc), as would any choppy polearm would be good (glaive, bill, halberd). For blunt weapons, something like the Japanese kanabo would break limbs and smash zed-heads pretty effectively. Slow zombies should be relatively easy to dispatch with this method provided you aren't outnumbered or caught at extreme close range. For fast zombies, you'd need some people with pitchforks or lugged spears to trap them while people with more effective weapons dispatched them. For bigger groups, pike formations might work (you'd still need some kind of lugged spear to keep them from sliding up the shaft). You'd also need some other guys with shorter weapons (mixed in with the pikeblocks), to deal with the skewered zombies. Ultimately, the best way to deal with zombies is to herd them into traps and chokepoints where they can be dispatched with efficiency while limiting their ability to bring their numbers to bear. The real danger (as mentioned in the video), is the other human survivors looking to screw you over.

[@PhthaloGreenskin]

Greatsword. It's specifically designed for taking on multiple unarmoured opponents.

[@Raz0rking]

A montante you say?

[@Duke_of_Lorraine]

@@Raz0rking espadon, zweihander... pretty much the same.

[@TheAETHER22]

What happens when it's not sharp though? What about the stamina cost

[@Crossbow-xy4xg]

Yeah but actually it takes into considerations that those opponent value their life and limbs.

[@arthurlasido258]

Not completely un armoured as per see. Zweihander were used in sieges and to break pike formation. Pikemen tend to have some sort of armour like helm and breastplate, even if they dont they'll be wearing some kind of Gambesson... On top of that Zweihander, Nodachi and such required months of training (personal experience) just to get acustomed to it. I'd rather use mace and a heather shield

[@sanctus864]

If bites are the means of infection than reach is more important than anything. If you can't keep the zombies at a distance you will be bit eventually no matter how careful you are. I'd go for a spear to control the zombie and have a buddy standing by with a warhammer or axe to finish it off once it's been pinned or held in place.

[@jugglejunk]

That's why I would consider a chinese trident as this works for pinning/holding (like a man catcher) in place and can work as a spear. Would be great for pushing.

[@MrPanzer234]

This is why I believe the pole axe would be good, because you can use the spear end to keep them at a distance while having the "cross guard" to keep them from pulling themselves over the spears length to get you (a real life example would be how boars were hunted in the medieval era). Spears are less likely to get stuck in flesh and bone so withdrawing the spear end to prepare for a finishing blow is an option. You also have the axe and hammer ends to dispatch them with greater efficiency than just the spear tip. The wooden haft of the pole can also be used as a weapon if they get too close by shoving and smacking the zombies away to a better distance (this is assuming you are using the full length version. Using a shorter version would be better for close range engagements but at that point it might be better to swap to a shorter weapon for better efficiency).

[@jugglejunk]

@@MrPanzer234A pole axe is a great choice too and the reason I said a chinese trident was in part because they are unable to pass by the upgraded ''wings'' (like with boar hunting) and other ^above mentioned reasons. While it doesn't have an axe and hammer this is lighter, more nimble and there is a version were the outer prongs have been modified for cleaving. So I'd say either 1 would be good and it's just a matter of esthetics and preference.

[@woodenmetal2977]

I have a buckler, aluminum baseball bat, and a machete. I think I'd grab a bigger shield if I can, but I also don't want to get worn out so quickly with bigger weapons. A shield and a blunt weapon would be my primary, such as my bat or a morning star. A sword or some type of long-ish blade would fill a backup slot.

[@Ackalan]

Why would you use a buckler? You might as well use a hockey glove in that case.

[@sethlynde746]

Gentlemen have you forgotten about the humble splitting maul, good for brush, good for general use, weight is determined by how long the handle is, and you get two different weapons for the price of one plus it is easier to replace/make a new handle/head for it.

[@sanguineregis5354]

Monk Spade is a solid option. Practical weighty blade on one end that can shatter skulls quite well, a useful crescent on the other that can be used to guide zombies away from you, long handle allows good range and the shape of the spade end allows similar advantages to an axe. Plus its not the worst thing to carry around, being both intimidating and a decent walking stick. Though not the best in a closed environment....

[@temp87]

Was looking for this comment 🤌🏻

[@ticijevish]

Iron-shod quarterstaff, i.e. a very long stick with wire wrapped around the ends to prevent it from splintering upon impact. Swing low and break zombie legs. Whether it's fast zombies, or slow, they can't catch you with broken legs. Break leg bones and leisurely jog away.

[@mattmodisette394]

The most effective weapon in a Zombie apocalypse is the crew at your side, I think a well trained team with medieval weapons could work wonders on a mid-sized zombie horde. Perhaps a future video would be warranted discussing team tactics with where one person with a spear could keep zombies at bay while another person strikes down the more vulnerable spots.

[@Teltates]

The best choice is a Scimitar because combines the felling power of an axe and the maneuverability of a sword. 🤺

[@Daniel_Rood]

There's also the issue of what weapon would you be the most competent with. It may not be the most effective versus a zombie but a weapon you aren't competent with will also be ineffective. For me personally, I would go with a messer, falchion or a heavy cutlass. I make no claim them being the best against zombies but I'd be more effective with them than I would be with something like a longsword.

[@Daniel_Rood]

If you can get on top of something, I would say a spear. On the same level, I'd go with an axe or maybe a warpick/hammer.

[@skrublordnord69]

I think the axe or warpick could get stuck pretty easily. Personally I’d pick something with more slashing capabilities

[@Daniel_Rood]

@@skrublordnord69 Personally, so would I. Because there's the matter of what weapons that I personally would be effective with. I wouldn't go with anything two-handed. I'd stick with a messer, falchion or a heavy cutlass. Obviously whatever weapon that you can wield effectively is going to be your best choice. Edit: My original comment is without taking into account personal skill levels or preferences.

[@John_Redcorn_]

@@skrublordnord69one of those small war hammers with an axe on the back portion. Best of both worlds. Even add a small spear tip on top for stabs into the eye socket if youre too close to get a full swing

[@r.downgrade5836]

I think the answer is tonfa. It's a good stick, but the side bit give you a better grip which not only can give you better alignment for thrusts, but when kept on the outside of the forearm gives you a little bit of armor as well. Plus, *super* light weight as normal, so, putting something like a brass ring at the ends of it wouldn't be all that detrimental if you needed to be a little better with sweeping attacks.

[@dohtje5029]

Eventhough a mace wouldn't take off a limb, it will destroy joints, and eventhough zombies wouldn't be 'hurt' you will take down their mobility with a busted knee

[@annatardlordofderps9181]

A bardiche. Good all-rounder, very versitile with good reach to keep the zambos out of bite distance. Backup weapon: Warhammer or mace with a longer handle.

[@Jeff1tgdsghdehhsf]

I'd go with a mace it's just a hunk of metal you'd never really have to worry about breaking decaying zombies & unlike a sword it should be a lot easier to make maintain & a ball of metal doesn't go dull lol

[@slayer1833]

I agreed with you until I thought to consider how you'd be taking A LOT of reverberations/impact forces from striking with a fully metal mace when you'd likely be using it every day over long periods of time. From muscle and joint strain at the shoulders, elbows, and wrists, to increased likelihood of stress fractures; especially in the hands, wrists, and arms, vibration related injuries, damage to tendons and ligaments, potentially issues such as nerve compression, to the risk of continuous use throwing your body well out of proper alignment, that doesn't make for a good long term weapon choice in my opinion. I don't want to survive just to be crippled by my weapon.

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

@@slayer1833 I don't think the impact would be that bad - unless these zombies are superhumanly strong and heavy any hit you deliver is going to move them and splinter their bones with the force concentrations in play. Which is then giving you the wielder a relatively comfortable deceleration - hammer a nail and because the nail moves so easily you really don't feel much of an impact, so while I don't expect it would be that minor a shock, it just isn't likely to pose a problem worth worrying about in that situation. Now the muscle strain from using a heavier weight than you can really handle or awkward rapid moves absolutely could be an issue - though very similar issues will be felt with any of the other bladed weapons on offer. When it sticks into a suddenly limp 40 odd KG target and all their momentum and whatever follow through you had from that blow meet could easily put way more forces upon your muscles than you are likely to manage with a mace (assuming zombie probably end up dessicated and lighter than normal humans but some margin).

[@slayer1833]

@@foldionepapyrus3441 The problem is that you are the softest thing in the kinetic chain, and the medieval steel involved isn't going to spring steel. So the more you have to fight, the greater your risk of injury. Wood might not measure up in terms of durability, but it makes up for that in reducing the overall weight, increasing shock absorption, and ease pf replacement.

[@Jeff1tgdsghdehhsf]

I was just thinking a mace would be something easy to make, maintain, use, train & store on your person and if you ran into a armored foe you would still have a fighting chance and the recoil of the blow wouldn't be nearly as bad because you are fighting a rotting corpse which are very fragile especially in the head department for such a weapon. Hell maybe the English Warhammer the one handed version with the spike would work even better wooden reinforced handle still easy to maintain has a spike for armor foe easy to store on your person and easy to train. I just think blunt weapons would be king in a medieval zombie Apocalypse.

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

@@slayer1833 You really aren't the softest thing - that would be the target you are hitting. Even if it was harder than your arm to start with the force multiplication and inertia of the weapon itself will be enough to turn it squashy and absorb much of the shock loading that would travel through your arm unpleasantly if you were trying to smash your way into a few ton steel safe with one. I won't say you can't ever hurt yourself in such a way with a mace on zombies, but it really isn't going to be easy for the vibrations to harm you. You are not breaking rocks with a sledge hammer. I'd suggest a sword smacking into a bone too tough for it to cleanly break would actually be the worse shock load on your wrist and arm.

[@turnedwheat2013]

14:25 We need more zombie advertisements. 🧟‍♂️ . The accent reminded me of the hill trolls from The Hobbit 😅😂

[@1HippieGypsy]

I enjoy and appreciate y'alls channel and that you do this, keep it alive ❣️🙏❣️

[@mathanon217]

Something I feel wasn't really discussed enough in this video is the possibility of damaging the zombies muscles so it can't move certain parts anymore opening them up for a lethal blow or a escape. This further tilts things in favor of the swords I feel especially choppers as they can inflict crippling wounds before going for the head.

[@80krauser]

True. And firearms can do major damage to muscle groups and joints if you hit them. Sure the zombie/undead might not ‘feel’ the shot but damaged tissue is ineffective tissue. Only makes him easier to finish later. Unless you have some magic bullsh#t where they can eat each other and get back strength. Or heaven help you grow stronger

[@MrPanzer234]

This is partially why I think the mace should be considered a more suitable candidate than it's portrayed. yes, smacking the zombies in the arms and legs won't kill or hurt them but it will still break bones. Even if they can't feel pain, breaking bones will make that limb unusable and can immobilize them if you get all four limbs.

[@foldionepapyrus3441]

@@MrPanzer234 Very much my thinking as well - which is also why archery shouldn't be discounted either - all those solid shafts jammed through limbs that will make their movements more challenging, the broken bones, maybe even pining them to each other and other objects and all from a safe distance. You really don't need to effectively thin the undead ranks, just avoid joining them.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

The problem though is that it doesn't work with zombies. They don't function based on normal biology, otherwise they wouldn't be animated anyways. It's a Fantasy setting where real world stuff doesn't apply. If damaging muscle worked, people that were partially eaten wouldnt reanimate in the first place.

[@nexusonex]

Loved when he was looking at the paper took a second and said "I can't read"

[@thijsv948]

To me, a mace makes a lot more sense than a sword. With a sword you're depending on being able to cut (or accurately stab), where a mace can break bones when hitting in a lot of places, thereby likely disabling everything further away from the body afterwards. A broken bone vs a partially cut limb probably both work as efficiently in taking out a zombie (e.g. a broken neck vs a neck where all the muscle on one side are cut, dont think a beheading is consistently manageable), but a mace will probably get through the skull more easily. On top of that, not having to keep it sharp in order to achieve your damage "type", makes it seem more preferable to me.

[@Scruffy_Knight]

Full load out: Boar spear, large sugar cane knife (double edge), a sturdy nail hammer, and a 7-9 inch dirk. Being accurate and cutting off heads with adrenaline rushing is far harder than you're imagining and even if you consistently succeed your edge will suffer, making it more and more difficult. Having long weapons is also very awkward when fighting or traveling in dense woods or even regular hallways or alleys. A boar spear is shorter, light, easy to move with, easy to aim, grants leverage, features wings to prevent over penetration, and well suited to piercing orbitals while allowing you a bit of space to work. A double edge sugar cane knife (blade between 1-2 ft, haft around 2 ft) with one straight edge and one hooked offers you quite a bit as a tool but also has a little reach versatility, 2 edges capable of cleaving a skull or decapitation if you really need to, reliable rigidity, leverage for quick blade retrievals, and a hook that can spike through a skull. A sturdy nail hammer is a great back up weapon with extra skull punching stopping force that's not cumbersome to use, an extremely useful tool, and does not impede you to carry from a belt or pack. A 7-9 inch dirk for a specific back up knife because it is not too short and not too long for close encounters, easy to land the point in the orbitals or under the chin, long and narrow enough to reach the brain, and a blunt spine for batoning through sticks and other survival tasks single edge knifes are great for. These were all available in medieval times too, they might not be weapons of war exactly but I think they would be excellent against zombies. In terms of armor, chainmail will do, I don't want extra weight and heat insulation if I don't need it. I need to prevent bites, move easily, and prevent heat exhaustion. I wouldn't bother with even a light shield, it'll just get in the way while running and reduces the versatility of one arm. You will fall down sometimes, with and without a shield, and you need to be able to get back up fast. A shield just makes that harder in a number of possible ways depending on the shield. Also a shield isn't that useful against even one zombie. Zombies are only dangerous at grappling range and shields do not help you wrestle an opponent, it may even be counter productive. Also what you said about shotguns is pretty far off. Whether a shotgun just damages the face or hits the brain depends on what gauge of shotgun you're using, range, and your ammo type. 20 gauge birdshot, useless for the job at pretty much any range. 12 gauge buck shot under 6 meters, should do the job most of the time. Any gauge slug rounds will do the job in most circumstances as long as your barrel is rifled. Slugs tend to veer off course through unrifled barrels. A 410 slug will penetrate a skull under 5 meters pretty consistently I think. A 10 gauge or better slug will smash through the zombie's skull and also take out the one behind it, though not necessarily in a straight line. Trust me, I grew up hunting and farming, butchering meat, beside dense forests and tough terrain playing with swords, axes, spears, and tools. I don't mean to sound too macabre, but I know the nuances of flesh and bone with axes and blades big and small. If I were to pick a couple weapons from your specific table of options though, it would be the spiked axe and the kriegsmesser I think. The kriegsmesser is somewhat long but not awkwardly so and it has a strong spine so if I'm facing a group of zombies I can aim for the head or knees to relatively quickly knock them down first. Then I can pierce or cleave their skulls with the axe, which I'd also prefer if it's just one zombie. The pole arms 'could' trip up a group more effectively and even without edge damage but remember, I want to be able to swing and move easily in tighter spaces. The kriegsmesser guarantees the severance of tendons and ligaments in the knees at a reasonable distance, if not outright cleaving a skull in a pinch. Even if, in a pinch, the kriegsmesser doesn't cleave the brain, I've still knocked the zombie to the ground. You don't have to kill each zombie when facing a group alone, committing to the killing even one might get you killed by another. Impeding and disabling them is far easier than sufficiently damaging their brains. If killing them is more important than simply escaping, then make it a battle of attrition. Take them down bit by bit, outmaneuvering them, and kill them off only when it is safe to do so. The zombies I'm imagining are slightly faster than Walking Dead zombies. If it's the 28 Days Later zombies in a medieval context, jumping off a cliff is probably the best option.

[@anothertexanbull4039]

The thing that should be considered is the variety of situations youll find yourself in furing the apocalypse, namely qhen scavenging. Because you can find yourself everywhere from outside in a wide open area to down some very narrow halls of an office building. That and the fact that zombies could potentially themselves shave some form of armor, such as military ones, police, people wearing thicker clothing for colder climates, and survivors who had made makeshift armor but got turned anyways.

[@bastionsea2829]

High School of the Dead actually discusses the cutting, one of the characters fights with a katana, but fights with it sheathed as it becomes less useful when dull, and they don't know if they're ever going to be able to sharpen it

[@horacestorm13]

Not really relevant here, but the show also talks about the gun's recoil and how it affects the accuracy of the gun. One of the reasons why it's one of my favorite apocalypse-genre anime :3

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

I liked High School of the Dead...up until it started getting weird with sexual things. The entire thing is established as high school aged characters so kinda weird when that happened....but the zombie stuff was cool in it.

[@bastionsea2829]

@@justinlast2lastharder749 the characters are teenagers, teenagers have hormones to deal with. That type of stuff didn't surprise me, especially since the writer.. And what do you mean 'when'? In episode 1 Rei is with a guy because MC doesn't get the hint

[@kuroshinigami9143]

It has been awhile since I read it but.....Saeko uses the sword to cut. she just didnt have an actual sword until much later on and used a wooden one for blunt force. (she got the sword either from Takagi's dad in the manga, or found it in a temple in the anime)

[@bastionsea2829]

@@kuroshinigami9143 I believe she explained to the group why she kept her sword sheathed, and later she's offered another well-made sword she refuses because she wouldn't unsheath it I don't think she ever used a bokken, I think she was given a gun early on, but it was too fragile for melee combat,as her style

[@robertpatter5509]

Primary: Spear and Buckler( Zombies, Hunting, People) Secondary: Arming sword and Buckler. ( people) Backup: Double edged dagger Armor: Thick Gambeson and metal Helmet. I focused mostly on aspects such as Utility, Hunting, Mobility, Weight ,Zombies and People. But one aspect is being in a team.

[@bry756]

"Medieval world is better prepared for the zombie apocalypse" Medieval: - Farms depend on farmers and oxen and not tractors, if a horde stumbles onto your farms that's game over for your supplies - Sieges are infinite, there will be a lot less infected in the medieval world so you can pick them off from the walls, but they will never leave until some poor guy slips up in the sewer. Water can get contaminated by corpse buildup (you are not going out to dispose of those). The timeline for a zombie siege is longer than you have supplies, especially referring to point 1. - Body armor will not do much once you're swarmed. Even if the bites don't go through, your limbs can still be pinned down by the bodyweight. You are entombed in a drooling, bleeding mass of zombies until you're either rescued or die of dehydration, and that's assuming that a random zombie bite won't luck out through the joints or saliva or blood slip through the faceplate. Armored zombies will also be invincible in sieges, referring to point 2, because none of the joints are damage points anymore, only the head and you have emphasized many times how tough it is to shoot through the helmet into the head. Im pretty sure getting into a wrestling match with a zombie is also a terrible, terrible idea. - Medieval world is not as lit up as the modern world, making ambushes by hordes exceptionally easy walking or running. Running is just game over but walking zombies make very little noise. (Unless they're the moaning type in which you're going to have fair warning that thousands of undead are headed your way) - Medieval armies are a lot smaller than modern ones, and you need the mines to keep operating in order to have the weaponry to withstand years of the undead. Mines are terrible places to be caught with the undead both in the modern and medieval world, but at least the modern mines are far better lit and have multiple points of ingress and egress owing to better excavation and soil stabilization technology. Modern world: - Flight, namely helicopters - Naval technology, namely battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines - Guns - Tanks and other light mobile armor. Most movies portray the gunner to be the cause for tanks to be overwhelmed by the zombies, if there's a coax inside, the gunner won't need to be outside with the 50 cal, also most modern MBT's have monitoring that don't require exiting the vehicle. - Multiple transport options for supply and logistics, and extraction options of civilian populations that could swell the horde - Communication technology that is far better than pigeons (Which can be returned to as needed) - Fossil fuels strategic reserves to maintain operational capacity of army until threat is dealt with. - Nukes (last resort) "Shotguns can only take the face off" Garand Thumb: Administrative Results: Brandon Herrera: Demolition Ranch: Kentucky Ballistics: FPSRussia: Kurt Cobain: (And this is all under the assumption where it's not some completely catastrophic event like World War Z with the horrifying zombie tsunamis or Night of the Living Dead where the dead just......live. That means chucking ol Grandpa and Grandma and literally anybody who could die out the castle. That doesn't sit well with a lot of people and the tiniest bit of non-compliance might mean a breakout within the walls, hopefully not in the keep)

[@mrvandal131]

I'd like a hammer with maybe a hatchet on other side. The hammer might get stuck more than a mace, but still smash skull or joints. And you could try building with it, or tearing appart barricades or simmilar

[@seanchan4478]

This is, by far, the nerdiest thing I've ever listened to. Reminds me of the arguments I used to have with my friends 😢. Loved this

[@tickytickytango5634]

I think I'd go with a mace as my primary. That lethality is important. I'm just not convinced that I'd be able to consistently break through the skull with a sword. And sure it might not be able to cut off limbs, but breaking the bones is almost as good. That said, I would take the sword as a backup. It's a great tool in a lot of situations and is still useful as a weapon. For armor I'd go gambeson. It's protective enough to stop bites without being a hindrance the way plate armor would.

[@suchfail9698]

There are very few bullets/firearms that wouldn’t do catastrophic damage to the brain. It’s not just the hole, it also transfers a significant amount of energy into surrounding tissue. Imagine you hit your hand with a hammer, the bruise isn’t going to be the exact size of the hammer head, it’s going to be more like the size of the entire area damaged by the shock from the blow. So even the parts of the brain that wouldn’t be outright destroyed by a 9mm would be severely damaged as it would shear neurons, create brain bruises, and more. The only blow that may not be fatal would be a glancing blow. Or one of the smaller calibers (.17, .22, .38) hitting the thicker parts of the forehead and even then even .22 at closer ranges has been known to penetrate the thicker parts of the skull from shorter ranges.

[@OldGreyGryphon]

I hope you guys are bringing back more Fantasy re-armed. Videos like this one are what brought me to the channel in the first place. Edit: I vote for heavy pole arms, halberds, guan daos, etc.

[@Darkwullfster]

I think a Rhomphaia(Dacian Falx) would be a really good pick as primary, two handed, curved with a point, decent heft. It might also depend on how much damage you need to do to the brain to stop the zombie, if you just need to poke a hole in it, a trident or military fork would be fantastic for keeping for your distance, would also be good if you just need to hold one in place while a companion dispatched it.

[@arumatai]

poleax for its versatility. you could even go roomclearing with it, especially with two gauntlets (which are also backup weapons)

[@phoephoe795]

Halberd as primary weapon, good reach and doubles as a walking stick. Katana secondary, a balance of weight and reach with the ability to remove heads/limbs.

[@user-dw9km9zc4b]

I would take a mace as a sidearm for dealing with random zombies so i dont wear out my other weapons and then id choose a sword that i feel comfortable swinging and id like to have plate armor on my upper body while having padded armor on the legs, but you guys just have to think abt gauntlets with built in knuckledusters in case you drop your weapons (Also as an american id carry a higher caliber revolver because they dont really jam and rarely misfire, because it doesnt take much to blow a brain apart and disrupt basic motor functions) Also shad, go check out garande thumb

[@krailer1]

For wheel guns I think I'd go with the 357 so that I can use both that and 38 special. Although I would prefer a suppressible weapon with a caliber that is subsonic by default like the g21 in 45acp

[@sternonisoil]

Shad, a shotgun would absolutely blow a skull apart. You should check out "Garand thumb" and his tests on gel torsos and heads. He has got some pretty great content.

[@BaronNate]

A shield and an ice pick is a great combo for zombies. Its a quick in an out (tested it on similar density materials in college) with the pick and shield with good arm guards from a sporting goods store will have you slaying zombies fast and efficient with light weight gear so you dont tire so easily.

[@VK-iy7yd]

I'm of the opinion a goedendag would be pretty good too. You've got a spike on the top for poking A metal reinforced club, with spikes if you want. Which also acts as a crossguard for the pike at the tip. It's traditionally 90-150cm (3-5ft) long so you have reach without it becoming unwieldy. It's easy to produce, you just need a big stick and some metalwork. And it's fairly lightweight.

[@NitriumOxide]

Wooden baseball ball bat with embedded circular saw blade or baseball bat with nails (but not so long that they get stuck maybe

[@dony2852]

As distasteful as it may be, if I was well armored and against medium speed zombies, I would go for a small axe and dagger in anticipation that I would need to frequently enter a grapple and will most likely be fighting in tight spaces. They are also both very functional compact tools which would find great use while on the move. If I find myself in more open environments, I could change out the handle on the axe for longer reach or convert the dagger to a make shift spear.

[@gabriels5105]

I have tried both a 9 dollar Gorden 8 inch survival knife and a small hatchet and went to fight tree branches and I can tell you that you need something bigger. A 6 dollar Ozark Trail 18 inch Machete is what you would want minimum if your going to cut and break anything such as trees or bone. If its too light its going to do nothing and tire you out. If your going to get at an axe its got to have a long handle and be big. I would try Harbor Freight for a 6lb axe or pulaski. I would go for a Home depot pick mattock if you wanted something with real utility.

[@dony2852]

@@gabriels5105 While I can see the utility in going for a machete over a dagger, a six pound axe is overkill for splitting skulls. A two handed dane axe is 3 to 5 pounds. A 1.5 pound tomahawk is good enough for a bug out situation.

[@gabriels5105]

@@dony2852 I suppose your right about the weight. There are lighter axe heads so its probably more important that a person get blade geometry right and now that I think about it wood would was used as armor so bone might not exactly just as formidable as facing branches all of the time. I think a tomahawk is still way to short. Useing something like that brings you into the get grabbed by 8 people range and it cant be trusted to one shot unless its an exact hit. The handle can get grabbed after swung. At its length swords may have more energy and with the long blade it takes less skill to hit on the blade instead of some how getting a hit on the handle. A tomahawk was probably an addition to a bow in the past rather than a primary. In that case for bug out its great incase you got to grab your stuff and run away. Still if you get strong a 1.5 to 3 lb head could still be quick on a long handle. Short handles require more weight to get the energy to do the same work. When it came to the dagger vs machette thing I was just making the point anything used has to have weight. A dagger would be be great if it was at least 18 inches long and it being sharp on both sides and also pointy benifits it. Basically if that walmart machette was shaped as a dagger it would be about right.

[@warzdread2983]

I'd go with a round mace and shield as primary, with a bastard as secondary. No pointy bits on the mace to reduce it getting stuck, maybe a studded head to focus the force.

[@danielcox7629]

Gutendag, 5ft so it's viable in close quarters. A pole arm so you still have a bit of reach. And it smashes and spikes through armor. Hatchet side arm for processing wood, hunting knife for processing food, dagger because you should always have one and a war sling for cracking zombies in the head at range. Also a Viking shield so it's not strapped to my arm if a zombie grabs it.

[@kozyobiwan]

For me I would love to have mace or cutlass/saber and shield both can be used as weapons and still have a lot of defense

[@FartlebySockchuckerThe4th]

Shad has Zombie Hunter 6000 written on the side of his Bec-d'Corbin in neon green

[@RandomBucket]

Best segue into an ad I've seen in a long time. Well played 😅

[@lucascrump4006]

A one handed war pick and a shield combo out when scavenging or a halberd when in a defensive position at a base where you are covered

[@Nioclas64]

For medieval, a towngaurd, a shield, and a dagger. If you could have somehting modern, then anything from zombie tools.

[@robo5013]

A shield is just something for them to grab hold of. If your not using it against weapons then it's pretty useless.

[@Nioclas64]

A claymore would be great if you just go for the neck while maintaining distance, move in, strike, back up, repeat.

[@Ace0Spades17]

Shield, short sword and an axe. The axe can just be a back up plus it’s useful outside of combat