Ignore the rest of the comments.
Melee weapons have higher breakthrough values and reach their cap faster than the other two weapon types, and any shortfall in soft attack, hard attack, piercing, or air attack can easily be made up through the support weapons tab. And while you can technically each much higher SA, HA, and Piercing values if you just focus on ballistics and energy, realistically you're ending the game long before you ever reach the Advanced Infantry techs.
Another advantage, or rather tradeoff, Melee weapons have is that they require less advanced resources to produce even at the highest level, freeing up those precious circuits, rare materials, and power for other advanced equipment, like tanks, planes, support weapons, etc.
They are more cost effective at some tech levels. Me thinks. I think melee gives you more bang for your buck of you only have intermediate tech, for example. Easier to produce and well rounded if you dont have sophisticated or the industrial tech necessary to mass produce firearms.
Melee has the highest breakthrough and cheapest resource and production cost. The Mirelurk Tribe however get the power fist thingy super early which just deletes everything they touch which combined with enforcers basically gets you discount T-45 PA divisions in terms of attack power.
They work really well with motorized enforcers + motorized demolitions because they'll give the unit more breakthrough for a low IC cost.
They suck for defending though, ballistics are best for that.
And anytime your big challenge conquest is a BoS or robot nation you'll want energy weapons, obviously.
I use the most basic melee weapon in 2 ways. Firstly for all the side quest stuff. Anything that says you need x infantry equipment like scavenger hunt etc. They only need weapons they don't need good weapons. Secondly, by mid game, every template i use has a corresponding training template with all the cheapest options. This means i lose a lot less IC from the attrition of training. As soon as they're finished training I remove them from the training army and switch the template to give them the good stuff to fight with.
I forgot..... there's another reason. Selling them to butcher Pete. Some things require thought. Others i stumbled across. Like those decision quests that need x to complete. If you go on your units template and turn off what you need a percentage of it goes straight into your logistics tab. The units do need to be a pretty much full strength though and you're robing Peter to pay Paul so to speak.
Ignore the rest of the comments. Melee weapons have higher breakthrough values and reach their cap faster than the other two weapon types, and any shortfall in soft attack, hard attack, piercing, or air attack can easily be made up through the support weapons tab. And while you can technically each much higher SA, HA, and Piercing values if you just focus on ballistics and energy, realistically you're ending the game long before you ever reach the Advanced Infantry techs. Another advantage, or rather tradeoff, Melee weapons have is that they require less advanced resources to produce even at the highest level, freeing up those precious circuits, rare materials, and power for other advanced equipment, like tanks, planes, support weapons, etc.
"HOW DARE THEY NOT FIGHT IN GLORIOUS MELEE COMBAT, HAND TO HAND COMBAT IS THE MOST HONORABLE WAY OF FIGHTING" Emperor of Mankind, TTS
*Sad Tau noises*
Non canon
They are more cost effective at some tech levels. Me thinks. I think melee gives you more bang for your buck of you only have intermediate tech, for example. Easier to produce and well rounded if you dont have sophisticated or the industrial tech necessary to mass produce firearms.
Less resource intensive too
Melee has the highest breakthrough and cheapest resource and production cost. The Mirelurk Tribe however get the power fist thingy super early which just deletes everything they touch which combined with enforcers basically gets you discount T-45 PA divisions in terms of attack power.
i think the sisters of steel have unique melee research
They work really well with motorized enforcers + motorized demolitions because they'll give the unit more breakthrough for a low IC cost. They suck for defending though, ballistics are best for that. And anytime your big challenge conquest is a BoS or robot nation you'll want energy weapons, obviously.
I use the most basic melee weapon in 2 ways. Firstly for all the side quest stuff. Anything that says you need x infantry equipment like scavenger hunt etc. They only need weapons they don't need good weapons. Secondly, by mid game, every template i use has a corresponding training template with all the cheapest options. This means i lose a lot less IC from the attrition of training. As soon as they're finished training I remove them from the training army and switch the template to give them the good stuff to fight with.
That's like really really smart I wish I'd thought of this
I forgot..... there's another reason. Selling them to butcher Pete. Some things require thought. Others i stumbled across. Like those decision quests that need x to complete. If you go on your units template and turn off what you need a percentage of it goes straight into your logistics tab. The units do need to be a pretty much full strength though and you're robing Peter to pay Paul so to speak.
I think they cost less to produce. Like I seem to remember the pipe pistol taking 1.5 to produce whereas the pipe wrench takes 1.
I usually only use them for rp in super mutant or legion games