Ronin - Melee Weapon Overhaul

Ronin

A vanilla+ melee weapon overhaul with one goal: More choice and diversity in melee combat.

What is it? Rebalances all melee weapons (no unarmed) using the Wakizashi as baseline. See spreadsheet in images for detailed breakdown. Most weapons have been buffed to perform closer to that baseline across all classes. Va'ruun weapons nerfed to be closer to the baseline but still edge out the others, it's just not a blow out anymore. Weapons have been rebalanced around their class: sword, axe or dagger. Ranges have been reduced on all melee weapons to be closer to realistic reach (ex. 0.5 for daggers and 0.8 max for Wakizashi).

Daggers Daggers have been given 3X Crit Multiplier instead of vanilla 2X Crit Multiplier. This is naively calculated into their DPS in the spreadsheet. Daggers have 20 oxygen cost instead of 40 for power attacks. Daggers now have 1.2 or 1.3 speeds so faster than vanilla. This includes: Ripshank, Combat Knife, Barrow Knife (1.3 speeds), Tanto and Osmium Dagger (1.2 speeds). All daggers should feel better and more powerful from bigger crits and faster attack speed, with more power attacks woven in. They should compete with the other weapons.

Swords Swords are balanced around the Wakizashi as baseline. Wakizashi untouched other than range. UC Navy Cutlass got the largest damage buff and 1.1 speed buff. Should be viable alternative to Wakizashi in mid game. Va'ruun Painblade and Schimaz (use Shattered Space optional file) got nerfed by 11-20% respectively. Still making them some of the strongest weapons.

Axe Axes have 30 oxygen cost instead of 40 for power attacks. Rescue Axe has had it's damage buffed but speed slightly lowered (0.9) but with the longest reach (0.9).

How does it play?

Tired of getting to 35+ in a melee playthrough and really only chasing legendary Va'ruun weapons? This changes that by giving you some real alternatives from both swords and daggers. A legendary UC Navy Cutlass will finally be a lot more exciting to find in mid game.

Daggers damage numbers haven't changed much, but all their extra damage comes from being faster and critting for more. Playing them more aggressively rewards you with good DPS and makes them good options once your crit chance goes up. They should all feel viable right up to an Osmium Dagger. But a good legendary Barrow Knife can take you a long way in mid game now.

Axes really don't have any late game weapons but a good Rescue Axe will take you a lot further in early to mid game with cheaper high reach power attacks now doing good damage.

Recommend mods

I've tried to balance this around a mostly vanilla or vanilla+ level, so while this is fine to use with vanilla balancing.

I personally use and recommend the Spacefarer series:

Deadly Effective Balanced Ballistics Suit Up

The perk overhaul Deadly Effective provides one of the best melee experiences with a great rework of the melee perk which fits in very well with these damage levels well into late game.

Stellar Blades adds some great new swords to the game. Use the patch provided in Optional files to bring them down inline with Va'ruun weapons, still great end game choices but not OP. Now the Ebonfang and Oblivion Edge should be about the same DPS as Va'ruun Schimaz, and Executioner about the same as Painblade.

Nexus link: https://www.nexusmods.com/starfield/mods/14137