Melee Weapons Melee Weapons is a " Fallout " , " Fallout 2 " , " Fallout 3 " , " " , " " , " Van Buren " and " J . E . Sawyer ' s Fallout Role - Playing Game " skill . It was also going to appear as a in " " , the equivalent of skills in other " Fallout " games ( in " Van Buren " , " Fallout : Brotherhood of Steel 2 " and " J . E . Sawyer ' s Fallout Role - Playing Game " , it was renamed to simply " Melee " ) . This skill determines combat effectiveness with any melee weapon . In " Fallout : New Vegas " , it also determines combat effectiveness with non - explosive throwing weapons . " Fallout " , " Fallout 2 " and " Fallout Tactics " . In " Fallout 2 " , the Chosen One starts out with only a spear , making Melee Weapons an important skill at early stages of the game . " Fallout 3 " . Example : A starting Strength of 5 and Luck of 5 . As this skill increases , so does the damage inflicted with all of these weapons , both in and out of V . A . T . S . mode . The Melee Weapons skill also allows using a melee weapon to block an attack ; the higher the skill , the more damage is absorbed . Note that a fast weapon like a combat knife or Ripper can make more attacks in a given length of time than a heavy sledgehammer , potentially generating more damage in a shorter amount of time . More attacks also means more chances to stagger an opponent when their torso is crippled . However , as one begins to fight enemies with strong armor , weapons that deal more damage per hit tend to be more effective . The Shishkebab is generally considered the best melee weapon available , as it is swung as fast as knives and lead pipes , and it deals only just slightly less damage than a super sledge per hit . Along with both these fast and powerful traits , its damage can further be increased with the Pyromaniac perk . The unique ripper Jack can , depending on critical rate , Luck , and selection of perks , allow to deal an astounding amount of damage far superior to that of the Shishkebab in a damage - per - second sense . Jack is especially effective when performing a Sneak Attack Critical hit . " Fallout : New Vegas " . Example : A starting Strength of 5 and Luck of 5 . As this skill increases , so does the damage inflicted with all of these weapons , both in and out of V . A . T . S . mode . Special Attacks . When the player character has 50 Melee skill points , they have access to which consume a certain amount of AP for a variety of effects in V . A . T . S . V . A . T . S . vs . real - time . It is possible to execute all special melee moves outside of V . A . T . S . , although the animation can look different in first - person view than in third - person view . It is not required to have 50 points of the skill to perform the moves . To perform any special move described above , initiate a power attack ( hold attack button ) while moving forward . However , executed outside of V . A . T . S . they don ' t have any special properties , but have a benefit of a standard power attack : doubling weapon base damage . Unlike in " Fallout 3 " , a potentially significant amount of damage can be taken in V . A . T . S . , heightening the danger of meleeing in it , as one cannot dodge or block while in V . A . T . S . However , all melee weapons , except thrown , do . " Fallout : Brotherhood of Steel 2 " . Melee was going to appear as a weapon skill . It increases the base damage inflicted by melee weapons . Assuming " Fallout : Brotherhood of Steel 2 " would have used a points based system like its predecessor , it is able to be increased .