Why does melee seem so expensive in Entropia Universe? We all had that moment when we first started playing. You run out of ammo. Then your gun breaks. You decide that using ranged weapons is expensive. The logical thing seems to be to use melee weapons. But you soon realize that they decay so fast melee is even more expensive! Such is the first few days playing EU. But why does melee seem so expensive? And is it as expensive as it seems?
The truth is melee is actually CHEAPER than using ranged weapons. But you have to do things right. You also have to spend some time and PED to get there. Let’s take a look at why melee seems so expensive. Then we can look at ways to make melee work for us.
Melee Decay; The Game Killer
The largest reason melee seems so expensive is the decay on your weapons. When you first start you need melee weapons from the trade terminal. You have the choice of a knife, sword or a set of brass-knuckles. The weapons function much like you would expect. Equip the weapon, hit the target, end of story. And the best part (new players think) is no ammo burn! We quickly realize that no ammo burn is actually a bad thing.
Melee weapons that don’t burn ammo decay FAST. The increased decay rate is because of the fact that they don’t use ammo. When you use a ranged weapon you incur the expense of both ammo AND decay. Melee weapons without an associated ammo cost have increased decay. This is why we usually view them as “more expensive”. We get less use out of them. They need to be replaced or repaired more often. Psychologically it LOOKS like we’re spending more money.
Ying & Yang
The truth is there is likely not much difference in expense. A while back MindArk added an ammo cost to a lot of melee weapons. Once you get past the trade terminal you have more choices. The first weapon you will move onto is likely the ArMatrix LB-10 (L) or SB-10 (L). Both of these weapons require ammo burn every time you use the weapon. The LB-10 998 and 491 ammo for the SB-10.
It seems stupid for a melee weapon to have ammo burn. Your sword doesn’t start shooting bullets after all. But the reason for the ammo burn makes sense. Once ammo burn was put into melee weapons the weapon decay decreased. The result was decay that is more on par with what we are used to. The cost is the same because there is ammo burn. It just feel like a lot less because the weapon lasts longer.
When we think about this in reverse we see it’s all in our head. The higher decay from melee weapons that don’t use ammo is almost the same as a weapon that does use ammo + decay. We get used to how long ranged weapons last. Then we expect this from melee weapons. When they don’t last as long we associate it with higher cost.
Horrible Loot Returns
Another reason we associate melee weapons with higher expense is loot returns. We go out and burn a few swords. It seems like out loot just SUCKS. But again we have to realize the problem is with our logic. It’s just another psychological trap we fall into. When we use ranged weapons we are used to slaughtering mobs. Sometimes we tag with a rifle and finish with a pistol. Other times we run into a group of mobs and blast them.
With melee weapons we have to be close to attack. This means less time dealing damage and more time running. It may also take you significantly longer to kill each mob. When we mix this with the (perceived) added cost of melee we have shorter hunts. We get bored, we switch to ranged weapons or we log off.
It’s well known that you want a hunt of 500-100 mobs bare minimum. This gives you the best chance at a glocal / HOF. It may not get you to TT+ returns but it takes out some of the variance. The reason you have horrible melee returns is the length of hunt. You’re simply not killing enough mobs. Don’t believe me? Count them.
Efficiency Is Still King
The exception to this is if you have crap efficiency. With loot 2.0 efficiency is king. There are plenty of melee weapons that have HORRIBLE efficiency. If you decide these are the weapons for you I can’t help you. I have the old school UL TT set. But I don’t use it (often anyway) because of the horrible efficiency.
Since TT weapons have no MU there’s no reason to use lower efficiency weapons. As with ranged weapons be sure and add an appropriate amp. It will increase your decay cost (cost of amp). But it will also increase your DPS and efficiency. The higher the efficiency the better. If you have the right weapon and the right amp your efficiency should be decent. With appropriate hunt lengths and the correct mobs your returns should be fine.
Extenders And Melee Cost
Another reason melee can seem incredibly expensive is extenders. We are used to putting extenders onto our ranged weapons. After all, if we can make the weapon last longer we save paying MU. But remember that extenders absorb the weapons decay. Again with ranged weapons we have an ammo cost and a decay cost. The extender is absorbing part of that decay only.
If we use an extender on a melee weapon that has ammo burn we get about the same result. But if we use an extender on a melee weapon without ammo burn we have an issue. The only cost of using the weapon is decay. Adding an extender will help the weapon last longer. But it seems the extender burns faster. This is again due to the fact that we ONLY have decay cost.
Doing Melee Right
If this is your first day playing Entropia Universe stay away from melee. Learn the game, make some friends and earn some PED. Once you have a love for the game doing melee right can be fun. And profitable. If you have been playing with ranged weapons you have plenty of Anatomy skills. Anatomy makes up approximately 20% of the DAMAGE professions for melee. That means that you will be able to do close to the full damage intervals. However your hit skills will likely lag behind. This is because the Shortblades, Longblades etc. skills contribute the most to your HIT abilities.
STEP 1: TT Hell
You’re going back to your first day in EU. Go to the trade terminal and stock up on knives, swords and brass knuckles. Burn through them on your favorite lower level mobs until your HIT abilities grow. Once you have 10.0/10.0 Hit and Critical Hit abilities on the weapon you want to move onto; move on.
Step 2: Melee With Ammo Burn
Now that your DAMAGE and HIT professions are both on par we can get a new weapon. Most of us will use the ArMatrix SB-10 (L) or the ArMatrix LB-10 (L). Both of these weapons have ammo burn. This means the decay will be closer to what we are used to. From here on out the journey is similar to ranged weapons. Climb the ladder, move on to a new weapon when appropriate. Extenders are your friend.
Step 3: Look For The Cracks
Melee can actually be CHEAPER than ranged weapons. Why? They just aren’t as popular. This means they are harder to sell. You can often find Limited Melee weapons on auction at lower mark ups than their ranged counterparts. Paired with extenders this can be one of the cheapest ways to hunt in EU.
But there are other cracks you will have to find. I have already mentioned they MAY be easy to tier. Below is a video covering a lot of this information. In the video I say there may be good times to use economy enhancers. But did you know there are other ways to make using melee weapons even cheaper?
I still play Entropia Universe everyday. And I still make a profit playing. So obviously I can’t give away ALL of my secrets (though I tend to) but let’s suffice to say there are way’s to Make melee even cheaper (re-read that last sentence a few times). This means that for an experienced player melee can be a HUGE advantage.
Other Benefits To Melee
Melee has two distinct benefits. The first is that it is one of the only ways to easily increase Strength. Strength is an attribute; not a skill. The more you grow your Strength the more you can carry. This comes in handy once you start mining but can also help when hunting. Fewer trips to storage just makes the game more fun.
More importantly melee contributes to HP growth. There are 15 skills related to the melee HIT professions. Thirteen of those skills contribute to HP! As you grow your melee abilities your HP will also grow. And since you are doing close combat you will get hit by mobs more often. This means that you will gain my favorite skills; DEFENSE! (increased armor decay and more faping are also reasons melee seems more expensive)
Don’t take my word for it. Look to arguably the player with more experience than anyone: Messi. A few weeks ago I saw a recent pic of his skills. He had just crossed 500 HP. His Knife Fighter profession was over level 200! A few days later I got lucky and caught him hanging out in rookie chat. He happened to mention that he is currently using the Unique Sacrificial Dagger almost exclusively. Considering it has a mind blowing 94% efficiency I think it would be my go-to weapon also.
Melee For The Rest Of Us
In closing let me reiterate I think new players should stay away from melee. But if you’ve played for a while maybe it’s time to look at giving melee a shot. If you can get past those TT weapons needed to get your HIT abilities up you’re golden. We now have melee weapons with ammo cost bringing decay in line with what we expect. Chose the right weapon, amp, mob and hunt length for amazing results. You may even end up saving some PED! Even if there was a few PEC difference it’s worth it for the HP and Strength.
I’ve included a video below covering much of this material. As always feel free to reach out to me in game. If I’m not competing in Mayhem I’m always happy to chat. Also remember to check out all of the great Offers and Videos we have to help you earn PED! Remember that becoming a member is always FREE so be sure and JOIN US today!
