Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Blunt Weapons: Maces and Hammers
Blunt weapons ignore the problem armour creates. Why a mace beats a sword against a knight and loses to a peasant.
Blunt damage solves a specific problem
Swords cut and thrust. Against mail and plate, a cut does very little, which is why a sword fight against an armoured opponent becomes a wrestling match for a gap. Blunt weapons transfer force through armour. That makes them the answer to the single most common problem in the game’s combat: hitting a man in a helmet.
Where blunt wins
Against armoured opponents: bandits in captured harness, soldiers, and anyone wearing a helmet. The mace does not need to find a gap. Against shields: a heavy blow staggers a shield arm, which opens the guard in a way that a sword cut does not.
Where blunt loses
Against unarmoured, fast opponents. A mace is slow, and a lightly equipped bandit who can dodge will land two cuts for every swing you take. Against groups, because the swing arcs are wide and the recovery is long.
The stamina problem
Blunt weapons are heavy and consume stamina per swing. Running out of stamina in a fight means your guard breaks and you take hits, which is why mace users need to be more selective about when they swing. The rule is one committed strike rather than a flurry. Blunt favours patience.
Combining with a shield
A mace and shield is the classic armoured-melee combination: the shield covers the slow recovery, and the mace punishes anyone who closes. It is slow, and it is very hard to beat in a straight fight.
The practical loadout answer
Carry a sword for unarmoured opponents and a blunt weapon for armoured ones, and switch when you see what you are fighting. That sounds obvious and almost nobody does it, because the switch costs a moment and players default to one weapon.
Mace or hammer
Maces are lighter and faster, hammers hit harder and recover slower. Against a single armoured opponent the mace’s speed usually wins; against a shield or a heavy harness the hammer’s force does. Try both before committing, because the difference is feel as much as numbers.
Related guides
Sources & References
This guide is verified against the game's own data and official communications. For patch notes, current balance, and authoritative specifics, consult the references below. Where a precise number cannot be verified, we explain the mechanic rather than invent a figure.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II on Steam — patch notes, current season, and authoritative game data.