Axe

Summary
An Axe can be extremely useful in getting rid of zombies that just keep coming. A single swing can take care of a Normal Zombie, the arguably best thing about the Axe overall. For special mobs, such as a Ticker or a Digger, that is where this weapon falls short. Their high HP and this weapon's low swing rate can make killing them a pain.

On top of that, make sure to not pull this out when facing many zombies. You may use up all your stamina killing them all, and then be forced to retreat without being able to run.

Background Story
When the outbreak was just beginning, most were unprepared and fell to the ensuing hordes immediately. Those who reacted quickly, however, began to use whatever was close to them. For a lucky minority, their selection included firearms. For almost everyone, their selection was limited to common household items. This included items such as Shovels, Baseball Bats, Knives, and Axes. Of course, Axes are not normally built to be used for relentlessly swinging into fleshy things — often, they were quite unreliable and hard to use, but they were definitely better than nothing. A single swing into the head took care of a threat.

L-Brain Hardwork later noticed the issue with the Axes: they were simply too heavy for survivors to carry around. They made the handle of the Axe slightly hollow but added weights to the top to make up for the loss in force. This, in addition to making them easier to swing, also cut down on manufacturing costs.

Tips

 * Don't use this on special mobs unless you're sure it won't end in your demise.
 * Crouching helps if you're killing tripped Normal Zombie or a Leaper.
 * The best use for Axe is for killing normal zombies.
 * Paired with spawn-killing, this can break the bank.
 * Like all the other melees, swinging the Axe will make you invulnerable to all basic attacks. Use this to your advantage.
 * Combined with some Prune Juice and a Tactical II, you can easily go on a rampage if you find yourself cornered.
 * This does not apply in Rapid Infection, however, as, along with all other melees, Immunity is not given when you swing.
 * Due to how sluggish the Axe can be, this is clearly not the ideal weapon to use.
 * The more a round goes on, the more an Axe becomes problematic.
 * As normal zombies gain HP due to the Zombie Leveling System, it will take more than one swing to kill one.
 * If you have the Flame Attachment, this issue may be circumvented.
 * Watch your stamina if you are noticing that these zombies are not being killed instantly.
 * Just punch them if they have a sliver of health left.
 * Despite the implications, the Flame Attachment cannot heal an Elemental.

Trivia

 * This was the first and only so far pre-release weapon, and also the first melee weapon to get a custom Skin.
 * This is one of the few melees that can headshot.
 * This is referred in-game as the "Fireaxe".
 * As of v0.9.0a, the Axe's stamina consumption has increased from 6 to 10.
 * As of v1.0.1, the Axe can only deal damage while it is being swung down.
 * During Halloween 2016, the Axe was completely ineffective against Lord Pumpkin Jr.
 * The skin "Sharkhead" is a reference to the Rukiryaxe in Lumber Tycoon 2.