Hatchet

Overview
The Hatchet is a small hand held axe that is predominately used to chop and split wood. It is a common tool frequently used by outdoorsmen as a portable axe that is small enough to be carried in a backpack for use when camping and travelling.

Strategy
The Hatchet in No More Room in Hell is one of the few one handed melee weapons with a low stamina consumption but a relatively high damage per hit. It possesses a short range compared to its bigger brother the Fire Axe but compensates with a higher rate of attack, a somewhat larger availability and overall more compact size and lighter weight. But, as it is a one handed weapon, it has a relatively low knockback chance.

It is capable of a quick but a moderately high damaging light attack. Charged attacks will inflict more damage but are slower, use up more stamina and don't always offer a higher chance of a successful one hit kill. As it is a one handed weapon, with a compact size and light weight, it gives a player a wider choice in the equipment they may carry.

Light attacks with the Hatchet uses up only small amounts of stamina with each swing and saving what stamina you have for that all important shove or sprint to safety. An ideal strategy to deal with small groups is to slowly back up while striking the head of each zombie, making sure to keep a firm distance between the player and them and only shove when appropriate.

An experienced player who has practiced enough can easily handle large hordes with only a hatchet in hand. However, it is recommended that new players focus on small groups no larger than 5 zombies of the regular variety. Hatchets are also one of the few weapons that are most effective against Fast Zombies, its high damaging light attacks coupled with its high rate of attack being a perfect counter to the speedy undead.

Here is a rough guide for how many hits to the head it takes to kill with a Hatchet:


 * Regular Zombies take 2 or 3 hits to the head with Light Attacks or 1 or 2 Hits with Charged Attacks
 * Running Zombies take 1 or 2 hits to the head with Light Attacks or 1 or 2 hits with Charged Attacks
 * Children Zombies take 1 hit to the head with Light Attacks or 1 Hit with Charged Attacks

Pros and Cons
Pros


 * Light and compact
 * Fast attack speed
 * Moderately high damaging light attacks
 * Relatively common
 * Low stamina usage - 30+ swings before exhaustion

Cons


 * Unreliable one hit kills
 * Quite short range
 * Charged attacks having inconsistent one hit kill chance
 * Charged attacks are overall less effective than light attacks
 * Low knock back chance

Trivia

 * The Hatchet handle logo and writing have Dharma Initiative Survival Equipment on the side. It is an Easter egg and reference to the television show, Lost.