First, a little disclaimer, I am not asking for a pure melee build. I'm asking about opinions on which single melee weapon is the best for all-around, general use.

Tbh I'm torn between the HI-32 BU-TT/A Pulse Blade, the VP-67LD Laser Dagger, and the Vvc-770LB Laser Blade. But I absolutely love Rusty's Vvc-774LS Laser Slicer. The attack animation is just too sexy.

The HI-32 pulse blade has great all around stats but that direct hit adjustment is so good for enemies already staggered.

The Vvc Laser Blade has massive 1-hit and charge damage better impact, but if the enemy is already staggered, compared to the HI-32 I just don't see it being a pheasable trade off. Especially just to charge the Vvc for thr double hit and lose the stagger window.

My go-to is generally the laser dagger because of the high cooling rate and triple attack, allowing me to pair it with my Zimmerman as my backup weapons. By the time my Zimmerman reloads the dagger is already cooled off. The major downside is the short range of the dagger's melee reach (not the thrust, the actual length of the blade attack). So unless the target is already stunned and relatively close I usually won't get more than 1 or 2 hits on tougher enemies before the dash away, at least with the more mobile enemies.

My main setup is double Harris linear rifles, with the Zimmerman on right shoulder and a melee on the left in most situations, occasionally opting for the stun needle or the trueno over the zimmerman.

So I double charge both Harris for quick stagger on ACs, etc, then dash in for the knockback with Zim and follow up with a melee combo (or vice versa depending on the initial distance after the stagger). And yes, although this setup might seem dumb or slow to some people - compared to other builds - but I got tired of mindlessly spamming dual gatling guns with double songbirds or double stun needles when I can just be patient to 2-hit stagger almost every boss in the game without a pulse shield/barrier. I just find it so much more satisfying.

Anyway... I do love the aesthetic and utility of the Moonlight and HMMR plasma thrower, but the moonlight's basic attacks usually get dodged (and do less damage than the dagger) and the charge isn't worth using compared to the Vvc. I feel like the longer the distance on the Moonlight, the more useless it is. The projectile speed is just too slow. As it stands, the HMMR's basic attack stats are all better than the HI-32 and it's melee reach is relatively close to that of the Zim's effective range. The downside is the wait on the return of the initial melee before being able to use it a second time and the DHA is one of the lowest of all the melee weapons.

Finally, I''d really love to incorporate Rusty's Laser Slicer, but in a boss fight or 1vX, I really don't want to be locked in those animations and get clapped because I can't dodge in time. At least, I haven't noticed that you can animation cancel the melee attacks with the QB, if that is even possible anyway.

So with all that being said, what are your preferences for a melee as your secondary backup weapon when you don't want to waste ammo on shieldbots or just want to run up in a MF's face and get personal?