Machete

Machete
Weapon type	Close Combat Weapon
Technical specifications
Rate of fire	0.675s per hit. 13.5s to kill a Tank

"It's machete time..."

―Ellis

"Can save some bullets with this one."

―Nick

The Machete is a close combat weapon, introduced in Left 4 Dead 2.

It can be found in the following campaigns:

• Swamp Fever
• The Parish
• Death Toll (Left 4 Dead 2 only)
• Blood Harvest (Left 4 Dead 2 only)
• Cold Stream
• The Last Stand (Left 4 Dead 2 version)

Melee Mechanics

Melee weapons replace Pistols in the secondary weapon slot. Unlike Pistols, close combat weapons never need to be reloaded and cannot run out of ammo (excluding the Chainsaw). They have two main drawbacks: a limited reach and (with a few exceptions) relatively long cooldown periods. Close combat weapons cause minimal friendly fire damage to the Survivors, even on Advanced and Expert difficulty levels (the Chainsaw is an exception).

These weapons are extremely effective. All melee weapons, on all difficulties, kill Common Infected and most Special Infected in one hit, aside from the Charger (which takes two—but see point below), the Witch (which takes four), and the Tank (which takes twenty, excluding the Chainsaw). Due to their death effects, it is generally advised to melee neither the Boomer (unless there is no choice) nor the Spitter (unless it is possible to move away immediately from the resulting acid splash).

The melee weapons appear to do more damage if an Infected's head or upper body is targeted. With the correct timing it is possible to kill a Charger with one hit while it is charging, allowing a Survivor to "level" a charge without first dealing damage to the Charger and to gain the achievement "Level a Charge".

The Machete is classified as a sharp weapon. As such, hits from this weapon will sever limbs and splatter blood, as well as cutting The Smoker's tongue.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Very fast swing speed (the fastest sharp melee weapon in-game).
• Can be used to cut a Smoker's tongue.

Cons

• Short range.
• Attacks may obstruct the user's vision.
• Not recommended for killing Boomers due to bile showering the attacker and any nearby Survivors.

Achievements

Main article: Achievements

	CONFEDERACY OF CRUNCHES	(30G)
	Finish a campaign using only melee weapons.

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	HEAD HONCHO	(15G)
	Decapitate 200 Infected with a melee weapon.

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	TANK BURGER	(30G)
	Kill a Tank with melee weapons.

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	BEAT THE RUSH	(15G)
	In a Survival round, get a medal only using melee weapons.

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	CLUB DEAD	(15G)
	Use every melee weapon to kill Common Infected.

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	LEVEL A CHARGE	(15G)
	Kill a Charger with a melee weapon while they are charging.

PC exclusive

	LICKETY-SPLIT
	With a sharp melee weapon, cut a Smoker's tongue before he ensnares you.

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	NEW HAIRCUT
	Kill a Witch using only a sharp melee weapon, without anyone getting incapacitated or killed.

Notes

Machete in action during the second level of "The Parish"

Ellis holding Machete in "Cold Stream"

• A machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool usually used for agricultural purposes (e.g. cutting sugar cane and clearing vegetation for crops). It can also be used for other purposes, such as chopping bamboo for housing, carving wood and gardening. Machetes are standard issue to troops operating in tropical theatres for cutting through jungle and preparing bivouacs. Due to its ubiquitous presence, blade size and everyday familiarity, machetes are also commonly used as a weapon in tropical countries in times of civil unrest and rebellion.
  • In-game, the Machete's appearance consists of a South American-bladed machete with a hand-carved, light brown wooden handle.
• The Machete, in many aspects, is quite similar to the Kukri, the Sniper's default melee weapon in Team Fortress 2, another game made by Valve.
• The Machete, the Baseball Bat, and the Cricket Bat all have three different swing animations, compared to only two animations that all other melee weapons have.
• The Machete's shove attack shares its movement with the Frying Pan, although its shove is faster.
• If the Machete is used on the Riot Infected's protected area, it will not cause any damage. However, the Riot Infected will still bleed and spew blood on the screen. This is likely an overlooked glitch.
  • This glitch is also present with all melee weapons, even bladed weapons such as the Axe and the Katana.
• Like all melee weapons, blood stains will appear on the Machete after attacking an Infected.
• It has not yet been explained why Machetes are commonly found in The Parish, but it can be assumed that they were brought to New Orleans by refugees from the nearby countryside. Another possibility is that some residents of the city have been using them as a traditional tool for tending plants in their gardens or may have kept them in their homes for self-defense purposes.
  • It is possible that the soldiers in the military who were stationed in the nearby parishes surrounding New Orleans may have been using machetes to cut through the swamps, given the machetes that can be found in "The Bridge" alongside the abandoned military vehicles throughout the area.
  • The Machete's inclusion in the campaign may be best explained through the Nightstick. Both weapons are best known for their remarkable speed. However, the Nightstick seems to have more critical flaws than the Machete (e.g. poor hit detection, mediocre swing arc, unable to cut Smoker tongues). For this reason, many players find it difficult to fight Hordes of Infected using the former, and the Machete therefore may have been placed to serve as a substitute since it is easier to use.
  • Civilians and refugees could have been smuggling around machetes because CEDA generally disapproved firearms and the private security forces (now the Riot Infected) would probably confiscate such weapons.
• Prior to the December 16, 2011 update, Machetes could only be obtained in The Parish and Swamp Fever campaigns. Following said update, the ported versions of Death Toll and Blood Harvest (along with Cold Stream) now feature the Machete in their respective maps. More recently, Machetes make another appearance in the Left 4 Dead 2 version of The Last Stand.
• With the exception of the Chainsaw, the Machete is the third fastest-swinging melee weapon, being just marginally slower than the Nightstick.
• With the exception of Cold Stream and custom campaigns, Katanas and Machetes never appear in the same campaign together.
• There used to be a bug present while playing the game with high FOV using the Machete; the Survivors' left thumb completely broke. This was fixed in the Last Stand update for the PC version of Left 4 Dead 2.
• The Machete can often be found on top of a white table inside a dilapidated shack past the bus blocking the Survivors' path at The Cemetery.

Exernal Links

• Machete gameplay