“The Melee Weapons skill determines your effectiveness with any melee weapon, from the simple lead pipe all the way up to the high-tech Super Sledge.”

What’s so high-tech about a Super Sledge? Whatever… Melee weapons are inferior to Small Guns in damage and range, but they do have one great perk-they require no ammo. That makes life easier in the early going. Also, there are tons of them in the game. Super Mutants and Raiders will carry them liberally, so you should never be hurting for melee weapons. That said, you can mow down enemies with melee weapons before they ever get close to you, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that the bad guys might be able to return the favor.