It gets interesting in POIs where the zombies drop from the ceiling. The fall damage can also trigger the rage.
So can bleed damage ticks, which like fall damage they shouldn't trigger it, but I am unsure if the game can be that specific as to only trigger it from when the player hits a zombie.
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I find that the spear (without any perks) is boss at dealing with enraged zombies. I don't know why, but it interrupts their attack more than any weapon of similar quality I've used (aside from firearms, because headshot)While I have died to enraged zombies, I really like it. It makes POIs that much more dangerous and really encourages focusing down one zed at a time, lest you enrage too many and they overwhelm you
Could just do what most streamers do and exploit the junk turrets perma stun, just load it up with ammo, place it and laugh as the zombies can't move to hit you, and this is with no perks in Turret Syndrome at all or int. Afaik its not been changed and the placed junk turret will chain flinch/stagger on every shot no matter what. The flinch should be removed when placed UNLESS you have like 3-4 into Turret Syndrome.
I play on warrior difficulty, they enrage i'd say over 50% of the time, makes melee awefully exciting, but I can see it causing issues when higher hp zombies come out and your certan melee builds like well, anything other than clubs. Knives damage is completly garbage until you get a machete for direct damage, the bleed is insanely good though, I have lv 2 in deep cuts, and dropping a tri stacked bleed as a opener on a power attack does wonders for dps, just hit 5 agi, grabbing level 3 next. Power attacks with deep cuts perk land the max stack bleed you can if you bleed them. Great opener. I just wish knives could knockdown even if you need a mod for it. As if you don't time your strikes well, they will get a hit in.
Stun baton damage is just garbage period no matter what, prob why they have the junk turret I'm guessing your supposed to use a combo of both.
Fists melee is just, no, just no, its bad enough zombies enrage, and most weapons other than spears/clubs have crap range, these have even worse range.
Spears are meh, they have nice range, but do piddly squat for damage unless thrown.
Clubs still are the all around best melee weapon, as it has the most weapons for it (Baseball bats hit like trucks, seen a t6 one at trader with 38 base damage), 2nd highest range, and tend to knockdown enemies if you do a certan amount of their hp, which once you have 3 str and pummel pete 2, you generally can knock them down in 1-2 hits on nomad with a iron club, 1 with sledge or a decent baseball bat, and then kill them before they get up.