Ghost Axe

MeleeEtherealTiers I–IV

+1% Damage for every 20/18/16/12 enemies you kill during a wave with this weapon

Unlock: Available from the start
Starting weapon for: 17 characters

Community builds that use it

GeneralistPair three melee and three ranged weapons that scale with flat damage, such as Cacti Club or Spear with Slingshot, SMG or Javelin, and favour items that give both Melee and Ranged Damage. Ghost weapon and crit (Knife/Shuriken) combinations are also reported.
GhostBuild around the Ethereal set: Ghost Flint plus Ghost Axe for melee damage and Attack Speed, or six Ghost Scepters for a large Max HP pool that needs piercing and Attack Speed. Armor is not worth buying.
GladiatorCarry six different melee weapons to maximise the per-weapon Attack Speed bonus; Spear is recommended in almost every version, with Quarterstaff, Jousting Lance, swords and primitive weapons filling the rest. Buy cheap Luck early to offset the -30 Luck and keep some Dodge.
MasochistGetting hit adds % Damage, so tank hits with Armor, Max HP and HP Regeneration; Spiky Shield (unlocked by winning with Masochist) is the main recommendation, with Scissors, Ghost Axe or Medical Gun as alternatives. Blood Donation or Bloody Hand trigger the passive every second.
VampireStay at low HP to boost damage and heal only through Life Steal; Spiky Shield, Stick, Lightning Shiv, Sharp Tooth or SMG are suggested, with Armor and some Dodge. Aim to keep HP around a third to half.

Stats by tier

Tier I Common
Damage
12 (+100% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.73s
Crit
x2 (3% chance)
Range
200
Tier II Uncommon
Damage
18 (+100% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.66s
Crit
x2 (3% chance)
Range
200
Tier III Rare
Damage
24 (+100% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.58s
Crit
x2 (3% chance)
Range
200
Tier IV Legendary
Damage
40 (+100% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.51s
Crit
x2 (3% chance)
Range
200

Damage in brackets is added from your stats before %Damage multiplies the total; see the damage formula or the calculator.

DPS at tier IV

27.3 DPS with no stats, 40.9 at 20 Melee Damage and 61.4 at 50 (single target, every projectile hits, crits averaged): #48 of 58 weapons that scale with Melee Damage. Full ranking or your own stats.