Stick

MeleePrimitiveTiers I–IV

Deals +4/+6/+8/+10 Damage for every additional Stick you have

Unlock: Available from the start
Starting weapon for: 27 characters

Community builds that use it

BabyNo level-up stats, so all stats come from the shop; Sticks are the standard choice because base damage grows with each Stick held, and survivability needs Armor, Dodge and Max HP. XP Gain items and a broad mixed melee loadout are alternatives.
ChunkyMax HP is both defence and damage, so stack Max HP and Armor and heal through consumables; Chopper, Spiky Shield, Rock and Pruner are the recommended weapons. Speed upgrades do nothing, which makes items with a Speed penalty attractive.
DruidPicking up fruit grants Luck, so Lutes (Luck and Harvesting) or Pruners (more fruit) are the main weapons, with Baby Elephant and Cyberball turning Luck into damage. Healing is limited to fruit, Cute Monkey and similar items.
ExplorerEngineering avoids the -40% Damage penalty, with Pocket Factory the key item; Cacti Club spines also cut down the extra trees. Shredder explosion builds and Sticks are other recommended starts.
FishermanPrimitive melee with reach, Spear or Stick, to cut through the bait swarms; take few Bait early, build Luck and Harvesting, then raise Bait later. Armor early and up to 60% Dodge by waves 15-18 are recommended; Spiky Shield and gun builds also appear.
GolemNo healing during waves, so Spiky Shields that scale only with Armor are the standard build; Slingshot, Stick and Revolver are alternatives. Dropping to half HP in normal waves triggers the Attack Speed bonus.
LichDamage comes from healing scaled by Max HP, so stack Max HP, HP Regeneration and Life Steal and use weapons that trigger healing often or scale with HP: elemental burn with Snake and Scared Sausage, Slingshot, Chopper or Spiky Shield. Sources differ on the main weapon.
LuckyStack Luck and use weapons that convert it into damage: Lute is the favoured choice, Flute and Pan Flute add luck damage, and Slingshot or Stick work while luck items are missing. Baby Elephant, Cyberball, Crocodile and Pearl are the named luck-damage items.
MultitaskerTwelve Sticks is the standard build because each Stick raises the others' base damage; get % Damage back to positive after filling the slots. Guns, elemental weapons with Snake and Scared Sausage, and 12-turret Engineering builds are reported alternatives.
MutantLevel-ups supply most stats because items cost 50% more, so buy only key items, take Luck for better upgrades and rush all six weapons early. Quarterstaff scales with level; SMG, Double Barrel Shotgun or Minigun with Ranged Damage from upgrades are the gun route.
SurvivorInvest heavily in Luck in the first shops to get crates; Sticks fill the eight weapon slots, and recycling high-tier weapons with the recycling item drives the economy.
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.
Well-RoundedNo restrictions, so any build works; the common picks are six SMGs or Double Barrel Shotguns with Ranged Damage, or Sticks/Spears as a primitive melee fallback. Take early Luck and Harvesting, then split between offence and defence.
WildlingSix Sticks (the starting extra Stick included) with the +30% Primitive Life Steal is the default; Spear, Javelin, Hatchet and Slingshot are alternatives within the tier-2 weapon cap.

Stats by tier

Tier I Common
Damage
8 (+100% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.29s
Crit
x1.5 (3% chance)
Range
175
Tier II Uncommon
Damage
9 (+100% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.22s
Crit
x1.5 (3% chance)
Range
175
Tier III Rare
Damage
10 (+100% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.15s
Crit
x1.5 (3% chance)
Range
175
Tier IV Legendary
Damage
12 (+100% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.09s
Crit
x1.5 (3% chance)
Range
175

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

DPS at tier IV

11.2 DPS with no stats, 29.8 at 20 Melee Damage and 57.7 at 50 (single target, every projectile hits, crits averaged): #55 of 58 weapons that scale with Melee Damage. Full ranking or your own stats.