Thief Dagger

MeleePreciseTiers I–IV

50%/56%/62%/80% chance to gain 1 material when killing an enemy with a critical hit

Unlock: Available from the start
Starting weapon for: 20 characters

Community builds that use it

CrazyUse Precise weapons, which keep the full +100 Range, and push Crit Chance toward 100% with plenty of Melee Damage; Thief Dagger is the economy pick, Lightning Shiv, Shuriken, Claw and Icicle are the other main options. Leave Dodge negative and rely on Armor and Max HP instead.
CryptidMelee crit build that leaves trees alive: Thief Dagger, Knife, Claw or Jousting Lance with Crit Chance and Melee Damage, capping Dodge at its 70% limit. Ranged weapons and turrets pop trees.
DemonItems cost Max HP, so early shopping at very low HP is normal; Ghost Scepter (which grants HP on kills) and Thief Dagger are the late-game picks, and Lightning Shiv the beginner-friendly one. Sharp Bullet helps Ghost Scepter clear.
DiverMelee crit with Precise weapons: Knife or Scissors to start, with Thief Dagger and Shuriken as options. Guides report a slow early game; one guide recommends moving to Cacti Club, Spear or SMG once found.
EntrepreneurThe -50% Damage modifier pushes most guides to an Engineering build with Wrench turrets, which ignore it; Support weapons such as Sickle and Pruner exploit the boosted Harvesting. Spend all materials every shop because they are lost at the start of the next wave.
GangsterSteal items each shop and kill the elites it spawns; guides favour ranged weapons (SMG, Revolver) to handle those elites, with Luck early so stolen items are better. Avoid stealing right before elite or boss waves until the build is strong.
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.
HunterCrossbows with Crit Chance (boosted 25%) and Range, which also grants % Damage; Harvesting gains are cancelled, so drop it. Thief Dagger, Icicle, Shuriken and Hiking Pole are reported alternatives.
LoudThe extra enemies supply materials, so skip Harvesting and pick weapons that handle crowds: Spear, Jousting Lance, Lightning Shiv and Thief Dagger for melee, Double Barrel Shotgun, Shredder, SMG or Slingshot for ranged. Take items that add more enemies.
SaverBuild a base of weapons and key items, then stop spending around waves 8-9 so held materials raise % Damage through the passive and Piggy Bank. Spear, Lightning Shiv, Icicle and Thief Dagger are recommended; Padding became a good pickup after its buff.

Stats by tier

Tier I Common
Damage
6 (+50% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
1.01s
Crit
x2 (20% chance)
Range
150
Tier II Uncommon
Damage
12 (+50% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
0.93s
Crit
x2 (25% chance)
Range
150
Tier III Rare
Damage
18 (+50% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
0.86s
Crit
x2 (30% chance)
Range
150
Tier IV Legendary
Damage
30 (+50% Melee Damage)
Cooldown
0.73s
Crit
x2 (40% chance)
Range
150

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

DPS at tier IV

57.5 DPS with no stats, 76.7 at 20 Melee Damage and 105.5 at 50 (single target, every projectile hits, crits averaged): #25 of 58 weapons that scale with Melee Damage. Full ranking or your own stats.