Mek'leth

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A strangely shaped melee weapon, made out of a tough alloy. While it may be cumbersome for a human, a particularly strong alien could make great use of this. Longer range.
Qapla'!

–In-game description

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The Mek'leth is a One Hand Blade in Phantom Forces. It is unlocked via rolling a LEGENDARY while opening cases.

History

The Mek'leth is a fictional blade, as seen in Star Trek series. In Star Trek lore, it is one of the traditional hand weapons of Klingons, a species of humanoid alien warriors. The other famed blade is the bat'leth, a large two-handed blade. While Klingons carried disruptors, they traditionally preferred to fight with their blades, preferring to board spaceships and kill the crew with their blades as part of their warrior culture.

In the real world, the Mek'leth gained its popularity due to its use by Worf, one of the main characters of Deep Space Nine. Dan Curry created the Mek'leth at Michael Dorn's request when he joined Deep Space Nine in 1995. Dorn wanted a weapon that was easier to wield. The final design was based on a Himalayan blade, a Northern Tibetan cavalry sword. However, the ergonomics of the weapon were specifically designed for Dorn's mass and hand size.

More about the Mek'leth can be read at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek Wikia.

Model

The model in-game is the Mek'leth seen in the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Discovery.

In-Game

General Information

The Mek'leth is a single-handed blade that allows the player to run at a good speed when holding it. Backstabs deal a one-shot-kill (1SK) to the target, like most other melee weapons. Body shots deal 70 damage, which is unable to kill an enemy up close. Its range is 2.4 studs, the longest of any One Hand Blade in-game, tied with the Machete.

Usage and Tactics

The Mek'leth is a balance between damage and range, being a medium ranged melee, and dealing a 1SK to the back, and 70 in front. It should not be used for travelling, however, it may be faster than other melee weapons and is definitely faster than any firearm. Along with this, the somewhat high damage and high range allows it to eliminate most injured targets. However, the low headshot damage, coupled with the 1.0x torso multiplier is a major weak point of this weapon, often requiring users to flank targets and eliminate them from behind. 

The high range, along with the 1SK from behind, allows the Mek'leth to be more of a 'pursuit' weapon, chasing after targets in the hopes of a successful elimination. Furthermore, a secondary weapon such as the Deagle 44 will deal more damage in the case of a torso impact from the front, or a headshot in close-quarters-combat (CQC). With this in mind, the Mek'leth should be used in select encounters, and not engage in combat, but stealthily eliminate targets. 

Conclusion

The Mek'leth performs like an average melee, much like the Machete, however, the Mek'leth deals more damage overall, while the Machete deals more damage to the head and limbs. This allows the Mek'leth to be more suited to players not familiar with melee weapons, as attacks to the limbs are less punishing.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Longest blade range out of all One Hand Blades.
• Quick attack time.
• Fast walkspeed.
• 1SK to the back.

Cons:

• Unlocked by rolling a Legendary in a case only.
• No torso multiplier.

Trivia

• The Mek'leth was originally seen in the Deep Space Nine series, but has also been seen in Star Trek: Discovery.
• The way the blade is designed seems to denote that the Mek'leth also has secondary purpose for quick beheading by trapping a targets neck between the handle and lower blade.