# Melee weapons and fist fights in FiveM

> Everything about melee in FiveM: the GTA 5 melee weapon list, reducing punch and melee damage, disabling pistol whipping and making fist fights work.

Source: https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-melee-weapons-guide · FAM Tools · published 2026-09-11 · updated 2026-09-11 · about 10 min

**Short answer.** GTA V has 18 melee weapons (knife, bat, crowbar, machete, knuckles and more), plus fists (`WEAPON_UNARMED`). Reduce melee damage with `SetPlayerMeleeWeaponDamageModifier(PlayerId(), 0.5)` or per weapon with `SetWeaponDamageModifier`. Stop pistol-whipping by disabling the melee attack controls (140, 141, 142) while a firearm is drawn.

## Key points

- Fists are `WEAPON_UNARMED` (`0xA2719263`); melee weapons are ordinary weapon items.
- `SetPlayerMeleeWeaponDamageModifier` scales all melee damage a player deals.
- Controls 140, 141 and 142 are the melee attacks; disable them while armed to stop pistol-whipping.
- Lower fist damage makes fist fights last long enough to roleplay.

Melee is where roleplay gets messy: vanilla GTA punches are brutal, a pistol-whip ends a standoff before anyone speaks, and a bat is lethal in two swings. A few client settings turn melee into something that supports scenes instead of ending them.

## The melee weapons

| Weapon | Name |
| --- | --- |
| Knife | `WEAPON_KNIFE` |
| Nightstick | `WEAPON_NIGHTSTICK` |
| Hammer | `WEAPON_HAMMER` |
| Baseball Bat | `WEAPON_BAT` |
| Crowbar | `WEAPON_CROWBAR` |
| Golf Club | `WEAPON_GOLFCLUB` |
| Bottle | `WEAPON_BOTTLE` |
| Dagger | `WEAPON_DAGGER` |
| Hatchet | `WEAPON_HATCHET` |
| Knuckle Duster | `WEAPON_KNUCKLE` |
| Machete | `WEAPON_MACHETE` |
| Flashlight | `WEAPON_FLASHLIGHT` |
| Switchblade | `WEAPON_SWITCHBLADE` |
| Pool Cue | `WEAPON_POOLCUE` |
| Wrench | `WEAPON_WRENCH` |
| Battle Axe | `WEAPON_BATTLEAXE` |
| Stone Hatchet | `WEAPON_STONE_HATCHET` |
| Candy Cane | `WEAPON_CANDYCANE` |

Hashes for all of them are in [the weapon names and hashes list](https://fam-tools.com/guides/gta-5-weapon-names-hashes-list).

## Reducing melee and punch damage

*client.lua*

```lua
CreateThread(function()
    SetPlayerMeleeWeaponDamageModifier(PlayerId(), 0.5) -- all melee at 50%
    SetWeaponDamageModifier(`WEAPON_UNARMED`, 0.3)      -- fists weaker still
    SetWeaponDamageModifier(`WEAPON_BAT`, 0.6)
end)
```

Fist fights in particular benefit from low damage: a fight that ends in two punches has no scene in it. See [damage modifiers](https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-damage-modifier) for how the two modifiers interact.

## Stopping pistol-whipping

*client.lua*

```lua
CreateThread(function()
    while true do
        local ped = PlayerPedId()
        if IsPedArmed(ped, 4) then -- 4 = firearms (1 = melee, 2 = explosives)
            DisableControlAction(0, 140, true) -- melee attack light
            DisableControlAction(0, 141, true) -- melee attack heavy
            DisableControlAction(0, 142, true) -- melee attack alternate
            Wait(0)
        else
            Wait(250)
        end
    end
end)
```

The loop only runs every frame while a firearm is drawn. `IsPedArmed` with flag 4 checks for firearms only, leaving knives and bats usable.

## Melee in roleplay

- Knives and bats as inventory items with weight, so carrying them is a choice.
- Lower melee damage so fights create injuries rather than deaths.
- Police batons (`WEAPON_NIGHTSTICK`) and flashlights double as tools.
- Consider melee in your server rules — e.g. no random punching.

## Questions

### How do I reduce punch damage in FiveM?

Set ``SetWeaponDamageModifier(`WEAPON_UNARMED`, 0.3)`` or scale all melee with `SetPlayerMeleeWeaponDamageModifier(PlayerId(), 0.5)` on the client.

### How do I disable pistol whipping?

While a firearm is drawn, disable controls 140, 141 and 142 every frame.

### What is the weapon name for fists?

`WEAPON_UNARMED`.

### How many melee weapons are in GTA V?

18 melee weapons, plus fists.

## Related

- https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-damage-modifier
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/gta-5-weapon-names-hashes-list
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-disable-combat-roll-quickswap
- https://fam-tools.com/guides/fivem-weapon-balance-roleplay