When to bother with melee combat?

[Cingal]

So, I picked some litter off the beach, and it had a bronze sword in it.
Up until now, I've focused entirely on unarmed, and not found any metal yet myself.

Is it worth getting into melee combat with this sword, or should I just continue punching stuff?
If it is worth using the sword, what amount of melee skill would be required to use it with any efficiency?

[MagicManICT]

You don't need to bother raising MC any. The damage dealt is based on the amount of openings made strength, and quality of weapon, not how much skill you have in any particular style.

[Lojka]

You continue to punch stuff, make openings, and then hit with sword to this opening - it will do normal dmg

[Hrenli]

If you don't plan to engage in PvP at all, you might consider going MC way though. Shield up's 250% block weight might be appealing and it's a bit easier to reach the values where you just run around and either sideswipe or quick barrage + cleave animals to death just by pressing one (max two buttons) without having to bother about defenses if that's what you are after.

[azrid]

If you already have some UA you can just keep going UA.

[Saxony4]

Only reason you should raise MC is if you want to spam sideswipe with a sword against animals. Worked really well for me last world.

[Sevenless]

Unarmed > 30
Loot chop/take aim (basically never happens with current card looting system) or uppercut/sideswipe
Raise MC to 15, swap to using shield up for defense (also awesomely cheap armor when you're hurting for mats early)
Raise MC to 40, keep raising ua/mc in the 3:4 ratio
Loot Quick Barrage/Cleave for upper/side/QB/cleave and transition into using parry for pushing cleaves when you want to use them.
Hop off the shield up crutch and move into parry to free up a hand slot.

This is my preferred hunting setup. It's not the only way to do it, but it works. Unarmed pure + sideswipe after you've made the openings is viable. MC pure focusing on QB/Cleave is also possible. PvP I've heard is better to have a combo ua/mc because of how powerful upper is on openings while QB is a must as well.

[vatas]

You need almost no MC at all if you use UA move to create opening first. some moves like Low Blow seem as if intentionally created for this. Said move synergizes with Chop, as it grants you IP required to use it and creates green opening that allows attack to go through. Other combo is Haymaker or Uppercut for Sideswipe.

[Prowny]

If you don't plan to engage in PvP at all, you might consider going MC way though. Shield up's 250% block weight might be appealing and it's a bit easier to reach the values where you just run around and either sideswipe or quick barrage + cleave animals to death just by pressing one (max two buttons) without having to bother about defenses if that's what you are after.

Please go on. As a pvm hermit this sounds like goals to me

[Hrenli]

Please go on. As a pvm hermit this sounds like goals to me

Sevenless already described it in more details a few posts later in this very thread.