The Knife is a One Hand Blade Melee Weapon in Phantom Forces. It is unlocked by default.
History[]
Knives have existed since time immemorial as a simple implement for both self defense and as a cutting tool.
A knife is issued by virtually every armed force in the world - whether for police or for military forces, a knife is a handy tool for slicing, dicing, or otherwise splitting things in half.
Police forces generally do not carry full size combat knives, rather they usually carry simple pocketknives for most situations where a small blade would come in handy.
However, in a military situation, a combat knife is an essential piece of equipment for any soldier. A sharp knife, when mixed with proper hand to hand combat training, makes a soldier without their firearm a credible threat. Knives provide useful non-combat functionality, from cutting open rations to field surgery to even cutting wire in some cases. However, due to the different needs for every armed force, combat knives can come in many different shapes and sizes.
In-Game[]
General Information[]
The knife is the first melee weapon option available, as the most basic of all melees. With the ability to one-shot-kill (1SK) to the back and head, and an above-average melee walkspeed, the knife can outperform some other melees. It appears to be modeled after the M9 Bayonet.
The 1SK ability to the head and back, along with excellent walkspeed, allows easy flanking of opponents for a kill. Furthermore, the relatively fast attack rate allows a chance to make up for a missed attack, or to finish off an opponent with a 2SK at most.
Usage and Tactics[]
As with most other melee weapons, equipping this as the user's weapon greatly increases the movement speed and maneuverability of the player. With this in mind, the Knife can be used as a last-ditch attempt to eliminate an enemy in close-quarters-combat (CQC), but will often be bested by a firearm such as a shotgun or personal defense weapon, which both excel in CQC. Unless the aforementioned target has already sustained damage, the Knife may not be sufficient to deal enough damage, in the case of a front stab to anywhere but the head. As previously explained, the Knife should be used to skirt around the target, and eliminate them with the 1SK to the back.
To attempt to eliminate a target which is wielding a Knife, one must be aware of their surroundings to stay alive. With its high movement values, and 1SK to the back, someone who is defending against a knife-wielder may find their surrounding team eliminated, let alone a single player. Backpedaling while firing a weapon that is CQC oriented will massively help, along with not switching to a melee, as the knifer will often manage to get at least one stab in while switching. As with all melees, an elevation advantage can help greatly. A flight of stairs or a ladder can allow the defender to outmaneuver the knifer, flanking them as they climb up the stairs.
If one is forced to deal with a knifer up close, a secondary firearm or short-barreled firearm will allow more reliable shots on target, as the gun model has less of a chance to clip through the intended target and miss. PDWs, Shotguns, and Carbines are most effective in dealing with these situations. As stated above, it may be more of a detriment to the defender if their own melee is used.
Detection of a knife-wielder may be difficult. Unless they are detected on the Radar or marked by a teammate, one may find that they will be ambushed out of nowhere. When scouting out possible hiding areas, a CQC-oriented weapon is advisable, and even a melee, for allowing a pre-emptive strike on the target.
Conclusion[]
The Knife is an average melee, and performs as it would be expected. With a high mobility factor, 1SK to the back and head, this melee is suitable for users new and experienced. However, the appalling front stab damage may require more dexerity to successfully eliminate a target.
Pros & Cons[]
Pros:
- Fast walkspeed
- 1SK to the back.
- Unlocked by default.
- Relatively little delay between swings.
Cons:
- No huge advantage over most melee weapons.
- Low main stab damage.
- Slow swing speed.
- Lowest front attack damage out of all melees.
Trivia[]
- During Demo Testing (Alpha Testing), players were able to stab using the RMB (through a different animation). It was removed at the end of alpha, and later re-added in the beta.
- The right click stab was slower and did 1.2 times more damage. However, it was still not enough to kill a full heath player frontally.
- The user's mobility used to reach its maximum value with the Knife. With the implementation of the Brass Knuckle and other similar weapons, this has been surpassed.
- In the Test Place, the knifing animation was redone. It is now much faster than the one in the main game and resembles the midair knifing animation in Battlefield 4.
- In Update 3.3.0, the Knife received a new model.
- The old Knife in-game was modeled after a generic knife bayonet, as it has a barrel ring. The hole on the blade was probably used as a wire cutter when combined with the sheath.
- The model of the knife seems to be an M9 Bayonet, attachable onto AR-15 style rifles.