Strength

“ Strength measures your character's muscle power. It affects melee damage and carry capacity. It's also important for characters who intend to use heavier weapons (such as sniper and assault rifles and sledgehammers). ”

— In-game description

Details

Strength determines how much damage you can deal in unarmed combat and with melee weapons. Strength also increases your chance to hit with melee weapons by increasing your melee skill, unless your dexterity is higher. Carry capacity starts at 100, with each point of Strength increasing it by 10. Some other actions (e.g. opening vents with a crowbar) also require a set score of strength. Strength is also a requirement to use heavier types of weapons and armor. You can use heavy equipment without meeting its strength requirements, but too heavy weapons will suffer reduced precision and wearing too heavy armor reduces your action points.

High strength score is important for characters who use the heaviest of armors and heavy weaponry.

Directly affected skills	Other effects
Melee	Carry capacity Melee bonus damage Requirement for heavy armor Requirement for heavy weapons

Melee damage bonus

Weapon subtype	Strength bonus damage (%)																Other weapons in the same class
Weapon subtype	1-5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Other weapons in the same class
Combat Knife Serrated Knife	-	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	24	26	28	30	Kohlmeier's Lucky Knife, Jackknife, Kukri, Butcher's Cleaver, Bone Handle Knife
Dagger	-	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33	36	39	42	45	Shiv, Dehumanizer
Unarmed Leather Gloves	-	5	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	Brass Knuckles, Boxing Gloves, The Claw, Ripper's Glove, Spiked Chrome Brass Knuckles
Steel Crowbar	-	-	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33	36	39	42	None
Metal Gloves	-	-	-	10	20	30	40	50	60	70	80	90	100	110	120	130	Power Fist
Sledgehammer	-	-	-	-	10	20	30	40	50	60	70	80	90	100	110	120	Balor's Hammer, Quake, Mind Cracker