The hatchet is a one-handed close combat weapon but can double up as a ranged one with some abilities on one of its mastery trees, Throwing.

A few abilities in this tree include:

• Critical Throw – increases critical strike chance both for the thrown and close combat hatchet.
• Refreshing Throws – reduces cooldowns
• Aimed Throw – enables you to hit enemies from a distance by allowing you to change your block to a throw.

The hatchet’s other tree is called the Berserker and is the exact opposite of the Throwing tree. Abilities here focus on boosting a player’s close combat abilities during both light and heavy attacks.

Defy Death, the ultimate mastery, is notable here. It helps you evade a killing blow and allows you to cheat death for the next three seconds. Of course, the three seconds aren’t that significant unless you’re some distance away from the enemy.

As a weapon, the hatchet scales with Strength and Dexterity and deals Slash damage for the most part. And while it can be stepped up to a ranged weapon, this range is a bit limited and the Throwing tree is a bit weak overall.

That’s why pairing it up with other weapons is more than welcome. The bow, great axe, spear, and war hammer are excellent options.