Worked out · Valheim 1.0.17

Best clubs, maces and sledges

All Valheim clubs, maces and sledges ranked by damage at max level, damage per stamina over a full combo and the secondary attack, and the best one you can make in each biome.

Strongest mace
Frostfire SledgeSledge
348damage
Most damage per stamina
Frostfire Mace3-hit combo
24.2per stamina
Hardest secondary attack
Frostfire Mace× 2.5 for 28 stamina
725damage
First you can make
Club30 damage at max level
Meadows

Best mace in each biome

Of the maces you can make by then, the one that kills the biome's hostile creatures in the fewest hits, their weaknesses and resistances applied (every weapon by biome).

Biome	Best mace	Hits	Creatures
Meadows	ClubBlunt	5	4
Black Forest	Bronze MaceBlunt	69	5
Swamp	Iron MaceBlunt	64	9
Mountains	Iron MaceBlunt	26	4
Plains	PorcupineBlunt + Pierce	63	5
Mistlands	DemolisherBlunt	51	6
Ashlands	Storm StarBlunt + Lightning	73	9
Deep North	Thunderblood SledgeBlunt + Lightning	66	9

All 18 ranked

Mace	From	Damage	Per stamina	Secondary	Stamina	Block
Frostfire Sledge230 Blunt21 Fire97 Frost	Deep North	348	12.4	—	28	52
Thunderblood Sledge265 Blunt60 Lightning	Deep North	325	11.6	—	28	52
Frostfire Mace172 Blunt21 Fire97 Frost	Deep North	290	24.2	725×2.5	16	66
Thunderblood Mace210 Blunt60 Lightning	Deep North	270	22.5	675×2.5	16	66
Nord Sledge255 Blunt	Deep North	255	9.1	—	28	52
Nord Mace200 Blunt	Deep North	200	16.7	500×2.5	16	66
Storm Star153 Blunt10 Lightning	Ashlands	163	13.6	408×2.5	16	57
Klossen153 Blunt10 Poison	Ashlands	163	13.6	408×2.5	16	57
Demolisher163 Blunt	Mistlands	163	5.8	—	28	52
Flametal Mace153 Blunt	Ashlands	153	12.8	383×2.5	16	57
Bloodgeon153 Blunt	Ashlands	153	12.8	383×2.5	16	57
Porcupine50 Blunt63 Pierce	Plains	113	10.8	283×2.5	14	39
Frostner35 Blunt58 Frost20 Spirit	Mountains	113	12.6	283×2.5	12	30
Iron Mace73 Blunt	Swamp	73	9.7	183×2.5	10	21
Iron Sledge73 Blunt	Swamp	73	3.7	—	20	28
Bronze Mace53 Blunt	Black Forest	53	8.8	133×2.5	8	12
Stagbreaker38 Blunt5 Pierce	Black Forest	43	3.6	—	12	4
Club30 Blunt	Meadows	30	6.7	—	6	3

Formula

Damage at max level = base + per level × (max level − 1), each damage type apart; chop and pickaxe left out of the rating (almost every creature ignores them).

Full combo = (combo hits − 1) × hit + hit × the last swing's multiplier; per stamina = combo damage ÷ (stamina × combo hits). Secondary attack = hit × its multiplier.

Stamina and eitr per attack are at skill 0; skill 100 takes a third off (× 0.67) for every weapon alike, so the order doesn't change.

ItemData.GetDamage, Attack.DoMeleeAttack / FireProjectileBurst, Attack.GetAttackStamina, HitData.ApplyResistance in the code of Valheim 1.0.17.

Assumptions

Skill 50 in the weapon's skill, weapons at their max normal level, no stars on the creatures (a star doubles health, two stars triple it).
Every hit lands and only the primary attack is used; no backstab, no stagger bonus, no armor set or mead bonuses.
Area hits (staffs, sledges, atgeirs) are counted against one creature at a time.
Bows and crossbows fire the best arrow or bolt for the target you can make by then, at full draw.