• I have done a ton of breakpoint testing and research for each of these builds, and spent a great deal of time playing them in Auric Hi-Shock, but to keep this short and sweet, I am omitting all of the nerdy numbers.
  
  
• Kuli has an amazing guide if you're interested in exact data. View it here.
  
  
• I will attempt in this guide to provide (what I believe) is a meta build option for each weapon.
  
  
• I will not be including Martyrdom as an option because Martyrdom is almost always an option due to its ridiculous damage numbers.

The intent behind this guide is simply to provide the best possible damage output and survivability for each melee weapon choice.

Finally, the melee weapons are *very* loosely arranged in a tier list format, with stronger weapons being higher on the list.
Many of Zealot's weapons perform almost identically to each other, and are also affected by user skill and playstyle.
Almost everything below the Combat Axe listing basically just becomes user playstyle preference and can be used almost equally effectively as one another in the right hands.

Zealot has three main options when making their build, marked in green.

They don't have a whole lot of variety, but powerful options are still available, marked in brown.

Some talents are just inherently bad, however, and they are marked in red.

The only exception to this image is Chorus (ability), as it is a viable option at any difficulty, although
it is not as good as FOTF (ability).

Here is a diagram I made showing proper pathing along the zealot tree, with some additional notes:

Due to diminishing returns, you'll be limited to taking 51.2% of incoming gunner/reaper damage.
You are not Neo from the matrix, you're going to get hit by gunners and reapers consistently all game.
Reducing the damage you take from them makes open areas significantly safer, makes previously impossible revives possible, and makes it significantly easier to reduce the chip damage you take. (When you are hit by an enemy and you are under 100% toughness, you will take increasing amounts of hp damage.)

Toughness is an obvious second choice as toughness gains are based off of your max toughness as percentages of it. (E.G. A kill is worth 5% of your toughness bar.

A single sniper resist will stop you from taking lethal damage from a sniper shot, which reduces the risk of a mistake costing you Until Death (or your life!) at an unfortunate moment.

Stamina regeneration is better than sprint efficiency unless you're using a weapon that never uses its push attack.. But even then, stamina regeneration is more reliable, in my opinion.

Please don't take corruption resistance, it's practically pointless.

Toughness generation speed only affects your passive coherency game, it's a bad stat.

Full build available here[darktide.gameslantern.com].

Mark IV
Perks: Flak + Unyielding
Blessings: Uncanny Strikes + Thrust or Precognition + Riposte
Talents: Standard IJ (best) or Piety build.

Combos: Horde clear: Spam light attack or light attack -> special.
Single Target: Spam heavy attack or heavy -> special.

Notes: This weapon is uncontestedly the best melee in the game for Zealots and is even quite strong on Psyker. It oneshots Crushers and Bulwarks, can instantly stagger any non-boss enemy in the game, has decent horde clear (which can be accommodated for with a Flamer), and is simply the best boss damage Zealot has.

Full build available here[darktide.gameslantern.com].

Mark X
Perks: Flak + Elites / Flak + Unarmored /
Blessings: Cranial Grounding + Rampage
Talents: Modified piety build.

Combos: Horde clear: Spam light attacks
Single Target: Spam heavy overhead attacks, and abuse it's sprinting thrust.
Engage: Sprint + hold heavy for a very high-damage running thrust.

Notes: This weapons horde clear is ridiculous, rivaling that of the Rashad Combat Axe. Even when not powered on, it's among the best. It's also capable of oneshoting Crushers and Bulwarks.
Consider dropping Pious Cut-Throat for Thy Wrath Be Swift.
This is one of the few weapons Disdain hits horde clear breakpoints on, so it's usable.

For more advanced users:
It also has complex combos available by using the throwing knife or block animations to reset the weapons coldown.
For example, superior chaff horde clear would simply be to use Light 1 -> Light 2 -> block, in order to maximize clear if no elites are present.
You can also cancel the cooldown on your sprinting thrust by throwing a knife or blocking, which lets you dodge side to side and thrust over and over to oneshot multiple Bulwarks/Crushers.

Full build available here[darktide.gameslantern.com].

Mark: Catachan Mk III
Perks: Flak + Unyielding
Blessings: Precognition + Riposte
Talents: Standard IJ (best) or Piety build.
Notes: Uncanny is also very strong on Combat Blade, as it lets you kill maulers and
crushers very quickly. However, its best synergy lies in abusing it's headshot and crit
multipliers. Do not use bleed blessings, Reddit lied to you, they are bad. Take 1-2 +3
stamina curio.

Combos: Horde clear: Spam Push Attack (rmb+lmb)
Single Target: Spam Push Attack (rmb+lmb)

Full build available here[darktide.gameslantern.com].

Mark: Rashad Mk3
Perks: Flak + Unyielding
Blessings: Brutal Momentum + Headtaker
Talent Keystone: Martyr or IJ

Combos:

• Horde clear: Spam light attack
  
• Single Target: Spam heavy attack
  
• Additional info: Push Attack staggers multiple ragers

Notes: When paired with IJ or Martyrdom, this weapon kills multiple enemies with every light attack, and has amazing single target damage on heavies. It has some of the best horde clear zealot has to offer, with its only weakness being mediocre mobility and sometimes annoying hitboxes. Martyr Rashad has long been considered one of Zealot's strongest picks, although it tends to lack CDR.

Full build available here[darktide.gameslantern.com].

Mark: Cadia Mk13g
Perks: Flak + Maniac
Blessings: Wrath + Shred
Talent Keystone: Inexorable Judgement

Combos:

• Horde clear: Spam light attack
  
• Single Target: Spam heavy attack

Notes: Crazy horde clear with decent mobility, but is only "okay" at Carapace damage, which is why I recommend taking the Boltgun with this weapon.

Full build available here[darktide.gameslantern.com].

Mark: Indignatus - Mark IVe
Perks: Flak + Maniac / Flak + Carapace / Flak + Unyielding
Blessings: Skullcrusher + Slaughterer
Talent Keystone: Piety

Combos:

• Horde clear: Special Action (Charge) -> Push Attack -> Heavy
  
• Single Target: Heavy -> Light -> Heavy or Heavy -> Block cancel

Notes: Great horde clear with very high stagger. Is only okay at carapace damage, so yet another bolter reccomendation.