The sledgehammer can function as both a melee weapon and a tool.[1] The amount of attacks the sledgehammer has makes it a versatile choice for clearing multiple weak enemies in groups, making it significantly more useful than the military knife from both The First Encounter and The Second Encounter.
The sledgehammer has three separate attacks: a swift downward swing (used with the primary fire key) that, if enemies are close together in front of the player, can kill/damage multiple enemies at once; a horizontal right-to-left swipe (used with the secondary fire key) that can take out several enemies at a time; and by pressing the reload key (R by default), a spinning swing that can clear multiple enemies within close proximity all around the player. Each attack has a varying speed of execution, with the downward and spinning swing taking slightly more time to initiate. When the player is not around enemies, performing swings will take much more time. However when in close proximity to hostiles, the playable character will automatically raise the sledgehammer above their head, making swings much quicker to deliver.
Aside from being used as a weapon, the sledgehammer can serve as a useful tool for breaking down wooden barricades and doors. Additionally, some secrets that appear in the Serious Sam 3 campaign are hidden behind walls or closed doors, thus the secret(s) can only be accessed by breaking them.
The slegehammer behaves quite differently in this game than in Serious Sam 3, and only has one attack where it will slam into the ground when the primary fire key is pressed. There is a small delay before the slegehammer can be used again after pressing the key. The sledgehammer is a powerful close-quarters weapon that also has a piercing effect, making it useful against small groups of weak enemies like Crabs or Gnaars, but not useful for when dealing with ranged opponents.
The player can switch to the sledgehammer by pressing the scroll button key. Bad Bulb uses a weaker version of the sledgehammer called "melee bulb". This weapon has a piercing effect that can damage multiple enemies at close range. It can also be used to fling away bombs, water mines and other objects in the player's environment.
The sledgehammer is the first weapon Sam acquires in the campaign, in "Summer in Cairo" inside of a locker in an apartment building. The weapon is then required to break down the wooden planks blocking the way. A secret sledgehammer also appears on top of the bulding opposite in the same level.
There are two varieties of sledgehammers that appear in the campaign; one with a wooden shaft, and one made entirely of metal which is obtained in "The Lost Temples of Nubia". They are both identical in statistics and performance.
The sledgehammer is absent from the expansion pack, as it is replaced by the Axe, which is identical in terms of damage output and performance. This is not the case in the Xbox 360 version of the game, in which case the standard sledgehammer appears instead.
The sledgehammer spawns in one of two locations on the first level, "Knee Deep in Sand". The first location is near a beach on the eastern part of the map, and the second spawn is next to a lake opposite a pyramid. It makes a second appearance in "Path of Feast/Fear".
The weapon works very well against swarms of Hatchling Antaresian Spiders, as they have a tendency to swarm the player and travel in a straight line, allowing the player to take out several Hatchings with a single swing.
When using the sledgehammer against Kleers, the player should wait for them to leap, then immediately sidestep out of the way and strike them. This is much more efficient than striking them head on, as this can be risky and is more likely to result in the player taking a lot of damage from the Kleer's leap attack.
Alternatively, the player can sidestep out of the Kleer's path, wait for them to pause, and then kill them with the sledgehammer before they turn around to attack again.
It is not very effective against large or tougher enemies, such as Adult Arachnoids, Major Bio-mechanoids, or Scrapjacks, especially considering the fact that Arachnoids and Scrapjacks have powerful melee attacks that do a lot of damage and both the Arachnoid and Bio-mechanoid can also easily kick the player away for massive damage just by touching them (200+ in the case of the latter). Reserve using the sledgehammer on these stronger enemies just to finish them off after weakening them.
The weapon shouldn't be used against enemies that explode when killed, such as Beheaded Kamikazes, for obvious reasons.
Serious Sam's Bogus Detour[]
The sledgehammer is a more powerful melee weapon than Fists, but the player still needs to be careful when using it against small or large groups of enemies to avoid being swarmed.
It is a particularly effective weapon against melee enemies, such as Gnaars, Infected Fish and Orc Butchers.
It can also be effective against Infected Tortoises, provided that the player avoids their bite attack in time.
When attacking Infected Tortoises with this weapon, go around them and attack with the sledgehammer at the same to reduce the chances of taking damage from them.
It is not recommended to use the sledgehammer against tough enemies like Orc Captains or Scrapjacks due to their high health and dangerous attacks.
The sledgehammer is a great weapon for clearing large groups of Crabs, should the player wish to use it against them.
Serious Sam: Tormental[]
The sledgehammer is good to use on weak enemies like Croakueens or Gonks or to whack away tougher enemies like the Cerebull.
It is a useful weapon to keep enemies away when being overwhelmed at close range.
With good timing, a skilled player can activate a bomb, water mine or explosive barrel and qucikly swing them at a group of opponents to before they explode to inflict damage on tougher enemies and to wipe out weaker targets.
Related achievements[]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
Berserker
Kill 3 enemies in one sprint with the Sledgehammer.
Bone Crusher
Smash 20 Kleers with the Sledgehammer.
Circle of death
Kill at least 3 enemies in one spinning Sledgehammer attack.
Hammer Time
Frag 20 players with the Sledgehammer.
Serious Sam Fusion[]
Berserker
Kill 3 enemies in one sprint with the Sledgehammer.
Bone Crusher
Smash 20 Kleers with the Sledgehammer.
Circle of Death
Kill at least 3 enemies in one spinning Sledgehammer attack.
Upgrades[]
Heavy Hitter
Your melee weapons do 50%-100% more damage.
Behind the scenes[]
The sledgehammer had a different style in the Serious Sam 3 reveal trailer.[2]
Trivia[]
While the sledgehammer and its Jewel of the Nile counterpart, the axe, do not officially appear in Serious Sam 4 or its standalone expansion Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem, the two damage types unique to it, "Sledgehammer swing" and "Sledgehammer smash", can still be selected as damage types in the Serious Editor for both games.
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
The sledgehammer, along with the axe, is unique among the other weapons in the player's arsenal as the only weapon that can be used while sprinting at the same time.[1]
Serious Sam: Tormental[]
NETRICSA's version of the sledgehammer resembles an ordinary hammer or a war hammer.
