Stone Hatchet
Melee reward tied to Maude Eccles bounty targets and a follow-up kill challenge.
Key Takeaways
The Stone Hatchet is an Online melee weapon tied to Maude’s bounty-hunting activity. Its defining feature is a temporary Rampage effect that rewards consecutive close-range kills, while its main limitation is the reach and commitment inherent to a hand weapon.
Bounty-hunt reward
In GTA Online, the Stone Hatchet becomes available through the bounty-hunting activity initiated by Maude; its availability should not be treated as a universal Story Mode weapon route.
Rampage mechanic
Consecutive kills with the Stone Hatchet can activate its temporary Rampage effect, giving the weapon a distinct combat role beyond its normal melee attacks.
Close-range pressure
Its strongest use is aggressive fighting at very short range, where the Rampage effect and melee reach matter more than firearm-like accuracy or sustained ranged output.
Limited reach
The Stone Hatchet cannot pressure distant targets like a pistol or other firearm, and missed swings leave the user committed to close-range recovery and positioning.
No Mk II path
The Stone Hatchet is a standalone melee weapon rather than a firearm conversion, so GTA Online’s Mk II weapon and special-ammunition systems do not apply to it.
Compared with ordinary hatchets
Compared with a conventional hatchet, the Stone Hatchet’s important distinction is its named Rampage mechanic and bounty-hunt acquisition route, not a firearm-style attachment or magazine upgrade.
Overview
Stone Hatchet is a unique melee weapon in Grand Theft Auto Online, presented as the reward for a bounty-hunting side activity associated with Maude. Its importance comes less from ordinary melee reach than from its special kill-streak ability, which can temporarily make the wielder more resistant while improving close-range offensive pressure. It is an Online weapon rather than a general Story Mode pickup.
The Stone Hatchet occupies a distinctive place among GTA Online’s hand weapons because obtaining it is tied to an activity rather than a standard Ammu-Nation purchase. The associated bounty trail gives the weapon a clear progression context: it is both a reward for completing the relevant encounters and a practical tool for players who continue using melee attacks after the activity is finished. Its compact form also makes it easy to carry as a situational alternative to firearms.
In combat, the hatchet is most notable when the player can maintain a sequence of close-range kills. That behaviour is central to its identity: successful aggressive use can trigger a temporary combat effect that improves survivability and offensive momentum. The effect gives the Stone Hatchet a different role from ordinary melee weapons, which are generally judged mainly by their attack animations, reach and convenience.
This does not make the Stone Hatchet a universal replacement for guns or for every other melee option. It requires the player to remain within striking distance and to keep engagements moving, so its distinctive benefit is most relevant in situations with clustered, vulnerable targets. Against enemies that punish close approaches, its special ability is harder to exploit than it is during controlled crowd-clearing encounters.
The weapon therefore exists on the page as both a collectible reward and a specialized melee choice. Its Online-only acquisition, bounty-related origin and conditional combat effect are more important to understanding it than a simple comparison of basic melee performance. Readers looking for a conventional purchase, a Story Mode equivalent or a purely cosmetic hatchet variant should treat those as separate availability questions rather than assuming the Stone Hatchet follows the standard weapon roster.
Statistics
In-game values on GTA V's 0–100 stat bars, with the real magazine figure alongside. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- CategoryMelee
- Story ModeNo
- OnlineGTA Online: After Hours
- How to getAmmu-Nation
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar melee
| Weapon | Damage |
|---|---|
| Stone Hatchet | 42 |
| Hatchet | 40 |
| Knife | 40 |
| Antique Cavalry Dagger | 45 |
| Machete | 45 |
Damage, fire rate, accuracy and range are GTA V's own 0–100 stat scales; magazine is the real figure. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- GTA Online access; the Stone Hatchet is obtained through Maude's five-bounty sequence and is not a Story Mode weapon.
- Complete all five bounty targets assigned by Maude Eccles before the cache location becomes available.
- 01In GTA Online, wait for Maude Eccles to contact you with a bounty-hunting target, then complete the five bounty targets she sends. Each target can be dealt with through the available bounty objective; completing the full set advances the Stone Hatchet assignment.
- 02After the fifth bounty, Maude sends the location of a hidden cache. Travel to the marked location shown in the message or map, open the cache, and collect the Stone Hatchet. This is a guaranteed reward for completing the five-target sequence, rather than a random enemy drop.
Availability
Requires Complete the Maude bounty-hunt sequence and locate the Stone Hatchet cache.
The weapon is obtained through the GTA Online treasure-hunt activity rather than purchased from Ammu-Nation. It is associated with the After Hours-era content.
The Stone Hatchet is an Online-only weapon and is not part of the standard Story Mode weapon inventory.
Mechanics and Handling
In GTA Online, the Stone Hatchet is a close-range melee weapon whose main distinction is its kill-streak-based special ability. Its ordinary attacks use the compact, committed swings expected from a hand axe, while its practical value increases when the player can stay close to several unarmoured targets and maintain pressure. It does not use ammunition or require reloading; its limitations instead come from short melee reach, exposure during attacks and the need to fight within striking distance.
Compact axe moveset and spacing
The Stone Hatchet is most effective at short range, where its swings can connect without requiring the player to cross a large gap. The attack commitment leaves less room for correction than a firearm, so missed swings can expose the player to counterattacks. It is better suited to isolated targets or tightly grouped enemies than to situations where opponents can keep their distance. The weapon's melee handling also makes positioning important: approach from the side or rear when possible, and avoid relying on it against enemies who are already controlling the engagement with guns.
Kill-streak rampage effect
The Stone Hatchet has a weapon-specific rampage effect that can be activated by achieving a rapid sequence of kills. Once active, the effect temporarily improves the player's offensive output and reduces incoming damage, allowing an aggressive melee sequence to continue with less risk. This is a conditional benefit rather than a permanent stat change: the weapon remains a short-range axe when the effect is inactive, and the player must create another suitable kill sequence before relying on the ability again. The effect is therefore strongest in encounters with multiple accessible targets, not in every isolated duel.
Practical handling
Because the rampage effect rewards consecutive kills, switching to another weapon between targets can undermine the Stone Hatchet's defining advantage. It is most useful when the player can start the sequence against a vulnerable target and immediately move to the next one. The weapon offers no ranged fallback, ammunition management or attachment-based handling adjustment, so a loadout using it should retain a firearm for enemies outside melee distance or for encounters where closing the gap is unsafe.
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its special ability rewards consecutive melee kills with a temporary rampage effect that increases offensive pressure and reduces incoming damage, making the weapon more effective when targets can be engaged in sequence.
- The Stone Hatchet can turn a close-range encounter into a momentum-based attack: each successful takedown helps maintain the aggressive cycle instead of requiring a separate ranged weapon for every target.
- It provides a distinct melee option for GTA Online players who want a weapon-specific challenge and a combat effect that is not shared by ordinary hatchets.
Weaknesses
- It is restricted to close-range attacks, so enemies outside striking distance remain a problem and the weapon offers no ranged response.
- Its special ability depends on securing melee kills; cautious play, separated targets or opponents who keep their distance reduce the weapon's distinctive advantage.
- Approaching armed enemies to use it exposes the player before the rampage effect is active, making the opening attack riskier than using a firearm.
Best uses
- Use it when several enemies are close enough to reach in succession, allowing the rampage effect to support an aggressive chain of takedowns.
- It suits GTA Online freemode or mission situations where the player deliberately wants a melee challenge rather than the safer reach and flexibility of a firearm.
- Choose it for close-quarters pressure against exposed targets; switch to a ranged weapon when enemies are spread out, elevated or protected by distance.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Melee role | Distinctive mechanic | Comparison with Stone Hatchet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Hatchet | Unlocks a temporary rampage effect through consecutive kills | The defining choice when its kill-streak reward matters; available in GTA Online rather than Story Mode | — |
| Hatchet | Uses its standard melee behavior without the Stone Hatchet’s rampage effect | A straightforward axe alternative when the special kill-streak mechanic is not relevant | — |
| Battle Axe | No Stone Hatchet-style rampage mechanic | A thematically similar axe, but a less direct substitute if the Stone Hatchet’s special ability is the reason to carry it | — |
| Machete | Relies on its own melee attacks rather than a rampage reward | A practical adjacent alternative for players comparing compact melee weapons rather than axe-specific behavior | — |
Lore and Design
In GTA Online, the Stone Hatchet is associated with Maude Eccles and the bounty-hunting activity she initiates. Its narrative role is therefore less about a documented owner or long personal history and more about serving as the tangible reward at the end of that side activity. The weapon is presented as a distinctive collectible rather than as a standard Ammu-Nation purchase.
The Stone Hatchet also forms part of Rockstar’s cross-game promotional link between GTA Online and Red Dead Redemption 2. Completing the associated GTA Online challenge connected the weapon with a corresponding reward in Red Dead Redemption 2. This establishes a documented relationship between the two games, but does not by itself establish a specific real-world design source or developer-intended cultural inspiration for the hatchet.
Trivia
- The Stone Hatchet was introduced to GTA Online as part of the Red Dead-themed content associated with After Hours, alongside the Double-Action Revolver’s promotional treasure hunt.
- Its acquisition is tied to Maude Eccles’s bounty-hunting activities rather than a normal Ammu-Nation purchase, giving the weapon a distinct crossover-style unlock route.
- After obtaining it, players can complete a dedicated kill challenge with the Stone Hatchet for a cash reward.