Yes. I think that's your best bet. I'm not a big sword fan, and I tried dagger and mace, and nothing compares to the swords you'll get in the game...my survivor is level 37 and the sword does 89-168 damage, but she rarely gives less than about 210...
But that's way later.
Try freezing the orcs. If I remember correctly, that works well...
Good luck!
ali
