The complete guide to the reworked Cleaver — his updated skills, Relics, development priorities, Chaos interactions, counters and team examples.
Cleaver is a Chaos Tank positioned on the front line. His rework gives him considerably more offensive pressure while preserving the durability and positioning disruption that have always defined the hero.
The updated Cleaver brings Pure Damage into more of his kit, expands his battlefield pressure through Relics, introduces healing reduction and gives him new ways to influence longer battles. This guide combines those changes with his complete development priorities.
Cleaver throws his hook at the farthest enemy, pulling that hero directly into battle and dealing Pure Damage.
Following the rework, Cleaver's basic attacks also deal Pure Damage. This gives him consistent offensive pressure while Rusty Hook continues to disrupt enemy positioning and expose protected targets.
Putrefaction can now be upgraded to Legendary, repeatedly dealing Pure Damage to Cleaver himself and to nearby enemies over several seconds.
The self-damage creates important interactions with Cleaver's surrounding team, while the repeated area damage applies constant pressure to nearby enemies.
Cleaver strikes enemies in front of him, dealing Pure Damage and stunning nearby targets.
The stun chance is reduced against enemies above Level 120, but the combination of damage and crowd control can still strongly influence the fight.
Heavyweight provides Cleaver with additional Strength. That extra Strength reinforces his durability and ability to remain active on the frontline while dealing damage and controlling enemies.
Cleaver's Relics expand his reworked identity around area pressure, healing reduction, battlefield interactions and increased offensive potential.
Applies an effect to the central enemy for seven seconds, dealing damage to all enemies around that target every half second.
Adds a 60% healing reduction to enemies inside Putrefaction's area of effect or affected by Miasma.
Whenever Cleaver or one of his allies takes damage from an enemy hero, all negative effects are removed from that enemy.
Carnage increases Cleaver's damage for every enemy around him.
At the time of the battle testing used for this guide, Heavyweight and Carnage had not yet been unlocked. Their descriptions are therefore included here, but their full battle impact was not part of those tests.
Cleaver's new Inner Demon Skin provides Health, giving an already durable frontline tank additional staying power in battle.
Cleaver's primary responsibility remains surviving and controlling the frontline. Defensive development therefore remains the foundation of his build.
If Cleaver receives additional Armor or Health Skins in the future, they should immediately receive high priority.
Bring every Glyph to Level 40 first before pushing individual Glyphs significantly further, unless you're specifically progressing Skill Classes.
Increases Armor and Magic Defense, strengthening both of Cleaver's primary defensive stats simultaneously.
Grants Armor to the entire team whenever Cleaver activates Rusty Hook.
Increases Strength, providing additional durability and supporting Cleaver's overall scaling.
Maximize the Gift of the Elements and prioritize Armor and Health. Cleaver needs to stay alive to continue disrupting the enemy formation, applying pressure and controlling the frontline.
Strength and Health reinforce Cleaver's core tank role, improving the durability he needs to remain active on the frontline.
Provides Cleaver with a combination of Crushing and Toughness, giving him another development option beyond his first Talisman.
Both Talismans are valuable. Cleaver can still perform extremely well with proper investment even if only one option is available on your account.
Putrefaction damages Cleaver himself. That allied Health sacrifice creates additional value for Aidan inside Chaos compositions.
Cleaver's self-sacrifice through Putrefaction can benefit Xe'Sha, turning his self-damage into additional offensive value inside Chaos teams.
The reworked Cleaver was tested inside several different compositions. These examples demonstrate his flexibility rather than defining one mandatory Cleaver team.
This composition combines Cleaver's control and pressure with the offensive potential of Kayla and Crow. Guus and Aidan help keep the team active during intense periods of the battle while Cleaver creates openings through positioning disruption.
This setup explores a more aggressive but still durable Cleaver composition. Crow contributes offensive pressure, Peech and Kendle add additional tools, and Aidan provides sustain for longer fights.
A more survival-oriented composition. Guus and Aidan help stabilize the team while Byrna and Kendle provide additional options. The longer Cleaver remains alive, the more opportunities he has to apply his control and effects.
Cleaver acts as the frontline anchor while Tristan and Yasmine provide major offensive potential. His durability and positioning control create space for the rest of the lineup to apply pressure.
This composition combines Cleaver's durability and control with several forms of sustain and utility. Phobos provides additional control, while Dorian and Aidan help the team survive longer battles.
If Cleaver pulls Dorian forward, Dorian's Vampirism Aura can begin supporting frontline allies instead, potentially making them considerably harder to eliminate.
Living Earth prevents displacement effects, stopping Cleaver from pulling protected heroes with Rusty Hook.
Peppy's shield together with Aurora's Rainbow Halo can reflect large amounts of Magic Damage back into Cleaver, creating a dangerous interaction for him.
Lian can interrupt Rusty Hook by charming Cleaver when he targets her, breaking the hook interaction.
Somna can transform Cleaver into a sheep when he attempts to hook her, disrupting one of his defining mechanics.
Electra can blind Cleaver, causing several of his damaging attacks to miss.
Martha can survive surprisingly well after being pulled, potentially buying enough time for her team to recover from Cleaver's positioning disruption.
Torment of Powerlessness can prevent Cleaver from gaining Energy, delaying Rusty Hook activations and reducing his battlefield impact.
Cleaver's rework gives him considerably more depth than a traditional frontline tank.
He now combines Pure Damage, crowd control, positioning disruption, area pressure and healing reduction while retaining the durability required to anchor the frontline.
His tested compositions also demonstrate that he does not need to be locked into one specific lineup. Depending on the heroes around him, Cleaver can support aggressive, sustainable or control-oriented approaches.
The final two Legendary Relics — Heavyweight and Carnage — were not unlocked during the testing used for this guide, so their complete battle impact remains an important area for future testing.
Watch the full guide for Cleaver's development priorities, synergies and counters.