Cleaver Complete Build Guide | Hero Wars Alliance

This Cleaver Complete Build Guide closes out an entire week dedicated to the Butcher, and it finally answers the question newer Guardians keep asking after all the reworks, Relics, and synergies we covered. How should you actually build Cleaver? We’ll walk through which skins come first, which Glyphs and Artifacts deserve your resources, which Talisman fits your account, and then we’ll flip the whole thing around and look at how to counter him.

Cleaver is a Tank from the Way of Chaos who stands directly on the frontline, so the philosophy behind his build is simple: survival comes first. He needs time to land his Hook, disrupt formations, apply his Pure Damage, control enemies, and create openings for the rest of his team. Everything below is built around keeping him alive long enough to do that job.

Cleaver Skins Priority

Cleaver currently has six skin stats available: Physical Attack, Health, Armor, Magic Defense, Toughness, and Strength from his Default Skin. Since his first responsibility is tanking, the priority order leans defensive before it touches offense.

Start with Armor. Cleaver lives on the frontline, so protection against heavy Physical Damage should always come first. After that, move to Health, which improves his overall durability against every source of damage and also scales with parts of his kit, making it an extremely valuable investment. Third comes Strength, his primary stat, contributing to his development, survivability, and the power of several of his skills.

Next is Toughness, which helps him deal with opposing Crushing and adds another defensive layer once his Health starts dropping. Then comes Magic Defense to round out his protection against dangerous Magical Damage dealers. Finally, invest in Physical Attack. It isn’t useless, but his defensive development should always come before maximizing his offense.

One note for the future: if Cleaver ever receives another Armor or Health skin, that could immediately jump to one of his highest priorities.

Cleaver Glyphs Priority

The Glyphs are even more straightforward. Cleaver has Physical Attack, Armor, Health, Magic Defense, and Strength available. Begin with Armor, then Health, followed by Strength, Magic Defense, and finally Physical Attack. Once again, you’re building the defensive foundation first and saving the offensive stat for last.

For newer Guardians, take all five Glyphs to Level 40. Pushing beyond that is worth considering only if you’re specifically chasing the Class Skill, rather than pouring resources in simply because more levels are available.

Cleaver Artifacts Priority

Cleaver’s Weapon Artifact grants Armor to the entire team when he activates his first skill. His Book increases Armor and Magic Defense, while his Ring increases Strength.

For a frontline Tank, the Book comes first because it develops both Armor and Magic Defense at the same time, which is simply too valuable to pass up. After that, prioritize the Weapon. Its Armor bonus helps the whole team survive against heavy Physical Damage, so Cleaver stops protecting only himself and starts shielding the squad. Finally comes the Ring. Strength matters, however his specific defenses and the team-wide defensive benefit take priority. So the order is Book, Weapon, then Ring.

Gift of the Elements

When it comes to Gift of the Elements, there isn’t much debate here: max it. Cleaver stands directly in front of everything the enemy throws at your team, so he needs the Armor, Health, and overall stats to survive long enough to perform his role. Don’t build half a Tank and then wonder why the Butcher disappears before the real battle even begins.

Cleaver Talismans

This is where you actually get two strong options instead of one. Cleaver’s first Talisman provides Strength and Health, while his second provides Crushing and Toughness.

The first is an excellent traditional Tank choice, delivering more Strength, more Health, and more durability, and it’s available through the Eternal Frontier Shop. The second Talisman is VIP and gives Cleaver a different profile entirely. Its Crushing adds offensive pressure against weakened opponents, while its Toughness stacks another defensive layer against opposing Crushing.

Both are genuinely good, so don’t assume that having access to the second automatically makes the first useless. They hand Cleaver different advantages, and your choice should depend on your account and what you want him to do.

How to Counter Cleaver

We’ve spent an entire week making the Butcher stronger, so now let’s spend a few minutes trying to destroy him. Cleaver may be extremely powerful after his recent improvements, yet powerful never means unbeatable. Different heroes attack different parts of his mechanics, and understanding those interactions is the real value of this Cleaver Complete Build Guide.

Dorian

This is a particularly interesting interaction because Cleaver’s own Hook can work against him. He wants to grab a distant backline hero and drag them into danger, but if that target is Dorian, the Hook can pull Dorian’s Vampirism influence closer to the frontline. Instead of creating an easy victim, Cleaver may actually help the opposing frontline sustain itself. Always pay attention to who your Cleaver is about to pull.

Andvari

Andvari’s Living Earth protects allies against displacement and knock-up effects, which directly attacks one of Cleaver’s defining mechanics. If he can’t pull the target he wants, he loses one of his best tools for breaking the enemy formation. Notably, Andvari doesn’t need to kill Cleaver at all. He simply prevents Cleaver from doing what he came to do.

Peppy & Aurora

Peppy can place her shield on the frontmost ally, and when Aurora occupies that position, Cleaver can find himself in serious trouble. Aurora’s Rainbow Halo absorbs part of the Magic Damage she receives and later punishes nearby enemies with it. Unfortunately for the Butcher, he’s standing right beside her when that happens, exactly where he doesn’t want to be.

Lian

Lian is another hero who can make Cleaver regret throwing that Hook. When he tries to pull her forward, the interaction can leave Cleaver charmed. So instead of creating disruption for the enemy, he ends up disrupting himself.

Somna

Somna creates a similar problem. If Cleaver attempts to pull her into the frontline, she can turn him into a sheep. Once again, his own desire to disrupt the backline gets used against him.

Electra

Electra can Blind Cleaver, which causes problems for his damaging attacks and reduces the pressure he wants to generate from the frontline.

Martha

Martha is an interesting answer for a completely different reason. Normally Cleaver wants to pull a vulnerable backline hero forward because that hero doesn’t belong beside him. Martha, however, is a healer who also happens to be extremely durable. If he drags her forward, she can withstand the frontline pressure while continuing to keep her team alive. Sometimes the best counter to his Hook isn’t preventing it at all, but giving him someone he doesn’t actually want to pull.

Jorgen

Finally, Jorgen can target the frontline with his first skill and block Cleaver’s Energy gains for nine seconds. Because Cleaver lives directly on the frontline, this delays his ultimate and slows down how quickly he starts disrupting your formation.

Final Thoughts

The big takeaway is that there isn’t one magical button that counters everything Cleaver does. Dorian can turn his Hook into an advantage. Andvari can stop the displacement. Peppy and Aurora can punish his frontline position. Lian and Somna can make the Hook backfire. Electra can interfere with his attacks. Martha can survive being dragged forward. Jorgen can slow his Energy generation. Each of them attacks a different part of his kit.

For newer Guardians, don’t try to max everything at once. Follow the priorities, build the defensive foundation first, and develop Cleaver according to the resources your account can actually support. For veteran Guardians, the Butcher is finally back where a hero like Cleaver deserves to be, so it’s worth revisiting your setup. Stay tuned, stay sharp, and as always, salute and friendship.

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