Is Cleave Viable?

I ask, because I've been rolling some HC marauders lately, and really want to use a 1H axe. I've been playing mace on my 1H builds too much. But the only crowd control option is cleave, and it just feels like cleave is totally useless.

Is it just me? Statistically ground slam uses more base damage, increases damage more, has a stun chance, and has great range. Cleave seems like it hits 3 to four things directly in front of you, has horrible damage, and seems to miss like crazy when compared to ground slam.

Am I wrong? Maybe I'm missing something, or maybe it's just my character builds.

idk, personally i prefer cleave because i know where it hits, maybe because im a noob i cant seem to aim ground slam...... but yes ground slam does appear to be a more viable choice damage wise

again it depends on what weapon you will be focussing on

I'm with you on the usage of Ground Slam
Idk what the cone looks like on that skill but I have a terrible time landing it properly lol

I like cleave cause it feels like you are actually meleeing. Whereas ground slam feels like you are casting a spell.

Well after playing a couple of melee characters into merciless, cleave is enjoyable, but absolutely horrible in comparison to similar skills. There's almost no reason to ever use a sword unless you like it aesthetically more than the other weapons (which I kind of do, and did).


As far as one-handed goes, swords and axes feel like they don't get the skill choices that the others do. Worse yet are swords, one or two handed. The only thing they get above the other weapons is puncture, and as a melee character puncture is so underwhelming.

Ground Slam is not based completely on attack speed (the tooltip might be lying too!)

Cleave is designed to be good with high attack speeds. It also gets a massive 20% attack speed from 20% quality. In fact, this gem probably scales better with quality than any other gem in the game.

Is cleave worth it? Probably not, but it does the job against large numbers of weak monsters, like monkeys an such.

Eh, lightning strike is the melee skill of the patch. I swapped cleave out for it, and instantly got 10 times stronger. Cleave needs some improvements.

i testes Cleave too n like it so much, but the damage seems so low, i was dual weilding but the gems says it reduces 40% dmg if i'm... so i test it in a Shadow with 1 hand & still dont work fine... it seems like the "-40% dmg while dual W" is aplying all the time even with 1 hand.... i hope some1 test abt this n maybe improves

Grreting!

Cleave can not measure up to Ground Slam right now. Whatever terms and rules you put them up against.

I use Cleave.
Pretty much goes like this: bloodrage - jump right in the middle of the biggest mob pack u see - granite - enduring cry - warlord mark - (Cleave+Faster+Attacks+Concentrated+Area+LoH).
All is fine and it's a lot of fun.