Iron Cleaver

Notes

• With Standard affinity, Strength provides much stronger physical scaling than Dexterity. Heavy is the straightforward Strength option, while an elemental or status affinity changes what the weapon gains from your attributes.
• Its charged heavy attack runs forward before the overhead hit. Begin charging outside an enemy's reach and use the advance to close the gap. At very close range, that movement can carry you past the target or toward an edge.
• The first one-handed charged heavy attack deals 25 stance damage, compared with the usual 30 for that axe attack. The forward run is useful for landing the hit, but does not make it a stronger stance breaker.
• The light attacks repeatedly chop in a similar direction instead of using the usual axe chain. Despite the busy animation, the complete chain is not faster than the standard axe chain. Celebrant's Cleaver shares these unusual attacks.
• Comes with Wild Strikes. Hold the skill for repeated swings, then use a light or heavy attack for its finisher. Each repeated use costs 2 FP, with 10 FP for the light finisher or 15 for the heavy finisher.
• Heavy affinity has an unusual drawback for skills whose damage is calculated separately from weapon attack power, such as Ground Slam and Flame of the Redmanes: their Strength contribution is slightly weaker than on a typical Heavy weapon. This does not reduce the axe's ordinary Strength scaling or apply to every Ash of War.
• Requires 15 Strength and 7 Dexterity, weighs 6 and has a critical rating of 100. It has no innate bleed or other status buildup.
• Can use compatible Ashes of War and upgrades with Smithing Stones to +25. Grease or a weapon enchantment can be applied with Standard, Heavy, Keen or Quality affinity. Elemental and status affinities prevent ordinary weapon coatings.
• Cleaver-carrying Misbegotten have a 2% base drop chance at 100 Item Discovery. Each carrier is another independent chance, so the courtyard group is useful even when the first few kills give nothing.