Diablo 4’s Most Thematically Appropriate Unique is Virtually Worthless in Season 12

The star of Diablo 4‘s Season of Slaughter is the iconic Butcher, who players can transform into and hunt down their foes to collect Fresh Meat as part of Season 12’s limited-time activities. While playing as the Butcher in Diablo 4 Season 12 is the definition of a power fantasy for longtime Diablo fans, not all the Butcher’s kit is worth using. In particular, Diablo 4 players have been able to obtain The Butcher’s Cleaver as a Unique weapon long before the Season of Slaughter began, but those waiting for the perfect time to use it might want to rethink their build plans in Season 12.

Aside from playing as the Butcher, Diablo 4 Season 12 emphasizes slaughter in other ways, such as by bringing back the Killstreak mechanic from Diablo 3 and introducing new Bloodied items that gain bonuses based on the player’s Killstreak. With a season so geared toward slaying enemies as fast as possible, Diablo 4 Season 12’s best builds focus on maximizing Killstreaks. However, The Butcher’s Cleaver is one Unique that should never be used, even on the worst builds, despite how seemingly appropriate it is for the Season of Slaughter.

Diablo 4 Season 12 is Essentially a Preview of Coming Attractions for Lord of Hatred

Diablo 4 fans looking for a taste of what Lord of Hatred’s Warlock class has to offer may want to check out this Season of Slaughter feature.

The Butcher’s Cleaver isn’t Worth Using in Diablo 4, Even During the Season of Slaughter

An iconic part of the Butcher’s toolkit is his massive cleaver, which the Diablo enemy uses to tear fresh meat from his victims. The Butcher’s Cleaver has been obtainable in some form in almost every game in the Diablo series, though it’s called the Butcher’s Pupil in Diablo 2 and is only a transmog in Diablo 3. For as iconic as this weapon is, The Butcher’s Cleaver is one of the worst Uniques in Diablo 4, to the point that it should really only be used while players are leveling their character, and ditched entirely once they reach the endgame.

Who’s That Character?

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Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

The Butcher’s Cleaver Stats in Diablo 4

the-butcher-diablo-4-2 — The Butcher from Diablo 4 holding his weapons of choice

+175% Damage to Injured Enemies
+7-9% Attack Speed
+12.5-18% Movement Speed
+62.5-85% Physical Damage
+16-25% Critical Strike Chance Against Feared Enemies
Unique Affix: Your attacks Critically Strike Injured Enemies. Killing Elites Fears and Slows nearby enemies by 65-95% for 2 seconds.

On its own, The Butcher’s Cleaver seems like a decent one-handed axe, with a focus on boosting damage to Injured and Feared enemies. It also gives the player faster Attack and Movement Speed, in addition to increased Physical Damage to make the player feel more like they are when actually transformed as the Butcher. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving, and The Butcher’s Cleaver is a lot less impressive in practice than it looks on paper.

What Makes The Butcher’s Cleaver So Useless in Diablo 4 Season 12

As far as leveling up a Diablo 4 Season 12 build goes, The Butcher’s Cleaver is a decent enough option, and it can be used by every class except the Spiritborn. It’s nice to have that bonus attack speed and damage to Injured and Feared enemies while trying to level up a character into endgame-worthy shape. However, as a general Unique weapon, it doesn’t offer any build-specific utility that makes it worth using in Diablo 4‘s endgame.

In most cases, players will want to use Unique or Legendary weapons that offer some class-specific support for their build. For example, The Butcher’s Cleaver doesn’t offer anything to the Crackling Energy Sorcerer to make it a better option than a Unique like the Orisvane, which gives the class access to a whole host of Enchantment abilities. So, while The Butcher’s Cleaver could be a decent addition to a more general leveling build in Diablo 4, it’s too generic to work as a supporting piece on an endgame build that’s designed to optimize how the player tackles specific endgame content like Lair Bosses or The Pit of the Artificer.