Darktide Cleave Mechanics: Master the Art of Combat

Introduction

In Darktide, understanding the hidden mechanics can transform your gameplay. While the basics of hit points (HP) and damage are intuitive—hit enemies until they die—this guide focuses on the advanced mechanics of cleave, hit mass, and impact-stagger interactions. By mastering these, you'll maximize your weapon’s effectiveness and dominate the battlefield. Let’s dive into the details.

The Cleave System

Cleave is a measure of how many enemies your attack can pass through before losing its effectiveness. It’s influenced by weapon stats, attack type, and enemy hit mass. Here’s how it works:

The Basics

• Weapons have cleave values: Each attack type has a cleave value that determines how many enemies it can pass through. For instance, a Power Sword charged attack might have 11.7 cleave.
• Enemies have hit mass: Each enemy consumes a portion of cleave. For example, if an enemy’s hit mass is 1.5, the Power Sword can hit up to 8 enemies in one swing (7 × 1.5 = 10.5, leaving 1.2 cleave for the 8th target).
• When cleave is exhausted, the attack stops.

Cleave Damage Distribution

Melee attacks distribute damage based on cleave mechanics. For example:

• Strikedown attacks (e.g., heavy overheads): Damage is focused on the first target (100%), with reduced damage for subsequent targets (e.g., 25% for the second target).
• Vanguard attacks (e.g., wide sweeps): Damage is distributed more evenly (e.g., 100% for the first target, 75% for the second, 50% for the third, etc.).

Example: Eviscerators

Eviscerators’ light attacks can hit up to 4 targets, with the rest being staggered. This is due to their cleave damage cap, making them great for crowd control but less effective for pure damage output.

Cleave and Blessings

• Brutal Momentum: Ignores cleave damage reduction for 3 targets after a weak spot kill, ensuring maximum damage output to additional enemies.
• Carapace Armor Interactions: Cleave is halted entirely by carapace armor unless using specific blessings like Sunder or Perfect Strike.

Hit Mass Explained

Hit mass is the value that determines how much cleave an enemy consumes. It varies by enemy type, difficulty, and environmental factors (e.g., Tox gas).

Hit Mass Values

Examples of hit mass values:

• Chaos Poxwalker: 1.25
• Chaos Ogryn Bulwark: 12.5
• Chaos Daemonhost: 20

View full list of enemies here: https://darktide.gameslantern.com/enemies

These values increase with difficulty. For example, a Chaos Armored Infected might have a hit mass of 1.5 on lower difficulties but rise to 2.5 under certain conditions.

Environmental Modifiers

• Tox Gas: Increases hit mass by 2.5 for affected enemies.
• Nurgle Blessing: Enemies with this blessing count 10x towards hit mass calculations.

Impact and Stagger Mechanics

Impact measures how much force an attack applies, while stagger refers to the enemy’s reaction to that force. Together, they affect crowd control and cleave efficiency.

The Basics

• Impact Ratings: Separate from damage, impact determines the likelihood of staggering an enemy. A high impact rating can push enemies back or interrupt their actions.
• Stagger Resistance: Each enemy has a resistance value. If your impact exceeds this threshold, you stagger the enemy.

Stagger Thresholds

Default thresholds for stagger types:

• Light Stagger: 1 impact
• Medium Stagger: 10 impact
• Heavy Stagger: 20 impact

Example: Poxbursters

• General stagger resistance: 2x multiplier.
• Stagger resistance when jumping: 60, requiring significant impact to interrupt their detonation.

Weapon Interactions

Some weapons have unique stagger properties:

• Shovels: Ignore stagger resistance on weak spot hits, making them effective against high-resistance enemies.
• Power Mauls: Sweeping attacks with high cleave and impact, excellent for crowd control.

Stagger’s Effect on Cleave

Stagger reduces hit mass consumption:

• Light Stagger: -10%
• Medium Stagger: -25%
• Heavy Stagger: -50%

This means staggering enemies allows attacks to cleave through more targets effectively.

Practical Applications

Inspecting Weapon Stats

In the weapon inspect screen, you can view cleave, impact, and stagger stats. Use these to gauge your weapon’s potential effectiveness in different scenarios.

Class-Specific Highlights

• Zealot:
  • Eviscerator: High cleave but capped damage targets.
  • Thunder Hammer: Cleave combined with stagger bonuses.
• Veteran:
  • Plasma Gun: High cleave on charged shots (100).
  • Power Sword: Charged attacks gain universal cleave buffs.
• Ogryn:
  • Ripper Gun: Moderate cleave (2 per shot).
  • Grenadier Gauntlet: Horizontal melee attacks have significant cleave.

Advanced Tips

Community Resources

• Check out community builds https://darktide.gameslantern.com/builds
• Use guides on blessings to synergize with cleave and impact mechanics https://darktide.gameslantern.com/guides

Experiment in Psykhanium

Test weapons in controlled environments to see how cleave, hit mass, and stagger work together. This will help you refine your strategy.

Focus on Stagger Synergies

Combining stagger with cleave-oriented weapons enhances crowd control and damage output, making you a valuable team asset.

Conclusion

By understanding Darktide’s mechanics beyond basic damage, you can optimize your playstyle and maximize your weapon’s potential. Cleave, hit mass, and impact-stagger interactions are key to mastering the art of combat and slicing through hordes. Dive into the source code, experiment with builds, and blast away!