Cleaving Potential and Defence Guide: Space Marine

Understand Cleaving Potential and Defence stats for melee weapons in warhammer 40000 space marine 2. Learn about Block, Balanced, and Fencing Defence types.

Ranged weapons in warhammer 40000 space marine 2 are generally straightforward, with stats like Firepower, Accuracy, Rate of Fire, Range, and Magazine Capacity being self-explanatory. Melee weapons, however, are less numerous and have fewer stats, making them more obtuse. To understand some of these weapons, you must equip them, test their light and heavy attack combos, and check the game’s pause menu for alternate attack modes, especially for weapons like the Power Sword.

While Strength and Speed are easily understood, Cleaving Potential and Defence are arguably more important and potentially unfamiliar stats for newcomers. Unlike ranged weapons where upgrades are often simple, melee weapon stats can be highly divergent and impactful. A fast, lower-damage weapon with high Cleaving Potential and the “Block” Defence type functions very differently from a slow, high-damage weapon with low Cleaving Potential and the “Fencing” Defence type.

Cleaving Potential Stat in warhammer 40000 space marine 2

This stat determines a weapon’s “Power to cleave through consecutive targets with one strike,” functionally defining how much Area of Effect (AoE) a melee weapon possesses. This generally makes a weapon better at cutting through swarms of minoris-tier enemies, though the weapon’s Speed and Strength also influence its effectiveness. Combat Knives typically have low Cleaving Potential (1-3), while Thunder Hammers boast high Cleaving Potential (6-7). Other melee weapons usually fall between these values (3-4), though some variants may offer exceptional Cleaving Power at the cost of other stats. If your loadout includes a ranged weapon capable of handling groups, you might not need high Cleaving Potential, but this varies greatly by class and build.

Defence Stat in warhammer 40000 space marine 2 - Block, Balance, Fencing

The Defence type stat is crucial. Equipping a weapon with the “Block” Defence type will prevent perfect parries, which significantly hinders your ability to perform Gun Strikes. The game indicates “Fencing” with positive green text and “Block” with negative red text. Hovering over the stat reveals:

• Fencing: Increased Perfect Parry window
• Block: No Perfect Parry window
• Balanced: Moderate Perfect Parry window

Weapons with the “Block” Defence type eliminate perfect parries entirely. “Balanced” is the default for most weapons, and “Fencing” enhances the ease of perfect parries. Some weapons compensate for the lack of perfect parries by offering significantly better stats in other areas. If you are a player who relies more on dodging, forfeiting perfect parries for better stats can be a worthwhile trade-off.

You will often pay a premium for “Fencing” weapons, as they typically sacrifice Strength, Speed, or Cleaving Potential. Polishing your parry timing allows you to comfortably use “Balance” weapons and enjoy perfect parries with weapons that have higher base stats.