Cleaver
The Cleaver is a common bladed melee weapon in DayZ. It works as a large knife for cutting rags, opening cans, harvesting sticks, cutting bark, removing restraints, shaving, digging worms, and skinning animals or players, but it takes more inventory space than smaller knives.
Quick item summary
Quick answer
The Cleaver is a large one-handed blade in DayZ, commonly found in towns and villages. It has many of the same survival uses as smaller knives, but its larger size makes it less convenient once you find a Kitchen Knife, Steak Knife, Combat Knife, or another compact blade.
In-game description
“A big, heavy, sharp knife. Designed to slash through thick raw meat. It can also crack bones easily. Mostly used by butchers.”
Main Uses
- Cut clothing into rags
- Open canned food with 10% to 35% food loss
- Harvest sticks from shrubs and bushes
- Cut bark from trees
- Remove certain restraints from players
- Shave facial hair
- Dig up earthworms from the ground
- Skin and quarter dead animals or players
- Use as a bladed melee weapon
- Repair with a Sharpening Stone
How to use this item
Cut rags
Use the Cleaver to cut clothing into rags for emergency bleeding treatment or crafting.
- Place clothing in your hands or on the ground.
- Use the Cleaver on the clothing.
- Select the cut into rags action.
Open canned food
The Cleaver can open canned food, but it wastes some of the food.
- Hold the can or the Cleaver.
- Use the Cleaver to open the can.
- Expect roughly 10% to 35% food loss.
Harvest sticks
Use the Cleaver to chop shrubs and bushes for sticks.
- Equip the Cleaver.
- Find a bush or shrub.
- Use the harvest sticks action.
- Collect the sticks.
Cut bark
Use the Cleaver to cut bark from trees for survival crafting.
- Equip the Cleaver.
- Look at a valid tree.
- Use the cut bark action.
- Collect the bark.
Remove restraints
The Cleaver can remove certain restraints from players.
- Approach the restrained player.
- Equip the Cleaver.
- Use the remove restraints action if available.
Dig up worms
Use the Cleaver to dig up earthworms for fishing bait.
- Equip the Cleaver.
- Look at suitable ground.
- Use the dig up worms action.
- Collect the earthworms.
Skinning
Use the Cleaver to skin and quarter dead animals or players.
- Approach a dead animal or player body.
- Equip the Cleaver.
- Use the skinning / quartering action.
Repair the Cleaver
Use a Sharpening Stone to repair a damaged Cleaver.
- Place the Cleaver in your hands or inventory.
- Combine it with a Sharpening Stone.
- Repair it until its condition improves.
How to get Cleaver
- Search towns.
- Search villages.
- Check houses, kitchens, sheds, and residential loot areas.
- Loot players who are carrying basic blade tools.
Spawn info
- • The Cleaver is listed as a common item found in town and village locations.
- • It is useful early, but smaller knives are usually easier to carry long term.
Important notes
- The Cleaver is a bladed melee weapon and survival tool.
- It can cut clothing into rags.
- It can open canned food, but spills 10% to 35% of the food.
- It can harvest sticks from shrubs and bushes.
- It can cut bark from trees.
- It can remove certain restraints from players.
- It can shave facial hair.
- It can dig up earthworms for fishing bait.
- It can skin and quarter dead animals or players.
- The Cleaver can be repaired with a Sharpening Stone.
- It cannot be equipped to Sheaths or Assault Boots because of its large shape.