Maybe it's something to do with weapon size. I use 2HE and my cabalists die in 3-4 cleaves consistently (usually 3).

Taking stock of its defensive abilities, and attacking with a Grey Raven guard's claymore with an acid-etched blade, you are certain that the arthelun cabalist is a worthy opponent.
If you attacked with a Grey Raven guard's claymore with an acid-etched blade, you are certain that the enemy would train rather well.

Most of them appraise as easy instead of worthy, but it flips back and forth here and there. I think the casters are a shade harder.

+ Twohanded Edged
+ Brawling
+ Targeted Magic
- Augmentation
+ Evasion
+ Stealth

A Grey Raven guard's claymore with an acid-etched blade trains the two-handed edged skill.

You are certain that it could do:
moderate (7/26) puncture damage
mighty (17/26) slice damage
heavy (9/26) impact damage
no (0/26) fire damage
no (0/26) cold damage
no (0/26) electric damage

The guard's claymore is fairly (5/17) designed for improving the force of your attacks.

You are certain that the claymore is poorly (3/15) balanced and is excellently (10/15) suited to gaining extra attack power from your strength.

<<Bobbing in-between cleaves to maintain incredibly balanced and overwhelming position.>>

I didn't do this. I was at solid most the time, just cleaved and sat and waited until I could do it again.

(1) Your guard's claymore lands a heavy strike to an arthelun cabalist's abdomen!
The arthelun cabalist is stunned!

[You're mighty, solidly balanced and in dominating position.]
Roundtime: 5 sec.

(2) Your guard's claymore lands a heavy strike to an arthelun cabalist's right arm!
The arthelun cabalist is lightly stunned!

[You're bruised, mighty, solidly balanced and in dominating position.]
Roundtime: 5 sec.

(3) Your guard's claymore lands a powerful strike to an arthelun cabalist's right hand!
The arthelun cabalist is knocked completely senseless!

[You're bruised, mighty, solidly balanced and in dominating position.]
Roundtime: 5 sec.

That last one left it at death's door and it died. Second cabalist I tracked damage hits on:

(1) Your guard's claymore lands a massive strike to an arthelun cabalist's left hand!
The arthelun cabalist is dealt a vicious stun!

[You're mighty, adeptly balanced and overwhelming opponent.]
Roundtime: 5 sec. Down to bad shape.

(2) Your guard's claymore lands a very heavy hit to an arthelun cabalist's right arm!
The arthelun cabalist is severely stunned!

[You're bruised, mighty, solidly balanced and in dominating position.]
Roundtime: 5 sec.

(3) Your guard's claymore lands a heavy strike to an arthelun cabalist's chest!
An arthelun cabalist's eyes flare one last time before snuffing out forever. The flames reluctantly withdraw from their host forming an ephemeral wisp that rapidly flees.
The shimmering ethereal shield fades from around a charred husk.

[You're solidly balanced]
Roundtime: 5 sec.

> I wonder if maybe Kodius made force stat of the weapon a factor for cleave and not tell us :p

Force factor was implemented wrong i think, the way it works now leans heavily towards big bulky weighted down weapons regardless of logic or other stats. True force factor would incorporate impact, slice and/or puncture, power suit, and who knows what else. The way force factor should be calculated should be entirely different for each type of attack.

A puncture attack for instance has a multiplicative effect from all of the force being redirected to the tiny point where your piercer weapon connects with an enemy. A plain slice attack would be similar, but factoring slice rather than puncture. That would make slice attacks with piercing weapons have horrible FoI, as logic would suggest.

I think DR would benefit greatly if FoI was more like this. Done right i bet it could resolve the armor/barrier issue we have.