Berserker

From EQ KnowledgePit

1 General Information
2 Races
3 Combat
4 Other Skills
5 History
6 External Links

[edit] General Information

There are some in Norrath that are born with an innate rage that, if controlled, can become a powerful weapon. They are called berserkers. The berserker is a mast of the two-handed axes and of throwing weapons. To keep their bodies light and swift, berserkers wear light chain armor.

Berserkers are fearsome fighters that possess inordinate amounts of strength and bravery. They lunge into battle swinging lager two-handed axes or hurling throwing weapons at their prey. They carry huge axes because of the damage they deal and for the fear the weapons instill in the enemy. As great as berserker’s skill with a two-handed axe is, his skill with throwing weapon can not be overlooked. As he becomes more powerful, he can infuse his rage into various thrown weapons causing dire effects when they strike a foe.

With the mastery of his innate rage, the berserker also gains the ability to become “berserk” – a deadly state which causes a great amount of damage as a berserker’s blade swings with frenzy. As dangerous as berserkers are at these moments, they become more vulnerable to enemy attacks.

Berserkers do not fear death and they value speed and agility over personal defense. The berserker is at his best within a group of friends and adventurers that allow him to unleash his full anger on an enemy without interruption. When standing within arm’s reach of his enemy, the berserker is one of the masters of offense, crippling and maiming with impressive speed and skill. And in situations where an enemy must be fought at a distance, the berserker has the best throwing arm of any Norrathian.

[edit] Races

Race	Pros	Cons
Barbarian	Slam attack A good race, hence good starting faction in most cities	Night blindness
Dwarf	A good race, hence good starting faction in most cities	Bearded females...
Ogre	Are immune to stun attacks from the front Highest beginning combat statistics Slam attack	An evil race, hated in many cities Large race, takes up more room and consumes more food and water than others
Troll	A regeneration bonus Slam attack	An evil race, hated in many cities Large race, takes up more room and consumes more food and water than others
Vah Shir	Begins with Safe Fall and Sneak skills, which are not generally available to Berserkers	Large race, takes up more room and consumes more food and water than others

[edit] Combat

Berserkers cannot use 1H Slash, 1H Blunt, or archery weapons; they are limited to two-handed slashing, blunt, and piercing combat, plus Throwing for ranged attacks. They also get a number of special attacks and non-attack combat skills as they go through their levels.

[edit] Passive Skills

2H Slash (level 1) - this measures your ability to hit and deal damage with two-handed slashing weapons, such as axes and greatswords.
2H Blunt (level 1) - this measures your ability to hit and deal damage with two-handed blunt weapons, such as mauls.
Piercing (level 1) - this measures your ability to hit and deal damage with two-handed piercing weapons, such as lances. Presumably, this would also work with small piercing weapons, such as daggers, if any were Berserker usable.
Throwing (level 1) - this measures your ability to hit and deal damage with thrown weapons, such as throwing axes.
Dodge (level 1) - this measures your ability to move out of the way of an incoming attack, that would normally hit you.
Defense (level 1) - this measures your ability to mitigate incoming melee damage.
Offense (level 1) - this measures your ability to deal increased melee damage.
Parry (level 12) - this skill grants you the ability to block an incoming melee attack with your weapon.
Double Attack (level 15) - this skill allows you to attack twice with a single swing.
Riposte (level 30) - this skill allows you to completely avoid an incoming melee attack (as with Dodge or Parry), then use the momentum of that attack to strike back at your opponent with your weapon.
Triple Attack (level ??) - this skill allows you to attack thrice with a single swing.

[edit] Combat Abilities

Berserker combat abilities are split up into two sets. The first set are simply regular melee attacks that you have to hit a hotkey to use. The second set use discipline revamp, cost endurance, and are on a separate timer than the first, meaning that how often you can use each set is completely independent from when you use the other set. Each of the combat abilities in the second set are also broken down by type.

[edit] Set 1 (Attacks)

Kick (level 1) - the most basic skill, you simply execute a forward kick on your opponent, as if kicking them in the shins.
Frenzy (level 6) - a more advanced attack, this executes up to three powerful attacks against your target.

[edit] Set 2 (Combat Abilities)

[edit] Throwing Axes

Throw Stone (level 1) - This attack refreshes every ten seconds and deals a static one non-melee damage to your opponent, at the cost of ten endurance.
Corroded Axe (level 1) - Consumes a basic axe component to create a 6/32 throwing weapon with 125 range.
Blunt Axe (level 5) - Consumes a basic axe component to create a 6/30 throwing weapon with 125 range.
Steel Axe (level 10) - Consumes a basic axe component to create a 8/29 throwing weapon with 125 range.
Bearded Axe (level 15) - Consumes a basic axe component to create a 10/30 throwing weapon with 125 range.
Mithril Axe (level 20) - Consumes a basic axe component to create a 12/28 throwing weapon with 125 range.
Balanced War Axe (level 25) - Consumes a basic axe component to create a 17/29 throwing weapon with 125 range.
Bonesplicer Axe (level 30) - Consumes a axe component to create a 23/30 throwing weapon with 150 range.
Fleshtear Axe (level 35) - Consumes a basic axe component to create a 28/29 throwing weapon with 150 range.
Cold Steel Cleaving Axe (level 40) - Consumes a axe component to create a 31/30 throwing weapon with 150 range.
Mithril Bloodaxe (level 45) - Consumes a axe component to create a 34/31 throwing weapon with 150 range.
Rage Axe (level 50) - Consumes a axe component to create a 35/29 throwing weapon with 175 range.
Bloodseeker's Axe (level 55) - Consumes a balanced axe component to create a 37/30 throwing weapon with 175 range.
Battlerage Axe (level 60) - Consumes a balanced axe component to create a 40/30 throwing weapon with 175 range.
Deathfury Axe (level 65) - Consumes a balanced axe component to create a 43/29 throwing weapon with 175 range.

[edit] Snare Attacks

Leg Strike (level 8) - This skill throws a blunt axe which can snare your target for up to 1:00 at a cost of 29 endurance.
Leg Cut (level 32) - This skill throws a bonesplicer axe which can snare your target for up to 1:00 at a cost of 51 endurance.
Leg Slice (level 54) - This skill throws a rage axe which can snare your target for up to 1:00 at a cost of 90 endurance.

[edit] Stun Attacks

Head Strike (level 16) - This skill throws a blunt axe which can stun your target for 4 seconds at the cost of 58 endurance.
Head Pummel (level 40) - This skill throws a bonesplicer axe which can stun your target for 4 seconds at the cost of 125 endurance.
Head Crush (level 60) - This skill throws a rage axe which can stun your target for 4 seconds at the cost of 125 endurance.

[edit] Jolt Attacks

Divertive Strike (level 24) - This skill throws a blunt axe which causes your target to forget about you, lowering your hate at the cost of 40 endurance.
Distracting Strike (level 48) - This skill throws a bonesplicer axe which causes your target to forget about you, lowering your hate at the cost of 74 endurance.
Confusing Strike (level 65) - This skill throws a rage axe which causes your target to forget about you, lowering your hate at the cost of 119 endurance.

[edit] War Cries

Battle Cry (level 30) - This ability adds 10 Attack and increases the attack speed of you and your group for one minute, at the cost of 800 endurance.
War Cry (level 50) - This ability adds 20 Attack and increases the attack speed of you and your group for one minute, at the cost of 1300 endurance.
Battle Cry of Dravel (level 57) - This ability adds 30 Attack and increases the attack speed of you and your group for one minute, at the cost of 1500 endurance.
War Cry of Dravel (level 64) - This ability adds 40 Attack and increases the attack speed of you and your group for one minute, at the cost of 1600 endurance.
Battle Cry of the Mastruq (level 65) - This ability adds 50 Attack and increases the attack speed of you and your group for one minute, at the cost of 1300 endurance.

[edit] Disciplines

Focused Will Discipline (level 10) - Increases resting regeneration rate
Resistant Discipline (level 30) - Increase all resistances
Fearless Discipline (level 40) - Complete immunity to fear for a short duration
Inspired Anger Discipline (level 53) - Land every hit for a short duration
Cleaving Rage Discipline (level 54) - Every hit is a critical hit for a short duration
Reckless Discipline (level 56) - Riposte every attack for a short duration
Focused Fury Discipline (level 57) - Increase chance to hit for a short duration
Blind Rage Discipline (level 58) - Increase damage of all hits for a short duration
Battle Focus Discipline (level 59) - Avoid every attack for a short duration
Burning Rage Discipline (level 60) - Increase damage of all hits for a short duration
Sprint Discipline (level 61) - Increases run speed for a short duration
Indomitable Discipline (level 63) - Immune to stun attacks from any angle for a short duration
Healing Will Discipline (level 63) - Increases resting regeneration rate
Cleaving Anger (level 65) - Increase chance to critical hit or crippling hit for a short duration

[edit] Other Skills

Bind Wound (level 1) - a very simple method of healing, this allows a player who is out of combat to bandage their own or another player's wounds. By default, you can only bandage up to 25% of a player's maximum HP, but the use of First Aid AAs can remedy that. However, generally, by level 51, a player probably will not be using Bind Wound anymore.
Sense Heading (level 1) - this skill has been deprecated considerably over the years. Originally, players with a high enough skill could reliably use this skill as a sort of compass, as it would tell the player to some extent what direction they were facing if successful (always successful above 100 skill). However, with the addition of the in-game compass (whose accuracy was dependent upon your Sense Heading skill) and in-game map (on which your character's icon was a correctly-oriented arrow rather than a + if your Sense Heading skill was sufficient), Sony eventually just set all new characters' Sense Heading skill levels to 200 by default.
Intimidate (level 20) - this ability allows a player to induce fear upon an opponent. While not often used in higher-level areas for the fear, if the skill succeeds but the fear is resisted (due to immunity or spell resistance), the hate gained is significant. This skill can be practiced on any PC or NPC, including PCs you are not currently dueling and non-aggro NPCs.
Disarm (level 35) - this skill allows a player to knock their opponent's weapon out of their hand. If that opponent is an NPC, the weapon will fall to the ground, allowing the player to simply pick it up, or let it lie there until it decays; if that opponent is a PC, the weapon will be moved to the first available inventory slot. This skill, like Instill Doubt, can be practiced on any PC or NPC, in or out of combat. Disarm is also useful for a small amount of additional hate.

[edit] History

February 10, 2004 - Gates of Discord was released, adding the Berserker class to EverQuest.
At some point recently (ballpark date needed), racial experience penalties were removed.