I think we should get back on topic here. The OP asked what class he should play in EQ not what class he should raid on. If you like a versatile class that can do multiple things in EQ go monk it's an amazing class.
If you want to solo you should go for a monk! If you are more to the group content i think a monk would be your choice as well. If you like raiding and dpsing, i would pick a monk! This might change over time, but right now there is no merits in chosing berserkers over any other DPS class - hope this helps clarifying.
Seems this needs reiterating. If you go by how often one of the 2 classes was on top, definitely pick a zerker.
What's monk on top of? Group or raid, monks have been a class of can do a little of everything, but nothing great. Now we have some desirability. Should zerkers be parsing higher? Yeah, but stop starting flame wars. If this post gets deleted I want an explanation, my last one saying almost the same thing was ripped out from under me...
I am in a good position to weigh in, at least the mid-game. My toons both baz geared: 86 zerker - 2500aa 85 monk - 1700aa On the zerker, all I can effectively do is ripo swarm. I get some group time in HoT but I cannot endure any aggro unless my Uncanny Resilience mitigation is up... without it I'm pulp. I feel Uncanny Resilience, an activated 40% mitigation aa is my only defense. And it's getting crapload expensive at 12aa per level. CS/CA/AoW maxed. It's cute to group, but by no means efficient. Why spend 30 mins lotd in avg. group and make 10 aa's when I can spend 10 mins on 1 solo pull and make 30aa's. Before the nay-sayers chime in about ripo-swarming not being legit game time, let me and every other zerker tell you it takes A LOT of practice to survive it at 85+. It's also super intense knowing one false move and 60-80 mobs will crush you in 1.5 seconds. Yes it's happened plenty. And nowadays very few do the ripo swarm --- I think the art is getting lost. Yes the zerker has PLENTY of offsenive capabilities, but lately it has become imbalanced and as previous posters declared zerkers are 100% reliant on support classes. Taking on old content the zerker must rely on a healer merc in Gyro-Beza. I would like to one day get to L91, but it seems I'm only loggin in for 10 mins, doing a ripo swarm, then logging out and playing the monk. On the monk, whom I planned to abandon but surprised myself that I took up again, I am able to solo (w/o merc) in Gyro-Beza. I have plenty of defensive and offensive abilities. With the discs and aa's at 85 I feel my dmg output is equivalent to the zerker, despite the crits not being so high. AND monk has much less downtime, in fact I feel bold enough to say monks have zero downtime. I can mend every 2.5 mins, heal with epic, potions, defer death; and steadfast servant can keep me going like a mack-truck. In the last 8 mins of my lotd session I do a ripo swarm and bank another 20 aa's. But here's the x factor: I find I'm having more fun on the monk running around and melee-ing and having to time abilities and heals and position myself and watch roamers ... rather than blowing my AA load in 1 massive pull. In conclusion, it is my opinion that a lot of newly rolled toons are rolled as zerkers in the false belief that the class becomes uber awesome at 91 with decapitate. It would take an ability like Mend and Impenetrable to make zerkers awesome. But why fight for that when I can just play a monk?
It is my opinion, as it always has been, that zerkers should be parsing higher than they have since SoF released. I believe they will eventually be tuned up. If and when that happens, zerkers should have a lead in dps both group and raid, and be comparable with rogues. I think monks should sit slightly behind zerker/rogue for melee dps.
Stop lying, monks have been doing alot of things and fairly well, the problem that some monks - not all have, is that they want to do some things as well as the classes that got 1 thing to rely on only... mainly Pure dps classes... Monks are superior to berserkers at group content, monks are better sustained than berserkers, also in raid. berserkers can top monks on very short parses only atm. Just tell it as it is.... However i predict that berserkers in the future again will top monk DPS on most parses also combined, when this will happen i dont know - but devs have a tendency to overboost classes in cycles, since we are bad off now except for very very small bursts we will most likely be better of later..
So to the OP, other than the whining and bickering, I hope you got the answer to your question. Pick the one you like the most to play, and if it isn't the most powerful, just wait a while and that will eventually change.
