Kemt. While I agree that berserk-required abilities aren't the best, the ones i listed seem like they would help PvPers and PvEers alike, which is why i designed them that way. As you say, being berserk is boiled down to a luck chance. However, I think we can both agree that you are in the berserk state for 90% of every fight, so its hardly a rare event. The abilities I detailed I pretty much just rifled off the top of my head, but they would be easy to implement and, at least to me, don't seem like any sort of nerf since they are added on to an ability we already have running 90% of every fight. So, that being said, the self-proc berserk aa line is completely worthless, no questions asked. Additionally, having abilities that require us to be berserk to use them is pretty worthless as well. But I wanted to get some ideas flowing about actual mechanics changes instead of graphical changes, since in the end, that is what everyone is really pissed about. To be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing just a straight +4 melee crit added to our self berserk skill as well. But I don't think something like that would happen since we already have lots of melee crit, even on par with some scouts. Keep the ideas comin everyone.
I must first say that yeah my post back there was possibly alittle bit far fetched and I should apologize for my ranting. Anjin I don't take any offense to what was posted about my learning to read, because you would be correct most of the time there because I get far to excited when I try to read certain posts and that sometimes gets me alittle off the true subject of the post hehe. After reading Kemt's post I would agree there with the don't support berserk-required abilities. I never liked anything that isn't constant like procs from stances, adornments, rings, ect..., but I also know that it is better to at least have that than not to have the chance. I just don't like relying on it is all. When we are not in a berserk state then what are we or what do we call ourselves? Any how I just want to say I love all of you who take the time to post better ideas for our class. Thanks for all you guys do. Now where was those cookies? =)
I've recently found a new love for my berserker, after parking it during late KoS through till a week ago, and I must concur with the feelings on this class. I've yet to do any end game raiding with my berserker, so I've never SEEN a guardian out-dps me, but I've seen guardians parse 3k in CoA with minimal RoK gear, which is easily comparable to berserkers. If a guardian gets berserker dps, fine, whatever. Just give us some more defensive abilites. Being a big fan of mythology I've seen/heard/read a lot about classical berserkers. Every time I play my zerker thoughts of how a "real" berserker would handle the current situation flow through my head. First off, screw shields. Not just bucklers, but tower shields, round shield and kite shields too. Classical Norse berserkers used massive 2hand swords, and went they went berserk, they did huge damage, but they sure as hell didn't regen health, they were just nearly impervious to damage. Another key factor of classical berserkers is that they generally only went berserk when their lives were threatened, or (key point here) someone they cared about was in danger (friend, family, or royalty, if there were a champion of the royal court). So, here's some ideas I like for improving berserkers: 1. A number of people in this thread mentioned a visual queue for Berserk mode. I like the glowing body or fire, but I personally like the idea of the screen going red. Not constantly though, just a flash of red when a NEW proc happens for Berserk (only if it procs when you aren't already berserk, and ONLY on the berserk self buff). 2. Give us something good to use 2handers with. It's much more berserker-like, plus there's no damn use for 2handers in this game. Every raid I've been on that's had a 2h drop, at least 20 people get upset. If we want to maximize our usefulness, we have to use a buckler. A berserker would eat a freakin buckler before he'd use it! 3. I'd like to see some sort of single target buff that goes on someone else in the group, which either increases our chance to go berserk, or gives us some other sort of offensive proc if they get damaged. 4. As others have mentioned, add more usefulness to Berserk. Going back to classical berserkers (sorry, I loooove norse style berserkers), we should get a decent mitigation boost when in berserk. Not an avoidance skill, just straight up physical mit. As with the other posters, I don't think we don't need more DPS, or a greater ability to tank, we just need defining aspects to our class. Though it's silly that guardians can do excellent DPS while being king **** tanks. The devs really need to research class types (this, and how come the only thing shamanistic about shamans is their class hat design??). Though if we're gonna continue to be stuck with shields, as one poster said, we should get round shields. Again, bucklers are for PIRATES. Oh, and if we remain stuck with bucklers, give some good RoK bucklers. I've seen one, from The Protector's Realm. What the hell??
Nice posts. I just started back playing two months ago so I don't have a lot of input as far as this thread goes. I two box a berserker / warden combo and just hit 77 today. Although I'll never probably raid endgame, since I am in a guild with a couple other old EQ1 friends, I do want what's best for the berserker in the endgame. Right now I can't tank quite as good as my friend who's a guardian. I can DPS fine, but I want more out of what I can do, and going berserk should be one way to do it, since there is no real increase in damage when I am berserk, which is most of the time during combat. So, I hope this thread gets noticed and we get some rewards. Cheers.
I like Kemt's idea of + crits for bezerk due to it being an expression of our chaotic and unpredictable nature. As far as visual queues go. http://walkerhost.com/temp/skoshi-player.zip Made that a long time ago... like in KoS... still works. The flaw is minor... the avoidance percent will always be inaccurate due to a UI design flaw from SOE when they switched avoidance from a % to a raw number they removed the ability to see the combined avoidance % and all you are seeing there is the base %. What happens is you just watch your haste and dps numbers.. if they spike you are probably berserk. P.S. That screenshot was also from KoS before I started raiding.... those are not my current stats lol.
This thread is getting a lot of great feedback. I'm going to be updating the original post soon to include quotes from responders and a summary of common suggestions.
Great thread! Berserk ability should get update for sure! we need some noticeable effect, come on going ïn "Berserk" means going BERSERK maybe -10% incoming damage, we dont feel pain while berserk... or increased crit/haste.
To me a big part of this issue resides in the rolls of guardians and berserkers. Subclasses are, in theory, designed to be each side of the same coin. I do believe all plate classes should be able - I said ABLE - to tank for raids. The make up of your raid and tatics of your raid force should be the determining factor of which tank you choose. That is my take on the philosophy of EQ2 tanks. I wrote the above because I think there are two parts to this discussion, that being concept and execution. If the concept or philosophy of a class is one thing, the execution should be to allow for the concept to be made real. My take on Guards and Zerkers has always been that in theory a Guard should be able to take a hit better and be a more defensive tank. A Zerker can dish a hit better and be more offensive. I think the majority of posters here have agreed with this. I agree that a zerker should put out more DPS than a guardian. I further believe it shouldn't matter if it is single targer or AoE a zerker should put out more dps. My execution to a zerker would be make a zerker into a higher aggro control tank when berserk. To me it makes sense that the offensive tank gets noticed as larger threat than a defensive tank. Zerkers should be a tank that can spike aggro and build aggro through their berserker rage. Yes, give some DPS increase, but also allow for an interesting tanking increases such as: Taunt Crits, 15% increase to Taunt Hate Gain, Taunts recharge faster, etc... Make it a modifier that specifies taunts so that this hate gain is by choice. It would also make Zerkers an interesting class to off tank or use in situations when a guardian can't hold aggro. You in essence sacrifice the defensive abilty of a guard to take a hit for a Zerkers ability to control the aggro of a mob.
i would love to see the devs give us a nice ability with NO nasty drawbacks (mit and resistance loss, serious power drain). but that might be asking a bit too much.
i´d like to see increased resistance against magic while berserk. tbh i think we´ve got enough haste, with agitage i get 178 haste which means my 4sec delayed weapon has an delay of 1.3 seconds, with a dirge i guess it´s then on caped speed. increased crit? go juggernaut. for me i´d like to see less incoming damage, physical and magical.
