new to this game, Berserker DW or Buckler?

Discussion in 'Berserker' started by ARCHIVED-djisidore, Dec 10, 2007.

  1. ARCHIVED-djisidore Guest

    Hello, I am new to EQ2 and I have couple questions to ask. I have searched this forum already but I couldn't find answers to the questions I have.
    1. Do Berserkers need to have a shield to tank? The reason why I ask this question is that I played a warrior in EQ1 and WOW. I quit a month after SOV expansion came out, and in EQ1 warriors didn't need shields even when they tank raid bosses like CT, Innoruk, Tunare, Trak, VS and so on. There were little benefits of using shields, it was more important to do extra damage to get more aggro. But in WOW, you just can't tank without a shield period. So how is it like in EQ2? Do berserkers need to have a shield and go down to buckler AA line to be a tank? Or can berserkers still tank while they dual wield? (I know it would not be as effective as buckler line) The one reason I hate WOW about is that, in order to tank even normal dungeons, you need to have a shield and defensive speced. There was no versatility there. It is just impossible to tank dungeons mobs without a shield in WOW. Now in EQ2, I am not planning to be a main tank for raid bosses, but I may want to do normal dungeons. So can I still dual wield and tank?
    2. The heroic skills. In battle, you can initiate heroic movement and use chained actions by using correct skills right? My berserker is lvl 11 right now and he only has very simple combos. For example, heroic initiation -> attack skill -> taunt and the combo ends. As my lvl goes up, does that chained combos get more than that or does it stay as simple as like that?
    Hm.. i know my questions sound pretty stupid.... - _-
  2. ARCHIVED-Roache Guest

    You can tank without a sheild -- it might just be a little more difficult.
    I dual weilded up until level 50-60ish -- feeling the same sort of way you do now -- I also played a warrior in eq1 --
    Once i started running instances and dungeons at the end game I realized that I needed to switch my specs -- and beleive me I didnt want to--
    THe problem I found is that people really know how to play their class, for the most part, and since zerkers hold aggro through their DPS we really need to MAX our DPS in order to hold aggro, which is our main job--therefore the buckler spec, I've found, is the most effective spec.
    IF you decide to run a dual weild spec you will most likely not have problems staying alive -- unless you're playing with healers that dont heal well -- but you will most definately run into aggro-control issues (which is what finally convinced me to switch to buckler spec)
    If you want to stick with dual weild all the time maybe try a scout or a monk/bruiser -- I'd suggest a brig/swashie as a nice alternative to a zerker -- if speced the right way you can make a pseudo-tank, complete with taunts and such -- though you wont be very likely to be tanking much content
    I'd suggest reading up on the forums, play your class for a while and try out different specs once you have enough AA points
    you're second question: in short no. YOu will get more melee combat arts that will trigger the chain -- but it will for the most part it will be HO > Melee attack > Taunt (or a few other CA's, like short duration defense buffs and so forth) -- it never gets complicated
  3. ARCHIVED-djisidore Guest

    thank you so much. I just like like the concept of dual wielding berserker type warriors like a meat grinder when I play any RPGs. I guess in EQ2 berserkers can still do some damage with a buckler on unlike WOW. Because in WOW defense spec shield warriors don't do any damage. I guess I will try the bucker line. Maybe like Spartan or Gladiator hm...
    once again thank you so much :)
  4. ARCHIVED-Slayer505 Guest

    djisidore wrote:
    What I would suggest is if you're pretty low level that you go down Strength or Int lines first and stick to dual wield or two hander, then when you have 17 AA, respec and go 4-4-8 Stamina. Buckler doesn't get good until you can get at least that far down the line. Personally I reccomend a full 4-4-8-8-1 in the Stamina line- the 8% uncontested avoidance in stamina 4 is great, and the end line helps a lot with power. As far as the image of a buckler fighter- there's this scene in Conan the Destroyer where Conan has a dual with a guy that uses a sword and buckler. That's kinda my concept of what a buckler fighter is like :)
  5. ARCHIVED-Lateralus Guest

    I'm not really sure that STA is the best line to go for soloing at lower levels.. I just made a zerker and by the advice of these forums have specced him STA 4-4-8-2 thus far in the mid 20s and i'm killing a good deal slower than I expected.. like literally as I play it I feel I could be leveling faster with any other class, even a Bard, Shaman or Cleric. I think going STR or INT and duel wielding from the start may yield faster leveling results..and yeah you may die more but that doesn't matter, best to just get the low lvls done fast and you can pick up STA line later on.
    Edit: I dont have high level berserker experience yet but if i'm wrong and what i'm experiencing with STA + buckler is the best soloing a zerker can do.. that doesnt speak well for this class and maybe it snt a good idea to play unless you can twink it to the gills..
  6. ARCHIVED-Zeuhl27 Guest

    I promise you once you get plenty of AA points into STA line, get a decent buckler and a good weapon you will destroy mobs solo. It may seem slow now but I promise it gets better. I stayed away from buckler spec for a long time because I liked the idea of swinging that huge 2 hander around. But once I got higher in levels and the mobs and dungeons got harder I felt like a panzy with it. I trashed my 2h sword, picked up STA line and a decent buckler and sword and the difference was like night and day. Not only did I put out a ton more damage I could take it as well.
  7. ARCHIVED-djisidore Guest

    Thank you so much for all the advices.
    I lvled to 17 yesterday and I got the shield charging CA (don't know exact name of it and too lazy to search - _-) and I love it. Currently I am going down to STA line even though I am low lvl because I am playing with my wife and she is playing a fury. But still Int and Agi AA looks very tempting hehe.
  8. ARCHIVED-knightofround Guest

    Any berserker who doesn't go with the buckler spec should be shot.

    I really wish there was an alternative, but there is not.

    You will tank so much better with a buckler than you will with a 2H, dual weild, or tower shield.

    You will do more dps with a buckler spec than you will with a 2H or dual weild.

    And as a zerker, you *must* go the buckler route if you want to have a prayer at holding aggro in groups, because we can't deaggro dps like Guards and Pallys can. SKs are in the same boat where they have to spec for dps to even have a chance at holding aggro for dps people who know what they're doing.

    At level 17 its not really an option, but as soon as you get 25 AAs respec to 4-4-8-8 STA immediately.
  9. ARCHIVED-YummiOger Guest

    Lateralus wrote:
    Zerkers are still Tanks. They are nowhere near the solo ability of many many other classes in game. Tanking is what Zerks are built for and its what they do best, Groups and Raiding. If Mega Solo is what you want i suggest a Hgher DPS Scout or Mage class.
  10. ARCHIVED-Lateralus Guest

    Ahdam@Permafrost wrote:
    Sorry no, thats not good enough. Now, maybe you didnt play back when before they nerfed berserkers into a tanking role, but back when I played originally they were beasts and one of the best DPS classes in the game.. im not saying thats how it should be now, but they should have options like other classes do.
    In a game where just about all the priest classes can put AA's in melee lines and become a close-combat class that can tank some things, a class called Berserker should be able to spec AA's in a certain way to do better damage with 2h/DW when they want to solo, in a way that doesn't involve their main duty (tanking). The entire berserker EoF tree is a joke to people right now, and 90% of zerkers use the same KoS AA setup with a buckler according to these boards..what would be wrong with tweaking the trees to allow diversity like with other classes?
  11. ARCHIVED-Lordeventine Guest

    knightofround wrote:
    You are assuming that every berserker who plays wants to be the best. Some people choose to play MMO's because they enjoy them. The drop off in DPS (not tanking) from buckler to dual wield isn't so substantial that it makes dual wield worthless. Personally, I get tired of people who think there is only one correct way to play a character. Go with what you like; who cares if you aren't the greatest.
  12. ARCHIVED-Schmalex23 Guest

    Well you are playing a social game, its not just about what you like. Its about being useful to other people as well. If you JUST play this game for you... then why bother with an MMO and monthly fee at all?
  13. ARCHIVED-Kaberu Guest

    A tower/dual spec is perfectly viable and capable. The main difference is that you are switching to dual wields for damage, and back to tower shields for tanking. A buckler spec lets you avoid all the switching but puts you at a point where you aren't the best of both worlds. Ignore the people that say the buckler spec is the only useful spec... it is largely true with fully Fabled gear as the increased stat bonuses from the equipment nullifies most penalty variations between wield types, but it is not an accurate statement by far.

    DPS helps with aggro, but it's not the end all, be all of aggro either. If keeping aggro with DPS was really the main concern, scouts would have us beat as tanks hands down. As main tanks: Buckler-specced berserkers are merely aggro-specialized at the expense of other tanking traits (like avoidance), that's all it is and that's the best way to look at it.
  14. ARCHIVED-Goofinon Guest

    Skel@Butcherblock wrote:
    So condescending a comment I just had to reply. If you don't have anything positive to add don't say anything at all. Normally you give good advice but not here. It is primarily about you because you are the one paying the darn fee. Your true friends will understand and give you lattitude. The point is to have fun. How can you have fun if your char isn't the way you want because others tell you you are an idiot if you don't pick a certain set-up? You are useful to other people in a group whether you pick DW, Tower, or Buckler. The guy didn't say run around in cloth and use a spoon as a weapon.
  15. ARCHIVED-KBern Guest

    Do you all basically just use the MC bucklers at the lower levels or are there some specific ones to search for?
    Mine is just hitting 17 (little sarnak) and he has been dual wielding up to this point but I am going to switch to buckler line once my aa points get to the sufficient amount.
  16. ARCHIVED-Schmalex23 Guest

    Goofinon wrote:
    Wasnt ment to be condescending and im sorry if you took it like that. I just think its selfish to not want to be the best because you have a vision of what your character holds in his hands. If i went into work and someone in my department was being inefficient because of aesthetics i wouldnt want to work with them. The same is applied to everquest.
  17. ARCHIVED-TheBusDriver Guest

    After you fill the stamina line 4/4/8/8/1 where should you start putting points next to help solo up to the higher levels but still be able to tank and also selecting a spec that I won't have to respec when I hit level 80.
  18. ARCHIVED-Baynne Guest

    TheBusDriver wrote:
    i am by no means an expert, however it seems from what i read on these forums that some extent of the str and int lines are a must have. i believe str 448 is what most get for melee crits. and int 448 i believe grants some nice haste. i myself plan to mow down trains too... so atm im debating the addition or modification to fit some agi in for increased AE on auto attack.
  19. ARCHIVED-KBern Guest

    TheBusDriver wrote:
    I would guess str line to get the crits.
  20. ARCHIVED-Vydar Guest

    At low levels, I usually suggest doing...

    4-1 Str
    4-1 Int
    4-4-8 Sta

    Then finish off Str to be 4-4-8

    Then finish off the Stamina tree and Intelligence tree.

    Your EoF tree doesn't really maximize its potential until you get your end game abilities. 5 points into the single target attack + taunt is great (forget what the low end name of it is) to do early, and if you're on a PvP server, your shield bash and your stifle are also very important to extend the duration on.