I rolled a new Berserker the other day and I come hear to find out no one wants you unless you spec in buckler? A berserker should be an AE warrior. A shield should help for when you need to tank something big but in no way should it be better dps than 2-handed or dual wield. It's bad enough that zerks are forced to wear plate armor.. sheesh. Buckler? That fits in better with a Swashbuckler or brigand in my mind. I think the real problem is with classes being pigeon-holed into certain builds. WoW has the basic builds for warriors for straight tanking, single target dps and ae dps done OK but I think Guild Wars does them all one better by allowing you to setup your build before you head out the door at no cost. EQ has really goofed up on their concept of a "Berserker" that's for sure.
Eh I'm kindda on the fence with this one. I can kindda see it, an kindda can't. I think it all boils down to symantics. Had the zerker class been named "Gladiator" (i realize that's the title you get in STA line) then I think people would be more OK with the buckler spec. I'm with ya though, initially I thought it was ok, but the longer I have the little dinner plate infront of me the less I feel like a "Berserker". If they were to add some useful 2H weapon bonuses or dual wield bonuses, that'd be fine so that people could choose tanking (buckler) or more DPS (2h/DW buffs). Anywho, that's just the state of things, sadly.
Culliganator wrote: You realise THIER concept of a berserker doesnt have to be even remotley close to YOUR concept of a berserker.
Culliganator wrote: Forced? I consider it an on-the-job perk. You wouldn't want to go tanking mobs in cloth armor now, would ya?
Xalmat wrote: Actually I loved to do that back in DAoC, valewalker class. One of my favorite classes, it was a scythe wielding, cloth wearing, melee absorbtion buffing class that could, and often did tank in cloth.
I really think Sony took all the classes from EQ1 and shuffled them around until they fit and the berserker just wasn't going to fit with the monk/bruiser. I still feel like a berserker cuz I'm really good at sacrificing suvivability for DPS/aggro. Maintaining that balance is the hardest thing about being berserker I think. Valewalker was a cool class....similar in look to the dervish from guild wars.
Skel@Butcherblock wrote: My personal definition closely resembles the common definition of a berserker. Here are some examples from a quick search: From Brittanica Concise Encyclopedia berserker (from Old Norse beserkr, "bearskin". In premedieval and medieval Norse and Germanic history and folklore, any member of unruly warrior gangs that worshiped Odin and attached themselves to royal and noble courts as bodyguards and shock troops. They [I cannot control my vocabulary] and murdered at will in their host communities, and their savagery in battle and animal-skin attire (they are also said to have fought naked) contributed to the development of the werewolf legend in Europe. From Wikipedia Berserkers (or Berserks) were Norse warriors who were commonly understood to have fought in an uncontrollable rage or trance of fury; the berserkergang. The Úlfhéðnar (singular Úlfhéðinn) mentioned in the Vatnsdœla saga, Haraldskvæði and the Völsunga saga were said to wear the pelt of a wolf upon their heads when they entered battle. (For example: Warinhari, Haimric, Theudberga, Hlodwig etc.) Etymology Bersërkr (plural berserkir) is most typically translated as "bear's skin" referring to the bear skin clothing Viking warriors wore into battle, but also as 'not wearing armour', thought to connote light troops without armour. The berserkers wore decorated helmets made of metal and chain mail covered by a large cloth. The berserkers fought with battle axes, swords, and spears. The most famous weapon would be their deadly throwing axe which the berserkers used with great skill. Their morale was extremely high, greatly intimidating their enemies.
Culliganator wrote: In reality Zerkers wore leather, in Eq2 they wear plate, in reality you can't do magic, in Eq2 you can. , that's called artistic license.
Give an Assasin or Brigand 2-handers and AOE skills and there's your Berserker. I agree that the class probably should have been given a different name, "Gladiator" is a good choice. Folks who have played this class and enjoy it, kudos to you. All I am saying is it is a bit misleading to someone who decides to roll one up based on the "common" notion of what a berserker is. Especially when they start you out dual wielding two battle axes...
I completely agree. I was planning on rolling a zerker, getting a good 2hder, and crushing everything. Then I heard that zerkers don't do much more than tank. It makes me sad, the great berserker, terror of the battlefield, hiding behind a shield. Plus, it just doesn't seem right from a logical standpoint (i know logic+video games=error, but stay with me here please). How does a short sword and buckler cause more damage than a claymore or a battle ax? Honestly, it doesn't make sense, and for the crazy bloodthirsty warriors in us (or at least me), it's just not as much fun fun.
Sorry my friend, better do your research a little better. In reality Berserkers could wear from nothing to full armor in combat. You didnt have to wear leather to become a berserker at all, it was a state of mind during battle, or absence of it if you want, since they entered a battle rage so intense they could even hurt their own troops. Induced by drugs (as some arqueologists defend) or not, the sight of a Warrior in front of you completely in rage with no fear of dieing and seemingly feeling no pain was a sight to behold. The Bizantine emperor once had a special elite force of viking shock troops. Guess what kind of warriors they were? Yes, BERSERKERS. Guess what they wore in battle? The FINEST armor available at the time, NOT LEATHER AT ALL or going into battle HALF-NAKED. I completely agree with the OP. The Berserker buckler cookie spec is a disgrace to the class name that btw ISNT named Gladiator, but BERSERKER. A Warrior using 2 weapons or a huge 2 handed Sword or Mace would do MUCH MORE damage than one using a 1hander and a small shield. Dont believe me? Ask the decapitated dead corpse next to him by a single blow - yes that was reality, yes this is a GAME but no matter what you call your class there's one thing you can't ignore and that's pure and simple LOGIC. Add LOGIC to fantasy lore inherited by books and rpg games much older than EQ and there you have it, the true Berserker class, not this buckler oddity that many players are almost forced to play with. I dont use bucklers, only 2handers or DW btw - that's the way i always envisioned the class. And no, im playing a BERSERKER since day 1, not a Bruiser or whatever, cause this is the class i have chosen even before game came out, no matter how odd it is to be a rare Zerker using a 2hander among so many buckler cookie specs (and yes i get the job done and having fun with it).
Since when did norathian history= earth's history. berserker is whatever the hell SoE wants it to be. If you dont like it ****
The berserker imagery that is evoked by the name, and supported by countless hits in Google and such, that's all fine an all. We do have the option to fight naked or don whatever leather/chain we want. And can fight with a 2hander or tote 2 weapons. They are options. Bad and gimpy options, but still. That evocative imagery is from our dark ages. If those savages fast forwarded to an age where plate armour was an option, then it's not unfair to assume they'd wear it. One could consider EQ1 closer to Norrathian dark ages, and now, 500 years on, plate armour is more and widely available. Of that evocative zerker imagery, there is also a common theme of zerkers chewing upon the rim of a shield before wading into battle. It wouldn't be a buckler neccesarily, but still, close enough. Our Sta line should really require a round shield, while the brigands/swashies should be utilising the buckler. That fighting style is where the Swashbuckler name comes from, an age were young city gents took to wearing lightswords that swashed against the bucklers also clipped to their belts. SoE dropped the ball there, but dare say it's too late to remedy it.
eh, at least they did us right by making Virtue's Guard look more like a real shield than a tiny piece of crap hubcap like BoH or a square piece of wood like the FF bucklers..
didn't the "berserker" in forgotten realms (in the story of Drizzt the crazy dwarf guys) wear plate with spikes and razors on it only to leap into battle frothing at the mouth and giving his enemies a big hug? I KNEW (with little research) going into this game that a berserker was a tank, albeit an offensive one, but a tank nonetheless.
Sorta, that guy was a "battlerager" close enough though hehe. And his name was Pwent (or something like that). Man I'm a dork
Yup I remember that book, lol. While my berserker may not be what I envisioned when I made him, I still have fun. Instead of crushing you with a giant 2-handed axe, I'll either cut you to pieces with my sword or cave in your skull when I bash you in the face with that little piece of metal strapped to my arm.
