Berserker (Killing Floor 2)

Perk Overview

The Berserker is the 'vanguard' of the team, standing at the front of the group, engaging zeds in melee combat as their teammates pick them apart from a distance. They spawn with a Crovel Survival Tool, a Lawn-Mower Blade, and EMP Grenades. The Berserker levels up by killing zeds with Berserker weapons.

Weapon List

Weapon Name																Icon
9mm Pistol
Lawn-Mower Blade
EMP Grenade
Crovel Survival Tool
VLAD-1000 Nailgun
Pulverizer
Eviscerator

Bonus Experience

Berserkers receive bonus XP for killing any zed that is within 2 meters of a teammate with a Berserker weapon.

Difficulty	Bonus XP
Normal	+6
Hard	+8
Suicidal	+10
Hell on Earth	+14

Perk Stats

This table represents the passive stat bonuses the Berserker receives at level 0 (base stats) and the bonuses they receive each time they level up.

Base Stats																Stats Per Level
0% Melee Damage 5% Attack Speed 10% Movement Speed 5% Damage Resistance 25% Bloat Bile Resistance25% Siren Resistance Night Vision Capability Clots cannot grab you																+1% Melee Damage +0.8% Attack Speed +0.6% Movement speed- - - -

Perk Talents

This table represents the active abilities the Berserker has access to. You have the option of choosing one per tier.

Level																Icon																Description
Level 5																																Bulk Ammo: You're big and tough, so use it! Your Berserker ranged weapons start with 20% more rounds.
Level 5																																Night Vision: Flashlights are old hat - upgrade to a glowing green view of the world with night vision capability
Level 10																																Frenzy: Well, they call you 'Berserker': Your melee damage increases for every 15% of your health lost.
Level 10																																Fake Out: Duck and dive, pal: Cannot be grabbed by Clots.
Level 15																																Furious Defender: When the going gets tough... For every 15% of your health lost, your change to stumble specimens increased by 5% (max 25%).
Level 15																																Formidable:... the tough hit back: Your melee attacks reduce specimens' attack damage by 15%.
Level 20																																Take Cover: Know when to duck: When your health drops below 20%, your movement speed increases by 15%.
Level 20																																Intimidate: Wade in! 10% of light attacks inflict double damage and all hard attack have a 15% increase knockdown chance.
Level 25																																Zed Time - Menace: +30% attack speed with Berserker melee weapons. +15% chance to stun with melee weapons. +25% resistance to Siren Scream and Bloat Bile for all nearby squad members.
Level 25																																Zed Time - Attack Strength: +20% weapon damage. +10% max health. Melee alternate fire attacks massively push enemies back.

Strategy

The Berserker's job, simply put, is to be a distraction. Specializing in melee combat, the Berserker will constantly find themselves in close proximity to zeds, and as such, will be drawing a lot of attention to themselves. This is intentional, however, as the Berserker is equipped to go toe-to-toe with any zed and come out on top. This has the additional benefit of granting the ranged classes much-needed breathing room, allowing them to play to their own strengths and engage targets from afar.

The Berserker has a special set of skills that allow them to survive their dangerous profession; however, these are skills that must be used to their full potential in order for the Berserker to reach theirs. The Berserker, unlike the Commando, Support, and Filed Medic, does not gain additional health or armor, instead, they gain skills that allow them to avoid damage. A Berserker must not think like a boxer, who exchanges blows with his opponent, wearing them down through attrition, but rather like a duelist, who focuses on protecting themselves, then striking a decisive blow at the opportune moment.

Bersekers have a 25% resistance to Bloat bile and the Siren's scream attack, which is useful, as one is likely to suffer these attacks when closing the distance with said specimens. They also have a 5% resistance to all other sources of damage, meaning a hit that would normally deal 20 damage will instead deal 19 damage to a Berserker. One could argue that this reduction isn't high enough to be useful, however, sometimes one hit point can make all the difference in the world. If a Berserker takes the Formidable talent, striking a zed with any melee attack will cause them to do 15% less damage with their attacks, giving the Berzerker ~20% damage resistance against zeds that they have struck.

The Berserker can also block with his melee weapon, reducing the damage of incoming attacks. A well-timed block (getting the weapon into the 'blocking' position just as an attack hits) will result in a parry, greatly reducing the damage of the attack, as well as stunning the zed who delivered it. This is a skill that is essential to any Berserker's effectiveness, as it will allow them to combat Scrakes and Fleshpounds without taking horrendous amounts of damage.

The Berserker is fast, with gratly increased movement and swing speed. This allows them to exploit small openings, dodge attacks, and run circles around zeds, literally, in some cases. Swing speed is integral to the Berserker's damage output, which, despite the risk involved in dealing said damage, is rather lackluster compared to an assault rifle or shotgun. Melee weapons, however, don't have to be reloaded (with the exception of the Pulverizer, but that's different), and therefore can dish out damage until the cows come home. Minimal use of ammo also means that the Berserker will often have extra dosh to give to his impoverished, ammo dependent teammates.