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Tactics Skunkees Definitive Berserker guide

Skunkee

Grizzled Veteran
Jun 17, 2009
302
2
I'll be updating this guide slowly over time since the new patch came out. I've got a lot of work ahead of me since there is a new specimen, the existing specimens got buffed/headshot hitboxes fixed/etc, and now there are SEVEN new guns. Phew! That leaves a lot of new weapon combinations I have to experiment with, as well as figuring out new effective tactics.

Updating more guns. Taking longer than expected due to social life/professional life situations. 11/19/09


IF YOU NOTICE ANY MISINFORMATION OR MISSED INFORMATION, CONTACT ME VIA PM WITH WHAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED.

SKUNKEE'S DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE BERSERKER

First off, lets start out with what this perk offers, and the requirements for each level of the perk:

Berserker

Level 0:
- 10% extra melee damage
- 10% less damage from Bloat Bile
- 10% discount on Chainsaw/
Katana
- Can't be grabbed by Clots

Level 1:
- 20% extra melee damage
- 5% faster melee attacks
- 15% faster melee movement
- 25% less damage from Bloat Bile
- 5% resistance to all damage
- 20% discount on Chainsaw/
Katana
- Can't be grabbed by Clots

Requirements:
Deal 25,000 damage with melee weapons.

Level 2:
- 40% extra melee damage
- 10% faster melee attacks
- 15% faster melee movement
- 35% less damage from Bloat Bile
- 10% resistance to all damage
- 30% discount on Chainsaw/
Katana
- Can't be grabbed by Clots
- Zed-Time can be extended by killing an enemy while in slow motion

Requirements:
Deal 100,000 damage with melee weapons.

Level 3:
- 60% extra melee damage
- 10% faster melee attacks
- 15% faster melee movement
- 50% less damage from Bloat Bile
- 15% resistance to all damage
- 40% discount on Chainsaw/
Katana
- Can't be grabbed by Clots
- Up to 2 Zed-Time Extensions

Requirements:
Deal 500,000 damage with melee weapons.

Level 4:
- 80% extra melee damage
- 15% faster melee attacks
- 15% faster melee movement
- 65% less damage from Bloat Bile
- 15% resistance to all damage
- 50% discount on Chainsaw/
Katana
- Can't be grabbed by Clots
- Up to 3 Zed-Time Extensions

Requirements:
Deal 1,500,000 damage with melee weapons.

Level 5:
- 100% extra melee damage
- 20% faster melee attacks
- 15% faster melee movement
- 75% less damage from Bloat Bile
- 20% resistance to all damage
- 60% discount on Chainsaw/
Katana
- Spawn with a Chainsaw
- Can't be grabbed by Clots
- Up to 4 Zed-Time Extensions

Requirements:
Deal 3,500,000 damage with melee weapons.


LEVEL 6:
-100% extra melee damage
-25% faster melee attacks
-20% faster melee movement
-80% less damage from Bloat Bile
-25% resistance to all damage
-70% discount on the Chainsaw/Katana
-Spawn with the Chainsaw
-Can't be grabbed by Clots
-Up to 4 ZED time extensions
-SPAWN WITH BODY ARMOR (Not listed on tool tip)
Requirements- Deal 5.5 million damage with melee weapons.

As you can see from the perk bonuses, the Berserker is exceptionally deadly with close range melee weapons. You will be a valuable member of your team because you take less damage, run faster than most of your teammates (with the right weapons), and you can chain together strings of ZED time, which slows the game down temporarily. This allows you to pick targets easier and will allow your team to line up headshots easily or sweep a crowd with the flamethrower easier. Below is a list of all the melee weapons, and the pros and cons of each.

THE WEAPONS:

The Combat Knife

Pros:
*Costs nothing to acquire. Everyone starts out with a combat knife.
*Run speed is increased when wielding the Combat Knife.
*Has two modes of fire. Primary fire does a fast, weak slash. Alt fire does a heavy slash that does more damage with a longer recharge on the next swing than the primary fire.
*Can chain ZED time on Clots and occasionally Gorefasts in early waves.

Cons:
*Does very low damage when compared to the other melee weapons.

Summary:
The Knife is a decent weapon for wave 1. It can decapitate clots with an alt fire very easily. It's capable of decapitating Gorefasts, as well as Bloats, but I recommend finding something better ASAP. It seems that Clots/Gores got more health this last patch, so be a bit more careful when engaging with the Knife.

The Machete
Pros:
*Does more damage than the Knife.
*Only weighs 3 blocks. If the Machete/Katana is the only melee weapon the Berserker chooses, there is enough weight available for the purchase of a high weight ranged weapon.
*Very inexpensive at only ₤100.
*Respectable decapitation rate on Gorefasts
*Easily chains ZED time in early waves.

Cons:
*Slightly slower swing speed than the Knife.
*Damage is lacking when compared to the stronger melee weapons.

Summary:
The Machete is a decent weapon to purchase if the player cannot afford the stronger melee weapons. Its low weight allows for heavy ranged weaponry as well. Very few people use the Machete, and rightfully so. It is not that impressive of a weapon and costs only ₤50 less than the Axe. The swing speed makes up for its lackluster damage by allowing you to chain ZED time, but honestly you're better off alt firing the Combat Knife and using that ₤100 towards a better purchase such as Combat Armour or a Chainsaw/Katana.

The Fire Axe
Pros:
*Inexpensive at ₤150.
*Has a much longer reach than the Machete and the Combat Knife.
*Does very high damage per swing. Capable of killing most Specimens in one alt fire.
*Weighs in at 5 blocks, but does not impede the movement speed bonus of the Perk.
*Alt fire does very good damage.

Cons:
*Weighs 5 blocks. This can prevent Berserkers from getting a heavy ranged option.
*Has a very slow swing speed when compared to the Knife and the Machete.
*Can not chain ZED time due to swing speed. Unconfirmed @ rank 6.

Summary:
The Fire Axe is one of the better melee weapons. It does very high damage per swing, conveys the same run speed as the knife, and with its long range can decapitate most specimens at a comfortable "dead zone" where you can hit them, but they cannot hit you. When used with Hit and Run tactics it can be quite efficient. However, when in close quarters with a large group of specimens the Fire Axe falters. The Katana is a 100% replacement for the Axe.

The Chainsaw
Pros:
*Primary fire holds the saw out in front of the player and does rapid, moderate damage slashes. Alt fire does an overhead swing that does high damage with a fast recharge time.
*Incredibly useful in swarms of weak to intermediate Specimens. Primary fire decapitates them quickly and easily.
*Incredibly useful for taking down Scrakes and Fleshpounds. The Alt fire stuns scrakes temporarily, and the Primary fire can decapitate a Fleshpound which disables its rage ability.
*Has a long range, although slightly shorter than the Fire Axe.
*Chains together ZED time easier than all the other melee weapons.
*Spawn with this weapon at ranks 5 and 6.

Cons:
*Slows down movement considerably when wielded. You will be VERY slow.
*High weight. The Chainsaw weighs in at a hefty 8 blocks. This can really put a strain on Secondary weapon choices.
*Expensive. The chainsaw is the most expensive melee weapon with a starting cost of ₤1000. Higher Berserker ranks lower this cost considerably.

Summary:
With the Newest patch, the usefulness of the chainsaw has gone down considerably in this authors eyes. Clots and Gorefasts now have more health, and primary fire decapitations don't kill them right off the bat in Hard/Suicidal difficulty anymore. Alt fire still does a lot of damage, but with the slow movement speed this weapon conveys you will find yourself getting wrecked by Husks and Sirens in the harder difficulties.

The Katana

PROS:
*Very high damage/swing ratio.
*Very fast swing speed.
*Does not slow the user when wielded.
*Respectable range and high decapitation ratio.
*The swing deals damage instantaneously, making this weapon effective vs. Crawlers! Rejoice!
*Lightweight at 3 blocks. Machete is now completely obsolete.
*Can chain ZED time easily.

CONS:
*Expensive, with the same price tag as the Chainsaw.
*May not appeal to those who hate Japan-ophiles.

The Katana is quite a powerful beast. It has similar range, comparable damage, and a much faster swing speed than the fire axe. The alt fire power swings do more damage than the chainsaw alt fires. Do not spam primary fire swings. Choose your swings, much like a commando or a sharpshooter has to do with their headshots. When compared to the chainsaw it is a matter of preference. Both weapons are equally devastating to different types of specimens when properly used. Think of the Katana as a sidegrade rather than an upgrade to the chainsaw. Some players will prefer the W+Mouse1 playstyle of the chainsaw, while others will prefer the ridiculous run speed and damage ratio that the Katana allows.


SECONDARY WEAPON CHOICES

The Handcannon (dual handcannons)
Pros:
*High single shot damage.
*Singular Handcannon has easy to use Iron Sights which allow for easy, consistent head shots.
*Dual Handcannons are decent to use in a pinch when spamming bullets is necessary (for instance, a horde of Crawlers). Usually, single Handcannon is better.
*Low weight. The Handcannon weighs in at 4 blocks, and the dualies add no additional weight.
*With proper aim, can string ZED time together.

Cons:
*Low Magazine capacity. The handcannon has an 8 round magazine, which "spammy" players will burn though in no time leaving them stuck in a reload animation.
*Expensive at ₤500. Dualies cost an additional ₤500.
*Dual Handcannons have difficult to use Iron Sights. The player loses the "Down the Barrel" effect and will most likely miss headshots that they would otherwise land.

Summary:
The Handcannon is a bit too expensive and does a bit too little "non-headshot" damage for this authors taste. While it only weighs in at 4 blocks, you could buy one of 6 block choices if your primary weapon is the Chainsaw/Fire Axe and get more mileage out of them.

Lever-Action Rifle
Pros:
*Excellent Iron Sights. Very easy to land headshots with this gun.
*Inexpensive to purchase. The LAR costs a paltry ₤200.
*Semi-Low weight. The LAR only weighs 6 blocks, which can be wielded if the player has a Chainsaw.
*High ammo capacity. The LAR has 80 rounds to be spent.
*Kills Crawlers in one shot no matter where the shot lands nor the difficulty of the server.

Cons:
*High reload time. Reloading the LAR is a chore, however the reload animation can be canceled at any time to fire off a shot.
*Aside from Crawlers, doesn't do much damage vs. anything other than Stalkers, Clots, and removing Bloat heads.
*Far too slow to string together ZED time.

Summary:
Sirens and Crawlers are the most dangerous Specimens for a Berserker to engage in close range, and this baby does the trick. Entire swarms of Crawlers can be taken out with one shot at a time from range. The headshots garnered from this weapon count towards your Sharpshooter perk as well! It's inexpensive, has plentiful ammo, and can remove heads quite easily. The M14EBR is an upgrade to this gun.

Bullpup
Pros:
*High ammunition capacity.
*High rate of fire.
*Iron sights have a crosshair, making headshot decapitations easy.
*Moderately low weight (6 blocks) allows it to be used while having a Chainsaw as your primary weapon.
*Alternate Fire toggles Full auto and Single Shot firing modes. Good for using/conserving ammunition when needed.
*Eats Crawlers for Breakfast.
*Strings ZED time easily.

Cons:
*Very low damage vs Sirens, Scrakes, and Fleshpounds.
*Can potentially burn through large amounts of ammunition.
*Has a large spread and is not very accurate at long range.
*LONG reload animation, non cancel-able.
*Expensive at ₤450.

Summary:
The Bullpup is a solid choice for a secondary weapon if Crawlers are your biggest concern. In single fire mode, one bullet of its 40 round magazine can take a Crawlers head off. Unlike the Lever Action rifle, though, body shots do not mean instant death to Crawlers. It has a large ammo capacity, easy to use Iron Sights, and decapitates the majority of specimens in 1-3 headshots. This allows ZED time extensions, as well. However, its long reload animation can and will get you killed if you're not careful.

The Shotgun
Pros:
*High damage per shot ratio.
*Spread allows the Berserker to kill multiple specimens in one shot.
*Has a flashlight.
*Moderate price for the damage output. Costs ₤500.
*Fairly high rate of fire allows for good crowd control.

Cons:
*Long reload time. Like the LAR, however, the reload animation can be canceled into a shot once a round is chambered.
*High weight. Weighing in at 8 blocks, only Berserkers that use the Fire Axe and below can carry it.
*The price tag might be considered high for some. ₤500 is Combat armour and a Lever-Action Rifle.

Summary:
The shotgun is a very solid secondary weapon choice if one chooses to use a lighter weapon over the Chainsaw for mobility reasons. Its flashlight illuminates dark corridors quite effectively while allowing its user to clear rooms of weak specimens such as Clots/Gorefasts/Bloats/Stalkers/Crawlers. When it comes to crowd control, the Shotgun is your secondary weapon of choice. Shotgun users may, however, find themselves using this over their melee weapons and should not forget the reason they chose Berserker in the first place!

The Crossbow
Pros:
*Extremely high single target damage with headshots.
*Scope with powerful zoom.
*Bolts have very high penetration. One bolt is capable of penetrating up to 6 Specimens in a straight line, potentially more. (6 headshot kills on a line of Clots is my personal best.)
*Inexpensive at ₤400.

Cons:
*High weight weapon. Weighs in at a whopping 10 blocks. Your only primary melee weapon choices with this weapon are the Machete/Katana.
*Ammo is extremely expensive. ₤15 per shot.
*Extremely slow reload time and rate of fire. The Crossbow is a single shot weapon that takes a few seconds to reload. The reload animation can be worked around by swapping to another weapon then immediately switching back to the Crossbow.
*No ZED time extensions (needs clarification. Does one shot that kills multiple specimens trigger more zed times for each specimen killed? If so this isn't entirely true, but you're not going to get extended ZED time from a second shot)

Summary:
The Crossbow is an extremely effective weapon in corridors where specimens tend to line up. With extremely high penetration value, a single bolt can mean the death of multiple Specimens. Due to its high weight, the only melee weapons you can purchase are the Machete or Katana. With the Crossbow as your "Secondary" weapon, you might find yourself using it more than your melee and may want to consider playing a sharpshooter, as that perk adds a ludicrous amount of damage to the Crossbow.

The Hunting Shotgun
Pros:
*Two modes of Fire. Primary fire unloads one barrel. Alt fire unloads both barrels.
*High damage, High spread. This is a room clearing weapon.
*Large ammunition stockpile. The Hunting Shotguns ammunition is NOT shared with the regular Shotgun.
*Respectible Penetration. The Hunting Shotgun can penetrate up to 2 Specimens (more when playing the Support Specialist).

Cons:
*Weighs 10 blocks. You're going to be using a machete/Katana.
*Primary Fire unloads one barrel. You can not reload the gun when there is still a shell in one of the barrels.
*Fairly long reload animation, which cannot be controlled by the player unless the gun is empty.

Summary:
The Hunting Shotgun is a room clearer. Its large spread and high penetration make it a viable choice for a Secondary weapon. It has a large ammo capacity and high damage, regardless of what Perk you are using. However, much like the crossbow, you might find yourself using the Hunting shotgun as your primary weapon more than your melee and may want to consider playing a Support Specialist for their insanely good shotgun bonuses.

The Flamethrower

Pros:
*Can hit multiple targets with one puff.
*Causes a damage over time effect on enemies.
*Very effective crowd control when used against crawlers, stalkers, and clots.

Cons:
*Expensive
*High Weight
*Poor range
*Low ammo
*Low damage on Gorefasts, Bloats, Scrakes, and it basically tickles Fleshpounds.

Summary:
Don't use it as a Berserker. It's a joke of a weapon outside of a Firebug's hands.

The AK-47

Pros:
*High damage per shot. Rivals the Lever Action rifle in terms of damage per bullet.
*High ammo capacity (overall, not per mag).
*High rate of fire in full auto.
*Multiple fire modes (single/full auto).
*Weighs 6 blocks. You can buy this while in possession of a Chainsaw.
*Easily strings ZED time

Cons:
*Expensive at 1000 for a Berserker.
*Chews through ammo very fast.
*Low capacity magazines (30 rounds)
*High recoil.
*Slow reload speed when changing magazines.

The AK-47 is a very viable sidearm choice for the Berserker. It can act as a replacement for the Lever Action Rifle once you acquire enough cash. Set it to semi-auto and use Iron sights to take out sirens and crawlers from a distance. It does respectable damage per shot, has a 30 round magazine, and has a total of 10 mags when maxed on ammo. This weapon is very inaccurate when not using Iron sights. Be mindful of the high recoil when using full auto.

The L.A.W.

Pros:
*Explosive rounds that damage multiple specimens with each shot.

Cons:
*Must be in iron sight mode to fire.
*Severely impacts your peripheral vision due to size of weapon graphic.
*Very high weight requirement. As a Berserker, you will ONLY be carrying the L.A.W. should you choose to buy it.
*Very expensive at 1500 quid.
*Very low ammo capacity
*The damage per shot/ammunition capacity/weight/cost per ammunition ratio is abhorrently terrible.
*Can kill yourself from firing too close, or from having a teammate run out in front of you while lining up a shot.

This weapon is a waste of space in its current implementation. It weighs a lot, costs a lot, has a very small ammunition capacity, does lackluster damage compared to the AK-47/Hunting Shotgun/Crossbow, and it can also kill you if your teammates run out in front of you. Absolutely terrible on EVERY CATEGORY, and the only time you should even consider using this weapon is if you're going for the achievement for killing the Patriarch with it. UNTIL THIS WEAPON IS UPGRADED TO "USEFUL" STATUS BY TWI, STEER CLEAR OF IT BECAUSE IT WILL ONLY HANDICAP YOUR TEAM.

NEW GUNS:

The Pipe Bomb
PROS:
*
Extremely high damage
*Acts as a Land Mine
*Only weighs 1 block

CONS:
*Very expensive at 800 quid for 2 bombs

Summary: There is no reason NOT to get pipe bombs when you're maxed out on armor and sidearms. It allows you to booby trap chokepoints and do a high amount of damage to whatever steps on it. Incredibly useful for EVERY class.

M14EBR
PROS:
*Very high damage per shot
*Large magazine capacity @ 20 rounds per
*HUGE ammo capacity when full. 15 mags of 20 rounds
*Lazor sights!
*Iron sights allow for incredible single shot accuracy
*Same weight as Lever Action

CONS:
*Super expensive @ 2500 quid
*High recoil
*Long reload animation

Summary:
This baby is a beauty. The bullets do as much (maybe more?) damage as the Lever Action Rifle. With an ammo capacity of 15 twenty round magazines, you will rarely find yourself in a "low ammo" situation. The only real con to this gun besides its price is its reload animation being a bit lengthy.

M79 Grenade Launcher
PROS:
*High damage per shot
*Low weight @ 4 blocks
*Great for killing groups of Crawlers with one shot

CONS:
*Expensive at 1250 quid
*1 round capacity
*Explosions leave a vision impairing smoke cloud
*LONG reload animation
*Capable of damaging yourself when firing too close

Summary:
The M79 is a fairly solid purchase as a Berserker. It's great for killing a group of weaker specimens with one bloop. However, be careful in tight quarters or in situations where visibility is a must. The large smoke cloud it leaves behind after an explosion can mask the presence of dangers like sirens or Husks.


SCAR
PROS:
*
High damage per shot
*Excellent Iron Sights
*Moderately ammo capacity (total, not per mag)
*Two modes of fire (full auto/semi auto)
*High Rate of Fire

CONS:
*
VERY expensive as a Berserker. 2500 quid
*Long reload animation
*20 round magazine may feel a bit low to some.

Summary:
If you're the type of Berserker that sidearms a Bullpup, you might want to upgrade to the SCAR when you have enough quid. It does more damage at the expense of having a smaller magazine capacity.

 
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GENERAL TACTICS SECTION:

As a Berserker, there are 4 things you should know when participating on a team:

1. You have a universal damage reduction bonus from the Perk. Don't be afraid to get up in the face of the Specimens every now and then if it will save the life of a teammate. Golden rule number 1 has a HUGE priority. Scrakes, Fleshpounds, and Gorefasts can all attack while moving. The first 2 mentioned also enrage randomly. Throw yourself in front of Specimens to save your teammates (if they're the cooperative kind who will heal you afterwards). You are much better equipped to take hits than your team, especially with the nerf to Combat Medic run speed.

2. Just because you take less damage from this perk, don't play stupid. If it looks like a dangerous situation that can kill you, it probably will. Break out your ranged weapon and take out Primary Threats before closing in with your melee weapon of choice.

3. Hit and Run. Learn it, use it, love it.

4. As you gain ranks in Berserker, you gain the ability to chain ZED time for your team. This allows them to pick and choose their shots. When you see ZED time go off from killing something, keep that killing spree going. The more you kill, the more slow-mo time your team gets (up to 5 total ZED times).

Those are the 4 Golden Rules of being a Berserker. I preach them, and I practice them.

CAVEATS of being a Berserker

As a Berserker, you're going to find yourself in close combat a lot. Whether you're swinging a Machete or Fire Axe, or bulldozing crowds with the Chainsaw, close combat is your forte. However, there are lots of bad things that can and will happen to you in close range.

These are:

- Tunnel Vision
You get so focused on plowing through the crowd of Specimens with your trusty Chainsaw that you don't realize that the team has fallen back and you have a swarm of Crawlers and Stalkers behind you, or a big nasty enraged Fleshpound. TUNNEL VISION IS A HUGE CAVEAT. ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS IN LATER WAVES. Bloats, Scrakes, and Fleshpounds will cause MANY more deaths on your team than previously before. ALWAYS be aware of your and your teams surroundings.

- John Rambo mode
You're the type of Berserker player that thinks you're invincible just because you have a chainsaw and damage reduction. You go off on your own and abandon your team to their own vices. Because of your Rambo like behavior, your team dies to a pair of fleshpounds or a renegade scrake. Shortly after, you're in over your head and you die. You may be a Berserker, the chainsaw wielding close combat god, but you can and will die because of this behavior in hard -> suicidal difficulties. Normal mode, not so much.

- Surrounded by Crawlers and/or Sirens
You have a strong weapon, you're tearing through swaths of Clots, Gorefasts, Bloats, and Stalkers. You get to the end only to realize that in the back of the wave is a swarm of Crawlers with a Siren screeching her head off to boot. Crawlers CAN, and DO surround you with their annoying leap attacks. This will trap the player, allowing sirens to capitalize on your situational unawareness. Pro-tip: Sirens Screams ignore Combat Armour.

- Thinking you can kill a certain Specimen in melee, when you can't
The benefits of being a Berserker are that you are effective against most of the Specimens. However, there are situations where your eyes are bigger than your skill and you attempt to kill some Specimens that you just aren't that good against. For example, trying to Knife Crawlers might get you killed. Running at a Siren head on with a chainsaw tends to be a bad idea. Trying to decapitate bloats with the combat knife when there are a lot of clots around might not be smart. This follows Golden Rule number 2! Don't play stupid!

AVOIDING THE CAVEATS

COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE!!!
This should be everyone's priority. Make plans. Have the support guys do their other role (besides clearing rooms of baddies in 1-3 shots) and weld doors. Have a dedicated medic. An organized team is usually a successful team! With the Stronger enemies that appear in later waves, communication is even more important. If you have a headset, use it. If you don't, get really good with the in game voice orders: <V> => 1-5 => 1-5. Scrakes and Fleshpounds can much more easily kill your teammates than they can kill you, so warn the team as soon as possible!

LEARN TO USE HIT AND RUN.
This is where Golden Rule number 3 of being a Berserker comes into play. I cannot stress the importance of this tactic.

*Walk towards the Specimen.

*Pre-load a swing (if you're using Combat Knife alt fire, Machete Alt Fire, the Fire Axe/Fire Axe Alt Fire, Katana Swing/Alt Fire, or the Chainsaw overhead swing).

*Walk forward so the swing goes off as soon as you get in range of the Specimen.

*Immediately backpedal to escape the effective attack range of the target Specimens.

*Did your swing Land? If Yes, keep reading. If no, repeat the tactic until you get it!

*
Is the Specimen dead? If yes, good work! You're learning the Hit and Run! This tactic is extremely effective when you have space to move around, or if you have Specimens in a bottleneck area where you can chip away at their numbers.

After practicing this tactic several times, it will become natural to you. Use the backpedal step of this tactic to quickly survey your surroundings, especially your rear flanks and your 6 o'clock. Crawlers and Gorefasts can, and do, appear out of nowhere from behind you. Practice situational awareness.Situational Awareness is even more important now that some Specimens can attack while moving. ALWAYS be on the lookout for Gorefasts and Scrakes now, because they move FAST.

PICK YOUR TARGETS
As a Berserker, you need to be able to size up situations based on a few things:
1. What weapon are you wielding?
2. What is coming after you?
3. Where are you in relation to the rest of your team?

Part of being effective is to pick out the biggest threats to you and your team, and being able to do this quickly/efficiently. There will be many a situation where you see a group of specimens led by a Clot. Cannon fodder right? So you blindly charge forward, chainsaw primary fire held down, and next thing you know an angry Scrake is bum rushing you from around a corner, or there was a Siren hiding behind that Gorefast you decided to rush down. Specimens aren't that intelligent. Let THEM come to YOU.

BE A TEAM PLAYER

This can be said of all the Perks. Nobody likes a Rambo on their team. You will find that you will be distancing yourself from the team occasionally, given the nature of your perk. However, you shouldn't overextend yourself. Large gaps of empty space between you and your team will be filled with large numbers of specimens that will break off and surround you, cutting off your escape routes. This will get you killed, which may get your team killed. Stick near your team. You never know when you will have to protect your Field Medic or Sharpshooter from an incoming Fleshpound or Scrake. Taking a few hits for the team will make you a valuable asset.

If there is ONE thing you take from this guide, let it be the following tidbits of information in green:

HELP YOUR MEDICS BY STANDING STILL TO GET HEALED

If you're in need of a heal and there's a medic willing to actually DO it, don't be a dick to them by dancing around like a spasmodic child! There may be specimens closing in on you, but getting healed and staying alive is more important than killing that Specimen for some moneys.

HEAL YOUR TEAMMATES WHEN THEY NEED IT

You're not a medic. However, you do have a Syringe and it is more effective when used on others than when used on yourself! There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON not to heal a teammate in need when the nearest Specimen is a healthy distance away. This goes for all the Perks, not just Berserkers.

Weapon Combinations

As a Berserker, you have many viable choices for weapon combinations. Listed below are several combos that seem to work well.

NEW IN HEAVY METAL PATCH: I am still experimenting with different weapon combos. The information below may be out of date until I update this section!

The Chainsaw and Lever-Action Rifle
This combo is my personal favorite. The chainsaw is without a doubt the highest damage output melee weapon in the game. Use the chainsaw for taking out Clots, Gorefasts, Bloats, Scrakes, Stalkers, and Fleshpounds. For the Specimens that give Berserkers the most trouble (The Crawler and The Siren), break out the Lever-Action Rifle and aim for the head. Crawlers die in one shot no matter where the bullet lands on them in ALL difficulties. They have an extremely large headshot hitbox as well, so you can level Sharpshooter a bit while using this weapon. The Siren takes a bit more to kill, but 3 to 4 rounds in her head on Hard mode should do the trick. The LAR has a bit of a long reload animation but it can be canceled as soon as one round is chambered. This makes retreating as easy as switching to your Knife and immediately running away.

The Chainsaw and the Bullpup
This combo is very similar to the Chainsaw and LAR. The main difference is that it is much less effective vs. Sirens and much more effective vs Crawlers. The Bullpup has very easy to use Iron Sights (due to the crosshair) and decapitates crawlers indiscriminately. It has a very high ammo capacity so you can take out Crawlers the entire wave and not run out of ammunition. Sirens will give you a lot more trouble at a distance since the Bullpup has a large spread when shooting from ranges longer than medium (the effective siren scream range). Be careful of its long reload animation as your run speed will be slow and you cannot immediately switch to the Knife to run away.

The Chainsaw and Handcannon(dual Handcannons optional)
This combo is similar to the Chainsaw/Lever-Action Rifle strategy. Single Handcannons offer a large magazine capacity at 8 rounds and much faster rate of fire than the LAR. The accuracy of a single handcannon is great. The Iron Sights ease of use allows for consistent headshots on Crawlers and Sirens.
The reload time is much faster than the LAR due to the use of a magazine rather than loading rounds one at a time. However, the reload animation cannot be canceled and this weapon should not be reloaded under high pressure situations such as being surrounded by Crawlers/Stalkers. Dual Handcannons trade the Accuracy of using a single gun for double the Magazine capacity. Dual Handcannons can unleash a hail of bullets on unfavorable Specimen swarms.

The Fire Axe and the Shotgun
This combo is popular among Berserkers who prefer mobility over the raw damage output of the chainsaw. The Fire Axe has good range and high power with a slow swing speed but allows the Berserker to run at full speed. When faced with a large crowd of Specimens, the Berserker switches out to the Shotgun and fires a couple rounds to clear out the weaklings, then swaps out to his Fire Axe to finish off the larger specimens. This combo makes very heavy use of Hit and Run tactics (see the General Tactics section for instructions on how to Hit and Run), and may not be suitable for beginner Berserkers in the later waves.

The Katana and the Crossbow
This combo is real horrorshow. The Katana allows for a great amount of mobility as well as damage output, and the Crossbow is one of the strongest ranged weapons in the game. Use the katana for taking out Clots, Gorefasts, Stalkers, Scrakes, and Fleshpounds. Swap out to the crossbow to take out Crawlers and Sirens. This combo is exceptionally useful on the Patriarch wave as well, since Crossbow headshots will severely damage his health.

The Bruce Willis
This combo consists of Purchasing a Katana, a Handcannon, and a Bullpup/AK-47. It allows you to carry 2 potent sidearms in addition to your melee weapon. The Handcannon/Bullpup can be used to take out Crawlers indiscriminately. The Handcannon or AK-47 can be used for Sirens or general crowd control. Either way, you're going to have a lot of ammo to play around with, as well as having a very effective melee weapon to boot. Yippee Kaye Yay!


The Chainsaw/Katana
For those who want a "melee-only" feel to their playstyle, consider purchasing both the Katana AND the Chainsaw. This may cause a few inventory management problems, but you have the two best melee weapons in the game at your disposal and your perk makes sure you get the most out of them. Use the chainsaw for "hold the line" situations, and use the Katana for hit and run situations.

 
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SPECIMEN STRATEGIES

The Clot
These Specimens are a joke to the Berserker. Even at rank 0, the Berserker is immune to their grab attack so Hit and Run works extremely well against them. Their damage is laughable at high ranks of Berserker (in hard mode, a Clot bite does 2 to 3 damage at best). The only thing dangerous about the Clot is their ability to appear in huge numbers and with other Specimens. Their biggest threat is the ability to get in your way. Make sure you are watching your flanks so you don't get surrounded!

Melee Weapon strategies vs. the Clot

Knife- The Clot is easily decapitated by the alt fire of the Knife. Load up an Alt Fire as you're walking towards them, and aim for the mouth/neck area to remove the head of a Clot. Use primary fire and aim for the decapitation spot if you find yourself surrounded for fast decapitations.

Machete- Hack away. There's no real finesse to killing a Clot with a Machete. Aim for the neck. Alt fire kills them just as easily as primary fire.

Fire Axe- The Fire Axe has a long reach. While doing hit and run, learn the maximum range of the fire axe to get the most efficiency out of the weapon. Max range decapitations are the best here. Alt fire works equally well vs. these weaklings when compared to primary fire. Primary when there are multiple Clots in close range to you; Alt fire when you have some breathing room to hit and run.

Chainsaw- W + Mouse 1. Seriously. The Chainsaws primary fire allows you to literally walk forward and slay clots with no real danger.

Katana- Left click them. They die.

Secondary Weapon choices vs. the Clot
Secondary weapons- Anything, really. The 9mm can decapitate them in 1 to 2 headshots on most difficulties. Anything higher than that is usually overkill unless they're in large numbers and you don't have a good melee weapon for some reason.

The Bloat
Big, fat, slow, and a damage sponge. The Bloat appears in all waves, and is best known for his ability to vomit a corrosive bile on you. The Bloat is fairly dangerous to melee, for as soon as you get in close range to them they rear back and throw vomit at you. Bloat bile obscures your vision by placing a large opaque green splotch on your screen while making your screen flash a bit. It also does damage over time to you and corrodes your armor in addition to health. Bloat bile has the added bonus of being able to damage other Specimens. This can be used to your advantage if you're tricky enough. A Bloat that pukes on a Fleshpound will find itself getting beat upon by said Fleshpound. You can use this to your advantage when it happens, because Specimens do little melee damage to each other unless they activate abilities that are flagged as "friendly fire". A lot of people get confused as to when the vomit actually hits you. After some testing, I noticed that Bloat bile has 2 separate animations.

1: The Bloat rears back, and throws his head forward. This part is hard to notice, but if you watch carefully you will see THREE small bile colored balls come out of his mouth in a cone formation (if you played 1942 or other overhead 2D plane shooter games you will know the pattern.) These are what hurt you and obscure your vision.

2: After throwing the three balls, the Bloat will have a big, chunky stream of vomit coming from its mouth. As far as I know, this is not what hurts you. However, if you move in too soon after the 3 balls have hit the ground you will still be damaged by an acid spot they leave on the ground, although your vision will not be obscured. Your screen will shake for a few seconds even if you only take 1 acid damage and immediately move out.

NEW IN PATCH 4: The Bloat is capable of launching his bile attack while moving. This makes meleeing them quite dangerous. If you have the room, break out your 9mm and remove their heads before meleeing.

Upon a headshot or "reach zero health" death, the Bloat will explode in a shower bile. This has the same effect as the acid balls, although I am not sure what part of it triggers the screen obstruction or acid damage. There have been times where I've done max range Fire Axe decapitations on them and gotten coated in the puke, and times where I've knife killed them at close range and not gotten hit at all. The rule of thumb is to kill them from max range.

Melee weapon strategies vs. the Bloat
The absolute safest strategy when going against a Bloat is to break out your 9MM and take a few pot shots at its head. Bloats are notoriously easy to decapitate, and this negates their vomit attack. I don't recommend strictly meleeing them in higher difficulties because of their puke while moving attack. If you're fast enough, you can decapitate them with melee weapons.

Knife- Primary fire does little to no damage to the bloat, but may be useful for decapitating them. The decapitation "sweet spot" on a bloat is right in their double chin. Alt Fire of the knife has a much higher rate of decapitation and seems to stun the Bloat better.

Machete- Same as the knife alt fire, although with a slightly faster swing than the alt fire. If you're trying to decap them swing a bit later than you would with the Knife alt fire. Alt fire does more damage, albeit slightly harder to aim.

Fire Axe- You can decapitate from longer range with the axe. Just be sure to time your swing accordingly since all melee weapons operate differently. The Alt fire on the Fire Axe does more damage, and results in more consistent decapitations due to its overhead swing animation.

Chainsaw- Fantastic for doing decapitating once you close the distance. Even with the slower run speed from the Chainsaw, you should be able to land decapitation kills fairly effectively if you're doing Hit and Run correctly.

Katana- It's very effective at decapitations and allows you to move in on them quickly. Pick your swing, and decapitate. If you miss you're going to get vomited on so be aware of the risk.

Secondary Weapon Strategies vs. the Bloat

Not going to waste the space here. All ranged weapons besides the flamethrower have more than enough capability to decapitate a Bloat. They move very slow and have a huge head that's easy to remove with 2-4 shots from the 9MM, depending on difficulty. Don't aim for the body. They have lots of health.

The Gorefast
The Gorefast is rather dangerous compared to the Clot. They are heartier, have a nasty charge attack, and can attack you from range with their choppin' sticks. They also have the nasty habit of appearing in groups of 4-7 starting at Wave 2. The Berserker is quite effective at killing these and should protect his squad mates from them whenever possible. Their heads are positioned at a bit of an angle, so their decapitation "sweet spot" is a bit harder to land a hit on than a clot. Aim for their missing lower jaw/neck area.Gorefasts can now swing while moving. They don't ALWAYS swing while moving, but don't be surprised if they do. It's still somewhat common for a Gorefast to stand in place during his swing animation.

Melee Weapon Strategies vs. The Gorefast

Knife- Gorefasts can be decapitated with the Combat Knife. Wait for the Gorefast to do his charge attack. When it gets just outside your danger zone, pre-load and Alt Fire and aim for the neck. Even if you miss, you will stun the gorefast long enough to land a decapitation during its stun animation. If they are in a group, your best bet is to backpedal and pop them with your 9MM or other secondary if you don't have a stronger melee weapon.

Machete - See the Knife Strategy. The Machete does more damage than the Knife with both Firing methods.

Fire Axe- Max range decapitations are your friend here. Once you learn their sweet spot and the Fire Axe's hit box, you can backpedal-decapitate Gorefasts with little worry. Use the Alt Fire to kill them no matter where the blow lands. Primary fire must be a neck shot to decapitate them in one swing.

Chainsaw- You should fear no amount of Gorefasts with this weapon. Primary fire decapitates them indiscriminately. Let them charge you and backpedal a bit to decapitate them at range before they take a swing. You may want to use alternate fire to ensure a quick death because Primary fire does not instant kill them every time. Primary fire body shots allow you to build up a little more damage to level your Perk, but it's better to aim for decapitations when dealing with packs of Gorefasts.

Katana- Aim for the head for quick decapitations. At rank 5 they die in one primary fire regardless of where it lands. If you're lower rank and they don't die in one swing, load up an Alt fire or get better at aiming for the head.


Secondary weapon choices vs. the Gorefast

9mm- They can eat up a bit of ammunition, but the 9mm can decapitate them in a low amount of shots. Usually takes between 1-3.

Handcannon/Dual Handcannons- Unless you get a headshot with these, they will eat up at least 2 or 3 of your bullets. Take your time and aim carefully, or just kill them with your melee instead.

Lever-Action Rifle- Able to decapitate the Gorefast in 1 shot. Takes 2 to 3 body shots to kill them. Use your melee instead, as LAR ammunition is best spent on other, more dangerous Specimens.


The Bullpup- Amazing vs Gorefasts. Iron sight crosshair allows for EASY decapitations in one to two shots.

The AK-47- Very effective vs. Gorefasts. The iron sights allow for easy decapitation, and it's higher damage than the bullpup. Capable of one shot decapitations. I recommend semi auto for accuracy. When they get close, swap to melee.


The Shotgun- Good for stunning them and moving in for a melee kill.

The Crossbow- Surprisingly ineffective vs the Gorefast. The headshot hitbox is fairly difficult to hit with their movements, and body shots don't do enough damage to them to justify the use of the expensive Crossbow ammunition. Save your bolts for Sirens and Crawlers.

The Hunting Shotgun obliterates them.


The Stalker

Stalkers can be two things to the Berserker: Easy as pie when discovered, or your worst nightmare when undiscovered. Stalkers have low health, fast movement speed, and are close to invisible until they get within melee range to unleash their attack. They can be seen, but it's quite difficult when dealing with pressure from other specimens. When under the effects of a Stalker attack you are temporarily blind. Your screen becomes a blood red color with a slash mark on it, completely clouding your vision and making you more vulnerable to the attacks of the Specimens that accompany them. They make distinct sounds when walking toward the player, which sounds like a gibbering lady underwater. Keep your ears and eyes peeled for Stalkers, as they tend to spawn from the same locations as Crawlers (Air ducts in the Offices map, Ceiling tiles in the Biotics Lab map, etc,).


Melee Weapon strategies vs. the Stalker
Knife- Try to avoid using the Knife on Stalkers, as they almost always appear in groups and their attack animation is fast enough to be dangerous when swinging a melee weapon. Alt Fire can decapitate them, but don't risk it.

Machete- This one is pretty effective vs. the Stalker. The Machete is capable of killing Stalkers in 1 to 2 hits if the swing is landed properly.

Fire Axe- One shot kills vs. the Stalker. Use the Fire Axe's long range swings to take out Stalkers from a safe distance. Hit and Run, my friend. Hit and run.

Chainsaw- The most effective weapon vs. Stalkers. The Primary fire easily rips through their low health and out-ranges their melee attack considerably. Alt fire is overkill on them. Don't use it.

Katana- One hit kills when using Primary fire. Nuff said.

Secondary weapon choices vs. the Stalker

9mm- Tends to work well on them. Stalkers have low health so a couple rounds usually dispatch them quite easily.

Handcannon/Dual Handcannons- Usually one shots the Stalker. May take more shots in Hard/Suicidal if the bullet hits the body/limbs instead of the head.

Lever-Action Rifle- Works great on Stalkers. Headshots are always 1 hit kills, may take 2 rounds to the body.

Bullpup- Surprisingly not as effective as one would think, given that Commandos are required to use it on them. Without the damage bonuses given by Commando, the Bullpup takes between 4 to 7 shots to effectively down a Stalker in Hard+ difficulty without a headshot. It takes multiple shots to the head to decapitate them as well.

AK-47- Much more effective than the Bullpup vs. these. Capable of one shot decapitations, and 2 to 4 body shots kill them. Go full auto in 3 round bursts for these.

Shotgun- Very effective on Stalkers. One shot can kill multiple grouped Stalkers.

Hunting Shotgun- More effective than the regular shotgun on crowds.

Crossbow- One bolt = potential multi kills. Very effective in crowds.

The Crawler
Welcome to hell. When you see a swarm of these nasties coming toward you, the best thing to do is immediately pull out a secondary weapon and try to take them out before they get in leap range. Crawlers are frail, fast, and always spawn on "high ground" locations. This means that they will always appear when and where you least want them to.

Melee Weapon Strategies vs. the Crawler
The best advice I can give here is-- Don't. You will more often than not find yourself completely surrounded, getting torn to shreds while your teammates focus on pissing off the Fleshpound that is 80 yards away. It's not impossible to kill Crawlers with melee weapons. It's just improbable that you're going to do it without taking at least one leap attack hit. Secondary weapon choice is highly recommended on these. If you are the kind of berserker that is strictly melee only, use the following strategy to melee Crawlers.

The Crawler Dance
Crawlers, when targeting you and reaching a certain distance from you, will do a leap attack. They tend to do it at a set distance every time. If you find yourself in a long hallway, or a wide open area (watch your flanks and your 6!), backpedal from the approaching Crawler. Don't backpedal too fast, or you may end up cornering yourself. You have to kind of tap the < S > key while backpedaling to fake them out into leaping at you. Once they do their leap, backpedal at full speed until you're just out of range of their leaping bite. As they are landing, you must simultaneously crouch (I bound mine to the < C > key) and take a swing. If you've done this properly, the Crawler will have missed you with its leap attack and it will be missing its head from your melee swing. Onto the weapon strategies I suppose.

Knife- If your aim and timing are dead on, alt fire is instant decapitation. Primary fire takes 2 to 3 swings.

Machete- One swing = one kill. Aim for the head, as with all specimens.

Fire Axe- Gives you a bit more of a comfort zone, however your timing will need to be a bit more spot on to land a kill on a Crawler. This weapon is more effective than the Knife/Machete when Crawler Dancing.

Chainsaw- One of the easiest melee weapon to kill Crawlers with. Just crouch + Primary fire during the last step of the Crawler dance and you will see a decapitation every time. Alt fire is overkill; never use it on Crawlers.

Katana- Surprisingly VERY effective vs Crawlers. With proper timing, you can kill them in one swing during a jump. The katana has enough range to hit them on the ground while standing, as well.


Secondary Weapon strategies vs. the Crawler
This author advises you to always engage Crawlers from range. They should be high priority before engaging crowds of Specimens. Their walk animation makes it quite easy to land headshots, even if your aim isn't that good. Their low health means that even the lowly 9mm can decapitate them in 2 to 3 shots.

9mm- Aim for the head, use the iron sights if you have time. 2 to 3 headshots for a decapitation.

Handcannon/Dual Handcannons- Headshot is instant death. May take more than one body shot on harder difficulties.

Lever-Action Rifle- The Crawler slayer! I use this thing exclusively on Crawlers, as it one shot kills them no matter what difficulty you're on. Pops their heads like balloons, or does a limb removal kill on them every time. I highly endorse the use of this gun on them, as it is also effective on other dangerous specimens.

Bullpup- Also a Crawler slayer. May take more than one shot to decapitate, and might be a little inaccurate, but its 40 round magazine means you have plenty of ammo to dish out on their heads. I recommend using the single shot alt fire mode of this gun for Crawler control. Switch to auto when they get too close.

AK-47- See Bullpup.

Shotgun/Hunting Shotgun- Works well on Crawlers, and can kill multiple Crawlers with one shot. However, must be used in close range to be this effective. The effective range is too close for comfort most of the time, as Crawlers will leap attack in this range. If you're opting for the Hunting Shotgun, the long reload animation may end up screwing you if you're in a crowd.

Crossbow- Very effective vs. Crawlers. One bolt is one or more kills if the Crawlers are in a straight line formation. High weight and expensive ammo may be a deterrent for using this, however.

The Siren
Public enemy number 1 for the Berserker. Sirens are slow moving, tall and slender. They have a decent amount of health to burn through (slightly more than a gorefast, but less than a Bloat). They are exceptionally dangerous to the Berserker, as their primary attack completely ignores combat armour and hits everyone with in its area of effect radius.

The Siren's primary attack: The siren will stand in place for a second or two, rear her head back as she fills her lungs with air, then unleashes a devastating scream attack that will do roughly 20-25 damage in Hard mode. It does around 10 to 15 initially, and ticks the additional 10 away over time. You can escape some of the damage by avoiding the large transparent red sphere that eminates from the Siren when she screams. Also worth noting about this attack: Any grenades or LAW rockets fired toward the siren while she does this scream attack will fizzle and not go off. This wastes your ammo and can potentially shut down an effort to take out a small group with one grenade/rocket.

Secondary attack: The Siren does a very weak bite attack. I'm not sure how much damage it does because the amount is negligible. It does, however, make your screen flash red like the Stalker's gut rip attack. The Siren will only do this in extremely close range, which is where you most likely don't want to go.

Melee Weapon Strategies vs. the Siren
It is HIGHLY recommended that you do NOT attempt meleeing a Siren. Sirens tend to appear within crowds of other Specimens such as Gorefasts, Clots, Crawlers, Scrakes, and Fleshpounds. Approaching them to attempt melee will trigger their scream attack from far away which will end up getting you, and potentially your team, killed. It is possible to melee Sirens to death but the hard part is getting close. Here are the only times you should attempt to melee a Siren.

*The Siren spawns near you but has a far away teammate targeted.
During this situation, you want to reach melee range on the Siren as fast as possible. If you have the chainsaw, swap to the knife and rush as fast as you can to close range on the Siren. Once in melee range, immediately swap to your Chainsaw and aim for a decapitation with Primary Fire. Alt Fire will kill them in one hit with high enough ranks in berserker, but the delay might be just enough time for the siren to scream. Be safe rather than sorry. A Fire Axe will do the trick as well. If you have the axe instead of the chainsaw, don't bother swapping to the Knife. Just rush her down with the Axe and pre load a swing like you normally would for Hit and Run. The main difference here is SKIP THE RUN STEP UNTIL THE SIREN IS DEAD. She will not be able to scream when you are targeted and are standing too close to her. She will do her weak bite attack, which you can laugh at as you slam your axe/chainsaw into her face.

*There is terrain to hide behind, and nobody else is gunning for the Siren.
Sirens screams can be avoided by hiding behind objects such as walls/crates/cubicles/etc. Use terrain to your advantage. If you see a siren approaching, quickly assess the situation. Is she with a crowd of other Specimens? If so which ones? Would it be safer to run away and pop her with a ranged weapon or can you handle the small crowd with a surprise chainsaw barrage? If the situation looks doable, make sure the Siren has you targeted. Once it's comfirmed that she's chasing you, hide behind a doorway or wall. As soon as you see her or her Specimen buddies, Chainsaw/Fire Axe their faces off. If the Siren is accompanied by Crawlers, crouching and holding Primary fire on the Chainsaw can dispatch the Crawlers until the Siren comes around the corner.

Aside from these 2 situations, ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS engage Sirens with your secondary weapon from a distance.

Knife- Don't even try it, bub. Doesn't do enough damage to warrant risking your life on Knifing a Siren to death.

Machete- It's doable, but if you have this weapon you're most likely going to be rocking a Crossbow or a Hunting Shotgun. Use either instead.

Fire Axe- With proper aim, you can 1 to 2 shot a Siren in Hard mode. It's getting to close range that's the problem.

Chainsaw- Decapitates Sirens easily. However, the slow movement speed makes this a real PITA. Switch to your knife to close the distance, then pull out the Chainsaw to land a decapitation with Primary Fire.

Katana- Kills Sirens in 1 to 2 swings depending on Berserker rank.

Secondary weapon choices vs. the Siren

9mm- Does too little damage, and takes almost a full clip to drop a Siren. A bit too risky, but its better than meleeing them.

Handcannon- I'm not impressed with the damage this thing deals against Sirens. Landing headshots will net you a kill in 4 to 5 shots, but any missed shots will bring you one step closer to that dreaded non cancel-able reload animation. Dualies make it much harder to aim properly so you'll just end up spending too much ammunition on them and be more vulnerable to Crawlers.

Lever Action Rifle- This weapon gets my seal of approval. 4 well placed LAR shots can pop a Siren's head like a pimple. The reload animation is a bit rough, but you can cancel it if something nasty gets too close and swap to your melee weapon of choice to deal with the new threats. Practice taking Sirens out with this and you will fear them less and less as time goes on.

Bullpup- Pretty lackluster vs. the Siren. The Bullpup has too large a spread to land headshots effectively vs. Sirens at a safe distance. You might find yourself expending upwards of 20 rounds trying to land enough headshots to gib them. I don't recommend using the Bullpup for Siren duty.

AK-47- A more effective bullpup. Go to semi auto for accuracy and pick your shots carefully. If your shots land, a Siren will drop in 6-9 shots.


Shotgun- You have to get in close for this to be effective. Close is where you don't want to be when you have a weapon that doesn't give you run speed bonus.

Hunting Shotgun- See Shotgun.

Crossbow- The Siren decapitator. One Crossbow headshot will kill a Siren if landed properly. However, your primary weapon HAS to be a Machete, Katana, or Combat Knife if you use the Crossbow. Decisions, decisions!

Overall, the best way to deal with Sirens besides using the LAR, AK-47, or Crossbow is to notify your team of an approaching Siren and hope that you have a sharpshooter or Firebug that can take care of them. Sirens will kill you faster than you think with their armour ignoring scream attack, especially if they appear in groups. And believe me, they appear in groups in the later waves.

The Scrake
The Scrake is the developers take on a Leatherface Clone. Standing at close to 7 feet tall, the Scrake has a surgeon's mask, a butchers apron, and a chainsaw for a hand. Against most of your team members, the Scrake is something to be feared. As a Berserker who knows his Hit and Run tactics, the Scrake is a joke. It is your duty to the team to tank these for everyone else.

The Scrake has huge health, Fast speed, is capable of being stunned, is immune to pre-death decapitation, and very-dangerous at any health to any non berserkers. As long as you have your Hit and Run tactics at a good level of skill and a Fire Axe or a Chainsaw, you can stun a Scrake to death. When a Scrake gets angry it will start flailing its chainsaw wildly while chasing you with 50% or so greater run speed. As long as you are moving away from the Scrake, it will have a harder time hitting you but will still rape you with his chainsaw, especially if you get cornered.

Melee Weapon Strategies vs. the Scrake
I'm not sure if it's a bug or if it's intentional, but whenever I do an Alt Fire Chainsaw/Fire Axe swing and dodge the Scrake's initial melee swing they stand in place for several seconds. This allows you to basically just Alt Fire them to death with the Chainsaw/Fire Axe.

If your rank is high enough (I started doing this at rank 4), just hold down primary fire as soon as they get stunned and aim for the neck. This nets you a LOT more damage towards your next rank of Berserker than spamming Alt Fire. Alt Fire kills them faster and should be used in semi-high pressure situations.
It is not recommended to do this anymore since Scrakes are a bit more unpredictable as far as when they will attack. Be safe, alt fire them to death.

Knife- I
don't recommend it. Does too little damage for you to waste your time plinking away at a Scrake, especially since they're immune to melee decapitations until a death swing.

Machete- See Knife. Use your other weapons on them.
Alt fire MAY be able to stun them. I still need to test it out.

Fire Axe- This one does enough damage to justify using it on the Scrake. It will stun the Scrake upon landing a blow,
moreso with the Alternate Fire mode, where you will be free to move back in after doing a hit and run attack and swing away.

Chainsaw- Lucky for you, yours is a much higher quality than that of the Scrake. Alt Fire swings
may stun the Scrake after you dodge his counter attack, where you will be free to spam alt fires mercilessly on it. This author recommends using the Chainsaw as your primary Scake killer.

Katana- Very effective vs. Scrakes. Lead in with an alt fire power attack and back out when the Scrake rears back to chainsaw you. When it misses, run in and primary fire it til it dies.

Secondary weapon choices vs. the Scrake

As a Berserker, using secondary weapons vs. the Scrake is a bad idea. None of the useful secondary weapons will stun a Scrake in the hands of a Berserker, and melee is just too effective NOT to use against them. This author is just flat out saying NO to ranged weapon choices against the Scrake. If you absolutely have to do damage at a distance to the Scrake, soften them up with a hand grenade as they're walking toward you.
 
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SPECIMEN STRATEGIES (cont.)

Currently working on this post. Give me time.

The Fleshpound
This is it. The big, bad, team killing baddy known as the Fleshpound. They stand at about 8 feet tall, have rotating spiked maces for hands, and a ROID rage problem that is indicated by a yellow - red meter on their chest. Fleshpounds will enrage when a certain amount of damage is dealt to them in a certain amount of time. They will also rage when they have been chasing someone for a bit of time and have had no luck in taking a swing at them. Fleshpound rage can be both a boon and a benefit depending on the situation. It is mostly a boon.

Rage
When their chest turns red, a Fleshpound will rear its head back and scream for a second or two. This is your signal to practice situational awareness. The main things to watch out for:

*Who is the FP targeting? Is it you? Is it a teammate? If it's a teammate, throw yourself in front of them with your Katana out and aim for the head of the Fleshpound with as many alt fires as you can land. You can probably do a heavy amount of damage to it during that time. If it targets you, check your health. If you have full health and full armor, you can eat a hit or two, but I recommend retreating to your team as fast as possible. Let your team do the brunt of the damage, or pull out a ranged weapon and assist them in dropping it. The main point here is survivability. If the Fleshpound is chasing a teammate and you throw yourself in front of it, it is less apt to attack you since it's targeting your teammate. You will impede its path and probably save your teammates life while potentially killing the FP in the process. However, should he target you it's better to try to fall back and survive, or help your teammates out with a ranged weapon. Fleshpounds are ridiculously fast when enraged, and even with your movement bonuses and a non chainsaw melee weapon out it will catch you and hit you for a sizable portion of your life. While running away, you risk running into another crowd of Specimens that will quickly surround and kill you.

*Do you have a clear path of retreat? If so, make sure everyone knows about it so it can be utilized should something go sour. Fleshpounds on their own are not that dangerous, but they have the uncanny ability to inspire fear into your squad and make everyone forget just how dangerous Sirens, Crawlers, and Gorefasts are.

*Is everyone coordinated? Do you have a plan of attack? Organization is important to taking down a FP. It is usually a team effort to drop one now that they are immune to instant decapitation. Team effort doesn't mean that everyone unloads everything they have at it. Team effort means that players are still focused on taking out all the threats to the team such as Sirens, Crawlers, Gorefasts, and Stalkers. They might not have much health, but they will cause enough disruption to allow the fleshpound to singlehandedly mangle your team; or the Fleshpound will cause enough confusion to allow the smaller baddies to take out your team. Have maybe half the team focus a Fleshpound, or if you're good enough to single-handedly decapitate them...do it. Don't get tunnel vision when a Fleshpound rears its head.

Earlier I mentioned that the rage can be beneficial. The benefit of a Fleshpound rage is that the raging FP in question will kill any and all non-Scrake/Fleshpound Specimens in his path while trying to reach you. A good way to clear a hallway if you have a prepared berserker in the front of a crowd is to have your teams sharpshooter rage the fleshpound in the back of the group. This will cause it to rage forward, killing all the weaker specimens instantly. As long as you have a Berserker out front to decapitate the fleshpound, this can be a viable tactic to conserve ammunition. This tactic is quite risky, but when pulled off can save your team a lot of money/ammo.

Melee weapon strategies vs. the Fleshpound

Knife- You must have a death wish.

Machete- See knife.

Fire Axe- This one is a tough one. It allows you to do hit and runs on a non enraged FP, and the alt fire damage is fairly high. However, the slow swing speed and range might end up causing more harm than good. The katana is a better bet.

Katana- See Fire Axe for strategy. However, the katana does high damage per swing with a faster rate of fire than the Axe. Use Primary fire in a pinch, but if the FP is not focusing you spam alt fires as many times as you can before grabbing their attention. If they're charging you, backpedal while spamming primary fire and hope for the best.

Chainsaw- Very good weapon for Fleshpounds, and the only melee weapon I encourage people to use on them. Swap to your knife to get in close, pop out the chainsaw and primary fire their heads for fairly consistent decapitations. It is still dangerous, but it's a lot safer than using the other choices. LEVEL UP PATCH: The chainsaw is pretty much a joke of a weapon at this point. I do not advise you to attempt chainsawing a fleshpound until the chainsaw gets fixed.

Secondary weapon choices vs. the Fleshpound

Secondary weapon choices vs. the Fleshpound: Since the advent of the level up patch, there are quite a few viable secondary choices vs. FP's now. The M14EBR is capable of dropping a fleshpound quite easily with properly spammed headshots. The Crossbow does excellent headshot damage and has the added benefit of being cheap as hell to afford. As for grenade launchers, use the 6 round one (M27 I think). The M79 has too long a reload time to deal with Fleshpounds effectively.

TheHusk
The Husk is the newest specimen to grace Killing Floor with its presence. I like to think of this specimen as Megaman with a flamethrower. The husk stands about the same height as a gorefast (slightly shorter), with a strange mask, yellow eyes, and a flame cannon on its right arm.

Appearing in wave 2, these baddies will be a real thorn in your side. They have a ranged attack where they stand in place, charge up a shot, and launch a jet of explosive liquid at you. They have deadly aim and will kill you if you're unprepared.

*DODGING THE FLAMING X BUSTER*
The first thing you want to do is listen for the distinct sound a husk makes when charging up its shot. It sounds like someone who had their vocal chords removed because of throat cancer is talking through a mechanical voicebox, then a high pitched whirring sound, followed by a KABOOM. If you get hit by a Husk Buster, you will take initial explosion damage if it's a direct hit, and get set on fire which ticks your health away over time. This is bad.

Most people will try to dodge the shot before it exits the Husks barrel. This is wrong. The trick to avoiding a Husk shot is to dodge AS SOON AS the shot exits the barrel. It will only go in a straight line, and husks calculate where they think you're going to be, not where you are. Wait for that boom sound, then do your little dance to avoid getting hit.

Melee weapon strats vs. the Husk

Knife- Use it if you have nothing else. When a husk is forced into melee range, they will do a weak melee attack which is far less damaging than their flamethrower of death. Aim for the head, but don't expect a quick kill this way. You may have to hit and run this baddie until it's dead.

Machete- Haven't really tried it on a Husk. I'm assuming it's more effective than the knife but less effective than the next couple of weapons.

Fire Axe- Alt fire his head. He will die.

Chainsaw- In the past, I'd say decapitate the hell out of them with this thing. For now, use a different weapon since you move slow as molasses with the chainsaw out. You're literally going to eat every shot the husk fires at you when wielding the chainsaw.

Katana- See Fire Axe.

Secondary Weapon Strats vs. the Husk

For the Husks, I recommend something that a sharpshooter would use that's at least Winchester damage or higher. They have soft, squishy, delicious skulls that love to explode when enough damage is dealt to it. Pop off a couple Winchester rounds to the face and watch as brain giblets decorate the landscape. The Crossbow, M14, and maybe the Handcannon work as well.

The PATRIARCH
This is where things get hectic. The big boss man. As big as a Fleshpound with a chaingun/missile launcher for an arm, and a big nasty tentacle worm sticking out of his chest (ala DUNE). He is capable of ridiculously fast charge attacks; healing himself when he gets low on health; and best of all, going stealth. Drop your socks and grab your ****s because this one is going to take all the skill you have if you want to drop him in melee, Berserker style.

Attacks-
The Patriarch has 4 main attacks that will cause many many deaths for your team (in Hard and above).

*Rocket Launcher- The Patriarch will do this attack primarily as an opener, or when he's far away and not getting focus fired. This attack will turn you into giblets on a direct hit no matter what your health/body armor/damage reduction is. You have a chance to survive the splash damage from it. He almost always telegraphs this move by saying "One in the pipe!", holding his chaingun arm to the sky. He will then discharge one rocket in your teams general direction before continuing his advance. Always stay near terrain obstacles when he's at a distance.

*Chaingun burst- The Patriarch will also do this attack at a distance. This attack is one of the biggest culprits for killing a teammate. The Patriarch stands in one place, holds his arm out, and unleashes a flurry of about 15 to 20 bullets in your general direction. The accuracy goes down the further he is away from you. This attack is especially deadly when combined with...

*The Charging Claw Rush- The Patriarch tends to use this attack when Stealthed, which makes it all the more fun. The Patriarch runs at you full speed, invisible, and slams you with his right arm. This attack tends to launch you a good 15 or 20 yards away from him, which puts you in perfect range for a Chaingun burst. You get hit with the 1-2 claw-chaingun combo, you're dead. Period.

*Chest tentacle- When surrounded and not stunned, the Patriarch will unleash a giant tentacle from his chest that has a mouth full of teeth. This attack has a point blank Area of Effect which sends everyone within melee range (knife/machete melee range) flying back as though they'd been clawed. It also takes a sizable portion of health from everyone hit by it.

Strengths of the Patriarch-

*Huge health pool. His health maximum increases based on the # of players in the game.

*Huge damage. He hits harder than a fleshpound in melee, and is capable of gibbing you even harder at range should you get hit by his attacks.

*FAST movement speed. He runs like a cheetah when pissed, or when low on health.

*Capable of healing himself for a sizable portion. When threatened, Pat stealths up, calls out some specimens to attack you, and runs away. He will then jam one of THREE healing vials into himself to regain some health. Every time he heals, one of these vials is consumed. He can only do it 3 times (which means you'll have 4 health bars to burn through if you keep letting him get away).

Sounds pretty nasty right? Well, that's because he is. The Patriarch will kill you many...many times before you get the hang of killing him. He's not without his weaknesses, however.

Weaknesses of the Patriarch

*Capable of being stunned when health gets low enough. This is your (teams) cue to beat him senseless with as much firepower as you've all got.

*Vulnerable to Fire and Commandos, as they give away his location when retreating.

*Long "telegraph" animation for the Rocket Launcher/Chaingun. This is your cue to get the hell out of his Line of Sight.

Aside from these 3, he doesn't have many weaknesses. You will not be able to kill him solo as a Berserker very often (at least in Hard/Suicidal), and as such it's important to be a team player.


Melee Weapon Strategies vs. The Patriarch

To be quite honest, melee-ing the Patriarch is a very bad idea most of the time. His claw swipes and Tentacle bursts will get you killed more often than not should you make but one mistake. I highly recommend using a secondary weapon such as the Crossbow or Hunting Shotgun on him (with the proper perks :D). I do not have a very high success rate at surviving the Patriarch wave when meleeing. However, I do have a high success rate of dishing out enough damage to make a difference for the rest of my team through martyrdom! Below are some strategies I find work well against ol' Pat.

Knife- You better be joking if you think this will do anything to him.

Machete- See Knife.

Fire Axe- At high ranks of Berserker, the Alt Fire overhead swing just might allow you to maintain a semi-safe distance from his effective claw swipe range and give you the speed you need to maneuver away from him. Spam Alt Fire swings on him while circling around, trying to dodge his claw swipes. He will tentacle throw you if you stay in close range for too long. Use the Fire Axe with care on him.

Katana- This weapon is actually quite effective vs. the Patriarch. Way more effective than the chainsaw, in my opinion. The light weight of this weapon allows you to run in while loading an alt fire, releasing the alt fire, maybe getting in a primary fire or two on him, and run back out without taking damage. I recommend the Katana on the Patriarch wave if you're itching to slash him up. When the Patriarch is stunned, spam primary fires like there's no tomorrow.


Chainsaw- Despite being the highest damage output weapon available to the Berserker, the slow run speed when wielding the chainsaw will most likely get you killed. If you use the Chainsaw, wait until Pat is focusing another teammate with one of his stationary ranged attacks. Spam Alt Fires on him until he turns his gaze on you. AS SOON AS YOU SEE HIM START TURNING TOWARD YOU, OR TURN PERIOD, swap to your knife and run away to safety. When Pat is in his stun animation, spam those alt fires like no tomorrow.

Secondary weapon strategies vs. the Patriarch

9mm- Doesn't do a whole lot of damage, especially in your meaty Berserker paws.

Handcannon/Dual Handcannons- Does respectable damage when spammed at his face, but burns through ammo too fast. You will most likely run out of ammo using these on him if he gets away more than once.

Lever Action Rifle- Does way too little damage to justify using it on him.

Bullpup- See Lever Action Rifle.

AK-47- This gun does enough damage to warrant using on the Patriarch. Go full auto, and use 3 to 6 round bursts on the Patriarch from medium distance. This should allow you to deal a fairly significant amount of damage to him. As always, aim for the head area.

Shotgun- The standard shotgun can be moderately effective on the Patriarch, but without the bonuses from Support Perk it is a waste of weight blocks in your hands.

Hunting Shotgun- Potentially good against him when both barrels are unloaded at point blank range towards his face. However, the high weight and terrible reload animation will make it so you die to a tentacle/Claw + Chaingun combo.

Crossbow- VERY effective Patriarch killer. Best single target damage of any weapon in the game. Even in a Berserkers hands, the Crossbow does respectable damage when you land headshots on ol' Pat. I recommend using this weapon (and switching to sharpshooter too :p) for the Patriarch.

LAW- More like "Huge waste of weight, money, and ammo". The L.A.W. doesn't do nearly as much damage as one would think a rocket launcher would do. You're better off with the crossbow as it has more ammo and does more damage per shot than this underpowered monstrosity. The ONLY time you should use it is if you're going for the related acheivement.

There aren't many options for a Berserker vs. the Patriarch that lead to survival. The biggest thing to remember is that you have to work as a TEAM to kill him.

TEAM STRATEGIES FOR TAKING DOWN THE PATRIARCH, AND YOUR ROLE IN THEM

There are several strategies that I've seen work, and I am listing them in order of effectiveness:

*Red*** beatdown method: This method involves finding a location that has weldable entrances and leaving just one of them open for the Patriarch. Have your support guys get on them for the highest effectiveness. If you find that ol' Pat is knocking on the wrong door (not the open one), have the support guy go over to the open one and weld it shut. You, as the berserker with all the damage resistance, should unweld the door he's knocking on. Once Pat is in the building, have the support guy IMMEDIATELY close the door Pat came in and weld it shut. Once Pat is locked in the building, everyone unload everything they have on him. When he gets stunned, unload even more on him. He will not be able to escape the building since all the doors are welded shut, and will be forced to heal in a corner somewhere. As soon as he breaks stealth (or while he's stealth if you know his location), keep beating on him. He will keep getting stunned and will be unable to heal. You should make short work of him using this tactic. It's the most tried and true one I've seen, and it works wonders on most maps.

Catch and Release: This method is the opposite of the red*** beatdown method. In this method, you and your team find an area to hunker down that's moderately safe. This method involves a lot of Crossbows. Basically, you want to wait until the Patriarch makes himself seen, then have everyone unload a Crossbow headshot at the same time on him. 6 bolts hitting him at the same time is basically an instant stun on Hard and Above, and will probably kill him on Normal Mode. Pat will run away to go heal and spawn Specimens for you to fight. These should be easily dispatched as you hold your ground. When he makes himself seen again, repeat the tactic. You should be able to drop him in two volleys if everyones timing is spot on when he's out of healing juice.

More tactics to come as more are discovered.
 
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Nice so far. A few important things, though...

If you're "John Rambo'ing" and your team dies before you do, that says much, much more about the team than it does about you. It usually indicates that, had you stayed with the team, you would ALL be dead.

That's not quite true. It depends on your team loadout. If you have 2 Commandos guarding the stairwell in Biotics Lab, for example, they could REALLY use a Zerker to keep Scrakes and FP's off them. Kommandoze are more than happy to keep trash mobs off of them in return. If that Zerker wasn't there, those Scrakes would flat out roll over the small arms fire of the Commandos without the stunlock and the Sharpshooters at best will get lucky trying to snipe FP heads off and at worst anger the FP into a rage charge right into the firing teams. Unless the team has a Medical Tank, they are prolly going to get steamrolled because they dont have a Damage/Aggro Tank. And frankly, that Medic has no business tanking for the team in the first place.
 
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Sorry to break it to you, but with the new patch, almost everything here has changed at least a bit. Skrakes are still stunnable, but rage easily and will do 'moving attacks' while raged. They're now a BIG priority for Berserkers to take down, simply so they don't steamroll your team!

Also, Gorefasts attacking while moving and Bloats walking while puking make a mess of some of the standard tactics as well. Might wanna play a few post-patch games and experience it yourself...
 
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I gotta disagree with all the Machete/Axe alt-fire praise. The axe alt-fire is only really useful for decapping Bloats. Against the Skrake, it's much safer to use the normal axe swing, as it'll still stun 'em just fine. In fact, against almost every single enemy, save for the Fleshpound/Skrake, a single normal Axe swing will decap/kill them if you're level 3 or higher in Berserker...so that painfully long alt-fire swing loses a lot of it's purpose.

Same with Machete. The only time the slower speed of the alt-fire is justified is when using it to 1-hit decap Gorefasts. Against most else, it's better to do the 'Thousand Cuts' style of permastunning with lightning fast Machete strikes to the head until a decap. The extra damage of the alternate swing again doesn't justify the slower speed...

And I think that the biggest change in the patch is that now Berserkers have to be the 'Big Game Hunters' and tackle the Skrakes/Fleshpounds whenever possible. You can EASILY decap fleshies with the chainsaw (Which you SHOULD have by the time they come out) and can EASILY, QUICKLY, and SAFELY dispatch Skrakes with the chainsaw alt-fire. If you don't, the team will end up raging one and getting themselves into huge trouble, as even a raged Skrake is now deadly...
 
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I gotta disagree with all the Machete/Axe alt-fire praise. The axe alt-fire is only really useful for decapping Bloats. Against the Skrake, it's much safer to use the normal axe swing, as it'll still stun 'em just fine. In fact, against almost every single enemy, save for the Fleshpound/Skrake, a single normal Axe swing will decap/kill them if you're level 3 or higher in Berserker...so that painfully long alt-fire swing loses a lot of it's purpose.

From my testing of it, the alt fire swing seems to give you a bit more range as well as power. It also is much better to use the alt fire when doing the hit and run (move forward into the enemy while charging up an alt fire swing and having it go off in their face right as you start backpedaling), as it does more damage. I'm rank 5 in Zerker, so I might be noticing it a bit more since I receive the full bonuses from it. The normal axe swing definitely does a lot of damage still, but it seems that it's been slightly lowered in addition to adding a bit more swing speed. The alt fire isn't as "painfully long" as you're making it out to be. From my experience it's about the same speed/recharge as the old axe Primary fire. Keep testing it, you'll see. If you don't agree with me still, then write your own guide. I'm going off of what I see/do.

Same with Machete. The only time the slower speed of the alt-fire is justified is when using it to 1-hit decap Gorefasts. Against most else, it's better to do the 'Thousand Cuts' style of permastunning with lightning fast Machete strikes to the head until a decap. The extra damage of the alternate swing again doesn't justify the slower speed...

This I can actually agree with you on. The Machete overall is pretty lackluster, and the only reason a zerker would take it would be to get access to the 10 weight block weapons. I don't encourage people to take that combo, but whatever works for them!

And I think that the biggest change in the patch is that now Berserkers have to be the 'Big Game Hunters' and tackle the Skrakes/Fleshpounds whenever possible. You can EASILY decap fleshies with the chainsaw (Which you SHOULD have by the time they come out) and can EASILY, QUICKLY, and SAFELY dispatch Skrakes with the chainsaw alt-fire. If you don't, the team will end up raging one and getting themselves into huge trouble, as even a raged Skrake is now deadly...

I pretty much say this in my guide. You're preaching to the choir.


Golden rule #1 of being a Berserker.

1. You have a universal damage reduction bonus from the Perk. Don't be afraid to get up in the face of the Specimens every now and then if it will save the life of a teammate. With the changes in Patch 4, Golden rule number 1 has a HUGE priority now. Throw yourself in front of Scrakes and Fleshpounds to save your teammates (if they're the cooperative kind who will heal you afterwards). You are much better equipped to take hits than your team, especially with the nerf to Combat Medic run speed.
 
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If you're a level 5 berserker, then you'd be noticing a huge melee-attack speed boost that I'm probably not getting at Level 3...keep that in mind. Maybe not for a Level 5 Berserker, but for a lower-level berserker or a non-berserker, I still say that the alt-fire of the axe is painfully slow and can land you in a heap of trouble!

It does work well for Skrakes if you're taking one on in a frontal assault, as you're right and the range has been increased for the alt-swing. However, if you've got the jump on a Skrake, a quick, normal swing from the side or back will probably be just as effective, not to mention faster...

What I've been seeing lately in games that's causing me no end of trouble as a Berserker is that folks tend to long-range rage a Fleshpound/Skrake that you were about to tackle. So the Skrake/Fleshy takes off after them and even with your fully-enhanced berserker move speed, you have no way to catch that beasty and save your teammates! Ack!
 
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The melee attack speed bonus is only 10% more at rank 5 than rank 3. You still swing pretty fast at that rank. The biggest difference I'm betting you're not noticing is the damage. Rank 3 to rank 5 is a 40% jump, which is huge. This makes the Fire Axe a lot stronger vs. Scrakes and FP's at that level. I started playing hard mode at rank 3 because normal was getting too easy. However, this was before the patch but I still don't see the overall playstyle changing that much save for the addition of the alt fires on the intermediate berserker weapons. Alt Fires will only land you in a heap of trouble if you're not doing hit and run properly or your timing is off. If you're using the Fire Axe in a crowd, which is a no no, that could also be an issue. The Fire Axe's biggest strength besides its power per swing is the mobility it offers when compared to the chainsaw. If you're in a situation where you can't capitalize on that mobility, you're probably going to take some hits that could otherwise be avoided. The swing speed is too slow to justify using it in a crowd unless you have room to backpedal. It works wonders on Scrakes if you're doing hit and run properly, as it kills them in up to 2 to 3 swings less than normal primary fires.


Fleshpounds and Scrakes enraging and chasing after people is more of a team organization/coordination thing than an issue with the Berserker perk. The main thing you want to remember is not to overextend yourself and rambo it up because your team definitely needs you to soak some damage from the big boys now.
 
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Update:

*Added information for the Fleshpound.
*Added section on the Patriarch, and strategies to combat him.
*Modified some grammatical things.
*Changed a bit of info about the Combat Knife (bad wording on a few sentences).

Feel free to give feedback on information you find to be inaccurate or don't agree with. Most of the information I've posted has been from personal experience, and it works for me quite well. The Strategy guide is for the most part complete (unless you think of something I left out).

Will update as new patches come out that release new content. I'm smelling a big update to this guide once the AK-47, M-79, and Katana are released (with potential new Specimens as well? WHO KNOWS?!)

-Skunkee out.
 
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The only thing "Left out" is hard to actually put in...the fact that it's not as easy as it looks to be a good berserker. I usually get the dreaded "Dopplezerker" once I start doing good in a round.

The "Dopplezerker" is someone who almost always plays another class (May or may not be good at it) but sees you doing incredible as a Berserker, so he sells his guns, buys a Chainsaw, and proceeds to FOLLOW YOU EVERYWHERE. The problem? They, without fail, SUCK at Berserker. Hard.

And they tend to do things that put you and the team in jeopardy, like raging a Fleshpound you're about to decap, standing behind you when you're backing away from a Siren, or being in your way when you try to intercept a Gorefast that's going to maul your Sharpshooter!

They don't seem to realize that you're picking your hits and timing your movements! Folks, when we 'Zerkers move around in odd patterns, we're not doing some cultural dance: We're doing a dance called "Don't get surrounded". It's very popular with the Gorefast crowd.

Anyway, what I suppose I'm trying to say is that if your team already has a good Berserker and you're not 110% positive that YOU would help the team more as a Berserker than anything more useful (Supports are always welcome), then for the love of god, DON'T BE A BERSERKER. Just because it LOOKS easy doesn't mean it is... I lose count of how many 'Dopplezerkers' cost us games on Hard...
 
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The only thing "Left out" is hard to actually put in...the fact that it's not as easy as it looks to be a good berserker. I usually get the dreaded "Dopplezerker" once I start doing good in a round.

The "Dopplezerker" is someone who almost always plays another class (May or may not be good at it) but sees you doing incredible as a Berserker, so he sells his guns, buys a Chainsaw, and proceeds to FOLLOW YOU EVERYWHERE. The problem? They, without fail, SUCK at Berserker. Hard.

And they tend to do things that put you and the team in jeopardy, like raging a Fleshpound you're about to decap, standing behind you when you're backing away from a Siren, or being in your way when you try to intercept a Gorefast that's going to maul your Sharpshooter!

They don't seem to realize that you're picking your hits and timing your movements! Folks, when we 'Zerkers move around in odd patterns, we're not doing some cultural dance: We're doing a dance called "Don't get surrounded". It's very popular with the Gorefast crowd.

Anyway, what I suppose I'm trying to say is that if your team already has a good Berserker and you're not 110% positive that YOU would help the team more as a Berserker than anything more useful (Supports are always welcome), then for the love of god, DON'T BE A BERSERKER. Just because it LOOKS easy doesn't mean it is... I lose count of how many 'Dopplezerkers' cost us games on Hard...

The only way for someone to get good at zerker is to practice. If they see you cutting through swaths of specimens and get inspired to try the class, that means you're probably doing something right.

However, if it wipes the team then shame on them. Berserkers actually take some finesse to play properly, and that's the purpose of this guide. I hope that people interested in the perk read through this and get useful information.
 
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I was just saying that if someone decides to swap to zerker during wave 7 in a long/Hard server because they see a good zerker with his chainsaw decapitating fleshpounds and it leads to a team wipe, it's not a good thing. :p

This is true. Maybe after the first wipe the players should nicely ask the "doppelzerker" to try berserking in earlier waves to get a hang of the class in the future, instead of a later wave where more skill is required and everyone would be better off playing the perk they are most proficient with. :p

You do have a good guide together, but I think you should add "Situational awareness" into the guide. Some people may not be aware of what is going on so instead of assessing the situation many starting berserkers tend to jump in headfirst to get killed right in the beginning of the wave.
 
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