Bear-rier from Pain
“Benefits of growing up with you: Ogres don’t seem so scary.” - Bramble, the Berserker’s sibling.
The Berserker has always been the reliable go-to animal for their younger sibling Bramble, and they continue that tradition by being a guardian of Arden. Your Berserker may have picked up a sweeter trade prior to their hero duties, be retired from their previous position as gate guard, or a travelling protector, but one thing is always clear—they always protect their fellow Sunderfolk.
Load-Bearer
While the Berserker may seem no more than a simple tank at first glance, their wide array of combat abilities—paired with their staggering selection of self buffs—allows them to roar in the face of danger (sometimes literally!).
Their passive is Protector’s Fury, which makes the Berserker take less damage and deal more damage as long it’s active. It’s not only effective against enemy attacks, but will also work for any external damage, such as environmental tiles like lava and fire. The only catch is that you need to be HIT first before it activates… so get in there and get mad!
Are they ever really in danger, though?
Once you clear the first set of missions, the Berserker has three main Skill Cards:
- Bulwark: The tried and true tank ability. Move to position, then deal a nasty swing that provokes the enemy hit and gives the Berserker a shield.
- Fling: Your best friend if there’s a pit involved. Move, grab an enemy (or a friend!) and
yeet them aggressivelythrow them where you think they should be. - Whirlwind: Surrounded by enemies? Good! Want to be surrounded by them? Move yourself and let loose your hammer to hit all enemies around you.
The Berserker has little to no regard for personal boundaries and loves to get right up in the face of whoever might be in their way.. They’re an absolute unit of a Guardian, though, and that means reduced movement—which can sometimes hinder them from getting where they want (or need) to be. That’s why the Berserker also comes equipped with abilities that grant them lots of Move, like Bring It On, as well as ones that brings enemies to THEM.
If you don’t shout “GET OVER HERE” while using Long Haul, you get -1 coolness. We don’t make the rules, we just let you know.
The Berserker may seem less complex than some of our other playable characters, but that simplicity is only fur-deep. As they level up, the Berserker will unlock a wide range of abilities that make them one of the most fearsome creatures on the map, including:
- Grisly Force: Move towards enemies, then deal 3 damage to yourself. Sounds grisly, but then ALL damage you’ve taken adds to the final damage you deal to the enemy.
- Take Down: Thought the Berserker wasn’t scary enough before? Attack, then follow with a Move and another attack! Best of all, if you take down an enemy with the first attack, you’ll get a strength buff AND a shield!
- Hibernate: Need to heal in a pinch? Move away from the scary things, shield yourself, then use your Rage to heal. You get extra health if you use this card with less than five health remaining.
That’s just a taste of the Berserker’s rage, and they only get meaner as they grow stronger!
Provoke ensures the enemy attacks you on their next turn. You made them mad!
Provoking Fate
Like their fellow party members, the Berserker’s Fate Deck starts out simple, primarily focused on Strength and Shield buffs. However, as they level up, the amount of build options available to them through careful card selection growls grows!
Fate Cards that grant Haste, Shield, or Strength are always good for early game Berserkers. For mid-game? Keep an eye out for cards that focus on crowd control so you don’t have to rely solely on abilities like Bulwark.
As you progress, you’ll unlock Fate Cards with buffs like Retaliate! Or, you can stack your Fate Deck with nothing but Strength buffs, allowing you to transform your Berserker from a tanky bear into a… regular, scary bear.
Some Fate Card builds for the Berserker can be:
- Bear
TotemTank: Become a true defense character. Stack Shields, Retaliate, and Heal cards so even your -2 Cards help you survive. - Charging Forth: Feel like your Berserker isn’t moving enough? Stack Charge buffs which let you move outside of your normal ability Moves and deal damage while moving.
- Provoke, Throw, Repeat: Become a frustrating (for your enemies) combination of a taunting tank who makes enemies walk BACK to them for some more punishment.
Ultimate Roar
Starting at Level 6, the Berserker gets their ultimate Ability: Roar!
This ability gives them 3 hexes of Move, followed by a devastating area-of-effect damage blow coupled with a debuff to them, then finally shields each hero and ally nearby. It’s a war cry and massive attack in one fell blow!
You… made them mad. You really didn’t want to make them mad.
However, if you want to leave damage to the professionals, might we suggest their fiery friend?
More on the Pyromancer soon!
If you missed one of our earlier Hero spotlights, check out:
Thank you!
The Sunderfolk Team