Berserker: The Melee Tank

Master the Berserker perk in Killing Floor 2! Learn about starting gear, XP, perk bonuses, powerful skills like Vampire and Parry, and the best melee weapons to become the ultimate tank.

Alright, let's talk about the Berserker in Killing Floor 2. If you like getting up close and personal with the Zeds, this is the perk for you. They're all about melee combat, acting as the frontline tank that can soak up damage and dish it right back out. They've been around since the early days, so they're a solid choice for any team. ### Starting Loadout When you first pick Berserker, you'll start with a few key items: * Crovel Survival Tool: Your trusty starting melee weapon. * EMP Grenade (x2): Great for disabling robotic Zeds or groups. * Lawn Mower Blade: A surprisingly effective knife. * 9mm Pistol: Your basic sidearm. * HMTech Healer: Useful for a quick health boost. * Welder: Good for repairing things, though less crucial for combat. ### XP Objectives To level up your Berserker, you'll want to focus on a couple of things: * Dealing damage with Berserker weapons. * Getting kills with Berserker weapons while you're near another player. Here's a pro-tip: you don't have to be playing as a Berserker to level it up! Just use those Berserker weapons. However, remember that each perk has its own unique knife. A Support's Machete won't count towards your Berserker XP, even though it's a melee weapon. Also, XP is only awarded when an enemy dies. If you hit an enemy with weapons from multiple perks, the XP gets split evenly. So, try to stick to one perk's weapons for a single kill if you can to maximize your gains. ### Perk Bonuses As you level up, the Berserker gets some sweet passive bonuses: Always Active: * Night Vision Capability: Makes it easier to see in dark areas. * Clots cannot grab you: A huge lifesaver, as those grabby Zeds can be a real pain. Per Level: * Perk Weapon Damage: +1% per Level. This means you hit harder as you go. * Damage Resistance: +3% per 5 Levels. You'll be able to take more hits. At Level 25: * Perk Weapon Damage: +25% * Damage Resistance: 15% ### Perk Skills Every five levels, you get to choose a skill. This is where you really customize your playstyle. Here are the choices: Level 5: Survival * Dreadnaught: Doubles your total Health. More health means you can survive more hits. * Skirmisher: Makes you move and sprint faster with melee weapons, and you'll regenerate 1 Health per second. Great for staying mobile and topping off your health. Level 10: Combat * Vampire: Heal 3 Health for every Zed you kill with perk weapons, and attack 20% faster with melee. This is fantastic for staying alive in the thick of it. * Butcher: Attack 20% faster and do 20% more damage with melee weapons. Pure offense boost. Level 15: Close Combat * Resistance: Gives you 15% Resistance to all damage, plus an extra 15% against Poison and Sonic damage. Makes you tougher against specific threats. * Parry: When you parry with a melee weapon, you take 30% less damage and gain a buff for 10 seconds that increases melee attack speed by 5% and melee damage by 35%. This is a high-skill, high-reward option that makes you incredibly deadly after a successful parry. Level 20: Power * Smash: Your hard attacks with melee weapons do 50% more damage, 25% more on headshots, and have way more stumble power. Good for staggering tougher Zeds. * Massacre: Your light attacks do 30% more damage, and all melee attacks are 5% faster. A solid all-around damage increase. Level 25: Advanced Training * ZED TIME - Berserker Rage: When Zed Time starts or refreshes, you heal 50% Health and immobilize nearby Zeds. This is a massive survival and crowd control tool. * ZED TIME - Spartan: During Zed Time, you attack and move in real-time. This lets you keep fighting and repositioning when everyone else is slowed down. ### Perk Weapons Berserkers have a great arsenal of melee weapons. Here's a look at what you can get: Standard Gear: * Knife: Lawn Mower Blade * Grenade: EMP Grenade Tier 1: * Crovel Survival Tool Tier 2: * VLAD-1000 Nailgun * Katana * Road Redeemer (Cross-Promotional) Tier 3: * Pulverizer * Zweihander (Cross-Promotional) Tier 4: * Bone Crusher * Eviscerator * Static Strikers Cross-Perk Weapons: * 9mm Pistol (and Dual 9mm Pistols) ### Trivia It's worth noting that characters like Tom Banner and Hayato Tanaka are considered the Berserkers of their respective teams, based on their favorite weapon lines. So, if you like their style, you'll probably enjoy playing Berserker! Remember, playing Berserker is all about getting in the enemy's face. Don't be afraid to charge in, but always be aware of your surroundings and your team. With the right skills and weapons, you'll be an unstoppable force!