Berserker soloability/duo.

[Brul]

How is the dps of a Zerker?   And the solo survivability?  How are they compared to Guardians?I am trying to pick a fighter class to level and can't decide on one, but I do know I don't want to be a bruiser or monk.

[Mew]

I ran my beserker to level 30.  Comparing to my now defunct guardian I can say this.  The zerk solo's faster.  Guardians are tougher but slower when it comes to soloing.  Beserkers are built for offense and guardians for defense.  So, zerks do more dps.  Guards take more punsihment before dying.  Also, guardians are better at multiple mob aggro control.  Zerks can do it but it takes more effort.  The big disadvantage about zerks is on raids.  They are ok as off tanks when a mob breaks mezz and runs into the thick of the party to cause grief.  But in a well rehearsed raid group that rarely happens.  In that case zerks become "also rans".   Having said this - my zerk is an aweful lot of fun to play.  I wish 2 handers were more viable than buckler spec for AA's but still, I like the class very much.  Once he gets to raid level I doubt I will have the same joy I do now.  Guardians can always find raid slots.  Beserkers not so much.

[Aarionn]

Hi there!I dont know much about other figter clases. I played necro since launch and I started berserker more than 1 year ago.I am now lvl 41 and I can tell you that Berserker is GREAT!If you look at my signature, you will se that I did more than 1100 quests. I can say that 80% of that number I did solo. I had a blast of fun with this toon!I dont know how it gets for past lvl 41. Maybe it is different on higher levels.All I can say is that you should invest in best gear on your current level and at least ad3 spells all the way! You will be great at solo, and in group, you will be more than welcomed as a tank or DPS.Best regards,

[LygerT]

SK is probably the best solo plate tank class, followed closely by zerk. pally and guard trail the pack and are pretty horribly slow at soloing.

[Slayer505]

<cite>Mewse wrote:</cite><blockquote>I ran my beserker to level 30.  Comparing to my now defunct guardian I can say this.  The zerk solo's faster.  Guardians are tougher but slower when it comes to soloing.  Beserkers are built for offense and guardians for defense.  So, zerks do more dps.  Guards take more punsihment before dying.  <span style="color: #fd0143;"><b>Also, guardians are better at multiple mob aggro control.</b></span>  Zerks can do it but it takes more effort.  The big disadvantage about zerks is on raids.  They are ok as off tanks when a mob breaks mezz and runs into the thick of the party to cause grief.  But in a well rehearsed raid group that rarely happens.  In that case zerks become "also rans".   Having said this - my zerk is an aweful lot of fun to play.  I wish 2 handers were more viable than buckler spec for AA's but still, I like the class very much.  Once he gets to raid level I doubt I will have the same joy I do now.  Guardians can always find raid slots.  Beserkers not so much.</blockquote><p>Wow... that is like... just wow.  I'm not trying to be a jerk here but if you only played your Berserker up to 30 you really have no clue.  </p><p>First off, Berserkers are GODS of multiple mob aggro.  The only tank that can hold a candle to us in this department is a Paladin with Amends on a Warlock or Swashy.  You wouldn't really know this at level 30 since you don't get your best AE tools until the 50s (Rampage/Destruction/Turmoil, Open Wounds and Insolent Gibe/Insolence).  I can hold basically as many mobs as my healers can heal through.  In weaker group instances like CoA and VOES I basically just run in and pull the room.  Until you hit the 50s I would suggest staying in Offensive stance since that alone will give you some decent AE aggro control (our Offensive stance has an AE damage proc).  I also have a Warlock and you have NO idea how many times I've died with a Guardian tanking on multiple mob fights.  With a Berserker or Paladin- not so much.</p><p> Secondly the lack of raid viability of Berserkers, while much lamented on these boards, is largely a bunch of BS to put it bluntly.  Not only that but mobs in raids do not break mezz and get into the raid party since you can't mezz epic encounters.  The off tank's job in a raid is to hold adds while the raid party beats down the main mob and to pick up aggro if the MT goes down.   A Berserker can fill any raid role a Guardian can, it just takes a well played Berserker, which there tends to be a lack of these days.  I'm MT for our guild and we've cleared all the isntanced content in this expansion so far except for Trakanon, Byzola and the Maestro in SoH with me as MT.  Raid viablity is not an issue, it's the perception that Guardians are "The MT" and that's it.  Get out there, get in groups and make a good rep for yourself and you should have no problem finding a raid slot.</p><p> Again, I'm not trying to be a jerk, it's just that your post is woefully misinformed.</p><p>Now, back to the OP's original question.  I've been playing my Berserker since day 1.  I love to solo and I love pushing myself to the limit of whatever class I'm playing at the time to see how well I can solo.  There are classes that solo a lot better and of the plate tanks I'd say it would go SK, Berserker, Paladin, Guardian for solo ability in general though they can all solo just fine.</p><p>In the end just play what you enjoy.  All classes in this game can solo.</p>

[Elanjar]

Luckily you can switch from zerk to guard and visa versa pretty easy lol. So roll whichever one you think sounds more fun. If you dont like it do a quick betrayal. Find out if you like the other one. If you dont like either go roll a monk<img src="/eq2/images/smilies/908627bbe5e9f6a080977db8c365caff.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" />

[Nembutal]

<p>As slayer505 said above an SK is a better soloing pick than a zerker... while I disagree that a zerker is an equal with a guard and can be swapped interchangably (although judging by slayer505's gear I have to say he should have a pretty solid grasp of our class just as I do so I won't flat out call him wrong) </p><p>The way an SK beats us out is that they have life taps... combat is basically a fight to see who's HP hits zero first... that person is the loser... if you can take thier HPs and add them to your own you are doing 2 things at once... improving your HP's and destroying thiers.</p><p>If you truly want the best high damage non-leather soloing tank out there... play a swash or brigand.  Just because SOE doesn't recognize them as tanks doesn't mean they can't do the job... Brigands get an awesome "walk the plank" ability... when I played my bro's brigand even though I hardly knew what I was doing I could hit that and a few backstabs and it would be like half dead before laying a finger on me.  The trick is convincing a group that you can tank.</p><p>IMHO a Defensive Brigand and an Offensive Zerker are very similar in survivability and DPS.... This is something often overlooked.</p>

[Slayer505]

<p>I have an 80 Brigand as well and you're right to a point about their solo ability vs. a Berserker.  Against a single target Brigands are probably the best solo melee class in the game.  A properly specced and reasonably well geared Brigand can solo pre-RoK Heroic mobs up to a level or two above them and solo mobs within ten levels fairly easily since they can stun lock a mob down so it's unable to hit them and debuff their defenses down to nothing.  Add in the Vitality Breach (lifetap) poison in the 50s with the AA enhancement for it and Brigands become dang near unstoppable.  They don't do quite so well against RoK heroics since RoK heroics are a lot tougher then pre-RoK.  The problem with Brigands is that they can get very easily overwhelmed by multiple mobs since they only have one AE attack.  For killing multiple solo mobs a Swashy is really good, but can't take on solo heroic stuff as good as a Brigand.  That said, a Berserker can solo multiple solo mobs just as well, if not easier then a Swashy.</p><p> It all comes down to what you enjoy.  Try out lots of classes and find one you like playing, then stick with it- or make a million alts <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Nembutal]

<cite>Karsgaar@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite> <blockquote><p>That said, a Berserker can solo multiple solo mobs just as well, if not easier then a Swashy.</p></blockquote><p>solo mobs yeah... that stuff dies so fast...</p><p>You should see what a zerker in my gear that 3 boxes a dirge and fury can do to solo mobs....  like I can't get enough on me to stay busy.... only issue I ever have is stun mobs... you get 3 solo mobs that like stun on you at once... it's always going to suck...</p>

[Nematoda]

<p>ever since i came back to the game, I solo'd my zerker from lvl 60-79.  Thru quest gear i've been able to kill mobs up to 3 lvls higher then me, even if one ups.  I'ts not to bad soloing as a zerker, if you learn to time your knock downs/stifles or what have you to minimize the damage you take.  Soloing actually teachs you how to best use your skills so I was all for soloing.  Timing it right, the same lvl mobs as you will hardly do any damage at all, allowing you to blow thru mobs.  However, a lot of this depends on your gear but MC and quested gear should be sufficient. </p><p>With bind wound, battle rest, and food, the down time is not that bad, and you can just use that time to inc harvesting skills.  </p><p> Guardians are slower at solo'n then zerks for sure but I'm not sure on sk's, i never tried them before, but the one's i've seen try to solo were either not very skilled or just not as good as zerkers.</p><p> If you were chosing b/w a zerker and guardian thou to lvl with, I'd go with the zerker hands down.</p>

[Mew]

Slayer505:"but mobs in raids do not break mezz and get into the raid party since you can't mezz epic encounters."Last time I raided T1 RoK instances it was possible to mezz some epic mobs.  Yes, many epic mobs have mezz and stun immunity.  But not all of them do.  For example the mobs in Protector's Realm, with a few exceptions, can be mezzed.  However, only illusionists and coercers can do it to my knowledge.  Bards can't. Otherwise, you are right.  At level 34 (now) my experience is limited.  That does limit my opinions.  All:I have been experimenting with using third person view on my camera.  That way I can see if a mob breaks off aggro from me.  Then all I need do is click on the mob on the screen to switch targets.  Pop off an aggro CA and pull it back onto me.  Then click on my main target to switch back.  Anyone else do this?  I don't group much but when I do this seems to help me MT better.

[Slayer505]

<p>Yes it is possible to mezz epic mobs for a few seconds, but that's it.  You can't keep them mezzed because of immunity timers.  I suppose someone could be mezzing heroic adds in PR, but those adds are so weak I don't know why you would mezz them instead of just burning them down.</p><p>Yeah, third person... how else would you do it?  I can't imagine playing this game in first person.  I suppose if you were used to EQ1, but I never played EQ1.</p>