Seeking advice on starting a Zerk

[Elquinjena]

I have been haunting your board for a few days now, doing my best to learn and understand just what it takes to make a be a good zerker.  Please do not look down on me because if I make a zerker it won't be my main, but know this, if I pick up this class I want to learn to play it and play it well!! I have been reading up on the tank classes and I honestly do not want to go the Guard route. Everyone and their dog has a guard. Same for SK and Pally which sorry I have never thought of as a pure tanking class. I want something different yet at the same time will bring a good tank class to our guild.I am looking at either Ogre or Barbie for race, because of their Racial Traditions. So I am wondering which of these two races would be better? Does the Ogre's<b> </b>Shoulder Slam  &  Oggokian Aggression  seem better than the Barbie's Tundra Slam, Defender of Everfrost & Barbaric Rage ? Do any of these help more in the aggro dept than the other?  Or am I just looking at the toss of a coin over which race to go with? If it helps any, my main since Everquest 1 ( around the time of velious) has been a wood elf ranger. I carried on the same class and race to EQ2. Back in EQ1, rangers were known as "paper tanks" we could tank but one or two hits and we would be pushing up daisy but we could hold that aggro!. We were also called on to be the group pullers ( right up there with monks). While in EQ2 a rangers role is to stay back do DPS and to manage their Aggro.So any other tips of the trade that any of you seasoned Zerks could impart to me I would be grateful.thanks

[Xalmat]

To answer your questions...Ogre is by far the best race in my opinion, it has a slight edge in all departments. But Barbarian is a good second choice, they're right below Ogre. But truth be told every race is viable as a Zerker (i play a Fae myself with good success).In EQ2 as the tank, you call the shots for the group. You decide what gets pulled, what dies first, etc.Berserkers are somewhat similar to EQ1 Warriors, but the main similarity is that both classes wear plate armor and both can dual wield. As a berserker, you are a high damage output tank who is also superb at holding AoE aggro at higher levels.You will want to go down the buckler AA line as soon as possible, as it will dramatically increase your damage output (and therefore aggro) while keeping your survivability at a reasonable level.

[LygerT]

i don't really see any specific question here aside from race, to which i think you already are in the ballpark but any race will do really... i mean i have no trouble and my racials have little to no benefit as a tank (lol, i get a kerran -1 hate position deaggro for example).

[Elanjar]

i play a woodelf zerker and i would love to have the kerra deagro (god i wish my vox toons name hadnt been taken <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> ) cause i pull mobs off my guard all the time. very annoying. I actually get moderated when our wizard isnt with us. Anyway point is you can really play whatever, but i find that tanking as a zerker my hp is all over the place. red - green all through fights so the extra defense from the barbarians abilities (below 35% hp i think) would be pretty useful.

[LygerT]

i havent used the deaggro in at least a year. even only as offtank if i grab a mob i should survive if my healers don't suck.

[Endorplasmic]

If I had to do it again I'd go Ogre for the HPs. Next xpac is going to see some hard hitting mobs and HP will be king of the jungle again.I'm glad I have my Barb. though as it's a cool second place to the Ogre (got lucky I guess). The 100% run speed is pretty fun when training mobs too <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[dreken]

i myself have a Ratonga zerker and find it to be an wonderful challenge, alot of people complain about not being able to see me as i am too small, that can be fixed by an illusion.... so it really comes down to what attributes you like and what race really appeals to you

[Aerebus]

Troll cause there aint many of us around. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" width="15" height="15" />

[Vanderlay]

I love having an Ogre zerker for the extra HP and aggression, but the only drawback I've noticed is that because he is so big, I have trouble once in a while with camera angles and he takes up most of a corridor or hallway.  If I had to do it over again I would choose a Barbarian or Kerra.  Our raid leader used to tell me to turn off the 20% size increase during raids lol.

[caeler]

<p>Couldn't a petrified eye take care of the ogre size issue?</p>

[SolanariEQ]

Halfling Zerkers FTW <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Wyrmypops]

<p>Human. Sure our racials are evidently made by someone embrassed to to be one, hence them sucking harder than a colourful simile, and of no use to any particular archetype. But humans, we're proper. Non-humans look, talk and smell funny, it's glandular, or something. Elves smell of candles, Barbarians reek of poo, Ogres stick of spoilt meat, Trolls of burnt fat, the hirsute races smell of wet fur, minature races smell of cabbage, scaly races smell of oil, and fae reek of the souls of freshly drowned kittens. Go human, your nose will thank you.</p>