BERSERK FTW "Cool Guide"

this is Berserker guid for Rookies

Glossary (in case it is needed)
AoE : Area of Effect, skill which attacks all mobs around you in a certain range
Single attack: as opposed to AoE, an attack which has only one target.
PvE: Player VS environment
PvP: Player VS Player
GvG: Guild VS Guild
Mob: monster
Build: the skills you have
Grind/grinding = PvE


Weapons

One-handed weapons allow you to use a shield (see armor section) for better defense, while two-handed weapons hit harder.

One-handed sword: Fast weapon, but low damage, it’s good at first when you kill mobs one by one. When you switch to AoE grind (see grinding section), it becomes useless. You can use it at the beginning, but you’ll have to reset any specific skill if you buy some, so beware.

One-handed axe: An option for PvP at low and mid-level. Slower than Blunt for levelling. See this thread until I put it in sticky, if I ever do

Blunt: most powerful one-handed weapon, therefore the one to use with a shield for PvE. It is also the best one-handed weapon for PvP at high level because the damage catches up the axe's and you have stun shock.

Two handed weapons
You can’t use a shield with those, but you get more attack power. If you want to AoE as soon as possible, you will be looking at those weapons at lvl 22, when it is possible to get Swing Shot. With Linear Blow + Swing shot, AoE grind is really starting. And it is starting sooner if you use 2H than 1H.
Halberd is more powerful than Sword and therefore the way to go, since you will be using Lethal Attack (see skills section), unless you find a really cool sword with great green stats.


The “1-handed VS 2-handed” debate
This debate has been going on for quite some time now. Blunt + shield was commonly admitted to be the best option both for PvE and PvP.
Now with episode II, this has changed, because Faith Defender does not stack with evasion potions. If you use chantra, the difference in defence between the two options is now only the shield itself, whereas before it was the shield + faith defender. So both options are viable.
The difference is mainly for PvP, and for now there is no conclusion on which option is “better”, because maybe there is no “better” option. You have to choose which one you prefer. Blunt + shield gives you better protection and stuns + stun protection, and your role in GvG will be to jump in the melee, resist the attacks and stun people. A two-handed zerker will be more of a damage dealer, capable of taking down opponents a bit more. But you won’t have stuns, you won’t have stun resist (see skills section), and you’ll miss a bit of skill block from a PvP shield. It’s up to your fighting style.


Stoning a weapon
Assuming you follow my advice and use either a blunt or a two-handed weapon, here is basically what stone you should put in your weapon:

Elemental stones add elemental damage. Seems obvious, but there’s a difference between damage and attack. When putting elemental stones, always put the same element and same level of stone in one weapon. The element “activates” based on the type and level. For example if you put one earth stone and one water stone, on one attack you’ll get 3 earth damage, on the other 3 water damage. Now if you put 2 water stones, you will always get 2*3=6 water damage. Berserkers have no elemental bonus in their skills, so it doesn’t matter what element you use.

Attack prayer stones add to Basic Attack. What’s the difference with damage? Well, your damage is calculated based on your Basic attack. For example, a combat skill that gives 100% basic attack bonus will deal a damage of BA+BA*100% (BA = Basic attack of course). Attack prayer stones are a must at higher levels when your skill bonuses are big (around 200%). At low levels, it is maybe better to put elemental stones.

Cold prayer stone: this is a good compromise between price and effect. You can combine a cold stone with elemental stones of attack prayer stones. It gives +6 to +8 damage, with a small chance to slow the target on normal hits. We don’t care about the slow possibility, but +6 for a level 1 stone is a nice additional damage. You would need a lvl 3 elemental stone to achieve the same damage. At higher level, +8 for a lvl 3 is still nice damage, equal to an attack prayer stone in a 170% combat skill. Those stones are cheaper and maybe easier to put in than an attack prayer stone, so it’s not a bad idea.

Electric prayer stone: same as Cold stone, with a chance of stunning on normal hits

Deadly Poison prayer stone: crap, don’t use it

Accuracy stones: spare me the sight of an accuracy stone in a weapon please


Conclusion:
Best is : full of attack prayer stones
A bit cheaper : 1 cold stone, 1 electric stone, the rest being attack prayer stones
Cheapest option but still good : 1 cold stone, 1 electric stone, the rest being elemental stones of the same element and same level


Armor pieces

Defence VS Physical resistance
Physical defence reduces the damage you receive by the number of points written. It is useful for PvE, and at relatively low level. When the mobs begin to hit you for more than 100, you want to look at Physical resistance, which reduces the damage by a certain percentage. At high level, when a mob hits you for 200 for example, 2% Phys Resist = +4 phys defence. Physical resistance is especially useful for PvP since players hit harder than mobs.

Elemental resistance
An elemental stone in a piece of armor will grant you elemental resistance. It reduces the elemental damage you receive by a certain %. Example, one lvl 3 water stone in any piece of armor = 12% water resistance. It works the same in any piece of armor. Elemental resistance doesn’t have the priority when stoning armor.

Shield
you can use a shield when wielding a one-handed weapon. The shield provides block for PvE, or skill block for PvP.
Stones
Check the green stats and stone the shield accordingly. If it has block stats, put block stones to make a PvE shield. If you need a PvP shield, make another one which has a skill block green stat, then put a skill block stone in it.

Armor
Green stats
Physical Defence is for relatively low level mainly and only for PvE. Skill block is important for PvP. HP is also important, especially at high level when using healing potions (which replenish a percentage of your total health, which means more health = faster healing). MP is not really important.
Stones
Stamina stone (+10% HP)
Physical Resistance stone or Defence Stone, depending on your level (see Def VS Phys resist paragraph)
If you have more than 2 slots… For exclusive PvE use, you want to add defence stones if you have more than 2 slots. For PvP, you have different possibilities: elemental stones, slow resist stone, stun resist stone if you don’t use a shield. It’s up to what you think is best for you

Greaves
Green stats
You’re looking for a good physical resistance percentage, basically. Then, you can have +10 or +20HP, it’s always useful. MP, we don’t care.
Stones: basically, 1 Physical resistance, 1 skill block, then elemental stones if you have more slots.

Boots
Green stats
You’re looking for block (PvE) or speed (mainly PvP)
Stones
Life stone + elemental stone. Currently, you can’t put a life stone because of a bug.

Gloves
Green stats
Don’t really matter, maybe accuracy, but not sure. Well, it can’t be bad anyway.
Stones
You can put block stones for PvE, and for PvP you have the choice : accuracy stones to increase your attack rate (however, accuracy seems to work only with normal attacks…), or elemental stones

Helmet
Green stats
Try to get an “all stats +n” one. All stats +6 is what you’re looking for. You can have all elemental resistance +n with this too.
Stones
Put an elemental stone in there


Grinding
I put this section before the skills section, so you understand the importance of each type of skill.
At first, you will be attacking single targets. Kill a mob, run to another, kill it, etc.
When you get two AoE, you will switch to another tactic : run to a mob, hit it once with a normal attack, un to another mob, hit it once, etc until you have a proper number of mobs running after you (you will have to determine this number yourelf, basically you need to gather as many mobs as possible without dying when then hit you). That’s what we call a train. Then hit the train with an AoE. They hit you at the same time, so you have to run until your health is back, then hit them again with an aoE, until they’re all dead. I recommend this strategy to start with. After some level up, you will be able to gather mobs by using an AoE, and make a continuous train.
Grinding like this is faster than kill single targets, and it costs less (you will find son enough that repairing your gear can be expensive)
Depending on you using chantra (lens stones to reduce cooldown) or not, and also how how you feel comfortable, you will use 2 to 4 AoE combat skills to grind efficiently. It's up t your grinding style, you will figure it out only by playing.

Skills

Which type of skills should you max first?
I recommend to get a PvE build first, in order to level up faster. You can still enjoy some PvP with a PvE build, even though it will not be optimal and you may lose more fights than your share. But you will level faster than those who spend skill points in PvP skills at level 30. Personally I completed my PvE build before adding anything PvP oriented.
To make an efficient PvE build, you want to max first your buffs and AoE skills You’re not forced to use the skill points you get in the first levels ! Keep them for when you have more than one skill improvement to do per level gained. Don’t use single attack combat skills for PvE, even at very low levels. You won’t gain much time, and you will have to reset those skills later.
For passive skills… they don’t bring much, so they don’t have priority. Max buffs and AoE skill first.
Now, if you want to PvP at low or mid-levels, that’s your decision, and you’ll have to choose whatever skill you like. I hope the comments in the following list will help you for this.
You can find all skills and their stats at http://mmodata.org/archlord/db

Combat skills

Dual Slash
Not really useful, damage is too low. You will have to reset it anyway when you get triple slash instead, if you want a single attack, that is. Better not get it at all, since the first levels are fast to go through.

Shield Bash
This is a PvP skill, with a blunt. Get it if you want to use it for PvP in low levels, and don’t touch it if you want to level fast. You will have the option to use it later for PvP, or use triple slash.

Linear Blow
Important skill, the first AoE you get. Max it as soon as possible. You will drop it at higher level when you have enough other more powerful AoE skills.

Triple slash
Single attack, so it’s PvP oriented. See Shield Bash.

Axe smash
If you followed the advice in this guide, you shouldn’t use this thing.

Blade sting
It is for one-handed sword, single attack, so it’s for PvP. I wouldn’t advise to use a 1h sword after lvl 22, so this skill looks irrelevant to me.

Swing shot
Second Aoe you get if you’re using 2H weapon. Wich is why I recommend 2H weapon starting lvl 22: you can AoE sooner than with a one-handed weapon.

Stun shock
PvP attack that stuns the opponent. It’s a must-have if you want to PvP with a blunt.

Strike of death
The most powerful attack zerks have, but with a certain success percentage. It’s a PvP skill, being a single attack.

Hook
AoE skill you can get at lvl 34. 12 levels later than swing shot, which is why 2H weapons are good to start with. Max this one as soon as possible

Big Wheel
Same as Hook, but higher level. You can possibly reset linear blow at this point, if 3 AoE skills are enough for you.

Dragon divide
Same as Big wheel, but higher level. You reset Linear blow at this point, and possibly hook if you use 2H weapon and 3 AoE skills are enough for you.


Buffs/debuffs

Speed attack
Only useful when you use single attacks, since it does not affect skills. Better not put any skill point in there.

Combat echo
Max it as soon as possible

Brute force / power blade / power axe / Bludgeon
Max out as soon as possible the one corresponding to your type of weapon. (if you follow this guide, you should have the choice between brute force and bludgeon)

Faith defender
It adds block and skill block for shield users. However, it does not stack with chantra. If you use evasion potions, this skill is useless. If you don’t use chantra, then it’s useful both for PvE and PvP.

Stun protection
Gives 100% protection against stuns for shield users. Put only 1 skill point in this, the higher stages only add some skill duration. It’s a PvP buff.


Class Skills

Lethal Attack
It maxes your attack. Useful if you use a halberd, because these weapons have a large range of attack. Put only one skill point in there (same reason as stun protection). Also useful for any weapon, but not as much as with a halberd.

Debilitate
Fix a target’s attack power to minimum. Not important. You should'nt put points in it unless you have a very specific reason (ike PvP at lvl 30 and you don't want to level anymore), and if you need this type of skill, use Power Drain at higher level.

Vital charge
Absorbs damage and converts it to life. This skill is your lifeline when you grind. It is absolutely mandatory to max it as soon as possible. This skill has top priority.

Berserker
Turns you into a real warrior by improving a lot of things. Max it asap.

Natural warrior
Important PvP skill. You will have to max this eventually, but it does not have priority over the other buffs (vital charge, berserker, combat echo, bludgeon/brute force)

Body break/Panic/Power drain
Don’t touch this until you are knowledgeable enough to realize by yourself if these are useful for you or not.


Passive skills

Generally speaking, don’t touch passive skills until you have maxed buffs and AoE skills.

Endurance: Increases HP
Supreme damage : gives chances for critical hits, it works only on normal attacks so it's pointless for zerkers unless you have skill points and don't know what to do with them, which shouldn't happen until you're 85 or something, so don’t use it unless you know what you’re doing
Power surge: adds power. Not much, if you ask me, for five skill points. Those points are better elsewhere (but at high level, you'll have spare points for it)
Intellect: would a berserker needs that?
Mind boost: dump it in the toilet
Nimbleness: use it as paper to wipe mind boost off your green ass
Red heat: increases accuracy. It is said accuracy is working on normal hits only, so no use for this.
Counter attack: don’t touch this evil skill, or you will regret it. It’s the only skill that will actually kill you more often than your opponents.
Death strike: complete mystery, nobody knows how the hell this works.



Accessories: rings, necklaces

I won’t talk about pre-order or gift items.

Necklaces
You’re looking for “all stats +n” necklaces. +6 is good, +8 is very good.
For PvP, you may want to use a necklace of legend (combination), giving +n% all elemental resistance.

Rings
Transcendence rings (combination) are good: they give you all stats +n.
Other than this, power rings is what you want to use.