Perks & Classes

Killing Floor Berserker Guide - Melee Mastery

The Berserker is the tank and crowd controller of Killing Floor. While others run out of ammo, you just keep swinging.

Berserker perk art Berserker, the melee perk of Killing Floor.

Role Overview

  • Primary: Hold choke points (doorways) against trash Zeds.
  • Secondary: Stun-lock Scrakes.
  • Tertiary: Tank damage for the team.

Perk Bonuses

  • Damage Resistance: You take significantly less damage (especially from Bloat bile).
  • Melee Attack Speed: Swing faster.
  • Movement Speed: Move faster.
  • Cannot be Grabbed: Clots cannot grab you. This is huge—you can walk through mobs freely.

Weapon Choices

Berserker weapons Berserker weapons: chainsaw, claymore, axes and more.

1. Katana

  • Pros: Extremely fast swing speed.
  • Usage: Stun-locking Scrakes. Spamming primary fire (Mouse1) on a Scrake's head will keep him flinching so he cannot attack back.
  • Meta: The most versatile weapon.

2. Fire Axe

  • Pros: High impact, heavy stun power.
  • Usage: One heavy swing (Alt-fire) to the head can stun almost anything. Good for hit-and-run.

3. Claymore

  • Pros: Huge range and damage.
  • Cons: Slower than Katana.
  • Usage: Great for clearing groups of Clots with one swing.

4. Chainsaw

  • Pros: You look scary. Continuous damage.
  • Cons: No stun-lock capability. Blocks team vision.
  • Verdict: Avoid on high difficulties unless you know exactly what you are doing.

Advanced Techniques

The Scrake Stun-Lock (Katana)

  1. Approach the Scrake.
  2. Aim at head level.
  3. Hold "Forward" and spam Primary Fire.
  4. The Scrake will keep flinching ("dancing") and won't be able to hit you.
  5. Warning: If you miss a hit or run out of stamina, he will rage.

Kiting / Wall-Bouncing

On maps like West London, Berserkers often "kite" (run laps around the map).

  • Use your speed to separate big Zeds from small ones.
  • Clots can't grab you, so run through them if trapped.

Blocking?

In KF1, there is no active "Parry" mechanic like in KF2 that gives buffs.

  • However, melee weapons reduce damage taken if you are holding them.
  • Chainsaw has significant damage reduction from the front.

Fleshpound one on one

Source: killingfloor.ru forum, thread "Берсерк" / "Berserker", 2010.

Ways that thread participants killed a Fleshpound solo. Nobody called them reliable: one author admitted the Fleshpound sometimes still pushes through your hits and lands a blow.

  • Katana, hit and back off: approach from the front and hit his head until he rages. As a level 5+ Berserker, run off, wait for him to stop and calm down, then repeat; 2-3 rounds are usually enough. A level 6+ Berserker in armor can keep slashing without backing off.
  • Where to aim: another variant is to hit with normal katana swings just above the small lamp on his chest while backing away.
  • Chainsaw: hold primary attack and run in a circle around the Fleshpound; according to the author, he then hits less often. Or use the alternate attack and run off, as with the katana.
  • General advice: jump and dodge. You can practice solo with a mutator that spawns only Fleshpounds.
  • On patch 1003 Fleshpounds froze when hit and people even cut them down with the knife; later only regular zeds and Scrakes reacted that way.

Tips

  • Don't overextend: Just because you can't be grabbed doesn't mean you are invincible. Don't run out of Medic range.
  • Watch out for Sirens: They ignore your armor. They are your biggest counter.
  • Don't block shots: Since you are melee, you are always in front. Try to stay to one side of the doorway so your Sharpshooter can shoot past you.