KF2 In-Depth Berserker Guide: Skills, Arsenal, EMP, Hans

This is a condensed rewrite of a long community guide from late 2015 (initial release 22 November 2015, updated through 18 December 2015), written when the Berserker was still new in Killing Floor 2 and balance numbers were different from today. Treat exact percentages as historical. The core message is that the Berserker is not a kill-stealer: the perk exists to keep ZEDs off the team, tank, and draw attention while teammates shoot.

The Berserker.

What makes a Berserker

At level 25 the passive stats were:

• Perk weapon damage: +50%
• Melee attack speed: +10%
• Melee movement speed: +25% with a melee weapon drawn
• Damage resistance: +25%
• Night vision for dark spots
• Resistance to Clot grabs

The Berserker skill tree at the time of writing.

Skill tree (as of the guide)

Tier	Level	Choices
1	5	Poison Resistance 40% to poison (Bloats, Hans). Sonic Resistance 40% to Siren screams
2	10	Vampire heal a few HP per kill with Berserker weapons, health capped at 100 (not Katana or 9mm). Fortitude max health raised to 175 (the later text mentions 200 with the full setup), no healing from kills
3	15	Furious Defender +20% melee damage, 10% faster swings. Block +50% damage to ZEDs you blocked, loses the swing speed
4	20	Parry after a block and parry, +15% attack speed and +30% light attack damage for 4 seconds. Smash hard hits do +100% on top of level damage, with a 50% chance to knock down on headshots, even Hans
5	25	Spartan (ZED Time) move at real-time speed, swing 50% faster, parries knock down. Menace (ZED Time) head hits stun and stumble power doubles, but you lose swing speed

Recommended for high difficulties: Sonic Resistance, Fortitude, Furious Defender, Smash; tier 5 is a matter of taste. Sonic Resistance matters from wave 3, when Sirens start spawning. Vampire only suits early waves and very competent players, because the 100 HP cap hurts against Scrakes and Fleshpounds. Block only triggers on a block, not a parry. If two Berserkers play together, one with Spartan can clear trash while the one with Menace handles larger ZEDs.

On-perk arsenal

All prices are as listed in the original guide and have changed since.

Lawn Mower Blade: the starting knife.

• Lawn Mower Blade: starting knife, the fastest melee weapon, slash damage. Good for Clots and Stalkers; speed makes up for low damage.
• 9mm Beretta: standard sidearm, 15-round magazine, projectile damage, not Vampire compatible.

9mm sidearm.

• Crovel: the all-purpose shovel, 200 dosh, 4 blocks, slash and blunt, close range.

Crovel.

• Vlad the Impaler (nail gun): 650 dosh, 42-nail magazine, single shot and a 7-nail shotgun mode, projectile and piercing. High damage, long range in single-fire and ricochets that can hit several targets. Great with Vampire.

The nail gun.

• Zweihander: 1000 dosh, 6 blocks, slash and blunt, high damage with knockdown but slow. The knockdown does not always trigger and can anger ZEDs.

Zweihander.

• Pulverizer: 1100 dosh, 5-shell magazine, blunt plus explosive, moderate to high damage, a sledgehammer with a side-mounted HE shotgun round that detonates on strike.

Pulverizer.

• Eviscerator: 1500 dosh, 10 blocks, a saw-blade launcher with chainsaw melee, slash and projectile. The author finds it only so-so outside Vampire builds.

Eviscerator.

EMP grenade

Electro Magnetic Pulse grenade.

The EMP costs 50 dosh each (250 for a full set), does low electrical damage, and is not meant to kill. It slows ZEDs, panics them, lowers their defenses so they take more damage, and disables special attacks:

• Small ZEDs (Cyst, Clot, Slasher, Gorefast, Bloat, Stalker, Crawler): cannot attack, grab, charge, cloak or lunge. 1 EMP each; the effect lasts 5 seconds, with a 5-second wait before they can be afflicted again.
• Husk, Siren, Scrake: 2 EMPs, 5 seconds, 5 seconds recovery. A Siren cannot scream, a Husk cannot use the napalm cannon, run or suicide, a Scrake attacks more slowly and cannot use the sawing or rage-run moves for a short time.
• Fleshpound: 2 EMPs, lasts 3 seconds, 10 seconds before it can be afflicted again. It cannot use AOE attacks or the shielding charge for that time.
• Hans: 6 EMPs, 3 seconds, 30 seconds recovery. He uses ranged attacks less and runs slower.

Use EMPs to break away from groups or calm a raged Fleshpound. Never EMP your own feet: it hurts you (about 50 damage when standing on it, about 20 close by).

Off-perk weapons

The guide lists the Medic weapons (HM-Tech 101 pistol, 201 SMG, 301 shotgun, 401 assault rifle) and other off-perk picks with their stats and darts. See KF2 Medic guide for current numbers.

ZED threats in brief

Danger levels the author assigned: Cyst, Clot and Slasher low; Bloat low to moderate; Stalker and Crawler moderate to high; Gorefast high; Fleshpound high; Husk, Siren and Scrake "code red". Each ZED entry lists damage types, resistances (for example Clots take half damage from microwave) and weaknesses.

• The last 5 ZEDs of a wave become agitated and enraged shortly after the sixth is killed. A Scrake or Fleshpound left alive past that point will not stop raging, which can end the game. Never leave a Fleshpound alive past the last 5.
• All ZEDs can be parried with practice, but an orange glow around the attacking weapon or claws means the attack cannot be parried.

Bosses

Hans Volter (a crazed scientist kept alive by a Horzine life-support pack) has four stages. Green is slow; yellow adds a charging slash and gas AOE; orange chases harder with more grenades and is hard to parry; red is the strongest and also constantly throws grenades, so he stands still as a bullet sponge. He drains a player to heal after each of the first three stages.

• Healing windows: while he is draining, he is shielded. During the heal stage he throws only smoke grenades.
• Grenades per phase: first heal explosives, second heal gas (little damage, a vaccinated player with two Medics tanks it), final heal a lot of explosives, so spread out.
• AA-12 rounds hitting his metal chest do big damage. There is a short gap of about 3 seconds after the drain where he is open to damage, but wait a second for the shield to drop.
• Solo: keep a large object between you and him and pump an AA-12 into him (about 15 shells in Hell on Earth solo per phase change). Medic is best for it. Run circles to heal.
• Multiplayer tanking: on a 6-player Hell on Earth team use at least 2 Medics and 1-2 Berserkers; one tanks while the others heal and damage. Loadouts: Medic Assault Rifle with Zweihander (tank and healer), Zweihander with Trench Gun, AA-12 with Crovel (damage), Trench Gun with Medic Pistol and Pulverizer.
• Kiting: a less recommended option; use indoor routes and close doors, and watch out for being sandwiched.

The Patriarch (Kevin Clamely) at the time had limited information. He melees fast, uses a rocket launcher and minigun, cloaks to heal and was assumed to be weak to explosives and melee because he targets Berserkers.

Staying alive

• Use quiet moments while running to inject yourself, and use EMPs to shake off big groups. Damage slows you: noticeably at 50% health and at the slowest around 25%.
• Fortitude gives plenty of health but not invincibility; be careful.
• A raged Scrake can be outrun by a Berserker. Parry before engaging, and keep healing.
• Ammo runs matter; pick up dropped weapons from dead teammates and carry them to the trader.
• Cut a gap through Clots, Crawlers and Stalkers and keep moving rather than getting cornered.

Helping the team

• Stay with the team. Do not run off alone; you are the barrier between the horde and the others.
• Avoid self-healing in multiplayer: healing a teammate or being healed by one gives money and experience and costs the healer only half a syringe.
• Pair with a spare Medic. If a Medic tanks, take over the tank so they can heal you, and cover tanks from behind.
• Use EMPs to stop a raged Fleshpound or to disable Sirens and Husks.

See also the Hell on Earth guide with EMP and Pulverizer for a related early strategy.