KF2 Berserker Perk Guide: Skills, Weapon Stats and Builds

This reference, originally in Brazilian Portuguese, covers the Berserker perk in Killing Floor 2: bonuses, skill tree, per-weapon stats with upgrade tables, general strategy and three loadouts. Figures are from the author's version of the game and may have changed since. See also Berserker perk and perk levels.

Role

The Berserker is the front line, a human shield and the wall that keeps ZEDs away from teammates. A melee specialist, it can be a tank with plenty of health and resistance, or a damage dealer. It can block with melee weapons, cutting damage and pushing ZEDs away.

XP bonus

Berserkers earn XP for any ZED killed with perk weapons and a bonus for kills within 2 meters of a teammate. Per-kill values by difficulty: Normal 6, Hard 8, Suicidal 10, Hell on Earth 14.

Passive bonuses

• Perk weapon damage +1% per level, +25% at level 25.
• Damage resistance +2% every 5 levels, +10% at level 25.
• Duration of all damage over time reduced by 20%.
• Night vision.
• Clots cannot grab a Berserker.

Skills

Level	Option	Effect
5	Dreadnaught	Total health +100%
5	Skirmisher	Move 20% faster, sprint 25% faster with a melee weapon, regenerate 1 HP per second
10	Vampire	Heal 3 HP per kill with perk weapons, attack 20% faster
10	Butcher	Attack 20% faster and deal 20% more damage with perk weapons
15	Resistance	15% resistance to all damage, plus 15% to poison and sonic
15	Parry	Parrying cuts damage taken by 30%, +5% melee speed and +35% melee damage for 8 seconds
20	Smash	Heavy attacks deal +50% damage, +25% head damage and +200% stumble power
20	Massacre	Light attacks deal +30% damage and are 5% faster
25	Berserker Rage	Heal 50% of health and nearby ZEDs freeze when Zed Time starts
25	Spartan	Attack and move in real time during Zed Time

Starting weapons

Crovel Survival Tool

The starting melee weapon.

Weight 4, 200 dosh. Light attack 49, heavy 86, bash 15. Block 40%, parry 50%. Upgrades cost 500, 600, 700 and 1500; damage multipliers x1.2, x1.45, x1.65 and x1.85 (light 58.8 to 90.65, heavy 103.2 to 159.1), with weight +1 per upgrade. Good as a first weapon, but without much stun; swap it when Scrakes begin to appear. Horizontal swings do no more than 75% of the base damage, depending on the angle.

Lawn Mower Blade and EMP grenade

The default knife and EMP grenade.

The knife does 32 light and 64 heavy, with block and parry of 20%. The EMP grenade deals 25 damage in a 7 m radius, briefly stunning ZEDs, slowing them and disabling rage and special attacks.

9mm Pistol

Starting sidearm shared by all perks.

Damage 25, single or dual (weight 0 or 2, price 0 or 150), magazine 15 or 30, reserve 75 or 60. Upgrades cost 200, 500, 600, 700 and 1500 (up to x2, damage 50). It receives all passive bonuses and skills, and headshots decapitate Clots, Slashers, Cysts, Stalkers and Crawlers, but it is weak against anything larger.

Tier 2

Weapon	Weight, price	Light / heavy	Notes
Katana	4, 850	68 / 90	Quick swings; hold light attack when switching for a fast 90 heavy attack. Originally for the discontinued Martial Artist perk. Upgrades 500, 600, 700 (x1.2, x1.4, x1.6)
Nailgun (VLAD-1000)	5, 750	35 per nail, 7 nails alt for 245	Magazine 42, reserve 378; penetrating nails, very low accuracy, burns ammo quickly in multi mode
Road Redeemer	5, 850	68 / 90	Baseball bat; same upgrade table as Katana
Fire Axe	5, 850	90 / 135	Highest tier 2 damage, slower. Upgrades up to 144 / 216

Katana.

Nailgun.

Road Redeemer.

Fire Axe.

Tier 3

• Zweihander (weight 7, 1300 dosh): light 85, heavy 195, bash 63, block 40%, parry 60%. Needs Chivalry: Medieval Warfare or the Digital Deluxe Edition, or a teammate who owns it. Lots of damage, very slow. Upgrades 500 and 600.
• Pulverizer (weight 6, 1300): light 80, heavy 145 without ammo and 383 with ammo (explosion), magazine 5, reserve 15, block 50%, parry 60%. Tip: after emptying the magazine, do not reload and keep using it to kill small and medium ZEDs; reload only for a Fleshpound. Use it without ammo on Scrakes because they resist explosions.
• Hemoclobber (weight 4, 1200): light 80, heavy 140, magazine 2, reserve 10, explosion 200 in 5 m. It heals 15 with a gas cloud and 30 per melee hit, each costing 30 ammo-equivalent charge; full recharge 12 s. Unlike a healing grenade, people behind doors are not healed. Upgrades 700 and 1500.
• Piranha Pistol (single 3 weight, 600; dual 6, 1200): damage 115, magazine 6 or 12, reserve 66. Melee skills do not affect its damage; dual has higher block and parry.

Zweihander.

Pulverizer.

Hemoclobber.

Piranha Pistol.

Tier 4

• Eviscerator (weight 9, 1600): melee 29 per hit, projectile 300, magazine 5, reserve 25, block 60%, parry 70%. The disc is affected by gravity, can bounce up to 5 times and lasts 180 seconds. The saw uses fuel. The Smash skill does not affect its attacks, but the +25% headhit damage and +200% stumble still apply. Upgrade 1500.
• Static Strikers (weight 7, 1600): light 95, heavy 175, bash 100, block and parry 60%. The heavy attack causes the same effect as the EMP grenade.
• Bone Crusher (weight 8, 1600): light 80, heavy 165, bash 175, block 70%, parry 60%. Some combos use the shield, and mace and shield have different stumble and knockdown power. Blocks Husk fireballs and flame, EDAR attacks, Patriarch minigun and missiles, Matriarch Tesla blasts and Hans' MKb42.
• HRG Teslauncher (weight 7, 1500): damage 68, magazine 30, reserve 240, grenade 50 impact and 25 explosion in 3.5 m radius. The primary attack sets ZEDs on fire. It receives the Butcher bonus, the Smash headshot bonus, and the Parry bonus if you parry and switch to it. No skill affects its fire rate. Survivalist is the only perk that increases damage over time (up to 15%).
• Blood Sickle (weight 7, 1500): folded 70 / 120 over 1.9 m, unfolded 140 / 190 over 2.9 m, bash 50, block 50%, parry 60%.

Eviscerator.

Static Strikers.

Bone Crusher.

HRG Teslauncher.

Blood Sickle.

Tier 5 and multiperk

• Battleaxe (weight 10, 2000): light 120, heavy 250, bash 101, block 50%, parry 60%. Heavy attacks while moving backward are slightly faster.
• Ion Thruster (weight 8, 2000): light 92, heavy 152, special 400, bash 85, block 50%, parry 60%.
• Frost Fang (multiperk, weight 7, 1300): melee 75, 185 on frozen targets; 7 projectiles of 30; magazine 6, reserve 66; upgrades 700 and 1500. It deals extra damage to frozen ZEDs, counts as a light attack for Massacre and as melee for Survivalist's bonuses.

Battleaxe.

Ion Thruster.

Frost Fang.

General strategy

Berserker and Medic are a common pair for holding positions. Without a Medic the Berserker must rely on skills (Dreadnaught, Vampire, Resistance and Berserker Rage). When tanking big ZEDs use parry or block and fight them with Medic help. To kill them use strong weapons: Eviscerator with Smash and headshots at range, or the Pulverizer against Fleshpounds (use it without ammo on Scrakes). The Bone Crusher has the best block; use it against big ZEDs and even bosses (Hans' melee attacks still deal full damage even if blocked), but against bosses prefer ranged weapons: HRG Teslauncher, Eviscerator or Frost Fang.

Builds

Skill choices shown as left or right option per tier.

• Tank: levels 5, 10, 20 and 25 left; level 15 optional (right if you parry, otherwise left). Focus on resistance and health.
• Sharp weapons or speed (Katana): level 5 right, 10 left, 20 right, 25 right; level 15 optional.
• Heavy weapons (Road Redeemer, Pulverizer): level 5 right, 10 right, 20 left, 25 right; level 15 optional.
• Against bosses: in solo use only ranged weapons and stay away. In co-op use ranged weapons or the Bone Crusher, optionally a medic pistol, and keep distracting the boss. More health is always good; Vampire, Resistance and Smash suit ranged weapons; at 25 pick healing or mobility.

These are only examples; experiment with your own combinations.