Guild Wars 2

Video Edition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1FV-QEzxbE

Hey guys so this weekend I was able to get my hands on the Berzerker and I had a ton of fun headbutting people to death. I made a condi build, a shoutbow build, a power build a condi-shout build (without the bow) and each build worked such that I believe players with more experience with the class could easily make the builds greater than great. I can already see what the Berserker meta will look like and it going to be annoying for all the other classes out there, unless you’re a Necro, in which case, you can eat a skullgrinder!

That said though, the Berzerker is not without it’s issues.

The Skills
I feel Savage leap shouldn’t be ground targeted, unnecessarily bugs down the skill, Wild Blow’s activation is on the slow side, whiffs half the time but hits like a truck when you do land it, Shattering Blow is pretty good love the skill, Outrage is also really nice but I feel the lack of stab sometimes which makes me go back to balanced stance or Dolyak signet. Headbutt is just an amazing skill and shouldn’t be changed in any way.

The Traits
Some of the Traits for the Berserker are pretty good, Savage Instinct, Dead or Alive, Bloody Roar and Eternal Champion are all in the good/great category, the rest of the traits have very little going for them in comparison. Smash Brawler is only really useful in PvE so it’s just okay same with Blood Reaction.

Last Blaze needs to apply at least 2-3 stacks of burn for 2s or 1 stack for 4s because right now, it’s not looking too good with the very low base duration.
Heat the Soul Would be great if the Torch actually seemed like it could pose a threat but it doesn’t. Maybe when combined with Long bow it does but on it’s own? It’s just meh.
King of Fires same problem as Last Blaze, I think it needs to have a higher stack of burns for 2 seconds or 1 stack but a longer base burn duration.

The Weapon
Blaze Breaker, the description calls it a deadly shockwave. I call it a skill I have no reason to use. It’s the same issue that the burning traits have. It doesn’t pose a threat to your target and you don’t feel powerful whilst using it. My question is, What am I supposed to do with a 2s burn that doesn’t even go past 3s when I try to stack burn duration on it? If this skill applied 5stacks of burn for 2 seconds, I’d be totally fine with that but 1 stack of burn for 2 seconds? That’s just pathetic. Increase the burn stacks, increase the cooldown as well if need be, just make it worth using.

Flames of War is pretty good in my opinon, only thing worth using on this weapon. Duration could be upped a bit but, not necessary if all other durations and possible stacks are increased.

And I think that’s it for me and the berzerker! I enjoyed playing the spec and if the above issues are dealt with I think we’d have a very powerful spec on our hands. Thanks for such a fun and addicting spec devs!

And if you guys want to see some gameplay of the Berzerker just click the link above. I do a lot of talking about what I like about the Warrior Elite spec in the video, as well as showing some gameplay for 2 of the specs I played.

Forgot to talk about the burst skills;

Decapitate:
Needs to do the same damage it does to the target you hit, to all targets behind it. I mean really guys! Killshot’s Berserker form, Gun Flame can be used at 5 times the range and does the same damage to all targets! Why is the guy who is risking his backside in Melee worse off in damage than the guy killshotting 5 people for 11k damage from 1200units away?

Gun Flame
Really good skill, don’t change it.

Skull Grinder
Great skill, don’t change it

Rupturing Smash
This particular skill is very weak and doesn’t help the Hammer at all. I know it’s supposed to be a side-grade to Earthshaker but it’s not even good at being a side-grade, it just a downgrade. I think and improvement would be for it to release a shockwave that initially knocks people back and then returns to you pulling enemies in again, allowing the player to set-up other hammer skills. As it is now, I don’t feel the synergy with hammer like Earthshaker does.

Flaming Fury
Increase base burn duration please? 2s would be great.

Scorched Earth
Just doesn’t work at all. Just like Rupturing Smash, it needs another function. One idea would be for Scorched Earth to instead apply 4 stacks of burn for 8s instantly in an AoE. Basically a condition version of Gun Flame but without the direct damage.

Arcing Sear
Burn duration could also be increased on this skill.