When most people think of Berserkers, a very specific image forms in their minds. However, this is my own unique take on the Warrior elite spec, in the GW2 world. It’s a bit wordy, but I hope you enjoy the read!
The elder dragons and their minions have been a source of immense destruction, ravaging the pristine lands of Tyria, and leaving naught but destruction in their wake. Countless defenders have fallen before their onslaught, entire cities burned to the ground. And yet, it is this conflict in which new heroes and champions are born as though they were blades in a smiths forge, tempered in the heat of battle. Pushed to their very physical and mental limits, those who are strong and determined inevitably find a way to overcome these limits.
There are many paths to victory… and to power.
A great many of these champions have flocked to the frontlines, but none stand with more sheer determination than those who follow the path of the Warrior. Heavily armed and armored, yet their most fearsome weapon is their hardened battle resolve. The rush of war, the thrill of combat, the feel of the adrenaline pumping through their veins, this strength is what drives their every blow, hardens them to stand against their enemies, and fuels the tremendous onslaught they’re capable of unleashing. They bring with them no magic, consort not with the elements, and bear no advanced technology.
Their foes, the minions of the dragons and ultimately the elder dragons themselves, however, are another matter entirely. Drawing from the very magic energy that surrounds them, feeding upon it, and growing strong thus, have proven to be formidable beyond any threats Tyria has faced to date. Many dragon minions have been slain by these brave and relentless heros, and yet it comes with it a heavy price, many Warriors have likewise fallen before the Dragons and the powerful weapon they wield that is dragon energy.
And yet as with any weapon, it can occasionally fall into the hands of the enemy.
Through their countless engagements with the elder dragons, a few rare prodigies have remained standing long after their allies have fallen around them. They cannot see it with their eyes, nor feel it with their hands, nor even sense or manipulate it on any conscious level, but the energy surrounding them is ever-present and undeniable. Instinctively, they have begun tapping into the very same energy as the dragons, melding it with their training and fury in the heat of battle, creating a new style of combat entirely. It is said that the very first among them harnessed this power in a great battle, impaled in the maw of a hungry dragon, surviving by shattering the great wyrms fangs, and then slaying the beast using the shards of its own sundered teeth as weapons.
How much truth there is to this story remains a mystery, but nonetheless, this new breed of hero has been seen on the battlefield as of late, using pairs of daggers fashioned to resemble the fangs of a dragon. The sight of a champion clad in heavy plate armor, and yet wielding a pair of shortened blades is somewhat puzzling at first, but all doubt is removed once they engage in battle. Unburdened by large cumbersome weapons, their blows are swift and sudden, precise and deadly. Each swing leaves them empowered and their foes weakened, as their strikes cause their enemies strength to leech away, which they absorb to bolster their own, making the outcome all but assured. This is not done as some ritual, magical rote, or practiced spell, but rather is a natural extension of their unique combat style, and indeed is not something most would even consider true magic. They are simply using that which they have at hand to see their enemies slain; nothing more, nothing less.
Interestingly, it has been noted by some perceptive scholars that each of their blows is similar to the dragons way of fighting, not in the manner which they employ dragon energy, but rather in the way that each of their blows and strikes could represent a dragon minion in an army: Perhaps not substantial individually, yet nearly without number, each representing only a tiny portion of the big picture, wearing their enemies down, and sapping their strength till they fall beneath the relentless and unending assault.
And what are this new breed of champion called? Officially, no name has been chosen, as there is no real organization to even make such a choice. They’re more a loose grouping of individuals from all walks of life, who’ve ended up walking the same path, sharing a spot on the frontlines, and standing shoulder to shoulder in battle. But owed to their brutal and energetic combat style, and the frenzied battle demeanor that comes from tapping into such a primal force, some have come to simply call them… Berserkers.
So wouldn’t mind taking your spec as long as I don’t have to use something silly like a torch