Borderlands Class Guide Berserker Melee Build

Borderlands Berserker Strategies Tips on Berserker Build Melee Focus

Nov 12, 2009

Learn about the Brawler, Tank, and Blaster skill trees, with hints, tips, and strategies to make a strong Berserker melee build in Borderlands for Xbox 360, PC, PS3.

Borderlands offers a unique First Person Shooter / Role Playing Game blend with intense action. It features online cooperative multiplayer for up to 4 players just like Halo 3. But, instead of featuring an epic campaign like most FPS games, Borderlands features a mission-based, action RPG with experience points, 4 different character classes, leveling up, skill points distributed across three branches, and loads of loot.

The following strategy guide offers information, strategies, skill trees, and more on how to help players create a good Berserker build with a melee focus.

Essential Skills for a Berserker Melee Build

Iron Fist adds +30% damage at level 5, a pretty significant boost considering how fast Brick can throw right jabs. Endless rage adds a +50% duration to the Berserk action skill, which essentially means the potential to kill 50% more enemies with melee strikes. Short Fuse cuts the cooldown timer of Berserk in half, allowing The Berserker to go Berserk twice as often.

Bash and Juggernaut, the two second tier abilities in the Tank skill tree, are invaluable for a melee build. Bash creates a 50% (at level 5) chance to daze enemies with melee strikes, which greatly assists The Berserker when going toe-to-toe with tough enemies like a Badass Psycho or even bosses. And Juggernaut, even though it only lasts a few seconds, gives The Berserker a 50% damage immunity (at level 5) after killing an enemy. The few seconds of damage immunity can regenerate quite a bit of health while in Berserk mode, and gives Brick extra time to get in close to his next target.

Heavy Handed and Payback both offer big damage bonuses for a short duration. Payback, in particular, is effective since The Berserker usually loses all his shields before reaching an enemy, which grants a +40% damage bonus (level 5) for a full 10 seconds - a great start to any brawl.

Hardened, Safe Guard, and Unbreakable offer options to enhance toughness and staying power. Hardened is particularly beneficial for those choosing to go the Blood Sport route, as more total HP means more HP regenerated from the skill.

Speaking of Blood Sport, the benefits rarely outshine those obtained from the Tank skills. Even at level 5, +10% health does not add up to much, and players are much better off spending skill points on Juggernaut, as the damage resistance will give Berserk time to regenerate health on it's own.

And finally, players intending to create a Berserker Build with a melee focus should never place any skill points in Sting Like a Bee. The dash may be fun, but the auto-target system makes punching enemies in critical locations nearly impossible, making it more of a handicap than a bonus.

Optimal Melee Build for The Berserker: Iron Fist, Endless Rage, Heavy Handed, Short Fuse, Hardened, Bash, Juggernaut, Payback, Unbreakable

Best Berserker Mods Weapons and Artifacts for a Melee Build

A Berserker mod for the Brawler skill tree is the best option, as many Brawler mods add huge damage bonuses to Melee straight off the bat, and typically offer extra skill points in Endless Rage and Short Fuse, allowing the Berserker to brawl for even longer and more frequently. However, a good Tank mod also works well, particularly in Co-op play, as it gives the Berserker greater staying power, and prevents him from requiring a revive from a teammate.

As far as weapons are concerned, an SMG or Rocket Launcher with a high elemental chance with either Fire or Corrosive can slowly drain an enemy's HP to 0, giving The Berserker the chance to get closer and wait for the enemy to die to activate Heavy Handed and Juggernaut before going Berserk. A highly accurate Magnum or Shotgun with high damage should be saved to increase the likelihood of scoring a Second Wind from the crippled state.

The other slots are mostly preference, but the Berserker should never find himself carrying a Sniper Rifle or Eridian weapon. The Berserker simply should not focus on long range so Sniper Rifles are out, and Eridian weapons often cause slower movement speed.

The best artifacts for this build include Explosive and Shock. Fire and Corrosive focus too much on damage over a long period of time, while Shock and Explosive offer a better bang for quick melee strikes.

The Berserker Melee Build Single-Player and Co-op Strategies

The key to devastation with a Berserker melee build is to know when to use the Berserk and when to hold off. Overestimating Berserk places The Berserker in a potentially lethal situation. However, underestimating the attack and not using it enough severely limits potential kills - The Berserker is not meant to be played defensively - a smart offense is the best defense.

With bosses in particular, The Berserker must be cautious, particularly bosses with powerful short-range weapons like Sledge. In these special circumstances, The Berserker should keep some distance and lower HP away slowly with an accurate but damaging SMG or Combat Rifle, and many grenades tosses - ]only going in for the kill after the boss is weakened significantly.

When playing co-op, it's best to stick close to partners - The Berserker should never try to solo when playing with a team, as the higher difficulty enemies significantly increase the Berserker's odds of getting downed.

The Berserker Melee Build Conclusion

Focusing entirely on Melee may seem like crippling The Berserker into a one-trick pony, but with focus brings incredibly destructive, face-punching power. This build offers one of the most unique, and by far the most amusing, style of play available in Borderlands.

The copyright of the article Borderlands Class Guide Berserker Melee Build in Online Games is owned by Bradley Kairis. Permission to republish Borderlands Class Guide Berserker Melee Build in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.