Last Updated on by Samuel Franklin
Killing Floor 2 Berserker Guide – Best Build, Perks & Weapons Loadout
This guide to the Killing Floor 2 Berserker will provide you the best weapon, build, perk and loadout setup that will allow you to survive in the deadly solo or multiplayer environment filled with ZED waves. The Berserker is not shy at getting close to these ZEDs though with their focus on melee weapons that is unique compared to the other perk classes that primarily use firearm based weapons. Not only does this create a different playstyle compared to other character options in KF2 but also bestows a level of durability that others lack while still retaining sufficient damage to handle various ZEDs.
Within these various melee weapons players will find some utility to separate these weapon types from each other such as explosive or healing alternative fire modes which do use ammo to activate like other Killing Floor 2 weapon options. To help achieve this playstyle the Berserker perks include melee weapon damage, resistance to damage, a resistance to Clot grabs and night vision capability (similar to the Commando perk class). Paired with the active skills designed to boost your health, provide health regeneration, additional resistances and empowering your ability to parry the Berserker has all the necessary tools to stay in the fray. Generally you’ll build the Berserker around your first tier of perks that create either a tanky focused character (known as a dreadnaught) or a melee damage focused character (known as a skirmisher).
The Berserker guide below provides details to help you create your ideal build by providing tips, strategies and initial perk loadouts. This foundation is based on the selections that are effective the vast majority of the time regardless of map, difficulty and party dynamics to give a beginner starting point or intermediate reference guide. From this foundation players can then slowly branch out and experiment as necessary based on the specific challenge at hand. For those players still determining if the Berserker is the right Killing Floor 2 path for you our class perk guide discusses and rates all of the perk options.
Killing Floor 2 Berserker Strategy and Tips
These tips and strategies to playing the Berserker will help players optimise their effectiveness in solo and Killing Floor 2 multiplayer lobbies:
- The Berserker is a durable class that has survivability far above other classes but they are not incapable of dying, particularly when surrounded by many ZEDs. When playing as the Berserker you’ll want to closely monitor your health when getting up close with your enemy and unless playing a full tank build skirt around the edges of the wave while dealing your damage and allowing time for your sources of healing to take effect.
- Don’t be afraid to share the Dosh that you make with your allies as the Berserker is up there as one of the best money generating classes in Killing Floor 2. Compared with a relatively affordable core layout compared to other perk classes it’s not uncommon to have a healthy amount of spare money available to be shared.
- Sometimes it can be beneficial to keep smaller enemies alive (particularly ones you feel comfortable with their attack patterns) while you fight a larger threat as they provide a potential source of activating parry bonuses that are important to survivability and damage output.
- Don’t be afraid to consider using a ranged weapon as the Berserker while this is not your bread and butter certain party compositions will benefit from having one of your ranged weapons equipped.
- The Berserker can be a tough perk to level given your active perks at each tier play such an important role in enabling your melee playstyle that is not seen in other classes. Combined with the significant practice to land your parry timing consistently players may feel they are below the effectiveness of other traditional firearm based classes as they progress.
Killing Floor 2 Berserker Perks Build
The Berserker has the following perk bonuses at maximum level:
- 25% perk weapon damage (1% per level)
- 10% damage resistance (2% per 5 levels)
- Night vision capability
- Clots cannot grab you
The Berserker has the following active perk skills to select from:
| Perk Category | Left (L) Option | Right (R) Option |
|---|---|---|
| Survival | Dreadnought: Increase total Health 100%. | Skirmisher: Move 20% faster and sprint 25% faster when using a perk weapon. You also regenerate 1 point of Health every second. |
| Combat | Vampire: Heal 3 points of Health for every ZED you kill with perk weapons. Attack 20% faster with perk melee weapons. | Butcher: Attack 20% faster and do 20% more damage with perk weapons. |
| Close Combat | Resistance: Gain 15% resistance to all damage. Gain an additional 15% resistance to Poison and Sonic Damage. | Parry: Parrying with a perk melee weapon reduces incoming damage by 30% and increases both melee attack speed 5% and melee damage 35% for 8 seconds. |
| Power | Smash: Hard attacks with Berserker melee weapons do 50% more damage do 25% more damage on head hits, and have 200% more stumble power. | Massacre: Light attacks with perk melee weapons do 30% more damage and all attacks with perk melee weapons are 5% faster. |
| Advanced Training | ZED TIME – Berserker Rage: Whenever ZED time activates or refreshes, heal 50% Health and immobilise all nearby Zeds. | ZED Time – Spartan: During ZED time, you attack with perk weapons and move in real-time. |
Notable active perk skills when playing as the Survivalist are:
- Survival: The first tier defines how players will build their Berserker with the left hand side directing you towards a durable fighter while the right hand side lets you move in and out of battle while slowly regenerating damage that you inevitably take as a melee character. Dreadnought allows you to reach high maximum health values although the lack of regeneration compared to Skirmisher requires you to obtain a healing source from elsewhere (such as a Medic) to survive over the longer term. Your choice here and in future tiers will depend on the path you want to take although the Skirmisher path is generally the better default unless you have a reliable Field Medic to keep you alive and a supporting team to leverage your ability to tank.
- Combat: Vampire can be a viable source of healing when playing a Dreadnought build given you lack regeneration although you do give up a decent amount of damage for this that will impact your breakpoints on ZED kills. For this reason we’ll often want to take Butcher regardless of our tier one perk choice because the damage (further empowered with Parry below) is simply too devastating to pass up once you feel comfortable as this perk class. As you are levelling your Berserker and obtaining the necessary game knowledge Vampire can be a nice quality of life though to help you focus on learning the class and experimenting without regularly being at risk of dying.
- Close Combat: As you become a proficient Berserker player you’ll be able to constantly parry attacks with little effort which makes the Parry perk superior over Resistance given it provides a larger defensive bonus while also boosting your attack power. Even if you are learning the Berserker and not quite that proficient yet having Parry active will start to familiarise yourself with the potential and serve as great incentive to practice this key melee mechanic. The only situation where you might want to switch to Resistance is temporarily for boss waves where this is not a major factor against certain boss types.
- Power: An easy perk choice this tier gives the Berserker some fantastic team utility through the Smash perk to empower our damage, headshot damage and improve our ability to stumble pesky ZEDs for our team with our staple heavy attacks. In comparison the right side which is focused on our light attacks is lacking a significant damage boost or utility that makes it worth using.
- Advanced Training: The left hand side perk of Berserker Rage has some utility to us when we are playing a tanking role in the team given the massive heal and ability to control ZEDs that it provides. For a Skirmisher focused Berserker though the right hand side gives us a significantly easier time to deal damage in ZED Time and results in a large boost to damage output during this key game time slowdown mechanic of Killing Floor 2.
Given the above the best Berserker per setup will be RRRLR as your default option. For players that want to shift to a durability focused build for a team composition you can swap to a LRRLL setup or a LLRLL that utilises Vampire for additional sustainability.
Killing Floor 2 Berserker Weapons Loadout Guide
In terms of Killing Floor 2 best berserker weapon options you’ll find that the Berserker has a smaller number of potential weapon loadouts than most of the Killing Floor 2 classes given many of your melee weapons serve a similar role and can be swapped out in most instances between each other to your own preferences. While most of these builds utilise dual melee weapons players can also utilise some ranged weapons if the team composition calls for this. The best Berserker weapon loadouts that players should be striving for as the Berserker are:
- VLAD-1000 Nailgun and Hemoclobber (or Bone Crusher / Static Strikers / Zweihander): The core Berserker loadout that is effective the vast majority of the time in your team games and provides you with a balance of hard hitting burst damage for large ZEDs with the short ranged Nailgun. This is then paired with a players preferred melee weapon of choice which is somewhat impacted by your team which handles the lower tier ZEDs. The Hemoclobber is often your best default choice given it’s healing potential adds key utility but the Bone Crusher, Static Strikers or Zweihander (DLC) are still capable weapons if you prefer them for playstyle or aesthetic reasons provided the team has a Medic or other class opting to include some healing in their loadout.
- Hemoclobber and Bone Crusher: When your team already has a wealth of the damage focused class perks players may want to opt for tank focused perks described above and then pair that with two effective melee weapons that allow you to create a literal Berserker wall in certain map lanes.
