by mikewyman
OMG I love her so much.My previous class was the five circles and I found the experience with that class to be pretty disappointing because: [o]while the Summoner gained Exp very quickly, she collected almost no money, and her abilities were underwhelming with four high level players (squishy summons).[/o] But this class is a wow, so much fun, so much carnage. I started her at level 6, and I'm still playing her at level 9, nowhere close to retirement (which is just fine). I have found her to be so powerful that between sessions with my friends I set up scenarios for two players at level four or five, and just do them solo. It's challenging but super fun. I bet I can do the intro scenario at level seven. I'll have to try that soon.
Caveat - This class is a bit Exp impaired, and it seems to be especially a problem at low level. We're at prosperity 6, so I didn't have to suffer through any of that. But at level 6 and higher with good gear, she's a monster capable of wading in and killing multiple critters each round.
Caveat 2 - One of the things that makes my character shine is her ability to collect money and buy great gear. I have amazing gear. If you unlock this class early at a low prosperity, your miles may vary, but there are lower powered options that I would think still make the class build work. When I get to gear, I'll talk generically about classes of objects to avoid specific spoilers. When you gain a few levels, money will come much easier.
When picking cards, I like a deck that will primarily do something good reliably, I don't shoot for the moon all the time. I also don't like a lot of throwaway cards. I will sacrifice a little optimization for a crazy combo that won't be used in many scenarios, but when everything aligns at the right time and place my character will be the envy of the group :)
One of the things the Berserker class does well is attack a lot of enemies in a single round. That was aspect I embraced over some of the alternative builds (which certainly seem viable). You have to buy into the plan early though, because there are some alluring cards to choose from that go another direction through level 5.
I'm not going to go over all the Level 1 and X cards because I started at level 6. I'll just comment on the ones that were in my deck or cycled into my deck occasionally, and the ones that are still in my deck at level 9.
Level 1:
Glass Hammer - One of the cards that 'Wows' you when you first open the envelope, but I actually NEVER played it, even when it was in my deck early on. I wanted to, but just couldn't find the right spot.
Unbridled Power - I like the attack on top because it has a Stun. I read that people have had success with the overheal ability, but it didn't appeal to me and my party mates aren't attracted to healing classes.
Dazing Wound and Numb the Pain - I like both these cards because they add a Stun. Everybody loves Stun. When you're wading into the trenches, a little control is recommended!
Furious Aid - I had this in my deck for a long time, but it wasn't the best choice. I always wanted to use the Loot 2, but only did a couple of times. The Heal 3 got almost exclusive use. This was often the card to go during the first long rest. That's a sign!
Bounce Back - Heal 1 as a bonus to a Move 3 is really useful for removing a poison and/or wound. The top part works with the Retal combo, but since it's on top, it's not ideal for that.
Resolute Stand - This is the fun. Pulling this off effectively is one of the most satisfying parts of this class. I bought a Battle-Axe for just this card. When you start the scenario, try to identify the high HP or high shield bad guy you want to use this on that's deeper in scenario. Then manage your HP level so when you get there you're in the 5-10 range, and bam, chunky salsa. The Battle-Axe combo is amazing, but don't expect it to come together very often. If there's an ideal spot to use the Battle-Axe earlier, just take it. But when it does happen, it's glorious. Legendary even.
From the Brink - And the turn after you fire off that aforementioned alpha strike, heal back to full with From the Brink. The move plus push on the bottom is nice too, occasionally you can push someone into a trap. Usually though you don't want to move into melee range with an enemy just to push them away.
Level 2:
[o]Break the Chains - This is a very strong and versatile card. The Berserker has very few ranged attacks, and this is one that hits two targets and pulls them into melee range (hopefully through a trap), and it's not a throwaway! That's a nice maneuver, especially if you can further combine it with one of the Berserker's cards that has an attack (or more) on the bottom. The bottom is a lot of move (4 to 8!), almost more than you need, but better too much than not enough! Overall this card is great and helps you do a lot of things you want to do with the Berserker...but...
Reckless Offense - As I've already said, with the Berserker I love cards that give multiple attacks to adjacent enemies. This card fits in perfectly. I don't mind taking the damage for multiple targets at all because I have Resolute Stand that requires low HPs to do a great alpha strike and From the Brink that will bring me back to full HPs one time. The cost is also just what you need, no guessing - if you just have one opponent in range, you pay one. If you have three in range, you pay the maximum. Nice! The ongoing Retal power at the bottom is more rarely used, but it's a key card to the super fun Retal combo. When you can get it going with some other cards/equipment, you can deal out a lot of damage, which is especially strong against shielded opponents. Most of the time you're going to be using the top portion of this card.
I took Reckless Offense because the rare crazy combo is fun.[/o]
Level 3:
[o]Fatal Fury - Executing monsters without using a throwaway card is typically pretty powerful. But in this case, we need to look at the criteria for using it. It's normal monsters only, and the current HPs of the target have to be less than half the difference between your current health and full health. In practice, this is significantly situational, but it's going to effective against the low HP highly shield opponents that a lot of classes struggle with. Regarding the bottom, two attacks on the bottom is very, very nice, even just Attack 2. Your attack modifier deck is good! Even these little attacks help you flip through more of it. However using the move between the two attacks is situational as well, and when compared to Spiked Armor I think it falls a little short.
Spiked Armor - Let me start with the bottom and come back to the top. Any attack on the bottom of a card is great. An attack on the bottom that hits multiple enemies is incredible. And attack on the bottom that hits multiple enemies, but lets you move first is unbelievable. I typically get two to three attacks with this card when I use it. And while it's just Attack 2, as I said with Fatal Fury - the Berserker's combat deck is pretty slick and it gives a good chance of additional damage and/or conditions (likely wound, but maybe stun or disarm). Whenever I bring cards back from my discard, this is one of them. As soon as I can earn 200 gold, I'll add poison to the move portion of the bottom. Regarding the top, this card is part two of the key cards in the super fun Retal combo. I really like card because it has an extremely versatile bottom and the top half is part of the incredibly fun but rare combo that prevents any chance of boredom with this class.
I took Spiked Armor.[/o]
Level 4:
[o]Flurry of Axes - The top half is another one of the Berserker's few ranged attacks. It's a throwaway, but it smacks everyone in range with an Attack 4. It's pretty effective in the first room of a scenario where things are usually a little out of control and you need to drop a few wounded guys that may not be in melee range. It's also useful when you are wading into a new room with bad guys all around, again, not necessarily in melee range. You can get some damage on the board and hopefully your allies can come in and drop a few enemies before you get overwhelmed. And again, your attack modifier deck can help a lot here by taking a little control of the room by stunning or disarming someone. Bottom of the card is a straight Move 5. That's pretty useful. Overall, this card is strong, even for a throwaway.
Shiny Distraction - First, Isaac doesn't get enough credit for naming the cards. The name of this card is so perfect for both the top and the bottom and makes me chuckle, I don't know how he does it. Second, this card is maybe the most important to my success with this class. I'm able to get in the middle of the fight, kick some ass, and then move to the optimal spot and collect all the coins the next round. A loot power on the top of the card is very strong, it means you can combine it with a move to get in position to maximize it. Most loot powers tend to be on the bottom which requires you to move somewhere that doesn't have any more enemies, loot the next turn, and then move away the third turn. It's...so...slow. Further, Shiny Distraction is initiative 8, so there aren't likely to be a lot of actions before yours to mess things up. You can easily earn scoundrel-like cash, and it's so easy to do, that you can be a little selective so as to not upset your friends with your greed :) The card drives the ability to buy the very best gear (that is generally available because other players can't afford it). And the bottom of this card is great too because when you're doing your alpha strike (Resolute Stand for example), or just need to ensure good damage, this card is your insurance against a curse or a miss, or that -2. Sometimes I'm so happy with the results of being advantaged for the round that I forget my opponents are also disadvantaged!! I could talk for another page just about this card.
I took Shiny Distraction and that has made all the difference.[/o]
Level 5:
[o]Final Fight - The top of this card is a nonstarter. It's a clever idea, and right in theme, but I want my sacrifice to come more organically. The bottom is interesting, but unreliable. You need to have cards in your lost pile, and a flame magic up.
Seeing Red - Both parts of this card rely on the mechanic in many of the lower level Berserker cards that improve when you have low health or below half your total. After level 5, we don't see new cards with this mechanic anymore. This means that as you level up, there are fewer cards enticing you to hang around low HPs for the added benefit. The top of this card is a simple Attack 4 with a small benefit for being under half your HPs. The bottom card is an ongoing +1 when under half you HPs. The benefit of cards like this that sit out and provide a bonus until you discard them has to be very good to make them worth the sacrifice. +1 Attack qualifies as very good!
I took neither and instead went with Flurry of Axes from Level 4.[/o]
Level 6:
[o]Unstoppable Destruction - Attack 4, ignore shields. With some augmentation (power potion, Seeing Red, or good draws from your attack modifier deck), this can kill some of the toughest high shield creatures. But this class can do enough damage to simply overwhelm shields when necessary. The bottom of this card is also interesting, it allows you to get your armor and shields untapped in the middle of the fight, and a "short long rest" gives a Heal 2 to get rid of poison/wound.
Devil Horns - High attack against multiple targets. Love it. At least one other class has this same pattern of attack on top, but not at Attack 4...and not with a wound! This card also has an Attack 5 on the bottom, with an experience point. That is good for mopping up when you're already in position.
I took Devil Horns.[/o]
Level 7:
[o]Careless Charge - The move and attack on the top is nice, but a single target. Now the bottom is very interesting. One of the dangers of the wading into the middle of the foray is getting poisoned, and then taking 30% more damage. Or wounded. Or even getting immobilized just out of reach of the enemies. The problem is you have to be careful about how many of these ongoing effects you take, because they are effectively throwaways. You can't burn the candle at both ends.
Burning Hatred - Moderate Attack 3 against all adjacent enemies. That's in line with what I like, albeit on the lower end. You can expand to Range 2 with a flame magic, but that makes you disadvantaged against the adjacent guys. That's not always an improvement. The Move 3 and wound at the bottom is ok, but I have found that often times enemies get wounded from Devil Horns or my attack modifier deck so this power is a little superfluous. A little. I just don't get too jazzed about this card for a level 7.
I took Burning Hatred, meh.[/o]
Level 8:
[o]Vengeful Barrage - 5 Attack 3's for a single throwaway seems like a good deal, but I don't like the lack of control that you have over these attacks. The bottom portion is helpful (when trying to increase an attack against shielded enemies for example). Most of the time I would prefer another attack (or attacks) from Spiked Armor (Level 3) though.
Bone Breaker - A ranged attack on the bottom is strong and versatile for a class that doesn't have many ranged attacks. The cancellation of "Fly" is rarely going to matter, but it does allow you to push or pull a flying enemy into a trap. The top is a nice big attack, that can be used with a Battle Axe. The immobilize is good for pinning a flier too, and yet another wound condition is nice, but often times I find I am wounding monsters that are already wounded.
I took Bone Breaker.[/o]
Level 9:
[o]Immortality - Definitely makes you more tanky, and should be used in conjunction with the abilities the Berserker has that improve at low HPs, including Glass Hammer. When used outside that dynamic it's not going to save from taking much damage in many cases. And again, you have to consider which of these throwaways you want to use, because you can't take very many. The bottom of this card does fit well with the Retal combo!
The Maw of Madness - These are both very serviceable attacks that each have great additional abilities, and they are both reusable. You definitely cannot sacrifice 5 life for a powerful ranged attack very often, but that's not all that makes the bottom attack useful. It also immobilizes the target, so you can use it without sacrificing any life to do an Attack 3 and keep a melee enemy at bay for a turn, and prevent yourself from getting completely surrounded...mostly surrounded is good though :) Overall it's not a brilliant card for Level 9, but it's effective.
I took the Maw of Madness.[/o]
Details on the Retal combo: The two main cards are Reckless Offense (Sustaining Retaliate 2) and Spiked Armor (+2 to all your Retaliate abilities). With those two cards out, your retaliate is 4 per attack. That's nice, but at that level you're probably not going to deal much more than you're taking (especially with the +1 damage you're taking from Reckless Offense). Adding Resolute Stand on the same turn combined with equipment that provides a Retaliation bonus can get you over 10, which is at epic levels. You're killing a lot of things that try to touch you :)
Gear: What really made her work for me was Shiny Distraction. With that level of income, I could be very selective on gear, and now I'm able to start upgrading my cards (again, very selectively with poison and disarm). In order of Priority:
Best Stamina Potion
Best +Move Boots
Best Armor that provides shield (the Hide Armor family)
Best Shield Available
Battle-Axe
Best Earring Available to un-tap the Shield, Boots and Armor. I took [o]the Star Earring because none of the allies could afford it.[/o]
A helm that lets you un-tap consumables. I took [o]I took the Pendant of Dark Pacts and it's incredible.[/o]
With the combination of the earring and helm, I can get my defense and move back most of the time when it was needed. Both of which have helped immensely.
**I must add, I am so impressed with this game. After six months of playing every week with my friends, I unlock a new class, and get completely jazzed about the game all over again. When is this game going to get stale? I don't know. Right now, it just keeps on giving. I paid a lot for it on the secondary market and have gotten my money's worth ten tomes over. Isaac made a gem, I fully expect after the second printing is delivered over the next couple of months, the game will deservedly move to number one.**