Frenzied War Machines: The Ultimate Berserker Overview
The Berserker Ultimate Review - The Frenzied War Machines
By Ombra
Introduction
Berserkers are a Tier 3 unit of Uruk-Hai, Melee and with 100 units per Command Point.
They are valid but not excellent both in damaging the enemy and in resisting the damage suffered and with their skills they greatly increase Damage, resistance to controls and Defense.
Their greatest Strength is also their greatest weakness as they are very versatile but they don't excel in a specific role, which only makes them strong in the right context.
Statistics Analysis
The Berserkers Base Damage is quite high, with a value of 19-23 their average damage per Command Point is 2,100, which puts them in Position 14 compared to all other Tier 3 and 4 troops in the game and in Position 8 of the 100 Unit troops per Command Point.
Their damage is also quite stable and does not have a strong variable, in fact the damage has only a 17.5% instability.
These two data points make the Berserker a good Physical Damage unit.
As far as Defense is concerned, Berserkers start from a base value of 18, considerably low but with one of their skills that increases their Defense by +20 Points they reach a base value of 38 Points.
This places them in Position 32 between Tier 3 and 4 troops, a rather low result even for a unit of 100 units per Command Points.
Defense is one of the main weaknesses of this unit, perhaps the only flaw of a really well balanced unit.
With a base 40 HP on each unit, the Berserkers reach 4,000 HP per Command Point, an extremely high value and the absolute highest of all 100 Units per Command Point units.
This places them at position 26 in the General classification but at position Number 1 of the 100 units per Command Point.
HP is the true source of their sustain as it provides them with considerable resistance to both Physical and Elemental Damage, greatly enhancing their ability to absorb multiple damage.
For Speed they have a base value of 75 which makes them average fast in general terms but above average when compared to many other melee infantry units they can be compared to.
In fact, their Speed is relevant in every battle against other Infantry units, as with adequate equipment they can attack before many of their direct opponents.
Their ranking is 34.
The Cost of Berserkers is perfectly average with all base units of 100 units per Command Point and is 10,800 Resources.
Their ranking is tied for second with many other similar units.
They remain a very inexpensive and very useful unit to use in sustained engagements and sustained warfare.
As for the Skills, the Berserkers have two both very strong, one from a defensive point of view and one from a defensive point of view.
The first is "Fanaticism" a skill that increases the damage of your Berserkers by 20% during the first round of combat and decreases each round by 2%.
This downward scaling makes them much stronger for early game burst damage than sustained late game damage, by Round 6 the bonus will be reduced to just 10% and by Round 10 the bonus will be 2%, almost eliminating the benefits.
This skill then tells you what type of gameplay this unit favors and when, and indicates that commanders with an aggressive early playstyle will be better able to tap into their true potential.
The second skill is "Indomitable" and has 2 defensive effects for your unit.
The first is a +20 Defense increase, which I already mentioned when talking about Berserker defense earlier.
Very important as their base defense of 18 is very low and with this skill they reach a much more decent 38.
In terms of damage reduction 18 Defense = 11.7% Physical Damage Reduction and 38 Defense = 21.6% Physical Damage Reduction.
A very large difference considering the high HP of the Berserkers.
The second Effect of this skill is to make them Immune to Stun permanently throughout the battle, thus making them unstoppable without the need for items or skills, they will always be able to attack every turn.
Also in this case the skill makes you understand that it is a unit that wants to attack without limitations and compensates for their greatest weakness, Physical Defense.
The Best Gear And Scaling
Being well balanced troops the Berserkers will have a good scaling with every stat.
In the attack phase, the % Damage will be preferred over the raw +Attack bonus, as the high base value of the berserkers will lead to a very rapid decrease in the value of the raw statistic in favor of the % bonus.
As shown in the table the absolute best Weapon for damage is the "Cruel Hook" as it provides +9 Attack and with the "Might Of Soldier" bonus +12% to the damage dealt by Melee units.
As for the "Gigantic Hammer" it is a valid item in particular because it does not require to be refined to perform but as regards the damage it is lower than the maximum damage of even a fully refined "Reckoning", with a gap of 0.54% .
So weapon-wise the ranking is 1."Cruel Hook" 2."Reckoning" 3."Gigantic Hammer" followed by "Cutlass" with a 4.26% damage drop.
As far as Armor is concerned, the best stat to research for Berserkers is Defense, the stat they are most lacking in, necessary to mitigate incoming damage and Damage Reduction % of course, which obviously have a higher value based on how much the enemy will hit you hard.
In fact Defense and % Damage Reduction are statistics that gain or lose value based on the strength of the enemy that is hitting you, the stronger the enemy you fight the more important they will be.
Obviously Damage Reduction % is always better than physical defense when taken at equal % reduction as Defense only reduces physical damage, while Damage Reduction % reduces all incoming damage.
Beyond this the damage reduction scales steadily while the defense decreases progressively based on its increase which penalizes it based on how high it is.
The best Armor for protection from Physical Damage and certainly the "Massive Breastplate" with the "Significant Protection" bonus which gives +60 Defense to the unit with the lowest Defense and +30 Defense to all others and also +15 Defense to "Large" unit that has a lot of value in case you want to use this armor in combination with Trolls for example.
This armor is the absolute best when it comes to resistance against Physical Damage but if we talk instead of something more hybrid capable of resisting even Elemental Damage another valid choice is "Warborn Battle Plate" with the bonus "Fortitude Of Soldier" which gives only +15 Defense but also 9% Damage Reduction and 15 Speed Points to all Melee units.
This armor also adds significant offensive value by taking Berserkers from rank 34 to 25 for Speed, with 90 Speed.
If we compare the two armors the "Massive Breastplate" brings the Berserkers to a Physical Damage Reduction of 40.6% but to 0% Elemental Damage Reduction.
The "Warborn Battle Plate" instead brings them to 36.5% Physical Damage Reduction and 9% Elemental Damage Reduction, also granting Speed, which therefore will make them attack earlier and not only that, the stats will be shared for all your melee units on the contrary of the bonus of the "Massive Breastplate" which instead will only work on the unit with the least defense.
My final evaluation therefore prefers the "Warborn Battle Plate" unless you want to use Berserkers in mono stack, with a Counter Attack build, in which case and only in that case I prefer the "Massive Breastplate".
As for the Helmet, the best choice is to focus on one that can provide an offensive statistic to make the most of the 20% Attack Bonus given by your Berserker skill and 12% of your weapon, also considering that at this point your Defense value will be between 53 and 98 depending on the choices made with the armor, having a helmet that further increases your armor would not be able to significantly increase the yield of your troops.
So the best choice overall is "Berserker's Gaze" with the "Curse" bonus which will give your Berserkers +3 Attack, 54 Might points for 2.7% Bonus Damage and a Damage Reduction on all enemy units of 36% for the first 2 rounds.
This bonus will allow you to resist incoming damage incredibly in the first 2 turns, gaining a huge advantage over the enemy and is better than the "Resolve Of Uruk-Hai" bonus which gives 9% Damage Reduction to your Uruk-Hai, in especially if played against commanders with a strong initial Burst, it takes you into such a high position of advantage that it is then unrecoverable even after the bonus has finished.
An equally valid choice but only in case you want to use the Berserkers for a counter attack build is "Chieftain's Gaze" which always gives you +3 Attack but with the bonus "Uruk-Hai's Command" gives a 45% Bonus Damage for one turn every 2 to your Berserkers, for an average of 22.5% Bonus Damage to overall damage, which in a Counter-Attack build can be nothing short of lethal.
Finally, the best Accessory is the one that guarantees you more damage and also the possibility of landing as many attacks as possible on the enemy.
The "Palantir Of Orthanc" in this case is the best choice as it provides +3 Attack and with the "Tactical Mark" bonus it guarantees you to have the "Pursuit" effect to ignore the enemy's evasion in the first 3 rounds where the your attack bonus is higher and in addition you have 30% of having maximum damage in your attack.
We could also discuss the possibility of using the "Might Of Soldier" bonus in case you want to have 12% Additional Bonus Damage, which is still a great option but only if you already have the helmet with "Curse" available. mitigate incoming damage on enemies with strong Evasion in Early Game.
The Easiest and Hardest Fights
The Berserkers have many favorable fights, many balanced fights but also some nasty opponents that are difficult to contain.
In general, they take a lot from anyone who can mitigate their heavy Physical Damage enough, or from those who do much more Damage than they do.
Win or even tie with virtually every infantry unit used in the game but suffer a lot from "Iron Warriors" due to their strong Defense and high Damage against melee units, against "Oathbreaker" as they have Physical Damage Taken Reduction by 90% and ignore enemy Physical Defense when attacking with Focus-type damage and against "SnagaTrak", "Warlord", and "Keeper" because they simply do too much Damage.
However, these named are all T4 units or special neutral units, as far as normal units are concerned, there are no obvious counters in the meta currently and indeed, Berserkers are strong against many of the most used T3-type units.
Their advantage in this case that brings them to a level of excellence is the Cost which is much lower than each unit that beats them, and is equal to or lower than each unit that is defeated.
Even against the Cavalry they don't have any real problems because the only ones who can really defeat them are "Fallen" and "WarChariot" both enormously more expensive T4 units, all the other units are defeated or in a draw against them.
As far as Archers are concerned, Berserkers destroy most archers and at most have some even trade against T4 units, so against Ranged units they don't have any kind of problem.
Best Commanders For Them
Surely the first commander that I feel like mentioning among the most common in which to use the Berserkers is the Witch King.
The Berserkers in his formation have a fundamental role as secondary Tanks, Bruisers, secondary Physical Damage units, stack removers and are not replaceable in terms of utility, synergy and reduced Costs.
Then there is Lurtz, who can use them both in his full damage build as a low cost tank to crash and do as much Damage as possible to the enemy and try to trade positively thanks to their very low cost or for the hybrid build that includes them, where the damage of Uruk troops is buffed and scales over time Thanks to "The White Hand", "Dangerous Trade" and defensive stats with "Uruk-Hai Elite" and "Untiring" Making the commander and troops on the same level of importance in a real hybrid army.
There are many honorable mentions among which Saruman and Khamul who can use them but if I have to mention a real promising and still a little overlooked commander that certainly is Ugluk.
Ugluk with the Berserkers has the potential to create one of the strongest Counter-Attack builds in the game, needs an excellent equipment and high respect but its damage buffs are very numerous, and also the reduction skills, it has excellent healing for the Uruks and can also wear every piece of Bis gear to make up this Build.
At its maximum the commander can offer +99% Damage Dealt, +11% Damage Reduction, +30 Defense, Sustained Heals on each Attack and Counterattack until round 6 where he then gains a very powerful Burst cure and excellent commander support damage .
All this combined with all the bonuses listed before the unit and equipment.
Hard Commanders To Face
Clearly, since they are a Physical Damage unit, any commander who will increase the Physical Defense exponentially will be a problem for them, but in general it is difficult to define a precise counter as the variables are very linked to the commander with whom they are used.
What I can tell for sure is that they are weak to Madness as it is the only check they suffer, so any commander using a Helm with "Hysteria" or commanders like Grima or Sauron, they will be the first to avoid facing as they will be able to stop your damage.
For Counter-Attack builds obviously commanders using ranged units are really annoying, especially if you don't use "Tactical Mark" commanders with evasion and archers like Gilgalad, like Elrond or like any self-respecting Elf can create problems for these kind of Builds if well set up to counter you, as they can deny you your main source of damage, the Counter Attack.
Even Dwarven commanders with high levels of Direct Damage, especially if they use mono stacks, can create problems for you as they will not make the most of your Counterattack power.
If, on the other hand, you will use this unit as a support for the Alchemists in a formation for your Witch King in general you will not have to fear anything except the Madness and the self-inflicted damage from it, because as already explained it will be the only way to stop your damage and turn it against you.
I hope this guide on Berserker can help you make the most of them and unleash their full potential in battle.
For any questions feel free to write to me on Discord, my community and I are always ready to help!
You can find me on YouTube or Discord
UNGOLIANT TOWER
If you liked this article, you’ll be AMAZED by what awaits you in UNGOLIANT TOWER, a free Community Discord Server and the epicenter of knowledge for The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War! Now home to all the best content creators of the game. Stay on the cutting edge with our latest guides, videos, and commander builds by 'following' the UNGOLIANT TOWER ANNOUNCEMENT channel! Click the link to join now!
By Ombra
Introduction
Berserkers are a Tier 3 unit of Uruk-Hai, Melee and with 100 units per Command Point.
They are valid but not excellent both in damaging the enemy and in resisting the damage suffered and with their skills they greatly increase Damage, resistance to controls and Defense.
Their greatest Strength is also their greatest weakness as they are very versatile but they don't excel in a specific role, which only makes them strong in the right context.
Statistics Analysis
The Berserkers Base Damage is quite high, with a value of 19-23 their average damage per Command Point is 2,100, which puts them in Position 14 compared to all other Tier 3 and 4 troops in the game and in Position 8 of the 100 Unit troops per Command Point.
Their damage is also quite stable and does not have a strong variable, in fact the damage has only a 17.5% instability.
These two data points make the Berserker a good Physical Damage unit.
As far as Defense is concerned, Berserkers start from a base value of 18, considerably low but with one of their skills that increases their Defense by +20 Points they reach a base value of 38 Points.
This places them in Position 32 between Tier 3 and 4 troops, a rather low result even for a unit of 100 units per Command Points.
Defense is one of the main weaknesses of this unit, perhaps the only flaw of a really well balanced unit.
With a base 40 HP on each unit, the Berserkers reach 4,000 HP per Command Point, an extremely high value and the absolute highest of all 100 Units per Command Point units.
This places them at position 26 in the General classification but at position Number 1 of the 100 units per Command Point.
HP is the true source of their sustain as it provides them with considerable resistance to both Physical and Elemental Damage, greatly enhancing their ability to absorb multiple damage.
For Speed they have a base value of 75 which makes them average fast in general terms but above average when compared to many other melee infantry units they can be compared to.
In fact, their Speed is relevant in every battle against other Infantry units, as with adequate equipment they can attack before many of their direct opponents.
Their ranking is 34.
The Cost of Berserkers is perfectly average with all base units of 100 units per Command Point and is 10,800 Resources.
Their ranking is tied for second with many other similar units.
They remain a very inexpensive and very useful unit to use in sustained engagements and sustained warfare.
As for the Skills, the Berserkers have two both very strong, one from a defensive point of view and one from a defensive point of view.
The first is "Fanaticism" a skill that increases the damage of your Berserkers by 20% during the first round of combat and decreases each round by 2%.
This downward scaling makes them much stronger for early game burst damage than sustained late game damage, by Round 6 the bonus will be reduced to just 10% and by Round 10 the bonus will be 2%, almost eliminating the benefits.
This skill then tells you what type of gameplay this unit favors and when, and indicates that commanders with an aggressive early playstyle will be better able to tap into their true potential.
The second skill is "Indomitable" and has 2 defensive effects for your unit.
The first is a +20 Defense increase, which I already mentioned when talking about Berserker defense earlier.
Very important as their base defense of 18 is very low and with this skill they reach a much more decent 38.
In terms of damage reduction 18 Defense = 11.7% Physical Damage Reduction and 38 Defense = 21.6% Physical Damage Reduction.
A very large difference considering the high HP of the Berserkers.
The second Effect of this skill is to make them Immune to Stun permanently throughout the battle, thus making them unstoppable without the need for items or skills, they will always be able to attack every turn.
Also in this case the skill makes you understand that it is a unit that wants to attack without limitations and compensates for their greatest weakness, Physical Defense.
The Best Gear And Scaling
Being well balanced troops the Berserkers will have a good scaling with every stat.
In the attack phase, the % Damage will be preferred over the raw +Attack bonus, as the high base value of the berserkers will lead to a very rapid decrease in the value of the raw statistic in favor of the % bonus.
As shown in the table the absolute best Weapon for damage is the "Cruel Hook" as it provides +9 Attack and with the "Might Of Soldier" bonus +12% to the damage dealt by Melee units.
As for the "Gigantic Hammer" it is a valid item in particular because it does not require to be refined to perform but as regards the damage it is lower than the maximum damage of even a fully refined "Reckoning", with a gap of 0.54% .
So weapon-wise the ranking is 1."Cruel Hook" 2."Reckoning" 3."Gigantic Hammer" followed by "Cutlass" with a 4.26% damage drop.
As far as Armor is concerned, the best stat to research for Berserkers is Defense, the stat they are most lacking in, necessary to mitigate incoming damage and Damage Reduction % of course, which obviously have a higher value based on how much the enemy will hit you hard.
In fact Defense and % Damage Reduction are statistics that gain or lose value based on the strength of the enemy that is hitting you, the stronger the enemy you fight the more important they will be.
Obviously Damage Reduction % is always better than physical defense when taken at equal % reduction as Defense only reduces physical damage, while Damage Reduction % reduces all incoming damage.
Beyond this the damage reduction scales steadily while the defense decreases progressively based on its increase which penalizes it based on how high it is.
The best Armor for protection from Physical Damage and certainly the "Massive Breastplate" with the "Significant Protection" bonus which gives +60 Defense to the unit with the lowest Defense and +30 Defense to all others and also +15 Defense to "Large" unit that has a lot of value in case you want to use this armor in combination with Trolls for example.
This armor is the absolute best when it comes to resistance against Physical Damage but if we talk instead of something more hybrid capable of resisting even Elemental Damage another valid choice is "Warborn Battle Plate" with the bonus "Fortitude Of Soldier" which gives only +15 Defense but also 9% Damage Reduction and 15 Speed Points to all Melee units.
This armor also adds significant offensive value by taking Berserkers from rank 34 to 25 for Speed, with 90 Speed.
If we compare the two armors the "Massive Breastplate" brings the Berserkers to a Physical Damage Reduction of 40.6% but to 0% Elemental Damage Reduction.
The "Warborn Battle Plate" instead brings them to 36.5% Physical Damage Reduction and 9% Elemental Damage Reduction, also granting Speed, which therefore will make them attack earlier and not only that, the stats will be shared for all your melee units on the contrary of the bonus of the "Massive Breastplate" which instead will only work on the unit with the least defense.
My final evaluation therefore prefers the "Warborn Battle Plate" unless you want to use Berserkers in mono stack, with a Counter Attack build, in which case and only in that case I prefer the "Massive Breastplate".
As for the Helmet, the best choice is to focus on one that can provide an offensive statistic to make the most of the 20% Attack Bonus given by your Berserker skill and 12% of your weapon, also considering that at this point your Defense value will be between 53 and 98 depending on the choices made with the armor, having a helmet that further increases your armor would not be able to significantly increase the yield of your troops.
So the best choice overall is "Berserker's Gaze" with the "Curse" bonus which will give your Berserkers +3 Attack, 54 Might points for 2.7% Bonus Damage and a Damage Reduction on all enemy units of 36% for the first 2 rounds.
This bonus will allow you to resist incoming damage incredibly in the first 2 turns, gaining a huge advantage over the enemy and is better than the "Resolve Of Uruk-Hai" bonus which gives 9% Damage Reduction to your Uruk-Hai, in especially if played against commanders with a strong initial Burst, it takes you into such a high position of advantage that it is then unrecoverable even after the bonus has finished.
An equally valid choice but only in case you want to use the Berserkers for a counter attack build is "Chieftain's Gaze" which always gives you +3 Attack but with the bonus "Uruk-Hai's Command" gives a 45% Bonus Damage for one turn every 2 to your Berserkers, for an average of 22.5% Bonus Damage to overall damage, which in a Counter-Attack build can be nothing short of lethal.
Finally, the best Accessory is the one that guarantees you more damage and also the possibility of landing as many attacks as possible on the enemy.
The "Palantir Of Orthanc" in this case is the best choice as it provides +3 Attack and with the "Tactical Mark" bonus it guarantees you to have the "Pursuit" effect to ignore the enemy's evasion in the first 3 rounds where the your attack bonus is higher and in addition you have 30% of having maximum damage in your attack.
We could also discuss the possibility of using the "Might Of Soldier" bonus in case you want to have 12% Additional Bonus Damage, which is still a great option but only if you already have the helmet with "Curse" available. mitigate incoming damage on enemies with strong Evasion in Early Game.
The Easiest and Hardest Fights
The Berserkers have many favorable fights, many balanced fights but also some nasty opponents that are difficult to contain.
In general, they take a lot from anyone who can mitigate their heavy Physical Damage enough, or from those who do much more Damage than they do.
Win or even tie with virtually every infantry unit used in the game but suffer a lot from "Iron Warriors" due to their strong Defense and high Damage against melee units, against "Oathbreaker" as they have Physical Damage Taken Reduction by 90% and ignore enemy Physical Defense when attacking with Focus-type damage and against "SnagaTrak", "Warlord", and "Keeper" because they simply do too much Damage.
However, these named are all T4 units or special neutral units, as far as normal units are concerned, there are no obvious counters in the meta currently and indeed, Berserkers are strong against many of the most used T3-type units.
Their advantage in this case that brings them to a level of excellence is the Cost which is much lower than each unit that beats them, and is equal to or lower than each unit that is defeated.
Even against the Cavalry they don't have any real problems because the only ones who can really defeat them are "Fallen" and "WarChariot" both enormously more expensive T4 units, all the other units are defeated or in a draw against them.
As far as Archers are concerned, Berserkers destroy most archers and at most have some even trade against T4 units, so against Ranged units they don't have any kind of problem.
Best Commanders For Them
Surely the first commander that I feel like mentioning among the most common in which to use the Berserkers is the Witch King.
The Berserkers in his formation have a fundamental role as secondary Tanks, Bruisers, secondary Physical Damage units, stack removers and are not replaceable in terms of utility, synergy and reduced Costs.
Then there is Lurtz, who can use them both in his full damage build as a low cost tank to crash and do as much Damage as possible to the enemy and try to trade positively thanks to their very low cost or for the hybrid build that includes them, where the damage of Uruk troops is buffed and scales over time Thanks to "The White Hand", "Dangerous Trade" and defensive stats with "Uruk-Hai Elite" and "Untiring" Making the commander and troops on the same level of importance in a real hybrid army.
There are many honorable mentions among which Saruman and Khamul who can use them but if I have to mention a real promising and still a little overlooked commander that certainly is Ugluk.
Ugluk with the Berserkers has the potential to create one of the strongest Counter-Attack builds in the game, needs an excellent equipment and high respect but its damage buffs are very numerous, and also the reduction skills, it has excellent healing for the Uruks and can also wear every piece of Bis gear to make up this Build.
At its maximum the commander can offer +99% Damage Dealt, +11% Damage Reduction, +30 Defense, Sustained Heals on each Attack and Counterattack until round 6 where he then gains a very powerful Burst cure and excellent commander support damage .
All this combined with all the bonuses listed before the unit and equipment.
Hard Commanders To Face
Clearly, since they are a Physical Damage unit, any commander who will increase the Physical Defense exponentially will be a problem for them, but in general it is difficult to define a precise counter as the variables are very linked to the commander with whom they are used.
What I can tell for sure is that they are weak to Madness as it is the only check they suffer, so any commander using a Helm with "Hysteria" or commanders like Grima or Sauron, they will be the first to avoid facing as they will be able to stop your damage.
For Counter-Attack builds obviously commanders using ranged units are really annoying, especially if you don't use "Tactical Mark" commanders with evasion and archers like Gilgalad, like Elrond or like any self-respecting Elf can create problems for these kind of Builds if well set up to counter you, as they can deny you your main source of damage, the Counter Attack.
Even Dwarven commanders with high levels of Direct Damage, especially if they use mono stacks, can create problems for you as they will not make the most of your Counterattack power.
If, on the other hand, you will use this unit as a support for the Alchemists in a formation for your Witch King in general you will not have to fear anything except the Madness and the self-inflicted damage from it, because as already explained it will be the only way to stop your damage and turn it against you.
I hope this guide on Berserker can help you make the most of them and unleash their full potential in battle.
For any questions feel free to write to me on Discord, my community and I are always ready to help!
You can find me on YouTube or Discord
UNGOLIANT TOWER
If you liked this article, you’ll be AMAZED by what awaits you in UNGOLIANT TOWER, a free Community Discord Server and the epicenter of knowledge for The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War! Now home to all the best content creators of the game. Stay on the cutting edge with our latest guides, videos, and commander builds by 'following' the UNGOLIANT TOWER ANNOUNCEMENT channel! Click the link to join now!
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