Barbarian (Berserker) Build Guide for Baldur’s Gate 3

Berserker Barbarian Build and Guide

If you are ready and willing to get dirty (and bloody), by any means possible – then the Berserker Barbarian subclass is for you.

True to its name, the Berserker is filled with chaotic possibilities, but luckily, it is streamlined and not complicated to play.

With every level bringing more and more to the table: more damage, more health, and more action points, the Berserker calls on its rage and frenzy abilities to deal a ton of damage in multiple attacks per turn.

The Berserker is a great addition to any party and can hold its ground, more than most, offering some pretty creative and sometimes hilarious options to defeating your enemies, not limited to throwing other characters and objects around to get the job done!

Find out where the Barbarian ranks in our Baldur’s Gate 3 class tier list.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• High melee damage options with the ability to improvise and throw items for even more damage
• High survivability with a large health pool and resistant to melee damage
• Great utility – extra attacks, able to Intimidate, cheat death, and resist Charm/Frighten at higher levels

Cons

• Not likely to pass Intelligence checks and can be weak to Magic Damage
• Cannot cast magic, use scrolls, or wear heavy armor with Rage/Frenzy active
• Movement range suffers for melee combat in early levels

All Barbarian subclasses have access to Rage, but the Berserker relies on their Rage to Frenzy during combat, which is a way to enhance their Strength and improve their Strength-based damage, as well as their resistances to melee attacks.

On the other hand, the Wildheart subclass of Barbarian is limited to whichever specific animalistic heart aspect is chosen and this can become complicated depending on how you want to play your Barb, and for the most part, Wildheart is only beneficial as a situational subclass since it plays more of a supporting role rather than a high physical damage role.

Either way, Berserker is a great choice for a Barbarian since they are an excellent melee damage subclass, within melee range distances, as well as within mid-range distances.

With decent initiative, and even higher initiative by Level 7, the Berserker boasts the ability of an extra attack per turn by Level 5, and the ability to throw objects (and even other characters) at enemies while shrugging off damage like a scuffed rock.

Berserkers should use their Rage/Frenzy skill at the beginning of a fight, as it lasts for 10 turns. However, it is recommended to use it only once they can do damage or are going to be dealt damage or it will fall off and have to be initiated again. This means they may have to use Dash or use a Potion of Speed to get into the fray as quickly as possible.

As a Berserker levels, they unlock more ways to do heavy melee damage. One amazing example is at Level 9 – using the Brutal Critical Feat, a Berserker can initiate rolls on Critical Melee Hits (to have a chance at dealing extra damage on hit).

Early on, Levels 2-3, they still have access to high damage attacks like Reckless Attack and Frenzied Strike. They also have access to Enraged Throw which can make use of a melee weapon, an object, or anything they have enough strength to lift near them, and throw it at enemies. Note: Enraged Throw deals Bludgeoning damage and can knock enemies prone as well!

While enraged or frenzied, using Mindless Rage at Level 6, Berserkers cannot be charmed or frightened, which is a huge advantage when you are up against magical enemies that like to chain charm.

Even the sheer presence of a Barbarian Berserker can sway a fight with their Intimidation Proficiency, which may cause enemies to lose a turn during combat or can boost advantage during dialogue within the story. The ability to Frighten comes at level 10 with your Intimidating Presence.

Additionally, Berserkers have a chance at cheating death with Relentless Rage at Level 11, which involves a Constitution-based saving throw to stay alive with just 1 Health Point remaining so that they can turn the tide of a close-call fight.

The main downside to a Berserker is that while tapping into their primal Rage/Frenzy, they cannot use magic or scrolls, or wear Heavy Armor. They also require to be within melee range and mid-range distances to do damage, meaning they can have some trouble depending on the landscape of a battle.

Playing alone, without a party, is not recommended unless you have a lot of health potions and greater speed potions. Your companions will have to heal you but the damage you deal will be worth it.

Races, Background, and Skills

The Recommended Race for Barbarian Berserker subclass is Half-Orc.

Whatever the case, and whichever race you choose, it is recommended to start with 16+ STR and 16+ CON, while keeping your DEX and WIS reasonable and not in the negative.

Half-Orcs have a decent movement speed of 9m and later, at Level 5, Berserker gets Fast Movement which adds 3m, so you don’t need to be of an Elven race to get into melee range during combat on your first turn.

Additionally, at Level 6, Berserkers can use Mindless Rage which is triggered by being Frenzied, which you will always want to be, and while active, they cannot be Charmed or Frightened. Therefore, choosing Wood Half-Elf becomes less desirable.

Even so, the best reason for choosing Half-Orc for your Berserker, is because of the racial feature called Savage Attacks, which grants your damage dice to be tripled instead of doubled when you land a Critical Hit, and this is key – to be a mean green fighting machine!

When it comes to Backgrounds, anything with proficiency in Athletics, Intimidation, and Survival works.

Outlander and Soldier are good choices, though this may come down to your own specific preference, but do note: Athletics Proficiency is definitely preferred.

Leveling Progression

Level 1

Once you begin your adventure as a Barbarian, you are going to notice that you have some awesome abilities that come at certain costs.

At Level 1, you will already have Unarmored Defense which makes you choose between wearing armor and not wearing armor. Some of the most basic armor during ACT I may not be worth equipping, so having this feature is pretty handy since your AC will be affected by your CON Modifier.

Eventually, though, the enchanted item features and abilities on some Medium Armor is just too good to resist.

Barbarians also start with Rage at Level 1, and this is your main featured action that later turns into Frenzy at Level 3, by choosing Berserker as your subclass.

NOTE: Being in Rage or Frenzy is not possible with Heavy Armor equipped so keep that in mind when choosing what gear to wear.

Level 2

At Level 2 you get Danger Sense, which gives you advantage on upcoming traps as well as giving you a save against DEX ability checks.

Meanwhile, Reckless Attack will be your go-to opening melee attack since it gives you advantage on your Attack Rolls during your turn using it – BUT – your enemies gain that same advantage against you. This may sound risky but with the amount of health you begin with, combined with your AC, plus your Rage being active, don’t worry.

The goal is to do the most amount of damage and kill things before they kill you.

Level 3

At Level 3, you will now be a fully fledged Berserker subclass and because you’re still a Barbarian you gain an additional Rage charge, but since you picked Berserker, Rage will now be called Frenzy and with this, you can use a Bonus Action on either Frenzied Strike or Enraged Throw.

These will be your go-to additional actions that do a lot of damage at this level, so make sure to carry some extra Medium Armor on you, or some Heavy Stones – and if there are any bodies around, check to see if you have enough strength to throw them at your enemies since you never want your Bonus Action to go to waste.

Level 4

Level 4 brings with it your first choice of a Feat.

It is recommended that you take Great Weapon Master for the chance of getting another melee attack as a Bonus Action should you Crit Hit or kill a creature, as well as the bonus of dealing +10 damage on hit, while wielding a Heavy Melee Weapon – but this comes with another cost: All of your Attack Rolls with a Heavy Melee Weapon will receive a -5 penalty.

This may seem like another risky choice, but if luck is on your side, you will be dealing much more damage when you do connect with your hits, which again, plays to your advantage of killing before being killed.

Level 5

By Level 5, you will be jumping for joy (or more combat) since you will finally gain your Extra Attack which allows for two Reckless Attacks in a turn, as well as a Frenzied Attack (or Enraged Throw). Three bouts of heavy damage? Yes, please!

Level 6

Upon reaching Level 6, you will gain the passive called Mindless Rage, which means you cannot be Charmed or Frightened, but remember, this is a passive that is only active while Frenzied, so it should always be up unless you get surprised.

Level 7

With Level 7, your Berserker will gain a universal Barbarian feature called Feral Instinct. This provides a vital +3 to Initiative and a prevention from the disadvantage of action when being surprised.While your companions may only have a Bonus Action to use, you will already be able to pack a punch in damage on the enemy the moment they see you.

Level 8

At Level 8, you get to choose another Feat – and if you already have Great Weapon Master – get Ability Improvements and increase your STR. If you chose to get Ability Improvements at Level 4, then get Great Weapon Master.

Level 9

Level 9 grants another Barbarian feature called Brutal Critical Feat, which gives you a big damage improvement by making it so any time you Crit Hit on a Melee Attack you will gain an additional Weapon Damage Roll. And, thus brings the incredible feeling of killing two or more enemies in one turn because of your high damage. Sure, it’s manual AOE but hey, you’re a Berserker, why not make it a blood bath?

Level 10, 11 and 12

And, finally, at Berserker Level 10, if you can’t beat them, Intimidate them! You now have Intimidating Presence. This is an action that has a pretty large radius and causes any enemies, who fail a Wisdom Saving Throw, to have a disadvantage on their Attack Rolls, and Fears them, preventing them from moving. Easier to catch? Easier to kill.

After Level 10, Level 11 and 12 just give you some extra Barbarian features like an additional charge of Rage (Frenzy) as well as Relentless Rage, which is similar to the Half-Orc’s Relentless Endurance, which gives you a chance to come back to life with 1 Hit Point left should your Health Pool be dropped to 0. This works well to your advantage should you need to make any last chance miracle damage occur – which admittedly so, has been an actual party lifesaver in some of the most tactical fights I have experienced.

Level 12 sees you to the last attainable level currently in BG3, which allows you to pick one more Feat. I recommend experimenting since you should be able to respec now, and if you can’t decide, there is nothing wrong with choosing to invest in Ability Improvements again, to top off your STR at 20.

Since Berserkers will be using their Rage or Frenzy, they do not rely on any magic abilities or skills – so the next most important thing besides their build and features is their equipment, accessories and potions

Equipment

You will want to use two-handed weapons like Greatswords/Greataxes. Another option is taking the Dual-Wielder Feat, and using Two Weapons, but it is not recommended as a Berserker due to low synergy, and may be more useful to a Wildheart Barb.

With Unarmoured Defence you can also choose to not wear any armor since your CON Modifier is added to your Armor Class, but if you want to wear armor, choose anything that doesn’t slow you down or doesn’t have any negative effects on your AC and movement. Note Again: You cannot use Heavy Armor because it will impede your ability to Rage/Frenzy.

Speaking of movement, you’ll want to use equipment that boosts your movement speed, as well as your ability to heal on hit or heal when getting hit.

Your best friends (besides your companions) will be health potions, elixirs that boost STR or CON, and potions of speed so that you can get into melee range during combat right away.

Below are a couple items from ACT I that should last you quite a while until you move on to ACT II. Some of these are looted, bought, found, made (by combining), or given as a quest reward – so obtaining them should be fairly easy.

They are all decent enough for a Barbarian Berserker’s first set, but keep in mind, when it comes to weapons, I would highly recommend to keep a slashing, piercing and bludgeoning weapon on hand, depending on what the situation calls for.

Personally, I preferred the Everburn Blade that dropped from killing Commander Zhalk right in the beginning of the game, but you can also opt for the Sword of Justice.

For beginning armor, I would also take Lae’zel’s Githyanki Half Plate or the Scale Mail that also dropped from Commander Zhalk, unless you want to rely on the Unarmoured Defense Proficiency and go au naturel.

Remember, you cannot wear Heavy Armour and use the Rage/Frenzy feature of a Berserker, so any Medium Armor works best. Preferred Medium Armor would be enchanted with bonuses and abilities that you can use and can aid you on your adventure.

For Accessories, you should look for Movement Speed, Momentum or help with traversing Difficult Terrain. Other bonuses to look out for are Initiative or anything that boosts your STR or CON based skills.

Some examples of these are:

Crusher’s Ring

Haste Helm

Boots of Genial Striding

Ring of Flinging

Additional options for weapons that are piercing are Vision of the Absolute and The Watcher’s Guide. while Faithbreaker is a great bludgeoning weapon – and if you did not get Everburn Blade, the crafted Sussar Greatsword is also a good replacement.

Vision of the Absolute

The Watcher’s Guide

Faithbreaker

Sussur Greatsword

Lastly, you will find plenty of Potions, Oils and Elixirs. Take advantage of these in combat. You can also find these handy for dialogue and/or ability checks.

Oil of Accuracy

Potion of Speed

Elixir of Giant Strength

Elixir of the Colossus

Conclusion

Overall, the Berserker Barbarian is a really fun class that is easy to learn and fun to play.

While they are not ideal for solo play, they can definitely surprise with their ability to stay alive and out-damage the enemy.

Berserkers are a perfect match for someone who wants to jump right into combat and be at the center of the battle.

They are great for those who are ready to stop at nothing to protect their party.

And, should there be anything in their way, they can just pick it (or them) up and throw ‘em!

Though they may end up being the bloodiest in appearance, I bet their weapons will look the coolest, and who needs heavy armor when you have God-like strength and constitution?

“I think I’ll try crying and shouting and biting my way through…” – Kentaro Miura, Berserk, Vol. 16