Berserker

Stats

List	Base stat	Modifier
Strength	45	+21
Agility	15	-9
Stamina	49	+25
Magic	1	-23

Abilities

Level	Ability	ABP needed (relative)	ABP needed (cumulative)	Description	Notes
1	Berserk	100	100	Continuously attack until all enemies have been defeated.	Innate ability (Freelancers and Mimes do not inhered it when mastering the job)
2	Equip Axes	400	500	Gain the ability to wield axes.	Strength ⇒ Berserker Strength (or 45 before character's bonuses) when used by weaker jobs.
3	-
4	-
5	-
6	-
7	-

Commands

#	Command
1	! Attack
2
3
4	! Items

Note: An empty command slot can be used to insert any learned ability, including duplicates.

Despite having 2 empty slots, Berserkers can only change the 3rd slot. Also, since they have Berserk status, they cannot use any command at all, so is best to equip them a support ability rather than a command ability.

Acquisition

Berserker is acquired after the shattering of the Water Crystal.

In the fiesta

Berserker is completely uncontrollable. While this makes it an unattractive job for normal play, at first glance it remains unattractive in the fiesta setting. For some bosses (Sandworm, Byblos, possibly Liquid Flame) it is preferable to kill your own Berserker because it is a hindrance with its random attacking. There is a deceptive depth to the Berserker, however, as it flattens many World 2 bosses with a Death Sickle and powerful magic weapons such as the Gaia Hammer and Rune Axe give it a solid endgame. Berserker synergizes with any class that can pass a solid magic stat (!Red, !Black, !Time, !White, etc.) or agility (Artful Dodger) or even both at once (Equip Harps). In some versions (SNES and PS) you can underflow the magic stat to deal immense damage with the Gaia Hammer and Rune Axe.

Version differences heavily influence Berserker's functionality in battle. In defunct mobile Berserker will target the front-most target until everything is dead. In SNES and PS, if the Berserker triggers the Chicken Knife's !flee effect it will softlock the battle.

Death Sickle

This entire section is to remind you to grab at least 1 death sickle before leaving World 1. It dramatically improves Berserker's performance.

Notable Bosses

Berserker's options lead to an uneven World 1, a strong world 2, and an acceptable world 3. Frequently Berserker will need to be killed to give the player greater control over a battle.

World 1

• Liquid Flame is the first boss Berserker is available for, and some teams would rather have a dead Berserker to control Liquid Flame's aggro. Liquid Flame is a fight based on counterattacks and unless the player is observant the Berserker might trigger a Blaze or Fira counterattack before the player is prepared for them or knock it out of Tornado form before the player is prepared. So long as this is accounted for, Berserker is a solid choice for its larger than average damage.
• Byblos is another stumbling block for many parties and Berserker does not provide any relief. Berserker cannot circumvent Byblos's Protect counters and is neutered by Discord, so some prefer to start the fight with a dead Berserker that they revive for the final push through Byblos's Drain phase. The only relief is that axes can quarter Byblos's defense, but their subpar accuracy usually means the Berserker will equip a Mythril Knife or the Main Gauche instead.
• Sandworm is the run-killer for quadzerk parties, who usually need to grind to extremely high levels to beat it. Berserker is purely a detriment in this fight, and to make matters worse the targeting script in SNES and PS is broken and targets hidden foes, triggering counterattacks at an increased rate. Leave your Berserker dead for the fight.
• Purobolos is an interesting fight for Berserker because it brings something unique to the table: an immense HP stat. Berserker can absorb Self Destruct damage and leave the other party members to setup Purobolos. Alternatively, since the player has all their jobs (in a standard run type) they can elect to designate Galuf as the Berserker and leave it out of the fight.
• Titan is notable for carrying a Gaia Hammer in its rare steal slot. If you have Thief alongside Berserker take it into consideration whether an hour of your time to steal a World 3 weapon is worthwhile to you. It's much better with another magic class such as Red Mage, but the timeloss is quite noticeable.
• Manticore is where Berserker really starts to shine, as it is vulnerable to instant death with a Death Sickle. It's a nice preview for the bosses in World 2.

World 2

• Tyrannosaur is hardly a fight, but remember to remove the death sickle before walking into it.
• Dragon Pod is vulnerable to instant death, so the rest of the party can trim back the flowers while Berserker attempts to chop down the tree. Sickles are gardening tools and Berserker demonstrates their use masterfully in this fight.
• Boatmesh and Enkidu are both vulnerable to instant death, making the Death Sickle an immensely useful weapon.
• Atomos features a strange corner case for Berserker, where even while dead its ATB ticks in some versions. This means that sometimes when Berserker is revived it will instantly swing its weapon. This will not often be useful, as Berserker is more useful dead because of its low Agility.
• Seal Guardians is perhaps Berserker's best contribution to a fiesta team. Death Sickle can instantly kill any of the crystals, alleviating the need to work through their panic phase. Mini mages in the forest can also inflict the Mini status, allowing Berserker to do even less damage (more swings to trigger death without the party healing the crystals to prevent the panic phase) and also double shield dodge rates. This fight is the pinnacle of Berserker's usefulness.
• Exdeath can be a monstrous fight and Berserker doesn't bring much to the table as assistance.

World 3

• Berserker can instantly kill Antlion with a Death Sickle
• Gargoyles can be frustrating with Berserker attacking randomly, but eventually you will push through.
• Melusine is the last boss before the Berserker gets the Rune Axe and the first boss with the Gaia Hammer. Axes defense quartering ability allows Berserker to ensure progress at all phases of this fight.
• Wendigo has innate Float so the Gaia Hammer is not useful in this fight. If the player has dipped into the rift for Thor's Hammer Berserker can deal full damage regardless of which Wendigo is the real one. The smallest of consolations is that Berserker is not a detriment in this fight.
• Minotaur is the preferable boss for Berserker to fight, with a shield and the Rune Axe (you wouldn't be doing Fork unless you have a magic class that wants something from the waterfall or the great sea trench so a magic boosted ability is assumed) can go toe to toe with Minotaur. A support character to heal the Berserker with Hi-Potions will help. Do not bring Berserker to Omniscient unless you enjoy the tedium of rolling the dice for Mage Masher preventing a return.
• Famed Mimic Gogo is a gimmick fight, and you will want to kill your Berserker for it. If you have the worst luck with a truly awful fiesta team of Berserker/Berserker/Berserker/Mimic then you will want to blind your Berserkers, then pick a god and pray.

Interdimensional Rift

• Omega is a fight that Berserker does ok for, as long as you have a way to stop it. A Berserker swinging the Rune Axe is a solid win condition.
• Berserker can instantly kill Twintania in the charging for with the Death Sickle, the final time the weapon will be useful for boss fights.
• Necrophobe is another fight you want to unequip the Death Sickle for, as it is actively detrimental when death is reflected off the barriers. Berserker will also swing at the invincible Necrophobe, to make your life just a little more frustrating.
• Neo Exdeath is a fight where Berserker's uncontrollable nature hinders it. An "easy" strategy is to immediately deploy the Magic Lamp to kill the spell casting section in the back, then focus down the Almagest section, then count damage between the remaining two sections where the rest of the party can counteract the Berserker's wild swings. Berserker's massive Vitality allows it to survive Almagest at lower levels than the rest of the party, so it can be mostly left alone while the rest of the party does the work it needs to. If on SNES the magic underflow glitch can be deployed alongside the Gaia Hammer to hit all segments of NED at once.

Quadzerk, #blame

For those seeking maximum tedium in a Fiesta can register for 4 Berserkers with the #blame command.