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Berserker or Barbarian Dwarf

On my full Dwarvish party I was looking to make a berserker type character who would dual wield and basically rage out and destroy. I needed a type of character like this in my party. When creating the character though, for some reason I skipped over the Berserker subclass and went with barbarian. I am wondering now if I am missing out by making my Dwarf a barbarian and not a Berserker....

Now I have done some research before posting this and found a good debate on the forums already. http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/15781/barbarian-vs-berserker-which-is-better

However, the argument seemed to swing heavily in the direction of a zerker/cleric vs barbarian (since barbarian cant dual class). Now, I wanted a full party of Dwarves so a Dwarf cannot dual class anyways so this entire thread sort of became useless.

As it seems now, without the cleric levels, the pure zerker seems to lose out against the pure barbarian.... The Speed and HP boost plus damage resistance makes Grok a very powerful Dwarf barbarian, however he does take damage sort of quickly even when I have him supporting my main tank (Dwarven Defender)

My question is, am I missing out on the zerker class here? I wanted a battlerager and just realized that zerker is a better fit for a dwarf battlerager however looking over the class I can see no real benefit except weapon mastery and heavy armor (both are pretty good benefits as the AC I think might help Grok's problem.)

Now, Im pretty far in the game to start over for some simple technicality but I'll ask the public here... 1.) from a game point, am I missing out on any good abilities that I should have payed attention to when making a Dwarf barb over a Dwarf zerker.... meaning.. am I completely foolish for making this decision (I cant seem to find a reason other than my #2 question which is) 2. From a Role play perspective, would a Dwarf barbarian make a good battlerager? or maybe I will have to tweak Grok's lore in order to fit a more Barbarian role (not really an in game issue) mainly because I picture battleragers being Dwarves in crazy spiky armor and hurling themselves into the fray where maybe a barbarian uses fur skinned armor and ambushes a group of archers (Grok is my archer and wizard slayer due to the speed and damage benefits he gets)

Anyways... Opinions welcomed... thanks!
jackjackNecomancerJuliusBorisov

Comments

  • RedViiperRedViiper Member Posts: 48
    If we're talking late game play. The barbarian is like a combination of a dwarven defender and berserker due to damage reduction higher hit.points and lower damage per round then the beserker.... then if you were using the barbarians speed to rush caster's and archers and use his hit points to hold position until back up kicks in... seems the barbarian may be the best choice for the role.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    Barbarian fits the setting SO much better, IMO. Berserkers' winded downside is a bit of a glaring weakness against hordes of enemies.
    DreadKhanBladesJuliusBorisov
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    I have to say, the +2 movement speed is great.
    jackjackNonnahswriterJuliusBorisov
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    I'd say you made the right choice with Barb.
    JuliusBorisov
  • AndrewKellyAndrewKelly Member Posts: 16
    Don't forget that Berserkers get winded. Some of these fights can be long, especially in HoF mode. The Barbarian can rage after rage without a rest period.
    GoturaljackjackJuliusBorisov
  • SharGuidesMyHandSharGuidesMyHand Member Posts: 2,579
    People like to compare zerkies and barbies because they both have similar "rage" abilities, but they both play much differently and have different strengths and weaknesses. Zerkies are ideal for anyone who just wants to play as a straightforward, conventional tank/meatshield. Barbarians, because of their armor restrictions, require a bit more strategy and finesse to play than a zerker, but they are also more versatile and have the potential to be more rewarding if you don't mind the investment. Barbarians can also come in handy in some unique situations.

    This thread may give you some helpful tips on playing as a barb: http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/35841/playing-a-barbarian-part-2-advice-for-using-a-barb
    ShikaojackjackJuliusBorisov
  • JarrakulJarrakul Member Posts: 2,029
    Honestly, the armor restrictions aren't as bad as one might think in IWD. Rings of Protection +2 mean that you usually want nonmagical armor, and the difference between platemail and splint mail isn't that big. Eventually you'll find full plate, but it takes longer than in BG1, and at least sometimes you can find bracers AC 2 for your barbarian a little while after that. Long story short, my barbarian has the best AC in the party, plus damage resistance and a chunk of hit points. No complaints here, as far as tanking goes.
    jackjackShikaoelminsterJuliusBorisov
  • Lord_TansheronLord_Tansheron Member Posts: 4,211
    edited November 2014
    It's not a big difference if you discount dual-classing (which would make it no contest of course). Losing GM sucks, but not everyone is a damage junkie like me :P
    elminsterjackjack
  • JarrakulJarrakul Member Posts: 2,029
    Definitely. Dual-classing, being incredibly overpowered, clearly favors the berserker (unless you have the expanded dual class mod from the tweak pack, in which case it doesn't matter). Losing Grandmaster does suck a lot, but a high level barbarian will be a better tank than a berserker due to the damage resistance. All in all, my preference is for a barbarian backed up by better damage dealers (barbarian + kensai and archer would be fantastic, I think), but the berserker offers more individually.

    Ironically, I'd actually play a solo barbarian before a solo berserker (discounting dual-classing), for the fast movement and ability to use ranged weapons. But in a party, those qualities aren't as important.
    JuliusBorisov
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