Berserk

Version 0.28: This article may not be up to date for the latest stable release of Crawl.

Berserk is a status effect which fills you with overwhelming rage, making you significantly deadlier in combat but unable to do almost anything else. Afterwards, you are left severely handicapped as you recover from your overexertion. Used correctly, a berserker can overcome challenges far beyond its level. Used improperly, it'll leave you seriously weakened just as things are at their most dangerous.

A berserk rage nominally lasts for (20 + random2avg(19)) / 2 turns, which is equal to 10 - 19 turns (weighted toward 15). The duration decreases rapidly if you do anything except for fighting, lasting as few as 3 turns if you don't do any fighting at all.

Mummies, ghouls, and formicids can never go berserk. Vampires must be Alive in order to do so.

Pros

• Current and max HP increase by 50%
• Might (+1d10 melee attack damage)
• Haste
• Immunity to sleep

Monsters also get immunity to fear, and gain +50% damage instead of +1d10.

Cons

• Cannot do anything except for attacking, moving, opening or closing doors, shouting, and wielding, unwielding, dropping, or picking up items.
• Leaves you slow for 12 + 2d12 turns and gives the -Berserk status effect after it ends, preventing repeated rages.
• Sets your stealth to 0, and causes you to make lots of noise when opening doors (You throw open the door with a bang!).
• Cheibriados suppresses the hasting of berserk.

Sources

Trog

The simplest way to get access to berserk is to worship Trog, who grants it to users as an ability with 1* of piety. Trog's followers receive divine benefits to all of their berserk rages, regardless of the source; you have a (piety/10)% chance of extending your rage by 4 - 13 turns each time you kill something.

Berserk mutation and *Rage items

If you have the Berserk mutation or a piece of equipment with the *Rage intrinsic, you may automatically go berserk each time that you hit an enemy in melee. The chance of this happening due to the mutation rises with each rank of the mutation (1% / 3% / 9%).Because there are many situations in which going berserk is a terrible idea, berserkitis is generally seen as a dangerous trait to have.

Each piece of berserkitis equipment has its own chance of activation; either 20% or 50% per hit. These items are typically dangerous to wield normally, though berserk does come somewhat reliably.

Potion of Berserk Rage

Quaffing a potion of berserk rage will immediately make you go berserk.

Moth of Wrath

The bite of a moth of wrath may cause you to go berserk. Moths of wrath may also send other creatures near them (but not necessarily adjacent to them) berserk.

Xom

Xom may decide to make you go berserk. It may even be kind enough to do so in situations where being berserk is helpful! Of course, it may also decide to make your enemies berserk...

Datura

Being hit by a datura-tipped dart may cause you to go berserk. When used on monsters, they also acquire the frenzy status and attack nearby creatures, regardless of whether they are allies.

Preventing Berserk

The following all prevent you from going berserk:

• Clarity prevents unintentionally going berserk (the berserkitis mutation, moths of wrath, etc.) while still allowing voluntary rages.
  • Note that Clarity does not prevent the berserk effect of *Rage items.
• Having recently been berserk (-Berserk status effect).
• Being a mummy, ghoul, formicid, lich, or Bloodless vampire.
• Being under the effect of Fear or Mesmerise.
  • Wielding the obsidian axe allows going berserk while mesmerized.

Strategy

• Don't assume that nimble, dexterous characters armed with short blades have less to gain from going berserk than a lumbering brute with a massive weapon; the +1d10 damage per hit applies to light and heavy weapons equally. The faster you hit your enemy, the more free damage you apply.
• Bear in mind that berserk characters have zero stealth. While this might make no difference to a rampaging troll or minotaur in crystal plate armour, stealthier characters might want to be careful about going berserk near enemies that aren't yet aware of them; doing so may draw more enemies into combat than you can handle at once, especially if your rage runs out mid-fight.
• A potion of haste will counter the post-berserk slowness, which can be useful if your berserk wears out while you're still in combat with dangerous enemies. Elyvilon's Purification ability and Ru's Draw Out Power will simply end the slowing effect early.
• If none of these options are available, think carefully before going berserk. It's a good idea to lure enemies to an already-cleared area with a staircase leading up before starting your rage so you can escape in case a monster approaches while you're still slowed. Summoning allies (incidentally, another of Trog's given powers) also increases your chances of survival if your rage expires while you are still in combat.
• Ranged weapon users should switch to a melee weapon before going berserk, as you can't shoot while raging.

History

• Prior to 0.28, some artefacts let you manually invoke berserk, but *Rage only provided a 5% chance to berserk. Cheibradios forbid intentional berserk.
• Prior to 0.27, berserking had a chance to paralyze you after it ends, and both Trog and berserkitis would protect you from it.
• Prior to 0.26, the high hunger cost made it prohibitive to constantly go berserk.
• Prior to 0.25, there were two more sources of the berserk effect: amulet of rage and miscast effects from the Charms magic school. Also, berserk gave the player a +5 bonus to Strength.
• Prior to 0.20, berserk gave the exhausted status effect after wearing off instead of -Berserk. This only mattered if you could cast Death's Door or had access to one of Ru's active abilities. Also, players and monsters were unable to (un)wield things while berserk.
• Prior to 0.19, butchering corpses would sustain your rage the same way as attacking. Also, players could not go berserk if they were Very Hungry or worse.
• Prior to 0.11, an amulet of rage also reduced the risk of you passing out after your berserk ended.
• The Berserker Rage spell used to allow the caster to go berserk at will (and reduced the risk of passing out afterwards), but it was removed from the spells players could use in 0.9.