Core requirements
The advanced setup is A, and the budget setup is B.
- Main attack
- Berserk 20 · Sword Mastery 20 · Battle Orders 20
- Corpses
- Find Potion 20 · Find Item 4
- Cannot Be Frozen
- A Cham helm · B Rhyme
- Movement
- A Swap 110 FCR · B Teleport charges
Attributes
Total attributes with equipment · hard points shown separately
| Strength | A·B 95Total including gear · excludes War Traveler's +10 Strength |
|---|---|
| Dexterity | A 136 · B 99Total with equipment |
| Vitality | All remaining pointsHard points |
| Energy | 0No hard points |
Attribute calculations and equipment changes
Strength
Use War Traveler's 95 Strength requirement. First meet 95 without the boots' own 10 Strength; A includes Enigma's Strength per level.
Dexterity
A Two Phase Blades 136; B ethereal Cryptic Sword Oath 99. The Wizardspike swap requires 75 Dexterity, so meet both weapon sets' requirements.
Vitality
After meeting equipment requirements, put all remaining attribute points into Vitality.
Energy
Use equipment mana/recovery and potions. Keep any Energy granted by equipment.
Skills
Level 90 · 101 hard points
Main skills and synergies
Supporting investment
Prerequisite · support 1 point each
Includes 12 quest points; equipment skill bonuses are excluded. Unlisted skills have 0 points. A and B use the same allocation.
Investment order
Double Swing·
Whirlwind or War Cry for leveling. After obtaining Oath, Cannot Be Frozen and enough potions, respec for elite farming.
Berserk20
Battle Orders20
Blade Mastery20
Find Potion20. 
Howl7·
Find Item4 and prerequisites.
Equipment skill bonuses and allocation notes
The table and image show 101 hard points. Add equipment bonuses to all skills, class skills and skill tabs separately; synergies use hard points.
A and B use the same base tree. Do not mix the equipment or point swaps of optional variants into the base allocation.
A·B Shared · Level 90
Open this allocation in the simulator ↗
Equipment
A / B: compare modifiers and replacement requirements.
| Slot | Advanced A | Budget B | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main hand | A Runeword Grief | BRuneword Oath | Berserk converts the primary weapon's physical damage to magic |
Main-hand choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsPhase Blade · Eth/Tir/Lo/Mal/Ral At least 30% IAS · at least 340 Damage B · Setup requirementsCryptic Sword · Shael/Pul/Mal/Lum Ethereal · finished weapon 50% IAS · Indestructible | |||
| Off-hand slot | A6-socket Phase Blade | B Runeword Rhyme | A Secondary weapon is for MF, not attacks |
Secondary-slot choices and replacement detailsB · Setup requirementsGrim Shield · Shael/Eth Cannot Be Frozen · All Resistances 25 | |||
| Helm | A Harlequin Crest | BHarlequin Crest | Avoid Raven Frost's cold damage |
Helm choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsCham · Cannot Be Frozen B · Setup requirementsPerfect Topaz · 74% Magic Find | |||
| Armor | A Runeword Enigma | BRuneword Treachery | A Movement for finding elites · B Attack speed |
Armor choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsMage Plate · Jah/Ith/Ber Teleport · +2 skills B · Setup requirementsMage Plate · Shael/Thul/Lem 45% Increased Attack Speed · chance to cast Fade | |||
| Gloves | A Laying of Hands | BLaying of Hands | Berserk also uses weapon attack speed |
Glove choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirements20% Increased Attack Speed · 50 fire resistance B · Setup requirements20% Increased Attack Speed · 50 fire resistance | |||
| Belt | A Goldwrap | BGoldwrap | Upgrade for 4 potion rows |
Belt choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirements10% IAS · 30% MF · exceptional upgrade B · Setup requirements10% IAS · 30% MF · exceptional upgrade | |||
| Boots | A War Traveler | BWar Traveler | Do not use the boots' own Strength to meet their initial equip requirement |
Boot choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsAt least 40% Magic Find B · Setup requirementsA low Magic Find roll is acceptable | |||
| Amulet | A Highlord's Wrath | BHighlord's Wrath | 50% IAS outside the primary weapon |
Amulet choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirements20% Increased Attack Speed · 35 lightning resistance B · Setup requirements20% Increased Attack Speed · 35 lightning resistance | |||
| Ring 1 | A Nagelring | BNagelring | Ring without cold damage |
Ring 1: choice and replacement detailsA · Setup requirementsMagic Find · Attack Rating B · Setup requirementsMagic Find · Attack Rating | |||
| Ring 2 | ARare ring | BRare ring | A Swap 100 + ring 10 = 110 FCR |
Mercenary and weapon swap
| Slot | Advanced A | Budget B | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercenary | A Act 2 Might  Runeword Insight(elite polearm)Runeword Treachery Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest | B Act 2 Might Runeword Insight(elite polearm)Runeword TreacheryTal Rasha's Horadric Crest | Avoid cold/rest-in-peace weapons and keep Meditation |
| Weapon swap | A Wizardspike2 weapons | B Staff with Teleport charges | A Movement at the 105 FCR breakpoint · return to MF weapons for kills and Find Item |
Upgrade order
- Establish combat with Oath, Rhyme and an Insight mercenary
- Obtain Howl, Find Potion and Find Item
- Grief primary weapon
- Enigma, 2 Wizardspikes and a 10 FCR ring
- After a Cham helm, add the 6-Ist secondary weapon and MF charms
Playstyle
- Before combat
Battle Command → Battle Orders → Shout. Prepare Teleport on movement swap, and Berserk/Find Item hotkeys on primary weapons.
- Ordinary packs
Drive ordinary enemies away with Howl and Berserk only elites/champions. Do not try to kill every ordinary monster.
- Elites and bosses
Howl → approach elite → Berserk → Find Item while holding primary MF weapons. Better suited to elite-dense areas than repeated Act bosses.
- Handling immunes
Berserk's magic damage handles physical immunes. Use Concentrate 1 and the mercenary against magic-immune elites, or skip them.
- B Farming areas
Target elites on short routes such as Pit levels 1/2 and Pindleskin. Avoid being surrounded by archers or prolonged fights with packs unaffected by Howl.
- Transition requirements
You can start after level 62 with Oath, Rhyme and Harlequin Crest. For the Hell Pit, level 80 or higher and sufficient Attack Rating are recommended.
Mechanics and notes
Defense and leech
Defense becomes 0 during Berserk. Damage converts to magic, so life/mana steal cannot sustain you. Rely on Howl, life, Meditation and potions.
Current synergies
Berserk's hard-point synergies are Howl and Battle Orders. Since 2.4, do not use the old allocation of 20 Shout points to increase Berserk damage.
Corpses and weapon swap
Find Item cannot use shattered or rest-in-peace corpses. Use Wizardspike swap only for movement; kill elites and use Find Item with the primary MF set.
Attack speed and cast rate
A Berserk: Grief at least 30 + Laying of Hands 20 + Highlord's Wrath 20 + Goldwrap 10 = 80 IAS. Teleport uses separate swap Wizardspikes 100 + ring 10 = 110 FCR to reach the 105 breakpoint.
Strengths, limitations and farming style
Strengths
Focuses on elite kills and extra drops
Magic damage handles physical immunity
Limitations
Less efficient routes before Teleport
No leech and 0 defense require survival management
Additional variants
Without Hellfire Torch/Annihilus: A transition
If Enigma is equipped first, recalculate missing 30 resistances and Strength. One high-end armor does not complete the entire setup.
Survival variant
To replace the 6-Ist secondary weapon with Stormshield, raise Strength to 156 and give up 180% Magic Find. This differs from the base fast-elite setup.