Berserker
From Gears of War
| This article, Berserker, is the Featured Article of the Week from March 12 to March 16. |
- "What the hell was that!?"
- — Marcus Fenix
- "She can hear us; she can smell us"
- — Damon Baird
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[edit] Background
Berserkers are the female and less intelligent counterparts of the Drones. They cannot see, but instead rely on smell and sound. That means that if anyone moves too quickly or makes any other distinct sounds (ex. firing a weapon), it will directly charge at the source of the sound. If the sound is made while the target is behind a wall or any other solid object that the Berserker cannot break through, the Berserker will put her hand out in front of her and attempt to 'sniff out' her target. These Locusts will gain enough momentum when running to smash through a solid brick wall. They are unaffected by all weapons except the Hammer of Dawn, though after being struck by this weapon they become vulnerable to all others for a brief period of time, spotted by their glowing bodies. It takes at least two fully held-out shots from a Hammer of Dawn to take it down (three on Insane). Any Gear that fights a Berserker will have to be quick with their feet to defeat it. If not careful, a Berserker can rip someone apart, even with heavy armor like the Gears', as shown by the death of Redshirt Gyules. They are stunned momentarily after they hit or smashed something hard, like bricks. The monster can normally only be killed by the Hammer of Dawn except on the 'Train Wreck' chapter of Act 5 where the player must improvise.
Another, more daring, method to kill a Berserker is if after an initial strike by the Hammer of Dawn the Berserker can be tagged by a Bolo Grenade it will die. This method is useful for cooperative play, when only one player has the Hammer of Dawn.
[edit] Game strategies
[edit] Fighting the Berserker
Health: Casual= 6500HP, Hardcore= 8500HP, Insane= 12000HP
Marcus faces the Berserker 3 times in Gears of War, occurring in Act 1, 'China Shop', Act 4, 'Bad to Worse', and Act 5, 'Train Wreck'. Walkthroughs are as follows.
[edit] China Shop
NOTE: For more detailed walkthrough, see the China Shop article.
'Berserker Bait'.
This is Delta Squad's first encounter with the Berserker inside the Tomb of the Unknowns. To kill this Berserker, you must lure it into smashing the doors which will lead it outside. Remember to keep you and your squad mate away from those fists though, and remember to pick up the COG Tag to the left of the third door. Fortunately, luring the Berserker does not get anymore difficult on Hardcore or Insane. When it's outside, Use the Hammer of Dawn. When it glows red, you can use any weapon to finish it off, but don't waste time, as you'll probably only have five minutes of Satellite coverage. It should take two or three lengthy blasts to kill it, depending on what difficulty you're playing on.
[edit] Bad To Worse
NOTE: For more detailed walkthrough, see the Bad to Worse article.
'Enjoy the local Flora and Fauna'
Remember your last encounter with the berserker? Hope so, 'cause the same rules of engagement apply. She can smell you, and she can hear you, but she can't see you. Walk quietly through the doorway she came through and through the hall beyond. It leads out to another area much like the first greenhouse, but this area's got pillars that support the glass roof above you. Lure it into smashing down a pillar and hit it with the Hammer while it is stunned. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
[edit] Train Wreck
'All Aboard'
[edit] Situation
She approaches you from the direction you just came, and without a Hammer of Dawn you'll have to figure out a different way to deal with her. Luckily, there's a coupler that connects two of the train cars. You can lure the berserker onto one of the rear cars and the disconnect the coupler to send her packing.
[edit] Disengage the Caboose
The first way is the way that the game itself recommends you to do it. Immediately charge towards the back of the train and past the berserker. A point-of-interest trigger should highlight the coupler, giving you a goal to run to. Once you reach the coupler, make noise to lure the berserker and dodge her. She should run onto the rear car, at which point you can disconnect the coupler and finish her off. This method is extremely difficult as it requires a lot of co-ordination and timing. This method is easier in co-op, as one person can stand on the caboose and the other person can uncouple the caboose once she has been lured across. However, it is still very difficult and is somewhat ill-advised for newer players.
The walkthrough for this is found at 4:33 on this video.
[edit] Have a Nice 'Trip'!
This way is the most difficult and time-consuming but it won't disconnect any of the train cars, letting you search for more ammo afterwards. Walk all the way to the very back of the train where she originally smashed the boxes to get on. Get the Berserker to charge at you and dodge her at the last second. She will 'trip' and fall off the train, with the sheer speed of the train sending her packing.
When trying this technique, take a look at the cereal boxes that come out of the crate the berserker was hiding in/behind.
[edit] An 'Explosive' Improvisation
The final alternative is the easiest, most fun, and fastest way to kill her. However, it means disconnecting two carts, so be sure to have picked up as much leftover ammo as you can before starting the fight. Right when you press the switch, roll back. As soon as Marcus stops talking to JACK, run as fast as you can to the train car just before the one with the fuel tank. Arm your grenades, toss one at the tank, then watch as she flies away with the train cars.
