Difference between revisions of "Wrath of the Berserker"

Latest revision as of 01:08, 9 August 2012

Wrath of the Berserker is a Rage Barbarian skill unlocked at Level 30, transforming the Barbarian into a giant, hulking beast for a short period. While in this state, the Barbarian gains massive bonuses to both damage dealing and defensive stats.

Though the bonus is short-lived, with just a 15 second duration, it's possible to greatly extend the duration with skill runes and equipment that generates critical hits. Expert players with good equipment and specific builds can maintain this form indefinitely while fighting large groups of enemies, giving their Barbarian an enormous boost to killing power and survivability.

Skill Rune Effects[edit | edit source]

The following is a very quick summary. See the Wrath of the Berserker rune effects page for a more thorough description of rune effects, or any of the individual rune pages for numbers, screenshots, blue quotes, and much more.

Name	Level	Description

<skill class="Barbarian">Wrath of the Berserker</skill> <skill class="Barbarian" rune="Arreat's Wail">Wrath of the Berserker</skill> <skill class="Barbarian" rune="Insanity">Wrath of the Berserker</skill> <skill class="Barbarian" rune="Slaughter">Wrath of the Berserker</skill> <skill class="Barbarian" rune="Striding Giant">Wrath of the Berserker</skill> <skill class="Barbarian" rune="Thrive on Chaos">Wrath of the Berserker</skill>

Skill Design[edit | edit source]

This skill turns the Barbarian into a furious killing machine with bonuses to physical damage-dealing stats, and it also adds defensive bonuses as well. It provides a way of disposing tough monsters quickly, such as bosses or minibosses. This skill is an excellent demonstration of the design philosophy of the Berserker style Barbarian, where there is no such thing as too much power.

Synergies[edit | edit source]

The most common use for Wrath of the Berserker is to enable the Thrive on Chaos rune effect, which adds one second of duration for every 25 Fury gained. This must be used in conjunction with skills, passives, and equipment that enable the Barbarian to generate huge amounts of Fury, and thus remain in the WotB form indefinitely. The most common and useful options are:

Battle Rage with the rune effect Into the Fray. Battle Rage grants a 15% damage bonus and +3% critical hit chance, while Into the Fray adds a "a chance to gain 15 fury from critical hits." This is an essential skill to pair with WotB since it enables massive Fury gain.

+Critical Hit chance: This must come chiefly from equipment, and gloves, bracers, shoulders, and rings are common sources of this bonus.
- The Sprint rune effect Run Like The Wind releases numerous small tornadoes that deal damage, but more importantly provide constant hit checks on numerous enemies in the area. This is the Barbarian's best source of numerous critical hits.
- Seismic Slam the rune effect Rumble causes tremors to remain in the hit area, which deal 30% weapon damage and create numerous proc checks for critical hits.

- Passive Barbarian Skills that boost Fury or Critical Hit chance:
  - Ruthless -- This passive skill grants +5% critical hit chance and +30% critical hit damage.
  - Weapons Master -- This passive skill grants +10% Critical Hit Chance when the Barbarian has a mace or axe equipped.
  - Animosity -- This passive skill increases Fury generation by 10% and maximum Fury is increased by 20.
  - Unforgiving -- You no longer degenerate Fury. Instead, you gain 1 Fury every 2 seconds.

Base Skill[edit | edit source]

The following Barbarian passive provides a benefit to Wrath of the Berserker, runed or not:

Boon of Bul-Kathos - Reduces the skill's cooldown always.

Slaughter[edit | edit source]

The following Barbarian passives provide a benefit to Slaughter:

Bloodthirst - The Barbarian gains life based on the amount of damage he deals always.
Weapons Master - Provides a damage bonus when the Barbarian is wielding a sword or dagger.
Berserker Rage - Inflicts additional damage while the Barbarian is at maximum Fury.
Brawler - Increases the Barbarian's damage when he is swarmed.

Arreat's Wail[edit | edit source]

The following Barbarian passives provide a benefit to Arreat's Wail:

Bloodthirst - The Barbarian gains life based on the amount of damage he deals always.
Weapons Master - Provides a damage bonus when the Barbarian is wielding a sword or dagger.
Berserker Rage - Inflicts additional damage while the Barbarian is at maximum Fury.
Brawler - Increases the Barbarian's damage when he is swarmed.

Development[edit | edit source]

Wrath of the Berserker first appeared in the BlizzCon 2009 demo at Tier VI in the Berserker Skill Tree, and stuck around for BlizzCon 2010 as a Tier 7 skill. Unfortunately, in both demos Barbarians didn't have a high enough level to select it.

Skill tiers were removed for the July 2011 Press Event, allowing skills to unlock steadily from levels 1 to 30. Consequently, all skill levels were adjusted and Wrath of the Berserker became a level 29 skill. It was, however, demonstrated at the event. Kutako.com mentioned it in their hands-on report:[1]

We see the Barbarian's Wrath of the Berserker, a special ability that transforms him or her into a dark giant beast capable of slicing through Diablo's minion hordes.

Beta[edit | edit source]

The Diablo III Beta started in September 2011, and while it ran, all of the skills continued to undergo extensive iteration. Skill changes varied from changing the levels the skills are unlocked, to changes in resource cost, damage, and even function. A few skills were removed altogether, and a few new ones were added. Also, the entire skill system received an overhaul with the Beta Patch 13 update in February 2012, with physical runes replaced by rune effects that automatically unlock at various levels for the different skills.

Wrath of the Berserker remained at level 29 when the beta started. With the Patch 13 changes, it was classified as a Rage skill and moved to level 30.

Media[edit | edit source]

Wrath of the Berserker can be seen in action on video here:

Video: August 2011 Barbarian Skill Animations

You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:

Female barb using WotB.
Female barb using WotB.

References[edit | edit source]

BlizzCon 2009 Full Barbarian Skill Trees and Stats
BlizzCon 2010 PvP Hands-on Report
Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report — IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
Kotaku.com Hands On with the Diablo III Beta — 1st Aug 2011
Barbarian Active Skills — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer primary

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer secondary

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer corpses

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer bloodandbone

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer reanimation

Template:Skill navbox Necromancer curses

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-'''Wrath of the Berserker''' is a [[Barbarian skill]] unlocked at [[clvl|level]] 29, transforming the Barbarian giant, hulking beast for a short period. While in this state, the Barbarian gains massive bonuses to both damage dealing and defensive stats. It also breaks physical immunities, allowing the Barbarian to deal damage to an otherwise immune target.
+[[File:IconWrathOfTheBerserker.png|left]]
+'''Wrath of the Berserker''' is a Rage [[Barbarian skill]] unlocked at [[clvl|Level]] 30, transforming the Barbarian into a giant, hulking beast for a short period. While in this state, the Barbarian gains massive bonuses to both damage dealing and defensive stats.
+Though the bonus is short-lived, with just a 15 second duration, it's possible to greatly extend the duration with skill runes and equipment that generates critical hits. Expert players with good equipment and specific [[builds]] can maintain this form indefinitely while fighting large groups of enemies, giving their Barbarian an enormous boost to killing power and survivability.
-==Background==
-{{Skillbox D3
-<!-- |portrait= -->
-<!-- |portrait-width= -->
-|name= Wrath of the Berserker
-|user= Barbarian
-|clvl= 29
-|description= Enter a heightened state of fury, raising several stats for X seconds. Monsters with damage immunities will take Y% less damage from the Barbarian's attacks rather than being immune.
-|type= [[Buff]]
-|resource= Costs [[Fury]]
-|alabaster= Unknown
-|crimson= Unknown
-|golden= Unknown
-|indigo= Unknown
-|obsidian= Unknown
-}}
-The Barbarian hulks out and unleashes his fury, reigning havoc and destruction upon his foes.
+==Skill Rune Effects==
+The following is a very quick summary. See the [[Wrath of the Berserker rune effects]] page for a more thorough description of rune effects, or any of the individual rune pages for numbers, screenshots, blue quotes, and much more.
+{{skill description header}}
+<skill class="Barbarian">Wrath of the Berserker</skill>
+<skill class="Barbarian" rune="Arreat's Wail">Wrath of the Berserker</skill>
+<skill class="Barbarian" rune="Insanity">Wrath of the Berserker</skill>
+<skill class="Barbarian" rune="Slaughter">Wrath of the Berserker</skill>
+<skill class="Barbarian" rune="Striding Giant">Wrath of the Berserker</skill>
+<skill class="Barbarian" rune="Thrive on Chaos">Wrath of the Berserker</skill>
 ==Skill Design==
-This [[skill]] turns the Barbarian into a furious killing machine with bonuses to physical damage-dealing stats, and it also adds defensive bonuses as well. It provides a way of disposing tough monsters quickly, such as bosses or minibosses, and according to the description of the ability it also provides a way for the Barbarian to break physical damage immunities of monsters, albeit only for a short duration. One could argue that this skill is a very good demonstration of the design philosophy of the Berserker skill tree, where there is no such thing as too much power.
+This [[skill]] turns the Barbarian into a furious killing machine with bonuses to physical damage-dealing stats, and it also adds defensive bonuses as well. It provides a way of disposing tough monsters quickly, such as bosses or minibosses. This skill is an excellent demonstration of the design philosophy of the Berserker style Barbarian, where there is no such thing as too much power.
-We are only sure of the stats of rank 1 of this skill, and that before the disposal of the "traffic light" [[Fury|fury]]-system this skill used to require 3 fury orbs (which was maximum).
+==Synergies==
+The most common use for Wrath of the Berserker is to enable the [[Thrive on Chaos]] rune effect, which adds one second of duration for every 25 Fury gained. This must be used in conjunction with skills, passives, and equipment that enable the Barbarian to generate huge amounts of Fury, and thus remain in the WotB form indefinitely. The most common and useful options are:
-==Skill Rank Table==
+* [[Battle Rage]] with the rune effect [[Into the Fray]]. Battle Rage grants a 15% damage bonus and +3% critical hit chance, while Into the Fray adds a "a chance to gain 15 fury from critical hits."  This is an essential skill to pair with WotB since it enables massive Fury gain.
-*'''Rank 1:'''
-** Enter a heightened state of fury, raising several stats for 12 seconds. Monsters with damage immunities will take 50% less damage from the Barbarian's attacks rather than being immune.
-** Critical Hit: +100%
-** Attack Speed: +50%
-** Dodge Chance: +10%
-** Movement Speed: +20%
-*'''Rank 2:'''
-** Enter a heightened state of fury, raising several stats for 13 seconds. Monsters with damage immunities will take 50% less damage from the Barbarian's attacks rather than being immune. (A)
-** Critical Hit: Unknown
-** Attack Speed: Unknown
-** Dodge Chance: Unknown
-** Movement Speed: Unknown
-*'''Rank 3:'''
-** Enter a heightened state of fury, raising several stats for 14 seconds. Monsters with damage immunities will take 50% less damage from the Barbarian's attacks rather than being immune. (A)
-** Critical Hit: Unknown
-** Attack Speed: Unknown
-** Dodge Chance: Unknown
-** Movement Speed: Unknown
-(A) = Assumed
-==Synergies==
+* +Critical Hit chance: This must come chiefly from equipment, and gloves, bracers, shoulders, and rings are common sources of this bonus.
-* No [[synergies]] with any of the [[passive skill]]s are yet known.
+** The [[Sprint]] rune effect [[Run Like The Wind]] releases numerous small tornadoes that deal damage, but more importantly provide constant hit checks on numerous enemies in the area. This is the Barbarian's best source of numerous critical hits.
+** [[Seismic Slam]] the rune effect [[Rumble]] causes tremors to remain in the hit area, which deal 30% weapon damage and create numerous proc checks for critical hits.
+** [[Passive Barbarian Skills]] that boost Fury or Critical Hit chance:
+*** [[Ruthless]] --  This passive skill grants +5% critical hit chance and +30% critical hit damage.
+*** [[Weapons Master]] -- This passive skill grants +10% Critical Hit Chance when the Barbarian has a mace or axe equipped.
+*** [[Animosity]] -- This passive skill increases Fury generation by 10% and maximum Fury is increased by 20.
+*** [[Unforgiving]] --  You no longer degenerate Fury. Instead, you gain 1 Fury every 2 seconds.
+===Base Skill===
+The following [[Barbarian passive]] provides a benefit to Wrath of the Berserker, runed or not:
+* [[Boon of Bul-Kathos]] - Reduces the skill's [[cooldown]] always.
-==Skill Rune Effects==
+===[[File:IconMedRuneE.png|30px]] Slaughter===
-* No [[rune]] effects for Wrath of the Berserker are known.
+The following [[Barbarian passives]] provide a benefit to [[Slaughter (rune effect)|Slaughter]]:
+* [[Bloodthirst]] - The [[Barbarian]] gains life based on the amount of damage he deals always.
+* [[Weapons Master]] - Provides a damage bonus when the [[Barbarian]] is wielding a [[sword]] or [[dagger]].
+* [[Berserker Rage]] - Inflicts additional damage while the [[Barbarian]] is at maximum [[Fury]].
+* [[Brawler]] - Increases the [[Barbarian]]'s damage when he is swarmed.
+===[[File:IconMedRuneB.png|30px]] Arreat's Wail===
+The following [[Barbarian passives]] provide a benefit to [[Arreat's Wail]]:
+* [[Bloodthirst]] - The [[Barbarian]] gains life based on the amount of damage he deals always.
+* [[Weapons Master]] - Provides a damage bonus when the [[Barbarian]] is wielding a [[sword]] or [[dagger]].
+* [[Berserker Rage]] - Inflicts additional damage while the [[Barbarian]] is at maximum [[Fury]].
+* [[Brawler]] - Increases the [[Barbarian]]'s damage when he is swarmed.
@@ Line 66: / Line 59: @@
 '''Wrath of the Berserker''' first appeared in the [[BlizzCon 2009]] demo at Tier VI in the [[Berserker Skill Tree]], and stuck around for [[BlizzCon 2010]] as a Tier 7 skill. Unfortunately, in both demos Barbarians didn't have a high enough level to select it.
-Skill tiers were removed for the [[July 2011 Press Event]], and Wrath of the Berserker became a level 29 skill. It was, however, demonstrated at the event. Kutako.com mentioned it in their hands-on report:[http://kotaku.com/5825582/diablo-iii]
+Skill tiers were removed for the [[July 2011 Press Event]], allowing skills to unlock steadily from levels 1 to 30. Consequently, all skill levels were adjusted and Wrath of the Berserker became a level 29 skill. It was, however, demonstrated at the event. Kutako.com mentioned it in their hands-on report:[http://kotaku.com/5825582/diablo-iii]
 <blockquote>''We see the Barbarian's Wrath of the Berserker, a special ability that transforms him or her into a dark giant beast capable of slicing through Diablo's minion hordes.''</blockquote>
+===Beta===
+{{Beta skill notes}}
+Wrath of the Berserker remained at level 29 when the beta started. With the Patch 13 changes, it was classified as a Rage skill and moved to level 30.
@@ Line 77: / Line 74: @@
 -->
 ==Media==
+Wrath of the Berserker can be seen in action on video here:
+* [[Skill Animations Videos#Barbarian Video|Video: August 2011 Barbarian Skill Animations]]
 You can find pictures in the Diablo III screenshot and picture gallery:
 * [http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/ Diablo III screenshots and pictures]
@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
-<!--
 <gallery>
-Image:Diablo_III_Logo.jpg|Skill use 1
+Image:Wotb_fem.jpg|Female barb using WotB.
-Image:Diablo_III_Logo.jpg|Skill use 2
+Image:Wotb_fem2.jpg|Female barb using WotB.
-Image:Diablo_III_Logo.jpg|Skill use 3
-Image:Diablo_III_Logo.jpg|Skill use 4
 </gallery>
--->
-<!--
-==Related Articles==
-''Articles that are related, but not emphasised enough in any other section, or articles that just need further attention.''
--->
 ==References==
 * [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/full-barbarian-skill-trees-and-stats1/ BlizzCon 2009 Full Barbarian Skill Trees and Stats]
 * [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/hands-on-from-blizzcon-mega-pvp-arena-report/ BlizzCon 2010 PvP Hands-on Report]
-* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7962606#post7962606 JudgeHype.com July 2011 Press Event Coverage - The Barbarian (Translated by Zediono)]
+* [http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7960229#post7960229 Zediono's translation of JudgeHype's pre-beta report] — IncGamers 1st Aug 2011
-* [http://kotaku.com/5825582/diablo-iii Kotaku.com Hands On with the Diablo III Beta] -- 1st Aug. 2011
+* [http://kotaku.com/5825582/diablo-iii Kotaku.com Hands On with the Diablo III Beta] — 1st Aug 2011
+* [http://us.battle.net/d3/en/class/barbarian/active/ Barbarian Active Skills] — Blizzard's Official Diablo III Site
+{{Skill navbox Diablo III|Barbarian|rage}}
-{{Skill navbox Diablo III|Barbarian}}
+[[category:Barbarian skills]]
-[[category:shouts]]
+[[category:Active skills]]

Fan-made Classes			Fan-made Skills [e]
• Alchemist • Arcane Warrior • Artisan • Aurian Mage • Bard • Channeller • Dragon Warrior	• Flagellant • Giant (U) • Hollow Man • Nomad • Onaga Manji • Phase Knight	• Ranger • Slayer (U) • Techpriest (U) • Telepath • Untainted (U) • Zealot	Dragon Warrior Skills • Bow and Throwing Skill Tree • Dragon Disciplines Skill Tree • Martial Arts Skill Tree	Untainted Skills • Divine Skill Tree	Aurian Mage Skill • Holy Power Skill Tree • Shadow Spells Skill Tree • Nature Forces Skill Tree
(U) = Unfinished				Untainted Skills • Divine Skill Tree