Torchlight 2 Berserker Raze Build Guide

Torchlight 2 Berserker Raze Build Guide by Shek333

I hope this guide proves useful. This is currently one of the most viable builds for berserkers (though the meta is still in its infancy, and who knows what will be discovered). It’s been a privilege grouping with so many great players on my grindfest to level 100. Thank you everyone for your feedback on this guide, and for your help and support in game. I hope that this build works as well for you all as it has for me. Does this build work on NG+ Elite? Absolutely. Is this build a cookie cutter panacea that will work for everybody? Probably not. Every player is different, and this build isn’t for everyone. It offers unbeatable single target DPS (boss killing), solid AoE damage for clearing trash, self-healing, heavy mobility, and good tankiness. It is completely ability based, so it requires a lot of mana regen and a lot of quick hotkey action. If you are the kind of player that prefers to left-click to victory, this build won’t be enjoyable for you. If you are willing to micromanage about 3-7 different skills depending on the situation, and you have good enough micro that you can shadowburst effectively (burst in the best direction to not get mobbed and die on elite), this build will serve you well. Best of luck, and feedback is welcome.

Update: Btw I have never respecced because I am a Diablo 2 junkie. But if i did respec I’d get rid of executioner, frenzy mastery, and glacial shatter. (i used the first two while leveling, and was curious what the last one did)

Perks of this build:

Not gear dependent
Doesn’t require you to use claws.
Extremely high single target DPS (Best single target DPS in game I think)
Not at all charge bar dependent
No need for health or mana potions (except rare instances)
Extremely fast dungeon clearing..

Drawbacks to this build:

Can get boring only using a few skills
Can get boring rarely filling your charge bar

SKILLS

This is a Berserker build centered around Raze, Shadow Burst, Battle Standard and Northern Rage, and building Crit Damage % and Cast Speed

Actives
Raze -> This is your primary damage source for single target DPS. You will get stacks of Shred Armor with this skill.
Shadow Burst -> This is your primary healing and escape skill. Also it allows you to cover vast stretches of dungeon/landscape quickly.
Northern Rage -> This is your primary AOE. It synergizes with Shatterstorm extremely well.
Battle Standard -> This is your primary utility spell. Firstly it gives you unlimited mana, secondly it gives you increased survivability in a variety of ways. Use it often.

for killing bosses, or huge rooms put at least 1 point in each of these actives:
Frost Breath (debuff enemy so they take increased damage)
Howl (debuff enemies so they output less damage)
Battle Rage (increase damage output, lower damage input) (Tier 1 required for damage input mitigation)

Passives
Shred Armor (invest in this for the defensive properties)
Shatterstorm (Huge synergy with Northern Rage)
Red Wolf
Feel free to get 1 point in every other passive, or mix and match some more. Cold Steel, when maxed, adds 20% damage to Raze

Stats and Gear

A Shield is Highly Encouraged for Veteran/Elite

STATS -> Your point distribution is going to be highly dependent upon your priorities. I recommend the balanced approach for a combination of damage and survivability. If you can’t survive a fight, your DPS is 0, no matter how much crit/max damage you have.
For the most balanced results, raise STR, DEX, and VIT evenly. Put points into FOC occasionally, but do not prioritize it, as execute is useless for shield bearers.

WEAPONS -> Choose a mainhand weapon with large “% Bonus to Crit Hit Damage”. Also keep in mind you won’t be using autoattacks, so Attack Speed is useless. Instead, find items that raise Cast Speed. Example: http://i.imgur.com/yXmqG.jpg

ARMOR -> Focus on gearing the following stats: “All Damage Taken is Reduced by %”, “Max Health Bonus”, “Elemental Armor”, “Attribute Bonus (ex: STR + 27)
A SHIELD IS YOU BEST BUDDY
Wearing a shield will help to mitigate the inevitable gear-check which occurs in high level Elite.

SOCKETS -> Fill your sockets with Mana Regen embers (Void Embers). They are very easy to make by Transmuting.
If you have a plethora of free sockets and already have enough Mana Regen for Unlimited Mana, socket defensively, raising Elemental Armor.
Note: If you run maps often, you will likely run into a master socketer enchanter. Keep 200,000 gold on-hand for this eventuality. This will allow you to add an extra socket to all of your gear.

SPELLS -> This is going to be up to you. There is no cookie-cutter spell book for everyone. I personally use as many passive spells as I can find. Right now I’m running: Adrenaline Rush (Chance to give you a weak version of Max Charge when you’re hit), Adventuring (Exp and Fame bonus for the level grind), Blocking (Blocking increases your block rate by a percentage. It simply rules), and Concentration (Mana Regen).

Play Style

Shadow Burst around the map using Arctic Rage to clear groups, and Raze to focus down beefy enemies and bosses. If you start to run low on mana, or if you are fighting a lot of potentially dangerous enemies, throw down yourBattle Standard to instantly regenerate your mana. If your hp gets low, Shadow Burst through a few enemies and you’ll instantly heal back.
If you’re killing a boss, frost breath him, howl, activate any other damage enhancers (e.g. Battle Rage), and then Raze him to death.
When fighting big groups of weak-medium enemies just spam Northern Rage or Shadow Burst them to death..

Closing Statements:

There you have it. This build is the most viable option I’ve yet seen for zerkers. With this build your clear times on maps will be extremely fast (both with shadow burst for mobility, and with the insta-kill speed of Raze).

Also note that Shadowburst and Raze are the only essential skills of this build. Northern Rage is just something I use to supplement it, you could substitute any other AoE spell for it. There are plenty of other tweaks that could be made.

So remember,

There you have it. This build is the most viable option I’ve yet seen for zerkers. With this build your clear times on maps will be extremely fast (both with shadow burst for mobility, and with the insta-kill speed of Raze).
Also note that Shadowburst and Raze are the only essential skills of this build. Northern Rage is just something I use to supplement it, you could substitute any other AoE spell for it. There are plenty of other tweaks that could be made.  Shadowburst, Raze, a ton of mana regen using Void Embers and Battle Standard, and build tanky with a shield.