Boss Overview: Berserker King


Berserker King
Level: 16HP: 2380STR: 25TEC: 20VIT: 17AGI: 17LUC: 16DS: 52
EXP Given: 5362
Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
Disable Vulnerabilities:
50% 50% 20% 50% 20% 10%
LR 4 LR 4 20%
40% 40% 40%
Notes:
  • When this enemy is killed, the battle ends, even if other enemies are still alive.
  • Binding Voice: Deals medium almighty damage to all party members. Attempts to stun hit targets, with a high chance. Powered up when used on the first turn—deals more damage, is more likely to stun, and is fast.
  • Ruinous Strike: Deals heavy cut damage to the front row. Extremely slow.
  • Counter: If the user is attacked with physical damage on this turn, they will retaliate with medium cut + stab + bash damage towards the attacker.
  • Rock Crusher: Deals medium bash damage to all party members. Attempts to inflict blind on hit targets, with a high chance. Slow, and somewhat inaccurate.
  • Arm Breaker: Deals severe bash damage to one party member. If the attack does not miss, attempts to bind the target's arms, with a high chance. Slow.
  • Delay Charge: Telegraphs that the user will use Berserker Rage in three turns. If the user suffers 400 more damage after using this skill, Berserker Rage will be cancelled.
  • Berserker Rage: Deals colossal cut damage to 3 to 5 party members.
  • Binding Voice: Deals 80% (when used on turn 1) or 50% (after turn 1) ranged TEC-based almighty damage to all party members. Attempts to stun hit targets, with a 60% (when used on turn 1) or 40% (after turn 1) base chance. Has a speed modifier of +5 (when used on turn 1) or ±0 (after turn 1), and a base accuracy of 100%.
  • Ruinous Strike: Deals 110% melee STR-based cut damage to the front row. Has a speed modifier of -90, and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Counter: If the user is attacked with physical damage on this turn, they will retaliate with 85% melee STR-based cut + stab + bash damage towards the attacker. Has a speed modifier of +30 and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Rock Crusher: Deals 60% melee STR-based bash damage to all party members. Attempts to inflict blind on hit targets, with a 50% base chance. Has a speed modifier of -5, and a base accuracy of 80%.
  • Arm Breaker: Deals 130% melee STR-based bash damage to one party member. If the attack does not miss, attempts to bind the target's arms, with a 60% base chance. Has a speed modifier of -5, and a base accuracy of 90%.
  • Delay Charge: Telegraphs that the user will use Berserker Rage in three turns. If the user suffers 400 more damage after using this skill, Berserker Rage will be cancelled. Has a speed modifier of ±0.
  • Berserker Rage: Deals 200% melee STR-based cut damage to 3 to 5 party members. Has a speed modifier of ±0, and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • The Berserker King always uses the powered-up version of Binding Voice on the first turn.
  • The Berserker King's phases are as follows:
    • 100% to 90% HP:
      • Uses Ruinous Strike and normal attacks.
      • Prefers normal attacks.
    • 90% to 75% HP:
      • Charges up and attempts to use Berserker Rage.
    • 75% to 50% HP:
      • Starts using Arm Breaker.
      • Always opens this phase with Arm Breaker.
      • Normal attacks become very unlikely.
      • If any player characters have their arms bound, the Berserker King prefers to use Ruinous Strike.
      • If no player characters have their arms bound, the Berserker King prefers to use Arm Breaker.
    • 50% to 0% HP:
      • Starts using Rock Crusher.
      • Likely to use Rock Crusher if it has not been used at least once.
      • Also starts using the normal version of Binding Voice if any player character is afflicted with blind, and any player character has their arms bound.
      • Chance to charge up Berserker Rage goes up if any player characters are afflicted with blind, or have their arms bound. Goes up even further if both conditions are true.
  • The Berserker King always uses Counter after charging up Berserker Rage.
    • Even if Berserker Rage was cancelled due to the Berserker King taking too much damage while charging it up, it will still use Counter on the turn after it passed the damage threshold.
  • If this is the first turn:
    • Use the powered-up version of Binding Voice.
  • If the Berserker King is charging up Berserker Rage:
    • If the timer has run out:
      • Use Berserker Rage.
    • Otherwise, do nothing.
  • If Berserker Rage was used last turn, or if the Berserker King was knocked out of charging last turn:
    • Use Counter.
  • If the Berserker King is below 50% HP:
    • If any player character is afflicted with blind, and any player character has their arms bound:
      • 70% chance to charge up Berserker Rage.
      • If the above didn't happen, 80% chance to use Binding Voice.
      • If none of the above happened, 95% chance to use Ruinous Strike.
      • If none of the above happened, attack.
    • If any player character is afflicted with blind:
      • 60% chance to charge up Berserker Rage.
      • If the above didn't happen, 85% chance to use Arm Breaker.
      • If none of the above happened, use Ruinous Strike.
    • If any player character has their arms bound:
      • If Rock Crusher has not been used yet:
        • 40% chance to charge up Berserker Rage.
        • 60% chance to use Rock Crusher.
      • If the above did not occur:
        • 40% chance to charge up Berserker Rage.
        • If the above did not occur, 70% chance to use Rock Crusher.
        • If neither of the above occurred, 85% chance to use Arm Breaker on a player character whose arms are not bound.
        • If none of the above occurred, use Ruinous Strike.
    • If none of the above conditions occurred:
      • If Rock Crusher has not been used yet:
        • Use Rock Crusher.
      • If the above did not occur:
        • 35% chance to charge up Berserker Rage.
        • If the above did not occur, 65% chance to use Rock Crusher.
        • If neither of the above occurred, 80% chance to use Arm Breaker on a player character whose arms are not bound.
        • If none of the above occurred, 95% chance to use Ruinous Strike.
        • If none of the above occurred, attack.
  • If the Berserker King is below 75% HP:
    • If Arm Breaker has not been used yet:
      • Use Arm Breaker.
    • If any player character has their arms bound:
      • 50% chance to charge up Berserker Rage.
      • If the above did not occur, 70% chance to use Ruinous Strike.
      • If neither of the above occurred, 90% chance to use Arm Breaker on a player character whose arms are not bound.
      • If none of the above occurred, attack.
    • If neither of the above conditions occurred:
      • 40% chance to charge up Berserker Rage.
      • If the above did not occur, 75% chance to use Arm Breaker on a player character whose arms are not bound.
      • If neither of the above occurred, 90% chance to use Ruinous Strike.
      • If none of the above occurred, attack.
  • If the Berserker King is below 90% HP:
    • Charge up Berserker Rage.
  • If none of the above occurred:
    • 35% chance to use Ruinous Strike.
    • 65% chance to attack.
Drops:
  • Berserker Claw: Obtained if the conditional drop was not obtained. 100% chance. Sells for 418 en.
    • Falx (53 ATK, +20% Max TP): Made from 1 Berserker Claw. Costs 1450 en.
  • Berserker Skin: Obtained by killing the enemy on the first turn. 100% chance. Sells for 10000 en.
    • Mythic Nithsdale (RNM Only; 123 DEF, +10% Max TP, +6% Elem Damage): Made from 1 Berserker Skin and 1 Writhing Wood (Gasser Tree Drop 1). Costs 102540 en.
As far as Etrian Odyssey first bosses go, the Berserker King isn't that bad, but it can and will punish you for having a bad party composition...which is, admittedly, quite hard to do in EO4 if you're not making multiples of one class. Still, the core gimmick of the fight is Berserker Rage, which stands a good chance of causing a game over if you can't deal 400 damage to the Berserker King over two or three turns. That isn't hard to muster up, not at all, it's just a matter of investing your skill points wisely and at least a basic knowledge of how to efficiently use your party's skillsets.

As far as the Berserker King's own offense goes, he has some pretty nasty tricks! Rock Crusher is the first attack we've come across that hits the entire party, and Arm Breaker, despite being single-target, not only deals prety high damage, but will shut down both physical damage dealers and fortresses using Shield skills.

Defensively, the Berserker King is nothing to write home about. Its VIT is only a bit above the random encounters we've been dealing with, it's not very resistant to any of the disables we have access to right now, and while it does not have any innate elemental weaknesses, it also does not have any resistances, either. (If you're wondering what the "LR" on the petrification and death vulnerabilities means, I'll explain it when it's actually relevant.)

As part of each boss overview, I'll also be discussing what each party member contributes to a given fight, along with making it clear what party members will be participating in the fight.

Shelly: Amplifies other party members' damage just by doing her normal thing—i.e. using Vanguard and then Links. However, Vanguard also heavily amplifies every bit of damage the Berserker King could inflict on her. Thankfully, if Ace is in the party, they can take Shelly's damage for her, negating Vanguard's downside.

Merula: The Berserker King isn't resistant to either blind or paralysis, giving Merula some good utility. Additionally, once an ailment is inflicted on the giant red-white-and-black bastard, she'll deal monstrous amounts of damage. However, Merula is physically frail, and doesn't really have high natural evasion yet. Much like Shelly, Ace is a good idea to take along with her, though by no means necessary.

Ace: While Ace lacks many of the tools she will come to rely on later in the game, for now, she's still a valuable defensive addition to any boss-fighting party. Her main task against the Berserker King will be drawing aggro on normal attacks and Arm Breaker, though she can also use Ally Shield or even Line Shield to provide safety for other party members—or, well, die in their place. That could happen too.

Harper: Harper doesn't really contribute much damage right now, but arm binds completely shut the Berserker King down, and leg binds negate any chance of unlucky misses.

Eine: Eine is very binary in terms of effectiveness against the Berserker King. If Ace is not in the party, he's not particularly great, given that he currently lacks access to Revive, and his ability to heal multiple targets is lacking. With Ace, however, he becomes much more valuable, since Ace will be concentrating a significant amount of damage on herself, meaning that Eine can use his more effective single-target healing.

Xiaohu: There's not really a fight that Xiaohu isn't good in, to be truthful with you. The Berserker King may not have natural weaknesses to exploit, like many bosses later in the game will, but she can create artificial ones, benefitting both herself and Shelly, if the latter is being taken along for the ride.

Marlin: Will be in the party. Regen Waltz helps a lot with keeping the front row alive against the Berserker King's onslaughts, and Attack Tango helps make our meager earlygame TP pools go farther in chewing through the Berserker King's 2380 HP. Hell, Marlin can even contribute some extra damage on his own using Counter Samba.

Ray: The Berserker King is unfortunately very resistant to poison, so no free damage from Poison Circle. However, Ray does still have access to paralysis, arm binds, and leg binds—see Merula's notes for the efficacy of those against the Berserker King.

Naijou: Naijou...is probably the worst option for this first fight. He's usable, no doubt, but being unable to end Blood Surge after starting it is a huge issue. It doesn't help that his damage is just sort of lacking right now, owing to lackluster skills. He is our one source of head binds, which reduce the Berserker King's accuracy, resistance against disable infliction, and most importantly, defense against TEC-based attacks, so that's worth keeping in mind.

Waylon: Waylon's damage output is somewhat limited by his lack of overheat management skills right now... But on the other hand, he also makes short work of Delay Charge's 400 damage threshold, and can keep himself good on TP for the entirety of the fight.


Much like prior Etrian Odyssey LPs, the parties for most boss fights in this game will be decided by you! And other readers like you. It's based on voting, you see.

Vote for three party members you want to see take on the Berserker King alongside Marlin! You can do that in the Something Awful and LP Beach threads, or by pinging me in my Discord server. I'm eager to see what comes of this first round of voting.

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