Savage Berserk - Ultimate Berserker Build - Cyberpunk 2077

Ultimate Berserk Build

With this build, I wanted to create the ultimate build that uses the Berserk Operating System. It only works with melee weapons so that's what I will be concentrating on. After the 2.0 update, it got a facelift. On the one side, it no longer works with ranged weapons, on the other hand, you become invincible.

Yes, you heard that right, V, becomes invincible while using it. Moreover, melee attacks don't drain stamina so you can lash out like a true psycho without any limitations to physical capabilities. Moreover, with correct cyberware, you will be constantly releasing shockwaves that damage enemies around you as long as you are being shot at.

The downsides of this build? Well, Berserk works only with melee weapons so this build will prioritize these. Otherwise, there will be nothing stopping you even MaxTac. Also, to overcome some build limits, correct cyberware will ensure that you can win.

So if this sounds interesting, let's get into it

Attributes

First, let's go through attributes, they provide stat bonuses and unlock new perks. The more points you invest the better options you unlock to create the ultimate Berserker build.

Starting Game

Here are the attributes you should take at the game's start. You can allocate a total of 7 points.

I recommend checking Cyberpunk 2077 beginner tips to avoid missing or misunderstanding important things early in the game.

Attribute	Allocation	Description
Reflexes	+3	Reflexes will unlock mobility and blade-related perks.
Technical Ability	+1	Just 1 point to unlock the first tier perks.
Body	+3	Unlock first-tier perks and increases HP.

End Game Attributes

Here is how the end-game setup would look with the build once you have all the attributes sorted out:

Attribute	Allocation	Description
Reflexes	15	If you are heavily invested in Katanas, you could take this to 20, otherwise when using Berserk, 15 is plenty for all the perks you need.
Body	20	This allows the Berserk Build to be as tanky as possible and use Blunt weapons effectively.
Technical Ability	20	This is the main attribute I recommend getting on almost any build. The cyberware upgrades are very potent and you will get some bonus survivability increases.
Cool	15	So in theory, Cool is not needed. However, by getting it to 15 or 20, you increase your critical damage by at least 15%. This is big as with Biodyne Berserk you will have substantially increased critical hit chance.
Intelligence	3	Skip this attribute as it is irrelevant to the build.

Perks

Let's go through the perks of the Berserk Build. You will need about 60~ perk points for the build, and the base game awards about 80 with skills progression and perk shards. So some should be left to adjust the build to your needs.

Body Perks

This will be an important attribute for the build as it ensures that needed survivability between Berserk cooldowns. Moreover, you will get weapon perks for Gorilla Arms and blunt weapons.

Level 4 Perks

These perks will ensure that we have sufficient HP regeneration in various combat situations.

Perk	Description
Painkiller	A very valuable perk that is recommended for any build. We also need it for the progression
Dorph-head	Blood Pump will be one of the main Cyberware that we use to drastically boost HP restoration
Comeback Kid	Boost near-death survivability by giving a big boost to health regeneration.

Level 9 Perks

I did skip on the blocking-related perks. They are great early in the game, but as you improve your cooldown times and can sustain Berserk longer, it becomes less and less important.

Perk	Description
Wrecking Ball​	The ability allows now to knock out targets while sprinting. This is great for mobility as it gives better control of the battlefield.
Breakthrough​	Increases the damage after strong attacks. I always recommend running by holding the attack button, so that the strong attack is ready the moment you need it.
Fly Swatter​	This decreases damage as you are running using a Wrecking Ball. So it saves you from heavy damage while sprinting towards enemies.

Level 15 Perks

The next set of Perks will give a huge survivability boost and unlock new actions.

Perk	Description
Adrenaline Rush	Awesome perk gives a second layer of HP when using healing items. This will give so-needed survivability if you plan on using Edgerunner and also play on Very Hard
Calm Mind	Delay before Adrenaline starts decaying, prolonging the second layer of HP.
Juggernaut	Encourages you to have Adrenaline activated most of the time, to get these sweet combat bonuses.
Quake​	A violent hit that knocks down everyone around the area. It can be initiated from the air. It gets even better with the next perks
Epicenter​	Now quake will do even more damage the higher you jump from. So be sure to do a double jump before initiating it.
Aftershock​	Bonus stamina after doing quakes and hitting enemies.
Ripple Effect​	Bonus health when using quake, which will be useful for survivability.

Level 20 Perks

Perk	Description
Pain to Gain	A big boost to health item recharge rate. Taking this saves some perks from the Technical Ability tree in my opinion.
Finisher: Savage Sling​	Very cool finisher that can either restore health or allow you to throw enemies at the next target. This deals decent damage but most importantly it is fun!

Reflexes Perks

The Reflexes perk tree serves two purposes. First, get improved mobility with Dash​ and its related perks. Second, it gives access to Katana perks, if you plan on using something like Byakko for deadly combo streaks.

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Slippery	Base perk, that we will need to progress to other levels
Parkour!	Because we are melee focused build vaulting faster through obstacles can result in the enemy dead a second earlier. Moreover, it will be a lifesaver when you are running with low health.

Level 9 Perks

Finally, you will be able to get the first mobility perk. It is useful both for exploration and combat

Perk	Description
Dash	Another new perk that gives a short dash to avoid or get close to the enemies.
Mad Dash	Doubles the distance if dashing directly to an enemy
Can't Touch This	A 100% mitigation chance while dodging is very valuable. This will give you a higher chance of reaching an enemy if you are under heavy fire.
Lead and Steel	This is an awesome mechanic that allows us to block incoming bullets. Be sure that enemies are attacking you only from one side, as it does not work if we are shot from the back
Bullet Deflect	You can now redirect bullets back to enemies. This is very useful as you both deal damage and stagger enemies, allowing you to jump on them. Later on, if you do not use blocking, you can remove this perk.
Seeing Double	Although the perk may not be useful, you want to take it to unlock Flash and Thunderclap. If you do not take it, skip this one
Flash and Thunderclap	A strong attack will now do a jump that closes the distance. The perk is optional, many katanas come with this action, so check their descriptions

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
Air Dash	Extremely cool and effective move that allows dashing in air.
Aerodynamic	Gives bonus mitigation strength when jumping. I think it is useful in encounters where you are moving a lot, as then you will use Air Dash.
Finisher: Bladerunner	Finishers are mandatory, especially on higher difficulties. They give you a brief time of invulnerability, instantly destroy the enemy, and restore health. With a few more upgrades it will increase attack speed.
Opportunist	You want to make Finishers as effective as possible
Flash of Steel	Gives a huge boost to attack speed after a Finisher
Going the Distance	The biggest drawback of melee weapons is distance. Well with this perk it is somewhat alleviated.

Technical Ability Perks

Level 4 Perks

Perk	Description
Glutton for War	You will be taking out a lot of enemies, so why not faster healing item recharge?

Level 9 Perks

Perk	Description
All Things Cyber	Mandatory perk as we will need as much Cyberware as we can. Reduces its costs
Health Freak​	Additional health item charge.
Borrowed Time​	This is an amazing perk, that you can combo with Reflex Tuner cyberware to ensure you survive close to death experience.
Renaissance Punk	Improves Cyberware Capacity which will allow for a bit more cyberware options.
Chrome Constitution	Reduced damage is a great improvement to survivability. Although for late-game levels, I would say it is optional.

Level 15 Perks

Perk	Description
License to Chrome	Improves Skeleton cyberware and unlocks a new slot for even more chrome
Extended Warranty	Increases duration of cyberware effects, this will further improve the Berserk operating system.
Cyborg	For this yo work you will need to have all cyberware slots filled. However, the reduced cooldown is such a great improvement that allows you to minimize the duration between Berserk activations.
Ambidextrous​	Mainly used to unlock the full potential of the Cyborg​ perk. There are not many handles that are useful for this build.
Pyromania​	This works together with Ticking Time Bomb​ and Shock-N-Awe cyberware.
Heat Shield​	Improves survivability once you stack up some Pyromania.

Level 20 perks

Perk	Description
Ticking Time Bomb​	A powerful EMP charge that stuns and deals damage to enemies around after you activate the Operating System.
Edgerunner	This is a very important perk in my opinion if you are doing cyberware-heavy build. You can now use better gear and you also get improved damage.

Perks - Relic

These perks are available with Phantom Liberty DLC. They will give further improvements to some of the game mechanics.

Priority	Perk	Description
1	Vulnerability Analytics	Shows enemy weak spots, which when hit, create an electricity explosion. It is especially useful against robots and stronger enemies which are hard to chip away with just melee weapon attacks.
2	Machine Learning	Improves Vulnerability Analytics by making them appear faster and giving a higher critical damage boost
3	Jailbreak​	If you use Gorilla Arms, this will allow you to create a shockwave using a charged Strong attack.
4	Limiter Removal​	Additional knockdown after using charged Strong Attack.

Equipment

This section will cover what gear I recommend using with the Berseker build. Always try to obtain the highest tier equipment as it provides the best stats and most modification slots.

For the build, there are plenty of weapon choices, from small kitchen knives to chainsaw swords. Try out anything you get new, to find the perfect combo for your playstyle.

Best Blades

Here are my recommendations for the best Katanas that you should be on the lookout for

Item	Description
Byakko	Very powerful katana, that now has a unique combo effect after killing an enemy. It releases a flurry of hits, easily chipping away at any enemy.
Cut-o-Matic x-MOD2	A unique weapon that is fun to use. It also comes with additional mod slots. The only downside is that its sound attracts unwanted attention and scares civilians.
Butcher's Cleaver	Do you want something unique looking? Or see yourself as a chef? Well, this weapon has increased Bleed's chance and greatly reduces stamina costs for attacks.
Errata	A newly introduced fire katana. What makes it special is that hitting enemies on fire deals critical hits. The Katana has a 30% burn chance, but you can also apply it via Incendiary Grenade, Projectile Launch System, etc.
Gwynbleidd	Monster killer sword for a berserk monster? The weapon is truly powerful as it can guarantee critical hits for a huge damage boost.

If you find a higher-tier Katana you may be on the lookout for these modifications. However, I do not think it's worth switching them with Iconic ones.

Modification	Description
Severance	A strong mod that increases the likelihood of insta-kill once the enemy's HP is below 50%.
Slice 'Em Up	Increases finisher activation after taking out an enemy.
Cyclone	Allows to do non-stop combos for a limited time. To activate it use sprinting, and hit either a target or a vehicle.
Bleedout	As blades apply bleeding, this will greatly improve the status effect damage.

Blunt Weapons

There are various weapon options that you can choose from with Berserker build. I recommend trying a few of them to find the one that fits the best.

Item	Description
Baseball Bat x-MOD2	Iconic baseball bat that can also use modifications.
Gold-plated Baseball bat	An improved baseball bat is very satisfying to use and has a high chance of applying bleed.
Hammer	A base hammer, that comes with modification slots. Try to drop the highest rarity for your level.
BFC 9000	This weapon although looks ridiculous is very powerful. If you feel that you want some fun time, try it out!

There are many more blunt weapons that you could try out

Modification	Description
Severance	A strong mod that increases the likelihood of insta-kill once the enemy's HP is below 50%.
Airstrike	If you are into attacks using Quake​ there is no better modification.
Cyclone	Allows to do non-stop combos for a limited time. To activate it use sprinting, and hit either a target or a vehicle.
Barbarian	As blunt weapons and their actions can easily apply stun, knockdown, and stagger, this is an easy boost to damage.
K.O.	At the cost of decreased attack speed, you gain a huge damage boost and an increased chance of knockdown.

Cyberware

Cyberware is a unique mechanic that allows us to fill the build with implants. Early games can be quite difficult as you will have limited capacity. However, as you progress and drop more Capacity Shards, you will be able to equip more.

I will be covering here what is your goal for the end game, to make the build as powerful as possible

First Priority Cyberware

This is what is essential to make the build work. I would even recommend dropping everything else to equip these if cyberware capacity doesn't allow it. These cyberware selections make the core of the build.

Slot	Cyberware	Description
Frontal Cortex 1	Axolotl	This cyberware will take the build to the ultimate level. It has a very steep cyberware capacity cost. But it gives cooldown reductions for almost everything.
	Newton Module	Gives a cyberware cooldown reduction after taking out an enemy. It is not much, however, with multiple kills, the effect adds up.
Arms 1	Gorilla Arms	Easily accessible and acts as a Blunt weapon.
	Projectile Launch System	The Projectile Launch System is great as it allows activating Pyromania​ for additional mitigation chances.
Skeleton 1	Spring Joints	Improves mitigation strength, complementing other cyberware like Countershell and Neofiber.
Nervous System 1	Neofiber	Thanks to Defenzikov, the bonus mitigation strength will prove effective in ensuring you receive as little damage as possible.
Integumentary System 1	Countershell	One of my favorite cyberware. With this, in case you are under heavy fire it will activate to give a huge boost to mitigation chance. Thanks to other cyberware you will have 70-90% damage reduction for 4 seconds. Together with Axolotl, you can have almost instant cooldowns.
Integumentary System 2	Shock-N-Awe	Almost mandatory cyberware for melee builds as it greatly improves the area of effect damage when under heavy fire. This can help clear large numbers of enemies that surround you in an instant.
Operating System 1	Biodyne Berserk	The ultimate Berserk cyberware that I recommend. Gives a 100% crit damage increase which allows it to one-shot most of the normal enemies and is perfect against bosses.
	Militech Berserk	Increases attack speed and movement speed. Although it is iconic I would say it is inferior to the Biodyne Berserk system.
Circulatory System 1	Biomonitor	Automatically heals, makes the combat somewhat easier, as you do not have to worry how long it takes to use a healing item.
Circulatory System 2	Second Heart	This is an alternative if you are okay with less healing amount, but want to revive if you die. This is very powerful as Axolotl will constantly reduce its cooldown time
	Blood Pump	The most powerful healing item in the game, if calculating the total healing amount.
Legs	Reinforced Tendons	My personal favorite makes traversing much easier.
	Fortified Ankles	Gives the highest jumps and high boost to armor compared to cyberware capacity cost. But you need to hold the jump button.

Second Priority Cyberware

This is what you should be getting once you have the core cyberware, or you have free capacity.

Slot	Cyberware	Description
Skeleton 2	Epimorphic Skeleton	The huge boost to health and armor is a good improvement to survivability. On Very Hard in the late game, some enemies may one-shot you with too low HP.
Nervous System 2	Revulsor	Improved version of Reflex Turner, which works similarly to Sandevistan and does not slow you down.
	Reflex Tuner	Excellent cyberware that kicks in when your health drops below 25%. This has a good synergy with Borrowed Time, which gives a chance to gain a health item when on Low HP.
Integumentary System 3	Painducer	This is recommended if you can afford the cyberware cost. This is a huge lifesaver that greatly reduces big damage and spreads it over a while.
	Carapace	Gives bonus armor effectiveness when being attacked from flanks.
	Subdermal Armor	A simple cyberware that has a high armor-to-cyberware capacity cost ratio.
Face 1	Kiroshi "Cockatrice" Optics	The best eye cyberware for any build that uses ranged or melee weapons. However, the cost is very steep, so I would leave this for the end game.
	Kiroshi "Doomsayer" Optics	A lightly improved version that also gives a bonus critical chance based on the Reflexes attribute.
	Basic Kiroshi Optics	Simple eye cyberware, that I think does the job for this build as you get bonus headshot damage.

Final Cyberware setup

The last tier of cyberware options. Here is how the build should look in the end. Overall, you should try to fill all the slots if you are using the Cyborg​ Perk. After that as capacity increases, obtain improved options.

Slot	Cyberware	Description
Frontal Cortex 2	Quantum Tuner	If you can obtain this one, it is one of the best cyberware to have for cooldown heavy build. Just remember that it will be used up fast due to multiple cyberware utilizing it - Sandevistan/Berserk, Reflex Tuner, Countershell, etc. I would remove Reflex Tuner if you started using this one as this would greatly extend the duration of the operating system.
	Mechatronic Core	Just an alternative cyberware to fill the slot. It is also okay, for some bonus damage against mechs.
Frontal Cortex 3	Kerenzikov Boost System	Although the build is not using Kerenzikov, this still gives a bonus to critical chance based on the Reflex attribute.
Skeleton 3	Dense Marrow	Improves melee damage, and although it comes with an increased stamina consumption, this will not be a problem while using Berserk.
Nervous System 3	Stabber	Improves the critical chance for blade weapons like katanas and throwing weapons. If not using them, choose another cyberware
	Adreno-Trigger	If you can afford the capacity this is a great alternative that allows moving faster.
	Adrenaline Converter	Improves initial combat speed, perfect for any melee build
Hands 1	Any cheap Cyberware	You can use tattoos or anything else at a low cost to fill it.
Hands 2	Any cheap Cyberware	You can use tattoos or anything else at a low cost to fill it.
Circulatory System 3	Isometric Stabilizer	If you can afford the cyberware cost this is great cyberware to extend the number of attacks you do with katanas. This is particularly effective with Byakko combos.
	Microrotors	Take this if you want to increase attack speed further and do not care as much about survivability and health regeneration.
	Heal-On-Kill	I would say this is the safest option, it gives an additional layer of HP restoration.
	Threatevac	Low-cost alternative to fill the slot

How to Use the Build

Here I would like to share some general tips that I would like to recommend for the best approach with this build.

Core Mechanics

Let's go through what I think are the core mechanics of the build to maximize its effectiveness.

Stamina Management

The biggest problem with melee builds (and any build in cyberpunk) is prolonged combat where you do multiple hits sequentially. This uses up your stamina and greatly slows down your attack speed or accuracy. To circumvent this there are various options:

• Waiting, which is simplest but breaks the combat and slows it down.
• While the Finisher animation is running a few seconds will pass which will restore fully or at least partially your Stamina pool.
• Perks like Tailwind, Lead and Steel, Slaughterhouse, etc. These are great as usually you can incorporate them in combat rotation and ensure that you have stamina

To restore stamina I activated finisher. After that, as combat went on, I drained my stamina. This is when my Katana hits become weaker and slower.

Overall, this is only a problem when you are fighting in longer combat sequences. However, there is one cyberware that overcomes this limitation.

Berserk Operating System

In the cyberware section, I already covered Biodyne Berserk. This is ridiculously powerful cyberware that you may be overlooking. Sandevistan is cooler, but when you want huge damage spikes Berserk is for you.

As you can see Berserk makes one of the most difficult encounters in the game a cakewalk. You become invincible, with no stamina limit and a huge damage boost. The only downside is that the screen becomes red, which I think can be fixed with mods.

Use Quake to crowd-control enemies

From the Body perk tree, you will get the Quake​ perk which works with Blunt weapons. It is the only action that allows hitting multiple enemies at the same time. Moreover, with subsequent upgrades, it will restore health and stamina.

The good part is that all of the enemies that are hit with it will be at least staggered, giving you time to pummel on the next foe.

Blunt weapon finisher

Another thing with Blunt weapons is that they have the most interesting finisher out of all weapons. It can do two actions:

• Finish off or damage the enemy
• Throw the enemy

The latter option is where it gets interesting. So not only do you finish off the current foe, but you can sling it into another target and either deal great damage or kill them. This is what makes Blunt weapon finishers so powerful.

However, the simple finisher is also good as it gives a huge 20% health restoration and with its long animation restores part of your stamina.

Early Game Combat

Okay, let's go through some early-game combat approaches. I recommend checking Cyberpunk 2077 beginner tips for additional information on the early game combat.

At level 10 get the Berserk operating system

From level 10 be sure to visit ripperdocs and get access to the Tier 2 Berserk system. This will remove the starter cyberdeck and give you access to the first true operating system that you can use for the rest of the game.

Switch between Ranged and Melee weapons

So as you can guess the early game can be brutal, especially on very hard. For this reason, I recommend always having some ranged weapon. For example, while your Berserk is under cooldown (and early in this game will happen a lot) you can shoot safely from cover.

Use Grenades

Consumables like grenades are another great choice to give some crowd control for free. Just throw them on the enemy that you want to stagger. This is perfect when there is a group of foes, that could easily overwhelm you.

Using Berserk in combat

I would recommend activating berserk once you engage in combat and sustain some damage. The Operating system will make you invincible so you can leave it for the last second and inflict as much damage as you can.

Late Game Combat

The late game is quite simple, you mainly bash enemy heads. Of course, there are a few points that I would like to mention:

1. I would not initiate combat with berserk, first I would try to do as much damage as possible and use a few health items.
2. Wrecking Ball​ + Quake​ is an amazing combo, just run into a group of enemies and do a superhero jump to blast everyone around you.
3. If there were many enemies, and you were under heavy fire plus used up a few healing items - activate Berserk.
4. This is the time to shine, and just destroy any foe you see. I would avoid activating Finishers, as most likely you will kill them with one hit. If not, then you can use Finishers.
5. Once Berserk ends be mindful of your HP and rely on Quake​ + Finisher: Savage Sling​ to sustain your HP and pass the cooldown time until the next Berserk activation.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this post on the Berser build in Cyberpunk 2077. This is the ultimate experience if you want to run with Melee weapons and destroy your foes with pure anger. The Berserk operating system is a huge boon giving total invincibility and unlimited stamina.

Feel free to leave a comment below!