Warrior Reaver Berserker Build - Dragon Age 2 (DA2)
In this post, I will cover the extremely risky but strong, Warrior Berserk Reaver build in Dragon Age 2. It will rely on having low health and fast attack speed to shred any enemies you will encounter. The lower the HP the more damage you can expect.
So let's get into it.
Contents
Reaver Two-Handed build
This is a build that will shred enemies in a large radius before the Reaver, making most of the encounters very easy. Of course, this requires some practice so that you would not die fast. But once you get a hang of it, you can expect to take out enemies in seconds.
Attributes
Selecting correct attributes is very important. This will enable you to maximize your damage, survivability, and what abilities you can use.
Generally, my recommendation is this for every level up:
- +1/+2 to Strength. The goal is to reach at least 31 for the best gear. The thing is that some of your damage power will come from Berserk which means that you need high Stamina. However, it is also important to have high Strength. This will increase Attack and lessen the chance to have enemies shrugging off the attacks.
- +1 Constitution. I suggest getting it to about 30-35. Test it out and see where you feel comfortable. After this concentrate on strength attribute.
- +1 Willpower. Stop putting points into it after you reach 30. This will greatly increase the amount of damage with Berserk activated. Then put the points into Strength.
Abilities
To pull this off I recommend having a Tank in the party until level 14 at least. Later on, due to the experience and the build power every encounter will become easier. That is the good time to switch out the tank for another rogue or mage.
I also recommend starting following this build from about level 10
Here is my recommended progression:
| Order | Skill | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mighty Blow | We get this ability early as it will allow you to knock back a group of enemies and deal decent damage. |
| 2 | Might | This sustained ability will increase Reaver's overall damage by 10%. |
| 3 | Giant’s Reach | Increase's the reach of Two-Handed sword allowing it to hit more enemies in front. This will greatly improve Reaver's Build damage. |
| 4 | Sunder | This passive ability is very important. It increases your critical chance by 10% and gives a 20% chance to apply STAGGER on a critical hit |
| 5 | Control | We mainly take this for progression |
| 6 | Cleave | This is a very powerful ability. It provides 75% more damage, making Two-Handed Warrior do crazy amounts of damage. |
| 7 | Scythe | Very good ability to charge a group of enemies. |
| 8 | Destroyer | Enemy damage resistance is decreased to 90% against Reaver's basic attacks and 50% against critical hits. |
| 9 | Muscle | Upgrades Might ability so that it now provides a 25% boost to critical damage. |
| 10 | Berserk | One of the main sustained abilities for this build. Each of your hits drains 4 stamina, but your stamina pool is used to increase your total damage. |
| 11 | Barrage | Increases the Reaver Berserker attack speed by 50% for 10 seconds. Unfortunately, damage resistance is decreased by 20%. |
| 12 | Adrenaline | We mainly take this for progression |
| 13 | Endless Berserk | The Berserk sustained ability now drains 2 stamina instead of 4 per hit. |
| 14 | Claymore | Upgrades Cleave so that it now lasts 15 seconds, can apply STAGGER and do stun combo against enemies with BRITTLE. |
| 15 | Massacre | Allows Champion to do a Deathblow against enemies with low HP. This will instantly kill them. This is important as Warrior restores stamina by killing enemies, unlike rogues, who restore stamina per hit. |
| 16 | Blood Frenzy | This is the first Reaver ability of this build. It increases damage the less HP the warrior has. |
| 17 | Devour | This ability allows to instantly restore some of the HP. Although your damage will decrease it can save you in critical situations |
| 18 | Sacrificial Frenzy | A very powerful ability that doubles the effect of Blood Frenzy. It costs HP to use. |
| 19 | Aura of Pain | We mainly take this for progression. Unfortunately, it does friendly fire and makes Reaver lose stamina |
| 20 | Fervor | Gives Reaver build a 30% attack speed increase after killing an enemy. |
| 21 | Unrelenting Barrage | Upgrades Barrage, giving additional 10 seconds. |
| 22 | Savage Berserk | Provides a larger damage bonus for the remaining stamina that the Berserker Reaver warrior has. |
| 25 | Bolster | Can be used to restore a small stamina portion. |
| 26 | Second Wind | Restores 100% of stamina. Can be used to create some large damage combos. |
| 27 | Reaper | Upgrades Scythe, by providing bonus physical force and damage. Moreover, it can now deal combo damage against enemies affected by BRITTLE status. |
| 28 | Last Push | Reduces cooldowns for the Berserker build abilities. |
All of these abilities ensure that you can attack groups of enemies, knockback or knockdown them, and have enough stamina for Berserk.
Reaver Weapon and Shield Build
Okay, to be honest, this is the build that I prefer personally. It is much more effective against single targets and also provides additional armor due to wearing a shield.
Attributes
The attribute allocation is recommended the same as for the previous build.
Here is how to allocate points for each level:
- +1 to Strength. The goal is to reach at least 31 for the best gear. The thing is that some of your damage power will come from Berserk which means that you need high Stamina. However, it is also important to have high Strength. This will increase Attack and lessen the chance to have enemies shrugging off the attacks.
- +1 Constitution. I suggest getting it to about 30. Because this Reaver build will use a shield your overall armor will be higher making you quite sturdy against enemies.
- +1 Willpower. Stop putting points into it after you reach 30. This will greatly increase the amount of damage with Berserk activated. Then put the points into Strength.
Abilities
In this section, I will go through the most important abilities for the Reaver Berserk One-Handed build.
I suggest following this build from about level 10 as it may be hard to pull off this early in the game.
| Order | Skill | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shield Bash | This early ability that Warrior can use to knock back enemies. Have in mind it does friendly fire on Nightmare difficulty |
| 2 | Might | This sustained ability will increase Reaver's overall damage by 10%. |
| 3 | Control | We mainly take this for progression |
| 4 | Cleave | This is a very powerful ability. It provides 75% more damage, making Two-Handed Warrior do crazy amounts of damage. |
| 5 | Assault | This ability is very powerful as it does three hits in a row. Later on, with Reaver buffs, you will be able to take down Lieutenant enemies very fast thanks to it. |
| 6 | Muscle | Upgrades Might ability so that it now provides a 25% boost to critical damage. |
| 7 | Destroyer | Enemy damage resistance is decreased to 90% against Reaver's basic attacks and 50% against critical hits. |
| 8 | Berserk | One of the main sustained abilities for this build. Each of your hits drains 4 stamina, but your stamina pool is used to increase your total damage. |
| 9 | Barrage | Increases the Reaver Berserker attack speed by 50% for 10 seconds. Unfortunately, damage resistance is decreased by 20%. |
| 10 | Adrenaline | We mainly take this for progression |
| 11 | Endless Berserk | The Berserk sustained ability now drains 2 stamina instead of 4 per hit. |
| 12 | Unrelenting Barrage | Upgrades Barrage, giving additional 10 seconds. |
| 13 | Claymore | Upgrades Cleave so that it now lasts 15 seconds, can apply STAGGER and do stun combo against enemies with BRITTLE. |
| 14 | Massacre | Allows Reaver build to do a Deathblow against enemies with low HP. This will instantly kill them. This is important as Warrior restores stamina by killing enemies, unlike rogues, who restore stamina per hit. |
| 15 | Blood Frenzy | This is the first Reaver ability of this build. It increases damage the less HP the warrior has. |
| 16 | Devour | This ability allows to instantly restore some of the HP. Although your damage will decrease it can save you in critical situations |
| 17 | Sacrificial Frenzy | A very powerful ability that doubles the effect of Blood Frenzy. It costs HP to use. |
| 18 | Aura of Pain | We mainly take this for progression. Unfortunately, it does friendly fire and makes Reaver lose stamina |
| 19 | Fervor | Gives Reaver build a 30% attack speed increase after killing an enemy. |
| 20 | Shield Defense | We mainly take it for progression |
| 21 | Perception | You will now become immune to flanking damage. |
| 22 | Battery | Upgrades Assault by increasing its damage and decreasing the cooldown |
| 23 | Savage Berserk | Provides a larger damage bonus for the remaining stamina that the Berserker Reaver warrior has. |
| 24 | Bolster | Can be used to restore a small stamina portion. |
| 25 | Second Wind | Restores 100% of stamina. Can be used to create some large damage combos. |
| 26 | Last Push | Reduces cooldowns for the Berserker build abilities. |
This will ensure that you have abilities like Assault and Shield Bash to knock back enemies and deal instant burst damage.
Second Wind will ensure that you can restore your stamina for increased damage
Equipment
This section will cover recommended equipment for the Best Reaver builds.
Two-Handed weapons
| Priority | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bloom |
This battleaxe comes with two runes slots and deals cold damage. Very powerful for the third act. |
| 2 |  The Celebrant |
This is a very powerful greatsword that will allow generating more threat. Moreover, it deals spirit damage. However, this can be a drawback against enemies that are immune to this element. Use it as an alternative if enemies are resistant to Cold and Bloom is not effective |
| 3 |  The Barbarian's Blade |
This greatsword increases attack speed and provides a 5% chance to stun enemies |
| 4 |  Void's Hammer |
A perfect hammer for early Act 2. Provides +5% attack speed and +6% critical chance |
| 5 |  The Dogs of War |
This maul levels together with the Reaver, ensuring that it always deals decent damage. |
One-Handed Weapons
If you went with the One-handed build here are some weapon options:
| Priority | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Blade of a Thousand Battles |
This blade provides the largest physical damage with runes. |
| 2 |  Aurvar's Prize |
The mace provides bonus threat generation and armor. |
| 3 | Fade's Fury |
A decent longsword that also deals AOE spirit damage |
| 4 |  Windsong Axe |
The axe deals bonus electricity damage making it quite effective against most of the enemies in the game. Moreover, it provides a boost to offensive stats |
| 5 |  Maelstrom |
A perfect offensive option early in the game. It gives a bonus critical chance and attack speed. |
Shields
If you went with the One-handed build here are some shields options:
| Priority | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mage's Friend |
This is a very good shield that gives 3 rune slots. |
| 2 | Courage |
This shield improves with level, provides bonus health and damage resistance. Can be worn without any attribute requirements. |
| 3 |  Shield of the Knight Herself |
You will need the unrestricted version. It provides +2 strength and increased critical chance. |
| 4 |  Spirit of 4:60 Black |
The shield provides decent armor and can be obtained from Fenris's companion quest |
| 5 |  Winter-Weight |
A decent shield in Act 1, will greatly increase defensive capabilities. |
Amulets
| Priority | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Four-Fingered Eddie's Lucky Talisman |
Although this amulet gives bonus dexterity and cunning these attributes will boost Reaver's build critical chance and damage. This results in greatly boosted overall DPS. Moreover, it gives bonus attack speed. |
| 2 |  Heart of the Many |
The amulet provides bonus dexterity and strength. |
| 3 | Dull Brass Amulet |
This is another good defensive amulet |
| 4 |  Pewter Pendant of Wolves Howling at the Moon |
A basic amulet early in the game that boosts critical chance by 2% |
| 5 | Meraas |
Increases fortitude and armor. Very good amulet at the beginning of the game. |
Belts
| Priority | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Master Wyvern Hunter's Belt |
This belt is perfect to maximise Reaver build damage. it provides critical chance and attack speed. |
| 2 |  The Belt of Promise |
This belt gives many good stats, however, the most important is damage resistance of 10%. This makes it a very good option to increase survivability. |
| 3 |  Seven Deadly Cinch |
The unique belt gives a bonus to critical chance and critical damage. |
| 4 | Karasten's Belt |
A decent option for defensive improvements, but weaker compared to the above ones. |
| 5 |  Enchanted Silverite Chain Belt |
Provides defensive stats and gives +1 to all attributes |
Rings
| Priority | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Etched Ring of the Twins |
With this ring, Reaver build will be immune to knockback making it effective against any enemy in the game. Moreover, the ring gives very good offensive attributes |
| 2 | Bardin's Folly |
The ring gives bonus strength, attack speed, attack, defense, etc. One of the best rings that Reaver Berserker can wear. |
| 3 |  The Fallen Star |
The ring is quite costly but can be obtained very early in the game. Provides +1 to all attributes |
| 4 |  Warden's Promise |
A decent ring that boosts physical and critical damage by a few percentage points. |
Tactics
The builds mentioned above are quite similar. They can both be tanks, of course, the One-Handed will probably do that better, but the Two-Handed one, can faster take out groups of enemies.
However, there are some important tips that you should take into account on how to best play out:
- When starting a fight I recommend first evaluating the number of enemies that attack you. If that is a small number (1-3), use Barrage. It will decrease your damage resistance and increase Attack Speed. If there are 3+ enemies attacking you, I suggest using Blood Frenzy and being ready for your HP to fall down quite fast.
- As the fight progresses and you lose HP your damage will greatly increase. Then is a great time to activate Cleave for a 75% damage bonus.
- You should try to optimize your HP to stay at 30%-50%. This way you can have high damage. Otherwise, if you see that Berserker is close to death, use Devour ability to restore HP.
- You can use abilities like Shield Bash, Mighty Blow to knock back enemies and slow their DPS. This is also a great way to take out normal enemies and activate abilities like Fervor
- Fervor is best activated by killing the small HP bar enemies that are below Normal tear. This way you will get an instant 30% attack speed increase.
Companions
- Tank - Aveline. I think she should be included in the group until level 14 at least. This will ensure that your group can safely attack enemies. After that, you will get the hang of the Reaver berserker build, and you should see that a tank is not needed.
- Anders. He is very important in the group as he will give you a Haste buff. This will buff your DPS tremendously. Moreover, he can heal, has Heroic Aura, making your whole party much stronger
- Merrill - is another good option. But for her to shine you should take Hex of Torment + Hex of Death to maximize the damage output.
- Rogue - Varric, Sebastian, Isabela. I think it is good to have one of them as they can use Fatiguing Fog and Chameleon's Breath to increase your survivability and debuff enemies.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this post. I hope it covered all that you need for a Reaver build in Dragon Age 2. This Specialization is very fun as it relies on you making correct split-second decisions and constantly having low HP.
Feel free to leave a comment or join Discord if you have any questions.
Discussion