Final Fantasy V Job Classes

Berserker

Vital Statistics

"Always berserk in battle, these feral warriors sacrifice commands to gain attack strength and power."

Job Description

The Berserker shines early in the game. With great amounts of HP and great Strength, the Berserker can deliver extreme amounts of damage when given the Two-Handed ability. Remember, no Action ability will actually work on the Berserker (outside of the attached stat boosts). The Death Sickle, which is obtained late in the first world, is an extremely potent weapon for this Job. Combining the Gaia Hammer with an action ability that raises Magic Power is also an extremely potent strategy, and, since it's Back Row OK, it will never suffer from row penalties. When the worlds change, you will start to gain more and more control over your battle situation and both you and your opponents will be able to create more and more special effects on the battlefield. The Berserker is too easily fazed; its great damage output can now be equaled by other (mainly magical) Jobs without the lack of control that by this time will have become an extreme hindrance.

Job Ability Summary

Berserk is a useful ability if you favor defense over offense, as opposed to Dual-Wield and Two-Handed; it increases damage without decreasing defense. The loss of control is something you'll have to keep in mind, though. Since you'll often curse at your Berserked unit for attacking a unit in the Back Row for lesser damage, Berserk is best set when facing single targets or when wielding weapons that deal the same amount of damage from (and to) the Back Row. Axes and Hammers are unique weapons as they only take 25% of the target's Defense into account when calculating damage, making them able to cut through high-Defense enemies and deliver more damage on the whole. They're not very impressive otherwise since they do not deliver Critical Hits or work with Spellblade, thus making Equip Axes a poor ability to set.

Transfer to Freelancer

It is a good thing the Freelancer doesn't pick up auto-Berserk, as that would make mastering the Berserker a liability. As for stats, the Berserker gives great Strength and Stamina, though not as much as the Monk. Nothing to see here, is what I'm saying.