The Barbarian has long been a staple in RPGs, with the Dungeons and Dragons iteration standing out as particularly iconic. The name alone gives players a good idea of what to expect: characters that are lightly armored, pack a punch, and are generally straightforward and resilient. In Dungeons and Dragons 5E, Barbarians shine thanks to their Rage mechanic, ability to mitigate damage, options for Reckless Attack, and a healthy dose of hit points. Many consider it one of the more straightforward classes in the game. However, the 2024 updates have introduced more depth to the Barbarian. These changes bring expanded Reckless Attack options, a more stable Rage, enhanced skills, and overall improvements, allowing players to enjoy the Barbarian’s simplicity with added strategic variety.
Intriguingly, the Berserker class in Sunderfolk aligns closely with the revamped Barbarian from the 2024 D&D 5E changes rather than the original. It retains the beloved core aspects like rage and tactics that focus on hitting hard and tanking while integrating Sunderfolk’s strategic gameplay. This makes the Berserker an easy recommendation for players once Sunderfolk drops in 2025.
Now, let’s talk about Sunderfolk’s Berserker compared to D&D 5E’s Barbarian. The most striking difference lies in racial customization. While Dungeons and Dragons offers a plethora of races that perfectly suit a Barbarian, Sunderfolk selects races for its classes—here, the Berserker is a Bear. This translates to a different kind of customization, reflecting how each game embodies the class. D&D provides an abundance of magical items and equipment to fine-tune a Barbarian, whereas Sunderfolk’s arsenal consists of Weapons and Trinkets, offering a slightly different but equally compelling experience. Tabletop games, with their creative limits left to the imagination, inevitably differ from video games, but the essence remains akin, just manifest in a unique expression.
For instance, Sunderfolk characters swap out the D20 for Fate Decks. These still uphold that vital element of randomness that keeps tabletop gaming exhilarating but with an added twist—players can adjust bonuses and penalties through additional effects. Weapons grant distinctive abilities to their classes, with some activating outside conventional turn sequences, while trinkets provide small, yet impactful abilities like certain throwables or the creation of terrain-modifying vines. These customization possibilities mark significant differences between Sunderfolk’s and Dungeons and Dragons’ approaches, but both classes adhere to the traditional hit-and-tank style with strategic flair.
The strategic prowess really surfaces in the Berserker’s class abilities, highlighted recently on Sunderfolk’s official Twitter account. Its passive ability, known as Protector’s Fury, serves as its Rage mechanic. Mirroring its Dungeons and Dragons counterpart, this rage ups the damage dealt by two and reduces damage taken by one when active. A distinctive feature is that the Berserker’s Rage activates for one turn each time the Berserker takes damage, encouraging players to maintain this state by charging into frontline combat. Bulwark is a move that allows Berserkers to traverse four spaces, inflict four points of damage (pre-Rage), and provoke enemy attacks—thereby triggering Rage—and also provides Shield protection to reduce damage taken. Then there’s Fling, which lets the Berserker shift two spaces, launch an item or ally two spaces away, and then move two more spaces. This straightforward ability encapsulates the class’s core while echoing the strategic possibilities found in the 2024 DnD 5E Barbarian class.
During my exclusive preview of Sunderfolk earlier, I delved into some additional abilities. I unlocked a Whirlwind attack that targets multiple enemies, closely akin to Dungeons and Dragons’ Whirlwind Attack feat, exemplifying the Berserker/Barbarian class’s spirit perfectly. Moreover, I encountered another ability centered on movement and maximizing provocation of enemies, further tapping into the class’s strategic elements.
In conclusion, the Sunderfolk Berserker makes a compelling choice for fans of the DND Barbarian. It adeptly addresses common critiques of the pre-2024 Barbarian version, offering simplicity and all the attributes expected of its class without reverting to a monotonous combat strategy. The additional strategic elements bring depth to the Berserker, just as they do for the Barbarian, making it an exciting addition to any player’s arsenal.
