How the Berserker Mastery Actually Works in Grim Dawn

This isn't a repeat of the Overview page -- it's a closer, mechanical look at how the Berserker mastery actually functions moment to moment, based on official confirmed details and community testing since Fangs of Asterkarn launched.

The Core Rule: Pick a Lane

Onslaught and the wereforms do not work together, and this single interaction decides your entire build. Onslaught is a default-attack replacer -- and default-attack replacers are switched off the moment you're shapeshifted. Deciding between an Onslaught weapon build and a shapeshifted wereform build isn't a preference, it's a structural choice the mastery forces on you early.

How Onslaught Works

Each attack with Onslaught (the default-attack replacer) generates a stack, and each stack adds 15% damage to your next offensive cooldown skill -- but stacks expire after roughly 4 seconds regardless of how many you've built up. This rewards a specific rhythm: build stacks, then spend them promptly on a cooldown skill like Cold Snap (which launches 8 piercing ice projectiles in every direction) rather than hoarding stacks defensively.

Werewolf vs. Wereraven

• Werewolf keeps your weapon damage intact and leans into Bleeding effects -- a good fit if you don't want to fully abandon weapon-based itemization.
• Wereraven drops weapon damage entirely in exchange for Cold damage and Talon attacks (like Ice Talons, a Pierce-and-Cold attack with roughly 10.5 meters of range) -- a more committed shapeshifted playstyle.

Wereraven specifically unlocks once you've advanced the Berserker mastery bar to its 10-point threshold -- this is tied to the mastery bar, not your character's overall level, so don't wait for a specific level milestone before checking if it's available.

Damage Types and Conversion

The Berserker primarily deals Cold, Bleeding, and Piercing damage, with skill modifiers available to convert Cold and Pierce into Chaos damage -- worth knowing if you're planning to pair the mastery with a second mastery that has strong Chaos damage synergies.

See the full data: Grim Dawn: Fangs of Asterkarn Classes