Alright, maybe this is just a shot in the dark but hey! What can I say? Maybe a quick fix would be to kill their exp penalty. I mean almost everyone could agree that they are not good enough to warrant one.
Quick fix for zerks!
Alright' date=' maybe this is just a shot in the dark but hey! What can I say? Maybe a quick fix would be to kill their exp penalty. I mean almost everyone could agree that they are not good enough to warrant one.[/quote']
All I will say is for a straight melee to have a dispel magic of any kind is warrant enough. Not to mention they can simple pound on caster classes before taking away their spells. Yeah, so can other classes, but not every one has the potential to do it so quickly as a zerk. Only reason I say leave the exp pen. is because, moreso than warriors IMHO, rely on their skills to win. Take a look at all the classes that have lots of skills you have to learn that you will use and you will see they all have exp pen (monk, blm, ninja, ranger, dark knight, with possibly paladin being one of the few exceptions).
Yeah, gotta agree with the above.
Dey
I've been thinking lately that it might help if relax had a chance to drop panic.
Prior to the changes Behrens made, Zerks weren't underpowered. I think they just needed the slight toning up that was given to them (and I may be wrong, but I believe there were a few more little secret extras than what was mentioned in the change log, from what I've heard). Since those changes, we haven't really seen a competent Zerk at fifty taking advantage of the extra benefits they've been given.
As it stands, I think the changes (although I haven't had change to fully experiment with them all) have made Zerks a lot more balanced. They don't really need something like this.
I still like the idea for being able to see if a Weapon/shield is burnproof on cleaving though, because it doesn't alter the balance of the class, just stops a Zerk getting pounded as they waste rounds trying to cleave someone's weapon that's had the burnproof affect added to it by one of the 'secret ways' of doing it, whilst just thinking they're having bad luck. 
http://www.forum.forsakenlands.org/showthread.php?t=8430
Dey
I do agree with dey, there should be some message saying the weapon cannot be destroyed. Perhaps,
You attempt to cleave someone's weapon/shield but you weapon doesnt even dent it.
this idea is freaking awesome. and it doesnt empower the skillset itself in any way. the only thing it does accomplish is allowing the player to close pk gaps faster, and will encourage more zerks. where's the downside again?
The downside is with the afore mentioned change, zerks will have a much larger portion of the PK base below them when they hit there strongest. As of now, the rank disadvantage probability is a balancing factor itself.
As it is, melees are hit hardest by level difference. I think lowering their exp penalty would make them quite a bit stronger.
I think berserkers should lose the autorage. I think it would make the path of devastation a little more viable.
i've read probably the most powerful of the "unspoken" changes to zerk in the shoutout's section, and while it's quite badass, it's not going to stop any wary player from setting a high wimpy, having basic sense, and getting away anyway. these changes were certainly called for, and wiping out their exp penalty is no crime either. crawling up the ranks faster with no exp penalty is just an good idea. maybe the only real possible headache is a 50 zerk beating on 42 high exp races. but who cares? those typical race/class combos have all the skills necessary to say byebye and live to fight another day. and even this sideffect isnt a big deal. i think this is a very smart and surgical way to boost the class without changing skillset.
Autorage is a price you pay for going with devastation. From what I've heard there should be an easy way to take advantage of what it now does.
I do think that headbutt should be given thuderclap effect when it lands (or have the chance to) - it gives the zerk a good chance to hunt down the caster fast (if they know what they are doing) if they are having a bit of trouble with movment. It also makes RP sense (gasp) as having someone smash you in the face with their forehead would be rather disorientating. Unsure of balance implications, possibly very few BUT I don't know if headbutt can actually destroy a prot shield now. I'd like to be able to stack them vs melee's (+1 tick for every land) but I don't know if I'll ever see that 
No XP pen....well, I think the power spikes they get don't warrant a 0xp pen.
L-A
when are these powerspikes? and against whom?
when are these powerspikes? and against whom?
OK, I'll bite - bear in mind I've had 3 lvl 50 zerks, one a caballed leader. I have some idea what I'm talking about.
Classes zerks powerspike vs (in no particular order):
Invoker
Psion
Monk
Blademaster
Druid
Paladin
As a zerk, you should find it easy overcoming these classes with very little opposition from them.
L-A