The Path of the Berserker, which is widely considered one of the worst Barbarian subclasses 5e offers, has seen some crucial changes in the latest One D&D playtest. The document was released by Wizards of the Coast on April 26, and it proposes a new version of the Frenzy feature that doesn’t give your DnD Barbarian any levels of exhaustion 5e.
In fifth edition, the Berserker’s Frenzy lets your Barbarian make a melee weapon attack as a bonus action every turn. Once your Rage ends, though, you’ll pay for it in a level of exhaustion. Racking up too many of these can kill a character, and they’re not the easiest things to get rid of during play.
The new 50-page playtest document has given Frenzy a complete makeover. Now, the feature lets you deal extra damage to the first target you hit on your turn if you’ve used Reckless Attack during a Rage. The extra damage is a number of d6s equal to your Rage Damage bonus.
The remaining Berserker subclass features have also been tweaked as part of the playtest. Mindless Rage now ends the charmed and frightened conditions that might be affecting your Barbarian, while the current fifth edition version merely postpones them.
Retaliation is now gained at level ten, and Intimidating Presence has moved to level 14. Intimidating Presence has also been expanded so it can frighten multiple creatures rather than just one. Your Rage can extend its range, and you no longer have to spend an action to boost its duration.
The core Barbarian class has been tweaked, too. The One DnD Barbarian can extend their Rage with a bonus action each round, lasting up to ten minutes. The class has several new features: Weapon Mastery, Primal Knowledge, Rage Resurgence, and Epic Boon. Existing class features have also been tweaked and moved to different levels.
The Barbarian is just one of the DnD classes that are included in the full playtest document. Wizards of the Coast has also proposed changes to DnD weapons and 5e feats, as well as new 5e spells for the DnD Warlock, DnD Wizard, and DnD Sorcerer.