Berserker (Origins)

Berserker in Thedas
Experienced warriors tell of the horrors of war, of steeling one’s courage and fighting through pain and fear that would cripple lesser men. According to them, to give over to rage in battle is to hand victory to your opponents; anger clouds one’s mind and forces a warrior to make foolish and often fatal mistakes. The deadly berserkers dare (for a berserker would never beg) to differ. To them, the only way to conquer the terror of war is to become that terror yourself.

Founded centuries ago as a fighting tradition among the dwarves of the Frostback Mountains, the berserker philosophy is simple: embrace the rage, internalize the terror, and wreak horror upon the field of battle. When a berserker rages, finesse, precision, and honor cower in the face of pure violence and blades flash in a haze of red mist. While this makes berserkers unpredictable on the field, it also makes them terrifying to behold and even the vile and mindless darkspawn have been known to cower in the face of a squad of raging berserkers.

While berserkers make up a significant part of the dwarven warrior castes, the tradition was long ago taught to the Avvar barbarians in the Frostbacks and through them made its way to the Ash Warriors, who are themselves the most renowned mercenaries in human lands. Today, many human and dwarf armies go into battle with a squad or two of berserkers, always on the front lines, ready to go mad and kill without fear.

Unlocking
Oghren will teach you if your approval is high enough. Alternatively, the manual is available from Gorim in the Denerim market place.

Notable Berserkers

 * Oghren
 * Piotin

Reference
Dragon Age: Origins - PRIMA Official Strategy Guide

Specialization Mixing
The Beserker specilization is very useful against most enemies, but often lacks the ability to deal with a mage. Once you have the chance to choose a second specialization, it is wise to select the Templar specialization. Due to its anti-mage capabilities such as Righteous Strike and Cleanse Area, it gives the Beserker a much better chance of dealing heavier damage to a mage. Also Beserkers can easily fall victim to magic spells such as Vulnerability Hex which require a large mental reisistance to resist the spell. With the Mental Fortress ability it is possible to shrug off most of those spells, making the Beserkers job alot easier.