Bersi

Bersi is a varl Hero character contracted to protect Ludin, met while Hakon is traveling with Vognir.

Background
Of all of Ludin's traveling companions, Bersi is the most likely to stand out, being a literal giant amongst men. Even Ludin seems afraid of him, which might be the primary reason he hasn't been sent away. On the rare occasion it has been whispered that the Varl doesn't even work for the prince, but some other group altogether. What is well known is that he's already saved Ludin's life on more than one occasion.

Instead of leading the life of a warrior like most of the other Varl, Bersi became a sword-for-hire. One of his jobs involved pretending to be a brigand to toughen up apprentice menders and teach them the necessity of using violence. He was also once hired by the Mender Council to find Iver who had disappeared after the Second Great War.

Active Ability: Tempest

 * The Warhawk uses his massive weight to sweep his weapon around himself, hitting multiple adjacent targets, friend or foe, for normal strength damage.


 * Tempest hits the selected enemy target plus additional units, friend or foe, moving in a clockwise fashion around the Warhawk. After clicking on the enemy target (and before ticking to confirm the action) the units to be hit are highlighted with the purple-filled tiles.


 * Rank 1: hits up to 2 targets
 * Rank 2: hits up to 3 targets
 * Rank 3: hits up to 4 targets


 * Tempest triggers the Warhawk's passive ability, Heavy Impact, which in turn can cause a chain reaction of destruction if used in close quarters. Keeping the Warhawk out of harm's way until late in the fight will maximize his effectiveness.

Second Active Ability: Choice

 * In the second part of The Banner Saga, when Bersi reaches Rank 6, he can choose a second active ability between:


 * Sunderingimpact_icon.png Sundering Impact (Warmaster), like Hakon
 * Forgeahead_icon.png Forge Ahead (Warleader), like Krumr

Passive Ability: Heavy Impact

 * The Warrior hits so hard that any enemies standing adjacent to his target on a strength attack take 1 strength damage from the shockwave.


 * Hitting a large target like a Varl or Dredge who takes up four tiles can potentially cause an impact across many more victims than hitting a single-square target such as a human.

Joining the Party
Saga 1:  Bersi is Ludin's bodyguard and joins Hakon's caravan along with the Prince, in Chapter 3.

Saga 2:  He will be a member of Alette/Rook's caravan from the beginning of Chapter 7. He will later join with the Ravens after the caravan split at Ormsdalr at the end of Chapter 8, despite Ludin continuing with the Skogr caravan.

Saga 3: Bersi is present in Iver's party from the start of Chapter 17.

Possible Death or Departure
Saga 1:  Bersi will leave the caravan if you choose to send Ludin away, in Chapter 3. However, he will fight with you (along with Yrsa) in Ridgehorn if you knock-out the senseless Prince for his own welfare. Although if Ludin falls in battle at Ridgehorn so will Bersi.

Saga 2:  There is no event leading to his death or departure.

Saga 3:


 * Bersi will die in chapter 19 if you loose the battle against the warped in Ridgehorn.


 * Bersi will die in chapter 21 if you lose the battle against Bolverk.

Playstyle

 * Bersi starts out with average stats but his Tempest ability can give him a lot of kills, earning him fast promotions.
 * Investing only on Armor and Strength is suggested.
 * Keep him safe from harm until the enemies have been sufficiently broken.
 * Typically, he will be your second-choice Warhawk, assuming that Gunnulf occupies the first spot.

Trivia

 * His name loosely translates to "He-Bear".
 * Bersi is one of the main characters in the short story What is Told by Alex Thomas. Spoilers about his relationship with Ludin can be found therein.