Heinrich/Armored Berserker

''“ANGEL…. ANGELLL…”''

Otherwise known as the Angel Killer, the Armored Berserker is a feral humanoid with seemingly no intelligence whatsoever and limitless hate for angels.

Biography
The Armored Berserker appeared in the Forest of Spirits. His fearsome appearance terrified the forest's inhabitants, the Fairies and Elves. However, he never attacked them. When Luka and his party visit the forest, they hear about the Berserker. Luka suspects the fairies and elves are just prejudiced and that the Berserker is relatively friendly despite his appearance.

It’s not a few moments after Luka acquires Sylph before he starts feeling a tingling sensation. If Ilias was recruited, she comments that it seems like holy magic which went “berserk and degenerated”. The Berserker promptly materializes behind them. His whole vocabulary appears to consist of "ANGEL". He attacks them.

If the Berserker defeats the party, he is about to deliver the final blow to Luka when Nero materializes between them and blocks the attack with his scythe. Neris takes the unconscious Luka and his companions back to the Pocket Castle and leaves Nero to deal with the Armored Berserker alone. Which Nero does, effortlessly. Before turning into particles, the Berserker screams “WWWOOOOOoooo”, likely shocked by how powerful Nero is. Nero notes that he wasn’t destroyed and that so long as his soul remains, he will go berserk again and again.

If Luka and the others manage to defeat the Berserker, Nero and Neris do not intervene and the party remains in the forest, rather than being transported to the castle. Luka still acquires access to the angel race in this scenario. The Berserker’s defeat also leaves Alice or Ilias visibly confused, considering the large difference in power that should be between him and the party at this point. This is the only scene where Angel Halo makes an appearance on Ilias route. It is unknown if it is the Heinrich of this world or of another dimension.

Monsterpedia
''“A mysterious swordsman that appears in spiritual locations, like the Forest of Spirits. It is covered in a bizarre substance that has solidified its whole body like armour. It seems to have completely lost its reason, and communicating with it is impossible. Its purpose and identity are unknown, but it appears to relentlessly target angels and wields extraordinary power.”''

Attacks

 * Red Lotus Flame Dance – Physical Attack, Random Enemy, Attack 4 Times, Fire Attribute, Burn 10%
 * Shadow Messiah – Certain Hit, All Enemies, Dark Attribute
 * Angel-Disintegrating Slash – Physical Attack, One Enemy, Angel Attribute
 * Angel Dust – Certain Hit, All Enemies, Angel Attribute

Strategy
He isn't supposed to be beaten the first time you encounter him. It is, however, still possible, even without an excessive amount of grinding.

A strategy is to have someone that can use Song of Energy/Life etc. to regenerate the team’s SP/HP, 1 or 2 healers and someone that can hit really hard using SP skills (an example is Luka with the Hero job maxed out). He's resistant to sonic, bio and status ailments so don't rely on those. Note that his Angel attribute attacks do additional damage to angels, so avoid having Ilias or Promestein in the party. Furthermore, dodge is ineffective, meaning only damage reduction can (and must) be used to reduce his output.

Should you decide to beat him on the first try, an alternate way is to stall your visit to the Forest of Spirits and complete the area around Monte Carlo (or even further) first.

Trivia

 * The trailer for Part 1 contains a scene in which the Armored Berserker and Black Alice stand next to each other, suggesting that they might be working together. However, it's unclear which of the possible Black Alice's this is.