Bernice is a ranged character and a relatively recent addition to the game. You can dominate Lumia Island with Bernice, as he is strong and has powerful skill attacks.
This article will discuss his skills, build options, playing guide, duo and squad gameplay options, and strengths & weaknesses. First, let’s discuss his passive, QWER, and weapon skills, and then uncover other aspects of the African hunter.
Table of Contents
Bernice’s Skills
 | Leg Shot (Q) 60 SP; 8 secs cooldown Bernice fires an expanded projectile from his gun, dealing damage to enemies hit. Enemies hit are slowed for a few seconds. Rooted enemies take damage and are slowed for a moment. |
 | Foothold Trap (W) 30 SP; 20 secs cooldown Bernice sets a trap on the ground for a few seconds, dealing damage to enemies that step on them and rooting them for 1 second. He can hold up multiple Foothold Trap charges and can set multiple traps at a time depending on his level. |
 | Falconry (E) 60 SP; 14 secs cooldown Passive: Bernice marks enemies that step on a Foothold Trap, granting him vision and increasing his movement speed when moving towards the marked target. Bernice's normal attacks on marked enemies reduce the cooldowns of Leg Shot and Explosive Bola. Active: Bernice's falcon hovers in the air, increasing his vision for a moment. The Falcon marks a nearby enemy for a few seconds. |
 | Explosive Bola (R) 120 SP; 140 secs cooldown Bernice fires his bola bomb in a targeted direction, dealing damage to the first enemy hit and rooting them. After a few seconds, it explodes, dealing damage to the rooted enemy and spreading to the nearest enemy in a chain. |
 | Buckshot (Passive) No cost Bernice's normal attacks fire multiple bullets, fixing his base range and dealing damage depending on the number of bullets that hit enemies. He can reload faster depending on the level of Buckshot. Attack Range can be increased with items. |
 | Weapon Skill: Sniper (D) No cost; 35 secs cooldown Activate the sniper mode in the targeted direction. In sniper mode, your range of vision is increased and your view angle is narrowed. After choosing an enemy in your sight range to attack, they will be alerted that they are in your line of sight before you shoot and deal damage to them. You can end sniper mode by reactivating the effect. |
Buckshot – Passive
The Buckshot skill attack enables Bernice to fire 2/3/4 bullets in a given direction. The damage he deals with these shotgun attacks depends on the number of shots hitting enemies. The African hunter can refill his magazine 0.8/1.3/1.8 seconds quicker depending on the level of Buckshot.
Leg Shot – Q
Bernice unleashes an extended projectile from his short gun with this skill attack. Enemies hit receive damage and have their movement speeds slowed for 3 seconds. Opponent players that are rooted already gain extra damage and have slow movement speed for 3 seconds. The cooldown time for this skill is 5 to 7 seconds; the SP cost is 60-100.
Foothold Trap – W
Bernice sets a trap for his opponents with this skill. He will throw a foothold trap, and once enemies step on it, they receive damage. Enemies under the target of this trap keep receiving damage for 3 seconds, and they become rooted for 1.5 seconds. Bernice can set up multiple traps at a time, depending on his level. The cooldown time for this skill is 1 second, and the SP cost is 30-50.
Falconry – E
E skill of Bernice has two effects, a passive and an active one.
The passive impact of this skill means Bernice marks his opponents that step on a foothold trap. The movement speed of the African hunter also increases once he moves towards the marked enemy. Moreover, if Bernice casts his Normal attacks on the tracked enemy, the cooldown time for Leg Shot decreases by 0.5 seconds and that of Explosive Bola by 1-2 seconds.
The active effect of the E skill increases the vision Bernice for 8 seconds. During that time, Falcons hover over Bernice and marks a new opponent every 4 seconds (so usually, twice).
The cooldown time for the passive effect of the E skill is 6 seconds. On the contrary, the active E skill has a cooldown of 6-14 seconds. The overall SP cost for this skill attack is 60-120.
Explosive Bola – R
The ultimate attack of Bernice has a high impact; he throws a Bola in a given direction. Once the thrown material hits an enemy, it roots them for some time, and then the Bola explodes, dealing damage.
However, the skill move does not end here. After the first explosion, Bola moves to the another nearby target, repeating the cycle and dealing damage. The cooldown time for this skill attack is 100-140 seconds, and the SP cost is 120-180.
Sniper – D
Bernice can activate sniper mode with the D button. It will enable him to target his opponents while standing further away. However, enemies under the radar of Bernice will be alerted. The cooldown time for this skill is 25/35 seconds, and the range of attack is 20 meters. You can exit sniper mode by pressing D again.
Skill Leveling Order
R> Passive> Q> E> W
We would recommend you always put your points in maxing the R skill first if available. After that, Bernice’s passive skill is the most valuable. Maxing the passive skill helps in all those auto-attack builds, and it will keep your Buckshot level above the minimum point.
After the R and passive skills, you should max your Q skill. Q skill is the most damage-causing skill of the hunter. Therefore, you should keep it above W and E skills.
Once you have done that, you can increase either the W or the E skill as per your needs and preference. Both these skills are equally important, and you can place any of the above two on the second-last and the final slot. This skill order is the same for both of the builds mentioned below.
Bernice’s Builds
Polaris 4-Zoner build
Four Zones Polaris build for Bernice; Saved Plan ID 332593
Our first suggestion for Bernice would be to try the 4-zoner Polaris build. This build is a combination of speed and power, and it allows you to finish your weapon and shoes in the first two zones.
These items will make Bernice a major threat very early in the game. The early weapon finish will enable you to make early kills and dominate the starting part of your journey.
The ability to have 4 ammo differentiates Polaris from other sniper guns. Moreover, this weapon has a +110 Attack Power, a +35% Attack Speed, and it also has a Vision Range of +2. White Rhinos are the ideal choice for us; however, you can also go for Maverick Runner shoes. Both these shoes will finish in the second zone; however, the White Rhinos add Healing Reduction (-40%) to your attacks.
Items needed for this build are:
- Weapon: Polaris
- Chest: Optical Camouflage Suit
- Head: Motorcycle Helmet
- Arm: Radar
- Leg: White Rhinos
- Accessory: Schrodinger’s Box
Desired route for this build:
Uptown> Factory> Chapel> Dock
The 4-zoner route is always a bonus point in build options. What adds more easiness is the connectivity among all four zones. You would leave a zone and enter into right into the next route zone, allowing you to rush through.
The weapon of choice for this build is Polaris. You should gain the sniper weapon after the first two zones. Uptown is generally a moderate zone to start your journey. This zone usually isn’t too busy, but watch out as you might fight one or two others here. However, Factory is more competitive than the Uptown zone, and be careful of your opponents there.
Life Steal Build with Tac-50
Life Steal build for Bernice with Tac-50; Saved Plan ID 332596
The second build that fits well with Bernice is more focused on Life Steal. The weapon you would use in this build is Tac-50. Instead of Attack Speed and ammo like Polaris, this weapon focuses more on Attack Power (+128) and Life Steal (+20%).
Besides the sniper gun, the Butler’s Suit will also give you a fair amount of Life Steal (+20%). This build focuses more on dealing extra damage and relies on auto attacks for healing.
Items needed for this build are:
- Weapon: Tac-50
- Chest: Butler’s Suit
- Head: Tactical OPS Helmet
- Arm: Radar
- Leg: White Rhinos
- Accessory: Laced Quiver
Desired route for this build:
Uptown> Temple> Hospital> Avenue> School
This build has a five-zone route, and you would be finishing the Tac-50 sniper by the end of the second zone. Moreover, the Butler’s Suit and the Laced Quiver will finish after going through the Hospital zone.
One thing that you may miss in this build is Attack speed, especially in the early gameplay. To add that missing Attack Speed, you can rely on bamboo, leather, and green quiver for the early gameplay. For the latter part of the game, Laced Quiver, White Rhinos, and Radar will add a fair amount of Attack Speed in this build.
Having your weapon, chest, and accessory items finished after the first three zones will make you powerful. You can then be aggressive to make as many kills as you can in the last two zones.
How to Play Bernice
Bernice is a strong and powerful character in the game. He is inclined towards dealing damage to his opponents from the very first second of the game. His auto attacks deal considerable damage, and he can target his opponents from a long-range.
Almost all of his skill attacks are high damage dealers. You can afford to go as a killing beast in the game with gunshot attacks of Bernice. He is naturally ultra-attacking. If you add a few speedy players around him for duo and squad gameplays, he becomes unreachable, for sure!
Passive Skill Guide
It is highly essential to level Buckshot as much as you can. If you do so, you can reload the gunshot quicker, and more auto attacks will be available. The passive skill of Bernice should be your go-to skill for his auto-attacks. We suggest you put as many points as you can in this skill to level it up.
You can use the auto attacks of Bernice to knock down more than one enemy. It is always a viable option to launch multiple short gun bullets to harm 2 or 3 opponents at a time.
Q Skill Guide
The Q skill of this character is the primary damage dealer attack. This skill has a wide range of attacks, and the slowing effect is perfect for launching another skill attack afterward. Try to use this skill over rooted enemies as it will deal extra damage to them.
The Leg Shot attack has a low cooldown time and moderate SP cost. You can afford to use this skill attack quite frequently.
W Skill Guide
The W skill scales very well with its level; a higher level enables you to set multiple traps at a time, thus having more chance of enemies to fall into the trap.
This skill is handy, as it also roots your opponents besides causing damage. However, the execution of the W skill is not that easy. Sometimes, enemies may know your trap and get away from it. So, be precise and accurate while pressing the W button.
This skill requires only 1 second for cooldown, and SP cost is also lesser. Overall, this skill is solid, but mostly just for the later part of the game.
E Skill Guide
E skill of Bernice has multiple effects. This skill increases your vision and movement speed for a few seconds. However, this skill is not a damage dealer. The use of this skill would be to have a better vision range and increased movement speed. Moreover, this skill is also handy for reducing the cooldown time for Q and W skill attacks.
Moreover, you can also use this skill attack in combination with other moves to deal extra damage. The increased movement speed will enable you to catch fleeing enemies. Charge towards your opponents and unleash the shotgun fires to deal more damage.
R skill Guide
The ultimate skill attack of this character is definitely a winning move. You can target your opponents in a range of 8 meters. The best part about this skill is that it repeats itself. The explosive material will transfer from one enemy to the other, and it keeps on dealing damage.
Fighting against a duo or squad team is the best possible place to use this skill. You need to make sure your opponents are close to each other. In this way, the Bola will keep on targeting your opponents one by one in a cycle.
Weapon Skill Guide (Sniper)
You can shoot the sniper gun within 5 seconds after activating the weapon skill. Your attack range becomes massive, i.e., 20 meters. The only issue we see is that enemies under the radar of sniper scores will be alerted. They may run away from you until you shoot them.
We would suggest you refrain from the frequent use of this weapon skill when someone is around you. This skill will narrow down the vision area, and you would only focus on the distant enemies only. You can cancel the sniper mode any time by pressing the D button again.
Teams and Match-ups for Bernice
Bernice is a recently added character to the game. He uses a sniper rifle as a weapon. You can add a few players around him with the same weapon choice for duo and squad gameplay. He is a powerful character; however, he misses those quick reflexes and fast moves. Therefore, you can go for characters that are quick to move and offer handy assistance to Bernice. Following are a few characters who can play well with the South African hunter.
Duo gameplay
For duo gameplay, we highly recommend you to team up with Rozzi or Aya. Both of these players are quick and relatively hard to catch. Rozzi has an aggressive gameplay style and can take on any opponent. However, Aya is also a strong character, and she can also choose a sniper rifle like Bernice. The same weapon choice between Aya and Bernice will keep them closer to each other most of the time.
Either Aya or Rozzi, while making a duo combination with Bernice, becomes hard to beat. However, there are a few players to watch out for. For example, Jackie, Magnus, and Chiara are also stronger characters in the game. So, be cautious against them. Other than these players, we believe you can win against the majority of the characters.
Squad gameplay
While going for squads, Bernice has plenty of options. You can make Aya, Rozzi, Isol, and Cathy teammates. These players well-build and are strong like Bernice; however, they have fast-moving feet, and they catch up to any opponent in no time.
You should win 8/10 times while competing with a majority of the players or squads. Play aggressively and run into enemies to knock them down. An offensive gameplay style will make you win games in squad gameplays with Bernice.
Bernice’s Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
- This character is new to the list of players, and people don’t know how to counter him: Many players are not fully aware of the tips & tricks when fighting against Bernice. You can surprise your opponents by mastering this character.
- Bernice can turn a sniper rifle into a deadly shotgun: The nomadic hunter can turn his sniper weapon into a Shotgun by firing some basic attacks. This ability enables him to deal insanely high damage within a close range using auto attacks.
- Bernice is a threat for many—right from the start: He quickly finishes his weapon and items that provide him attack speed and attack power. With early item finishes, he makes early kills and becomes a deadly player.
Weaknesses
- Bernice has only one weapon option: A Sniper gun is the only option for Bernice. The limited weapon choice means lesser build route options and a competitive Island journey.
- Bernice can sometimes run out of Ammo: Sniper rifles generally have lesser ammo. You may sometimes run out of bullets in the middle of a fight. While your passive mitigates the reload time, it is still something to watch out for.
