Berdly
Berdly
- Face
- Face (Dark World)
- Overworld
- Dark World
That’s LORD Berdly to you simpletons!
Relationships
- Noelle Holiday (friend; academic partner; classmate)
- Queen (ally; former boss)
- Kris (ally; classmate; former enemy)
- Susie (ally; classmate; former enemy; crush)
- Alphys (teacher)
HP
- 1985 (first battle)
- 900 (second battle)
D$ on Win
- 0 (First battle)
- 258 (Second Battle)
ACTs
- Check, Bump, BumpX (first battle)
- Check, Play Dumb, Play Smart (second battle)
- Check, Glare, Wake (Snowgrave Route)
Fear not, my beloved Noelle!!
This valiant warrior of brave intelligence
Will be your knight in glow in the dark armor!Berdly when summoned by Queen
Berdly is a character in Deltarune, appearing as a minor character in Chapter 1 and the secondary antagonist turned ally in Chapter 2. The smugly self-proclaimed “Number 1” student in school, he is one of Kris‘s classmates and early rivals, and Noelle‘s study partner.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Berdly resembles a large bluebird, with blue feathers and a yellow beak, and he wears framed glasses and a button-up shirt.
In the Dark World, he wears white-and-orange futuristic armor, and an eyepiece. His feathers are also cyan instead of blue. In battle, Berdly uses a green laser halberd, with a yellow ax blade and yellow eyes embedded into the ax head. His attire is similar to Falco from Star Fox.
Personality[]
Berdly is sarcastic, arrogant, shows great self-esteem, and considers himself the smartest student of his class. He is shown to be very disdainful of his fellow classmates (especially Susie), but has respect for Noelle, whom he considers the second smartest student. However, this respect is very condescending. Upon entering the Cyber World, Berdly’s megalomania turns out to be even more serious than previously realized, as he plans to create a Dark Fountain so he can build a world where he is idolized, with Noelle as his second.
Berdly is very unaware of how others perceive him. For instance, he is oblivious to Noelle’s contempt and thinks she is in love with him, and also fails to understand that Queen views him as her minion rather than an ally.
Despite his arrogant and annoying disposition, Berdly is shown to not be as clever as he thinks he is, as demonstrated by his inability to solve puzzles. He eventually confesses that he never really thought he was as intelligent as he claimed, and that he was only able to get good grades because Noelle helped him with his homework. His insecurities begin to eat him alive to a point where he feels everyone’s expectations of him are so high, he can’t imagine how it feels if he can’t live up to them, or even what happens if he can’t get along without Noelle’s, or anyone else’s, help. After Susie reassures him that he doesn’t need to be smart, Berdly decides he wants to be an idiot instead, much to her annoyance. Once he wakes up from his “dream” in Dark World, though still unsure whether or not what he experienced was a dream, his opinion of Kris and Susie begins to soften somewhat, even going so far as to think of Susie as some form of role model.
Berdly is also a huge video game fanatic and seeks a partner who shares this interest. He does, however, despise mobile video games.
During the Snowgrave Route, upon meeting Berdly after the Annoying Mouse Puzzle Room 3, Berdly shows capacity to understand the situation Noelle is in, and that he cares about her enough to fight the party and attempt to free her from Kris’s wrongdoings, unbeknownst to him that they are under the player’s influence.
Main Story[]
History[]
As a child, Berdly was considered forgettable to his peers, and few even bothered to remember his name. His only friend was Noelle Holiday, his classmate and study partner.
One day, at the school spelling bee, Noelle and Berdly were the final two contestants standing, as they had studied together the night before in preparation. However, Noelle suddenly became nervous and couldn’t speak when spelling the word “December,” handing the victory to Berdly. Berdly did not believe he deserved to win, but found he enjoyed the attention and praise he received from his peers, and quickly became addicted to the idea of “being smart.”
Since then, Berdly always worked to be “Number 1” in his class, worrying that he may not live up to everyone’s high expectations. He secretly knew that Noelle was smarter than him, and continued studying with her over the years to maintain his good grades.
Chapter 1[]
When Kris first enters the classroom, Berdly is at his desk along with the other students. If spoken to, he chastises Kris for being late and says he is already partnered with the second smartest student, Noelle, implying that he is the smartest. When Noelle asks Alphys for permission to let Kris join them and make a group of three, Berdly vehemently objects, believing that Kris would prevent them from getting an A. Before the matter can be settled, Susie enters the room and Kris is partnered with her instead.
After school, Berdly works as a volunteer assistant at the Librarby. If spoken to there, he congratulates Kris on surviving Susie, sarcastically offering a discount on their “family debt” of 2583 days of overdue fines for How to Draw Dragons. If addressed after Kris visits the Hospital, Kris apparently asks him to go by the hospital window, presumably so that Rudy can throw something at him. Berdly declines the offer.
Chapter 2[]
At some point between class and Kris and Susie leaving Castle Town, Berdly enters the Cyber World, where he and Noelle are captured by Queen. Queen plans to use Noelle’s powers as a Lightner to open more Dark Fountains and create a “perfect world”, but Noelle is reluctant to join her. However, Berdly likes the plan and joins Queen against her will. Later, at the end of the Cyber Field, Kris, Susie and Ralsei fight Berdly in bumper cars, resulting in Berdly’s coaster exploding and him falling off the rails.
Unable to find Queen or Noelle, Berdly explores Cyber City to search for them, and he makes a truce with Kris until they find their respective teams, unaware that Queen and Noelle are both nearby hiding from him.
Normal Route[]
During his search, Berdly bakes a battery acid pie (which he calls “Gamer’s Delight”) and commissions Sweet Cap’n Cakes to build a giant golden statue of himself in hopes of impressing Queen, who continues to avoid him. Later on, Berdly finds Kris again in the Annoying Mouse Puzzle Room 3 while Noelle is on the platform of the puzzle. He continues to talk to Kris, completely oblivious to the fact that Noelle is right next to him.
Eventually, Berdly spots Kris and Noelle together and immediately jumps to the conclusion that Kris has taken Noelle captive. He proceeds to battle them, ignoring Noelle’s protests. After the battle, he once again leaves to find Queen, who narrowly avoids him.
When Kris reunites with Susie and Ralsei, the player has the choice to give a gift to Berdly. If so, Berdly appears, bewildered that Kris has abandoned their truce to team up with Susie. Regardless, he thanks Kris for the gift, which is a Berdly plush. He also joins the party for that room before leaving once again to search for Queen.
Right before the party enters Queen’s Mansion, Queen stops them and tries to take Noelle captive, threatening to give a “Certain Bird” (implying Berdly) “A Ride In The Acid River” if she refuses. After Kris and Susie escape their rooms, Berdly joins them, however, he does not help at all. He attempts to solve the puzzles that follow but is repeatedly upset when Kris continues to find the answer first. After the third room, Berdly tells Kris, Susie, and Lancer his backstory. Realizing that his own delusions of “superiority” and a perfect world put Noelle in danger, Berdly confesses that he’s really not that smart after all. Susie and Lancer forgive him and tell him it is okay to make mistakes, but Berdly misinterprets this and thinks they are asking him to be stupid, which to their annoyance he gladly accepts. Regardless, he changes for the better and is on the party’s side for the rest of the journey.
Fearing for Noelle’s safety, Berdly comes up with a plan for him and Susie to rescue her using his knowledge of a secret passageway. Berdly meets Susie and Noelle on the roof and intends to take the latter to safety while the others battle Queen. However, this plan goes awry when Berdly confesses his crush on Susie to Noelle, which infuriates her. The two are then recaptured by Queen off-screen, and she places Berdly under mind control using a face plug, forcing him to once again battle against the Lightners.
Defeating him during Queen’s second battle by loosening the cable on his face allows him to unplug it without much effort. Noting on the party’s courage and mercy, Berdly officially declares himself to be on their side, causing Queen to retreat. However, his energy is already drained by the cable, so he is unable to assist in the final battle.
Unable to fight, Berdly instead gathers Sweet Cap’n Cakes, Rouxls Kaard and the other Darkners to construct the giant Thrash mech, which allows the party to battle against GIGA Queen. Afterwards, Berdly attempts to open another Dark Fountain at Noelle’s request, but is stopped by Ralsei, who informs them all about The Roaring, which also convinces Queen to abandon her plan. When Kris seals the Cyber World Fountain, Berdly wakes up in the Library believing the adventure was all a dream, but considers studying with Kris and Susie again in the future.
If Berdly is defeated through fighting in any of his battles, the fight against Queen ends differently as he tries to pull the plug off his face prematurely. This results in him being electrocuted and his right arm being injured. If he injures his arm this way in the Dark World, when the Lightners wake up in the Library, he realizes that he cannot move that arm, prompting Noelle to carry his books for him and dismissing his arm as merely asleep.
Snowgrave Route[]
Berdly’s encounter with Kris and Noelle after Annoying Mouse Puzzle Room 3 goes much differently. After noticing that Noelle is acting unusual and expressing genuine concern for how Kris is treating her, Berdly attacks Kris. Kris convinces Noelle to use the SnowGrave spell on Berdly, which immediately encases him in a large prism of ice. He does not appear for the remainder of the adventure in the Cyber World.
After the Dark Fountain is sealed and the computer lab returns to normal, Kris, Susie, Noelle, and Berdly appear at one of the tables, but Berdly appears to be unconscious. Noelle assumes that he fell asleep during their studying and leaves him behind. Interacting with Berdly displays the text “(He doesn’t seem to be awake.)” When Kris cleans up and leaves the computer lab, Berdly does not appear with them, and he cannot be found anywhere else in town that day.
Berdly’s condition and fate at the end of this route are unknown. However, the SnowGrave spell is noted as “fatal” during battle. At the hospital, the sliding bead toy now has a blue bead torn off from the tracks, suggesting that Berdly has died.
It is worth noting that Berdly does not turn into dust upon death in traditional monster fashion, leaving only a corpse, suggesting Berdly has actually fallen down, rather than died.
In Battle[]
Attacks[]
- Tornado 1: Berdly summons a wall of four tornadoes that fly to the left one by one. This attack goes unused in the Snowgrave Route.
- Tornado 2: Berdly summons four tornadoes that fly towards the center. This attack goes unused in the first encounter.
- Chirashi: Berdly shoots papers with “A+” written on them. In the Snowgrave Route, Berdly shoots more papers per wave, with reduced time between waves.
- Spear Blast: Berdly shoots a trail of projectiles in a curvy line, telegraphed by a thin red line. The trail stays for a moment, before releasing small projectiles that point in the direction they will fly. In the Snowgrave Route, the number of projectiles are doubled and this attack is also quicker than usual.
Strategy[]
To win the first battle by ACTing, the party needs to bump into Berdly’s car. Each individual bump gives +6% Mercy. BumpX gives 18% Mercy. Berdly’s attacks during this encounter always cycle between Tornado 1, Chirashi, and Spear Blast in that order.
To win the second battle, the party can continuously use ACT by Kris playing dumb, acting smart with Noelle, or have Noelle to talk to Berdly in order for him to give mercy. Once the mercy bar is full, the battle automatically ends. Play Smart grants +16% Mercy, however, a better combination may be Kris’s Play Dumb along with Noelle’s N-Action for +18% Mercy.
In the battle with Queen, the party can continuously loosen the plug on his face while the Queen is defenseless.
Quotes[]
First Encounter[]
Battle
- Kris, I get why you’re getting in my way! You’re jealous, aren’t you!?
- Kris, you’re tired of being the class No.3, gazing distantly at Noelle and I’s fruited figures…
- So rather than ever STUDYING, you’d enlist SUSIE to take us down!
- Kris… you are truly depraved. Playing in the mud with the class hellion.
- But Kris, I am a kind and brave hero! If you come to our side… You may be a slightly less distant No. 3! Haha… slightly.
- What? My car is breaking!? Fools! This is Smart Smoke! It means my car is getting stronger! Ha! Go ahead, “bump” me, bumpbarians! I’ll show you “bumper cars” is a game of INTELLECT, not skill!
- Partake, Kris! The zephyr of punishment! [Tornado attack]
- Look, Susie! The closest you’ll ever get to an “A”! [Paper attack]
- Holy Halbird! Grant me strength! [Spear attack]
Post-Battle
- W-what…? My coaster, it’s…!
- Wh… what!? That’s not fair!!!
- M… My Queen… Save me…!!!
Second Encounter[]
Battle (normal route)
- Kris! I get it! Your head’s gotten big from solving that puzzle by DUMB LUCK!
- So now you think it’s your chance to usurp me at my weakest… By taking my most precious thing… Noelle!
- But guess what, Kris! I have one or more things you will NEVER have! Behold!!! Comrades!!!
- That’s right, Kris! Unlike YOU, I have a LOVING TEAM behind me! And you’ll never beat US fighting alone! … h-hey, wait, where’d the other guys go!? [Werewires defeated]
- My… my allies are gone? Ha! They’re probably just… Helping Queen search for me! Sh… shut up, Kris! Shut up! I don’t care if you’re not saying anything! [Werewires defeated]
- S-summon more guys!? I… I don’t need to do that! Just WAIT! The original ones are gonna come back any minute now! [Werewires defeated]
- That’s right, Kris! Unlike YOU, I have a LOVING TEAM behind me! And you’ll never beat US fighting alone! [Werewires not defeated]
- Kris… you’re outmatched! My team is rich in natural resources! Intelligence, yes. Smarts, yes. Nipples, future YES. [Werewires not defeated]
- Don’t worry, it’s part of my calculations! [Berdly attacking Noelle]
- Partake, Kris! The zephyr of punishment! [Tornado attack]
- See if you can dodge this, Kris! [Paper attack]
- Holy Halbird! Grant me strength! [Red line attack]
Battle (Snowgrave Route)
- [Kris down for first time]
- Berdly: N-Noelle, look! Kris is down!
- Berdly: Now’s your chance to come back over here!
- Berdly: …
- Berdly: N… Noelle?
- Noelle: (I can… still… hear… their voice…)
Post-Battle
- Berdly: D-damn it!
- Noelle: Berdly, are you okay…? Kris, maybe we should have gone easier on him…
- Berdly: Go easier!? Ha! Haha! Hahaha! The only one going easy mode, was me!
- Noelle: You look… Exhausted.
- Berdly: I’m only tired of HOLDING BACK MY TRUE POWER! Ah, Noelle. It’d be too simple to save you now. Kris! Go ahead and train your strength values. Try hard, and maybe someday you’ll be a worthy rival. Heh! Sometimes I can’t believe how cool I am…
- Noelle: (He hit me in the face with a tornado…) [If Noelle is not at full HP]
- Noelle: (If he would just listen to me…) [If Noelle is at full HP]
- Noelle: Kris…? … Um, about just now… … (Seems like whatever was happening. They snapped themselves out of it… Proceed… Why… did they keep saying that…?) …w-wait, I get it! You were just trying to make Berdly mad, weren’t you?! Come on, that’s not nice, Kris. …Though, it’s not like I don’t understand the feeling. Fahahaha. I guess we both kind of got carried away…! … (Really though, what… was I thinking?) [Sparing Berdly on Snowgrave Route]
Flavor Text[]
First Encounter[]
- Berdly rides in! [Encounter]
- Go! Use your roller coaster cars to play “bump of chicken”! [Check]
- Berdly gives the secret sign! But Queen is busy with a coloring book! [Neutral]
- Berdly calls Queen for help! But Queen is pretending to be on the phone! [Neutral]
- Berdly asks Queen what snacks they have at home! Queen nods! She has earbuds in! [Neutral]
- Berdly summons Queen! Queen calls in sick! [Neutral]
- Berdly shows Queen his card collection! Queen escaped successfully. [Neutral]
- Berdly asks Queen for healing! She says “You’re Doing Great Honey” [Low HP]
- Berdly’s coaster car thing looks sick. [More than 75% Mercy]
Second Encounter[]
Normal Route
- Berdly blocks the way! [Encounter]
- He usually only gets this mad when you play games together. [Check]
- Berdly laughs and goes to his mind palace. [Neutral]
- Smells like frozen chicken. [Neutral]
- Berdly crushes his Smart Scouter out of frustration. [Neutral]
- Berdly tries to entice Noelle to his side by gyrating his hips! [Neutral]
- Berdly preens condescendingly. [Neutral]
- Berdly thanks Noelle profusely. [Neutral]
Snowgrave Route
- Enemy Weakness: ICE. Try your strongest ice spell. [Check]
- You glared at Berdly! [Glare]
- [Berdly] Wh… what!? Trying to psyche me out, Kris!?
- [Berdly] W-well… It’s not working!!
- Berdly’s DEFENSE dropped!
- You told Noelle to concentrate! [Wake]
- [Noelle] Concentrate on what…?
- Her MAGIC increased!
- But it failed. [N-Action] [SnowGrave, #1]
- [Noelle] S… Snowgrave?
- [Noelle] I… I don’t know that spell.
[SnowGrave, #2]
- [Noelle] I’m telling you, I… I…
- [Noelle] I don’t know what you’re talking about.
[SnowGrave, #3]
- [Noelle] I’m telling you, stop!
- [Noelle] I… I don’t know what you’re talking about!
[SnowGrave, #4]
- [Noelle] …
- [Noelle] Fine. You want to see what happens so bad?
- [Noelle] Watch what happens when I cast a spell I don’t know!
- Noelle cast SNOWGRAVE! [SnowGrave, successful]
- [Noelle] …
- [Noelle] What…
- [Noelle] What happened?
- [Noelle] There was so much snow, I couldn’t see anything…
- [Noelle] I…
- [Noelle] I don’t feel so good.
- [Noelle] I think
- [Noelle] I’m going to go home.
Relationships[]
Noelle Holiday[]
Noelle is Berdly’s school partner and the only student he doesn’t snob, as he views her as his only friend. Regardless, he continues to boast his condescending front and calls her the second smartest student, showing that he still views himself as superior. Berdly rarely takes her actual feelings into consideration, as seen when Noelle asks if Kris can join their project in a group of three, which he immediately objects, firmly stating that Kris would only weigh them down.
During their time in the Dark World, Berdly tries without success to rebuild a perfect world with the help of Queen, but Noelle doesn’t play along, leading to a fight between them.
After joining the party, he eventually reveals that Noelle actually helps him study, and that, deep down, he views her as better than him. Berdly, completely oblivious to Noelle’s crush on Susie, assumes that Noelle is helping him because she has a crush on him. Berdly doesn’t return this perceived crush, telling Noelle not to be jealous as he has a crush on Susie instead.
When telling Noelle about his crush on Susie, Noelle grabs and shakes him, but this small rivalry doesn’t last long and after exiting the Dark World, the two, thinking they had a dream, seem to be on good terms.
Despite the feud between him and Noelle, he still cares about her. This is prominent in the Snowgrave Route, where he notices the unbalanced power dynamic Kris has over Noelle and attempts to save her.
Kris[]
Little is known about Kris and Berdly’s past history, but during Chapter 1 it is clear that the two share a deep mutual dislike for each other. While Berdly looks down on all his classmates, he seems to take particular joy in tormenting Kris, memorizing their overdue library fees and even laughing at the idea of working with them in a group project with Noelle. Additionally, if the two speak after Kris visits Rudolph Holiday, Kris tells Berdly (without prompting from the player) to stand outside the Hospital window, implying that they want to see Berdly get hurt. In Chapter 2, it is also stated that Berdly becomes very angry when playing games with Kris, implying that Kris often defeats him in said games.
In the Dark World, Berdly and Kris’s rivalry continues when he sides with Queen against the party, accusing Kris of being jealous of his academic success. Even during their brief truce, Berdly constantly mocks Kris’s intelligence for seemingly no reason. However, it soon becomes apparent why Berdly dislikes Kris: he considers them to be the “Number 3” student behind himself and Noelle, and though Berdly insists on his own superiority, he secretly fears that Kris might actually be smarter than him at solving puzzles, something he finds humiliating.
Despite this, once Berdly reforms and becomes allies with the party, he is shown to have developed a begrudging respect for Kris, even going so far as to refer to them as a comrade and “fellow bluebird.” Upon waking up in the Light World, he considers the possibility of studying with Kris and Susie in the future, showing he may be nicer to them going forward.
Susie[]
At first, Berdly shows a low opinion of Susie for being a low-scoring student. Unlike the others students, he doesn’t seem to be afraid of her. This becomes especially clear in the Dark World where he starts antagonizing her, using his newfound powers. When he realizes that Queen feigned camaraderie with him and traps him along with Kris and Susie, Berdly finally decides to side with them so he can free Noelle.
During this time spend together, it is shown that Berdly is trying his best to impress Susie (whom he calls Susan), wanting to show how cool he is. But his inability to solve puzzles while simultaneously pretending to be smarter gets on her nerves. Eventually, Berdly tells the truth about him and Noelle, explaining that he knew he wasn’t as smart as he made himself out to be. Susie tells him that she could not care less about his reputation and that it is okay to be an idiot sometimes. Berdly misinterprets this and starts proudly proclaiming himself an idiot, much to her annoyance.
He also starts looking up to Susie as a role model and even develops a crush on her after learning she plays video games, much to Noelle’s dismay.
Queen[]
Queen initially captures Berdly alongside Noelle in hope of making them her minions for her scheme. Unlike Noelle, Berdly is very enthusiastic at the idea, wanting to build a “new world” for him and Noelle. However, he does not understand that Queen views him as a pawn, rather seeing himself as the lead. Queen, realizing how out of control Berdly is, gives up on using him and instead runs away from him for the most part, though she does eventually attach a plug to Berdly’s face to finally gain full control of him. Berdly later realizes that he and Queen are not on the same side, but this hostility does not last long, as Queen finally makes peace with the heroes.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- It is suggested in one of the encounters with Queen that Berdly has no nipples, and that he wants them. This may be a reference to the fact that he isn’t a mammal.
- Berdly’s Dark World outfit is a possible reference to Falco Lombardi, a character from the Star Fox franchise. However, the outfit is more visually similar to outfits worn by Fox McCloud (also from Star Fox), including the HUD eyepiece similar to the one Fox has worn in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, 3DS, Wii U and Ultimate and the Scouter worn by Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z.
- The prism he gets frozen in after his fight in the Snowgrave Route could also be a reference to Fox and Falco’s Reflector in the Super Smash Bros. series, a gadget that creates a blue hexagonal energy shield.
- Berdly appears to be a fan of a Super Smash Bros.-like series of fighting games (Super Smashing Fighters), as he references wavedashing when calling Kris a cheater after completing a puzzle. In the Snowgrave Route, after Noelle mentions she fell asleep in the library, her father remarks it must have been Berdly boring her with his theory on the “inequality of children’s fighter games.”
- Berdly’s condescending personality is also reminiscent of how Revali, the Rito prodigy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, treats Link.
- Berdly’s flavor text in his second encounter mentions that he crushes his Smart Scouter, which is likely a reference to the famous “It’s Over 9000!” scene from Dragon Ball Z, where Vegeta crushes his Scouter in similar frustration.
- Berdly’s Check text in his first encounter mentions playing “bump of chicken”, which is likely a reference to the Japanese band Bump of Chicken.
- Berdly’s weapon in the Dark World is a play on words, considering he, a bird himself, wields a similarly named halberd in battle. The pun is further played upon with Berdly referring to the weapon as a ‘halbird.’
- Berdly’s tornado attack in the second battle with him resembles an unused attack for Jevil.[citation needed]
- Berdly becomes uniquely serious and stops smirking during his Snowgrave Route battle.
- Berdly’s flavor text mentioning his “mind palace” is a reference to the method of loci, a technique where one pictures memories in a spatial environment to enhance recall.