I’m looking into the budget Berkley rods such as the lightning and shock and I’m wondering how good they are at that price point. I’m also really interested in the havoc line because they look good and they’re cheap and I’m a budget angler.

I looked at the Lightning and Shock rods as I had an old Berkley Enforcer that gave me many years of good use. Then I looked at the Diawa Aird-X line...decided to pay that extra bit as they seem of higher quality.

Lots of threads on here about how good both those rods are. I own some of both and they really are great buys.

 

I'm assuming by "Havoc Line" you mean the line of soft plastics? They're very popular but a lot of the good ones and good colors have gone away or been moved to the Powerbait line and cost a dollar or two more a pack now. 

Havoc baits just work, but like @Bluebasser86 said, the good ones are now $4 or 5 a pack instead of $3, and they stink to high heaven now. The Pit Boss is one of the best creature baits on the market, flipping, pitching, punching, buzzing, trailers, etc. They're versatile as can be. I like to rig them on a BPS Perfect Worm hook, with like an 1/8 or 1/4oz weight for shallow water flipping from shore, using 30# braid on my 6'6 H Dark Angel. The hook is long enough to be right above where the arms attach to the body, meaning the fish can't hardly bite it without getting to the bend of the hook. Pick some up and you'll see.