Harbinger - Power DPS

Part of the current metagame

Our curator decided this build is in the current metagame regardless of rating. The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Strike damage

Designed for: Raids and Fractals

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on November 22, 2024 and is up to date for the February 11, 2025 patch.

Overview

A power DPS build for ReaperHarbinger.

Compared to Reaper, Harbinger has lower burst, but higher sustained damage.

Unlike other necro specialisations, Harbinger's shroud does not act as a second health bar. This, in combination with its Blight mechanic, make it squishier than normal, but does come with the advantage that excess damage cannot eject you from shroud and ruin your rotation.

This build is somewhat dependent on Torment uptime to get the maximum benefit from

Wicked Corruption

. All shroud abilities generate a little, but if your group doesn't have other sources then some effectiveness will be lost.

Skill Bar

Greatsword

Dagger/Sword

Utility

Weapon Variants

• For players that own Janthir Wilds, Spear can replace Dagger/Sword. It deals higher damage and brings a stronger heal, stronger boonrip, and high lifeforce generation. It does deal lower damage above 50% though, so it may be less effective in real encounters.
• Sword can replace Dagger for more ranged damage, though shroud already provides a good amount.

Skill Variants

Signet of Spite

can be swapped out if extra utility is needed:

• Any Elixir can be used for better personal boon uptimes or condi cleanse.
• Spectral Grasp
  - AoE pull for easier cleaving.
• Corrosive Poison Cloud
  - destroys projectiles.
• Summon Flesh Wurm
  - 1200 range teleport. Can also bodyblock certain projectiles (e.g. Old Tom's poison whirl).

Template Code

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Equipment

Head
Assassin

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Greatsword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Dagger
Berserker

Sword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x12

Infusion
x6

Relic

Equipment Variants

• You want to aim for ~2005-2010 precision (with
  Superior Sigil of Accuracy
  ).
• Superior Rune of the Scholar
  would be a tiny DPS loss.
• Superior Sigil of the Night
  or slaying sigils if you can benefit from the bonus (replacing
  Superior Sigil of Force
  ).
• If you don't have stat infusions, use Assassin stats legs.

Impact Sigil Variant

If you want to benefit from

Superior Sigil of Impact

, you will need to slot in more assassins pieces:

Head
Assassin

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Assassin

Accessory
Assassin

Accessory
Assassin

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Assassin

Ring
Assassin

Greatsword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Dagger
Berserker

Sword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

• You want to aim for ~2155 precision.

Consumables

Food:

• Bowl of Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Soup
  or ascended versions

Utility:

• Superior Sharpening Stone

Usage

Dagger/Sword Rotation

If possible, precast

Elixir of Promise

just before the fight starts.

Opener

1. Nightfall
   - this triggers
   Relic of Fireworks
   on each pulse, making the buff last for 12 seconds
2. Elixir of Ambition
   to build up blight stacks
3. Well of Darkness
4. Well of Suffering
5. Weapon Swap
6. Life Siphon
   - almost everything can cancel this skill, so make sure it actually hits
7. Harbinger Shroud

Harbinger Shroud

1. Dark Barrage
2. Devouring Cut
3. Tainted Bolts
   until Dark Barrage is off cooldown
4. Dark Barrage
5. Voracious Arc
6. Vital Draw
7. Devouring Cut
   before you hit 25 blight stacks
8. Tainted Bolts
   until Dark Barrage is off cooldown
9. Dark Barrage
10. Exit Harbinger Shroud

You should aim to use

Dark Barrage

off cooldown, opening and closing your shroud section with it. The other skills have some flexibility, with the following considerations:

• It is optimal to use skills at high Blight stacks
• Ensure you don't sit at 25 Blight (
  Devouring Cut
  and
  Voracious Arc
  consume 5 stacks each)
• Get two uses of
  Devouring Cut
  in without delaying your shroud exit
• Vital Draw
  triggers
  Relic of Fireworks
  , so make sure to use it before the buff runs out

Dagger-to-Greatsword

1. Hungering Maelstrom
2. Dark Pact
3. Devouring Visage
   (if available)
4. Gormandize
5. Consume
   (if available)
6. Life Siphon
   - almost everything can cancel this skill, so make sure it actually hits
7. Weapon swap
8. Gravedigger
9. Death Spiral
10. Elixir of Promise
    - this is a priority skill, so don't cast it too quickly
11. Nightfall
12. Well of Darkness
13. Well of Suffering
14. Grasping Darkness
15. Harbinger Shroud
16. Repeat Harbinger Shroud Rotation

Greatsword-to-Dagger

1. Gravedigger
2. Death Spiral
3. Dusk Strike
   - a single auto is optimal if you're fast enough
4. Nightfall
5. Weapon swap
6. Hungering Maelstrom
7. Dark Pact
8. Elixir of Promise
   - this is a priority skill, so don't cast it too quickly
9. Devouring Visage
   (if available)
10. Gormandize
11. Consume
    (if available)
12. Well of Darkness
13. Well of Suffering
14. Life Siphon
    - almost everything can cancel this skill, so make sure it actually hits
15. Harbinger Shroud
16. Repeat Harbinger Shroud Rotation

The full loop cycles between Harbinger Shroud ⇒ Dagger-to-Greatsword ⇒ Harbinger Shroud ⇒ Greatsword-to-Dagger ⇒ Repeat.

Below 50% health, the rotation changes slightly (see below for details).

Video example

Video example (mainhand sword)

Rotation Explanation

Above 50% health, the rotation boils down to the following:

• Every time you swap to Greatsword (or exit shroud to it), use each available skill once.
• Every time you swap to Dagger/Sword (or exit shroud to it) use all available skills once, separating the sword abilities and their flip skill with another skill use.
  • Grasping Darkness
    and
    Devouring Visage
    ⇒
    Consume
    have long cooldowns and so are only used once each loop.
• Use elixirs off cooldown.

Below 50% Health

When the boss is below 50% health, your rotation changes due to

Gravedigger

having no cooldown. As

Devouring Visage

⇒

Consume

deals lower damage than

Gravedigger

, you omit these skills from your loop and do two or three extra

Gravedigger

s while on Greatsword (how many depends on how fast you are).

• Even though
  Devouring Visage
  isn't used for damage below 50%, it triggers
  Relic of Fireworks
  , so should be used if this buff drops.

Spear Rotation

Click to view

If possible, precast

Elixir of Promise

just before the fight starts.

Opener

1. Nightfall
   - this triggers
   Relic of Fireworks
   on each pulse, making the buff last for 12 seconds
2. Elixir of Ambition
   to build up blight stacks
3. Weapon Swap
4. Isolate
5. Well of Darkness
6. Well of Suffering
7. Distress
8. Perforate
9. Harbinger Shroud

Harbinger Shroud

Fill the time between key skills with

Tainted Bolts

. You want to use

Vital Draw

once during this section, but the positioning is flexible (see notes below).

1. Dark Barrage
2. Devouring Cut
   when almost at 25 Blight
3. Dark Barrage
4. Voracious Arc
   when almost at 25 Blight
5. Devouring Cut
6. Dark Barrage
7. Exit Harbinger Shroud

You should aim to use

Dark Barrage

off cooldown, opening and closing your shroud section with it. The other skills have some flexibility, with the following considerations:

• It is optimal to use skills at high Blight stacks
• Ensure you don't sit at 25 Blight (
  Devouring Cut
  and
  Voracious Arc
  consume 5 stacks each)
• Get two uses of
  Devouring Cut
  in without delaying your shroud exit
• Vital Draw
  triggers
  Relic of Fireworks
  , so make sure to use it before the buff runs out

Spear-to-Greatsword

1. Addle
2. Extirpate
3. Isolate
4. Perforate
5. Elixir of Ambition
   , or
   Elixir of Promise
   if it is not available - Elixir of Promise is a priority skill, so don't cast it too quickly
6. Distress
7. Perforate
8. Weapon Swap
9. Gravedigger
10. Death Spiral
11. Dusk Strike
    - a single auto is optimal if you're fast enough
12. Nightfall
13. Well of Darkness
14. Well of Suffering
15. Grasping Darkness
16. Harbinger Shroud
17. Repeat Harbinger Shroud Rotation

Greatsword-to-Spear

1. Gravedigger
2. Death Spiral
3. Dusk Strike
   - a single auto is optimal if you're fast enough
4. Nightfall
5. Weapon swap
6. Addle
7. Extirpate
8. Isolate
9. Perforate
10. Elixir of Ambition
    , or
    Elixir of Promise
    if it is not available - Elixir of Promise is a priority skill, so don't cast it too quickly
11. Distress
12. Perforate
13. Well of Darkness
14. Well of Suffering
15. Harbinger Shroud
16. Repeat Harbinger Shroud Rotation

The full loop cycles between Harbinger Shroud ⇒ Spear-to-Greatsword ⇒ Harbinger Shroud ⇒ Greatsword-to-Spear ⇒ Repeat.

Video example

Below 50% health, the rotation changes very slightly (see below for details).

Rotation Explanation

Necromancer's Spear is one of the less complicated spears. Most of your weapons skills build up stacks of a powerful lifesteal buff called Soul Shards that caps at six stacks.

Perforate

consumes these stacks for a burst of damage and healing.

Addle

and

Extirpate

generate four and two stacks, respectively, so these are used for the first

Perforate

.

Distress

generates six stacks, and so it is used both to recharge, and power the second

Perforate

. You may gain different numbers of stacks depending on the number of enemies nearby, but this doesn't change your rotation.

Above 50% health, the rotation boils down to the following:

• Every time you swap to Greatsword (or exit shroud to it), use each available skill once.
• Every time you swap to Spear (or exit shroud to it) use all available skills once, refreshing
  Perforate
  with the flip skill of
  Isolate
  and using it a second time.

Below 50% Health

When the boss is below 50% health, your rotation changes due to

Gravedigger

having no cooldown. All this means is that you replace the single

Dusk Strike

with a

Gravedigger

.