Harbinger - Quickness Support Power DPS

This is a test build. You may comment and rate it.

Focused on: Strike damage and Support

Designed for: Raids and Fractals

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on November 22, 2024.

Overview

Power Quickness Harbinger is an aggressive boon support that plays very similarly to the DPS build, with the exception that it spends a little longer in shroud in order to provide more boons. Compared to other boon supports, power Harbinger has difficulty swapping out its utility skills as they all contribute significant damage. This means it typically relies on its Alacrity partner to provide other key boons such as Might.

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 is may be less effective in real encounters.
  • As this rotation spends quite a long time in shroud, you may find that the extra lifeforce generation on Spear leads to better boon uptimes if you're dropping out of shroud early on Dagger/Sword.
• Sword can replace Dagger for more ranged damage, though shroud already provides a good amount.

Skill Variants

Well of Darkness

can be swapped out if absolutely necessary:

• Any Elixir can be used to provide additional boons.
• 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
  ).
• would be a tiny DPS loss.
• or slaying sigils if you can benefit from the bonus (replacing
  ).
• If you don't have stat infusions, use Assassin stats legs.
• The build gains sufficient boon duration from
  Twisted Medicine
  to maintain Quickness, but it does rely on consistently getting five pulses of
  Deathly Haste
  each time in shroud. If you are struggling with this, you can take extra boon duration.
  • Unfortunately, it's awkward to swap in Diviner stats gear as it changes your crit chance, so it might be more convenient to take food/utility such as
    and/or
    instead.

Impact Sigil Variant

If you want to benefit from

, 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:

• or ascended versions

Utility:

Usage

Dagger/Sword Rotation

If possible, precast

Elixir of Promise

just before the fight starts. You could also precast

Elixir of Anguish

if the encounter doesn't have a boon strip at the start.

Opener

1. Nightfall
   - this triggers
   on each pulse, making the buff last for 12 seconds
2. Elixir of Anguish
3. Elixir of Ambition
4. Well of Darkness
5. Well of Suffering
6. Weapon Swap
7. Life Siphon
   - almost everything can cancel this skill, so make sure it actually hits
8. 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). You want to ensure you stay in shroud for at least 12 seconds so that you get five pulses of

Deathly Haste

.

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
   when almost at 25 Blight
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
  , 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 Anguish
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. Elixir of Promise
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. Elixir of Anguish
12. Consume
    (if available)
13. Well of Darkness
14. Well of Suffering
15. Life Siphon
    - almost everything can cancel this skill, so make sure it actually hits
16. Harbinger Shroud
17. 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

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
  Elixir of Ambition
  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).

• Skip the use of
  Elixir of Promise
  as well, though you can should use it whenever your Blight drops to 20 stacks or lower.
• Even though
  Devouring Visage
  isn't used for damage below 50%, it triggers
  , so should be used if this buff drops.

Spear Rotation

Click to view

If possible, precast

Elixir of Promise

just before the fight starts. You could also precast

Elixir of Anguish

if the encounter doesn't have a boon strip at the start.

Opener

1. Nightfall
   - this triggers
   on each pulse, making the buff last for 12 seconds
2. Elixir of Anguish
3. Elixir of Ambition
   to build up blight stacks
4. Weapon Swap
5. Isolate
6. Well of Darkness
7. Well of Suffering
8. Distress
9. Perforate
10. 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). You want to ensure you stay in shroud for at least 12 seconds so that you get five pulses of

Deathly Haste

.

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
   when almost at 25 Blight
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
  , 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. Elixir of Anguish
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 Anguish
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

.