Harbinger - Support Harbinger

The community gave this build a rating, making it second-tier: Good

Focused on: Healing, Boon removal and Boon support

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on October 23, 2025 and is up to date for the August 19, 2025 patch.

Overview

A build designed to strip boons and bring Quickness as well as other boons

Skill Bar

Weapon 1: Staff

Weapon 2:

Weapon 3: Greatsword

Weapon 4:

Healing skill: Elixir of Promise

Utility skill 1: Elixir of Ignorance

Utility skill 2: Well of Corruption

Utility skill 3: Signet of the Locust

Elite skill: Elixir of Ambition

Variants

Utility

• Signet of Undeath

Template Code

[&DQg1PhM1QCrnGgAAdgEAAHMBAADXGgAA6BoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=]

Copy Template Code

Specializations

Blood Magic: Top, Bot, Bot

Variants

• Life from Death

Spite: Bot, Bot, Bot

Harbinger: Mid, Mid, Mid

Equipment

Rune: 6 Superior Rune of the Water

Infusion 1: 6 Concentration WvW Infusion

Infusion 2: 12 Healing WvW Infusion

Relic: Relic of Rivers

Weapon 1: Staff

Weapon 2:

Sigil 1: Superior Sigil of Stamina

Sigil 2: Superior Sigil of Energy

Weapon 3: Greatsword

Weapon 4:

Sigil 3: Superior Sigil of Stamina

Sigil 4: Superior Sigil of Energy

Main stats: Minstrel

Equipment Variants

Relic

• Relic of Cerus
• Relic of the Midnight King

Sigils

• Superior Sigil of Concentration
• Superior Sigil of Transference
• Superior Sigil of Bounty

Consumables

• Bowl of Fruit Salad with Mint Garnish
• Magnanimous Maintenance Oil

Usage

Quick Guide

• Support Harbinger is a utility boon Support that sets up its group with boon corruption and Quickness
• Your highest priority is using your Well of Corruption together with other necros in squad on the commanders call to create an opportunity for your group to generate kills
• Use Nightfall like wells - at the same time as other necros on the commanders call
  • If you commander doesn't call Nightfall, use it to punish the enemy group pushing into yours
• Play in Staff until you need to cast Nightfall or Grasping Darkness
• Use your Mark skills to heal allies via Transfusion, saving Putrid Mark to condition clear and Reaper's Mark for Stability
• Use your CC and Boon Strip skills to support your groups spikes
• Save Grasping Darkness to Pull enemies into your groups spikes or catch enemies when they try to kite your group
• Use Harbinger Shroud to pulse boons via Deathly Haste, spending any downtime you have camping the shroud
• Dodge in downtime to proc Relic of Rivers and Mark of Evasion

General

• Harbinger gains stacks of Blight when using Elixir skills or per second while in Harbinger Shroud
• Blight is consumed when using Elixir skills or certain Harbinger Shroud while above a certain amount of stacks to increase the effect of the skills
  • As a support harbinger none of the Blight threshold bonuses provide a substantial benefit over the base skill, so you only need to be concerned with consuming Blight to restore your max HP

Surviving

• This build has moderate passive defense
• This build has low mobility skill access
• This build has low active defenses

Defensive Skill List Elixir of Ignorance - Stunbreak Devouring Cut - Movement Voracious Arc - Movement + Evade

Priorities

High

• Wells

Moderate

• Boon rip
• Boon support
• Heal/Cleanse Support

Low

• CC

Detailed Explanations

Wells

• Save your Well of Corruption for the commanders call
  • If you aren't using voice communication, use your wells at the same time as the other Necromancers in your group
• When using pulsing ground AoEs like Well of Corruption, try to place them so that one edge is on the enemy group and the other edge is in the direction they are moving to

Boon rip

Boon Strip Skill List Well of Corruption Nightfall Harbinger Shroud + Spiteful Spirit Signet of the Locust + Signets of Suffering

• As with wells, use Nightfall on your commanders call
  • If you commander isn't calling Nightfall instead use it when the enemy group is pushing towards you or your group is in melee
• Enter Harbinger Shroud to proc Spiteful Spirit when your group pushes into the enemy
• Signet of the Locust + Signets of Suffering has a substantial range and should be used directly after Well of Corruption/Nightfall or before Harbinger Shroud to combine the boon rip on spikes

Boon Support

Important Boon Application Skill List Elixir of Ignorance - Resistance + Protection Elixir of Ambition - All boons Harbinger Shroud + Deathly Haste - Quickness + Fury Reaper's Mark + Transfusion - Stability

• Elixir of Ignorance is a large amount of AoE Resistance, but also your only stunbreak. If you find you can't survive while using it for the group, save it as a personal stunbreak, otherwise use it for your group
• Use Elixir of Ambition to give your party all boons either while both groups are engaged or right after your group has their boons stripped
  • If your party is missing a lot of boons when pushing into the enemy, use it then instead
• While boon strip skills are on cooldown, you should stay in Harbinger Shroud to proc Deathly Haste and provide Quickness for your group
  • With the exception of Vital Draw for CC your Harbinger Shroud abilities are not very important
  • Devouring Cut and Voracious Arc can reduce your Blight if used while over the threshold
  • Try to leave Harbinger Shroud when your boon strip skills are ready
• Dodge whenever you have downtime (such as when in Harbinger Shroud) or your Endurance would cap out to proc Mark of Evasion and Relic of Rivers

Heal/Cleanse Support

Healing Skill List All Marks via Transfusion Chillblains - More Healing than other Marks Dodge activates Mark of Evasion Elixir of Promise

Condition Clear Skill List Putrid Mark - Transfusion

• You should stay in Staff until Nightfall or Grasping Darkness are needed
• All your Mark skills on Staff heal and give additional effects via Transfusion
  • Hit enemies with them when possible, but prioritize allies
  • Use Mark of Blood as often as possible for healing
  • Chillblains is also for healing, but with a bigger heal and longer CD, so save it for when more healing is needed
  • Putrid Mark should be saved for condition clear
  • Save Reaper's Mark for Stability when it can't be covered by the main stability provider in your group
    • If possible hit enemies with Reaper's Mark in particular, since the Fear is a useful CC
• Elixir of Promise is your largest AoE heal, save it for times when large healing is needed
  • Mind the small travel time when aiming the elixir, make sure to target slightly ahead of your group in the direction they're moving

CC

CC Skill List Grasping Darkness - Pull Vital Draw - Float Reaper's Mark - Fear

• Use Grasping Darkness when:
  • Your group calls a spike such as Wells
  • Your group is range spiking the enemy
  • Enemy groups move defensively while your group is pushing
• Do not use Grasping Darkness when:
  • Your group is pushing and the enemy group is pushing
  • Your group is moving away from the enemy
  • It would pull the enemy group out of your groups spike (except for range spikes)
• You can use a Stow Weapon keybind halfway through the cast of Grasping Darkness and the pull will finish casting while you can immediately start casting other skills
• It is sometimes worth casting one Manifest Sand Shade on the enemy group to land Garish Pillar when your group is spiking, but generally save it for when both groups are clashing and you're already hitting allies and enemies with your Shade skills
• Reaper's Mark should be saved to hit allies, but hit enemies as well when possible
• Vital Draw is your best CC to combine with spikes like Well of Corruption, but only try to use it when your group is also pushing into the enemy group
  • You can use Voracious Arc or Devouring Cut to help set up Vital Draw