Reaper - Power Reaper

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

Focused on: Direct damage

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on October 20, 2025 and is up to date for the October 28, 2025 patch.

Overview

A durable build with boon corruption and burst melee damage.

Skillbar

Axe/Focus

Greatsword

Utility

Weapon Variants

• Axe ⇒ Main hand Sword less single target and harder to use boon rip, but better range and higher aoe damage
• Focus ⇒ Off hand Sword less single target and no boon rip, but better range and higher aoe damage
• Axe/Focus ⇒ Spear more AoE damage but much less range

Heal Variants

• "Your Soul Is Mine!" extra life force, if needed

Elite Variants

• "Chilled to the Bone!"

Traits

Variants

• Both viable options to add a lot of extra defense, swap out Soul Reaping
• Blood is more defensive, Death is more offensive

Template Code

[&DQg1OTInIjYoD5sA6xKAAHMBdgGBAOQAegGSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADMgAFADEAAA==]

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Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Marauder

Chest
Marauder

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Marauder

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Marauder

Accessory
Demolisher

Accessory
Demolisher

Amulet
Demolisher

Ring
Demolisher

Ring
Demolisher

Axe
Marauder

Focus
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Greatsword
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Variants

Stats

• Feel free to use as much Berserker's gear as you can without dying
• The given setup aims for maximum Effective Health
  • You can swap Marauder's to Demolisher's to make healing more efficient in exchange for increasing your chance to be spiked from 100%

Relic

• Relic of Fireworks
• Relic of Cerus - with "Chilled to the Bone!"

Usage

Quick Guide

• Reaper is a utility DPS that sets up its group with boon corruption and brings significant damage while in melee
• Use Well of Corruption and Well of Suffering together, ideally on the commander's call
• Use Nightfall on the commander's call
• Use Unholy Feast and "Nothing Can Save You!" as often as possible for boon rip, especially when combined with Wells and Nightfall
• Use your Reaper's Shroud for damage any time you can safely be in melee range

Surviving

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

Defensive Skill List Reaper's Shroud - Damage reduction Death's Charge - Movement Infusing Terror - Stability

• Make sure to drop your target when using Death's Charge for mobility
• Reaper's Shroud gives 50% damage reduction
  • Try not to use up all of your Life Force defensively, save enough for Soul Spiral if possible
• Infusing Terror is an instant cast that should be used whenever entering shroud

Priorities

High

• Wells

Moderate

• Boon rip
• Damage

Low

• CC

Detailed Explanations

Wells

• Try to save your Well skills 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
• Cast Well of Corruption before Well of Suffering, due to the longer cooldown
• Only use your Well skills at the same time, do not use one early and desync their cooldowns
• When using ground AoEs like Well of Corruption or Well of Suffering, 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
• Immediately after placing both wells enter Reaper's Shroud to activate Death Perception and remain in shroud for the duration of the wells
  • If you're not in range for Reaper's Shroud skills you can instead follow up with Unholy Feast and/or "Nothing Can Save You!" for more boon rip on the well spike

Boon rip

Boon Rip Skill List Well of Corruption Nightfall Unholy Feast Spinal Shivers "Nothing Can Save You!" Reaper's Shroud + Spiteful Spirit

• 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
• Combine Unholy Feast and "Nothing Can Save You!" with Well of Corruption and Nightfall whenever you can
  • Otherwise cast Unholy Feast and "Nothing Can Save You!" as often as possible while in range
• Make sure to enter Reaper's Shroud in range to proc Spiteful Spirit

Damage

Skill priority Well of Corruption + Well of Suffering - always together, on call Lich Form - only after projectile block is down Grim Specter Lich's Gaze Deathly Claws Reaper's Shroud Soul Spiral Death's Charge Life Rend Axe Unholy Feast Spinal Shivers - only on single target Ghastly Claws Soul Grasp - only if low on Life Force Greatsword Nightfall - on call Death Spiral Gravedigger

• Reaper's Shroud and its Autoattack chain along with Soul Spiral is your highest source of damage, once your boon rip skills have been used focusing on using shroud attacks as often as possible when in range
• Use Unholy Feast immediately after Weapon Swap and use it gain immediately before swapping back
  • Delaying your Weapon Swap slightly for the cooldown is fine
• Enter Reaper's Shroud as often as possible in melee, particularly when Soul Spiral is off cooldown
  • Make sure not to put yourself out of position with Death's Charge, leaving shroud without casting it is fine
• Save Lich Form until Winds of Disenchantment and other projectile block is used up.
  • Don't be afraid to drop form early if Deathly Claws is being projectile blocked.
• Use Spinal Shivers ⇒ Ghastly Claws ⇒ Rending Claws to pick off isolated players

CC

List of CC Skills Grasping Darkness - Pull Infusing Terror ⇒ Terrify - Fear Executioner's Scythe - Stun

• 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
• Make sure to trigger the flip skill Terrify before the 6 second duration of Infusing Terror ends
• Executioner's Scythe only hits one target, it is rarely worth casting