Reaper - Power Reaper

The community gave this build a rating, making it top-tier: Great

Focused on: Direct damage

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on April 23, 2024 and is up to date for the April 16, 2024 patch.

Overview

A durable build with boon corruption and burst melee damage.

Skillbar

Axe/Focus

Greatsword

Utility

Weapon Variants

• Greatsword ⇒ Staff trades off utility for damage and ranged pressure
• Axe/Focus ⇒ Sword/Sword less single target and harder to use boon rip, but higher aoe damage

Heal Variants

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

Elite Variants

• "Chilled to the Bone!"

Traits

Variants

• Massive survivability increase through Blood Bank at the cost of damage/boon rip

Template Code

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Equipment

Head
Marauder

Shoulders
Marauder

Chest
Marauder

Hands
Marauder

Legs
Marauder

Feet
Marauder

Backpiece
Marauder

Accessory
Marauder

Accessory
Marauder

Amulet
Marauder

Ring
Marauder

Ring
Marauder

Axe
Marauder

Focus
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Greatsword
Marauder

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Variants

Relic

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

Consumables

• • feast option with additional power and ferocity.

Usage

Overall Priorities

High

• Wells

Moderate

• Boon removal
• Single target damage
• Sustained pressure

Low

• CC

Surviving

• This build has high passive defense
• This build has low mobility skill access
  • Make sure to drop your target when using Death's Charge for mobility
• This builds has low active defenses
  • Reaper's Shroud gives an unlisted 50% damage reduction
  • Infusing Terror is an instant cast that should be used whenever entering shroud
    • Try not to use up all of your Life Force defensively, save enough for Soul Spiral if possible

Active defense priority Dodge Reaper's Shroud Infusing Terror Signet of Vampirism

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

Boon removal

• 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
• Use Nightfall as the enemy group pushes into yours or while engaged in melee

Single target damage

• Use Spinal Shivers ⇒ Ghastly Claws ⇒ Rending Claws to pick off isolated players

Sustained pressure

• 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
  • Make sure to trigger the flip skill Terrify before the 6 second duration of Infusing Terror ends
• 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.

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 Manifest Sand Shade + Nefarious Favor - procs Path of Corruption Spinal Shivers - only on single target Ghastly Claws Soul Grasp - only if low on Life Force Greatsword Death Spiral Gravedigger

CC

• Use Grasping Darkness at range or when the enemy group is moving away, never while the enemy is crossing or pushing into yours
• Grasping Darkness can be canceled with a Stow Weapon keybind after ~0.25s into the cast and will still finish casting