Scourge - Power Scourge

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, Dps, Burst and Boonrip

Designed for: WvW Zerg

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Easy

This build was last updated on October 09, 2025 and is up to date for the August 19, 2025 patch.

Overview

A build designed to strip boons and lay down high area damage.

Skill Bar

Axe/Focus

Greatsword

Utility

Variants

• Offhand Sword

Template Code

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Specializations

Variants

• Awaken the Pain slightly higher DPS

Variants

• Nourishing Ashes if Life Force generation is an issue

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 Cerus

Sigils

• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Frenzy

Usage

Quick Guide

• Power Scorge is a utility DPS that sets up its group with boon corruption
• Your highest priority is using your Well of Corruption and Well of Suffering together with other necros in squad on the commanders call to create an opportunity for your group to generate kills
• Use Nightfall and Ghastly Breach like wells - at the same time as other necros on the commanders call
  • If you commander doesn't call these skills, use them to punish the enemy group pushing into yours
• Use Manifest Sand Shade ⇒ Desert Shroud to add extra damage on top of your other spikes
• Save Grasping Darkness to Pull enemies into your groups spikes or catch enemies when they try to kite your group
• Focus on using Axe/Warhorn until you need Nightfall or Grasping Darkness on Greatsword

Surviving

• This build has moderate passive defense
• This build has no mobility skill access
• This build has low active defenses

Defensive Skill List Trail of Anguish - Stunbreak Desert Shroud - Barrier Sand Flare - Barrier Sand Cascade - Barrier

• Be conservative with Trail of Anguish, it is your only stunbreak
• Don't use Sand Flare if the cast is likely to be interrupted

Overall Priorities

High

• Wells
• Boon rip

Moderate

• Damage
• Grasping Darkness

Low

• Support

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

Boon rip

Boon Rip Skill List Well of Corruption Nightfall Ghastly Breach Unholy Feast Sand Flare Trail of Anguish

• As with wells, use Ghastly Breach and Nightfall on your commanders call
  • If you commander isn't calling them instead use them when the enemy group is pushing towards you or your group is in melee
• Sand Flare only removes boons in 240 radius, don't prioritize it over other skills and make sure your group is in melee if you're using it offensively
• While Trail of Anguish is your only stunbreak, it can be used for boon rip if you feel your party support is good enough

Damage

Skill priority Well of Corruption + Well of Suffering - always together, on call Ghastly Breach/Nightfall - on call, not always together Unholy Feast Manifest Sand Shade ⇒ Desert Shroud + any other Shade skills that aren't on cooldown Spinal Shivers ⇒ Ghastly Claws - only on single target Death Spiral Gravedigger Soul Grasp - only if low on Life Force

• Use Unholy Feast immediately after Weapon Swap and use it again immediately before swapping back
  • Delaying your Weapon Swap slightly for the cooldown is fine
• Save your final charge of Manifest Sand Shade when there is 15 seconds or less left on Desert Shroud's cooldown
• Your shade spike consists of casting Manifest Sand Shade before casting, in order:

1. Desert Shroud
2. Nefarious Favor
3. Garish Pillar
4. Sand Cascade

• These are all instant and can be cast at the same time, but if you're low on Life Force and can't use all of them then prioritize from top to bottom
• Casting more Manifest Sand Shade immediately after the first cast whenever you don't have anything higher priority to do so that Desert Shroud hits more enemies
  • When possible, precast extra Manifest Sand Shade before your shade spike instead
• Death Spiral and Gravedigger are very short range and come with long cast times, only use them when your entire group is pushing melee and it is safe to do so
• Use Spinal Shivers ⇒ Ghastly Claws ⇒ Rending Claws pick off isolated players

Grasping Darkness

• 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

Support

• Barrier lasts 5 seconds after application before decaying
• Use Sand Flare and Sand Cascade before pushes and during extended engages
• Nefarious Favor can be used as condition clear