Build:Reaper - Power Greatsword

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

Focused on: Strike damage

Designed for: Open World and Open World General

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

TBD

This build was last updated on June 22, 2022 and is up to date for the October 8, 2024 patch.

Overview

Power reaper is a high damage build with great burst and AoE. It is resilient, and very self-reliant. It maintains a lot of Might, and is one of the most reliable open world builds.

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Skill Bar

Greatsword

Axe/Warhorn

Utility

Weapon Variants

• Staff - ranged AoE damage for tagging in groups.

Skill Variants

Healing Skills

• "Your Soul Is Mine!" - works great when hitting multiple targets.
• Consume Conditions - condi cleanse.

Utility Skills

• Signet of Spite - DPS option to replace Spectral Grasp when there's no need to pull mobs.
• "Suffer!" - transfers conditions and chills.
• Corrosive Poison Cloud - destroys projectiles.
• Spectral Armor - defense and life force generation.
• "You Are All Weaklings!" - might and stunbreak
• Summon Shadow Fiend - minion with decent DPS
• "Rise!" - excellent mix of damage and defense.

Elite Skills

• Summon Flesh Golem - tanky CC pet.
• Lich Form - burst damage. Use skill 4 and end it.

Minions

Minions can provide extra bodies for defense, though their damage is very low. This should be run with the Death Magic // Minion variant below.

• Summon Blood Fiend
• Summon Shadow Fiend
• Summon Bone Fiend
• Summon Bone Minions - it is usually better to run "Rise!" instead.
• Summon Flesh Golem

Specializations

• Signets of Suffering - combine with Signet of Vampirism, Signet of Spite, Signet of the Locust and Signet of Undeath to sacrifice strong area damage for a low intensity playstyle. You can spam Locus and Vampirism as they will recharge quickly while in Shroud.
• Augury of Death - when running multiple shouts.

Death Magic / Minions

If using several minions, Death Magic can replace Spite for a boost to defense, though this will drastically lower DPS. If using this, it is best to also take Chilling Victory in Reaper.

Equipment

Ascended gear and stat infusions are not required; exotic gear with the same stats is fine.

This set uses gear similar to that of Build:Reaper_-_Power_DPS. This makes it a good option for general PVE.

Head
Berserker

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

Axe
Berserker

Warhorn
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Variant Equipment

Gear

• Knight - defensive trinkets for increased defense
• Valkyrie - use with Decimate Defenses for a build with extremely high HP (and thus shroud uptime) while maintaining moderate DPS

Runes

• Rune of Superior Rune of Strength - budget DPS

Sigils

• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Air - budget dps
• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Hydromancy - offers higher Chill uptime and an AOE damage proc
• Sigil of Superior Sigil of Energy - defensive options

Consumables

Food

• Any ascended food is superior to any other food you could use. Steak for power, flatbread for conditions. Budget versions of these foods exist and are acceptable.
• - farming
• , - DPS
• - defense

Utility

• (and variants) - farming
• , - dps

Usage

Damage

Chill Application

This build's damage focuses on Cold Shoulder to get a powerful modifier against chilled foes. The following skills apply chill:

• Well of Darkness - one of the primary sources of chill, used at the start of the combo.
• "Suffer!", "Chilled to the Bone!" - if running them, these skills apply chill in a large area.
• Grasping Darkness - this skill is usually used as an opener due to its pull, and it also chills.
• Chilling Scythe - the final hit of the greatsword auto-chain, this skill is essential to the build during shroud downtime.
• Executioner's Scythe - applies chill in a large area and places an ice field.
• Soul Spiral, Gravedigger - if used in an ice field, these can create Chilling Bolts, which apply chill when they hit a target; if used inside a target's hitbox, this can apply a considerable amount of chill very quickly.
• Shivers of Dread - applies chill to any enemy feared, with no cooldown; this means Terrify will apply chill.

Dealing Damage

Most of the damage comes from Reaper's Shroud thanks to Death Perception and Reaper's Onslaught together with the aforementioned Cold Shoulder. As such, the general idea is to chill your enemy and have your pulsing skills dealing damage while you are in Shroud. A general rotation goes as follows:

1. Well of Darkness
2. Well of Suffering
3. Nightfall
4. Grasping Darkness has a long casting animation, you can enter Reaper's Shroud inmediatly after casting to skip it.
5. Reaper's Shroud (consider casting Infusing Terror for Stablity to ensure you do not get interrupted during your high damage Reaper's Shroud).
6. Soul Spiral inside your wells to make use of the whirl finisher.
7. Life Rend Life Slash Life Reap x5. Do not interrupt Shroud autos to benefit from Reaper's Onslaught.
8. Exit Reaper's Shroud
9. Death Spiral
10. Gravedigger

If the enemy is below 50% HP, keep spamming Gravedigger. Otherwise, cast greatsword autos. When your wells come off cooldown, start again from step 1.

If your life force is low, use Ghastly Claws after step 4 to generate some life force, use it again after exiting Shroud on step 8, then continue with greatsword.

• Make sure your target is chilled before unleashing your high damage Soul Spiral and Shroud autos. If following the rotation, your Well of Darkness will cover that, otherwise use Executioner's Scythe before spinning.
• Against bosses with a Defiance Bar or breakbar, it is generally worth delaying the rotation until the bar breaks. Consider opening with Wail of Doom then Grasping Darkness. When the bar is almost broken, cast your wells and Nightfall and enter Shroud. If needed, finish off the bar with Executioner's Scythe. Then do your Shroud rotation.
• When dealing with groups of mobs, remember Gravedigger will reset if at least one of them is below 50% HP. Cleave them all.
• You do not gain life force from nearby deaths while inside Shroud. Try to finish off your enemies outside of Reaper's Shroud to replenish your life force.

Survivability

• Sidestep and walk or dodge out of enemy attacks.
• Stack blind, chill, and weakness on trash mobs to negate their damage.
• Reaper's Shroud is as a second health bar and has a natural 33% damage redution. Infusing Terror further reduces damage taken.
• Use Consume Conditions to cleanse conditions. If more is needed, run "Suffer!" or bring a dagger offhand for Deathly Swarm.
• If downed, just use Life Leech to get back up.

Crowd Control

• Grasping Darkness - pull.
• Wail of Doom - 2 seconds daze.
• Charge (necromancer) - 1 second knockdown but can hit big enemies multiple times.
• Infusing Terror ⇒ Terrify - 1 second fear.
• Executioner's Scythe - 1,5 seconds stun.