Build:Reaper - Power Dread Reaper

This is a rough draft. Once adequately written, it will progress to the testing stage, where it can be rated by the community. You can help by proposing changes with a comment.

Focused on: Strike damage

Designed for: Open World

Expansions required:

Difficulty:

Normal

This build was last updated on April 20, 2025.

Overview

A fast-paced power Reaper build with strong damage, passive self-healing, and constant CC. This build uses Fear with the traits Dread, Shivers of Dread, Bitter Chill to maintain 100% uptime on Quickness (and Fury and 25x Vulnerability) without the trait Reaper's Onslaught. This lets us take self-healing traits Blighter's Boon and Soul Eater instead, providing more sustain in challenging content.

The main downside is it provides few boons to allies and is mainly a solo build in PvE. Though some conditions it inflicts like Fear, Chill, Blind, along with corrupting enemy boons and cleansing allies' conditions, are useful to allies.

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Skillbar

Sword/Sword

Dagger/Warhorn

Utility

Weapon Variants

We default to double Sword and Dagger/ Warhorn. Sword requires Expanded Weapon Proficiency with Secrets of the Obscure. Other weapon alternatives include:

• Greatsword: loses a Fear skill but gains a powerful, spammable, damage skill in Gravedigger, a strong CC/pull with Grasping Darkness, and AoE Blind with Nightfall.
• Axe: Gains boon rip with Unholy Feast and more range than dagger or greatsword, but loses self-healing and life force regeneration compared to dagger, and does less damage than dagger or greatsword. Applies Vulnerability, but not needed thanks to Bitter Chill. Usually not recommended.

Skill Variants

Healing skills

We default to Signet of Vampirism to increase passive self-healing in conjunction with Blighter's Boon, Soul Eater, and Blood Magic traitline, but any healing skill can be used. You could also consider:

• "Your Soul Is Mine!" - low 16s cooldown and life force regeneration.
• Consume Conditions - a bigger heal and condition cleanse, but doesn't generate life force.
• Well of Blood - for group healing and a Light combo field.

Utility skills

We default to the following utility skills, but only one is mandatory. Use any other two utility skills you prefer.

• Spectral Ring - The only utility skill that Fears. Mandatory, do not replace.
• Well of Power - breaks stun, grants AoE Stability, and converts your and allies' conditions into boons, on a low 20s cooldown.
• Signet of the Locust^* - boon rip (AoE), potentially powerful active self-heal, passive movement speed, on a low 20s cooldown

Other useful skills to consider:

Offensive

• "Nothing Can Save You!"^* - boon rip (AoE) and makes up to ten of your next attacks unblockable.
• Well of Corruption^* - boon corrupt (AoE).
• Corrupt Boon^* - boon corrupt (single target).
• "Suffer!" - Chills and transfers conditions.
• Spectral Grasp - replaces Spectral Ring when underwater. Use on land for even more CC if needed.
• Signet of Undeath - passive life force generation, instant revive one downed ally.
• Signet of Spite - passive Power increase. The active ability applies some conditions, but has a long 40s cooldown and isn't worth casting in a power build.

Defensive

• Spectral Armor - alternate stun break, regenerate life force quickly.
• Spectral Walk - alternate stun break, lure attackers off cliffs in WvW then teleport back up while they fall to their deaths.
• Plague Signet - alternate stun break and condition clear, passively reduces incoming condition damage
• Corrosive Poison Cloud - defensive skill that inflicts Weakness and blocks missiles.

^* Boon rip and corrupt skills are particularly useful for some challenging boss or champion monsters that gain Protection, Resolution, or Resistance, and who have a kill timer. Without a way to remove or corrupt those boons, it can take longer than the timer to kill them, failing the event.

Elite skills

"Chilled to the Bone!" in conjuction with Relic of the Nightmare is mandatory, do not replace it. Together they inflict Chill, Stun, and Fear, and grant Stability, Quickness, and Fury. Crucially, the skill and the relic are synced to the same 30s cooldown.

Specializations

Variants

Replace Blood Magic with Soul Reaping for more damage and less self-heal, ally healing, and self-barrier.

Equipment

Head
Berserker

Shoulders
Berserker

Chest
Berserker

Hands
Berserker

Legs
Berserker

Feet
Berserker

Backpiece
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Accessory
Berserker

Amulet
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Ring
Berserker

Sword
Berserker

Sword
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Dagger
Berserker

Warhorn
Berserker

Sigil

Sigil

Rune
x6

Infusion
x18

Relic

Equipment Variants

• Use all Template:Stats trinkets to get closer to 100% crit chance with Fury. Mix in some pieces of Template:Stats gear for more healing.
• For sigils ...
• For runes, Rune of Superior Rune of the Dragonhunter are preferred, but there are some alternatives. ...
• As for the relic, Relic of the Nightmare is by far the strongest relic for this build, both in PvE and WvW. Nightmare's AoE Fear on a relatively short 30s cooldown helps maintain Quickness and Fury uptime, increases "Chilled to the Bone!" breakbar damage, and spreads more Chill and Bleed.

Consumables

DPS

• ...

Defense

• ...

Farming

• ...

Usage

Core mechanics

Fear is a key mechanic of this build. Inflicting fear on an enemy grants Quickness and Fury to you and inflicts Chill on enemies, thanks to Dread and Shivers of Dread. Review your sourcess of Fear and use them all aggressively on cooldown. No Concentration or boon duration is needed for 100% uptime on Quickness, Fury, 25x Vulnerability, as long as you're casting all five Fear skills on cooldown.

Chill inflicts Vulnerability thanks to Bitter Chill. Besides Fear, there are three abilities, one whirl combo, and two passive traits that Chill (Chill of Death, Chilling Nova). Use these to fill gaps between Fear skill cooldowns. Critical Hits against Chilled targets cause a Chilling Nova explosion that Chills nearby targets.

Gain Might from hitting enemies that are below 50% health, or autoattacking enemies while in Reaper's Shroud.

This is a power version of Condi Dread Reaper, and plays and feels almost exactly the same, except it does strike damage instead of condition damage.

Weapon Notes

Dagger/Warhorn

... Dagger autoattack provides both constant life force regen, and healing with the Blood trait Overflowing Thirst. Dagger #3 Dark Pact -> Dagger #2 Life Siphon provide a strong burst of healing. Warhorn is taken for the Fear of Wail of Doom, and the self-heal of Locust Swarm.

Sword/Sword

All sword attack heal, and sword #2 and #5 also regenerate life force. Mainhand sword autoattack inflicts Chill. Offhand Sword inflicts Fear, Chill, Vulnerability and grants Might. All sword attacks cleave and pierce, hitting up to five enemies, giving a high chance to proc Chilling Nova.

Alternative weapons

Greatsword lacks access to Fear which may cause gaps in Quickness uptime. But it gains ... Grasping Darkness is also a strong AoE pull that group together many monsters, or damage breakbars.

Damage

Rotation Opener

With our opener we're aiming for two quick Fears from Spectral Ring and the weapon skill. Open from 900 range or closer with Sword/Sword:

1. Spectral Ring on top of enemy
2. Hungering Maelstrom -> Gormandize
3. Devouring Visage -> Consume

If using Greatsword:

1. Grasping Darkness
2. Spectral Ring on top of enemy
3. Nightfall
4. Death Spiral
5. Gravedigger

Close to within melee range, then cycle through Fear and Chill skills:

1. "Chilled to the Bone!"
2. Weapon Swap to Dagger/Warhorn
3. Wail of Doom
4. Enter Reaper's Shroud
5. Infusing Terror -> Terrify: Double tap for a quick AoE Fear. Use on cooldown. Killing a mob reduces its cooldown by 50%, so in large packs it's almost spammable.
6. Executioner's Scythe -> Soul Spiral: Ice Field + Whirl Finisher spreads massive amounts of Poison and Chill.
7. Life Rend -> Life Slash -> Life Reap: autoattack in Reaper's Shroud for a few seconds for Crits to cause a Chilling Nova explosion and to allow Fear cooldowns to reset.
8. Exit Reaper's Shroud, attack with Dagger (melee) or Sword (ranged) until Fear cooldowns reset, then repeat the rotation.

Defense

Defense mainly comes from constant Fear disabling enemies, and permanent Chill increasing their ability cooldowns.

• Sidestep and walk or dodge out of enemy attacks.
• Constant Fear prevents incoming damage.
• Permanent Chill reduces the rate of incoming damage.
• Weakness prevents critical strikes and causing glancing blows (50% of normal damage).
• Blind causing the enemy's next attack to miss.
• Reaper's Shroud is as a second health bar and has a natural 33% damage reduction.
• Infusing Terror provides Stability and further reduces damage taken.
• Use Consume Conditions in condition heavy fights. If more is needed, run "Suffer!", Well of Power.
• "Chilled to the Bone!" provides Stability, Stuns, and Chills.
• All Sword skills heal a little bit, along with Warhorn 5.
• If using Staff, Putrid Mark cleanses your conditions.
• If using Greatsword, Nightfall spreads AoE Blind.

Crowd Control

Breakbar damage happens naturally by cycling through the Damage rotation. The strongest breakbar abilities are "Chilled to the Bone!" and Executioner's Scythe. Omit those from the damage rotation if needed to reserve them for active breakbar phases, but both are on relatively low 30s cooldowns and generally don't need to be conserved.

• Sword Devouring Visage - 1.5 seconds of Fear.
• Warhorn Wail of Doom - 1 second of Fear.
• Utility Spectral Ring - 2s of Fear.
• Reaper's Shroud Infusing Terror ⇒ Terrify - 1 second of Fear.
• Reaper's Shroud Executioner's Scythe - 1.5 seconds of Stun.
• Elite skill "Chilled to the Bone!" - 2 or 3 seconds of Stun, plus Fear with Relic of the Nightmare.