My non-meta build for T4 Fractals - Reaper carry!

[Oogabooga.3812]

When I pug t4 fractals, my build is based around chill and blindness, taking advantage of the synergy of Chilling Darkness and Deathly Chill.

I know Carrion gear is not exactly popular, but I chose it because you can't help but take condi damage, sometimes VERY heavy condi damage (Social Awkwardness, Afflicted, Toxic Trail, Flux Bomb, Mai Trin, Cliffside). The large amount of vitality often makes me the last one standing, when I wish it doesn't have to be that way. What's also nice is that you can do more than a fair amount of face-tanking of mobs and bosses. The hybrid damage isn't gaudy, but there's enough that not even the DPS meter-running druids (why is it always druids?) will complain about your numbers.

Running the blood trait line has some party heal support and HUGE rez support: I can't tell you how many times I saved 3 downed party members at once or pulled someone away from the middle of a flux bomb or Bloomhunger's angery-at-the-ground pounding.

Spectral Grasp is a must for pulling trash mobs, making fights shorter and more efficient; also works as a strong CC. GS 5 pulls in the rest.The Well of Darkness and GS 4 helps blind the really powerful trash mobs, especially Urban Battleground and Volcanic; applies chill CC and therefore also bleeding.

The last slot I vary depending on the fractal; epidemic is when you have lots of mobs; well of corruption if facing the No Pain, No Gain instability; corrosive poison cloud on the Underground Facility, Molten Furnace, and sometimes Volcanic; "Suffer!" for Cliffside, Mai Trin, and Afflicted instability; summon flesh wurm for certain utility situations like Thaumanova or Uncategorized.

I've been running this build for quite awhile now; just sharing for anyone who wants to give it a try!

P.S. For t3 fractals and lower, I change the blood line to soul reaping for higher DPS since the party usually doesn't need as much support. You can still stand side-by-side your melee brothers and sisters face-tanking everything!

[eaman.7562]

Chill and blindness are no use on boss, it seems to me that you have a trash build. I mean: there's no harm in running with a funny build for trash but consider that dps is an effective way to prevent fragile mates to die coz of prolonged mechanic / pressure, maybe more then being tanky in order to ress them when they die. You stay scourge in viper, cast a F4 F5 on a pack and F3 and mobs die and no one need a ress.

But hey, if that's work for you then it's nice! Today there was Bloomhunger in T3 Rec with some funny instabilities so I had a chance to use my resser set with runes of mercy and I ressed a warrior like 15 times: it was hilarious.

[Methuselah.4376]

@eaman.7562 said:Chill and blindness are no use on boss, it seems to me that you have a trash build. I mean: there's no harm in running with a funny build for trash but consider that dps is an effective way to prevent fragile mates to die coz of prolonged mechanic / pressure, maybe more then being tanky in order to ress them when they die. You stay scourge in viper, cast a F4 F5 on a pack and F3 and mobs die and no one need a ress.

But hey, if that's work for you then it's nice! Today there was Bloomhunger in T3 Rec with some funny instabilities so I had a chance to use my resser set with runes of mercy and I ressed a warrior like 15 times: it was hilarious.

I think you missed the part where chill and blindness cause bleeding via Deathly Chill.

[steki.1478]

@Methuselah.4376 said:

@eaman.7562 said:Chill and blindness are no use on boss, it seems to me that you have a trash build. I mean: there's no harm in running with a funny build for trash but consider that dps is an effective way to prevent fragile mates to die coz of prolonged mechanic / pressure, maybe more then being tanky in order to ress them when they die. You stay scourge in viper, cast a F4 F5 on a pack and F3 and mobs die and no one need a ress.

But hey, if that's work for you then it's nice! Today there was Bloomhunger in T3 Rec with some funny instabilities so I had a chance to use my resser set with runes of mercy and I ressed a warrior like 15 times: it was hilarious.

I think you missed the part where chill and blindness cause bleeding via Deathly Chill.

And bleeding is the least damaging condition, especially if you dont have it on 100% duration. Meanwhile scourge brings lots of burning and torment which are far better when it comes to damage and it has better support with barriers and might.

[Anchoku.8142]

They help a bit with break bar mechanics, too. There are many builds that help with PUGs having difficulties.

[Methuselah.4376]

@steki.1478 said:

@Methuselah.4376 said:

@eaman.7562 said:Chill and blindness are no use on boss, it seems to me that you have a trash build. I mean: there's no harm in running with a funny build for trash but consider that dps is an effective way to prevent fragile mates to die coz of prolonged mechanic / pressure, maybe more then being tanky in order to ress them when they die. You stay scourge in viper, cast a F4 F5 on a pack and F3 and mobs die and no one need a ress.

But hey, if that's work for you then it's nice! Today there was Bloomhunger in T3 Rec with some funny instabilities so I had a chance to use my resser set with runes of mercy and I ressed a warrior like 15 times: it was hilarious.

I think you missed the part where chill and blindness cause bleeding via Deathly Chill.

And bleeding is the least damaging condition, especially if you dont have it on 100% duration. Meanwhile scourge brings lots of burning and torment which are far better when it comes to damage and it has better support with barriers and might.

I don't deny that. For condi I FAAAR prefer scourge over reaper. However, eamen seemed to have been making the point that chill and blind are entirely useless on bosses because they don't have their designed effect. I was simply pointing out that their real use in this build is for bleeding.

[eaman.7562]

@"Methuselah.4376" said:I think you missed the part where chill and blindness cause bleeding via Deathly Chill.

That's how condi reaper works, yet those are useless on boss. You don't see any one spamming those on a boss or anyone LFG "@last boss, need chill and blindness".So IMHO it's like a big part of condi reaper main machanic goes wasted on boss.

[Methuselah.4376]

@eaman.7562 said:

@"Methuselah.4376" said:I think you missed the part where chill and blindness cause bleeding via Deathly Chill.

That's how condi reaper works, yet those are useless on boss. You don't see any one spamming those on a boss or anyone LFG "@last boss, need chill and blindness".So IMHO it's like a big part of condi reaper main machanic goes wasted on boss.

I am not sure I understand your point. Chill and blind may not apply their designed effect on a boss (next attack misses, slowed by chill) but they still apply bleeding when they are applied by a condi reaper. That is their main purpose, as a means of delivering bleeding. They still, however, damage the defiance bar.

So, for a condi reaper, chill and blind are essential as a source of damage. Now I'll reiterate: I find scourge far superior as a condi spec and reaper is better suited for power. BUT if one were to take a condi reaper, blind and chill are their major sources of bleeding. Even on bosses.

[eaman.7562]

@"Methuselah.4376" said:I am not sure I understand your point.So IMHO it's like a big part of condi reaper main machanic goes wasted on boss, it's not the best option (scourge) on trash but at least there chill and blind are useful in a "bad plug".Also whirls in a ice field to damage a single target seems weird for me.

Yet condi reaper in fractals is better than power...

[Zhaid Zhem.6508]

I hope people in fractals don't join with carrion armor.And there is no purpose to increase chill duration as the bleeds come from the application, not the duration.

[psygate.5632]

Your build is inferior to about any close to meta reaper build. Let's start out with your choice of stats. Carrion is suboptimal, since it doesn't enhance your bleed duration. On reaper 99% of your actual damage output comes from applying bleeds. Bleeds come from chilling darkness and deathly chill.

Let's start with your weapons. You don't need a greatsword necessarily, since you can complete a rotation without a great sword if done well. If you exchange a signet of chilling with a signet of earth, you can completely ditch the great sword, off-hand dagger with sigil in weapons group 2 and proc the sigil without really swapping weapons. This adds a good amount of bleeds over the duration of a boss fight. The other option is a sigil of agony, on both weapons, and proc the chilling darkness on gs4 + gs5, then rotate to the scepter again.

Skills. Ho boi. Don't. None of the skills, except epidemic, make really sense for you use case. Keep epidemic, switch in blood is power (use dagge 4 for enhanced damage + chilling darkness proc). Then use consume conditions, because that's our (arguably only) good heal, and the "Suffer!" shout, for another condi transfer and chill proc. Your elite should be plaguelands, since it's a really really nice high dps stationary skill.

Traits. No blood magic. You don't need it. Your only goal is to carry your team, not rez them because they can't dodge. Use soul reaping or spite. Both work for a reaper.

Armor: Use viper. Really. Your sustain will come from switching lingering curse to parasitic contagion. If you land a good plagueland + boomdemic, you can heal from zero to hero in no time. Go full viper, your sustain comes from damage, not stats.

Look at this build. http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRUQJgYbnc0AV3glbCe3A83gliBLKAMA6WUNhpwtKuHWETiA-jBSAQBrbhBvsPQIV+BgTAwNVCGtjAwg0EER1fWHgAEOAgH4AH4AH4AGgYH7YH7YH7YH7YHbhAWsGA-e

This is what I generally play when I need to carry fractals. You can technically carry 100cm with this, if you're good at dodging. All your sustain comes from parasitic contagion, and most of your damage comes from a rotation that inflicts good amounts of bleeding. The 4 nightmare + 2 trapper are the budget variant of the build, if you feel like you need to spend a lot of gold, get renegade instead. http://gw2skills.net/editor/?vRUQJgYbnc0AV3glbCe3A83gliBLKAMA6Wx9wiYSkqJMFuVA-jxRAQBRU9nbqEMkK/25+DR7IAMINBA4EAEAIBIEPAupb6mupb6m66spb6mupb6mupb6mupCBsYNA-e

In either case, you want to maximize your bleeds & bleed duration on a reaper. Scourge is a little different since your damage comes from more than just bleeding.

Edit:Since people are telling you that "blind and chill is useless", not quite true. On bosses like the spin2win cat, you want to keep your shroud5 + whirl and quick shroud3+3 then dagger4 for the cc chain. You can technically break the bar alone if you're quick enough. Both aren't useless, despite what people say, it's just not good for your overall dps & rotation to go for a long chill and blind duration. You wan't to apply a huge amount of those when needed, not keep them stacked.