[Wishlist] Power Reaper change suggestion

[Lobo.1296]

Necro is in a rough spot right now, though there a lot of great suggestions for core necro and scourge, I’m going to focus on a few changes that would specifically help Power Reaper. These small tweaks might go some way to address its problems in group play. I encourage anyone to provide feedback.

Overall many of the fixes are damage increases and QoL with a little bit of flavor mixed in. My fixes center on weapon changes, skills changes and traits to benefit Power necros and reapers.

 

**Traits:**

Augury of Death: Also increases shout damage by 10%. _It widely said increasing damage by 10% across the board for Reaper will still make bottom tier. We need more than just damage, but we also need just damage increases._

 

Chilling Nova: No change

 

Relentless Pursuit: Keep movement impairing duration decrease. Add: cripples enemies below a health threshold (50%). Increase damage to enemies suffering from cripple by 10%. _This would compete with the other 2 traits. AoD for group support, CN for AoE damage and chill application, RP for selfish single target damage_

 

Soul Eater: Increase Greatsword damage by 10%. _It’s not creative or inspired, but raw damage helps and this would make this trait picked for solo play._

 

Chilling Victory: Striking a chilled foe grants lifeforce to you and might to you and nearby allies (2s # of targets: 5). _Might granting isn't a silver bullet for group support but everything is compared to Warrior PS, this would be our version_

 

Blighter’s Boon: No change

 

Deathly Chill: When you apply Chill you do a burst of damage based on your Power. _Probably the most controversial change as it eliminates condi reaper. However, I think condi reaper was accidental and never meant to be a real thing. Reaper should be our go-to Power melee build and adding conditions to it muddies the water and spreads this tree thin.

Having chills do a burst of small damage gives us a lot of area damage with Chilling Nova, shouts and fears. The damage scaling would have to be balanced so it’s not crazy, but having it based on our Power will help.

I would further suggest baking in the old Deathly Chill into existing Curses traits like Chilling Darkness or Barbed Precision so condi necros don’t lose the additional bleed applications._

 

Reaper’s Onslaught: No change. _I think the new change to Deathly Chill competes with Reaper’s Onslaught. Reapers can choose whether they want to play a shroud focused reaper or a chill focused reaper and be rewarded for either choice._

 

**Weapon:**

I’m just looking at Greatsword for my changes, as I think the other weapons fit their niche. I think dagger MH needs some looking at, but that doesn’t necessarily affect power reaper so I won’t touch on it here.

 

1. Auto-attack Chain: Increase attack speed slightly, especially on Chilling Scythe.

2. Gravedigger: No change.

3. Death Spiral: Add a small leap to it with a leap finisher. _With the small leaps added to Weaver, I would add one here just to give us a little gap closer and a way to give a finisher when out of shroud._

4. Nightfall: Increase damage on final pulse by double. _This gives us good point control and punishes players for going toe to toe with a Reaper, and rewards smart lock down play on the field._

5. Grasping Darkness: Fix buggy targeting and ground pathing, or at least lower cooldown if we don’t hit a target with it since it is so wonky.

 

**Shroud:**

1. Auto-attack Chain: Add a chill to the final strike.

2. Death’s Charge: No change.

3. Infusing Terror/Terrify: Increase duration of Stability to 8s.

4. Soul Spiral: Increase attack speed so it completes ½ to ¾ second sooner

5. Executioner Scythe: Increase attack speed slightly.

 

**Skills:**

I’m just looking at Reaper specific skills i.e. Shouts. As other skills effect core necro and scourge I won’t touch on them here. Having said that, I think we need to look at many of our core skills, especially Spectral skills.

My idea for Shouts is to provide some group support with all of them.

 

“Your Soul is Mine!” Add a frost barrier to 5 allies around the shout. _This is not game breaking, but it will add some small group support._

 

“Nothing Can Save You!” Add Superspeed to you and 5 allies. _This fits the relentless pursuer theme of the reaper and grants a little support._

 

“Rise!” No change to minion effect, add that it heals downed allies based on damage dealt. _Unorthodox but it can help in some group play and hits the “Rise!” theme._

 

“Suffer!” Damage foes around you and Chill them. Transfer one condition from you and nearby allies to each foe you strike. _A minor group cleanse that transfer one condition from each ally and transfer to nearby targets. This one may be a little powerful, so an increase to recharge could be called for. _

 

“You Are All Weaklings!” Add the increase Might gains to you and allies. _Reaper gains 5 initially himself but grants some might to allies. This, coupled with some other traits can make Reaper a decent Might granter in group play._

 

“Chilled To the Bone!” Add Fury for you and allies. Fury duration is increased based on each foe you freeze. _More fury gain for us, and for allies, it’s a small addition but it can help._

 

That's it. There are a lot of good ideas floating around now on how to fix some of necros major issues. If even one of these changes is seriously considered than I would happy. I love the necro class, and the reaper especially but it's getting harder and harder to justify playing one when other classes seem to be pulling way ahead of us.

 

 

 

[dceptaconroy.7928]

Looks good lobo. Even more interesting well thought out options they could draw from, top work.

[Lahmia.2193]

I've always been an advocate for giving Soul Eater a greatsword damage bonus, but at this point I'm fairly sure Anet has no intention of making it a damage trait. I'm more for the idea I read recently, to change Decimate Defenses so that it grants 1% crit chance and 1% crit damage per vulnerability stack on your foe. Makes you deal more damage overall and is actually useful in a party with spotter/banners/fury etc.

Nice Relentless Pursuit addition, keeps with the monster theme and adding much needed damage modifiers. Deathly Chill, though it's become a bit of a meme at this point, I'm still really wanting it to change to a small amount of power damage when you apply chill.

[pah.4931]

I like a lot of these. Making shouts less selfish, for an already selfish class, would be an awesome start. And obviously any extra damage (and I agree, killing condi reaper) would be amazing.

 

Whenever the first balance patch does come, however, I am expecting a 5% boost to axe AA damage and that's it. ;P

[Xuazinegueri.3592]

Nice, no drastic changes what, imo, is easier to be accepted from ANet. But i still think that it wont get the necessary damage to be at raids, idk

[Lobo.1296]

> @Lahmia.2193 said:

> Nice Relentless Pursuit addition, keeps with the monster theme and adding much needed damage modifiers.

Deathly Chill, though it's become a bit of a meme at this point, I'm still really wanting it to change to a small amount of power damage when you apply chill.

 

Thanks! To be honest, the Relentless Pursuit idea wasn't uniquely mine, I've seen similar ideas kicked around here about it.

 

I don't want to try and hurt other necros by taking out a condi reaper spec, but for the health of the class I think it's necessary that the elite spec has some clarity and that it's focus be Power. Allow it to be good at one thing, instead of bad at 2.

 

I like the Decimate Defense idea. That is a great idea.

 

 

[Oldirtbeard.9834]

Nice suggestions, you forgot the plus 10% on Axe auto attack though.

[Warcry.1596]

Deathly Chill and Reaper's Onslaught shouldn't both be DPS based. It will turn meta snobs into always saying the one that has more DPS be superior, causing the other one to never be used.

 

Not a bad thing, they should both just have unique, build defining uses.

[Lahmia.2193]

> @Warcry.1596 said:

> Deathly Chill and Reaper's Onslaught shouldn't both be DPS based. It will turn meta snobs into always saying the one that has more DPS be superior, causing the other one to never be used.

>

> Not a bad thing, they should both just have unique, build defining uses.

 

Pretty sure camping Greatsword is still the highest dps so with regards to meta snobs (if you can have such a thing for power reapers) Deathly Chill is already the superior dps trait.

[pah.4931]

I might be in the minority, but I wish Gravedigger was a little more dynamic... maybe a reactionary "proc" type of an ability, where the cooldown resets more dynamical when XXX needs are met, and not just at 50% health. Just spamming 2 for the last half of the fight isn't all that awesome feeling.

 

For example: "Chill has a chance to reset gravedigger's cooldown" would be cooler (and more reactionary, which can be fun) and give more reasons to upkeep your chills on the target.

[Rudra.6932]

"Relentless Pursuit: Keep movement impairing duration decrease. Add: cripples enemies below a health threshold (50%)" - let's not have any HP % oriented trait more than we already do. The trait can modify 3rd auto attack of shroud skill 1 cripples struck enemies making it easier to keep up with targets in melee range.

 

Deathly Chill - the combination of RS 5 and 4 will be deadly if there is no ICD to it.

[kKagari.6804]

Deathly Chill: Chill applies weakness (3s). Weakness applies chill (3s). The same enemy cannot be affected by this more than once every 5s.

[Lobo.1296]

> @Warcry.1596 said:

> Deathly Chill and Reaper's Onslaught shouldn't both be DPS based. It will turn meta snobs into always saying the one that has more DPS be superior, causing the other one to never be used.

>

> Not a bad thing, they should both just have unique, build defining uses.

 

Other classes have tough DPS choices to make in their traits as well, as it stands now, Reaper's really have their traits picked for them since there are clear favorites. I don't disagree that the meta snobs may pick one over the other, but I think they will be situational and not clear favorites. Even if there is a meta favorite, that's a step in the right direction, since we aren't even in the meta now.

 

> @Rudra.6932 said:

> "Relentless Pursuit: Keep movement impairing duration decrease. Add: cripples enemies below a health threshold (50%)" - let's not have any HP % oriented trait more than we already do. The trait can modify 3rd auto attack of shroud skill 1 cripples struck enemies making it easier to keep up with targets in melee range.

>

> Deathly Chill - the combination of RS 5 and 4 will be deadly if there is no ICD to it.

 

I like your Relentless Pursuit idea. my Deathly Chill idea may be deadly with no ICD, but can't we use a little deadly right now?

[Chamelion.9536]

Cool. For me, what keeps me involved is variety. I'd love to have a couple extra minion choices for solo world play ... or able to catch juveniles and turn them into minions for a variety of creature choices (could only 'own' one at a time, releasing a previous juvenile when catching a new one) and that a current minion assumes the form of the Juvenile. Again, wistful thinking but as a casual player... some uniqueness is nice to have.

 

ALso, Great sword. Skill 1 activating while in rest mode irritates me.