Power Reaper lacks a third traitline to be effective.

[Refia Montes.3205]

I think one of the problems that's been plaguing Power Reaper's effectiveness is the lack of a third traitline that synergizes with the Power Reaper. Out of all the core Necro traitlines, Spite is the only one that provides good enough damage boosts to help out Reaper in increasing DPS. Blood Magic doesn't have that much any good modifiers but it's taken only for that 20% CDR on Wells and tiny bits of damage gained from Vampiric Aura. Curses while good for increasing your critical chance for more Power damage is rendered obsolete by Decimate Defenses, and lacks power modifiers as well. Death Magic only gives you small bits of Power. Soul Reaping again is rendered obsolete with the existence of Decimate Defenses. There's just nothing good for Reaper to take to increase its power damage significantly.

 

While, other professions have at least two traitlines that would have high Power modifiers. To note:

 

Warrior: Arms, Discipline, Strength, Tactics (honestly the power traits are scattered all over for Warrior that's one reason that power reason is pretty weak)

Guardian: Virtues, Radiance, Zeal

Revenant: Devastation, Invocation

Ranger: Marksmanship, Skirmishing, Beastmastery (pretty weak too though, since weapon autos are trash)

Thief: Critical Strikes, Deadly Arts, Trickery

Engineer: Firearms, Tools, Explosives

Mesmer: Dueling, Illusions, Domination

Elementalist: Fire, Water, Air, Arcane

and what does Necro get?

Spite only... and it's not even that great.

[Dadnir.5038]

I'll be the devil advocate here:

Soul reaping grant 5% damage to the necromancer when it's life force is over 50%, and also grant access to some vulnerability and crit chance while in shroud.

So there is spite and soul reaping.

 

This lead us to always the same conclusions: At the beginning anet wanted to make sure that shroud was also a dps tool but ultimately they failed at doing so.

[Refia Montes.3205]

Yeah Soulreaping does have some, but the third traitline doesn't really matter since none of them increases Power damage that much.

 

[Lahmia.2193]

If only Anet hadn't taken away our +2% damage for each condition on foe trait.

[Dadnir.5038]

> @Lahmia.2193 said:

> If only Anet hadn't taken away our +2% damage for each condition on foe trait.

 

Isn't it now a 2% crit chance for each condition on foe? Anet really want the necromancer to crit!

[Refia Montes.3205]

> @Dadnir.5038 said:

> > @Lahmia.2193 said:

> > If only Anet hadn't taken away our +2% damage for each condition on foe trait.

>

> Isn't it now a 2% crit chance for each condition on foe? Anet really want the necromancer to crit!

Why did they change it.... I suppose it works well with condi builds but not with Reaper...

[Lahmia.2193]

> @"Refia Montes.3205" said:

> > @Dadnir.5038 said:

> > > @Lahmia.2193 said:

> > > If only Anet hadn't taken away our +2% damage for each condition on foe trait.

> >

> > Isn't it now a 2% crit chance for each condition on foe? Anet really want the necromancer to crit!

> Why did they change it.... I suppose it works well with condi builds but not with Reaper...

 

Admittedly, the trait was a bit out of place in the Curses line but it's not like other professions don't have condition lines that also deal with direct damage buffs. Engineer Firearms comes to mind, with this exact trait as a grandmaster.