Whatever happened to Viper Reaper? Any up to date builds?

[FLEUR.7458]

Hey guys so I created a Necro back when HoT came out because viper stats and reaper breathed new life into the profession (Though it was never my main).. I quit the game and recently came back, but now I never see any viper reapers and have no clue what happened to them? Are they that inferior to power reaper builds?

 

Also, if you have a good reaper build for t4 Fractals, I would love to see it.

 

Thanks!

[kKagari.6804]

I'm not expert on PvE but AFAIK power reapers are inferior to condition reapers, most definitely. Fractals may have their own hijinks builds for reapers. I suggest looking at Metabattle.com

[Amerikajinn.4635]

Howdy! Viper builds are still very much effective for t4 fractals, with a couple of caveats:

https://qtfy.eu/guildwars/necromancer/condi-reaper-quick-guide/

 

That^ is a quick build guide for getting the most out of bleeds, which make up the majority of the damage, as well as slightly changing the way they approach using the elite skill due to the 6 rune effect for the Superior runes of the Krait.

 

As for rotation, the key aspects which can be seen in the rotation video (but I'll summarize here) are:

 

1. Try to use your Shroud 5-4 comboo when you can, and especially when you start fights. It has great burst-bleed potential if used correctly.

The first aspect of using it properly is whirling with Soul Spiral INSIDE of the hitbox for the target. Due to how Chilling Bolts are spawned, if you're inside the target the hit as soon as they spawn and apply the 3 stacks of bleed immediately. On top of this is ensuring that the combo finisher uses the placed ice field, but this can be done with great efficiency (getting it 90% or more in a group setting) as shown in the research compiled here:

 

2. Proper usage of [Chilling Darkness](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Chilling_Darkness "https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Chilling_Darkness")

Due to how this trait works, and Viper Reaper making use of multiple skills that use blind (dagger 4, GS 4) it's important to spread them out.

 

 

All in all, when played well it can do extremely well in a fractals environment, with the best players being able to take [Parasitic Contagion](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Parasitic_Contagion "https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Parasitic_Contagion") to not only deal high damage but also become tremendously survivable (just beaware that the player has to be well practiced with the profession before being able to do this, and it is only neccesary when the group does not have a healer).