Reaper FAQ

*** CTRL + F is your friend ***

==Index==
- Combat
  |Chain Skills
  |Rotations
  |Glyphing

- Equipment
  |Crystals
  |Stat Rolls
  |Upgrade Order

** Periodically updated so be sure to check back.

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COMBAT
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Reaper's playstyle is a mix of Warrior and Slayer. All of reaper's cooldowns (and glyphed cooldowns) synergize with the skills they chain into. Make mental notes and get down a muscle memory for the rotation to keep it going. During CD downtime chain Shadow Lash with Double Shear to go straight into Death Spiral (if off CD) otherwise Grim Strike.

PVE: Cable Step will always be up for Shadow Burst and Shadow Lash, use the one that's not on CD. Wait for the full damage of Grim Strike before going into another skill. If you have enough attack speed, you can frame cancel the third hit while still getting the damage but practice the timing.

PvP: Chain staggers into finishers, hold off KDs until all else is used or you can confirm a kill or a un-retaliateable knockdown. Make very good use of frame canceling Grim Strike/Death Spiral/Double Shear. Retribution frame cancel Sundering Strike to not have it on CD if someone is going for a stun/stagger punish then restart the combo or Cable Step their punish.

List of all Skills + Chains
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Spiral Barrage 3rd/4th/5th hit -> Double Shear
Spiral Barrage 3rd/5th/5th hit -> Grim Strike
Spiral Barrage -> Whipsaw
Double Shear -> Grim Strike
Double Shear -> Whipsaw
Double Shear -> Sundering Strike
Grim Strike -> Double Shear
Grim Strike -> Sundering Strike
Pendulum Strike -> Double Shear
Pendulum Strike -> Grim Strike
Pendulum Strike -> Whipsaw
Whipsaw -> Double Shear
Whipsaw -> Grim Strike
Death Spiral -> Double Shear
Death Spiral -> Grim Strike
Smite -> Double Shear
Smite -> Grim Strike
Shadow Lash -> Double Shear
Shadow Lash -> Grim Strike

PvE Rotation

Option #1
Death Spiral -> Double Shear -> Grim Strike -> Sundering Strike -> Death Spiral -> Grim Strike (if reset, if not SKIP) -> Pendulum Strike -> Whipsaw -> Cable Step -> Shadow Burst (END) if Shadow Lash repeat from Double Shear, THEN Death Spiral

Option #2 (Positioning DPS/Mobility)
Smite -> [Pendulum Strike -> Whipsaw]** -> Double Shear -> Death Spiral -> Grim Strike -> Sundering Strike -> Death Spiral -> Grim Strike (if reset, if not SKIP) Cable Step -> Shadow Burst (END) if Shadow Lash repeat from Double Shear, THEN Death Spiral

** Positioning dependent, can save to move you more later on in the rotation or use it to place you in the optimal spot after using smite to move you forward, personal preference and play by ear.

Glyphing
 Glyphs at the bottom of stream.


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EQUIPMENT
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Reaper uses Leather, and that shares with the Slayer/Warrior/Archer classes. Their defense is the lowest of the leather classes due to their low base endurance, however their Endurance scaling is above average due to that. The same goes for their lower base Power, the class gets more attack per bonus due to it.

|Crystals|
PVE
RED
 - Forceful (19 POW upon critical hit from behind for 10 seconds) | Pounding (7.8% Flat Damage to All Monsters)
 - Bitter (1.38 Crit Damage from Behind on All Monsters)
 - Savage (1.2 Crit Damage from Behind)
 - Focused (1.7 Crit Damage on Enraged Monsters)
BLUE
 - x4 Hardy (30.8% Damage Reduction from All Monsters)
 - x4 Poised (34% Damage Reduction from Enraged Monsters)
GREEN
 - Pre-65 x4 Powerful (8 Power)
 - Lv65 - x4 Carving (24 Critical)

Reapers have very high back time due to their high mobility and long distance skills. Flat damage reduction is ALWAYS superior in PvE, all DoT are MAX HP% BASED so stacking Relentless not only makes the effects hurt more, but you're also losing the flat damage reduction in the first place. Forceful can be kept up full time, and Carving is not optimal due to the damage loss from the 19 power from Forceful, high amount of multi-hit skills, and your natural high crit rate due to gear/glyphs.

Pre-Niveot - Forceful/Bitter/Savage/Focused + Hardy
Post-Niveot (good gear) - Forceful/Bitter/Savage/Focused + Hardy
*Note: Forceful is still a damage increase over Pounding, even fully buffed.

|Gear|
First thing's first, upgrade order.
1) Weapon 2) Gloves 3) Body 4) Feet

PvE Rolls
Weapon - Ambit (if a new player), Discovery (Keen or Intense only, pref Intense), Generation, Renegade.
 Ambit/Discovery - Behind/Flat/Enraged
 Intense Generation - Behind/Flat/Enraged/Cooldown

**VM5 Cooldown/Behind/Flat/Enraged/Cooldown + Energetic III Etching (Broken DPS spike due to the ability to roll top stat.)

***Old Archetype 3.5: Do not roll attack speed on 3.5 due to it already having at the top, because that is a DPS loss. Your cooldowns do not support it.

Armor - Grim Strike only, nothing else comes close. You WILL get resets which automatically invalidates Shadow Burst.
 *3-stat armor - Max HP%/Flat/Enraged (frontal, knockdown, or healing recieved can also replace Max HP% since it's not really important for PvE due to DoTs tic for Max HP%.)
 *4-stat armor - Max HP%/Flat/Enraged/HP Recovery or Frontal/KD (if pvp KD over enraged for both 4 and 3-stat armor.)

|Earrings|
PvE - Max HP%, HP Restoration
PvP - Max HP%, Stun Duration

Most people just opt for PvP rolls though, nothing wrong with it anyway.

|Rings + Necklace|
Crit Rate 4, Crit Damage .04, not much to say lol

|Belt/Brooch|
6 Crit Rate, 3 Power rolls on both.

|Etching|
Lv65 - Pumped III/Grounded III

*For 3v3s,  cheese Energetic is also an option. Note that you are sacrificing a lot of damage for higher utility so please keep that in mind.