The community gave this build a rating, making it second-tier: Good
Focused on: Condition damage
Designed for: Open World
Expansions required: Heart of Thorns builds Secrets of the Obscure builds
Difficulty: Normal
This build was last updated on October 23, 2025 and is up to date for the June 2, 2026 patch.
Overview
A fast-paced Reaper build with strong condi burst, sustained condi damage, and constant CC. This is primarily a 
恐惧, Chill Chill, and Bleed Bleed build. It leverages interactions between the traits 
恐惧, 
恐惧寒栗, and 
致命冰冻 to rapidly stack 50+ 
流血, 25x 
易伤, 25x 
威能, 
激怒, and 
急速.
This is a soloing build, trading some group damage optimizations for self-reliant boon generation, increased survivability, and some sustain.
The main downside is it provides few boons to allies, though some conditions it inflicts like 恐惧, Chill Chill, 
目盲, along with corrupting enemy boons and cleansing allies' conditions, are useful to allies too.
Template Code
[&DQg1Fyc/IirBEsESphKmEmwBdwFAAXQBAxMDEwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA=]Skillbar
Weapon Variants
We default to double Sword Sword and Scepter Scepter/Warhorn Warhorn because they stack Bleed Bleed faster than all other weapons, and their offhands both have a 恐惧 skill. Sword requires Expanded Weapon Proficiency with Secrets of the Obscure. Other weapon alternatives include:
- Pistol Pistol/Torch Torch: The typical condi weapon set, but doesn't synergize as well with this build. It focuses on
折磨, 
中毒, and Burn Burn, and lacks all of Bleed Bleed, Chill Chill, and 恐惧. However, Pistol #2 Weeping Shots with Quickness provides good condi burst, and can replace Scepter for an alternate single-target option. Requires Weaponmaster Training from Secrets of the Obscure. - Greatsword Greatsword: Loses a 恐惧 skill but gains more AoE Bleed Bleed application with
夜幕降临 and the trait 
寒冰暗幕, and a strong CC/pull with 
黑暗抓攫. - Spear Spear: Also loses a 恐惧 skill but gains multiple sources of Chill Chill, both on the moderately quick autoattack chain and skill 4. Includes a
晕眩, teleport, boon rip, and cleaves 3 enemies. Requires Lowland Spear Training or Lowland Spear Unlock from the Janthir Wilds expansion. - Staff Staff: Provides burst damage from range, and is the only other weapon besides Warhorn and offhand Sword with a 恐惧 skill, but deals low sustained damage. Not recommended for PvE, but strong in WvW.
Skill Variants
Healing skills
We default to 
"灵魂夺取！" because of its low 16s cooldown, but any healing skill can be used. You could also consider:
症状吞噬 - A bigger heal and condition cleanse, but doesn't generate life force.
鲜血法池 - For group healing and a Light combo field.
吸血纹章 - For passive healing in combat, and group leech when cast on a target.
Utility skills
We default to the following skills because they all provide Fear or Chill:
"无尽苦痛！" - Chill Chills and transfers conditions.
鬼灵圆环 - The only utility skill that 恐惧s. Mandatory, do not replace.
黑暗法池 - Inflicts Chill Chill directly 5 times, and indirectly from 目盲 2 times (via Curses trait 寒冰暗幕), stacking 28 Bleed Bleeds. Dark combo field. If you replace this skill with something else, also change the Curses trait to 
蓄意扰乱 or 
传播瘟疫.
Other useful skills to consider:
威力法池 - Breaks stun, grants AoE 
稳固, converts your and allies' conditions into boons, Dark combo field, on a low 20s cooldown. Arguably Necro's strongest defensive utility skill.
鬼灵铠甲 - Alternate stun break, regenerate life force quickly.
鬼灵影步 - Alternate stun break, lure attackers off cliffs in WvW then teleport back up while they fall to their deaths.
鬼灵缚爪 - Replaces 鬼灵圆环 when underwater. Use on land for even more CC if needed.
腐化法池 - Additional AoE boon corrupt for some bosses that gain 
保护, 
决心, or 激怒. Dark combo field.
腐蚀毒云 - Inflicts Poison and Weakness, blocks incoming projectiles, Poison combo field.
Elite skills
"严寒刺骨！" is mandatory, do not replace it. It has excellent synergy with 
噩梦古物. Together, they inflict Chill Chill, 
昏迷, and 恐惧, and grant 稳固, double 急速, and double 激怒. Crucially, the skill and the relic are synced to the same 30s cooldown. Note - there is a 2s delay between casting the Elite skill and 噩梦古物's Fear proc. Make sure to remain in range of any target you want to be hit with that Fear.
Specializations
Skill Variants
- 蓄意扰乱 - Inflict Torment every time your constant 恐惧s hit an enemy.
- 传播瘟疫 For additional condition clear, which this build sometimes needs against heavy condition enemies.
腐化之道 For additional boon corrupt.
Spite Alternatives
In a party or squad with other players providing group 急速, you can change the Spite traitline to Soul Reaping (Burning), Death Magic (Poison + Carapace), or Blood Magic (party life steal + Barrier). These may be more useful in large open world map meta groups, bounties, public Convergences, and similar.
Equipment
Equipment Variants
- Dire Dire or Trailblazer Trailblazer can be considered for a more survivable build or a WvW build. Try to keep Bleeding duration at 100%, possibly using
超级蛇妖符文 and 
超级痛苦法印 together if necessary. Also keep in mind that Precision is valuable, as it causes Chilling Novas, Bleeding on Crit, and increases Condition Damage as a percent of Precision (trait + utility buff). Try to keep at least 30% Crit Chance. - Celestial Celestial gear is also an option, in every slot - armor, trinkets, weapons. This remains a condition build with the same runes, sigils, relic, and traits as the main build. Though, as above, you may need 超级蛇妖符文 to reach the Bleed duration cap. Also, with Celestial's Concentration stat, we no longer need all five Fear skills to maintain permanent Quickness and Fury. Only three Fear skills are required, so you can experiment with different utility, relic, or weapons.
- Berserker's Berserker's or other power-based gear is also an option for a power variant of this build. Change the Curses traitline to Soul Reaping for raw damage or Blood Magic for self-healing and
屏障. Change a few condi traits to power traits: 致命冰冻 -> 
夺魂灭屠 or 
瘟疫增益; 
死亡冰寒 -> 
唤醒痛苦. Change Scepter -> Axe or Dagger with 
超级武勇法印 and 
超级冲击法印. Use 
超级猎龙者符文 or 
超级学者符文. - For sigils you should prioritize 100% Bleeding Duration, then Condition damage or Bleeding application. The following sigils could also be considered:
超级大地法印, 
超级地能法印, 超级痛苦法印, 
超级恶毒法印, 
超级渴求法印. - For runes,
超级陷阱师符文 are preferred, but there are some alternatives. Aim for 100% Bleeding duration, then maximum Condition Damage. Try to use the runes where the 5th and 6th runes give 100 and 125 Condition Damage respectively. 
超级狂战士符文, 
超级唤灵师符文, 
超级龙魂使符文, 
超级阴鬼符文, 超级蛇妖符文. - For the relic, 噩梦古物 is mandatory. Without any boon duration in the build, we need five Fears to maintain permanent uptime on Quickness and Fury. Nightmare's AoE Fear on the same short 30s cooldown as "严寒刺骨！" provides that fifth Fear. It also increases the Elite skill's breakbar damage, and spreads more Chill Chill and Bleed Bleed.
Consumables
Use whatever food is needed to get Bleeding Duration to the 100% cap if needed, then prioritize Condition Damage and Precision.
DPS
Defense
Farming
- Prioritize Flatbread Ascended food.
生日爆破枪 / 
令人愉快的生日蛋糕大餐-
薄荷怪异莓棒
锐磨颅骨 (and variants)
Usage
Core mechanics
恐惧 is a key mechanic of this build. Inflicting fear on an enemy grants 急速 and 激怒 to you and inflicts Chill Chill on enemies, thanks to 恐惧 and 恐惧寒栗. Review your sourcess of Fear and use them all aggressively on cooldown. No Concentration or boon duration is needed for 100% uptime on 急速, 激怒, 25x 易伤, and 25x 威能 (from hitting Chilled enemies), as long as you're casting all five 恐惧 skills on cooldown.
Chill Chill inflicts 4x 流血 and 易伤 thanks to 致命冰冻 and 
破甲冰冻. Besides Fear, there are three abilities, one whirl combo, and two passive traits that Chill (死亡冰寒, 
冰冻新星). Use these to fill gaps between 恐惧 skill cooldowns.
Critical Hits inflict 流血 directly from the trait 
倒刺精准 and 超级大地法印. Critical Hits against Chilled targets cause a 冰冻新星 explosion that Chill Chills and Bleed Bleeds nearby targets. Gain 威能 from hitting enemies that are Chilled, hitting enemies that are below 50% health, or autoattacking enemies while in Reaper's Shroud.
Weapon Notes
Sword/Sword
Mainhand sword autoattack stacks Bleed Bleed faster than any other weapon with this build, even Scepter. Sword autoattack inflicts Chill Chill on the third attack of the chain. Each Chill inflicts 4x Bleed Bleed. Sword's autoattack chain takes 2.08s to complete, or 1.39s under 急速 (2.08s/1.5=1.39s). [4x Bleed]/[1.39s] = 2.88 Bleed/second. Offhand Sword also contributes to Bleed stacking by inflicting both 恐惧 and Chill Chill, along with 易伤 and 威能. All sword attacks cleave and pierce, hitting up to five enemies, giving a high chance to proc 冰冻新星.
Scepter/Warhorn
Scepter inflicts 流血, 中毒 and some 折磨, and is greatly improved by 
诅咒萦绕. This trait increases the base duration of Scepter conditions, enabling Scepter Bleeds to exceed the 100% duration cap. Scepter's slightly slower autoattack chain and lack of Chill Chill application mean it does not stack Bleed quite as fast as Sword. Scepter's autoattack chain completes in 2.4s, or 1.6s under 急速 (2.4s/1.5=1.6s). The full chain inflicts 3x Bleed (one per attack). [3x Bleed]/[1.6s] = 1.875 Bleed/second. Lingering Curse also changes skill 3 from single target into an AoE boon corrupt skill 
吞噬黑暗. Warhorn is taken for the 恐惧 of 
末日哀嚎.
Alternative weapons
Pistol Pistol/Torch Torch is a condition weapon set that focuses on 折磨, 中毒, and Burn Burn, rather than Bleed Bleed, Chill Chill, and 恐惧. Pistol gains an additional 昏迷 with 
恶毒爆冲, but loses the boon corrupt that both Scepter 3 吞噬黑暗 and Sword 3 
暴殄天物 provide. Pistol's autoattack 
恶性射击 bounces between three enemies, providing more AoE condi cleave than Scepter's single-target autoattack, but less than mainhand sword's 5-target autoattack. Torch Torch gains some AoE knockdown CC, but loses the crucial offhand 恐惧 this build is based around. However, pistol #2 Weeping Shots with Quickness provides good single target condi burst, and can be used in place of Scepter for that if needed. Both require Weaponmaster Training from Secrets of the Obscure.
Greatsword Greatsword lacks access to 恐惧 which may cause gaps in 急速 uptime. But it gains 夜幕降临 which, when combined with the Curses trait 寒冰暗幕, can rapidly stack 目盲 -> Chill Chill -> Bleed Bleed. Greatsword's autoattack inflicts Chill Chill on the third attack. It takes 2.88s to complete, or 1.92s with 急速 (2.88s/1.5 = 1.92s). [4 Bleed]/[1.92s] = 2.08 Bleed/second, slower than Sword autoattack chain, but faster than Scepter. Though Greatsword auto can hit up to 3 targets, potentially proc'ing 冰冻新星 on them, spreading AoE Bleed faster than single-target Scepter but slower than 5-target Sword. Finally, 黑暗抓攫 is a strong AoE pull that groups together many monsters, or damages breakbars.
Spear Spear also lacks access to 恐惧 but includes a Chill Chill on its autoattack chain. Its autoattack chain completes in ~2.4s, or 1.6s under Quickness (2.4s/1.5 = 1.6s). [4x Bleed]/[1.6s] = 2.5 Bleed/second, slower than Sword but faster than Scepter. Spear also hits 3 targets, potentially proc'ing 冰冻新星. Spear has an additional Chill on its fourth skill and 晕眩 on its third skill. Spear requires the Janthir Wilds expansion and either Lowland Spear Training or Lowland Spear Unlock.
Staff Staff is the only other weapon besides Warhorn and offhand Sword with a 恐惧 skill. It provides burst damage from range, but it deals low sustained damage. Sword/Sword is more effective at stacking Bleed Bleed due to its faster attack speed, cleave, and pierce. Not recommended for PvE, but useful in WvW zergs.
Damage
Rotation Opener
With our opener we're aiming for two quick Fears from Spectral Ring and the weapon skill. Open from 900 range or closer with Sword/Sword:
If using Staff:
If using Greatsword:
Close to within melee range, then cycle through Fear and Chill skills:
-
"严寒刺骨！"
-
黑暗法池
-
"无尽苦痛！"
- Weapon Swap to Scepter/Warhorn
-
末日哀嚎
-
死亡束缚
- Enter
夺魂之幕 
惊惧魔甲 -> 
惊惧释放: Double tap for a quick AoE 恐惧. Use on cooldown. Killing a mob reduces its cooldown by 50%, so in large packs it's almost spammable.
处决镰刀 -> 
灵魂漩涡: Ice Field + Whirl Finisher spreads massive amounts of 中毒 and Chill Chill.
生命撕裂 -> 
生命劈裂 -> 
生命收割: autoattack in Reaper's Shroud for a few seconds for Crits to cause a 冰冻新星 explosion and to allow Fear cooldowns to reset.- Exit Reaper's Shroud, attack with Scepter (single target) or Sword (AoE) until Fear cooldowns reset, then repeat the rotation.
Defense
Defense mainly comes from constant 恐惧 disabling enemies, and permanent Chill Chill increasing their ability cooldowns.
- Sidestep and walk or dodge out of enemy attacks.
- Constant 恐惧 prevents incoming damage.
- Permanent Chill Chill reduces the rate of incoming damage.
虚弱 prevents critical strikes and causing glancing blows (50% of normal damage).- 目盲 causing the enemy's next attack to miss.
- 夺魂之幕 is as a second health bar and has a natural 33% damage reduction.
- 惊惧魔甲 provides 稳固 and further reduces damage taken.
- Use 症状吞噬 in condition heavy fights. If more is needed, run "无尽苦痛！", 威力法池, and/or the trait 传播瘟疫.
- "严寒刺骨！" provides 稳固, 昏迷s, and Chill Chills.
- Sword skills 1, 3, 4 heal a little bit, along with Warhorn 5.
- Scepter 3 吞噬黑暗 and Sword 3 暴殄天物 can corrupt boons on enemies. Use them to remove 激怒, 保护, or 决心 on powerful enemies.
- If using Staff,
腐烂印记 cleanses your conditions. - If using Greatsword, 夜幕降临 spreads AoE 目盲.
Crowd Control
Breakbar damage happens naturally by cycling through the Damage rotation. The strongest breakbar abilities are "严寒刺骨！" and 处决镰刀. Omit those from the damage rotation if needed to reserve them for active breakbar phases, but both are on relatively low 30s cooldowns and generally don't need to be conserved.