GW2 Condi Reaper Guide: Rotation, Gear, Skills & Tips ~ HaploGamingChef

Understanding the Role of a Condi Reaper in PvE

The Condi Reaper in Guild Wars 2 fills a damage-dealing (DPS) role in group PvE content like raids, strikes, and fractals. Unlike most condition builds that ramp slowly, this one delivers short ramp burst damage, ideal for high-pressure encounters. It uses a hybrid damage setup with strong access to both bleeding and chill-based effects that scale off condition damage.

⚠️ Note: This build is not designed for solo play. It’s meant to perform within a coordinated PvE group.

Gear Setup: Grieving & Viper Combo

Choosing the right gear is essential for maximizing your output in a GW2 Reaper Build PvE setup.

Armor: Full Grieving (Power + Condition Damage, Precision, Ferocity)
Weapons: Greatsword and Spear, both in Grieving stats
Sigils:
- Sigil of Earth (Bleeding on crit)
- Sigil of Smoldering (Condition duration)
Trinkets: Full Viper with one Grieving backpiece and one Grieving ring
Relic: Use the Relic of the Fractal for highest condition-based DPS
Infusions (if affordable): Focus on Condition Damage

This setup boosts both Power and Condition Damage, but doesn't stack Expertise. Since Bleeding is your only damaging condition, duration is more valuable than total variety.

Optimal Consumables

For consumables, you don’t have many options because only a few are truly optimal:

Food: Kimchi Pancakes — gives +70 Condition Damage and +15% Bleeding Duration
Utility: Toxic Focusing Crystals — highest raw Condition Damage buff

These consumables are key to pushing your damage numbers, especially in high-end content.

Trait Lines and Specializations

You'll use three trait lines for this build: Curses, Soul Reaping, and Reaper.

Curses

Focuses on enhancing Bleeding output
Boosts Precision, Fury, and Condition Damage
Applies Chill when you Blind, which triggers other trait synergies

Soul Reaping

Increases Life Force generation
Grants 10% more damage to both Power and Condition attacks
Lowers cooldowns on shroud skills

Reaper

Unlocks Reaper Shroud with powerful chill-based skills
Deadly Chill is the key trait — makes Chill inflict Bleeding over time
Enhances damage against Chilled enemies, who are constantly affected in this build

Weapon Overview

Greatsword

Main AoE weapon with chill and bleeding application
Executioner's Scythe creates an ice field for finisher combos
Gravedigger delivers strong Power damage and cooldown reset below 50% HP

Spear

High burst and chill output
Skill 4 and 5 apply chill and trigger additional bleeding via Deadly Chill
The Skill 2 > 4 > 2 combo adds strong burst value

Utility Skills Breakdown

Core Setup

Blood Is Power: Applies Bleeding and self-Torment (transferred later)
Suffer: Transfers conditions and applies Chill
Well of Darkness: Applies Blind and Chill
Solace Mine: Fast Life Force generation, low cooldown
Blade of the Fallen (Elite): Applies multiple conditions

Alternative Options

Corrosive Poison Cloud: For projectile blocking
Spectral Grasp: High CC option when required
"Rise!" or Flesh Golem: Extra crowd control or minion pressure

How the Build Works: Combo Logic

The whole build revolves around stacking Bleeding by applying Chill. Your Reaper Shroud and other utilities consistently trigger Deadly Chill, which automatically adds Bleeding every time Chill is applied.

Your aim is to rotate efficiently between Shroud combos, Weapon Swaps, and Skill chains to maintain high uptime on bleeding and chill effects.

Opener Sequence

Blade Lens → Blood Is Power
Well of Darkness → Suffer
Spear Combo: Isolate → Perforate → Distress
Swap to Greatsword and enter Reaper Shroud

Sustained Rotation

Here’s the loop to follow:

Inside Reaper Shroud

Death’s Charge → Infusing Terror → Terrify
Executioner’s Scythe → Soul Spiral
(This creates an ice field + whirl finishers for bonus bleeding)

Exit Shroud

Gravedigger → Death Spiral
Swap to Spear and repeat: Perforate → Distress → Perforate
Enter Reaper Shroud again when available
Use auto-attacks or filler skills during downtime

🎯 Note: Always try to land your Executioner’s Scythe combo inside an Ice Field for maximum bleeding procs. Avoid using other combo fields just before it.

Advanced Rotation Tips

Below 50% HP, replace Soul Spiral with 2x Gravedigger for more burst
Use utility skills like Well of Darkness and Blood is Power on cooldown
Avoid using multiple blind skills too quickly — internal cooldowns limit procs from Chilling Darkness and Chilling Nova

Shroud Management

Use Infusing Terror to reduce incoming damage
Save Reaper’s Shroud for large AoE moments or chill burst combos
Avoid taking damage while in Shroud — losing Life Force can ruin your loop

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using other combo fields before Executioner's Scythe — this ruins your finisher effectiveness
Stacking blind skills too close together — results in missed proc opportunities
Standing too far from enemies during combo execution — you'll miss key attacks
Neglecting spear rotations — they contribute significant burst and chill

Summary: Why Play This Build

High burst for a condi build
Fun, fast-paced gameplay loop
Iconic weapon synergy (Greatsword + Spear)
Solid performance in high-end PvE
Can adapt slightly for CC or projectile-heavy fights

Conclusion

The GW2 Condi Reaper build is a standout choice for players who want high burst condition damage in group PvE. With a well-paced and fluid rotation, strong synergy between chill and bleeding, and simple gear setup, it's both accessible and powerful. While the melee playstyle and lack of strong utility may not suit every situation, the build excels in group content where DPS performance is the primary focus. Whether you're tackling strikes, raids, or fractals, this setup offers consistent results and a fun gameplay loop. Master the rotation, manage your shroud usage, and time your combos to get the most out of this condition-based powerhouse.

FAQs

Q: Is the Condi Reaper build good for solo play?
A: No, this build is optimized for group PvE content. It lacks sustain and utility needed for soloing.

Q: Why not use expertise gear for condition duration?
A: The build focuses on bleeding only. Expertise would be inefficient compared to gear that boosts raw condition damage.

Q: Can I use a different weapon instead of the spear?
A: The spear offers crucial chill application and burst potential. While alternatives exist, they’ll lower your DPS.

Q: What is Deadly Chill and why is it important?
A: Deadly Chill makes chill apply bleeding. This is the core trait enabling the build’s fast condition stacking.

Q: What should I do if I need more crowd control?
A: Swap in Spectral Grasp or Flesh Golem to increase CC at the cost of some DPS.

Q: What relic should I use for this build?
A: Use Relic of the Fractal for the highest condition-based damage increase.

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