A fun build I’ve been running that has a huge amount of burst damage and enormous amounts of AOE. It’s made for group fighting first and foremost, since your constant ceaseless chills allow you to debuff and suppress any players. I’ve regularly entered a teamfight and downed 2-3 players simultaneously with heavy condi pressure from shouts.
Optional Rune Swap:
Rune of Nightmare or Rune of Grenth. I decided on Nightmare because I love fears since they lock down an enemy and let you do your thing. Nobody carries enough stun breakers for 4 fears.
Optional Utilities:
Spectral Grasp or Spectral Wall: take the Grasp for teams with lots of ranged kiters such as Mesmers and Rangers. You only need to grasp them once, because once they’re in melee range they won’t last long against chained fears and chills. Take Wall for teams with a lot of melee. Melee characters have to get in close to do their damage, and the wall fears/chills/trolls.
Rise or Spectral Armor: Armor helps generate life force for people who rely more on Reaper’s Shroud. However, Rise does damage, lasts longer, and reduces more damage. Both are viable, but I favor Rise because you’re traited for a lower shout cooldown.
Your Soul is Mine or Consume Conditions: The only way Consume Conditions is better is because it provides a powerful condi-clear. Only take Consume Conditions if you’re sure the enemy team has two or more likely condi builds. Against most situations YSiM is superior because it helps your burst damage, it casts faster, and it has a much quicker cooldown.
General Gameplay: Open combat by smacking things with marks with your incredible Staff range. Try to fear them with Staff5 then Spectral Grasp while they’re feared so that they cannot avoid the pull. Once pulled, let rip with your Shouts while swapping to greatsword. Since you have over 10s of chill on your victim, you should have no problem staying in melee range. Reaper’s Shroud if you have over 20% life-force so you can use Shroud3 to add another fear for CC. Shroud2 is also particularly useful for closing distance and Shroud4 is great aoe pressure for a team fight and Shroud5 is great for interrupting stomps (you know, aside from all your fears).
Strengths:
-Constant chills on anyone you’re up against
-Very powerful burst damage AND condi damage
-Incredible AOE damage and AOE conditions: you become exponentially more powerful in a big fight
-Anybody without stability will weep at how annoying you are
-Hilariously strong while downed: your fear does traited damage and it chills. You basically defeat any class 1v1 while downed.
Weaknesses:
-If your chills don’t stick you’re very slow and can be kited to death.
-Weak life-force generation
-Bad condi clear. Heavy condi pressure will kill you.
Tell me what you think! Still a work in progress!