Guild Wars 2

What some ways to improve the Reaper’s defense in melee range with its current traits and tools?

Just to clarify, are you talking about ways to take what it already has and make a build that improves the defense? Or are you talking changes that could be made that aren’t larger mechanical ones to make it have better defense?

Better chill uptime results in better defense via Cold Shoulder and Chilling Victory (plus Blighter’s Boon). That’s the simplest thing to do to buff Reaper survivability.

Doesn’t do a ton unless you survive the initial bursts, but strong chill uptime drastically reduces what you have to survive on round 2 of cooldowns. Even so, the increase in survivability will be comparatively low.

Bhawb.7408:

Just to clarify, are you talking about ways to take what it already has and make a build that improves the defense? Or are you talking changes that could be made that aren’t larger mechanical ones to make it have better defense?

The second.

Increase the damage.
If you deal more damage you survive better why the enemy is forced to defenda itself before be able to attack you.
And a better chill uptime can do something.
It became useless against eles and warriors why they have a large amount of skills to prevent your chill, but it’s a good thing. Also because Reaper had to be the Master of the Chill, like devs want it to be.

I think if the beginning minor trait gave us buff in either vitality or toughness would help in making us abit tougher. Since its a brawler spec getting that added health would help for sure or even some toughness would be nice. Since in my opinion from the Reaper POI to the first iteration we played Reaper lost alot of its chill abilities. Since we lost so many ways to put out chill reward us more when someone who is chilled attacks us. Currently the damage decrease is only 10%, I think raising it to 15 or even 20% would help us with defenses. If you look at the skills Reaper has to put out chill most of them incorporate a stun of some kind that’s almost always the length of the chill itself or close to it. Hard for someone to attack you when they’re stunned so that Grandmaster Minor kind of goes to waist I feel.

Yea I agree increase the dmg output and targets need to put more effort in avoid and substain hence our defence will be improved. I think RS dmg is good however just GS needs a clear boost on most skills. The big drop in Reaper defence is that LF drains faster in RS then in DS, so tested by several players… specially shown in a vid with Rapid Fire draining 2 Full Shrouds… and RS drains ALOT faster then DS so its not only a Melee thing.

RS #2 striking foes it passes through would be a good start.

Rym.1469:

RS #2 striking foes it passes through would be a good start.

I believe RS2 should generate LF. Also should aply Blind to all enemies hit each hit.

Rs should have a secondary attack that does some kind of CC that interrupts enemies.

Would like some bonus toughness i guess but not sure how scaling works. Maybe a passive armor bonus conversion from the minor trait.

also been brainstorming an idea for damage reduction based on LF bar.
Depending on how much LF you have you get a flat bonus to damage reduction. Apply both inside and out of RS.

In order to keep the horror movie aspect and the “slow” feeling. I’d say increase chill duration and damage. And add some more chill in Reaper Shroud. If someone is slowed, with high cooldowns recharge and take some good and consistent damage they’ll think about and see is better to back out.

Nightfall should work like Locust Swarm. The defensive aspect of this skill is severly limited by the AOE field, sure you can bunker inside it and feel save, but people can simply range you down and you cant retaliate much.

Also simple chill damage and duration increase wont help much. The problem isnt the duration, its the application. We currently dont have any reliable way to apply it or re-apply it given the rising amount of AOE condi cleanse.

Im thinking of a trait called “Winter of souls” granting any or all of the following:
- Grant yourself retaliation when chilling a foe
- Retaliation duration is increased
- Enemys that strike you while you have retaliation are chilled for x seconds y ICD per attacker
- x% of the retaliation damage heals you.

Changing #2 to function more like Whirlwind Attack would be my first step. This skill being an evade gives the class a second way to engage/disengage other than hitting stability first every time you enter shroud. It makes it more of a skill shot type skill and also resolves the current pathing problems people have with it.

Changing #5 to a launch (see: Banish) instead of a stun would also add some survivability as it would still maintain the long duration incapacitate like a stun, but would get the target away from you. The gap could easily be compensated for by #2 above plus the long activation times on greatsword skills would probably give you enough time to walk up onto the opponent and hit them.

Example: Reaper #5 launches foe back and you Reaper #2 to close the gap and continue to reaper auto. Alternatively, you Reaper #5 to launch foe back, drop shroud and activate grave digger which will take a second to deal damage and about a second for you to walk the distance to the launched foe.

Atherakhia.4086:

Changing #5 to a launch (see: Banish) instead of a stun would also add some survivability as it would still maintain the long duration incapacitate like a stun, but would get the target away from you. The gap could easily be compensated for by #2 above plus the long activation times on greatsword skills would probably give you enough time to walk up onto the opponent and hit them.

…you want a Reaper to be easier to escape?
Because that’s what changing ES to a launch would do.

Ravezaar.4951:

The big drop in Reaper defence is that LF drains faster in RS then in DS, so tested by several players… specially shown in a vid with Rapid Fire draining 2 Full Shrouds… and RS drains ALOT faster then DS so its not only a Melee thing.

Sooner or later, they will find out that damages taken in DS are halved.
Expect a bug fix that will put DS at the same level as RS.

Drarnor Kunoram.5180:

Atherakhia.4086:

Changing #5 to a launch (see: Banish) instead of a stun would also add some survivability as it would still maintain the long duration incapacitate like a stun, but would get the target away from you. The gap could easily be compensated for by #2 above plus the long activation times on greatsword skills would probably give you enough time to walk up onto the opponent and hit them.

…you want a Reaper to be easier to escape?
Because that’s what changing ES to a launch would do.

We already have weakness and protection for self defense. So beyond that you kind of have 2 options… you either give the class tools for you to get away from the opponent or tools for the opponent to get away from you.

So yes, I’d be fine with a knockback. Especially since they’d still be chilled and we have access to pulls.

Ravezaar.4951:

Yea I agree increase the dmg output and targets need to put more effort in avoid and substain hence our defence will be improved. I think RS dmg is good however just GS needs a clear boost on most skills. The big drop in Reaper defence is that LF drains faster in RS then in DS, so tested by several players… specially shown in a vid with Rapid Fire draining 2 Full Shrouds… and RS drains ALOT faster then DS so its not only a Melee thing.

Link to the vid?