Reaper


 * "Whip across the battlefield."

The reaper is a light armored class which specializes in a pair of scythes with mid-ranged offensive damage-dealing capabilities. The class is only available to Elins.

The main traits of the reaper are mobility and survivability through dodging. Reapers have a wide variety of area of effect attacks to slay multiple foes and the special ability to avoid death and uses powerful combos to do massive amounts of damage.

Official description


"Do you want a class that can takeout multiple enemies at once? Do you want a class that is part melee, but also mid-ranged? Do you want a class that’s born from the ashes of destruction? The reaper is what you want, providing all this and more."

The reaper is a leather-wearing class that uses chain blades to dispatch their foes. Reapers begin at level 50, but you may only create a reaper if you have another class that is already level 40 on your server. Once you do, you’ll begin in their starting zone in the midst of the destruction of Pora Elinu. The reaper is a very mobile class that utilizes its chain blades not only to damage, but also absorb health and whip across the battlefield.

General
First "new class" in TERA after the game release. The reaper was out in May 2014.

Reaper has some similarities with slayer, namely numerous powerlinks, skills buffing other skills. It also has similar skills to jump forward and backwards. However, classes are very different now. Main thing reaper has gained during the class development is lots of attack speed.

Equipment
The reaper is equipped with high-level gear the moment of its creation known as the Secret Order set. The class comes with a leather armor set and a pair of scythes.

Skills
Reaper is considered melee class even the attack skills have somewhat long reach. Reaper relies on combos and skills buffing other skills with powerlink glyphs.

Some useful combos are:
 * (one spin) -> ->  (repeat while it resets) ->
 * -> (repeat 4 times)
 * -> (repeat 4 times)
 * -> (repeat 4 times)

spins scythes around reaper. It has side effect of slowing down monsters and buffing Double Shear and Grim Strike. is considered your main damage skill. however is hardest hitting with double crit chance and longer cooldown.

jumps reaper backwards and also buffs Whipsaw.

pulls reaper forward. It also stuns monster or player it hits. It also has side effect of boosting attack speed and it's therefore used to speed up slow casting skills.

creates explosion around reaper. It hits hard with double crit chance. It also knocks down enemies and pulls monsters together. While casting reaper is immune to stuns and knockdowns.

is used to load reaper mana. It has bad crit chance which makes it weak damage skill. However it must be used as filler and to reload mana. With later buffs to reaper class this skill also gives damage (magic piercing) buff. It doesn't actually have to hit the boss to buff take effect, but reaper can and should spam this skill before the fight even starts.

Due long cooldowns main learning point when playing reaper is to find skill available to use. Some fillers are also needed. is stun attack to stun monsters and other players, but it's used as filler in dps role.

Reaper gets powerful boost skill. decreases skill cooldowns by 70% and resets them when cast. Use it to spam as many Sundering Strikes you can while it's active.

For dodging reaper gets and. Shadow Step works like Evasive Roll on other classes. It can be cast twice before cooldown hits. This skill is iframe to avoid damage and can move through allies and enemies. Retribution is somewhat different dodge skill. When activated before attack reaper jumps forward when attacked. All skill animation is not part of iframe and timing is important.

Apex changes
As part of Awakening reaper gets total two news skills to its main rotation: Dark Harvest is chain skill that usable after Grim Strike or Sundering Strike. This skill has cooldown of only 5 seconds, so it should be weaved in rotation whenever possible. It's has side effect of boosting Shadow Burst and Sundering Strike with enhanced versions.

Recall Scythes similarity activates after Grim Strike or Sundering Strike.

It's probably easiest to cast Dark Harvest after Grim Strike like this: Actual reaper guides may disagree. Enhanced Shadow Burst is powerful and fast-casting and should be used when available. Overall new reaper rotation is quite complex with new skills available only for few seconds, and enhanced versions of highest damage skills similarly.
 * (one spin) -> ->  (repeat while it resets) ->  ->  ->

While Shadow Reaping and with double cdr rolls it possible to just spam:
 * -> (if needed -> ) (repeat)

Finally, reaper too gets "ultimate" skill with 5 minutes cooldown. Binding Scythes surrounds enemy with corrupting chains for 10 seconds during which it constantly takes damage. This skill should be used when boss enrages. Only one Binding Scythes can be active at the same time, keep this in mind if party has multiple reapers.

Assassination is new passive coupled to Shrouded Escape skill. When Shrouded Escape is used, damage vs. monsters is increased 200% for 6 seconds, and all attacks became critical hits, counted as attacks from behind. Guaranteed back-crits is similar effect many other classes got with Apex. However, since this effect is added to Shrouded Escape, it's impossible to use it while soloing. When Shrouded Escape is used, reaper drops all aggro which leads to boss reset. It's in example impossible to use this skill in Ghillieglade, where it would be most useful when fighting Banyakas from front.

Reaper actually gets other "guaranteed back-crits" skill as level 67 Smite unlock.

Racial traits
Reapers are an Elin only class. They have no special racial abilities to assist in combat. Instead, they get multiple abilities for non-combat situations such as swimming and movement speed outside combat.

Gearing and Attributes
Reaper uses standard melee Weapon Crystals: Bitter, Savage, Focused and Pounding. With low crit factor substitute Pounding with Carving.

Recommended weapon rolls are Damage vs. enraged monster; Damage vs. enraged monsters; +6.9% damage from behind and Flat 6% damage, and Cooldown reduction. With low gear that has only 4 enigmatic lines pick Cooldown reduction as first roll. Due tight Reaper rotation double cooldown reduction is also popular choice.

With new level 70 patch Exodor gear reaper uses gear with magical amplification: Manaforce Azart or Dark Light gear. Reaper is unique class that uses leather armor with magic amps. This makes gearing the class quite much cheaper. (Crystals, rollable weapon lines incl. double cooldown and chest line are not available on Exodor gear level 68/69 gear or on new level 65 Exodor Scout gear.)

Reaper main skills have rather low crit chance. Main damage skills are mix of double crit chance and triple crit rate, which make reaper one of the lowest critting classes. The most common crit+crit power build uses all crit rings, earrings and necklace. For level 70 play half of accessories crit and half power should be enough to reach 300+ crit rate required.

With Apex Assasination passive reaper gearing becomes more complicated. Assasination gives guaranteed critical hits for 6 seconds with ~40 sec cooldown and +200% PVE damage. All crit is wasted during this. Most high-end reaper players seem to run full power build and ignore all crit, relying on Assasination burst damage.

Reaper skills also cast rather slowly and most players want to use Energetic etchings on weapon and gloves. Adding attack speed without cooldown reduction that Energetics give makes skill rotation rather hard, since reaper rotation is pretty tight and inflexible due long cooldown of skills.

With patch 93 new passives some reaper skills scale with magic amplification value. This makes amp better roll than crit power.

Glyphs
The following are recommended glyphs that either improve the Reaper's mobility or damage.

Generally most important glyph are those that give extra crit chance or crit factor. Next glyphs buffing skill damage and powerlink glyphs.


 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases skill damage for the next chain skill by 20%: Grim Strike
 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases skill damage for the next chain skill by 20%: Grim Strike


 * Glyph of Power - Increases skill power by 15%
 * Glyph of Carving - Doubles critical chance
 * Glyph of Carving - Doubles critical chance

Actually, activate all powerlinks glyphs.
 * Glyph of Persistence - 30% chance to eliminate cooldown
 * Keen Grim Strike - triples crit factor
 * Empowered Grim Strike - increases damage 15% vs. monster (Apex superior glyph)
 * Empowered Grim Strike - increases damage 15% vs. monster (Apex superior glyph)


 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases skill damage for the next chain skill by 20% Double Shear
 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases skill damage for the next chain skill by 20%: Grim Strike
 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases skill damage for the next chain skill by 20%: Grim Strike

Whipsaw has Vampiric Whipsaw passive to heal reaper by 1.5% per hit. Last glyph simply disables it to buff damage.
 * Glyph of Power - Increases skill power by 25%
 * Glyph of Energy - Decreases cooldown by 20%
 * Pumped Whipsaw - Uses 1.5% of HP to increase damage by 30%
 * Pumped Whipsaw - Uses 1.5% of HP to increase damage by 30%


 * Glyph of Energy - Decreases cooldown by 20%
 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases crit rate for the next chain skill by 30%: Whipsaw
 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases crit rate for the next chain skill by 30%: Whipsaw


 * Glyph of Energy - Decreases cooldown by 20%
 * Glyph of Haste - Increases attack speed of next skill by 50% upon hit
 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases skill damage for the next chain in the skill by 20%: Shadow Burst (seems this got deleted)
 * Glyph of Powerlink - Increases skill damage for the next chain in the skill by 20%: Shadow Burst (seems this got deleted)


 * Glyph of Energy - Decreases cooldown by 20%
 * Hastened Shadow Burst: Speeds casting by 25%.
 * Carving Shadow Burst: Doubles chance to crit.
 * Carving Shadow Burst: Doubles chance to crit.

optional.
 * Glyph of Energy - Decreases cooldown by 20%
 * Glyph of Energy - Decreases cooldown by 20%


 * Empowered Dark Harvest - Increases damage by 10%
 * Empowered Dark Harvest - Increases damage by 10%

Enhancement Points
Strengthen Offense:
 * Mighty Attack, always max this first
 * Shadow Reaping: Force
 * Shadow Reaping: Extra-Force

EP Damage is generally not useful.

Speed Increase:

This is where reaper has most to gain. Maxing velocity buffs makes skills 25% faster. Start in this order:
 * Sundering Strike: Velocity
 * Whipsaw: Velocity
 * Shadow Burst: Velocity
 * Shadow Lash: Velocity
 * Soul Reversal: Chained Speed Skating
 * Retribution: Chained Speed Skating
 * Shrouded Escape: Combat Dash for PVP

Resource Recovery:
 * Retaliate: Turning Tables, important for PVP

I personally found Pendulum Strike: Reload bad idea. Skill has zero cooldown after reset and if it resets it just repeats 2 times. You don't generally want that.

Defense/Special:
 * Mighty Defense, max this
 * Mighty Phoenix, use 1 point here
 * Smite: Velocity, another speed buff to spend points on.

Skill Advancementment
Level 67 has two useful options.
 * Smite: Restrained buffs Grim Strike by 10%.
 * Smite: Incise makes all attacks back attacks for 4 seconds and decreases target's endurance by 9%. It's really meant for soloing, but it's useful in dungeons too.
 * Smite: Blade Fury is for PVP

Level 69:
 * Shadow Reaping: Weak Point is option you should use in dungeons.
 * Shadow Reaping: Snare is very powerful in PVP. It gives opponents max &minus;80% movement speed

Card Collection
Generally first max magical crit power, then max magical amplification.

See August 2021 card builds.