Tera Online Level 65 PVE Reaper Build and Strategy Guide

General PvE Reaper guide for level 65 patch. This guide will not going to hold your hand 100% of the way and tell you there is only one way to play it; what you use should depend on the situation.

Important things:

1) Gear, Accessories and Stat Rolls

2) Crystals

3) Glyphs (and master glyphs)

4) Skills and Rotations (will depend on glyphs)

5) Consumables

Each of the aspects above play an equal role in your overall effectiveness with any class so don’t neglect any of them. But your skill and hands-on experience is by far more important than your equipment. Item level is also not a representation of skill.

1) Gear, Accessories and Stat Rolls:

This is not a guide on getting gear itself, do your own research on what you want to get - there are a lot of resources out there.

Prioritize power in your setup over crit. But get a power/crit hybrid jewelry setup to get the most out of it. Everywhere else you should mostly choose power over crit. Having at least 100 total crit rate is a comfortable amount - go power everywhere else. No matter what gear you have it will suck unless you have it rolled to suit your needs.

Intense is the best weapon type for PvE. Don't choose Keen for PvE unless you are an Archer or Sorcerer and you need to compensate (low base crit rate DPS classes).

Here are some good rolls for your gear:

• Weapon: Enrage dmg, overall dmg, back dmg, (and crit rate if you have a 4th roll). Do not roll for crit dmg.

• Chest: Max HP, decrease enraged dmg, decrease (overall) dmg, (and increase incoming healing if you have a 4th roll).

• Chest (Class Skill): Grim Strike dmg.

• Gloves: Power, crit rate, attack speed are the only way to go.

• Boots: Movement speed, endurance, whatever you want on 3rd.

• Necklace: Crit rate. Make sure you have a necklace with built-in +6% attack speed.

• Rings: Crit rate and crit dmg if you can use semi enigmatics.

• Earrings: Max HP and Reduce duration of stun (or decrease poison damage - either is fine) if you can use semi enigmatics.

• Brooch: Power.

• Belt: Preferably double power.

• Innerwear: The best power bonus you can afford.

2) Crystals

Weapon: Focused, Bitter, Savage and Pounding. (Pounding is more consistent than Forceful now) Also, if you don't have 100+ crit rate, use a Carving in place of the Pounding to make up for this until you can crit comfortably.

Armor: 4x Hardy

Jewelry: 4x Powerful

3) Glyphs

First thing’s first, get Master Glyphs. To earn Master Glyphs, simply run Sabex Armory (level 61) and Macellarius Catacombs (level 64). Master Glyphs are going to be easy to get now, and you should not ignore them. Get them, there is no excuse now and they help you significantly.

Here’s is the build, done manually since glyph builder is bugged:

Double Shear: Powerlink (5)

Sundering Strike: Power (5) + Carving (6)

Grim Strike: Persistence (5) + Carving (4)

Death Spiral: Powerlink (4) (Double Shear) + Powerlink (3) (Grim Strike)

Whipsaw: Power (4)

Pendulum Strike: Powerlink (4)

Shadow Burst: Energy (4) + Haste (4)

Cable Step: Energy (2) + Haste (2) + Powerlink (3) (Shadow Burst)

Reasons: Reaper has a very adaptable rotations and there are a lot of trap glyphs but I think this is the best choice for the play-style I have (and since I never use auto attack). The Carving and Powerlink glyphs here are musts. The Powerlinks for Grim Strike that come from Death Spiral (either hit) and Double Shear will stack - providing 40% boost to Grim Strike.

4) Skills and Rotations

The good thing about Reaper is there are few useless skills. But there is a main rotation you want to capitalize on with these glyphs. Most importantly are those Powerlinks to Grim Strike - they stack.

• Use as often as possible:

Death Spiral (one use) > Double Shear > Grim Strike > Sundering Strike > Death Spiral (second use - unless you are interrupted) > Grim Strike again and again and again if it keeps reseting. If you are unable to use the 2nd Death Spiral, you can use Smite to chain into Grim Strike quickly (only if you have to - since it won’t Powerlink). The reason for spreading out the use of Death Spiral is to prolong the Powerlink for your Grim Strike and Double Shear damage since either hit will give the Powerlink.

• While the above is on CD, you can either:

Cable Step > Shadow Burst

Pendulum Strike > Whipsaw

These skills contain a lot of movement so they can be used to your advantage in scenarios where you need to chase down a BAM or reposition.

• Keep using this rotation and if your MP falls too low to continue it, then whip out Shadow Lash and spam as much as possible to recover your MP. But don’t wait until you are too desperate for MP to use this. This doesn’t deal as much damage as your main skills, so don’t make a habit of using it when you don’t need to. A good trick is to use your Powerlink for speed from your Cable Step, which will increase the speed of your Shadow Lash, allowing you to finish faster.

• Become familiar with your evasion skills and their timing. It can be easy to panic spam Shadow Step but you want to use it sparingly. Also Retribution can be used offensively, it has a high crit chance and can be used to reposition.

Optional Skills:

• Don’t be afraid to use Shadow Reaping, it allows for more focused DPS if your MP pool is suffice. There is no trade-off like some other classes, this is 100% beneficial and has no negative effects. But you may want to time it so that it is off CD for important burn or shield phases.

• Smite is just filler but reserve it if you are running a dungeon that requires a stun such as ABHM. Also used as a chain before Grim Strike.

• Soul Reversal is good to just put a simple DoT on the target, also filler in PvE but the stun that can be activated after it’s applied will work on mechanics that require stuns.

• Shrouded Escape is for when you pull aggro, use it to help your tank if they are inexperienced. I think it also has an iframe - I need to double check.

5) Consumables

• You should have your own set of charms: Power, Enduring, Infused.

• Bring HP potions & draughts as well as MP elixirs & restoratives. I don’t care who you are, you should bring a handful of these always. Each has a separate CD. Tier VIII or better, only use them if you need them.

• Nostrum of Energy V and Scroll of Savagery V (or better) are necessary. Savagery is always best for a melee DPS.

• Noctenium Infusion is not a MUST in most dungeons but it will help you greatly in any case.

• You can also bring Scrolls of Dash to give you extra combat movement speed if you need to relocate in a hurry.

• Warding scrolls are nice, but not needed.

• Bring Panaceas, don’t be a scrub.

Closing notes: 

• A quick Double Shear can be used to chain into Sundering Strike if you need it quickly. You can use Spiral Barrage (4th hit), Death Spiral, Double Shear, Pendulum Strike, Whipsaw, Shadow Lash, or Smite to chain into Grim Strike. So... just about any skill will chain into Grim Strike.

• Whipsaw and Shadow Lash can easily stagger and interrupt stun-able boss mechanics.

• Death Spiral has a slowing effect on targets in PvE-only (resisted by endgame bosses).

• Shadow Burst and the secondary explosion of Sundering Strike have high KD chance.

• While casting Shadow Burst you are immune to staggers and KD.

• Your stuns are: Smite, Soul Reversal (when activated) and Cable Step. Pendulum Strike can also stun in PvE.

• Keep actively attacking, if you have a Nostrum on everything should be off CD by the time you're ready to use it.

• Don’t mash your spacebar.

credits: Special thanks to BowlingBall for writing this very informative guide.

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