This guide explains how hybrid scourge works and how it assists with training runs, low experience practice runs and in statics. This build does rely on a relatively high APM but the order of presses is irrelevant to performance so long as you don't greed DPS and remember to prioritise group alacrity. The forgiving nature of the build allows you to vent your frustrations on the keyboard after a stressful day. Scourge also allows barrier to be pulsed even when disabled.\ This build is functional in both open world and instanced content. There is an optional amount of gear swaps that can be done to slide it towards being a stronger healer. While this build has a low skill floor, it does have a high toughness and users should be expected to tank. Tanking isn't terribly difficult on this build however.
Gearing and Consumables
Equipment
Optimised loadout with infusions
- Armor/Trinkets: Seraph Set but fill other pieces with other stats up to condi duration cap and the desired amount of healing/toughness.
- Alt Stats: Celestial's (recommended)/Ritualist's/Viper's/Plaguedoctor's/Minstrels (For tanking)1
- Weapons (set 1): Sceptre/Torch (Offensive)
- Weapons (alt): Sceptre/Warhorn (Defensive)2
1Being cost-effective: Celestial stat is a good pick because it is a core stat and can be obtained from the Wizard's Vault. Your armor requirements will vary depending on your infusions and you may need additional expertise to hit 100% condition duration. Adding more Celestial stats is an option
2Weapon swap to warhorn for extra heals. Use torch as default for extra DPS.
Weapon Alternatives
- Weapons (alt): Pistol/Torch (Offensive)3
3The general idea is to use skills on cooldown and swapping to pistol shortens that. The rotation is forgiving but you may also refer to the build on SnowCrows Condition Scourge to get the general idea.
Runes
Superior Rune of the Tempest
Sigils
Superior Sigil of Torment
Superior Sigil of Demons
Relic
Relic of the Fractal
Food
Spherified Oyster Soup with Mint Garnish OR
Feast of Delectable Birthday Cake (Budget/Free)
Utility
Krait Tuning Crystal
Build
Hybrid DPS Alac
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Alternatives
You have many options to play around with other traits and utilities. Necromancer just has so many useful skills that you may not seem obvious at first glance.
Traits
- Take Abrasive Grit where condi cleanses and extra might are needed.
- Life from Death and Vampiric Presence are competing traits. Vampiric Presence provides more DPS, weaker heals but has less active interaction required.
- Take Ritual of Life if you are expecting to revive players a lot.
Skills
Summon Shadow Fiend may not be suitable on certain bosses that remove minions. Serpent Siphon is a good group Aegis and Barrier skill.
General House Rules:
- Swapping traits and skills is a science and you must be knowledgeable on what you can afford to remove.
- Alacrity is your number 1 responsiblity, so use your barrier skills first.
- Be prepared to tank as you have a relatively high toughness.
- Both your offensive and defensive sets offer CC, but you can bring more skills for CC.
- Hybrid builds have a lot of give and take and toe the line to bring 'just enough', so you need to adjust the build to the strengths of your team composition.
Rotation and Utilities
Rotation
- Cast Manifest Sand Shade and pulse barrier through Sand Cascade and Desert Shroud.
- Use all your skills on cooldown except your revive (F3) and signet
Always be on top of a sand shade. Your skills hit like wet noodles without it. Being on shroud keeps your condition duration at 100%.
Crowd Control rotation
- Both sets of weapons have CC via Oppressive Collapse(Torch 5) and Wail of Doom(Warhorn 4)
- Garish Pillar (F3) can be also used for CC but you may need to reserve this for revive for certain fights.
- You may bring Summon Flesh Golem if you need more CC.
- You may bring Spectral Grasp if you need to pull adds and have extra CC.
Optimisation
Check with your team regarding the boons that you need to cover. If there is already might overcap, you may drop certain skills for more utilities. You can also make an educated guess by looking at the classes the other players are playing, the weapons equipped etc. By default, your build provides Might, Fury, Alacrity, Protection, Regeneration and Aegis but some may not hit 100% uptime. There is no effective swiftness or stability. Although Scourge can provide 10-man stability, this area of effect is really small and groups must be really organised to make full use of it. You may also opt to rearrange the subgroup to put tankier classes with the hybrid healer.
Strike Ready
- Boneskinner - While it sounds like it is a huge responsibility to play as a carry scourge, you don't die as easily because you have more vitality and higher toughness. Take Ritual of Life and use Garish Pillar sparingly.
- Whisper of Jormag - Use Summon Flesh Wurm in the middle during the ball phase.
- Harvest Temple - Sand Swell is really useful to reposition players behind the ball. Swapping to pistol grants more hits against the ball.
Raid Ready
- W1 Vale Guardian - Be prepared to tank the fight. If you are not the tank, you may opt to go to the red guardian during splits, which gives the condi team added survivability. Barrier trivialises the green mechanic. Devouring Darkness removes boons from the blue guardian.
- W1 Gorseval - Grasping Dead is a long reliable cripple during the split phase.
- W1 Sabetha - If you bring Sand Swell, you may be able to serve as a cannon backup. You can Sand Swell through the flame wall.
- W2 Slothasor - This build excels on this fight. Bring Abrasive Grit for a very strong condi cleanse. Projectile blocks from Corrosive Poison Cloud are sometimes useful. Spectral Grasp is useful against slublings.
- W2 Matthias - Do not use any projectile blocks unless you know when to use them.
- W3 Stronghold of the Faithful - This build can solo towers but it is a little slow, remember to bring Trail of Anguish for stability/break stun.
- W3 Keep Construct - Be prepared to tank this fight. This build doesn't excel in this fight, relying mostly on condis. However, you will still outdps other healers due to the power coefficients on some weapons that feed off your celestial gear.
- W4 Cairn - This build excels on this fight in every way.
- W4 Samarog - Bring Summon Flesh Golem for added CC. You can also use Charge to push Rigom towards the boss. Use Grasping Dead for a prolonged cripple and fear from Garish Pillar and Wail of Doom to steer him back towards the boss if he gets too close.
- W4 Deimos CM - Serpent Siphon is a good aoe Aegis.
- W5 Soulless Horror - Your team can Sand Swell through walls.
- W5 Dhuum - This build functions as a decent Tank/G3 in an experienced group but you can't carry too many mistakes as your healing output is lower.
- W6 Conjured Amalgamate - This build is not very good for damage on this fight. However, it is not an absolute contraindication to bring this build. If your team only has 1 rebound elementalist/nature's renewal druid, be sure to be on the same group as them so your revive can save the other subgroup after the clap mechanic.
- W6 Twin Largos - This build excels on this fight. The right lane (Kenut) favors condition builds. Bring Summon Flesh Golem for added CC.
- W6 Qadim - This build can Kite Qadim, Tank Wyverns or even solo Lamp.
- W7 Sabir - Projectile blocks from Corrosive Poison Cloud is useful. Garish Pillar is very helpful for players who can't do tornado jumps.
- W7 Adina - Projectile blocks from Corrosive Poison Cloud is useful although not as good as a Ventari Bubble. You can also pull allies who identify themselves as sandsharks.
- W7 Qadim the Peerless - Consider taking North pylon as you be tanky enough to handle misplaced boss attacks. Sand Swell does not have the teleport range of other kiters so you need to start moving early.
Videos
I have benched the build with Feast of Delectable Birthday Cake and Krait Tuning Crystal, with infusions and no weapon swaps.