Boon Strip Scourge
Written on March 27th, 2023
Initial note: Tooltip values will be off (aka showing PvE values), since I’m piggy-backing off GW2Armory which essentially pings the GW2 API. The API rarely exposes the WvW and/or PvP splits, and if exposed, the way it’s done isn’t always clear. But without tooltips, the page seems a bit less alive.
This is not your regular meta build. This is theorycrafted for a specific purpose: boon strips. Normally, Scourges are expected to be top damage dealers as well as stripping boons. And while this build doesn’t lack damage per se, there are more dps-y alternatives out there that you might want to check out first, if that’s your kink.
The core of this build lies in triggering on each weapon set to remove Aegis to soften up your enemies. With Aegis removed, you also gain access to other boons that Aegis might be covering for, thus you won't get the "blocked" text all over your screen. has a cooldown of 5 seconds, and the radius mentioned in the tooltip happens around the enemy struck - not you. So a simple auto attack that crits will trigger the sigil.
This is all done by buffing up on Precision (crit chance) by using instead of ye olde Scholar, as the only triggers on crit hit. Thus, upping the chance of critting is the goal. And by theorycrafting, you'll hit a sweet spot of 77.52% crit chance without Fury. But you'll have plenty of access to Fury, which will buff it up to staggering 97.52% - practically 100%. And you're still maintaining an okay level of Power with a mix of Marauder- and Berserker gear.
Traits
Alternatives:
- for potentially more boon strips, however, you should be aware of the 30 second linked cooldown withas this is the only time you'll be "in shroud".
Skills
Skills explained:
Fairly standard for Scourge by now. Axe/focus for single target with and as main damage dealers. Especially with it's potential to remove 3 boons and do damage based on that. Target low toughness classes with this.
Scepter/dagger is also straight forward. These are more AoE-based with and that each converts 1 boon on 5 targets. However, last skill is a bit tricky to land, so aim for the group of enemies and maybe try to anticipate where they will be.
Utilities - now what the heck is doing there? There's a good reason for that: more strips. It potentially removes 2 boons on 5 targets in a 600 range - the same as . That's 10 boons stripped. And again, I must reiterate this. This build isn't primarily a DPS build, so a damage well isn't the priority. And you get a nice passive with a 25% movement speed, which gives you a better chance to stay on tag.
The rest are pretty straight forward, and are all involved with removing boons. removes 1 boon 5 targets in a 240 range, so use it when you're in the middle of a group of enemies - just like your shades. is the boon corruption well, signet was explained. And even though was nerfed a bit, it's still a strong skill. And it provides you with some much-needed self-stability for 6 seconds, which can be life-saving when those pesky roamers are trying to pull you off a cliff. And last there's which will rip boons left and right. Try and use it with caution as this is a self cast.
Gear
Variants
- instead of for some extra strips when flanking, but it's a less defensive option
Consumables
- discount option