FFXIV Reaper Guide – How to play Reaper in Final Fantasy XIV

This FFXIV Reaper Guide will help you to understand Reaper and also learn its gameplay in Final Fantasy XIV.

The Reaper class is the second new job in the FFXIV Endwalker expansion. This evil, scythe-wielding figure, who can conjure a demon avatar from the Void to help in battle, debuted alongside the FFXIV Sage profession. Endwalker introduced a slew of new features to the game, including raids, gear, systems, and new dungeons, as well as a male Viera as a playable race and the Loporrits tribe. There are also new locales to explore, such as Mare Lamentorum, a lunar environment, and Labyrinthhos, a new training facility for the Warriors of Light.

The Reaper causes significant damage to adversaries at the melee range using void abilities. Here’s an FFXIV Reaper Guide that explains how to get the Reaper job in Final Fantasy XIV, as well as how to make the most of the Reaper’s talents and powers in battle.

Before going further, we recommend you to read Final Fantasy XIV different classes and playstyle.

FFXIV Reaper Guide to unlock

If you wish to play as a Reaper, you’ll need to have the Endwalker expansion. Before you can start the quest to unlock the new occupations, you must first level up any Disciple of War or Magic job to level 70. So if you’re starting in Final Fantasy 14, you won’t be able to choose Reaper as your starting character. Assuming those conditions have been met, you can now speak with the Flustered Attendant located at X:12.8 Y:8.6 in Ul’dah Steps of Nald.

FFXIV Reaper Guide: Gameplay

FFXIV Reaper Guide
FFXIV (Image credit: Square Enix)

The Reaper, like the monk, dragoon, ninja, and samurai, is a melee DPS profession. This method of combat puts you in perilous situations, but it also allows you to deliver huge damage. Reapers are a lot of fun to play since they have easy positional and a large ability set.

As a Reaper, your job is simple: strike the opponents with your weaker attacks while charging the stronger ones. To stay at close range during fights, it’s critical to pay attention to your positioning. If you’ve ever played a melee job, you’re already familiar with combos, but in case you’re not, here’s how they work. While you can hurt the adversary by pressing any fighting skill, your talents are most effective when utilized in a certain order.

Slice, Waxing Slice, and Infernal Slice make up Reaper’s basic single target combination. If you’re dealing with a group of three or more adversaries, your area-of-effect combination of Spinning Scythe followed by Nightmare Scythe can be preferable. These abilities increase your Soul Gauge while simultaneously improving your damage output.

FFXIV Reaper Guide: Soul Gauge

One of the Reaper’s key mechanics is the Soul Gauge. It may be filled by performing talents or killing foes who are under the influence of a certain effect. Both of the aforementioned combinations give you souls to fill the bar, and talents like Shadow of Death and Whorl of Death inflict Death’s Design on adversaries. If you kill marked foes before the effect expires, this effect boosts the damage you cause to them and contributes to your Soul Gauge. As a result, it’s critical to maintain Death’s Design active at all times. 

Because Shadow of Death/Whorl of Death does not break your combination, you should use them anytime Death’s Design is about to end, no matter where you are in your combo. Having got some souls, here are some tips for how to use them. First, we have Blood Stalk and Grim Swathe, both of which require souls. 

If you play Destiny 2, then you must read How to get the Destiny 2 Gjallarhorn and the Gjallarhorn catalyst – Guide

A single target skill costs 50 souls, while a multi-target skill costs 100 souls. The other skill opens a new sequence of skills when both are stacked with Soul Reaver. The Gluttony skill unlocks at level 76, which deals substantial damage to one target and a large area. In terms of quality, Gluttony grants two stacks of Soul Reaver for the same amount of souls, making it a critical skill in the later stages of the game.

Soul Reaver Stacks

FFXIV Reaper Guide
FFXIV (Image credit: Square Enix)

When you accumulate stacks of Soul Reavers, you can execute a stronger combo. You can use Gibbet, Gallows, and Guillotine after you have gained Soul Reaver stacks. Using each skill costs one Soul Reaver stack; Guillotine and Gibbet together form a small combo, while Gallows and Gibbet are separate attacks without follow-ups.

It is important to note that Gibbet and Gallows are more effective when used from a specific angle against the enemy – this is called a positional attack. Gallows should be aimed at the back of the enemies, while Gibbet should be aimed at their sides.

Shroud Gauge

At level 80, you can learn Shroud Gauge, which adds a Shroud Gauge to your Soul Gauge to show how many Shrouds you’ve accumulated. The Enshroud skill requires Shrouds, which can be acquired through Gibbet, Gallows, and Guillotine. Enshroud grants five stacks of Lemure Shroud to your avatar while it is active for 30 seconds. Lemure Shroud can activate powerful skills like Communio and Void Reaping.

When you learn Shroud Gauge, you also gain a Death Gauge, which tells you how long you have left to Enshroud as well as how many Shroud Stacks you have left. You also accrue Void Shroud stacks after learning Enhanced Shroud when you use Lemure Shroud stacks, which are used for Lemure’s Slice. Your rotation will gradually expand as you master the Reaper’s basic skills. As well as damage buffs like Arcane Circle, the Reaper’s kit also contains an escape skill, Hell’s Ingress, which allows you to teleport out of harm’s way when it is needed.

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Omer Khan
Omer Khan
Omer has a proven track record in the online media industry as a Content Writer. He holds a bachelor's degree in international journalism and mass communication and enjoys sports and video games.

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