Finding strength in the deep darkness of the Void to deliver justice and vengeance is the scenario that marks the Reaper (RPR), the Melee DPS Job introduced in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker. Reapers deliver death, literally, with heavy scythe combos that lead to moments of communion with their avatars to hit enemies with even more powerful skills.

In contrast with the other Melee DPS Jobs, Reaper is approachable since it starts at level 70 and its skillset is relatively easy to understand. But it’s not without a layer of complexity to make Reaper a wildly fun Job to play.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to use Reaper’s basic skills, then outline its opener and rotation so you can be as effective as possible. We also go over how its opener and rotation changes for levels 50, 60, 70, and 80. And lastly, we cover Reaper stat priorities, materia melds, food, and potion (tincture) options.

Basics of the FFXIV Reaper

Your adventure as a Reaper can only happen once you have at least one combat Job at level 70 and own the Endwalker expansion. Then you need to head to Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (X: 12.8, Y: 8.6) where you will sign your contract as a Reaper by finishing the quest “The Killer Instinct” that you can find near the Gate of Nald and the Quicksand Adventurer’s Guild. After becoming part of the family, it is time to learn how to master your scythe techniques and become one with your avatar.

There are some basic things to keep in mind as you dive deeper into the void playing as Reaper, especially if you’re not accustomed to Melee DPS Jobs.

As a Melee DPS job, your highest priority in a fight is damage output, which means maintaining uptime. Unlike ranged Jobs, Reaper’s potential can only be reached when you maximize uptime and stay within melee range throughout fights.
You are going to manage a number of resources throughout the Job’s rotation. Doing it correctly will prevent situations in which you are without the proper resources in your Job gauges to use important attacks when it is a burst phase. This may be decisive in encounters with tight DPS check mechanics or to secure a clear before the boss enrages.
Reaper is not very strict regarding combos, but it has a list of priorities that you should follow in order to make the most of it. Think of Reaper’s gameplay loop as having phases.
- The first one is based on the regular skills listed below and building up your Job gauges. By using them, you will inevitably stack resources to use Soul Skills and Soul Reaver Skills, which you can think of as a second phase.
- With enough resources in your Job gauge to use Shroud Skills and Void Shroud Skills, which would be the Reaper’s third phase. This is the crux of the Job’s rotation once you’re at higher levels; using the Enshroud phase effectively by dumping all your resources into your most powerful attacks.

Keep in mind that Reaper can be quite versatile in terms of aligning its burst with the rest of the party’s buffs. We’ll walk you through all this carefully in the opener and rotation section in this guide. But first, let’s outline how Reaper’s Job gauges work and its skillset.

From Soul to Shroud to Death – Reaper’s Gauges and Resources

Every Job in FFXIV has specific gauges to display specific resources you gain and expend for certain actions in your kit. While some Jobs keep things simple with their gauges, Reaper comes with two that feed into each other and an additional one for the Enshrouded phase, which will all make sense in due time. You’ll need to pay attention to them and manage them if you want to play this Job well.

Here, we’re going to outline how the Soul Gauge, Shroud Gauge, and Death Gauge all work. First, let’s take a look at each type of resource that you need to use some of Reaper’s skills.

There are the Soul points that you gain by using basic weaponskills and charged actions like Soul Slice (single-target) and Soul Scythe (AoE), for example. You need a specific quantity of these points to use the Soul Skills such as Blood Stalk (single-target), Grim Swathe (AoE), or Gluttony (stronger AoE). The Soul Points are represented as the upper red bar called the Soul Gauge.

The lower blue bar is known as the Shroud Gauge. This represents the amount of Shroud points you have earned by using skills such as Gibbet (flank), Gallows (rear), and Guillotine (AoE). The Shroud points are required in order to activate Enshroud, which opens up skills such as Void Reaper, Cross Reaping, and Grim Reaping (and the Lemure abilities later on) for a limited time.

Upon getting the Shroud Gauge at level 80, Reaper also gets access to another one called the Death Gauge. This one is specifically for when you activate Enshroud. This tracks Lemure Shroud stacks and Void Shroud stacks, of which you get five (5) of at a time. It also shows the countdown for the Enshrouded phase before it expires.

These are all important pieces of information to track when doing not only the opener outlined later in the guide, but maintaining your regular rotation in order to avoid wasting resources.

Even though some other skills are related to these gauges, you will use different kinds of resources to activate them. There are the Soul Reaver stacks, earned after using Unveiled Gallows, Grim Swathe, or Gluttony which is required in order to use skills like Gibbet, Gallows, and Guillotine.

Important Reaper Buffs

Another type of resource that is extremely important for Reapers are Immortal Sacrifice stacks. These are earned when you and your teammates are under the effect of Bloodsown Circle and Circle of Sacrifice. You can have up to a maximum of 8 stacks of Immortal Sacrifice which are earned every time you or a party member used a weaponskill or spell. You will need at least one stack of Immortal Sacrifice to use Plentiful Harvest, a powerful skill that gives you 50 Shroud Gauge points!

Lastly, you will always want to keep Death’s Design status effect on your target or targets. This provides a personal 10% damage buff on affected targets as long as it’s active. Think of it as keeping a damage-over-time effect going. Shadow of Death (single-target) and Whorl of Death (AoE) apply Death’s Design to targets for 30 seconds with a maximum of 60 seconds total.

There’s so much to keep track of when playing Reaper, so it’s important to compartmentalize its various actions in the skillset. Below, we outline all the important Reaper actions, organized by how they’re used.

FFXIV Reaper Actions and Job Skills

Basic Reaper Skills

Slice (Lv. 1), Waxing Slice (Lv. 5), and Infernal Slice (Lv. 30): These three skills form Reaper’s basic single-target combo. They work mostly as fillers and should always be going if no other action is ready. Each Slice gives you 10 points in the Soul Gauge.
Spinning Scythe (Lv. 25) and Nightmare Scythe (Lv. 45): Both skills form Reaper’s basic AoE combo. Each action gives you 10 points in the Soul Gauge.
Shadow of Death (Lv. 10) and Whorl of Death (Lv. 35): While the first is single-target and the second is an AoE version, both skills apply the effect Death’s Design effect to every target hit. This status effect increases the damage you do to the target by 10%. As a secondary effect of Death’s Design, if a marked enemy dies before it expires, it generates 10 points for the Soul Gauge.
Harpe (Lv. 15): This is a ranged spell you can cast, but becomes an instant-cast after using Hell’s Ingress or Egress.
Hell’s Ingress (Lv. 20) and Hell’s Egress (Lv.20): These teleport you forward and backward, respectively. After level 74, these actions become Regress whenever you use either one, which lets you return to your original position (where a portal is left behind).
Arcane Crest (Lv. 40): This skill works as a shield mitigating damage equal to up to 10% of your maximum HP. It also gives you and your party the Crest of Time Returned effect whenever the shield is absorbed. This effect restores the HP of every character affected by it for a short period of time.
Soul Slice (Lv. 60) and Soul Scythe (Lv. 65): These two skills are the single-target and AoE attacks that by using them gives you 50 points to the Soul Gauge. While they are GCD weaponskills, they share a refresh timer and two charges.
Soulsow (Lv: 82): Using this skill will give you access to Harvest Moon. It is an instant cast outside of the battle, but it has a cast of 5 seconds in the middle of it.
Harvest Moon (Lv. 82): This is a range AoE attack that can only be used when you are under the effect of Soulsow.
Arcane Circle (Lv. 72): This is the only buff that Reaper has in its kit that affects the party. It increases every party member’s damage by 3% for 20 seconds. It also has other two effects: Circle of Sacrifice for the party members and Bloodsown Circle for you, which grant stacks of Immortal Sacrifice.
Plentiful Harvest (Lv. 88): A line AoE attack that hits the enemies in front of you, with its potency dropping by 60% after the first enemy is hit. The skill’s potency is directly affected by the stacks of Immortal Sacrifice you get from using Arcane Circle. It also grants you 50 points to your Shroud Gauge. Plentiful Harvest can only be used after the Bloodsown Circle effect expires.

Soul Skills

Blood Stalk (Lv. 50): This is an instant single-target attack that costs 50 points from the Soul Gauge. It gives you one stack of Soul Reaver. It becomes Unveiled Gibbet (Lv. 70) when you are under the effect of Enhanced Gibbet.
Grim Swathe (Lv. 55): A cone AoE attack that also costs 50 points from the Soul Gauge. Grim Swathe also grants you one stack of Soul Reaver. This one becomes Unveiled Gallows (Lv. 70) when you are under the effect of Enhanced Gallows.
Gluttony (Lv. 76): A big and strong AoE attack that after hitting the first enemy its potency is decreased by 25%. It also costs 50 points of Soul, but Gluttony grants two stacks of Soul Reaver.

Soul Reaver Skills

Gibbet (Lv. 70): This single-target attack can only be executed when you have at least one stack of Soul Reaver. It will receive an increase in its potency when used in the target’s flank. Using this skill will also grant the Enhanced Gallow effect. Gibbets gives you 10 points in the Shroud Gauge.
Gallows (Lv. 70): It does basically the same as Gibbet and still costs one stack of Soul Reaver, but hits harder from the rear. It grants the Enhanced Gibbet effect and gives you 10 points in the Shroud Gauge.
Guillotine (Lv. 70): An AoE attack that costs one stack of Soul Reaver and gives you 10 points in the Shroud Gauge.

Shroud Skills

Enshroud (Lv. 80): Using this skill activates the Enshrouded effect that makes Void Reaping, Cross Reaping, and Grim Reaping available. It also gives you five stacks of Lemure Shroud (appearing as fiery orbs in the Job Gauge). The Enshrouded effect lasts for 30 seconds or until you use all your Lemure Shroud stacks.
Void Reaping (Lv. 80): This is a strong single-target skill that costs one point of Lemure Shroud. It has its potency increased under the effect of Enhanced Void Reaping. Void Reaping also gives you one point of Void Shroud and the Enhanced Cross Reaping effect.
Cross Reaping (Lv. 80): It is also a powerful single-target skill with the cost of one point of Lemure Shroud to be used. As with Void Reaping, this skill has its potency increased when it is under the effect of Enhanced Cross Reaping. Besides enabling the Enhanced Void Reaping effect, it will also give you one point of Void Shroud.
Grim Reaping (Lv. 80): As Guillotine, this is an AoE attack that costs one point of Lemure Shroud. Although it has no enhanced version, Grim Reaping will also give you one point of Void Shroud upon usage.
Communio (Lv. 90): This is a massive AoE attack with the potency of 1000 which decreases to 60% of this after hitting the first enemy. This skill costs one point of Lemure Shroud and when used it ends the Enshrouded effect.

Void Shroud Skills

Lemure’s Slice (Lv. 86): This is an instant single-target attack that costs two stacks of Void Shroud.
Lemure’s Scythe (Lv. 86): An AoE attack that costs two stacks of Void Shroud.

FFXIV Reaper Opener and Rotations

Slice one at a time or all at once — let’s go over Reaper’s opener, single-target rotation, Area-of-Effect (AoE) rotation, and how they all change at different levels.

While Reaper’s opener can be very rigid due to the weaving of some skills or managing it in each fight to line up with important buffs from other party members, the Job’s rotation can be easily approached as a priority-oriented type of gameplay.

Reaper’s Opener at Level 90

Regarding the opener, it requires all the job’s skills up until level 90. Since trying to maximize the damage output of a class in the opener is usually a common practice in the endgame scenario, you won’t need to worry about it in lower-level content.

[Prepull] Soulsow
Harpe [Pull]
Shadow of Death
- (Pot/Tincture, if necessary)
Soul Slice
- Arcane Circle
- Gluttony
Gibbet*
Gallows*
Plentiful Harvest
- Enshroud
Void Reaping
Cross Reaping
- Lemure’s Slice
Void Reaping
Cross Reaping
- Lemure’s Slice
Communio
Soul Slice
Unveiled Gibbet*
Gibbet*

The pre-pull phase of this opener starts with activating Soulsow so Harvest Moon can be used in the future. And you’ll want to cast Harpe right before your party’s Tank pulls the boss to squeeze in a little extra damage. During the sequence, you will only have to weave a few skills. The only double weave present (Arcane Circle and Gluttony) can be modified if your ping or Skill Speed is making you clip the next GCD skill.

From there, you’ll squeeze in a Gibbet and Gallows from the two Soul Reaver stacks granted by Gluttony. But you’ll quickly jump into your Enshrouded phase after using Plentiful Harvest.

By the end of this sequence, the Death’s Design effect is probably close to finishing, so you can use Shadow of Death (or Whorl of Death) to keep it up for the following skills throughout the rotation.

Reaper’s Rotations

Once you complete your opener, your rotation follows the sequence we mentioned earlier. You must always prioritize building Soul points to use Soul Skills, then using Soul Reaver skills to build Shroud points, then using Enshroud to start using Shroud skills and Void Shroud skills. This is the order of events in the Reaper rotation, building resources and using the skills to expend those resources.

Keep these principles in mind as you approach your rotation as Reaper:

Main Priorities: use Gluttony and Arcane Circle whenever they are available. It works the same for Soul, Soul Reaver, Shroud, and Void Shroud Skills.
- The only reason you would hold them would be to align with party buffs in highly difficult raids. This is something you’ll want to consider if you’re advanced, such as a double or triple Enshroud rotation, which are not covered in this guide.
Weave skills such as Unveiled Gibbet and Unveiled Gallows between a Soul Slice and a Soul Reaver Skill.
Soul Slice needs to be used, but it is important not to overcap on Soul Gauge points since the skill grants 50 points and you max out at 100.
Once all the previous skills are on cooldown, you need to keep using the Slice, Waxing Slice, and Infernal Slice combo as filler. Don’t forget to maintain Shadow of Death in the middle of it as well as Soul Slice. If you have enough Soul points to use a Soul skill, immediately use them.
Harvest Moon can be used in the middle of your rotation, but it is important to know when to do so during the fight because you will need time to recast Soulsow to have a Harvest Moon stack up.

Reaper’s level 90 single-target rotation after the opener shown above will look something like this:

Shadow of Death (keep Death Design going)
Slice (GCD)
Waxing Slice (GCD)
Infernal Slice (GCD)
Slice (GCD)
Waxing Slice (GCD)
- Unveiled Gallows (Soul skill)
Gallows (Soul Reaver skill)
Infernal Slice (GCD)
Slice (GCD)
Waxing Slice (GCD)
Infernal Slice (GCD)
Soul Slice (50 Soul Gauge points)
- Unveiled Gibbet (Soul skill)
Gibbet (Soul Reaver skill)
Enshroud
Void Reaping
Cross Reaping
- Lemure’s Slice
Void Reaping
Cross Reaping
- Lemure’s Slice
Communio
[continue the cycle as outlined]

Other priorities and good practices you must have in mind when playing Reaper are as follows:

DO NOT forget to use Arcane Circle whenever it is ready since it’s your party-wide buff but also grants Immortal Sacrifice stacks for Plentiful Harvest and the subsequent “free” Enshroud phase — these are major keys for Reaper DPS.
Keep Death’s Design up at all times. Shadow of Death is a level 10 skill, so in every possible encounter, from dungeons to trials, you will be able to have Death’s Design on the enemy.
Avoid holding onto two charges of Soul Slice or Soul Scythe, use them as soon as possible so they can keep recharging throughout the encounter.
Always use Gluttony when it is available since it’s stronger and grants to Soul Reaver stacks.
Arcane Crest has a low cooldown and can help your healers to deal with group damage.
Harvest Moon and Harpe are skills you must use when you find yourself out of melee range so you can maintain your damage uptime.
Using Hell’s Ingress/Egress to avoid close AoE attacks is smart since you get a free Harpe cast and can return to melee range fast.

Usually, the priority of each skill may change depending on the level you are at. But for Reapers, the core principles are pretty consistent regardless of the level. Below are sections on how the Reaper rotation changes when you’re at or synced lower levels.

Reaper’s Level 80 Single-Target Rotation

Main Priorities are largely the same as the level 90 rotation. However, you won’t have Plentiful Harvest, Communio, or Lemure Slice/Scythe skills.
Since you won’t be able to do an early Enshroud phase (which would be granted by Plentiful Harvest), you need to gradually build your Shroud points for burst windows.
Slice, Waxing Slice, and Infernal Slice combo remains as your filler combo.
Again: build Soul points to use Soul Skills, then use Soul Reaver skills to build Shroud points, then use Enshroud to use Shroud skills.

Reaper’s Level 70 Single-Target Rotation

This is the level Reaper starts at, and it is a very barebones version of the Job. You do not have the Shroud Gauge yet.
Your main priority is to generate Soul Gauge points to then use the combo Soul skill into Soul Reaver skill.
Always weave Soul skills between the Slice combo or other skills if you have Soul points to use.
Although the Slice, Waxing Slice, and Infernal Slice combo is still a filler, it has a more central role now as one of the main skills to generate Soul points.

Reaper’s Level 60 Single-Target Rotation

At level 60, you are missing all the big hitters that Reaper has to offer. You do not have Soul Reaver skills at this point.
Your main concern is to keep using the Slice, Waxing Slice, and Infernal Slice combo, and Soul Slice whenever it’s available, to generate Soul points and use Blood Stalk when it is up.

Reaper’s Level 50 Single-Target Rotation

At this level, you don’t have access to key skills like Soul Slice, so you literally depend solely on the basic Slice combo to generate Soul points that can still be used with Blood Stalk.

Reaper’s AoE Rotations

Reaper has a nice set of AoE skills in its kit, some of which are integral to the single-target rotation already. These AoE-focused rotations, however, are best suited for groups of three or more enemies. If you find yourself facing two enemies, rely on single-target skills.

The Reaper’s AoE Rotations are simplified versions of the single-target ones. The priority is the same among the groups of skills.

Reaper AoE Rotation at Level 90

Every single-target Soul skill, Soul Reaver skill, Shroud skill, and Void Shroud skills has an AoE equivalent. Focus on using Gluttony, Grim Swathe, Guillotine, Grim Reaping, and Lemure’s Scythe when you have the resources.
If you use Arcane Circle, you will get access to Plentiful Harvest which you should always prioritize. Following the same rule as in a single-target situation, you then use Soul Scythe to generate Soul points more quickly.
Death’s Design should always be applied with Whorl of Death to affect as many enemies as possible. Keep in mind that when you’re dealing with mobs, those killed while under Death’s Design will grant free Soul Gauge points to feed your Soul and Soul Reaver skills faster.
Your filler combo is going to be the Spinning Scythe > Nightmare Scythe which also generates Soul points for you.
You also have the option to use Harvest Moon in your rotation since it is a long-range AoE attack.

Reaper AoE Rotation at Level 80

The idea is the same as in level 90, but you’ll just have to take Plentiful Harvest (and a quick Enshroud) out of the equation. However, you are still using Arcane Circle whenever it is up despite lacking Plentiful Harvest.
You will also be missing Harvest Moon and the Void Shroud Skills, but you’ll still focus on Grim Reaping whenever you use Enshroud.
Gluttony and Grim Swathe are still of high priority which can be weaved before using Guillotine.
Soul Scythe is still a powerful tool to generate Soul points.

Reaper AoE Rotation at Level 70

At this level, you only have access to your Soul and Soul Reaver Skills. Your main concern is to build Soul points to use Grim Swathe and then use Guillotine.
Keep using Whorl of Death to keep up Death’s Design, Soul Scythe to build Soul points fast, and the Spinning Scythe to Nightmare Scythe combo.

Reaper AoE Rotation at Level 60

Here, you don’t have access to Guillotine and Soul Scythe. So, your main rotation will be basically the Spinning Scythe to Nightmare Scythe combo and the single-target Soul Slice to earn Soul points enough to use Grim Swathe.
In the middle of that keep applying Whorl of Death.

Reaper AoE Rotation at Level 50

The Reaper’s options for AoE damage in this level are very limited. First, you don’t have an AoE Soul skill. Because of that, you should use Blood Stalk once you have 50 Soul points even though it is a single-target attack. There is no reason to keep the points and not to use them.
Most of the time, however, you are going to be using Spinning Scythe to Nightmare Scythe and, from time to time, Whorl of Death to keep up Death’s Design.

Reaper’s Stat Priority, Food, and Pots

Now that the basics of playing Reaper have been covered, there are additional details that you should be aware of when you get more advanced. Item Level will always take priority when looking at which gear pieces to equip, but once you’re at level 90 and hitting endgame content, substats will matter.

Whenever you are working on your Reaper’s build, you should prioritize the Critical Hit first then Direct Hit and/or Determination stats for gear and Materia melding. Both will affect directly how much damage output the Reaper is capable of. There are some modified Reaper rotations that benefit from a specific Skill Speed stat, but for the purposes of this guide, do not worry about it.

For the right food buff and potion/tincture, the idea is the same. As of Patch 6.2, the best food for Reapers is the Carrot Pudding, since it gives + 10% of Determination (max of 97) and + 10% of Critical Hit (max of 58). For your potion/tincture, Reaper will need the Grade 7 Tincture of Strength, since Strength factors into the Job’s DPS output.

Although both of these items are the best you can find for Reapers now, they are meant to be used in endgame content. Because of that, they become pretty expensive if you try to buy them on the Market Board. So, consider using cheaper food and pots if you are learning the fight or still leveling up. All you need to do is to look for options that will give you the right stats.

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