Condition Alacrity Scourge

August 2023

Introduction

Condition Alacrity Scourge plays out very similarly to Condition Scourge but trades damage output for Alacrity generation alongside some Protection. This build still has all of the high-value defensive utility of scourge and can be heavily customized to fit encounters and your squad composition!

Build Fundamentals

The key interaction that powers Condition Alacrity Scourge is that Desert Empowerment causes Barrier you apply to also apply Alacrity while also causing Manifest Sand Shade to apply barrier. This, combined with the pulsing Barrier from Sandstorm Shroud generates very comfortable Alacrity.

Shade abilities affect 3 players per shade (you count as a shade) this means it’s important to have at least one Manifest Sand Shade up before using Barrier abilities or you won’t affect your entire subgroup. The radii of your shade abilities are also relatively small, so be careful with your positioning and also your Manifest Sand Shade positioning. The cooldown on Manifest Sand Shade is very short so be sure to place it on your team whenever required. This is especially important when using Sandstorm Shroud as the ability pulses over time and you want to make sure your team gets full value out of it!

Build Specifics

Use Manifest Sand Shade, Sand Cascade andSandstorm Shroud off cooldown to apply Alacrity and Protection. Just like regular condition scourge, use Blood Is Power just before Sandstorm Shroud so that you can transfer the self-inflicted conditions onto your target using Plague Sending for massive damage!

The basic priority for Condition Alacrity Scourge is as follows:

• Blood Is Power Sandstorm Shroud
• Devouring Darkness
• Grasping Dead
• Plaguelands (Make sure your target won’t move out of this, it’s a 10-second pulsing area attack!)
• Harrowing Wave
• Oppressive Collapse

Note: Shade skills have no cast time, so you can freely activate them any time while casting your rotation for free damage!

Maintain at least one Manifest Sand Shade at all times, this will give you a permanent 15% damage reduction and an extra 15% boon and condition duration which significantly increases both offensive, defensive, and support potential.

This build has near unlimited life force due to its very high health pool, which means you can very aggressively use your shade abilities both for defensive and offensive utility. This means you can very frequently activate Dhuumfire for extra damage!

Scourge has very good baked-in support, you’ll naturally apply significant Barrier simply by doing your rotation but you can dynamically place shades on allies that require support and then use Sand Cascade or Nefarious Favor to support them as needed. If they fall over into the downstate then use Signet of Undeath to get them back up!

Crowd Control

• Oppressive Collapse
• Wail of Doom
• Garish Pillar
• Spectral Grasp

Alternatives

Condition Alacrity Scourge has one very free utility slot. Serpent Siphon can be easily swapped out for a variety of powerful utility options:

• Trail of Anguish stunbreak and reasonable Stability application.
• Spectral Grasp Very powerful defiance bar break and long-range pull.
• Epidemic Additional area damage.
• Summon Shadow Fiend Even more life force generation and some damage.
• Corrupt Boon Single target boon corruption.
• Well of Corruption Area boon corruption.
• Desiccate Might and Fury generation.

You can also use pretty much any necromancer heal skill, they are all value!

• Well of Blood decent area heal.
• Signet of Vampirism passive sustain.
• Sand Flare minor barrier and extra Alacrity.