Reaper
Double Death Scythe Poison Build
Double Death Scythe Poison Build
Core Mechanic
A heavy-poison build that runs two Death Scythes to push the poison counter to 80-100 in a single round. Combined with Snake (Venomancer)'s cleanse-prevention, the opponent is locked into being shaved to 0 HP roughly 20 seconds in.
Death Scythe deals self-damage, so the key is to maintain your own HP with healing items or lifesteal weapons while fighting.
Recommended Subclass: Venomancer
Venomancer is mandatory at Round 8. Snake's cleanse-prevention and poison-duration boost maximize the value of running two Death Scythes.
Core Items and Placement
| Item | Role |
|---|---|
| Death Scythe x2 | Main poison damage source |
| Pestilence Flask | Poison source (multiple copies preferred) |
| Green Gem (Chipped Emerald or up) | Amplifies poison damage |
| Healing items (Healing Herbs, Health Potion) | Covers self-damage |
| Hungry Blade or Bloodthorn | Lifesteal to offset self-damage |
| A few Pets | Required adjacency for Snake activation |
Cluster the two Death Scythes and socket Emeralds plus Green Gems to maximize poison output. Place healing items near the Scythes so the self-damage / lifesteal balance is easy to maintain.
Build Order
Early game (Rounds 1-6)
Prioritize Pestilence Flask and Healing Herbs. Move Wooden Sword → Poison Dagger to seed the poison floor. Hunt the first Death Scythe early.
Mid game (Rounds 7-12)
Take Venomancer at Round 8. Buy Snake and slot the first Death Scythe into the Ranger's Bag. Socket Green Gems and Emeralds into the poison weapons.
Late game (Round 13+)
Land the second Death Scythe and shift to dual operation. Line up 2-3 healing items so the self-damage is fully offset. When everything connects, the opponent dies to poison roughly 20 seconds in.
Tactics and Positioning
The risk of this build is "you also chip yourself while attacking". Don't force the issue until the healing loop is online — let poison stacking carry you. Death Scythe self-damage is significant, so the standard pattern is to backstop it with Hungry Blade lifesteal.
Difficult Matchups and Counters
- Opening-rush archetypes: self-damage stacks with incoming damage and your HP plummets. Layer shield + helm early.
- High-armor: poison passes through, but Death Scythe's direct damage is mitigated through armor.
- Same-class poison mirror: it becomes a cleanse-prevention race, so prioritize fastest-possible Snake +20 Lucky.
Variations
Splice in Hexblade (Cursed Dagger) for the adjacent-weapon damage boost on Death Scythe. A variant of "Death Scythe + Pandemonium Tank Scythe" instead of two Death Scythes also works well — random powerful effects raise the burst ceiling.