Shroud

This article is about the mechanic as used by various professions and specializations. For the Mesmer Collective rank, see Shroud (rank).

Shroud is a mechanic and skill type native to the necromancer but also available to other professions as a function of various elite specializations. Shroud activation may confer one or more features specific to the respective shroud such as using a separate resource pool insulating health, new equipped skills in the skill bar, and/or any effects or traited interactions.

List of shroud skills

#	Skill			Description
Specter
Enter Shadow Shroud
1	Haunt Shot	0.5½		Shroud. Unleash darkness in a targeted area, inflicting conditions on foes while healing and granting might to nearby allies and your tethered ally for each target struck.
2	Grasping Shadows	0.25¼	3	Shroud. Unleash darkness in a targeted area, inflicting conditions on foes. Cleanse conditions from yourself while healing and cleansing your tethered ally, based on targets struck.
2	Grasping Shadows	0.75¾	3	Shroud. Unleash darkness on your target's location, inflicting conditions on foes. Cleanse conditions from yourself while healing and cleansing your tethered ally, based on targets struck.
3	Dawn's Repose	0.75¾	8	Shroud. Leap to the targeted area, inflicting fear on foes at your ending point. Grant barrier to your tethered ally and nearby allies based on targets struck. Heal your tethered ally based on targets struck.
3	Dawn's Repose	1	8	Shroud. Dash in the direction you are facing, applying fear to foes at your end point. Grant barrier to your tethered ally and yourself based on the targets struck. Heal your tethered ally based on targets struck.
4	Eternal Night	1	8	Shroud. Strike at foes in front of you with your shadow magic, inflicting conditions. Nearby allies and your tethered ally gain health for each enemy struck.
5	Mind Shock	0.5½	16	Shroud. After a short channel, unleash a blast of compressed magic that stuns enemies. Nearby allies and your tethered ally gain stability. Heal your tethered ally based on each enemy you hit.
Necromancer
Death Shroud
1	Life Blast	1		Shroud. Blast your foe with life force.
1	Plague Blast	0.5½		Blast a foe with a plague that transfers one condition to them.
2	Dark Path	0.75¾	8	Shroud. Send out a claw. If it hits a foe, it inflicts bleeding and chill on nearby foes and you may cast Dark Pursuit to shadowstep to the initial target.
2	Dark Pursuit			Shadowstep to the foe marked by Dark Path.
2	Dark Water	0.5½	8	Blind and poison foes near your target with a dark cloud.
3	Doom	0.75¾	20	Shroud. Inflict fear on your foe.
3	Wave of Fear	0.5½	20	Terrify all foes in front of you with a wave of fear.
4	Gathering Plague	10.25¼	25	Draw conditions from nearby allies to yourself, and inflict weakness on yourself.
4	Life Transfer	2	20	Shroud. Damage nearby foes and steal their life force.
5	Tainted Shackles	0.25¼	25	Shroud. Begin binding nearby enemies with your life force, pulsing out conditions; they can break this binding if they get far enough away from you. Bound foes are immobilized if the binding finishes.
Reaper
Reaper's Shroud
1	Life Rend	0.5½		Chain. Shroud. Cleave foes in front of you. This skill inherits traits from Life Blast.
1	Life Slash	0.5½		Chain. Shroud. Cleave foes in front of you again. This skill inherits traits from Life Blast.
1	Life Reap	0.5½		Shroud. Cleave foes around you, gaining life force for each foe struck. This skill inherits traits from Life Blast.
2	Death's Charge	10.25¼	6	Shroud. Slide forward, destroying projectiles in your path. Blind foes at your destination. This skill inherits traits from Dark Path.
3	Infusing Terror		25	Shroud. Shroud yourself with dark armor that grants stability and reduces incoming damage. You may shatter this armor to fear foes around you.
3	Terrify	0.5½		Shroud. Detonate your armor to make foes around you flee in fear.
4	Soul Spiral	20.75¾	30	Shroud. Spin and damage nearby foes, and inflict a condition each strike.
5	Executioner's Scythe	10.25¼	30	Shroud. Deliver a powerful overhand strike to stun a single target, dealing increased damage the lower their health. Leaves behind an ice field.
Harbinger
Harbinger Shroud
1	Tainted Bolts	0.5½		Fire quick bolts of dark energy that explode on impact, inflicting torment to enemies in the area.
2	Dark Barrage	0.75¾	6	Fire six bolts of tormenting energy that fan out from you, piercing all enemies in their path.
3	Devouring Cut	1	8	Channel twisted energy to launch yourself at your foe, damaging nearby enemies on impact. If you are at or above the Blight threshold when you activate this skill, consume that amount of Blight to double the damage and torment struck foes.
4	Voracious Arc	0.75¾	10	Leap to your destination, evading through the air. Daze enemies near your impact point. If you are at or above the Blight threshold when you activate this skill, consume that amount of Blight to double the damage and torment struck foes.
4	Voracious Dive	0.5½	10	Shadowstep to your target, appearing in a blast of necrotic energy. Daze enemies near your arrival point. If you are at or above the Blight threshold when you activate this skill, consume that amount of Blight to double the damage and torment struck foes.
5	Vital Draw	1	20	Twist the souls of nearby enemies, suspending them in the air while you siphon their life force. Gain life force for each target struck.
Ritualist
Ritualist's Shroud
1	Essence Blast	0.75¾		Shroud. Fire a blast of energy that is more powerful for each active spirit. Active spirits will prioritize attacking the last enemy targeted by this skill if they are in range.
2	Anguish	0.5½	7	Shroud. Spirit. Mark an enemy to take more damage from your summoned creatures, then summon a spirit of anguish. Anguish fires a barrage of projectiles that deal increased damage against crowd-controlled enemies and for each condition on those enemies.
3	Wanderlust	1	12	Shroud. Spirit. Create a powerful blast that damages enemies in the area, then summon a Spirit of Wanderlust at that location. Wanderlust knocks down enemies and creates a lingering area that deals damage and inflicts conditions.
4	Preservation	0.5½	20	Shroud. Spirit. Grant boons to nearby allies, then summon a spirit of preservation. Preservation will unleash a burst of energy, healing and removing conditions from nearby allies.
5	Summon Spirits		20	Shroud. You and any active spirits shadowstep to the target area. Any spirits that aren't currently using their initial skill will immediately use an additional skill.

Profession mechanics

Necromancer

•   Death Shroud — Core necromancer F1 skill using a separate life-force pool and changing to a range-oriented skill bar.
•   Reaper's Shroud — Reaper elite specialization F1 skill using a separate life-force pool and changing to melee-oriented skills.
•   Desert Shroud — Scourge elite specialization F5 skill dealing heavy damage, inflicting AoE torment, and giving barrier.
  •   Sandstorm Shroud — Scourge elite specialization F5 skill with Major Master trait  Herald of Sorrow active. Replaces   Desert Shroud.
•   Harbinger Shroud — Harbinger elite specialization F1 skill granting powerful offensive skills at the cost of Blight accumulation over time.
•   Ritualist's Shroud — Ritualist elite specialization F1 skill allowing the summoning of ritualist spirits to the field.

Thief

•   Shadow Shroud — Specter elite specialization F2 skill using a separate shadow-force bar and shroud-specific weapon skills.

See also

• Life force

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Skill types and profession mechanics