Shade

This article is about the Scourge mechanic. For the NPC, see Shade (NPC).

Shade is a skill type exclusive to necromancers with the scourge elite specialization that involves summoning area of effect markers occupying the F1-F5 slots and using their abilities. These skills are activated by the minor trait Mantle of Sand and they replace the Death Shroud. Using a shade ability strikes enemies near you and your shades. Shade abilities can strike 3 targets in PvE and PvP, but only 2 targets in WvW.

List of shade skills

#	Skill			Description
Scourge
F1	Manifest Sand Shade	0.5½		Shade. Manifest a sand shade using some of your life force[sic]. Using a shade ability strikes enemies near you and your shades.
F2	Nefarious Favor		5	Shade. Your shades convert a condition on nearby allies into a boon. Targets affected by this ability can only be affected once per cast.
F3	Sand Cascade		10	Shade. Sand rises up near your shades to shield nearby allies. Targets affected by this ability can only be affected once per cast.
F4	Garish Pillar		15	Shade. Induce fear in enemies around your sand shades. Targets affected by this ability can only be affected once per cast.
F5	Desert Shroud		20	Shade. Enter the desert shroud, gaining a powerful barrier and pulsing necrotic energy around your sand shades. Targets affected by this ability can only be affected once per pulse.

Mechanics

• Shade skills happen around the scourge and any already existing sand shades created by the Manifest Sand Shade skill.
• Using any Shade skill will strike nearby enemies with Manifest Sand Shade.
  • Manifest Sand Shade inherits traits that modify "Shroud skill 1". For example, with Reaper's Might the scourge will gain might when using any shade skill or with Dhuumfire the strike from Manifest Sand Shade will apply burning on hit as well.
    • Traits that modify other shroud skills will only work on their respective skill. For example, Transfusion only happens when using Garish Pillar.
• If any sand shade is out of range or the scourge does not have line of sight to that shade, using any Shade skill will display the appropriate 'out of range' or 'no line of sight' message indicating that that particular sand shade was unable to carry out the command.
• Targets can only be affected by Shade skills once, regardless of how many sand shades and/or the scourge are in range. Each sand shade and the scourge have a limit on how many targets they can affect.
  • This behavior, and the radius of sand shade, may be modified with the trait Sand Savant. See the following table:

Game mode	Trait	Maximum number of sand shades	Targets per shade and scourge	Total maximum number of targets	Radius	Charge recharge
PvE	Default	3 sand shades	3	12	180	8 seconds
	With Sand Savant	1 greater shade	5	10	300	10 seconds
PvP	Default	3 sand shades	3	12	180	15 seconds
	With Sand Savant	1 greater shade	5	10	300	30 seconds
WvW	Default	3 sand shades	2	8	180	15 seconds
	With Sand Savant	1 greater shade	2	4	300	30 seconds

Related traits

Trait skills that have the type shade

•   Sandstorm Shroud (Herald of Sorrow) — Shade. Enter the final shroud, pulsing barrier to allies around yourself and priming the shroud for a powerful detonation that damages enemies and bolsters allies. Targets can only be affected by this skill once per activation.

Traits that improve shade skills

• Sinister Shroud (Soul Reaping) — Shroud skills gain reduced recharge.
• Sand Savant (Scourge) — Summon only one shade at a time. This greater shade has a modified recharge. Influence a larger area with shade skills. A greater shade counts as three shades for related traits.

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Skill types and profession mechanics