R.E.P.O. | Monster guide: Reaper

The Reaper is one of R.E.P.O.'s most visually striking and genuinely dangerous monsters. It looks like a straw-stuffed scarecrow in a pink floral gown, with curved swords where its hands should be and stick legs that force it into a stiff, lurching walk. Do not let the absurd appearance fool you.

Once it locks onto a target, it screams and charges, spinning its blade-arms continuously and hitting everything in its path. It is persistent, destructive, and merciless when a player runs out of stamina.

Behavior

The Reaper roams aimlessly until it spots a semibot. When it does, it pauses for about one second, lowering its arms and staring, before breaking into a moderate-speed chase while wildly swinging its arms. Every swing deals 10 damage and slightly pushes the target forward, and it hits anything in the way, including valuables. It will not stop chasing until the target is dead or breaks line of sight.

If it loses sight of its target, the Reaper searches the surrounding area at an accelerated pace, looking for that player or any other semibot to continue pursuing. It can detect players through line of sight, proximity, touch, and sound, making it hard to avoid once it is nearby.

When a player hides under a low spot, the Reaper will bend down and slash at them with one arm. This crouched attack still deals 10 damage but swings at half the normal speed.

Hidden usefulness

The Reaper's constant arm-swinging while chasing a player will hit anything in its path, including other monsters. If you can lure it through a room with other active threats, there is a real chance it clears them out for you.

Weaknesses

The Reaper has 250 HP, which is on the higher end, but it is not especially fast at first, and its attack pattern has a predictable shape. It telegraphs aggression with a one-second pause before charging, giving you a brief window to reposition. It also cannot jump very high, so gaining elevation will likely put it out of reach entirely. Crouching on top of a table will cause it to lose sight of you completely, which is a surprisingly reliable way to break its detection.

Its biggest weakness in a fight is its attack direction: it swings forward and from the front, so attacking from the sides reduces the chance of it knocking your weapon out of your hands.

Strategy

• Break line of sight immediately when spotted and move to a different room. The one-second pause before it charges is your window.
• Get to high ground or crouch on top of a table. The Reaper cannot jump high enough to reach elevated players, and it loses sight of crouching players on tables entirely.
• Keep your cart and valuables away from any area the Reaper is patrolling. Its spinning arms will destroy items without hesitation.
• Never let your stamina run low while the Reaper is chasing you. It is at its most lethal when you cannot keep running.
• If it bends down to slash at you in a hiding spot, move. The damage rate is halved but it will keep attacking.

How to kill

The Reaper has 250 HP, so you need a plan before engaging. Attack from the sides, not the front. Coming at it head-on puts you directly in the path of its arm swings, which will knock your weapon away and deal rapid damage at 10 per swing.

If you can stun the Reaper first, its Strength Breakpoint drops to 1, meaning any player can pick it up regardless of their strength stat. Picking it up while stunned is one of the safest ways to control it and finish it off without taking damage. Without a stun, you need Strength 9 to pick it up normally.

The Clown Doll is specifically worth considering here: the source notes that most valuables are ineffective against the Reaper, but the Clown Doll works due to its explosive properties. Use it to deal burst damage from a safer distance.

For a straightforward kill, stun it to stop its arm-swinging, then attack from the side with your best available weapon. If you cannot stun it, kite it carefully, attack from the flank, and back off after each hit to avoid the return swing.