Is Reap of Butchery worth trying in 3.29 before spending POE currency on a full build?

It looks worth testing, but it does not look like the easy version of Reap. The regular gem still has the friendlier mapping style: cast at range, cover a pack, move on. Reap of Butchery seems built for a different job. You stay close, keep casting, build Blood Charges, and let the physical damage over time do the heavy lifting. That sounds great on a boss that stands still for a few seconds. It sounds less great when you are levelling through the campaign and everything dies before the ramp matters. Players chasing a smooth first character should probably wait for real league footage and gem numbers. The skill may feel much better after maps, when you have spell levels, physical damage-over-time multiplier, recovery, and enough defences to stop every close-range cast from feeling like a gamble. It is not a straight upgrade. It is more of a commitment build.

What kind of Reap of Butchery build will actually feel good to play?

The big thing is uptime. You will notice it almost straight away: a huge damage number means very little if the boss walks out, drops burning ground under you, or forces you to run every few seconds. Since Butchery is centred on the character, the build needs to survive beside dangerous enemies. Armour, block, spell suppression, energy shield recovery, life recovery, and decent movement speed all matter. You do not need every layer, but you cannot treat defence as an afterthought. Trickster could be a comfortable route for players who like recovery and evasive layers. Ascendant may suit someone happy to spend more time planning the tree. A block-focused option could also be interesting, even if the damage looks lower in Path of Building. If that character can keep applying the dot while another one has to retreat, the gap closes fast. Mines, triggers, and other automated ideas may still work, though they need careful testing. The gem appears to reward deliberate casting and charge management, so automation could make the playstyle smoother or quietly ruin its best mechanic.

Will Reap of Butchery beat ordinary Reap for bosses and maps?

For mapping, ordinary Reap will probably remain the safer pick for many players. Flexible placement is hard to replace, especially in cramped layouts or content where monsters appear from awkward angles. Butchery has local coverage, yet local coverage is not the same thing as range. You are still standing near the threat. Against rares and bosses, though, the new gem has a real case. If Blood Charges build reliably and the target stays in range, its sustained damage could pull ahead after the opening casts. That makes it appealing for players who do not mind a slower rhythm. Do not rush into expensive upgrades just because early damage clips look impressive. Buy basic defences first, test charge uptime, then decide whether POE chaos orbs should go toward damage-over-time gear or survival. That choice will decide whether the build feels brutal or just awkward.