PvE Assasin build; DPS Tank

Hi!

I just recently started my assasin, after reading around a lot on forums. The assasin class is currently filling my last spot, I've completed the game several times with all other classes, I just never wanted to make an assasin before. Mostly because of the bad stereotype there is about them. But when I was reading about them, here and on other forums, I found out that it's actually a class that takes a lot of skill to properly execute. And that's something I search for in my PvE characters

So here is what my plan was

- I want to be able to atleast take a few hits and don't be a huge strain on a monks energy
- I want to be able to have a constant DPS instead of spike damage
- I want to be able to continue this for long periods - as in I don't want to be totally drained after I do my thing
- I want to be a valueable member of any party, if I'm picked over a Warrior as a DPS character I want to do atleast just as good if not better
- I want to have "some" team skill in there to help my party members
- I want to take down casters quickly

And after going over the skills and 13 missions and bilions of quests later I got my build. Note that everything is easy to aquire, you don't need any elites that you won't get till the game is over, and all the skills you need are obtainable pretty much as soon as you're out of the newbie area.

A/W

Dagger Mastery - 12+1+2
Critical Strikes - 11+2
Shadow Arts - 6+1
Tactics - 2

Watch Yourself | 4a | Shout - I love this skill, it gives everyone in earshot 20 armor, which means for yourself that you suddenly have compareable armors to warriors (90), it helps you out and it helps your allies. Also, since we aren't using any other adrenal skills you can spam this like crazy, use it everytime it's up, it's free and it helps a lot. This helps against every class that uses damage that doesn't ignore armor.

Flashing Blades {E} | 10e | Elite Stance | 20s | 20s - This skill allows you to block 50% of the time, as long as you are attacking. The cooldown is just as long as the duration so this skill can be up 24/7, but it doesn't have to be because you're not always under attack. This will help you a lot against rangers, assasins and warriors.

Unsuspecting Strike | 10e | Lead Attack | 4s - Low cooldown, nice damage, spammable, normally does somewhere in the 70-90 range if it's the first hit, which is rather good.

Wild Strike | 5e | Off Hand Attack | 4s - Also a low cooldown, decent damage and spammable. Has a nice effect to it but is mostly used because of the other qualities.

Critical Strike | 10e | Dual Attack | 6s - Low cooldown, always makes a critical hit good damage and spammable. It's not the best dual attack out there, but in order to sustain a high DPS I searched for other qualities.

Critical Eye | 5e | Skill | 30s | 32s - The duration is longer then the cooldown, which is great, high %'s criticals = more damage = more energy = exactly what we want.

Shadow Refuge | Enchantment Spell | 1s | 8s | 4s - Gives about 100 HP over 4 seconds. Synergizes nicely with flashing blades

Res Signet | Signet | 3s - Just as an insurance :X

You can either use the endgame Ceremonial Daggers for this build, or any weapon that has the zealous mod on it, you need the zealous mod for this build.

So what I do, keep Critical Eye up all the time, Flashing blades aswell if needed, every critical you make gives a total of 5 energy which is.. something an elementalist would be jealous of, didn't calculate the figures but the energy regeneration is huge with this build. Because enemies tend to die pretty quickly in PvE, your attack chain is spammable, so you aren't useless when you've used all 3 skills. Watch yourself should be spammed all the time.

So.. that's the builds, comments appreciated.

Ñaz

Fear Me > Wild Strike

Take all those points in tactics and put them into shadow arts. Leave in Watch Yourself! since at base it lasts for 5 seconds, within that time you'll have gotten more than enough adrenaline to use it again. Take out healing signet for shadow refuge since it will heal for 56 health through 7 pips of health regen for 4 seconds and tack on a 48 health if you're still attacking at the end of its duration, which you most likely are since Flashing Blades encourages you to keep on attacking. Also Shadow Refuge doesn't suffer from the -40 AL that healing signet gives you, and while you're using healing signet you're not protected by flashing blades making you extremely vulnerable for 2 seconds in which anything can shread your 30AL butt to pieces.

I would also swap out Critical Strike for Death Blossom. While Critical Strike gives you a free dual attack it doesn't do anything for your build. You're not running critical defenses, sharpen daggers, or way of perfection. You're much better off just paying the 5 energy for Death Blossom which will deal considerably more damage to your target and also any foes adjacent to you.

If you want to make your combo cheaper I would take out Unsuspecting Strike. It deals a nice chunk of damage, but it's only a lead attack. I would much rather put a less damage lead attack in my combo that gave me a nice bonus for less energy. Desperate strike is a nice lead attack, doesn't deal extra damage but it interrupts and disables spells. Leaping mantis sting is also pretty good it deals a little extra damage and will cripple and enemies rushing towards your backline.

Also once you get rid of Unsuspecting Strike you can replace Wild Strike with a better offhand. While Wild Strike is nice and spammable, the stances which it can remove in PvE are very limited to things like Frenzy or a speed increase, neither of which warrant removing. Putting any other offhand is good although I'm a big fan of fox fangs when I'm running death blossom. THe thing you have to remember is that Death Blossom is your main damage dealer and the only purpose of your lead attack and offhand is to chain to Death Blossom, anything else you get it pure gravy.

Wow, any constructive comments?

Considering how much I have typed down you two are being pretty disrespectful.

SparhawkJC - thanks - I chose not to go for long cooldown Lead/offhand/dual attacks because I want to sustain a high dps, not spike damage. For instance, fox fangs has double the cooldown of Wildstrike, which means that I will do more damage with Wildstrike then Fox Fangs over a period of time.

Critical Strike gives me 10 energy, and costs 10 energy, which is... rather nice if you ask me. it allows me to keep spamming my 3 attacks with their low cooldowns. In addition, it's still a critical strike, so double damage on both my normal attacks DPS wise over a minute time, it seems like a way better deal. I really think that Death Blossom has a way too high cooldown (I can do two critical strikes in the same time) and it would seem dependand on opponents standing close. But I'll give it a try.

On shadow refuge, you're quite simply right on that, even though you normally have 50 armor instead of 30, this synergizes better with the elite skill, thanks.

50 armour instead of 30? Dude, max armour for sins is 70 base.

Watch yourself! - Shout, party members within earshot gain 20 armor for xx seconds.

But who is talking about 50 and 30 AL? talk about 70 and 90!

You have -40 AL from Healing signet, I was reacting to SparhawkJC's post.

Oh right. Use shadow refuge IMO.

I just started an assasin and he's level 14 now. I used your build and it works just fine!
Before, when I was getting my armor I used a build made with the skills I got when started. I had to let the henchies do all the fighting. When I went out to cap Flashing Blades I could actually manage myself and do some serious damage, though my Attribute points are not up to standard I can see this working for me in the way I want a 'sin to work Thanks.

If you want to be able to take a few hits, yet be able to deal some damage...
Change to A/Mo as soon as you can, get Protective Spirit ... Afflicted explosions will severely hurt you later on... if you're not willing to do this and pick the hard way to play an assassin in PvE (something that i'm actually advising you), learn the tricks of the trade: assassins are NOT meant to stay in the fray the whole time... it's still 'get in, hurt 'em, get out leaving your opponents dying'
But even if you don't want to deal spike damage, then just spread conditions (even though Assassins tend to use spike builds... dunno why you'd do anything else... go Way of the Empty Palm + Repeating Strike later on I suppose... or just use a different weapon)

Oh, and don't forget that you're not the backbone of the party... bringing Recall or Deaths Charge isn't a bad idea actually, so you can get back and kill the monsters quickly that are harassing any monks (that's your 'team skill' )

Watch Yourself - very useful, good choice.

Flashing Blades - If you hit with critical attacks every 5 seconds, wouldn't Critical Defenses be better? If so, that would allow you to bring Palm Strike instead of Wild Strike.

Unsuspected Strike - useful, excellent recharge, good choice

Wild Strike - okay, but can be blocked or evaded (as I recall). Wild Blow would be better, but your space is limited and it removes adrenaline (Watch Yourself may not be spamable anymore)

Critical Strike - excellent choice

Critical Eye - okay choice, good if you use Critical Defense though

Shadow Refuge - good choice

Rez Signet - in PvE, always a must (unless you truly solo)

If you really want to save the monks a lot of energy, remove Watch Yourself, and get Recal or Aura Of Displacement.

Your inital build (after the edit) seems good. I may try it sometime.

Your build will work just fine... I used to run a build very much like it.

If I could make a recommendation as someone who has played Assassin non-stop since Faction's release, my biggest advice to new assassins is to drop the tank mentality.

Now, with your build you CAN tank to some degree, but I've found that Assassins are far more useful when they use their mobility skills to their advantage. You have the ability to get into an enemy's face and then run them all over the map while your teammates kill them. Shadow of haste + dash is a great PvE combination because you can keep haste up all the time and then use dash to cancel it when you need to get away.

Furthermore, I think you'll enjoy trying Death Blossom and Mobius Strike. You can put out over 200 points of damage in two seconds to a whole group with practice!

That's all just my input though... as I said your build is solid as is.

EDIT: And to clear up the confusion for the above posters, Wild Strike is NEEDED for this build because it is the fastest recharge offhand in the game with the most damage. The point of having wild strike isn't for the stance cancel... it's to set up for Critical Strikes

I was only was going for hitting the foe. I don't know if Wild Strike will hit someone who can block or evade. As far as I know you can still miss. Recharge of 4 seconds is the fastest, but I'd rather have my dual attack hit as soon as possible. That is why I make those alternative suggestions.

Wild Strike is fine.

You're right Pick Me, Wild Strike does not guarantee a hit against someone with a stance up. For this reason I can understand why people use fox fangs, but in this build fox fangs simply wouldn't work because he has to constantly cycle up from a lead attack to do his dual. (Unlike other builds with moves like mobius strike that allow you to do additional dual attacks before having to start up the chain again.)