Suggest Improvements please?

KalleDamos

KalleDamos

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2007

This is a build I've been running for awhile. It is very powerful and really quite unstopable. Please suggest anything that can improve it please.

Fox's Fury
10 - Dagger Mastery
10 - Shadow Arts
11 - Critical Strikes

[skill]Golden Fox Strike[/skill][skill]Wild Strike[/skill][skill]Nine Tail Strike[/skill][skill]Flashing Blades[/skill][skill]Way of Perfection[/skill][skill]Critical Eye[/skill][skill]Death's Charge[/skill][skill]Resurrection Signet[/skill]

Diddy bow

Diddy bow

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Oct 2006

Jawsome!!!!!!!!!!!

looking for one :p

A/D

is this for pve or pvp. Im guessing pve.

People will tell you flashing blades is bad. It is. But its workable early game =D.

Overall the build looks a bit too "tank" for my liking, id say ditch shadow arts, let your monks heal you and get some more attack power.

horseradish

horseradish

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2007

In a donut hole

Rt/A

You look like Coloneh.

Anyways, it looks pretty good. I'd switch out [skill]Flashing Blades[/skill] for [skill]Critical Defenses[/skill] though.

I don't like [skill]Death's Charge[/skill]. There are better shadowsteps, like the [skill]Shadow walk[/skill]/[skill]Dash[/skill] combo (I love [skill]Aura of Displacement[/skill] ), but shadowsteps aren't necessary in PvE. A speed boost, like Dash, is all you need.

Also, Critical Agility will help a lot. An IAS is almost necessary for an assassin.

Your attack combo looks good. However, I'd switch the dual attack for [skill]Death Blossom[/skill]. You have a Lead and Off-hand attack that both recharge quickly, so you will be able to apply a good amount of pressure with that. Zealous Daggers help with e-management.

btw, what runes and insignias do you have?

Coloneh

Coloneh

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Nov 2006

D/W

noooo. they be stealin muh avatar......




flashing blades => critical defenses
nine tail => shattering assualt
death's charge => critical agility

Biostem

Biostem

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Oct 2007

I don't find a need for a large investment in shadow arts. I prefer a higher ranking in dagger mastery, followed by critical strikes.

I usually do something like:

Dagger Mastery 12 + 2 + 1 = 15
Critical Strikes 12 + 1 = 13
Shadow Arts 3 + 1 = 4

PvE Build:

[skill]golden fox strike[/skill][skill]golden lotus strike[/skill][skill]wild strike[/skill][skill]death blossom[/skill][skill]moebius strike[/skill][skill]Critical Agility[/skill][skill]critical defenses[/skill][skill]shadow refuge[/skill]

If you want to increase the duration of [skill]critical defenses[/skill] you can take a skill like [skill]critical eye[/skill]

I'm not a big PvP-er, but in that case you'll want more conditions, a shadow step of some sort, and possibly a way of stripping enchantments from foes, removing conditions from yourself, etc...

ajmorgan25

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2006

Koss Stole My [WIFE]

*awaits Yanman's criticism*

IMO though, ditch Shadow Arts, I'm not a fan at all. If the build is for PvE, ditch shadow-stepping as well.

Im Grim

Im Grim

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Jan 2008

Skara, Sweden

Murphus Stout

P/W

I want to get to the Dual Attacks as fast as possible so I've cut out the Lead attack entirely in the damage combo and use Golden Phoenix Strike instead since it only requires that you have an enchantment on you and a Dual Attack may follow immediatly after. My Dual Attack of choice is Critical Stike since it guarantees a critical hit, does decent damage and also grants a little energy as well. Death Blossom is also a good Dual Attack and alternating this with Critical Strike make the combo work that much faster. Moebius Strike have the advantage to recharge all your other attack skills instantly if you hit a foe that has less than 50% health, and also have a very short recharge time so that it is possible to spam the entire attack combo (from Off-hand to Dual Attack) as fast as possible and since it counts as an off-hand attack, again a Dual Attack can follow directly after it. That makes Golden Phoenix Strike only necessary to start the combo then Moebius Strike is used instead.

If I need to switch to interruting and shutdown, I use Disrupting Stab as Lead Attack. This skill also has the advantage of disabling spells for about ten seconds. Exhausting Assault can follow after it, even though it is a Dual Attack its requirement is that it must follow a Lead Attack so it shortens the combo. Moebius Strike remains even in this setup since a Dual Attack can follow directly after it.
The Exhaustion caused by Exhausting Assault can quickly overwhelm an enemy denying them energy.

Couple any of the two setups above with Critical Defenses, Mark of Instability, Critical Agility and any Shadow step skill such as Death's Charge, and you have a good combo.

If you are going to use a resurrection signet then skip Mark of Instability. And if blocking are a serious problem exchange Critical Strike for the warrior skill Wild Blow.

If you do use Mark of Instability, and energy is a problem, it might be worthwhile to use Falling Lotus Strike since it counts as an Off-hand attack but has the requirement to hit a knocked-down foe. It deals good damage and grants a decent amount of energy as well.

As for the Attributes:
Dagger Mastery: 12+2+1
Critical Strike: 12+1
Shadow Arts: 3

And preferably the daggers should be zealous.


For damage:
[skill]Golden Phoenix Strike[/skill][skill]Death Blossom[/skill][skill]Moebius Strike[/skill][skill]Critical Defenses[/skill][skill]Critical Agility[/skill]

For Interrupts and shutdown:
[skill]Disrupting Stab[/skill][skill]Exhausting Assault[/skill][skill]Moebius Strike[/skill][skill]Critical Defenses[/skill][skill]Critical Agility[/skill]

and
[skill]Critical Strike[/skill] or [skill]Wild Blow[/skill] or [skill]Falling Lotus Strike[/skill]
[skill]Death's Charge[/skill] or any other Shadow Step skill
[skill]Mark of Instability[/skill] or [skill]Sunspear Rebirth Signet[/skill] or [skill]Resurrection Signet[/skill]

Davion

Davion

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Feb 2005

wherever the winds take me

R/Mo

Your build runs pretty decent as is....I am purely a pve player and been tweaking/tinkering with my own sins since factions released.

dagger 10 (+1 +2) 13

shadow 10 (+1) 11

Critical 11 (+2) 13


I do run a similar build utilizing flashing blades as its elite. but i run a sin more for her ability to utility strike/spike and shun the use of excessive enchants/shadow steps. If it serves you well enough run with it and alter it a little bit as go to perfect it to your own tastes. I find that most people have a tendency to forget that later-game foes tend to be resplendant with an over abundance of enchant strippers/cripplers. More so than the obligatory stance stripper. In which case....the assassin suddenly in the mob's face tends to get shorn of those precious enchants by the rest of the mob around them. Especially being that AI identifies firstly upon opportunity targets..then to priority and obligatory types.

I do run a couple enchants but only as boosters and i've never seen a need for myself to require using any energy retrieval attacks (ie gain xx energy for hitting). Granted you need access to Eotn for the shadow step i use, but i've found i only ever needed 'ebon escape' as it lets me step to the member in need and spot heal them as i take focus off of them or lets me escape an entrapment. Beyond that i rarely use it but retain it for its bonus utility.

skill set i do use..

jagged strike..wild strike..exhaust...blossom...flash blades..shadow refuge.. critical agility...ebon escape (replaced death retreat used previous to eotn)

I've completed all chapters using that single build. It's not super..it's not lax...it's stable and reliable and gives me the ability to easily adjust my focus to whatever situation i am faced with without denying me the ability to quick spike my opponents. And because it's mostly focused on brute force with a blocking stance it tends to get ignored at high levels as priority target because it isn't running enchant heavy or excessively stepping to draw attention to it.

I do run many other off canter builds but always come back to that as a base form due to its durability and all around usage. Hope that helps.

PS- i do tank rather well with this build as the only melee char in the party.

Bowstring Badass

Bowstring Badass

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2005

Character selection screen figuring what I want to play...

Purple Lingerie - :D

Quote:
Originally Posted by ajmorgan25
*awaits Yanman's criticism*
Why? So he can confuse the poor guy? lol


Switch Nine Tail Strike to Shattering Assault, Critical Eye to Critical Agility, and Death's Charge to Shadow Refuge and drop shadow to 7 and add those point to dagger and critical.