Basic Guide to playing Assassins

Quote: Originally Posted by Super Igor You said it has a surprising factor, and got my reply about you being wrong that this factor is needed in PvE, it is not, mobs are AI not people, and PvE is not competitive No its not. I said that having shadowsteps in PvE can be advantageous for aggro management, such as using Augury and another like Recall or Return to get out. Or my favorite ss, Shadow Fang

Quote: oH GOSH, you have just said that jumping into the fray and bringing aggro on yourself as an Assassin is a good thing, this argument is so bad...so bad....that it made be laugh out loud! Igor, have you even PLAYED the game? As an Assassin, most builds require you to get within melee range, the whole "melee caster" thing. What skills like AoD allow you to do is stay out until it is advantageous to be in melee, such as your target being under 50% health with a Deep Wound and ready to be spiked.

Quote: When you face mobs such as afflicted elementalists, you should stay the hell away from their damage and kill the things as fast as possible and not rape the energy of you poor healers on saving your poor ass. Again, AoD allows you to do this, once a warrior or hero/hench has aggro, you AoD the target, then once it gets below 50%, you teleport to it, inflicting a DW, and allowing you to usually finish it off with a chain. That's why AoD's condition is under 50% health, its designed to allow you to spike, and when combined with AP, give you most of your energy back. Besides, what DA sin is not packing interrupts/KD to keep you from even being hurt once you ss to the target?

Quote: Your PvP argument I didnt even understand, it doesnt make sence.....at all..... Its very simple, try using FH! in Random Arenas. The point is not to depend on a skill which can only be used in one part of the game.

Quote: Originally Posted by Kaleban No its not. I said that having shadowsteps in PvE can be advantageous for aggro management, such as using Augury and another like Recall or Return to get out. Or my favorite ss, Shadow Fang So for [Recall] you really want to shutdown your bar for 10 seconds after you jump out? I'm going to assume a competent monk can get you back to full health in under 5 seconds, so you'll have 5 seconds of doing nothing.

[Return] is a good escape, but I really dont' see it fitting on an already crowded AP bar, and possibly an assassacaster(assuming your go DA heavy).

The best shadowstep that is good for aggro management is [Aura of Displacement]. Why? Because if you do get aggro, you can jump out of the fight safely and reliably all in 1 skill slot.

The other good aggro management shadowstep combo is [shadow walk] with [dash].

Quote: Originally Posted by Kaleban No its not. I said that having shadowsteps in PvE can be advantageous for aggro management, such as using Augury and another like Recall or Return to get out. Or my favorite ss, Shadow Fang As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......Shall I say it again?.......As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......And one more time if you are stupid..........As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......And one more for luck..........As an Assassin you dont manage aggro.......Clear?!

You have 70AL....You have no unstripable bonuses....you dont have a Shield equipped all the time....you are just not fit for managing aggro, just not, your best defense is you offense, huge offense you can pack, the ability to kill things at probably fastest rates in game, so as an Assassin, get you minion wall and/or higher AL character to manage aggro for you while you kill stuff. Please!......Please dont try to convince me that [critical agility] makes you a tank...it doesnt...it is an ecnhie, that can be stripped and will be stripped...it does help...it increases you surviveablity and dps...but it doesnt make you a tank.

You Kaleban...in my oppinion dont know a thing about Assassins...and probably not much...not much at all about the game in general. Shadow stepping into the mob brings it on yourself....all aggro on yourself...a Warrior can allow itself to do that with its high armor like they do all the time in the Deep for example but not an Assassin....because chances are....when you do this move safely or your backline, aka, overextending slightly to allow the aggro to settle on you before the healers can assist you...you would die...before they get to you...or atlest would be damaged quite a lot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaleban Igor, have you even PLAYED the game? As an Assassin, most builds require you to get within melee range, the whole "melee caster" thing. What skills like AoD allow you to do is stay out until it is advantageous to be in melee, such as your target being under 50% health with a Deep Wound and ready to be spiked. Yes, I did and do play the game...and as far as I can see, know quite more then you do about it, especially the Assassin class which ou Kaleban...never played or not fit to play. Anyway! GtG, cant comment on the rest of the bad...and funny stuff Kaleban had written there. Tough...............+1 @Petrorabbit, as he has stated the exact thing I was talking about and was leading to, again.

Quote: Originally Posted by Super Igor

First thanks to RavagerofDreams for the credits of articles used. Secondly here is another use of Assassins Promise in PvE that also compliments the use of Shadow Sanctuary at a high rank and Deadly Haste (somewhat underused skills in general), primarily used to spike down important targets within a mob.

[build prof=Assassin/any Deadly=12+1+1 Critical=12+1][Deadly Haste][Dancing Daggers][Entangling Asp][Augury of Death][Signet of Toxic Shock][Assassins Promise][Shadow Sanctuary][Resurrection Signet][/build]

Feel free to use within your guide however you see fit, oh and critical wanding ftw!

Quote: Originally Posted by petrorabbit

added Unreals da build cuz we didnt have a example yet.

Also i think people misunderstood me when i said sins can "tank". Tanking for me isn't holding all the aggro on yourself (in fact i think thats bad in general) im merely saying you can be a little bolder then normal due to the fact you have a raised AL. This of course doesn't mean you shouldn't send your henchies/minions in first as of course its the smart thing to do

also your very welcome about the credits. you all contributed so i thought u deserved some love

Quote: Originally Posted by Kaleban

Quote: Originally Posted by Unreal Havoc

Quote: Originally Posted by Bobby2

^agreed

/12

Can also use it in conjunction with Plague Touch.

@RavagerofDreams:

The PvE DA chain I provided should actually be this as it provides better results:

[build prof=Assassin/any Deadly=12+1+1 Critical=12+1][Deadly Haste][Dancing Daggers][Entangling Asp][Signet of Toxic Shock][Finish Him][Assassins Promise][Shadow Sanctuary][Resurrection Signet][/build]

Quote: Originally Posted by petrorabbit So for [Recall] you really want to shutdown your bar for 10 seconds after you jump out? I'm going to assume a competent monk can get you back to full health in under 5 seconds, so you'll have 5 seconds of doing nothing.

[Return] is a good escape, but I really dont' see it fitting on an already crowded AP bar, and possibly an assassacaster(assuming your go DA heavy). Just examples of what can be used in conjunction with AoD for aggro management and placement.

Quote: The best shadowstep that is good for aggro management is [Aura of Displacement]. Why? Because if you do get aggro, you can jump out of the fight safely and reliably all in 1 skill slot.

The other good aggro management shadowstep combo is [shadow walk] with [dash]. I wouldn't take [skill]Aura of Displacement[/skill] on an assacaster since it doesn't allow for other, better elites. For PvE, there's Promise, and for PvP stuff like Beguiling Haze. I do like the SW/Dash combo though.

Quote: If your waiting till the target is at 50%, your not being anything usefull to the group. Here's where you're wrong I think. If, as an assacaster, you know that once a target reaches 50%, your chain will kill them and then recharge through AP, this then allows you to simply pop to each enemy as the group wears them down and destroy them. The assassin is made for single target damage, and this sort of "popcorn" technique is quite beneficial when you consider the amount of damage you'll be pumping out. Besides, in PvE, targets generally don't get killed one at a time, considering minion walls and skills like [skill]Spiteful Spirit[/skill] that spread damage around. So once several targets get low, you pop your chain on them in rapid succession, and start blowing things up!

Quote: Originally Posted by Kaleban Just examples of what can be used in conjunction with AoD for aggro management and placement. But it doesn't change that fact that [Finish Him] > AoDeath + escape step. Why? Because for your AoDeath to be safely used, you need to bring another skill. Sorry, but that isn't very efficient in use of your assassin bar.



Quote: I wouldn't take [skill]Aura of Displacement[/skill] on an assacaster since it doesn't allow for other, better elites. For PvE, there's Promise, and for PvP stuff like Beguiling Haze. I do like the SW/Dash combo though. I was pointing out that there are much better options for you to SS in and SS out other than your terrible [Augury of Death] + [Recall] combo.



Quote: Here's where you're wrong I think. If, as an assacaster, you know that once a target reaches 50%, your chain will kill them and then recharge through AP, this then allows you to simply pop to each enemy as the group wears them down and destroy them. The assassin is made for single target damage, and this sort of "popcorn" technique is quite beneficial when you consider the amount of damage you'll be pumping out. Besides, in PvE, targets generally don't get killed one at a time, considering minion walls and skills like [skill]Spiteful Spirit[/skill] that spread damage around. So once several targets get low, you pop your chain on them in rapid succession, and start blowing things up! You think? Are you sure i'm wrong about that? Because you hexing a target and doing nothing till its at 50% means your group is doing all the work until your usefull. Hence you're being useless. And if you are running to different targets and auto attacking them till AoDeath triggers, you're not being very efficient with your time in combat. You're not using you're damaging skills to help the group until a target is basically half-dead, hence being useless.

Quote: Originally Posted by petrorabbit But it doesn't change that fact that [Finish Him] > AoDeath + escape step. Why? Because for your AoDeath to be safely used, you need to bring another skill. Sorry, but that isn't very efficient in use of your assassin bar.

I was pointing out that there are much better options for you to SS in and SS out other than your terrible [Augury of Death] + [Recall] combo.

You think? Are you sure i'm wrong about that? Because you hexing a target and doing nothing till its at 50% means your group is doing all the work until your usefull. Hence you're being useless. And if you are running to different targets and auto attacking them till AoDeath triggers, you're not being very efficient with your time in combat. You're not using you're damaging skills to help the group until a target is basically half-dead, hence being useless.

Yes, when i play and assassacaster, i use a staff. I try to be useful to my group by using damage skills like [Dancing Daggers][Entangling Asp][Signet of Toxic Shock] when the target is nice and healthy, and [Finish Him] when its half dead. I don't just cast [Augury of Death] and tickle the other mobs till my hexed target is half dead from the work of other party members. I understand the difference in tactics between both builds, but i strive to be efficient for the party.
When I play Assacaster I use a caster weapon set.

Here's the simplified version of reasons why to use Finish Him over AoD on an Assacaster bar in PvE.

1: It doesn't teleport you into a mob!
2: It doesn't interrupt your skills when triggered.
3: It isn't half ranged.
4: It is instant.

Kaleban, this is not just directed at you but everyone who reads this forum.

If you can't have a civil debate/argument/discussion without having to resort to personal insults, dont' bother posting. Not only will you come across as immature, you will make yourself look like the insults you are directing.

Quote: Originally Posted by Unreal Havoc When I play Assacaster I use a caster weapon set.

Here's the simplified version of reasons why to use Finish Him over AoD on an Assacaster bar in PvE.

1: It doesn't teleport you into a mob!
2: It doesn't interrupt your skills when triggered.
3: It isn't half ranged.
4: It is instant. exactly.

Quote: Originally Posted by petrorabbit

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*Back on topic*

If I am not mistaken, the guide doesnnt have a basic Crit Barrage bar in it, so here what it should look like in my oppinion:

[build prof=A/R crit=12+1+1 marks=12][barrage][distracting shot][favorable winds][ebon battle standard of honor][critical agility][way of the master][critical eye][sunspear rebirth signet] or [savage shot][/build]

basically you play it as usual, but you have the aweasome ward to buff yours and your team's ranged damage.

Quote: Originally Posted by Super Igor

added havocs barrager build as its more general. If your going to make build templates for me to add please keep them general with only the necessary skills to run the build.

also had the flaming removed if it starts up again ill just have it removed again