How are Assassins?

joncoish

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2006

Hi all, my apologies if this has been talked about a lot before, but I've read some things about this but it's all seemed to be older information.

I'm just curious how assassins fair in the game now. I have a level 20 assassin, who has finished the factions campaign and is equipped with what I think is the best gear for PVE at least, but I haven't played him in a couple years now probably and I'm wondering how the class is. Can you farm very well with assassins? How do they do in the general game, with henchman and heroes? How do they fair in pvp?

I'm curious because I've decided to come back to the game and try to finish each campaign that I never did finish before. I started a warrior, but don't really like the playstyle. Assassin has always been my favorite character, but when I play him before there didn't seem to be any real farming builds for him.

reaper with no name

reaper with no name

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Apr 2009

FaZ

D/

Can you farm with sins?

Excuse me for a moment.

*leaves*

*massive laughter is heard, with much accidental destruction*

*returns*

Ok, now that I got that out of my system, I'll admit that I've never played a sin, but they are without a doubt the best at farming. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that they are the ONLY profession capable of farming. You can play around with monks and whatnot, but that's like putting a seed in the ground and doing nothing with it and calling it farming. That's how much better the sin is at farming than everything else.

How do you do it? Two words: Shadow Form. With the right build it's infinitely maintainable near-invulnerability. In other words, god mode. Run a search on PvX, and once you get the hang of the build, you will never be challenged by anything in PvE again (well, okay, there are a couple areas it doesn't work so well in, but presumably in standard PvE you would have a party to save your butt, so it's still the best PvE build in existence bar none).

All I know about them in PvP is that they do a LOT of damage. Which, in a defensive meta like this one, makes them very, very useful.

anders_O

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2009

Norway

Eight reasons you [Lost]

W/E

Hi there : )

1. Assassins are great farmers (probably the best atm)
2. They do more than fine in general gameplay, check www.pvx.wikia.com for builds and such.
3. Sins are useful in most types of pvp, but warriors are generally prefered over the sin in GvG.
4. If assassin have always been your favourite character there isn't really any point in changing. They do great in most types of gameplay, and are even the best tanks for speedclears in different elite areas.

I'd say stick with your sin as long as your having fun with him/her. Any class are useful in pve, and most are in pvp too.

Good luck with your sin mate =)

ZodiacFear

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2008

Rt/

Assassins are used as tanks and terras in all elite areas (FoW, UW, DoA, Urgoz, Deep). They are the only ones who can maintain Shadow Form without using a lot of consumables like Candy Corn and Golden Eggs.

They're also very useful in regular PvE where stuff like Critscythe and MS/DB rapes.

Stealth Bomberman

Stealth Bomberman

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Oct 2008

How are they?

1. warrior wins with consistent damage
2. gimmick builds = no skill
3. best time ive had with em was pve
4. have their place in low end pvp such as RA and AB (always fun.....)

fun melee class all round, but looking at it in a pvp perspective, warrior wins.

pve they iight, but ive seen better choices.

karimoftos

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2007

Red Star Operatives

W/R

When i read your thread i must admit i laughed for quite a long time....

Sins = the most essential PvE character in the game at the moment. And on top of that they are reasonably useful in PvP.

I can tell u that 99% of high end PvE players will have an assassin character which they use regularly for... well almost everything involving elite PvE.

street peddler

street peddler

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2007

shadow form is the only reason nobody complains about them being useless in PvE. PvP, see above.

Bobby2

Bobby2

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2007

Delayed in order to meet ANet's high standards

[MaSS]

W/E

Loads of fun to play in AB and RA. PvE wise, can choose to deal either massive damage (DB spam), or be a practically immortal tank (SF).

joncoish

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2006

Wow this is amazing to hear. I have read some things about shadow form, but I also thought it had been nerfed, hence why I figured I'd ask.

_Nihilist_

_Nihilist_

Will Bull's Strike for $!

Join Date: Apr 2006

Isle of the Dead

It has been nerfed... and buffed... and nerfed... and buffed... and nerfed again.

BUT

Shadow Form + Glyph of Swiftness + Deadly Paradox + 20% enchant mod means that you can still keep Shadow Form up indefinitely, barring lag or a misclick during your chain.

That being said, Perma-Shadow Form Assassins pretty much rule Farming these days. Moebius Strike + Death Blossom Assassins deal massive AoE damage. Locust's Fury Assassins (with a Warrior Secondary) can maintain "Save Yourselves!" on their party and output massive single-target damage.

Assassins are definitely fun to play, can farm better than any profession, and in PvP they can be a blast to play, and insta-gib pretty much any squishy they come across.

Have fun with your 'Sin!

Jaigoda

Jaigoda

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Oct 2007

IGN Eat Scythes

I lol at all the people who used to say that 'Sins could never be tanks. As people have said, SF is the ultimate tanking skill, and if it won't work in a certain area, chances are none will.

Also, in my opinion, Assassins are the most useful of the physical classes, besides maybe Imbagon (though Locust's Fury comes close to that, and Paras can't really do anything else anyway). They pump out massive AoE DPS with MS>DB, and can run an infinite amount of powerful spikes with AP. Plus, there's tons of wierd Crit builds for each weapon. Honestly, Assassins are some of the most versatile professions, playing more roles (and often several at once) than any other physical class.

Cuilan

Cuilan

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2008

Me/

There was a time when I used my assassin enough that I was actually far less likely to die than most other tanks. Sure I don't stay in as long, but what good are you if you're dead? I'm looking at you, warriors.