Guild Wars Guru

Oh heck. Assassins. (Mesmer thread.)

5 pages • Page 3
Francis Demeules
Francis Demeules
Desert Nomad
• #41
Rigor Mortis can be useful. I found these skills not long ago.

Expose Defenses
Description: For 3-9 seconds, target foe cannot "block" or "evade" your attacks.
Energy Cost: 10
Activation Time: 1 Second.
Recharge Time: 10 Seconds.
Linked Attribute: Deadly Arts. Increases duration.
Skill Type: Hex Spell.

Maybe the duration is short, but this one gives him enough time to kill someone in distortion.

Mark of Instability
Description: For 20 seconds, the next time you hit target foe with a dual attack skill, that foe is knocked down.
Energy Cost: 10
Activation Time: 1/4th of a Second.
Recharge Time: 20 Seconds.
Linked Attribute: Deadly Arts. Effect Unknown.
Skill Type: Hex Spell.

Good anti-casters I can say (same for warriors too).

Shroud of Silence
Description: All of your spells are disabled for 15 seconds. For 3-9 seconds, target touched foe cannot cast spells. This is an elite skill.
Energy Cost: 10
Activation Time: 3/4ths of a Second.
Recharge Time: 30 Seconds.
Linked Attribute: Deadly Arts. Increases duration.
Skill Type: Hex Spell.

A Blackout for assassins but less effective than mesmer. Again, good against casters

A Fox Assassins (thats how I call them), can be a problem. All skills about Fox Fangs, Way of the Fox and Nine tail Strike, have the capacity to make the attacks cannot be blocked or evaded.
SnipiousMax
SnipiousMax
Perfectly Elocuted
• #42
Quote: Originally Posted by Francis Demeules

Shroud of Silence
Description: All of your spells are disabled for 15 seconds. For 3-9 seconds, target touched foe cannot cast spells. This is an elite skill.
Energy Cost: 10
Activation Time: 3/4ths of a Second.
Recharge Time: 30 Seconds.
Linked Attribute: Deadly Arts. Increases duration.
Skill Type: Hex Spell.

A Blackout for assassins but less effective than mesmer. Again, good against casters

A Fox Assassins (thats how I call them), can be a problem. All skills about Fox Fangs, Way of the Fox and Nine tail Strike, have the capacity to make the attacks cannot be blocked or evaded. Nine Tail Strike = Naruto refrence? (I feel like a nerd)

Shroud of Silence could be a problem...But surely there is a signet that would be handy here....?
twicky_kid
twicky_kid
Furnace Stoker
• #43
Anything that works on wars will work on a zin.
LightningHell
LightningHell
(????????????)???
• #44
And why don't people kite?
Avarre
Avarre
Bubblegum Patrol
• #45
Because assassins at first glance look about as dangerous as a whirling teddybear.
LaserLight
LaserLight
Wilds Pathfinder
• #46
Hm hm...couple views from the other side of the spectrum. Just because I feel like it

As has been stated, Wild Blow will be popular in Caster-slaying Sin builds, and in Sin builds altogether. Gets rid of defensive stances and guarantees a Critical, which leeches back energy. Heck, the thing works better on Assassins than it does Warriors.

Also, realize that Assassins have been available for a grand total of six days. People have next to no clue how to run them yet. And even with that, there are possibilities already pulling together. For instance, teleporting in and starting your combo with Disrupting Stab will negate whatever the Mesmer I'm trying to kill is using to defend himself. If necessary, Wild Blow, if not, Temple Strike, then Twisting Fangs, then bug out and let my handy dandy Ranger buddy finish off what's left.

One of my best friends plays a nasty Mesmer, and he used a great many of the counters listed in this thread and defeated not only single Assassins, but entire groups of Warriors in the FPE 12v12 fights. I've been working on methods of countering his tactics ever since, and you wouldn't believe how many cool tricks Assassins have for doing so...
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Arcanis the Omnipotent
Jungle Guide
• #47
Quote: Originally Posted by LaserLight
One of my best friends plays a nasty Mesmer, and he used a great many of the counters listed in this thread and defeated not only single Assassins, but entire groups of Warriors in the FPE 12v12 fights. I've been working on methods of countering his tactics ever since, and you wouldn't believe how many cool tricks Assassins have for doing so... For everyone paying attention, that'd be me.
LightningHell
LightningHell
(????????????)???
• #48
I'm going to hide.

But yeah, groups of warriors randomly placed together are no garauntee of death. More like garauntee of faction :S
Avarre
Avarre
Bubblegum Patrol
• #49
Quote: Originally Posted by Arcanis the Omnipotent
For everyone paying attention, that'd be me. Ego buff go!

I rarely take on packs of melee'rs (1 at most, usually) becase I prefer to... bravely run away. As I've mentioned, all my tactics for killing assassins are mainly with my anticaster build, although considering their damage output, I've often been able to kill them with 20 damage overloads (those are the premade newbies, though).
LightningHell
LightningHell
(????????????)???
• #50
Quote: Originally Posted by Avarre
I've often been able to kill them with 20 damage overloads (those are the premade newbies, though). I don't see anything else other than newbies in Random matches. So, your point is justified.
Francis Demeules
Francis Demeules
Desert Nomad
• #51
Quote: Originally Posted by SnipiousMax
Shroud of Silence could be a problem...But surely there is a signet that would be handy here....? Don't forget Shroud of Silence is only for SPELLS.

If you get hit by this skills..... Distortion with Blackout almost at the same time and you have rid a problem for a moment.
A Leprechaun
A Leprechaun
Desert Nomad
• #52
Blackout!!!
Ietwat
Ietwat
Academy Page
• #53
Yes but still when a mesmer shut him down hes useless, due to energy denial or evasion. So a mesmer will have no problem with taking on a assassin. And if u get dazed or other conditions that might hurt be sure to let the monk bring condition removal.

in RA tis isnt a option so u could become monk secondary prof. and take some hex + condition removal. This will full up ure skillbar but its better then taking along only distortion.
Francis Demeules
Francis Demeules
Desert Nomad
• #54
Quote: Originally Posted by Ietwat
Yes but still when a mesmer shut him down hes useless, due to energy denial or evasion. So a mesmer will have no problem with taking on a assassin. And if u get dazed or other conditions that might hurt be sure to let the monk bring condition removal.

in RA tis isnt a option so u could become monk secondary prof. and take some hex + condition removal. This will full up ure skillbar but its better then taking along only distortion. Or plague touch If you're Me/N
What if...
What if...
Frost Gate Guardian
• #55
I'm convinced most mesmers carrying any form of anti-melee hexes will have no problem shutting down one assassin, that may be because 90% of the assassin builds we saw were premades which are typically bad to begin with, but as players began to use the many availiable accuracy improvement skills this situation will quickly change. Even then it will be easy to disable a single assassin with an empathy, spirit shackles, or ineptitude, those solutions will probably never dissapear; the problem appears when you're dealing with groups of 3 or more. Distortion will only block so much, and is at best annoying defense instead of an offensive counter. Recharge on the above skills is such that you can't place a copy of each on an aggressor, and it's silly to carry all three. Furthermore when you're actively dealing with them, chances are, you're not dealing with only one else.
Francis Demeules
Francis Demeules
Desert Nomad
• #56
Quote: Originally Posted by What if...
I'm convinced most mesmers carrying any form of anti-melee hexes will have no problem shutting down one assassin, that may be because 90% of the assassin builds we saw were premades which are typically bad to begin with, but as players began to use the many availiable accuracy improvement skills this situation will quickly change. Even then it will be easy to disable a single assassin with an empathy, spirit shackles, or ineptitude, those solutions will probably never dissapear; the problem appears when you're dealing with groups of 3 or more. Distortion will only block so much, and is at best annoying defense instead of an offensive counter. Recharge on the above skills is such that you can't place a copy of each on an aggressor, and it's silly to carry all three. Furthermore when you're actively dealing with them, chances are, you're not dealing with only one else. Of course they do Hexes (Shatter/Inspired/Drain Hex, Interrupt, Shame)
Of course they do Melee (Empathy, Spirit shackle, Mind Wrack, Signet of Midnight+Plague touche/Epidemic, Clumsiness+Ineptitude, Distortion and Interrupt)
Of course they do Enchantments (Shatter/Inspired/Drain enchantment Interrupts, Guilt)
Of course they have Energy (E-Denial)

Mix some skills and you have an anti-assassins
What if...
What if...
Frost Gate Guardian
• #57
Quote: Originally Posted by Francis Demeules
Of course they do Hexes (Shatter/Inspired/Drain Hex, Interrupt, Shame)
Of course they do Melee (Empathy, Spirit shackle, Mind Wrack, Signet of Midnight+Plague touche/Epidemic, Clumsiness+Ineptitude, Distortion and Interrupt)
Of course they do Enchantments (Shatter/Inspired/Drain enchantment Interrupts, Guilt)
Of course they have Energy (E-Denial)

Mix some skills and you have an anti-assassins The distinction I made in my last post was dealing with three or more assassins as opposed to just one assassin. Unless a build is made with solely assassin/warrior torture in mind I'm doubtful it can carry any more than one of the above skills to counter melee classes. SoM might shut down multiple melee threats but, it causes a condition which is easily removed or even ignored by assassins using accuracy buffs, and its also an elite. Recharge keeps stellar skills like Ineptitude and Empathy from being placed on threats before they can attack. Outside of Distortion and kiting I see no lasting, reliable escape from melee pressure; and Distortion's cost practically requires the user to somewhat specialize in illusion magic just to make the cost bearable not to mention is ignored by enchantments like "Way of the Fox" and similar accuracy buffs.
LightningHell
LightningHell
(????????????)???
• #58
If you're left alone with 3+ Assassins, KITEKITEKITE into your group. With Distortion.
Francis Demeules
Francis Demeules
Desert Nomad
• #59
Quote: Originally Posted by LightningHell
If you're left alone with 3+ Assassins, KITEKITEKITE into your group. With Distortion. lol as always.
Dragannia
Dragannia
Krytan Explorer
• #60
Oh sure there is. Signet of Midnight + Epidemic (as crap as this skill is, when they're close a single Epidemic can hit all of them), then kill each of them slowly with Empathy and other skills like Price of Failure, Clumisiness. Sure, if they don't attack nothing happens, but then they're not attacking and it's problem solved.