A/Mo - Here is the build that lets you rush in like a tank and live to tell about it

Hmn been a while I post..

Kijik you're not adding ANYTHING to the thread, you're complaining which only takes of more space on this thread. Remember if you keep posting in here the thread will live longer...

About this issue I finally just got Factions but I could understand what the OP is coming from.

I've done the pre-test-plays before factions came out as well as played Guildwars long enough. I find that if you can make a build better then go for it. Why is everyone constantly putting it down when it has been tested and proven to work? Why disprove something that has already been proven to work? If you disbelieve so much then try it yourself...

Yeah Assassins are meant to get in and then out with a good damage output but why not tank? Well here's the debate:

Warriors can do it without any issues but lose their dmg output too... why? So the backline can put their damage output into the enemies and survive.
But wait... it's not JUST WAR/MO I've seen Eles do tanking, rangers, and actually mesmers. Why? Because it could prove useful and not everyone has to rely on a war all the time for a group. So if another build can tank then why not.. I don't complain when I see an ele tank even though I know they can do good dmg output cause we don't have a war in our group that does tanking. And if they need an extra tank for whatever reason then that's one less character for the monk to heal.

So lay off on what an assassin HAS to do... Warriors don't have to tank but everyone thinks that cause they depend on it so much, boring to me.

For me my warrior is not tanking nor would I like to tank. That's not me.. But being a dmg output war is fine with me. And for the op and others who would like to try something different then let them. We don't need everyone flipping out on a monthly free game.

YET --- I also wonder WHY tank at all regardless the build and profession... anyway I still wouldn't let an assassin just go "Yarg!" and jump in to tank. Do what you want, have fun, it's a game. But I'm going for a dmg dealer if we already have a tank in our group. If we have no choice or anyone to help tank then the sintank can come... I love you XD

This is so very true, people get caught in their little worlds and the second it starts changing they're the first to cry "N00b". It wouldn't bother me so much that people prefer Assassins NTO to tank if they weren't so smug about it and calling every one that tries a noob. I swear, I can tank fairly well on my build and yet, even when I'm actually doing good at it, someone in the party will get upset.

It's all just slander. And, in the interest of not spamming, my comment on the build is I'm going to try it. My goal isn't to "Tank" per se so much as it is to be dealing constant damage to the enemy, which constant teleports do not allow.

Just as a side note:

I took my assassin through the Abaddons Mouth mission with a random PUG. That group had a couple tanks, a couple monks, some casters, and me.

During the mission, I was using this build on the front lines with the 2 warriors. Throughout the course of the mission, both warriors died more than once. I did not die once during the mission. At the end of the mission, I was praised by the monks for not being an energy drain on them, and for doing so well in the mission as an assassin.

Abaddons Mouth isnt exactly one of the "noob areas" that you claim my build will only work in...


Seems like there are way more nay-sayers in this thread than there are people open-minded enough to try the build.
To those of you who are trying it: Thank you.
To those of you who are not trying it, but instead whining about it: Thanks for keeping the thread bumped. I for one can vouche for him!! He was in my guild at the time of Factions release, I believe he was one of the first of the new classes in the desert and ascended. And about a week later... Fire Island Missions. And he is one of the few assassins that i've played with that played assassin very well and not just another corpse for the MM.

Just as a side note:

I took my assassin through the Abaddons Mouth mission with a random PUG. That group had a couple tanks, a couple monks, some casters, and me.

During the mission, I was using this build on the front lines with the 2 warriors. Throughout the course of the mission, both warriors died more than once. I did not die once during the mission. At the end of the mission, I was praised by the monks for not being an energy drain on them, and for doing so well in the mission as an assassin.

Abaddons Mouth isnt exactly one of the "noob areas" that you claim my build will only work in...


Seems like there are way more nay-sayers in this thread than there are people open-minded enough to try the build.
To those of you who are trying it: Thank you.
To those of you who are not trying it, but instead whining about it: Thanks for keeping the thread bumped. personally i did not doubt your ability to play an assassin...

and frankly, i would be very interested in hearing your tactics in playing assassin...

if you move all the time to mitigate damage, then you are not being good tank at all, even if you didn't die once... because with out those warr's the enemy would head straight for the softies in the back rank, and i just fail to see what an assassin can contribute to a tank a warrior can't...

that being said, you didn't die once, congratulations, you are probably a good assassin, you know how to play your build well...

edit: fyi, see posts before, i also have thought about changing my sec to mo and prot spirit my build... assassin has such a short energy pool that's not funny, 4 pip en regen is like nothing after you unleased a combo, and it's hard to keep prot spirit up all the time... esp in cantha where mobs are very balanced (1 me and 1 necro to stripe your enchts)

just go A/D with crit defenses / vital boon / mystic regen with 8 earth prayers adn as much crit strikes as possible this means +9 hp regen with 72 max hp, 142 healing every 20 seconds and a 75% chance to block attacks. it may not survive all the time but it works for long enough
P.S. with monk enchantments on a hero or pc u can be almost invincible until the enchant strippers come along QFT! My previous build that got me to Gyala Hatchery with very few problems:

Dagger Mastery 12 + 1 + 3
Crit Strikes 10 + 1
Earth Prayers 8

Way of the Assassin (elite)
Vital Boon
Mystic Regen
Crit Defenses
Golden Fox Strike
Fox Fangs
Nine Tail Strike
Res Signet

This would give me somewhere around 54% chance of a critical, a 75% chance to block attacks and +9 health regen plus something like +72 max life. I gave myself some Runes of attunement so that in battle, I had just enough energy to spam my unblockable attacks and recast enchantments as necessary. I very rarely died. I did most of the missions with just heroes and henchies up until Gyala. This build works especially well with a Protect Hero like Tahlkora. Mystic Regen + Shield of Regen = an immediate +13 health regen. Clearly there were cons to the build. I didn't deal as much damage as I would've liked (although it was all unblockable damage), mesmers had the potential to do damage, although a quick recast of MR and I'm back in business, and if I missed with my lead attack, I'd have to wait 8 seconds to try again. Bringing a MM hero solved a lot of problems, too, I'll admit.

I didn't change my build because it was ineffective. I actually changed because I wanted to try something new, something that could deal more damage quicker.

I love it when I'm in AB with this build and I can take on 3 melee guys at once without dying, but then people still hold firm to the belief that Sins can't be tanks. It's beyond me why people are so stubborn.

My god this is a helluva thread necro. It's been established that this build isn't effective, and that assassins can't tank.

If you're tanking, you're not doing your job, and I really don't want you on my team.

Someone please lock this like we did with the other amazing "The Only Way to Use Daggers" thread... That's funny, because I run the above build very successfully. Basically, it's just ineffective because YOU say it's ineffective? That's pretty cocky of you, don't ya think?

If your group is looking for a tank, and I can tank successfully, then yes I am in fact doing my job. It's a fairly simple line of logic. I don't see why you and so many others have such a difficult time following it.

That's funny, because I run the above build very successfully. Basically, it's just ineffective because YOU say it's ineffective? That's pretty cocky of you, don't ya think?

If your group is looking for a tank, and I can tank successfully, then yes I am in fact doing my job. It's a fairly simple line of logic. I don't see why you and so many others have such a difficult time following it. The funny thing is if you used this build to tank in an area where it actually might be useful, chances are you'll get disenchanted. Good tanking builds in organized teams were never x/Mo.

The funny thing is if you used this build to tank in an area where it actually might be useful, chances are you'll get disenchanted. Good tanking builds in organized teams were never x/Mo. Well, the "above build" I was speaking of was the A/D I posted. And getting disenchanted isn't the end of the world, b/c Mystic Regen has a quick recharge time, and when Vital Boon ends you gain a bunch of life. It does hurt to lose Crit Defenses, though.

It seems to me that too many of you have tunnel vision as far as builds are concerned. You shouldn't discourage people from coming up with ideas that are outside the box. Especially if they work.

it's not a matter of "if they work", but a matter of "does it work better than the alternative"?

in this case: no. this build is essentially a crappier version of the wammo warrior, which is quite bad to begin with. therefore, this build, since it's worse than the alternative, sucks.

end of story.

EDIT: whoever necroed this thread deserves to be shot. So basically, you only want to play with people who use the same best build or two for each class? I shudder to think of how boring your GW experience must be.

The question shouldn't be, "is there a better alternative?" but rather it should be, "Can our group still get through the quest/mission with this guy in our group?". I am quite confident that with a good tank sin build, the answer to the latter question is a well defined, "Yes we can!".