The problem with assassins

just rude

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2006

It's you who are unskilled, period. I don't mean the assasins. I completed the whole game with henchies, when I was on my assassin.

I have since run my mesmer through and my warrior, and I have to tell you most of you people are unskilled, period. It's not the assassin who are unskiled its you. I went through this game(factions) faster with my assassin( and the henchies) WAY faster than I did with a mesmer and warrior.

Sin hate is a joke. It's not the assassins that are unskillful, it's you, you just suck.

Here, Here its about time this was said

BigTru

BigTru

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

You do realize how many people (other professions) have gone through the entire game with henchman, no?

Assassins bring nothing special to the table. If they do deal more damage than a warrior, it's marginal, and not worth giving up a spot that could be filled by a tank.

lord_shar

lord_shar

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jul 2005

near SF, CA

Hmm, smells like a troll who hasn't been to Urgoz's Warrens or the Deep

Claymore

Claymore

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Apr 2005

Kingston, Ontario, Canada

A/W

Ummm you may think its about time that this was said, but the fact is it has been said already, months ago.
Just to let you know, the band wagon left.

WildmouseX

WildmouseX

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2005

N/R

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigTru
You do realize how many people (other professions) have gone through the entire game with henchman, no?

Assassins bring nothing special to the table. If they do deal more damage than a warrior, it's marginal, and not worth giving up a spot that could be filled by a tank. ummmm yes it is... the tanks job is to stand toe to toe with their tanks and just sit there swinging his weapon forever. the assassins job is to run around in the back lines and take out casters, or the wars that rush your casters.


without an assassin, the tank has to break his agro and drag more foes into his caster lines to save them from being killed by the guy he let run by. furthermore, he has to stand there pounding on war's while getting smacked around by the other sides casters, if he runs at their casters he opens his casters up to allthe guys he should be fighting.

they play 2 compleately different roles, a tank can't fill an assassins position anymore then the assassin can tank. knowing the difference between the two is how you put together an effective group.

DeathWise

DeathWise

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2006

The Netherlands

Order of Flum [OoF]

A/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigTru
You do realize how many people (other professions) have gone through the entire game with henchman, no?

Assassins bring nothing special to the table. If they do deal more damage than a warrior, it's marginal, and not worth giving up a spot that could be filled by a tank. Really, just shut it. I'm getting fed up with people constantly claiming Assassins don't bring anything to the table. Why did you think Arena Net created the character, for no reason whatsoever? Think again.

Assassin actually do bring something special to the table. First off, their damage output higher than those of warriors. This is mainly due to the fact that Assassins have to do combo's, which require a certain sequence of attacks which in the end results in a very powerful combo. Why do you think Warriors would have higher damage if they aren't even obligated to execute Attack Skills in some order. Warriors do not need to perform a combo, which obviously makes their damage output a tad bit lower. I have played Assassin vs. Warrior often enough to know that Assassins are superior. (this is different in PvE though, since they serve other purposes) Also, it greatly depends on percentages, namely Critical Hits and Double Attacks. (note to also take a higher attack speed into consideration) Thus damage output is higher to that of a Warrior when correctly used.

Secondly, Assassin have hunting and chasing abilities superior to any other class. The have a many easy crippling abilities such as Leaping Mantis Sting, Caltrops, Crippling Dagger, etc. And while chasing a foe, you can still perform and maintain your maximum damage output. (perhaps even more if an opponent is running with his back turned to you due to the increase of Critical Hits) Ofcourse any other class has crippling abilities, but another aspect that distinguishes the Assassin from every other class is their unique ability to perform a wide variety over TP's. With this, they can easily outrun any opponent in hunting and chasing which is much more lethal than any other class.

In PvE however, places are much more crowded and filled with mobs. Obviously it will become harder for Assassins to do their job correctly. But this absolutely does not make it impossible, especially not if you spend time with this class and get to know it and learn how to use it.

Assassins are a very versatile class that can perform diverse actions. I admit they are more limited (especially in PvE) than Warriors because of their higher defense and health, but their damage output is higher and their chasing abilities are superior which makes Assassins unique and actually do makes them able to bring something special to the table.

Priest Of Sin

Priest Of Sin

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Dec 2005

Sitting upon Kerrigan's Throne.

Live For The Swarm [ZERG]

Me/N

<--Message Edited Out Due To Words Not Fit For This World-->

Barkroot Bonecrunch

Barkroot Bonecrunch

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Aug 2005

R/W

To me assasins are a bunch of ninja wannabes, and they dont add anything better to the game. There armour is weaker than warriors and so is there damage. That is my opinion flame me all you want i dont care but this will be my opinion and always will be.

fallot

I'm the king

Join Date: Nov 2005

Aussie Trolling Crew: Grand Phallus and Chairman Pro Tempore

Quote:
Originally Posted by DeathWise
their damage output is higher and their chasing abilities are superior
Prove it.

Their damage output is not higher, their ability to do large amounts of damage immediately (as opposed to a warrior who must charge up adrenaline) is their one unique trait.

As for chasing abilities, there is nothing inherent in the profession that makes them better at catching up to fleeing targets. Both Warriors and Assassins have skills that perform these functions equally well. If anything, you could say a hammer warrior makes a better "chaser".

Quote: Originally Posted by DeathWise their unique ability to perform a wide variety over TP's. You must have got Chapter 3 early. Teleport skills are extremely limited. There is only one you can use to good effect and the variety leaves a lot to be desired.

Quote: Originally Posted by DeathWise Really, just shut it. I'm getting fed up with people constantly claiming Assassins don't bring anything to the table. Why did you think Arena Net created the character, for no reason whatsoever? Think again. They do bring something to the table (which I have mentioned). However, what they bring is neither wanted nor needed in PvE (higher end PvE, you could do all of the missions with 7 henches easily, no one refutes that).

Quote:
Originally Posted by DeathWise
But this absolutely does not make it impossible You've pinpointed the problem yourself. Yes, it is not impossible. However, it requires more effort and maintainence than any other profession. This leaves no good reason for a serious PvE group to take you for anything. How many places have you seen where people have asked for an Assassin in their party ? Their unpopularity in higher end PvE is not because everyone is stupid, its because they just aren't made for that kind of play.

Quote:
Originally Posted by just rude
It's you who are unskilled, period. I don't mean the assasins. I completed the whole game with henchies, when I was on my assassin. So did I, more power to me. I still agree with the people you made your post against. What would your Assassin contribute to say... an Underworld group ? An SF group ? A group for the elite missions ? Assassins are more of a liability than anything else in these areas. I personally believe this to be a flaw in these locations rather than the Assassin class itself, but I admit that something is wrong.

Francis Demeules

Francis Demeules

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2006

Canada, Qc

[Holy]

Me/Mo

This thread is like pure flaming against others for nothing.

gobla

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2005

Dark Humans

Mo/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by DeathWise
Assassin actually do bring something special to the table. First off, their damage output higher than those of warriors. This is mainly due to the fact that Assassins have to do combo's, which require a certain sequence of attacks which in the end results in a very powerful combo. Why do you think Warriors would have higher damage if they aren't even obligated to execute Attack Skills in some order. Warriors do not need to perform a combo, which obviously makes their damage output a tad bit lower. I have played Assassin vs. Warrior often enough to know that Assassins are superior. (this is different in PvE though, since they serve other purposes) Also, it greatly depends on percentages, namely Critical Hits and Double Attacks. (note to also take a higher attack speed into consideration) Thus damage output is higher to that of a Warrior when correctly used. *cough* knockdown + crushing blow combo *cough*

ow sorry, i seem to be having a bit of a cold... ow dang! another one coming up!

*cough* sever artery + gash *cough*

ai! it's quite bad! ow dear! another one!

*cough* dismember + axe twist *cough*

ow my! im sneezing quite a bit today!

*cough* shove + lacerating chop *cough*

hey! just look at that! i accidentally sneezed out a whole bunch of skill combo's that warriors have!

oh oh! i feel another bunch o sneezes coming up!

*cough* enervating charge + stoning *cough*
*cough* phantom pain + shatter delusions *cough*
*cough* animate bone fiend + blood of the master *cough*
*cough* spike trap + hunter's shot *cough*
*cough* signet of judgement + holy strike *cough*
*cough* boon of creation + pain *cough*

WOW! i just sneezed out another bunch of skill combo's for wich the second requires a skill like the first to be cast! that's just like dual attacks that have to be followed by off-hand attacks! But instead of a cross in the opponents HP bar you now need a condition, enchantment or knockdown! Man! just look at that! And i was thinking the assasin combo attacks were special, just like warriors having adrenaline! but it shows that they are only as special as warriors using axe skills.

Ilya Khan

Ilya Khan

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Apr 2005

Los Angeles, CA

-FdM-

Me/Mo

Assasins do bring something special and unique to the table. They can shadowstep to get up close to the monk and then perform a combo quick enough to knock another opponent out of the game. Also, thanks to shadowstepping, an assasin can escape death better than any other class. As for damage output and skills, the assasin is greater than most classes. Gobla - I am afraid you are an idiot. Offhand attacks precede dual attacks. If you want a better image of an assasin, think of a warrior with less armor and higher damage output+energy. Now throw in the ability to teleport instantly to one's enemy. Ok, you're almost there. Now cross this new warrior class with a caster class and you have an assasin. The assasin has 2x the energy regen of a warrior and more damage output. If you want to think of it in different terms, that's fine. Ok, if the warrior is a tank, think of the assasin as a stealth fighter. You get in, perform your task, and get out. Granted, the tank can take more hits than you can, but you can do more damage more quickly and still be able to get out unscathed.
And to insult those who play assasins is just retarded. I have an assasin because I beat the game on every other type of character and the game got boring so I decided to try this new class which nobody seems to like and, like you, I found playing as an assasin easier than playing as any other class because the damage output and healing capabilities are far greater than a warrior (don't get me started on this).
Oh, and to the OP - go RED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GORED ENGINE GO yourself

Maria The Princess

Maria The Princess

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2006

Aequitas Deis

Quote:
Originally Posted by WildmouseX
ummmm yes it is... the tanks job is to stand toe to toe with their tanks and just sit there swinging his weapon forever. the assassins job is to run around in the back lines and take out casters, or the wars that rush your casters.


without an assassin, the tank has to break his agro and drag more foes into his caster lines to save them from being killed by the guy he let run by. furthermore, he has to stand there pounding on war's while getting smacked around by the other sides casters, if he runs at their casters he opens his casters up to allthe guys he should be fighting.

they play 2 compleately different roles, a tank can't fill an assassins position anymore then the assassin can tank. knowing the difference between the two is how you put together an effective group. ya ok

now, tank is tanking, and the casters, are they there to wach? no they deal damage. so no need for assassin waistin monks ebnergy, when you could have a ranger/ele/necro doin the job from a range

proffbeer

proffbeer

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2005

wow, this post is silly. very silly. lots and lots of silly people here.

Ok lets see here, the people that apprently haven't played a sin yet, think they suck. monks think they suck becaue they have to heal them. hhhhmmm, well thats just kinda silly. let me let yall in on a little secret. A sin can out damage a war short and simple. If they couldn't, i wouldn't stand toe to toe with em in pvp.

Monks, well, im sorry to say in all the time iv'e played ive come to the conclusion that 50% of ya shouldn't play one at all, just a waste of time, 25% of ya are barely worth the slot you take up, 15% of ya are getting there, just need to work at it a little more, and 10% of ya are excelant at what you do. FYI though, if im on my game, i need a heal about every 5mins, few wars can say that.

What ive read here though, well, im sorry to say most of those people that think a sin sucks, just dont understand what it is we do. We take out single targets in a matter of seconds. I think the best example of what it is a assassin is cabale of is the opening scene of the proffesional, (leon for those of you outside the usa) take a good look at that and then you have a good idea of what it is we do. Course a majority of yall just play pve, so unlees yer seeing whole mobs of enemies gong down, you think something is wrong. Thats ok, just stay out of pvp, cause you won't like the shock of having a sin popping up beside you and then seeing yerself laying face down in the dirt.

Silent Elvin Ranger

Silent Elvin Ranger

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Apr 2006

Ontario, Canada

So all of u are just comparing a warrior vs and assassin in both PvE and PvP.
Ok, now PvP has been explained. U go in quickly, u attack/kill the week but important components of their team, then get out even quicker. But in PvP u say dont even waste a slot on an assassin. Instead of choosing a side of either warriors or assassin for this comparison for PvE, why not put them together. We take the massive armor and "tanking" abilities of a tank and the high damage output of an assassin and there u got a team! U send in the tank to take all the hits first. The monk focusses on healing the tank. Then u send in assassin to finish off the group. In PvE the AI will most likely start beating on the closest thing that is attacking them. Then send in the real damage dealer (if done right they wont attack the assassin for a while). If the assassin starts getting attacked, they run like hell so the group attacks the war again. Then the assassin comes back.

Assassins aren't better nor worse than any proffession. They actually do add sumthing to the group. Comparing Assassins to Warriors is pointless. The only thing they have in common is the melee factor.
O yeah. BTW. Mod there is sum bad news...UR A DUMBASS!

My Final Heaven Vll

My Final Heaven Vll

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: May 2006

doesnt matter

Mo/

sadly its very true assassin hate is a true reality in guild wars. even though an assassin can out damage a warrior they are still a class that needs to be frontline and fact is they dont carry superior absorb.i dont hate on assassins, i have one myself whos completed the game and done AB/FF runs to get 15k armor. however i do feel bad for the assassins who made the mistake of not making them earlier, because no doubt they do have a hard time getting into parties. which is frustrating because right now im trying to get assassin fissure of woe armor and i cant even get into a group when we have favor. its discouraging that i spent so much time in elite missions and KC d1 only to be shutdown in the party grouping that is 1 BIP 1 ss 1 tank 2 eles 2 heal 1 bond for fissure of woe.

maybe one day people will be able to realize intelligent assassins can use flashing blades and pick soft targets. and maybe one day people will realize that if a monk seeds the assassin we wont die as fast.

WildmouseX

WildmouseX

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2005

N/R

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maria The Princess
ya ok

now, tank is tanking, and the casters, are they there to wach? no they deal damage. so no need for assassin waistin monks ebnergy, when you could have a ranger/ele/necro doin the job from a range if the casters get rushed, then their not dealing dmg to the other side, their trying to save their butts.. the assassins job #1 is to take out the rushers so the casters can press the attack unimpaired... the assassin job #2 is to run in and spike enemy casters, then run away so the rest of the team can finish it off quicker.

the assassin not only defends his casters, but he helps them move through the enemies faster. and any good assassin player should never need a heal from the monk, as he avoids being damaged all together by useing hit and run tatics.

ranger/ele/necro don't do as much spike dmg as a sin, thussly takeing longer to drop the enemy monks and casters. an assassin spike, followed up by his casters spells make very quick work of any enemy. just because your too prejudice to understand the role he plays, doesn't change the fact that properly played assassins benifit the whole group, in all the ways they were hurting for b4 the expansion.

S H I N O B I

S H I N O B I

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2005

PSC

R/W

Quote:
Originally Posted by WildmouseX
just because your too prejudice to understand the role he plays, doesn't change the fact that properly played assassins benifit the whole group, in all the ways they were hurting for b4 the expansion. QFT

Doomlord_Slayermann

Doomlord_Slayermann

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Chicago IL

Dark Phoenix Risin [DPR]

W/P

Good grief this thread is flame-ridden. Let's get this straight:

Assassins have a higher potential damage output than Warriors, because their attacks are faster and exponentially increase in damage during many combos (Twisting Fangs, for example). HOWEVER (and this is the big problem with Assassins), the initial stages of the combos are weak and any sort of interruption or attack block/miss resets the combo, making the Assassin's damage source a very fragile one.

If you're going to play an Assassin, you need to...Figure out some way (either by yourself or in your party) how you are going to make sure your attacks are hitting so that you can realize your damage potential. A basic example is the Necromancer spell Rigor Mortis plus plenty of condition and removal for Blind etc. Have a way to get out of danger when targeted, because Assassin armor is not thick enough for tanking, by a long shot. A good one to carry with you might be Recall, which can be placed on a Monk with Healing Touch or a similar spell to make you easy to keep healthy.
This is for PvE only, by the way. In PvP Assassins are poor right now because it is way to easy to interrupt their combos. Way to easy. In PvE groups, Assassins do mostly what a Warrior would do, just with more speed and potential risk involved. Each class has its advantages and disadvantages, but ultimately they are all pretty much equal. It's not the character you play, but how you play your character.

Quote:
Originally Posted by WildmouseX
if the casters get rushed, then their not dealing dmg to the other side, their trying to save their butts.. the assassins job #1 is to take out the rushers so the casters can press the attack unimpaired... the assassin job #2 is to run in and spike enemy casters, then run away so the rest of the team can finish it off quicker.

the assassin not only defends his casters, but he helps them move through the enemies faster. and any good assassin player should never need a heal from the monk, as he avoids being damaged all together by useing hit and run tatics.

ranger/ele/necro don't do as much spike dmg as a sin, thussly takeing longer to drop the enemy monks and casters. an assassin spike, followed up by his casters spells make very quick work of any enemy. just because your too prejudice to understand the role he plays, doesn't change the fact that properly played assassins benifit the whole group, in all the ways they were hurting for b4 the expansion. And to the fanatical ninja junkies out there, please take note that the Assassin is not the panacea of group problems. Assassins are very offensive. However, if you want to spike, you can feel free to discover that (1) there are much better spike builds than the "Assassin spike" and (2) that no respectable GvG guild will play a pure spike often because of its inflexibility. Also, there is no substitute for a Tactics-based Warrior in PvE if you want to run interference for the casters. Leave Assassins on the primary target where they belong.

Maria The Princess

Maria The Princess

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2006

Aequitas Deis

Quote:
Originally Posted by WildmouseX
if the casters get rushed, then their not dealing dmg to the other side, their trying to save their butts.. the assassins job #1 is to take out the rushers so the casters can press the attack unimpaired... the assassin job #2 is to run in and spike enemy casters, then run away so the rest of the team can finish it off quicker.

the assassin not only defends his casters, but he helps them move through the enemies faster. and any good assassin player should never need a heal from the monk, as he avoids being damaged all together by useing hit and run tatics.

ranger/ele/necro don't do as much spike dmg as a sin, thussly takeing longer to drop the enemy monks and casters. an assassin spike, followed up by his casters spells make very quick work of any enemy. just because your too prejudice to understand the role he plays, doesn't change the fact that properly played assassins benifit the whole group, in all the ways they were hurting for b4 the expansion. im not prejudice, im just realistic. i had a sin, i got an idea of how it rolls from his own side and from party's side.

now in a balanced team, it is the rangers job to protect the "backlines". a ranger will never outdamage a nuker, but the reason why its there, is to "controll" the territory around with stuff like traps, spirits etc, be ready to interrupt whatever needs to, and maby drop a few conditions here and there to ressure. all a ranger needs to drop a monk is broadhead arrow with apply poison + some mesmer hex. drop a frozen soil and no more monkey. and what use is from a melee rusher while he is blind, crippled(hehe no more rush) hexed, and interrupted when trying to self heal? and im am not talking about "aggressive" rangers such as spikers, touchers, etc, cuz that kind of a party build will never let an assassin in anywas.

enouth about rangers, how about eles and mesmers? most of them carry some form of self defence, if not, its probably nukers, which should always be very careful anyways. by the time an assassin comes to rescue of a nuker its most of time too late anyways, cuz nuker is interrupted and becomes almost useless. other eles are better set of self defence and whie the rusher is interruted/blinded/crippled, nuker/ele/necro will calmly spike the hell out if it or just kite. so realy, the purpuse left for assassin is to take down "enemy" monk and eles. all we need to take down an assassin is to hit the space barr

and here we go, should i repeat what i said or is it clear what hapens to the assasin?

DeathWise

DeathWise

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Apr 2006

The Netherlands

Order of Flum [OoF]

A/N

Quote:
Originally Posted by gobla
*cough* knockdown + crushing blow combo *cough*

ow sorry, i seem to be having a bit of a cold... ow dang! another one coming up!

*cough* sever artery + gash *cough*

ai! it's quite bad! ow dear! another one!

*cough* dismember + axe twist *cough*

ow my! im sneezing quite a bit today!

*cough* shove + lacerating chop *cough*

hey! just look at that! i accidentally sneezed out a whole bunch of skill combo's that warriors have!

oh oh! i feel another bunch o sneezes coming up!

*cough* enervating charge + stoning *cough*
*cough* phantom pain + shatter delusions *cough*
*cough* animate bone fiend + blood of the master *cough*
*cough* spike trap + hunter's shot *cough*
*cough* signet of judgement + holy strike *cough*
*cough* boon of creation + pain *cough*

WOW! i just sneezed out another bunch of skill combo's for wich the second requires a skill like the first to be cast! that's just like dual attacks that have to be followed by off-hand attacks! But instead of a cross in the opponents HP bar you now need a condition, enchantment or knockdown! Man! just look at that! And i was thinking the assasin combo attacks were special, just like warriors having adrenaline! but it shows that they are only as special as warriors using axe skills. 'Hahahahaha', haven't had this kind of good laugh since.. well.. beats me.. Didn't know people could be so damn funny and so damn dumb at the same time. Assassins are OBLIGATED to perform the combo in a certain order, Warroirs aren't. And this obligation is rewarded by a higher damage output. Also you're comparing Boon Of Creation with Pain (or another spirit for that matter, or any other combo you mentioned for that matter) with one of an Assassin's combo's.. what?! Please, come on.. It is a combo but not like a combo Assassins use, so that really isn't a valid comparison.

Anyway, I agree that Assassins are fragile. It's pretty obvious that they are. Though this is partially compensated by the quick and powerful attacks they can unleash. In PvE you just need a couple of great defensive spells of which you know they could keep you alive. In PvP Assassins excell in my eyes, it's great to use them there and they really prove their worth there, taken you know how to play with one.

Claymore

Claymore

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Apr 2005

Kingston, Ontario, Canada

A/W

After reading through this thread, I began to formulate my defense for the assassin, then I realized that I don't need to. Those individuals that are flaming and spouting their hate for the class obviously are not open minded enough to consider the fact that just because they don't like the class, or can't play the class, that there are those that can. The assassin is very role specific, while there have been some very creative builds to increase the flexibility of this class, the fact remains that they are meant for one role, hit and run.
We all know that other classes can perform other roles than what they were intended for, the assassin is just not one of them.
You folks need to get a sense of reality here, if you don't like the class fine, don't play it, if you think the class is a liability fine don't PUG with us, doesn't mean the class suxs.
As for PvP, I have watched some of the top ranked guilds run assassins in their battles and they are damn effective, why? cause they know the class and designed a build around the purpose of the class.
The same arguments have gone on about other classes as well, everyone saying their preffered class is better because... , point is everyone has a favorite, keep your criticism to yourself cause your own class can be subjected to the same he said/she said argument that will never be resolved until the end of time.
My 2 cents worth, take it for what you will.

Shred Dread

Shred Dread

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

...wouldn't u like 2 know...

Tha Skullz

There's really no reason to do some of the mega-flaming I've seen on this thread. I do understand why people are getting flamed, however, because I too am annoyed with all the unreasonable assassin-haters whose posts I have been reading.

Many sin-haters have never played the profession, and really know nothing about it. Maybe they have had 1 or 2 bad experiences with n00bish assassin's in their groups, and that has turned them against the whole class. This is completely unreasonable. The assassin brings so many things to a party that no one else can. Assassins, even if they don't use shadow stepping, have the best dammage output capability for a melee class. If an assassin solos a Jade Brotherhood Knight, and a warrior solos another one at the same time, then the Assassin will easily finish his kill before the warrior. The assassin can then move on to a new enemy, while the warrior is still busy with the old one. The assassins really shine in PvP, however. On my assassin, I have taken out numerous tanks with my combos, and kill elementalists before they have a chance to pull off anything dangerous. My sin dies far less than my elementalist does, but in Alliance Battles PUGs, for some reason, my elementalist is still a more popular choice.

So, to all you assassin-haters out there, before you criticize them, make sure you know something about them. For example, I have heard criticism of the profession from someone who, with great authority, informed us that dual attacks come before offhands. Guys, next time there's an assassin in your group, pay attention to what he does. And monks, next time you criticize an assassin for needing to be healed, remember that the assassin is probably taking dmg because it's defending you casters.

Cold

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Dec 2005

UK

Assassin has "Expose defenses" hex, which is a close alternative to necro's "Rigor Mortis", so your combos are safe if you want them to.
Touch ranger if he is alone can be quite easily killed by assassin. Every warrior who plays PvP knows that they don't stand a chance against assassins. Again if it's 1-on-1. "Shroud of Silence" and any caster is dead after that. Again if nobody helps him.
That is it, you just don't jump into fray swinging your Ceremonial daggers (even though Death Blossom is SO COOL). Stay back, pick a target, dash to it quickly, kill it even quicker and get back.
You are a delicate life taker for God's sake not a mass murderer

WildmouseX

WildmouseX

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2005

N/R

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maria The Princess
im not prejudice, im just realistic. i had a sin, i got an idea of how it rolls from his own side and from party's side.

now in a balanced team, it is the rangers job to protect the "backlines". a ranger will never outdamage a nuker, but the reason why its there, is to "controll" the territory around with stuff like traps, spirits etc, be ready to interrupt whatever needs to, and maby drop a few conditions here and there to ressure. all a ranger needs to drop a monk is broadhead arrow with apply poison + some mesmer hex. drop a frozen soil and no more monkey. and what use is from a melee rusher while he is blind, crippled(hehe no more rush) hexed, and interrupted when trying to self heal? and im am not talking about "aggressive" rangers such as spikers, touchers, etc, cuz that kind of a party build will never let an assassin in anywas.

enouth about rangers, how about eles and mesmers? most of them carry some form of self defence, if not, its probably nukers, which should always be very careful anyways. by the time an assassin comes to rescue of a nuker its most of time too late anyways, cuz nuker is interrupted and becomes almost useless. other eles are better set of self defence and whie the rusher is interruted/blinded/crippled, nuker/ele/necro will calmly spike the hell out if it or just kite. so realy, the purpuse left for assassin is to take down "enemy" monk and eles. all we need to take down an assassin is to hit the space barr

and here we go, should i repeat what i said or is it clear what hapens to the assasin? you are prejudice, and it's because you played the class badly and died alot.

rangers have to have time to set their little trap area up, something most groups don't give time for. makeing them ineffective at defending their casters. and again, the ranger needs to helping the caster press the fight to the enemy caster line, not wasteing their skills on a lone rusher.

and again when el's and mes' bringing their melee defense's, it reduces the ammout of real attacks that they can bring...irrationaly being in favor of gimiping the entire party so you don't have to bring an assassin that will allow everyone to maximise their abilities is prejudice, and fairly stupid to boot.

it's clear what happens when you play an assassin, but my A/N standing in the house of Zu with only 10 deaths would have to disagree with you.

Maria The Princess

Maria The Princess

Forge Runner

Join Date: Mar 2006

Aequitas Deis

Quote:
Originally Posted by WildmouseX
you are prejudice, and it's because you played the class badly and died alot.
no i havent died alot, i have leveled to lvl 20 with 4 or 5 deaths which all occured in the same sopt because our team was 2/6 and we were to stuburn to give up near end. i deleted it because i got bored of having to do the everything with henchman, while i can just play something more fun like my nice old ranger.

Quote:
rangers have to have time to set their little trap area up, something most groups don't give time for. makeing them ineffective at defending their casters. and again, the ranger needs to helping the caster press the fight to the enemy caster line, not wasteing their skills on a lone rusher and again when el's and mes' bringing their melee defense's, it reduces the ammout of real attacks that they can bring...irrationaly being in favor of gimiping the entire party so you don't have to bring an assassin that will allow everyone to maximise their abilities is prejudice, and fairly stupid to boot. a trap is a 2-3 secs to lay out. well, if you go vs IWAY, just use throw dirt or something.

hello! casters have to know how to kite and not just stand around. if what you got in a team is : a crazy rushing warior, "I'm too tough to kite" nuker and mesmer, suicidal necro, and a desperate to heal those idiots monk, then im sorry but its a terrible team and an assassin will not make a diffrence.

clearly an assassin that jumps forward in the middle of the opposite team will most likely die..... but we said we have casters to do the damaGE. an assassin that hangs out in the backlines waiting for a "foe" to run in is even more useless for te reasons i mentioned above.

I do play with assassins alot, mostly my guildies and friends, but if its a PUG ill choose a ranger or a caster instead anytime.

Quote:
it's clear what happens when you play an assassin, but my A/N standing in the house of Zu with only 10 deaths would have to disagree with you. what can i say? good job unless you were maping out like the "survivor" title seekers

fallot

I'm the king

Join Date: Nov 2005

Aussie Trolling Crew: Grand Phallus and Chairman Pro Tempore

A quick foreword, the Assassin forum is meant for discussion of PvE builds etc . There is nothing wrong with Assassins in PvP, besides the unwieldy deadly arts line (even that isn't really a problem per se).

Most of PvE is basically a tank holding aggro, some monks to heal and necros, eles and rangers to deal AoE damage. In this particular setup, there is no room for Assassins or even Mesmers.

If a class cannot deal large amounts of AoE damage, tank or heal effectively then it would logically be excluded from such groups. This however, only applies to coordinated groups engaging in high-end PvE where you want the least amount of people dealing the highest amount of damage and still staying alive.

Most of the PvE content, missions and quests etc., does not require this degree of group efficiency. But the same basic principles still apply, tanks to hold aggro etc. etc. There is no real role that an Assassin plays in PvE groups besides looking cool and killing some mobs quickly. What is the point of killing a single target quickly when you can kill a large group simultaneously by pummelling them with AoE ?

How much do you really contribute to a group by killing one monster every 10-20 seconds ? Are AI monks and casters of such calibre that you will not be able to take out the rest of the group without killing them quickly (and first) ? Is this ability more useful to a party than another monk, another source of AoE damage or another tank ? Most of the time, the answer will be no (especially in later parts of the game: Ring of Fire missions, UW + FoW and elite missions in particular).

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maria The Princess
a ranger will never outdamage a nuker
A little OT but a Barrage ranger with the right spec will easily outdamage any nuker and not only because of mob scatter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shred_Dead The assassin brings so many things to a party that no one else can. Assassins, even if they don't use shadow stepping, have the best dammage output capability for a melee class. If an assassin solos a Jade Brotherhood Knight, and a warrior solos another one at the same time, then the Assassin will easily finish his kill before the warrior. The assassin can then move on to a new enemy, while the warrior is still busy with the old one.
This is a little misleading. Assassins do not have the highest melee damage, that is still reserved for warriors. While it is true that the Assassin will kill the first monster much, much quicker than a Warrior, this does not hold true for the rest of the mobs. Once a warrior has built up sufficient adrenaline, the Assassins advantage disappears (this is assuming that the warrior is built for damage, and not some lame aggro holding stance tank).

The Assassin cannot move on to another enemy, as he must wait for his combo to recharge. Similarly, the warrior must build up adrenaline after using his attack skills. So the advantage the Assassin has is in the beginning of the fight, when the Warrior has no adrenaline. In the simplest possible terms, the Assassin's damage is frontloaded, whereas the warrior's requires a little time to begin.

Furthermore, the Warrior is suited to staying in the front of the group and dealing damage consistently due to high armor, an advantage the Assassin does not share. Keep in mind that this is all PvE I'm talking about, as I mentioned in the beginning of the post.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shred_Dread
So, to all you assassin-haters out there, before you criticize them, make sure you know something about them. Not to be rude, but you should take some of this advice yourself. Blind faith is just as bad as blind criticism, if not worse. It is better to understand the advantages and failings of the class, this doesn't detract from their enjoyment in any way. I like playing with my Assassin, I've had no problems staying alive. However, I understand and accept that what this class offers is unnecessary in hardcore PvE.

Note to everyone: Now, I've been thinking. Is there a place in PvE right now where Assassins are useful ? What I was looking for was a quest or a mission, where you must avoid mobs (by teleportation or running) and kill a lone target quickly and efficiently. When I brought my Assassin over to Lion's Arch, it struck me that Villany of Galrath is just this kind of quest.

A properly geared level 20 Assassin, leaving from the Temple of Ages, should be able to reach Kessex Peak with ease. After that, when he nears the ledge where Galrath waits, an Assassin could use Aura of Displacement (or any other skill) to teleport up to the small group close to him (without passing through the Verata mob). After that, it should be simple to surgically take out Galrath... without killing a single mob on the way. That would be the perfect example of "Assassination" in PvE.

Now I plan to do this myself but I'd appreciate if someone else would like to try as I'm not always able to log on to GW for extended periods of time nowadays. If the attempt is successful, it will prove that the problem is not with the Assassins, but with PvE. Content geared specifically towards Assassins would make PvE-ing with them much more enjoyable and rewarding. I'm thinking along the lines of an Assassination quest chain, with a similar setup to Villany: taking out a single target avoiding multiple groups of enemies.

Fu Manchu

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

mind your own

Mo/

A warrior could also reach a single target alone whilst using speed boosts and stances/shouts, so you would still be left with people wondering if they should take a Warrior instead. So could a Necro.. Mes..

It's all been done to death.

fallot

I'm the king

Join Date: Nov 2005

Aussie Trolling Crew: Grand Phallus and Chairman Pro Tempore

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fu Manchu
A warrior could also reach a single target alone whilst using speed boosts and stances/shouts, so you would still be left with people wondering if they should take a Warrior instead. So could a Necro.. Mes.. True, but an Assassin (or Assassin secondary, but I'd rather not go there just yet) could do it easier, faster, and with minimal input from the rest of the group without being built too specifically to handle that situation. That sounds like a slot-worthy role. This can't really be discussed any further, if someone attempts it and succeeds then the point is proven, otherwise not.

Fu Manchu

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Nov 2005

mind your own

Mo/

Thats right Fallot. A secondary will do just as well.

Honestly, all these posts about how players don't use their Assassins right are starting to irk me slightly.

You can count me under those who wish further improvements to be made before i'm satisfied with the Primary class.

Doomlord_Slayermann

Doomlord_Slayermann

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Chicago IL

Dark Phoenix Risin [DPR]

W/P

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fu Manchu
You can count me under those who wish further improvements to be made before i'm satisfied with the Primary class. Of course primary Assassins have their gaping flaws. Dagger Mastery is almost completely useless in PvP because of the combo reset issue. Critical Strikes is not that great a primary attribute when more damage can come from a Warrior skill (basic example: Galrath Slash) than a critical hit from that same Warrior.

Assassins definitely could use a few improvements.

Shred Dread

Shred Dread

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

...wouldn't u like 2 know...

Tha Skullz

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fallot
The Assassin cannot move on to another enemy, as he must wait for his combo to recharge.
Not necesarily true. A skill like Assassin's Promise can keep the killing going for a good long time, if used properly. Any assassin who know's what he's doing and does not use Assassin's Promis will often want to bring some other skill that lets him execute a full combo anyways, even if other skills are recharging. For example, someone who uses jagged strike--> iron palm--> falling spider--> twisting fangs could bring along Fox Fangs so they could still get a lead, offhand, dual combo in, without being forced to wait for Iron Palm to recharge.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fallot
Not to be rude, but you should take some of this advice yourself. Blind faith is just as bad as blind criticism, if not worse. It is better to understand the advantages and failings of the class, this doesn't detract from their enjoyment in any way. Once again, not to be rude, but I understand the advantages and failings of the class as well as anyone. If you read what I said in context, I was not saying the assassin is always perfect, or even saying anything positive about the class at all, I was saying that before making judgements on the class, you should know something about it, because some of the people on this thread have shown that they do not.

WildmouseX

WildmouseX

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2005

N/R

Quote:
Originally Posted by Maria The Princess

what can i say? good job unless you were maping out like the "survivor" title seekers if i was trying to get the survivor title, i would have cleared the character after the first death. the first three deaths were very early and where i figured out how to keep away from dmg and where she fought best at. 1 was cuz i drew agro in the second mission from our war dropping. and the remainings were all sacrifices on afflicted monk death nova's to turn the tide of hard fights.

i never claimed the assassin was essental to defending the casters, however he is more equipted to do it then they are, and it makes the battles go way smoother and quicker. - and the stragety doesn't leave the sin standing around waiting to defend them, that's his first priority when they rush at the start of battle.

Bio-Flame

Bio-Flame

Academy Page

Join Date: Dec 2005

SL

E/

Disclamer: I've played all of Tyria first as an Ele, then again was a Warrior, then again as a Monk.
I've played through Cantha as an Assassin and then as a Monk again.

In PvP I fill the role that is needed in my guild. I play either as an Ele, Warrior, Monk, Assassin and Mesmer.
Most of the time lately I've been playing GvG matches as an Assassin.


Last but not the least, I have no "prefered" class, I defend no class over another. I am going to be as objective as I can here.



Ok, that being said let me be as blunt as I can: Assassins are NOT required in a PvE group.

PvE NEEDS at least 1 Warrior, 1 Monk and 1 damage dealer (throw in a Nuker, SS, MM or Barrager here) to be minimally efficient.
The point here is "efficient"! Obviously, one could go without Monks, just rezzing and going to the fight again. Not efficient though.
One could go without a damage dealer and take ages to kill anything. It could be done but it wouldn't be efficient.

Assassins don't fill any of these roles. They don't tank, they can't heal, they can't deal massive AoE damage. So they aren't usually requested for teams.

Does this mean that they are weak? No, of course not.
Does this mean that Assassins have no role? No, of course not.


Some people say that Assassins don't bring anything to a group. That's misleading I think. Yes, assassins DO bring some stuff to a group. Sadly, due to the AI in GWs, the only proffessions you "need" are Tanks, Monks, AoE damage dealers.
Assassins do bring stuff to a party but if you think in terms of "efficiency", there are some other professions that would be more "productive" on the team.
Remember that you can only take 8 party members. If we could take 100 party members, maybe we could use Assassins. Alas, we can't take 100 people on a team.


I think it's very much alike our skill selection on our Characters. We have LOADS of skills, but we can only take 8.
The 9th skill, the one that's left out of the bar, it is not necessarily a "bad" skill neither is it useless. It's just that the other 8 skills are "better" to what we need to do right now.


Assassins are good, they do their jobs very very well. PvP they can fulfill their jobs perfectly. PvE they can also do their jobs, thing is their jobs aren't really "needed" in PvE.


That's my 2 cents on the matter.


PS - When I say PvE, I mean High-end PvE.

PS 2 - Btw, I think the only Assassin that's good enough to be considred is the one who uses the Golden Phoenix Strike + Horns of the Ox + Falling Spider + Twisting Fangs combo, with Aura of Displacement.
The crippling Assassins are nice and all, but they are way way worse than the one I've mentioned above. As most people said already, assassins go in, kill and get out.
"Go in and get out" can only be done with Aura of Displacement these days. The fastest, most reliable "kill" combo is the GPS+HoO+FS+TF combo.

I would think that ANET would have done a more diversified character but so far that's what an assassin should be (if he wants to be as "poweful" as he can possibly be). One can argue if ANET should increase the other combos available to assassins but as the class stands today, there's one combo that simply outperforms all others - it's the one I've mentioned above.

Sadly this is the truth.

Richie

Academy Page

Join Date: Feb 2006

[SDC]

A/

Woooooooooo there slow down, honestly, there is a PROBLEM with assasins? wow....I beat the game, never noticed. My guild will let me take a assasin in urgoz or deep as protection for the people who let oni slip by or mabey as a critical barrager. There is no significant problem to assasins. No characters have significant problems. Assasins cant tank, good they arent suppossed to either, warriors cant cast echo meteor shower, good they shouldnt either, Monks cant effectivly use flourish, good they shouldnt, 55 Necros and Mesmers and even RT's cant use Spellbreaker for easy dual uw, good they shouldnt.

Heck, assasins have more armour than ANY casters so there is a problem if a monk says "o i dont want the assasin" assasin says "im crit bar. no loss" monk says "nono wth is crit bar. another nub assasin wanab build? u die WAYYY to ezy dawg" Me (a monk) i leave i dont wana be stuck with a echo arcane echo mending monk.....

Richie

Academy Page

Join Date: Feb 2006

[SDC]

A/

Woooooooooo there slow down, honestly, there is a PROBLEM with assasins? wow....I beat the game, never noticed. My guild will let me take a assasin in urgoz or deep as protection for the people who let oni slip by or mabey as a critical barrager. There is no significant problem to assasins. No characters have significant problems. Assasins cant tank, good they arent suppossed to either, warriors cant cast echo meteor shower, good they shouldnt either, Monks cant effectivly use flourish, good they shouldnt, 55 Necros and Mesmers and even RT's cant use Spellbreaker for easy dual uw, good they shouldnt.

heck, assasins have more armour than ANY casters so there is a problem if a monk says "o i dont want the assasin" assasin says "im crit bar. no loss" monk says "nono wth is crit bar. another nub assasin wanab build? u die WAYYY to ezy dawg" Me (a monk) i leave i dont wana be stuck with a echo arcane echo mending monk.....

Grammar

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Aug 2005

I'm not taking sides in this, because both the pro-sin and anti-sin camps have valid points.

But I have a question (sorry to stray from the topic a bit)...

Why do I keep hearing about Assassins outdamaging Warriors?
It is my understanding that a damage-dealing Warrior will out-DPS an Assassin over a sustained period of time (not sure about spike). The longer the period of time, the greater the Warrior's DPS advantage will be. The reasons are obvious: Warriors swing almost non-stop while Assassins move around, shadow step, retreat & re-enter, try to shake aggro, etc.

I have a hard time believing that an Assassin will out-DPS a damage-dealing Warrior in a battle that lasts more than 30 seconds, and especially a battle that lasts 60 seconds or longer.
As I undersand it, Warriors are still the DPS kings. Assassins on the other hand, are more about strategic targeting & attacks, spikes, and maneuverability.

Anyone have any empirical research results they can throw my way to either prove/disprove what appears to be blatantly obvious in the game (at least to me and most of the GW community)?

Doomlord_Slayermann

Doomlord_Slayermann

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Chicago IL

Dark Phoenix Risin [DPR]

W/P

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grammar
I'm not taking sides in this, because both the pro-sin and anti-sin camps have valid points.

But I have a question (sorry to stray from the topic a bit)...

Why do I keep hearing about Assassins outdamaging Warriors?
It is my understanding that a damage-dealing Warrior will out-DPS an Assassin over a sustained period of time (not sure about spike). The longer the period of time, the greater the Warrior's DPS advantage will be. The reasons are obvious: Warriors swing almost non-stop while Assassins move around, shadow step, retreat & re-enter, try to shake aggro, etc.

I have a hard time believing that an Assassin will out-DPS a damage-dealing Warrior in a battle that lasts more than 30 seconds, and especially a battle that lasts 60 seconds or longer.
As I undersand it, Warriors are still the DPS kings. Assassins on the other hand, are more about strategic targeting & attacks, spikes, and maneuverability.

Anyone have any empirical research results they can throw my way to either prove/disprove what appears to be blatantly obvious in the game (at least to me and most of the GW community)? It's classic risk-and-reward balance. Warriors are guaranteed to do high DPS, but the Assassin can potentially do more DPS if and only if they get all the way through their combos every time. This doesn't happen often, but it's painful for the target when it does.

I don't think you really need empirical data to see that.

Kijik Oni Hanryuu

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Feb 2006

the 7th level of HELL! J/K Somewhere in GW assassinating things

[acid]members of the KAWS alliance

A/

Wow read the entire thing, lotsa chuckles and a whole lot more thank gods thanks to the sin defenders. To the anti-sin guys, I would love to take on any of yer best chars and smoke them just to snub you, I would also like to take you through any mission of your choice and show you how I can rip apart any PvE mob. To the defenders, thank you so much guys the sins need good defenders for their use. I have to agree with grammar in some ways about a sin comparing damage to a tank, tanks do hold out longer, but I have seen a tank taking a lloooooong time to defeat one enemy 1v1 but this has been said. I do disagree with him though a sin can deal out more DPS if he knows how to keep up stances and enchants that make it reaalllly hard to hit him along with keeping up skills that increase crits. Also if it works in PvP I can make it work in PvE, the AoD+GPS+HoO+FS+TF combo, it got me through the last five missions of the game or so, by jumpuing to anything that wasnt near anyone and annihalating it before anyone could evenm get near it, I also worked as a boss killer, then I took on a 6 skill combo stance killer for shiro, much fun knocking him out of his deadliest stance and then wailing on him. I make this challenge if anyone sees my sin Kirin Hanryuu in game, I dare you to either fight me or fight with me. That's the end of my coordinated blabber.

P.S. where do you anti-sin guys get off? Coming to OUR boards and telling us WE suck, serves ya right that ya came here and screwing with us sins and got slapped right back to the dirt(just like what happens to anyone who tries to take a sin on in game), have a nice nap

JimmyDean

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Apr 2006

Quote:
Originally Posted by just rude
It's you who are unskilled, period. I don't mean the assasins. I completed the whole game with henchies, when I was on my assassin.

I have since run my mesmer through and my warrior, and I have to tell you most of you people are unskilled, period. It's not the assassin who are unskiled its you. I went through this game(factions) faster with my assassin( and the henchies) WAY faster than I did with a mesmer and warrior.

Sin hate is a joke. It's not the assassins that are unskillful, it's you, you just suck.

Here, Here its about time this was said That about sums it up imo. If you're having trouble staying alive on your assassin, it's most likely because you aren't making full use of the skills given to you, or you just plain suck and should make a warrior.

Concerning the comparison between assassin damage and warrior damage, I think the assassin excels because he can start off with a spike and apply conditions, while a warrior must charge his adrenaline for his spike. So, for spiking, assassins are best. For raw dps in an extended fight, a warrior is best because his weapons do more damage, and he wont die if you sit in combat.

Assassins need to be played with a different mindset for pve and pvp. If you want to sit up front the entire time dealing damage and holding aggro, play a warrior. But assassins dont do that; they're just not built for it.