Assassin Guide

Centurion Class : Ranger

Written by: Jakers

I've seen some talk of the Assassin being "The worst class for PvP!!!!" All I have to say to this is, you are nyerking wrong.

First of all, I'd like to say that Assassin is probably the most gear hungry class there is. You need excellent equipment to survive in the Abyss, or other PvP zones. I won't get into too much detail (maybe later), but just know you'll need all blue to epics for endgame PvP purposes. Expect to do many instance runs, HQ and Crest grinding and excreta for all your leather, accessories, and weapons.

PvP Weapons:
Should I use a dagger and sword, or go with dagger/dagger? How about sword/sword?

Dagger Dagger:This is all opinionated, mind you, so bare with me. PERSONALLY, I use dagger/dagger. Why, you may ask? For the speed. If you use your Flurry Stigma often for battle (will be discussed below) you'll know that two daggers are crit makers. The sword isn't much slower, but over the length of the battle (especially when you begin to have higher and higher crit levels, 500+ (my current level at 40) or more nearing endgame, possibly 700-900+)) You'll realize two daggers deal a massive amount of damage.

Dagger/Off Sword:Many excellent assassins use a dagger as their primary weapon, and the sword as their offhand. Why do this, you might ask? Well, is it elementary to the pro's. The dagger allows you to have crit speed, as well as higher levels of damages with your off-hand strikes. I find this to come in a steady second to my dagger/dagger, possibly even tied. I'd like other (40+ assassins) input on this.

Sword/Sword?: Eww, don't do it. Sure, you might think you'll be dishing out massive damage, but the crit rate won't be enough to help you survive against any decent player.

Buffing:

I cannot stress this enough. Buffing is the key to your PvP success. If you do not buff before a battle when the player is anywhere near being decent or on and near your level, you have a much lower rate of survival. Personally, there is five buffs I must cast IMMEDIATELY BEFORE ATTACK.

I shall list these in the order I apply them:

1) Flurry. (20% faster attack is a HUGE increase in your overall damage for the fight.)
2) Clear Focus. (Boost your crit rate by 100, it will be higher endgame)
3) Scolopen Poison or Lethal Poison. (THIS. IS. A. MUST. It can make or break your successful 'assassination'. You poison the target, allowing it to not be able to fly away. Of course, they can easily break out of this with a potion, but hopefully this will buy you enough time for a stun skill.)
4) Killer's Eye. (You get one good shot in. don't ruin it.)
5) Devotion (You know that one good shot from Killer's eye? Yeah, don't ruin it.)

Although this is NOT considered a buff, per se, it is the next step right before your attack; hide. You will need to get behind the target to begin. Try not to use your Ambush skill just yet, if possible, you will need it for the fight!!

The Fight

The Cliffs Version (Ground Attack!):

1) Buffs
2) Hide
3) Backstab
(Vaizel's Dirk if lvl 50 and have the DP for it would come next after backstab)
4) Focused Evasion (continuous, cast when needed)
5) Rune Chain to level five
(Might cast filler move Swift Edge Chain here)
6) Detonate Runes (a tough choice. Either put them in the air, rebuff, and throw some massive damage down; or stun the target. ((MELEE ONLY!)) If the enemy is a magical class, you need to SILENCE YOUR TARGET FROM RUNE DETONATION (((LVL 50)))

Note: You may also choose to heal at this point. I put detonation healing in last place. It is not going to help you nearly as much as a stun, air bind, or silence. If you're on your last stretch of life, you might choose to heal.

7) Whirlwind Slash (if applicable) or Counterattack ((if applicable))
8) Weakning Blow from behind
9) Begin Rune Chain again to lvl 5
10) Filler moves (Swift Edge chain)
11) Now is the time to use ambush, especially if the target is weak and running away. Ambush gives you the chance for a stun, along with instantly teleporting to the back of the target. If your backstab is already cooled down, use it again.
12) Start your rune chain again, to level five. See the repetition here?
13) Detonate Runes and choose the best choice for your current state (see above)

The Long Version (Ground Attack): Incomplete atm

What comes first? Backstab. If you're lucky (your luck is increased majorly by the buffs you cast) You can easily do upwards to 1,500-3,500 damage in one hit.

After backstab, immedately cast Focused Evasion. This will allow you to dodge/resist one attack. When Focused Evasion's cooldown expires, immedately cast it again (or right before a big hit!)

Next comes an endgame skill called Vaizel's Dirk if you have the DP for it. (lvl 50). It is a backstab move that damages the Balaur or Asmodians for an extra 1,000+ damage right off the bat.

Of course, you probably won't have this skill. Instead, I recommend Immediately starting a rune chain. If you are unable to successfully get a lvl 5 rune chain within a few seconds, this can make or break the fight. Do not detonate your rune chain until it is at lvl 5! It is very easy to get a level 5 rune chain within seconds starting at 38+. You gain a 3rd chain move after beast kick that grants you an extra attack with a chance to push away the target (Beast Swipe).

At this point, poison should have been applied. Your next best bet is assassination. If you are able to, recast buffs 4 and 5 right before this move (Killers Eye and Devotion). This will give you a much better crit chance and a ton of assassination damage.

Now, there are many ways you could go from this. If the target is stunned, I recommend running behind the target for Weakening Blow. If you just sucessfully countered a move, I suggest Whirlwind Slash followed by Weakning Blow.

Tips:

- You do not get a good aerial combat move until 50. Deal with it. Stun the target as much as possible to prevent him from running away, as well as poisoning the target in the beginning of battle. This goes hand in hand with silence skills, you don't get them until 50.

- Stock up on instant health potions. Assassins life can drop quickly, and this can give you a major advantage in battle.

- Use Greater Healing Potions. This allows you to get out of roots, trees, sleeps, etc.

- Get speed boots. Get speed boots. If the target is running, you need to be able to catch up. With 20% speed boots and your ability to run 20% faster, novices can't run from you.

This might be hard to follow, but it is exactly how I go about my PvPing. If you can make it through this list, you'll do great in battle =D