Diablo Class Listings

Assassin

assassinOverview:
An Assassin is an interesting class - more of a skirmisher than the tank-like characters. She can deal insane damage in melee by charging up a series of starter moves, whose effects are unleashed by a finisher, pouring on the pain. Alternately, an Assassin can focus on her traps subset, giving her an array of devices that explode, electrocute, immolate, and shred devil-kin into pulp and ashes. She can also double the fun with a doppelganger that mimics her actions.

The greatest liability of the Assassin is her weak constitution - she is easily killed if surrounded by non-debuffed enemies, and comes to rely on skills, items, and mercenaries that have abilities that hinder the effectiveness of hell's minions. Cloak of Shadows, items that cast Weaken, AoE Cold damage, or Holy Freeze become critical as the game enters hell-mode - particularly to the melee builds, who can very realistically get one-rounded by a powerful boss with nasty enchantments.

Skill Recommendations:

Martial Arts:
• Phoenix Strike
• Tiger Strike
• Dragon Tail
• Dragon Talon
• Dragon Flight
Shadow Disciplines:
• Fade
• Venom
• Shadow Master
• Mind Blast
• Burst of Speed
Traps:
• Lightning Sentry
• Death Sentry
• Blade Shield
• Blade Fury
• Fire Blast
Top Skills:
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Primary Stats:
Primary: Vitality
Secondary: Strength
Tertiary: Dexterity

Recommended Mercenary:
Type: Nightmare Act 2
Aura: Holy Freeze (Defensive)

assassin
Mercenary Armor:
• Vampire Gaze (Um)
• Shaftstop (Um)
Mercenary Weapons:
• Infinity Runeword
• Pride Runeword
• Doom Runeword
• Obedience Runeword

Noteworthy Skills:
assassinDeath Sentry: This ability allows the Assassin to toss traps that spit a barrage of lightning bolts, AND cause corpses to explode for a percentage of the monster's life when other demons draw near the fallen bodies. This skill is incredibly powerful with only one point - it is considered a class mainstay for PvE.

assassinLightning Sentry: These traps fire a continual stream of electric death - and once fully synergized, they can massacres hellspawn and players alike in duel games. Very effective when combined with abilities like Psychic Hammer and Mind Blast to stun-lock a target while the traps cook them. Oh... did we mention you can have FIVE of these traps out at once...

assassinPhoenix Strike: With the proper gear, a martial arts assassin can quickly shred a screen of demons using this skill. She charges up the attack, and then releases it with a finisher - the number of charge ups determines the element released, allowing an Assassin to account for Hell mode immunities.

Equipment Suggestions:
assassinEquipment Suggestions: All of an Assassin's skills are driven by faster attack speed - even the traps - so it should be a high priority when selecting gear. Additionally, faster hit recovery, percentile damage reduction, and anything to bolster her lowish life are necessary for successful hell-play. Finally, some method of consistently AoE de-buffing gear should be considered mandatory - anything that casts Weaken-on-strike, blind, Holy Freeze, or Decrepify will be absolutely priceless to any Assassin.

Tip:
Assassins use their BOOTS not their weapons to calculate kick damage. This makes getting a pair of good elite boots critical for end-game and PvP.


Primary Gear Recommendations:

Build Armor Helm Weapon Shield
Trapper Enigma Runeword Cunning Circlet of the Magus Cunning Claw of Quickness Cunning Claw of Quickness
Phoenix Striker Chains of Honor Nightwing's Veil Bartuc's Cut-Throat Bartuc's Cut-Throat
Kicker Fortitude Runeword Andarial's Visage Upgraded Gore Riders Spirit Runeword
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