Curse

Bloodied Blade · Sep 11, 2006, 06:55 PM // 18:55

PvE secondaries for sin:

Monk- HARD RES, specifically Rebirth (res from range, res ally out of aggro. People say you lose all energy on use so it's a bad skill, but you shouldn't be ressing in combat unless it's with a res sig anyway.)

Necro- Primarily for Plague Touch (condition removal). You could also get away with something like Barbs for added melee damage or maybe a Well spell (something I'll go a tad more in-depth into for pvp).

Mesmer- I guess for PvE I would use it for Distortion so that I would have something to use if I had to defend against a ranged attacker or other that did enough damage that it would kill me before I could kill it. Could also be used for energy gaining (inspiration) and interrupts (domination/inspiration).

Ritualist- Probably Brutal Weapon mainly, Flesh of my Flesh is another decent res that is easily re-usable (don't need Lively Was Naomei, you're not in a HoH EoE bomb).

Warrior- Stances/Shouts to help your defense. Make sure that you only use these for defense *IN COMBAT* or when you really need them, don't go A/W and try to be a tank.

Ranger- Pets are always interesting and can be used to aid in the DPS department if needed or even for tanking purposes in order to keep aggro off of the Assassin.

Elementalist- Maybe a Conjure skill to increase your dps against select targets or the occassional AoE for a wide-area dps increase.

For PvP purposes:

Ranger- The most that I could see anyone making great use of from a Ranger secondary in PvP is probably Dust/Barbed Trap for choke points in HoH/GvG (and even then, rarely to the point where they would give you more than 10 seconds of extra time), and using Beast Mastery for Ferocious Strike {e} or Disrupting Lunge. There are definitely a few other skills that could be employed from the ranger line, but they are few and far between.

Necro- Primarily Plague Touch for much-needed condition removal (in GvG you won't always have your monk within range, and with condition removal you can hunt down npc's), or even corpse control. As for Wells, the primary use of them for PvP would be Well of the Profane. That will let you take all enchantments off of opponents that pass through it (which will utterly own dervishes when Nightfall comes out).

Warrior- Maybe Wild Blow and "Shield's Up" for stance removal and a way to easily counter a Ranger Spike.

Ritualist- I would lean towards the more subtle spirits here, like Disenchant and Life to support your team through pressuring opposing monks and providing the occassional unexpected spike of healing (if you take Life I would reccomend also having a means to destroy the spirit with).

Mesmer- Epidemic for multiplying conditions and making it that much harder for the opposing monk to keep up with the pressure, and maybe Fragility for extra spiking ability. As stated in PvE, distortion is great for avoiding damage (you only need 3pts in illusion for it to only deduct 3 energy per dodge) from spiking, things like IWAY, and lowering pressure on your monk's energy or your own hp. Also, never forget the wonderful Blackout.

Monk- I would use this with an AoD build for Contemplation of Purity. You pop CoP and it removes AoD, teleporting you to safety and instantly cures you of 1 hex, 1 condition, and gives you ~20pts of healing.

Elementalist- For team support in GvG, maybe Ward Against Melee. Water Magic slows such as Shard Storm are also viable in pvp as they can slow down your target to make it easier for you to catch up and finish them off. Also, Star Burst {e} is an easily viable skill to add spike dps. I've used Star Burst in many different builds and have found that it's one of those skills that's just perfect for pushing a pressured monk over the edge for the kill.

For PvE, my personal preferences are /monk and /necro, for the above reasons. For PvP, I prefer /elly, /monk, /necro, and /mesmer for the above reasons.

Good Luck and Happy Assassinating.

-Blade

Saider maul · Sep 17, 2006, 05:06 PM // 17:06

I have to say The A/Mo life sheath was a good way to manage dmg spikes but with the new updates, utilizing critical strikes for energy to fuel healing has layed lifesheath to rest. I currently run this build switching dash and shadow of haste in and out for application. I prefer not to run critical defense as it is very vulnerable to blind leaving you defenseless.

Chreiz · Sep 17, 2006, 06:49 PM // 18:49

I lik the A/N most, because of Plague Touch.

Shadowfox1125 · Sep 17, 2006, 07:15 PM // 19:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by SAPhoenix

With Life Siphon, Well of Blood and Plague Touch on an assassin, you address all of the PvE shortcomings the class currently has, i.e. survivability, team support, condition removal, etc. Many other classes make use of secondaries to get through certain quests, missions, etc. Why dont you go tell them to stick to their primaries.

SAPhoenix, do you really think you can pull that off? Life Siphon = 10 energy, WoB = 15, Plague = 5. Plus, assassin attack combos rely heavily on energy. I believe that's one aspect of what Skuld's trying to say. Go blood necro if you want to use those skills. Beginner assassins already have a hard time with energy. Add those 3 skills, which sum to 30 energy. I don't think this will work well.

tuperwho · Sep 17, 2006, 07:15 PM // 19:15

I usually stick to all assassin skills, but have had a lot of fun at times using weaken armor and spinal shivers on my A/N.

TaiClaw · Sep 17, 2006, 11:30 PM // 23:30

I usually have 15 in Dagger Mastery 13 in Critical and then switch the rest around to whatever, sometimes Deadly to beef up Siphon Speed if I am in that kind of mood.

Although I never really found secondaries to be much help, apart from of course CoP , Healing Breeze etc. Nothing else was really viable, or at best was situational.

However I think having situational skills in pvp isnt the best idea, I just have a combo some defense (Critcal Defenses) and Healing. This way im decent in all aspects of the unpredictabilty that is pvp.

In pve tho, secondaries help, tho it really is a matter of testing it out for yourself, as we can say, yes do this , this and this, yet it just may not fall into your play style.

My advice, get a rough idea for a build, and go test it in Isle of the Nameless. Refine it, take as long as you need, then go trial it in pve/pvp. Test it again.

I have chosen a new path with my pvp build, I have gone from spiking to completely shutting down an enemy , rendering them useless.

Interrupting Strike
Temple Strike
Exhausting Assault
Jagged Strike
Wild Strike
Deaths Charge
Shadow Refuge
Dash

Full Shrouded Obsidian Armour & +5 Energy Zelous Dragon Scythes of Fortitude. Total of 450 Health +37 Energy.

Works a Treat!

SAPhoenix · Sep 18, 2006, 08:39 AM // 08:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadowfox1125

SAPhoenix, do you really think you can pull that off? Life Siphon = 10 energy, WoB = 15, Plague = 5. Plus, assassin attack combos rely heavily on energy. I believe that's one aspect of what Skuld's trying to say. Go blood necro if you want to use those skills. Beginner assassins already have a hard time with energy. Add those 3 skills, which sum to 30 energy. I don't think this will work well.

In all due respect, if I hadn't personally tested it, I would never even have posted it, not so? The answer to your question is a resounding YES.

I use Black Lotus Strike as my "lead" attack. Now that the recharge on it has been reduced to 20 secs, its even better to use now. And THAT is how I manage my energy. Besides, Well of Blood isn't just going to be spammed every 5 secs, only when its needed. And no, I don't use a staff, which is probably the impression you (and Skuld) got. If I was using a staff, then I could understand why a Blood Necro would be a better option. I use this all the time, never ran into any energy problems so far. Here is the full combo:

Black Lotus Strike, Twisting Fangs, Palm Strike

The reason why you don't think it will work well is because I never listed Black Lotus previously. I suppose this might change your opinion. If not, no biggie, to each his own.

PS: If that's what Skuld was trying to say, then that's what he should have said, instead of wasting his time. No need to defend his opinion, let him do it himself.

It's usually better to test something first instead of making assumptions about something just because it doesn't "seem" possible. My advice to you is to test it first, so that you can eliminate the "I don't think" assumptions you might have, and then, by all means, state your opinion afterwards.

Nevin · Sep 18, 2006, 11:03 AM // 11:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yanman.be

Way2go to double post.
Way2go to scare off a new guy like that Demesis.

I'd go A/Rt, because it allows you to take flesh of my flesh, a re-useable res.

If you go A/Mo, it makes you look like a noob, and you will probably end up like one. ( using mending, live vicarously, vig spirit and other consorts )

Whats wrong with Vig Spirit

SAPhoenix · Sep 18, 2006, 01:26 PM // 13:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloodied Blade

As for Wells, the primary use of them for PvP would be Well of the Profane. That will let you take all enchantments off of opponents that pass through it (which will utterly own dervishes when Nightfall comes out).

I think Dervishes would thrive on things like Well of the Profane, as each enchantment removed actually BENEFITS them. Health+Energy per enchant removed. Then all they have to do is back off, re-apply their enchants and do the whole thing again, free heal and energy boost. Dervish players were doing some nasty stuff during the PvP event (CoP spikers), what's to prevent them from running towards you while you think you're safe in your Well of the Profane, all enchants get stripped and you die in the process *lol* Situational, granted, but very, very possible. Dervish skills will obviously be nerfed once Nightfall is finally upon us, but the benefits of Mysticism most definitely will not.