Curse

Snowman · May 01, 2006, 01:16 AM // 01:16

So what makes a good Assassin?

Ive played this proffesion alot now and notice other Assassins dying alot!..and generally not being very good.. so I think there are some basics things Assassins should keep in mind to be a GOOD Assassin! :-

~ STAY ALIVE!!! - This is the most important thing to keep in mind, do not throw your life away!

~ WAIT! - Unless its part of a plan or strategy, wait for your team to attack first! dont attract aggro!.. remember, your an assasin!.. NOT a warrior! you MUST stay alive!

~ Get IN / Get OUT! - Once release your first volley of attacks .. DONT Hang about! get out quickly, no matter what happened.. start thinking about protecting yourself immediatly. Your easy pickings and the enemy knows it well!

~ Recharge, Recover, Re-attack - Self explanitory but it is so important that when you re-attack you have ALL of your health and ALL of your energy and NO aggro.

I've seen so many assassins playing like warriors and just suiciding themselves its unreal!.. there is no need for it, you will benefit your team 100% more if you just simply DONT DIE xD

While the skills, combinations and armors you chose are indeed imporartant, how you act during battle is even more important!

Any other suggestions or tips on how to be a GOOD Assassin ?

Carth` · May 01, 2006, 01:29 AM // 01:29

So true. I played as an assassin five levels below all the other characters in my team (3 of which were also assassins) and I was frequently the only person to survive.

You are an assassin, so choose a target and assassinate it, then get back out. Let your team attack first, and then your job is to run in or shadow step in, carve someone up and add a load of conditions (I nearly always kill them), but once you have unleashed your attacks, whether you killed your target or not, get out again and regen.

I love it, because I eleminate key enemies (such as the spellcasters at the back). And when the warriors and other characters are finished hacking away at another enemy, they find I've assassinated the rest already

I've seen a lot of people saying the assassin sucks as well, clearly they are just people who haven't adapted. The assassin is a bad tank, and shouldn't be used as one.

thunderpower · May 01, 2006, 01:45 AM // 01:45

Umm...

If you have problems staying alive (pve) you should bring some skills that help you do just that. Teleport to random locations, be able to block if health is below xx% etc.

With my assasin i rely on dagger mastery, some points in critical hit and also shadow arts. For energy managment i use Golden Lotus Strike beside the energy i gain from critical hits.

Also i make sure i have my combos right. Because the power of assasin relies in the combos. So make sure you always have skills at hand to make your combos. Dont take skills that cost either 2 much or have high recharge time. Or at least dont fill up you bar with only that type of skills.

My bar usually goes like
defense or self heal, 2 lead attacks, 2 offhand attacks, 2 dual attacks, 3rd dual or capture signet.

Usually i dont carry more than two 10 energy cost attack skills. Even with 2 I start having problems in intense fights. So 5 energy cost attack skills for me.

What i found out is that you can't realy rely on secondary prof skills with assasin. Meaning you can take 1 max 2 skills from sec profesion without being a screwed up, 1 combo line fighter. Cuz let's face it
No lead attack = no combo
No dual attack = no combo, lead tends to do little damage afterall
No offhand attack = no combo, duals make the most damage so what use of lead + offhand?

All in all being a decent assasin for me equals:
1) Be able to make 2 combos without pause or waiting for energy/recharge
2) Make a 3rdr combo in less than 15 seconds after i used both of my first combos.
3) Be able to evade, block, self hael if necessary.
4) Have some basic energy mangment beside the basic builtin stuff.
5) In PvE with henchies search out and kill the apropriate target.

Anyway, I`m still learning/testing. But till now the abowe worked fine for me.

P.S. c'mon peeps, i`m in Harvest temple and almost no activity. Get here so i can make some PUG's with you

Oh, i got trough most of the missions with henchies and to make them take out the aproriate target i had to at least normal attack them. Not much back-out/regen tactics available.

Konrow · May 01, 2006, 01:53 AM // 01:53

yep only guerilla tactics will keep an assassin alive. I've been playign like you've said since the beggining and its a new play style that takes getting used to after playing a warrior, but once you master it its really fun and it works well.

PS: I wish there was a good abbreviation for assassin. the only one i can think of is ass but that jsut sounds weird. "GLF one more ass"

Carth` · May 01, 2006, 01:58 AM // 01:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Konrow

"GLF one more ass"

lol

I don't think you'll see that anyway with the over-abundance of assassins right now

Vargs · May 01, 2006, 02:14 AM // 02:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Konrow

PS: I wish there was a good abbreviation for assassin. the only one i can think of is ass but that jsut sounds weird. "GLF one more ass"

Generally in games that have assassins, I use "assn". Better, but not by a lot.

K.Ichigo · May 01, 2006, 02:19 AM // 02:19

"sin"?

Ristaron · May 01, 2006, 02:22 AM // 02:22

Assassin player + henchies = new swear words

It is the most frustrating thing in the world to have to be the one to attract aggro of a huge mass of monsters, all because assassins are like mesmers; they are only really effective against one enemy at a time.

As you can assume, I regret having made an assassin as my first Factions character.

But, I'm used to playing casters, so maybe it's just my view.

A lot of the assassins really don't know what they're doing. One of my teams in the monastery arena earlier today was me (a fire ele) and three assassins. First thing they did when the gate opened was find a warrior to 1 on 1 with.
Naturally, one of them got their ass kicked and I got their killer... another assassin to compliment the one already attacking me.
Had they been warriors I may have turned and ran, but these guys were utterly clueless. Needless to say, I singlehandedly wiped out half their team with a FIRE ele (and a nicely timed 4-earth magic Ward vs Melee).

Moral of the story: don't mess with Risty?

Engel the Fallen · May 01, 2006, 02:26 AM // 02:26

I found there was only one mission in the entire game that I found myself saying, man a few assassins would really help me greatly here, and that was the last one. Get 4 assassins two warmos and healers and you are good to. Everywhere else I see them just get slaughtered. Hell I can cast word of healing on them for mild damage, then before I can even cast an infuse they are dead in alot of areas.

I am shocked that in all the times I see assassins in groups I have yet to see one using shadow skills to do hit and run. I think it would be obvious to all that is how to play them, but most seem to think they are uber tanks.

Edge Martinez · May 01, 2006, 02:35 AM // 02:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ristaron

Assassin player + henchies = new swear words

Oh, this frustrated me as well since all I played was casters. I only started a ranger about 3 months ago and it solved this henchie problem for my casters. You can pick up a non max Storm Bow for like 100g or less. It has outstanding range; this is why you want it. You can get that first hit in and still be well out of range as your wall of henchies run past you. Then just switch back to your staff or rod and play battle commander.

twicky_kid · May 01, 2006, 02:44 AM // 02:44

Sin or Zin for short

I just don't like them. Their bar is too crowded for them to be affect Imo.

Talking pvp applications here:

A zin can go in and kill a target very quickly but will most likely die trying to escape or even get to the target. What are you doing in the mean time? While you wait for a good time to kill a target your bar is so full of junk to kill the target and keep you alive you have nothing to use in the down time. I can do that with 2 skills as a war, apply pressure, keep casters moving, and stay alive doing it.

In pvp they are good for ganking NPCs because they don't run. Other than they are junk in pvp. Don't take them into tombs. There is no where to run away to so they will die immediately.

pork soldier · May 01, 2006, 02:47 AM // 02:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowman

~ STAY ALIVE!!! - This is the most important thing to keep in mind, do not throw your life away!

Yeah, like this?

Nevin · May 01, 2006, 04:09 AM // 04:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Konrow

yep only guerilla tactics will keep an assassin alive. I've been playign like you've said since the beggining and its a new play style that takes getting used to after playing a warrior, but once you master it its really fun and it works well.

PS: I wish there was a good abbreviation for assassin. the only one i can think of is ass but that jsut sounds weird. "GLF one more ass"

GLF one more sin

ManadartheHealer · May 01, 2006, 04:34 AM // 04:34

The problem with assassins is simply the mass quantity. At first, people think they are warriors; but they are not. They wear paper thin armor, and can't tank for crap. But the problem is that for every 15 assassins, there is 1 warrior. You can't engage in "guerilla warfare" when the only melee attackers on your team are assassins. And then, 13 out of every 15 are complete noobs who only picked the assassin because it "was way cooler than anything else". They need extra heals, but since there are no monks, they don't receive them. So we end up with half the party dead, and the other half vow never to have another assassin in their group.

I never thought I'd say this, but I miss good 'ole Wammos. Because even though they charge in, at least they don't teleport across the map.

LaserLight · May 01, 2006, 08:31 AM // 08:31

Anyone using Death's Charge, alone, without a return trip teleport, is a complete idiot. A sure sign of an inexperienced Assassin is that the dude uses Death's Charge, unloads, and sticks around afterwards or tries to run back manually. Teleportation is not a one-skill business, people - the ideal is a get-in teleport, a get-out teleport, and the defensive random teleport. Three skills, for mobility control. Even then, your teleportation is sharply limited by the asshole recharge on Death's Charge.

Teleportation is an offensive tool to the noobish Sin, a defensive tool to intermediate Sins, and a surgical movement tool to the masters I have yet to see. Most of today's idiots play Assassins like teleporting Whammos - poof in, start slashing. They get their Death's Charge and go to town, town kicks them in the face, and they die. Me, I've got too little room in my bar for a full teleport battery, and so I forego everything but Viper's Defense. I follow my allies into battle (have even gotten good at getting the lousy henchmen to go first) and strike at the weak points in an engagement, and I live a lot longer than usual.

I suppose the point of all that long-winded typing is this: teleportation is like energy denial. Any idiot can carry Surge and Burn and call himself a denial Mesmer, but only people with brains and practice are any good at it. Same with teleportation - any idiot can bring DC and zap around, but he's not a accomplished teleporter without puting a lot of thought, energy, and effort into getting the most out of his poofs.

Snowman · May 01, 2006, 09:57 AM // 09:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaserLight

Anyone using Death's Charge, alone, without a return trip teleport, is a complete idiot. A sure sign of an inexperienced Assassin is that the dude uses Death's Charge, unloads, and sticks around afterwards or tries to run back manually.

I agree with what your saying, but porting back isnt the only option,

IF.. I death charge, and thats a BIG IF!.. first wait until the team has the aggro, then after porting in and unloading, use Shadow Refuge, Dark Escape, or even the sasin elite 'Shadow Form'..

OMG, How good is shadow form!... Every Assasin must try this

MysticPain · May 01, 2006, 10:40 AM // 10:40

In many games, "sin" is the short name for assassin. In Diablo 2, "azn" is the short name for assassin. Unfortunately that's also the shortened term for Asian. @_@

Miakoda · May 01, 2006, 10:49 AM // 10:49

Absolutely this should all be pretty obvious to even the completely green player.

Sad to see so many using them like warriors and then complain how crappy they are ingame and on the forums.

I have so far done every single mission and sub quest exclusively with henchies, using a bow to send them in allowing you to assess the situation and control when you switch and join in, unleash your short combo, return to rit or monk, heal up if needed, switch to bow pick next target..

d3kst3r · May 01, 2006, 10:54 AM // 10:54

rank 6 ass LF balanced... lol

Back on topic though, the assassin's armour is similar to mesmer armor in that it's close to none-existant. I find that if I treat playing an assassin like playing an IW mesmer it's easy to adjust to this new play style.

You go in when nobody is watching and kill your target then get the hell out. When enemies have targeted you, use Shadow Arts to keep evading them until they give up. Heck, even using the assassin to simply kite multiple foes is useful since it keeps those foes busy so your team can focus on other things.

MysticPain · May 01, 2006, 11:05 AM // 11:05

New addition to this thread!

~Work together with another assassin! 1 assassin can not always take out the mark, but two assassins working together quickly eliminate the targets they're locked to. I work together with another assassin who uses Death's Charge (sadly I don't have room for it anymore), followed by me slipping past the fight to get to his target, and as we take it out, we both smash Return on our monk and heal up. Repeat.