Curse

Harorider739 · Dec 15, 2007, 01:41 AM // 01:41

Alright so I am still fairly new to the assassin despite the fact mine is level 20 I have been switching back and forth with him as well, obviously when I began I was very reliant on Critical Strikes because at a low level a sin with high Critical Strikes and [card]Unsuspecting Strike[/card] can kill most things in one hit, but once I got to Zen Daijun I realized this wasn't going to work anymore so I decided to redo myself, and I had a Necro secondary, so I thought I would make him somewhat of an MM (I know this was very stupid) this lasted for a very short time though, realizing that minions would take most of my energy and by the time it recharged my minions would die and I wanted to use them to take damage as I would go unnoticed and spike the monsters. I didn't even get past the mission before scrapping this and going for a build I had for a bit longer, I had simply used curses to begin eating down there health and I would use [card]Black Mantis Thrust[/card] to cripple them and keep them from running usually, even though they are AI and would not run, and I have +15% to hexed foes on my Dragon Scythes and besides that they were perfect so I thought I would make the most of that, but I used this for only Zen Daijun because I died quite often without any self heal skills, with most of my bar being filled by curses so now I have come up with this build, still utilizing my +15% to hexed in a very slight way

Dagger Mastery: 16 (Sup+Hat)
Shadow Arts: 10 (Minor Rune)
Critical Strikes: 11 (Major Rune)
Then Survivors on all and Sup Vigor and Vitae on last two pieces
20/20 Sundering Dragon Scythes of Fortitude (+30) (+15% against hexed foes)

[card]Flashing Blades[/card][card]Golden Lotus Strike[/card][card]Repeating Strike[/card][card]Fox Fangs[/card][card]Death Blossom[/card][card]Critical Eye[/card][card]Mark Of Instability[/card][card]Shadow Refuge[/card] OR[card]Way Of Perfection[/card]

I think that Shadow Refuge would work better personally because then if I'm taking a hex or something I can help myself to stay alive where as way of perfection I have to keep fighting, Thanks for everyones opinions :], Also I don't have all of these runes yet, just to add (I dunno why)

Terraban · Dec 15, 2007, 01:48 AM // 01:48

Drop the sundering on the daggers....

MercenaryK · Dec 15, 2007, 02:47 AM // 02:47

I'm going to assume you only have Factions judging on the skills you have listed....

Honestly Unsuspecting Strike does a huge chunk of damage regardless; typically in PvE you can Control+Shift+Space (??) to have your henchmen/heroes go after a target; once they get attention you can charge in on a separate, more soft/crucial target, and get the bonus damage on Unsuspecting Strike.

I'd bring back Unsuspecting Strike, or bring in Golden Phoenix Strike when using Way of Perfection. Keep Shadow Refuge for those moments where you want extra healing to ease the attention of your AI monk.

Try

Golden Phoenix Strike
Twisting Fangs / Critical Strike
Falling Spider Strike
Blades of Steel

Or

Unsuspecting Strike
Wild Strike
Any dual attack pretty much

Keep your elite for now until you find some thing better
Use Critical Eye as it's useful if you have a chain that has a reletively short recharge or you insist on using Repeating Strike.
Drop Mark of Instability unless you plan on using Falling Spider Strike, otherwise it's useless.

The damage from your +15% vs Hexed Foes mod on daggers applies only to base damage, and daggers have very small base damage, so even if you don't fulfill that requirement by bringing Hexes, you're not losing much damage AT ALL. So don't worry about that. BUT if you really want as much damage as possible, bring a cheap Necro hex like Parasitic Bond; the degen is nothing, the heal is mediocre if that, but it's a hex to fulfill requirements, that's all.

If you can, replace the Sundering on the daggers like the above poster. Daggers don't do much base damage, which is what Sundering does (in a cheap explanation overall based on target armor). Try to go for either increasing a condition length mod, vampiric, zealous, or maybe an elemental mod.

Drop the Major rune in Critical Strikes; recognize your break points for energy gain per critical hit: 1e at ranks 1-7, 2e at 8 (BREAK POINT) - 12, 3e at 13+
So drop it down to 8, unless you want to drop Shadow Arts to bring Critical Strikes up to 13. Your call. The skills for Shadow Arts aren't life savers, they slow down the inevitable; Your monk will save you from death. Merely you want to make their job easier by not dying right away.

BlackSephir · Dec 15, 2007, 01:00 PM // 13:00

'No' to Flashing Blades

Tyla · Dec 15, 2007, 01:44 PM // 13:44

i would only use minor runes, -health is the least you need on a 'sin.
flashing blades is bad, it's best using critical defense if you want to go 75% block, and there's moebius strike which is one of the best skills for sin there is
fox fangs isnt good, but wild strike is just brill'.MoI is only good for pvp.
and you are best using a more...spammable lead for pve since mobs die easy

Clarissa F · Dec 15, 2007, 01:57 PM // 13:57

Flashing Blades is ok until he gets a better elite. If he has only Factions, he can't get Critical Agility, which is what makes Flashing Blades moot. Blades is nice for that durability factor, at least until you learn the magic of speed skills and kiting.

Once you get Moebius, most other elites become dead. It gives you the most options for different situations, and is unconditional(unless you count following a dual attack a condition).

As for Golden Lotus, that recharge kills you, and if you have critical eye, your e-management shouldn't be an issue. Repeating strike will stink with anti-melee(see rangers/mesmers) and become a black hole on your bar.

Yeah, get a pair of zealous/vampiric blades and learn to switch them out. Condition blades(deep wound/bleeding/poison) would be better on a sin than sundering. 100% chance condition/degen is always better than 20% chance.

Diddy bow · Dec 16, 2007, 03:04 AM // 03:04

Flashing blades his its good points, with agility you need to be hitting all the time and adapt your build to it, flashing can be thrown on anything.

BUT i wouldnt recommend it later in the game, using your elite on a defence skill will impact your attack to much and on a sin attack>defence. I know that and palm stike and sepping wound are the only elites you can get untill you leave kaining and they suck so stick with flashing for now. You can get assassins promise soon though which is pretty good

.

Take shodow refuge instead of wop, unless you build your build around wop where it really shines (like critcal defences). Mark of instability is a waste on that build, ditch it, it take horns of the ox if you want a knockdown. Better take out golden lotus to if your going for shadow refuge, replace it with somthing with a similar recharge to the rest of your chain, unsuspecting if you can afford it, golden fox strike if you have NF and jagged if there is nothing else. Fox fangs should be replaced by the far superior wild strike. Critical eye aint to great, but its fine for kepping your energy bar up if you have the free slot.

Use your elites as you cap them, mobious is about the best you can get pve wise. Since your starting off though take a fast recharging combo like

Unsuspecting Strike
Wild srike
Death blossom

And your set

. Flashing blades will fit fine in there, as will most other elites you get as you go, if you get Way of the empty palm take repeating strike, till you get mobious, when you get it, chain it with death blossom and GG you win pve.

Dont worry too much about runes till you get some armor you want to stick with, just keep your hp over 500.

Ashe. · Dec 16, 2007, 07:53 AM // 07:53

Flashing Blades is pretty much a terrible skill. I suggest just using Moebius like everyone else.

Epic Monkey Battle · Dec 17, 2007, 04:47 AM // 04:47

Moebius is the way to go IMO, Aura of Displacement can be fun to. For PvE generally short spammable combos are the way to go, you aren't much help to a team if you can only spike a guy down every 20-25 seconds... in PvE the mob should be dead by then.