New to the game, Assassin.

[rclexpedient]

<p>Hey all,</p><p>Pardon the newbie-ishness in advance. I have read some topics in this forum as well as the "Newbie Yard", and I'm trying to get a feel for the Assassin class in general. I have an Illusionist as well, but I really enjoy the sneak-stab nature of this class, and am probably going to stick with it.</p><p> My questions in specific:</p><p>It seems like str is one of the main attributes for the Assassin (I gather it used to be agi but has since changed?) </p><p>Right now I'm at 31 str, 70 agi, 21 stam, 38 int, 26 wis ... and I solo relatively well, except often times packs are a bit difficult since the majority of my 'big hits' are from stealth. Should I be gearing up for more str, or does it really matter at this point in the game for me (Level 18.. ) I guess I ask because I'm dirt poor, and I've been too lazy to take up a tradeskill yet. If it's worth it, maybe I'll look at a crafting profession where I can hand craft my own stuff (worth it? thoughts?)</p><p>Poisons seem pretty big for our class, which I understand. Usually always when I am out in combat I  have some sort of poison applied. I seem to have read that +int makes them more effective? Is there a formula in general for this to follow, or did I somehow misinterpret that?</p><p>Lastly, for this even a link would work - I'm familiar with talent trees from a previous MMO that I played, and I keep reading about AAs. Is there a quick guide to Assassin AAs (and how to use them) somewhere handy? Most of what I'm reading is just general information that assumes a certain amount of familiarity, of which I really, honestly have none. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Thanks in advance.</p><p>Edited for some clarity.</p>

[Dasto]

<cite>rclexpedient wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Hey all,</p><p>Pardon the newbie-ishness in advance. I have read some topics in this forum as well as the "Newbie Yard", and I'm trying to get a feel for the Assassin class in general. I have an Illusionist as well, but I really enjoy the sneak-stab nature of this class, and am probably going to stick with it.</p><p> My questions in specific:</p><p>It seems like str is one of the main attributes for the Assassin (I gather it used to be agi but has since changed?) </p><p>Right now I'm at 31 str, 70 agi, 21 stam, 38 int, 26 wis ... and I solo relatively well, except often times packs are a bit difficult since the majority of my 'big hits' are from stealth. Should I be gearing up for more str, or does it really matter at this point in the game for me (Level 18.. ) I guess I ask because I'm dirt poor, and I've been too lazy to take up a tradeskill yet. If it's worth it, maybe I'll look at a crafting profession where I can hand craft my own stuff (worth it? thoughts?)</p><p>Poisons seem pretty big for our class, which I understand. Usually always when I am out in combat I  have some sort of poison applied. I seem to have read that +int makes them more effective? Is there a formula in general for this to follow, or did I somehow misinterpret that?</p><p>Lastly, for this even a link would work - I'm familiar with talent trees from a previous MMO that I played, and I keep reading about AAs. Is there a quick guide to Assassin AAs (and how to use them) somewhere handy? Most of what I'm reading is just general information that assumes a certain amount of familiarity, of which I really, honestly have none. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Thanks in advance.</p><p>Edited for some clarity.</p></blockquote><p>As an Assassin I would say STR is most important, followed by Int.</p><p>Int cause of your poison use.</p><p>As far as tradeskills go.  Just depends if that is something you think you might enjoy doing.  To be honest, the money in tradeskills is the harvesting of rares used in tradeskills not the tradeskill itself.  For example, if you want to buy an Adept 3 and if you figure out the price for the rare and the fuel it cost to make it, there will not be allot of difference, in that price and the price of the Adept 3.  Poison you buy off the broker are around the cost of the fuel it takes to produce the poison. I am a level 70 chemist and really never made a dime off "being a chemist" however you can make allot if you get lucky and harvest rares. If I had to do it all over again, I would not waste the hours on tradeskill but would work my mining and gathering, roots and rocks up and do that on my spare time to get the rares. If I spent the time harvesting that I spent working chemistry I would have allot more money then I do.  Almost every guild as a 70 something in a tradeskill so for some reason you don't find it on broker you can find someone to make it for you.</p><p>You earn AA by killing named and doing quest and finding rare drops and discovering new lands.  AA from KOS are pretty straight forward ...go down the  Str line, when your done go down the int line, you can read the many AA posts on this board.  Most AA are passive, meaning they just add to you, you don't have to do anything some give you an extra CA.  There is a sticky on top of this forum that lists all the KoS AA.  For some reason the EoF ones are not there, maybe cause they sux. </p><p>There are 3 poisons you use, red, blue and purple, the poisons of the same color don't stack.  </p><p>As a side note, you have low DPS at your level compared to say a Wizard.  I remember working hard to kill a solo mob and a wiz of the same level coming by and one shoting it dead.  When you hear talk of "class balancing" on this board that is for a level 70 raid toon for the most case.  I found for the mostly there is no class balancing pre level 70.  I find pre 70 Assassin is on the weaker side of the tracks, when they hit 70 though they do play much better.  </p>

[rclexpedient]

<p>Thanks for the info. Most helpful.</p><p>Another question - although this is probably a matter of preference for the most part. When most Assassins engage an enemy in combat, do you guys prefer to debuff first w/torture, etc... (I notice I have a lot of abilities that do instant then DoT damage), or debuff after the initial burst?</p><p>I guess this all might depend on the type of opponent, but any feedback the veterans could provide is appreciated. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Dasto]

<p>when I first enter combat I try to be in stealth get behind and get off a big hit, then hit the attack that puts you back in stealth and get off another big hit, then go though the damage over time and debuff stuff, until the stealth attack is up again and they try to get the big hits in again.</p><p>I think that is pretty straight forward, get the big hits in first, without getting argo.  </p>

[Lord Montague]

<cite>Dastone wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>when I first enter combat I try to be in stealth get behind and get off a big hit, then hit the attack that puts you back in stealth and get off another big hit, then go though the damage over time and debuff stuff, until the stealth attack is up again and they try to get the big hits in again.</p><p>I think that is pretty straight forward, get the big hits in first, without getting argo.  </p></blockquote><p> That's usually what I don't do - that strategy often gets me aggro.  The very first thing I try to do is land debuffs and DoTs before getting to work on taking the mob down with heavy attacks.  The debuffs will help the tank etablish aggro a bit better and when your attacks and poisons start landing they will do more.</p><p>EDIT:  Well, giving it a bit more thought, encounters of multiple mobs that die fast is a different matter - those I will hit the bigger attacks sooner because everything is going to die fast anyway.</p>

[Dasto]

Zendraxis@Antonia Bayle wrote: <blockquote><cite>Dastone wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>when I first enter combat I try to be in stealth get behind and get off a big hit, then hit the attack that puts you back in stealth and get off another big hit, then go though the damage over time and debuff stuff, until the stealth attack is up again and they try to get the big hits in again.</p><p>I think that is pretty straight forward, get the big hits in first, without getting argo.  </p></blockquote> That's usually what I don't do - that strategy often gets me aggro.  The very first thing I try to do is land debuffs and DoTs before getting to work on taking the mob down with heavy attacks.  The debuffs will help the tank etablish aggro a bit better and when your attacks and poisons start landing they will do more.</blockquote><p>interesting are you level 70? I never get argo with this technique unless I start off with decap.  I use ignorant bliss, and adept 3 hate buff and I am GTG, if I did grab argo, after the 2 big hits,(or the use of decap) I would stun, hit elude and then servellince, if the tank taunted at all the mob will be turned again and I would be in stealth for another back shot.</p><p>With mobs dying so fast in group encounters you are giving up allot of dps, not that it matters so much, other then bragging rights if someone is running a parse.  </p>

[Lord Montague]

<cite>Dastone wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>interesting are you level 70? I never get argo with this technique unless I start off with decap.  I use ignorant bliss, and adept 3 hate buff and I am GTG, if I did grab argo, after the 2 big hits,(or the use of decap) I would stun, hit elude and then servellince, if the tank taunted at all the mob will be turned again and I would be in stealth for another back shot.</p><p>With mobs dying so fast in group encounters you are giving up allot of dps, not that it matters so much, other then bragging rights if someone is running a parse.  </p></blockquote> You might want to note that I did make an addendum to my comment.  And like most strategies it is situational.  Yes, I'm 70 and I do use a lot of the same tools you do.  I always start slow on the harder fights - it just seems like common sense to me and having a 70 tank I've got a perspective on both sides here as I've usually seen the worst things happen in the first 10 seconds of a fight.

[rclexpedient]

<p>So the idea is not to get squished...</p><p>Kinda how I figured. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Anyway, for the most part I will probably be soloing. Amazingly I haven't really interacted with anyone yet... but then, haven't had much of a need to. I played a Rogue class in "another MMO" and am familiar with the concept of threat, hate, aggro, etc... it'll just be a matter of gauging limits for me and learning the right/wrong ways to shed in this game, I hope!</p><p>I suppose I was more trying to decide if I was going to lose a significant amount of damage by NOT debuffing during solo questing, etc. It didn't seem like it, so I wasn't bothering to do so until after I had bursted them down a bit, and the DoTs were ticking away. For the sake of not driving my future tanks insane, that'll probably require some trial and error... but I suppose if it were in question at all I'd debuff first just so I didn't lose my face.</p>

[ChildofHate]

<cite>rclexpedient wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Thanks for the info. Most helpful.</p><p>Another question - although this is probably a matter of preference for the most part. When most Assassins engage an enemy in combat, do you guys prefer to debuff first w/torture, etc... (I notice I have a lot of abilities that do instant then DoT damage), or debuff after the initial burst?</p><p>I guess this all might depend on the type of opponent, but any feedback the veterans could provide is appreciated. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p></blockquote><p> Engagement tactics depend on if you refer to playing solo or grouped as well.  Your question doesn't specify so the assumption (as you can see by the responses) is that you are grouped.</p>

[rclexpedient]

<cite>ChildofHate wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>rclexpedient wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Thanks for the info. Most helpful.</p><p>Another question - although this is probably a matter of preference for the most part. When most Assassins engage an enemy in combat, do you guys prefer to debuff first w/torture, etc... (I notice I have a lot of abilities that do instant then DoT damage), or debuff after the initial burst?</p><p>I guess this all might depend on the type of opponent, but any feedback the veterans could provide is appreciated. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p></blockquote><p> Engagement tactics depend on if you refer to playing solo or grouped as well.  Your question doesn't specify so the assumption (as you can see by the responses) is that you are grouped.</p></blockquote><p>Yep.</p><p>I should have specified. I was referring to solo play, and dispatching as efficiently as possible. </p>