A total Assassin Noob has a few questions on strategies.....

Lonerhor · 07-25-2005, 07:56 AM

I rolled an assassin alt a few weeks ago and I’m doing pretty good but I can’t help but feel that I could be doing better. I’ve read this board (at least the last 8 pages of posts) and I’ve checked out a few other sites but I have yet to find an in-depth FAQ for the class. I’ve found some awesome threads and tidbits of information here and there, but I still have a few questions. If anyone in the assassin community can help I’d greatly appreciate it. Also, if there is a comprehensive FAQ for the class that someone has made and posted please let me know.

Question 1: I read threads where all the high level Assassins are talking about end-game weapons using abbreviations. Sorry to be a total Assassin noob, but can anyone tell me what these abbreviations stand for?

Question 2: Can a few seasoned vets (not just level 50s, but anyone who has used this class as their main for awhile and feel they have experience in this area to offer) tell me their basic combat strategies? For the sake of argument let’s assume character level to be at least level 32 (since numbing strike is the last BASE combat ability gained—from what I can tell at least—not counting Assassinate). If you were (or are) level 32 what would a standard fight against an even con mob look like to you? Would you open with range and then move in for the kill (if so, which ranged attack would you open with)? Would you kite it to death? Would you sneak in and open with one of the stealth attacks (if so which one)? Do any of these strategies change at level 50 when you have access to everything an assassin can do?

Question 3: Same as above but against group mobs? For example, splitpaw’s access quest—when 4 white or yellow con mobs attack you at once). As a general rule, is it wise for assassins to only solo single mobs or can we regularly handle multiple mobs solo?

Question 4: When grouping, is this the time to let the flank attacks fly or do we normally stand back and fill the mob with arrows while our tanks/casters go to work?

Question 5: What is the meaning of “extra attack”? I still haven’t figured this out—some combat abilities say “an extra attack….”---does that mean that they’re just quicker to get off than other attacks?

Question 6: What’s the purpose of having 3 stealths? Is one better than the other for opening an attack?

Ok, thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help me out. My main is a Conjurer (level 50) and it’s the only character I’ve taken past 20 since I’ve been playing until this new assassin I’m working on. I’m having fun so far but admittedly I’ve had the good fortune of getting a few really good group sessions early on which made exping easy. Now that’s not happening so much for me so I’m being forced to learn the solo game for assassins. Thanks again for any advice.

Ahlspiess · 07-25-2005, 01:49 PM

1. What are the abbreviations?

2. My strategy looks liek this.

Solo:

Spitting Viper -> Faltering blast -> Assassin's shot -> Assassin's mark -> Lucky break -> Anethema -> Seeping Wound -> Cheapshot -> (Untoggle Autoattack) Strafe -> Surveil -> Condemning Blade -> Infected Wound -> Lingering blow -> Numbing Strike -> Faltering Blast -> Assassin's Shot etc...

Commentary:

As you can see I start off with ranged attacks. You can generally get a mob down to half HP with a good bow. Then I use debuffs and then I start the melee attacks.

Cheap Shot -> (Untoggle Autoattack) -> strafe -> Surveil -> (Any stealth attack) is your friend just be wary of DoT's that are in effect because they will break the stun.

Cheap Shot -> (Untoggle Autoattack) -> Strafe -> Mask of Night is nice as well and it is faster to complete.

Your HO's are a nice addition to total damage so keep them in mind.

3. Group mobs suck to fight. Choose your fights well.

4. use EVERYTHING you have. Flanking attacks, ranged attacks and HO's. If you are doing all you can you should run out of things to cast. Just watch your mana. :/

5. I don't know I just thought it was text that added flavor to the ability.

6. 1 is a out of 1 second casting time out of combat attack. 1 is a 3 second in combat see invisible stealth. 1 is a De - Aggro Stealth perfect for combo's.

Hope that helps.

Outerspace · 07-25-2005, 02:43 PM

Q1: Here's a few you may have seen. SBD - Serrated Bone Dirk, SSoY - Short Sword of the Ykesha, BR - Bone Razor. Post others and I'm sure people will be able to tell you what they are SMILEY

Q2: As Ahlspiess says. No it doesn't change at level 50. Q3: Kite or die SMILEY

Q4: If you have a good tank, give it everything you've got. Debuff first before you start spamming melee abilities for extra dps. Q5: No idea Q6: Stalk/Shadow/Surveil is a hate lowering stealth which is used in combat and casts fast. You can easily stun the mob, use it and use a stealth attack, or if you're in a group and Exposed attack/Mask of Night is not up you can use it to lower your hate and go into stealth so you can drop a nuke on the mob. The others - one moves faster than the other but both seem equally useless at the moment as most mobs, when reset, see invis now - and once they fix it they will all the time.

SalBlu · 07-25-2005, 05:04 PM

Q1: PGT = Polished Granite Tomahawk (figured i'd add that one since the pgt is a great weapon).

Q4: Situational. In my experience with mobs the same or near the lvl of my Assassin, I find that it is best to be behind the mob at all times in order to take advantage of my high damage positional attacks. Now... just observations from my lvl 50 grouping with Assassins... It depends on the mob. Most of the time, it is best to always take advantage of the positioned attacks. There are however mobs that have some very bad 360 degree AOE attacks, and if the raid is timing things right, the Assassin can make use of his bow skills provided he has arrows that will hit the target. There are ALOT of mobs that are Pierce Immune.

Haeddan · 07-25-2005, 06:34 PM

I don't know if this has been mentioned but I'll say it anyway: If your gonna kite, make sure you turn your auto face off or you will be in a world of hurt at high levels. I forgot to do that once and I died for my mistake. Don't make the same. In a group, don't go all out either. Every 2 or 3 attacks (2 to be safe) hit Surviel (aggro reducing cloak spell line) and then evade. In a group situation aggro management should be at the top of your priority list then followed by damage output. In others words a dead Assassin in the middle of a big fight is worthless, Healers need to save mana for healing their tank. More often than not I'd like to say "don't bother healing me, I deserve the crap beat out of me!" LOL In addition to my post, the other guys in here also stated so very good pointers, follow our advice and you should do very well.

Message Edited by Haeddan on 07-25-2005 07:38 AM

Lonerhor · 07-26-2005, 08:16 AM

A big THANK YOU to everyone who responded. Your tips and tactics I'm sure will be a big help (tonight will be my first time to try all the good advice). Thanks again!

07-25-2005, 02:43 PM	#3
Outerspace Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 214	Q1: Here's a few you may have seen. SBD - Serrated Bone Dirk, SSoY - Short Sword of the Ykesha, BR - Bone Razor. Post others and I'm sure people will be able to tell you what they are Q2: As Ahlspiess says. No it doesn't change at level 50. Q3: Kite or die Q4: If you have a good tank, give it everything you've got. Debuff first before you start spamming melee abilities for extra dps. Q5: No idea Q6: Stalk/Shadow/Surveil is a hate lowering stealth which is used in combat and casts fast. You can easily stun the mob, use it and use a stealth attack, or if you're in a group and Exposed attack/Mask of Night is not up you can use it to lower your hate and go into stealth so you can drop a nuke on the mob. The others - one moves faster than the other but both seem equally useless at the moment as most mobs, when reset, see invis now - and once they fix it they will all the time. __________________ Ingek, Assassin Siris, Coercer Koel, Berserker Splitpaw

07-25-2005, 07:56 AM	#1
Lonerhor Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5	I rolled an assassin alt a few weeks ago and I’m doing pretty good but I can’t help but feel that I could be doing better. I’ve read this board (at least the last 8 pages of posts) and I’ve checked out a few other sites but I have yet to find an in-depth FAQ for the class. I’ve found some awesome threads and tidbits of information here and there, but I still have a few questions. If anyone in the assassin community can help I’d greatly appreciate it. Also, if there is a comprehensive FAQ for the class that someone has made and posted please let me know. Question 1: I read threads where all the high level Assassins are talking about end-game weapons using abbreviations. Sorry to be a total Assassin noob, but can anyone tell me what these abbreviations stand for? Question 2: Can a few seasoned vets (not just level 50s, but anyone who has used this class as their main for awhile and feel they have experience in this area to offer) tell me their basic combat strategies? For the sake of argument let’s assume character level to be at least level 32 (since numbing strike is the last BASE combat ability gained—from what I can tell at least—not counting Assassinate). If you were (or are) level 32 what would a standard fight against an even con mob look like to you? Would you open with range and then move in for the kill (if so, which ranged attack would you open with)? Would you kite it to death? Would you sneak in and open with one of the stealth attacks (if so which one)? Do any of these strategies change at level 50 when you have access to everything an assassin can do? Question 3: Same as above but against group mobs? For example, splitpaw’s access quest—when 4 white or yellow con mobs attack you at once). As a general rule, is it wise for assassins to only solo single mobs or can we regularly handle multiple mobs solo? Question 4: When grouping, is this the time to let the flank attacks fly or do we normally stand back and fill the mob with arrows while our tanks/casters go to work? Question 5: What is the meaning of “extra attack”? I still haven’t figured this out—some combat abilities say “an extra attack….”---does that mean that they’re just quicker to get off than other attacks? Question 6: What’s the purpose of having 3 stealths? Is one better than the other for opening an attack? Ok, thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to help me out. My main is a Conjurer (level 50) and it’s the only character I’ve taken past 20 since I’ve been playing until this new assassin I’m working on. I’m having fun so far but admittedly I’ve had the good fortune of getting a few really good group sessions early on which made exping easy. Now that’s not happening so much for me so I’m being forced to learn the solo game for assassins. Thanks again for any advice.

07-25-2005, 01:49 PM	#2
Ahlspiess Loremaster Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 96	1. What are the abbreviations? 2. My strategy looks liek this. Solo: Spitting Viper -> Faltering blast -> Assassin's shot -> Assassin's mark -> Lucky break -> Anethema -> Seeping Wound -> Cheapshot -> (Untoggle Autoattack) Strafe -> Surveil -> Condemning Blade -> Infected Wound -> Lingering blow -> Numbing Strike -> Faltering Blast -> Assassin's Shot etc... Commentary: As you can see I start off with ranged attacks. You can generally get a mob down to half HP with a good bow. Then I use debuffs and then I start the melee attacks. Cheap Shot -> (Untoggle Autoattack) -> strafe -> Surveil -> (Any stealth attack) is your friend just be wary of DoT's that are in effect because they will break the stun. Cheap Shot -> (Untoggle Autoattack) -> Strafe -> Mask of Night is nice as well and it is faster to complete. Your HO's are a nice addition to total damage so keep them in mind. 3. Group mobs suck to fight. Choose your fights well. 4. use EVERYTHING you have. Flanking attacks, ranged attacks and HO's. If you are doing all you can you should run out of things to cast. Just watch your mana. :/ 5. I don't know I just thought it was text that added flavor to the ability. 6. 1 is a out of 1 second casting time out of combat attack. 1 is a 3 second in combat see invisible stealth. 1 is a De - Aggro Stealth perfect for combo's. Hope that helps.

07-25-2005, 05:04 PM	#4
SalBlu Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 439	Q1: PGT = Polished Granite Tomahawk (figured i'd add that one since the pgt is a great weapon). Q4: Situational. In my experience with mobs the same or near the lvl of my Assassin, I find that it is best to be behind the mob at all times in order to take advantage of my high damage positional attacks. Now... just observations from my lvl 50 grouping with Assassins... It depends on the mob. Most of the time, it is best to always take advantage of the positioned attacks. There are however mobs that have some very bad 360 degree AOE attacks, and if the raid is timing things right, the Assassin can make use of his bow skills provided he has arrows that will hit the target. There are ALOT of mobs that are Pierce Immune.

07-25-2005, 06:34 PM	#5
Haeddan Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Right behind you.... Posts: 2	I don't know if this has been mentioned but I'll say it anyway: If your gonna kite, make sure you turn your auto face off or you will be in a world of hurt at high levels. I forgot to do that once and I died for my mistake. Don't make the same. In a group, don't go all out either. Every 2 or 3 attacks (2 to be safe) hit Surviel (aggro reducing cloak spell line) and then evade. In a group situation aggro management should be at the top of your priority list then followed by damage output. In others words a dead Assassin in the middle of a big fight is worthless, Healers need to save mana for healing their tank. More often than not I'd like to say "don't bother healing me, I deserve the crap beat out of me!" LOL In addition to my post, the other guys in here also stated so very good pointers, follow our advice and you should do very well. Message Edited by Haeddan on 07-25-2005 07:38 AM

07-26-2005, 08:16 AM	#6
Lonerhor Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5	A big THANK YOU to everyone who responded. Your tips and tactics I'm sure will be a big help (tonight will be my first time to try all the good advice). Thanks again!