lowbie assassin combos? [Archive] - EQ2 Forum Archive @ EQ2Wire

wheato

11-16-2005, 03:07 AM

Ok... I’m a level 29 Assassin and have some advice you could probably use. Firstly, I prefer to solo yellow mobs, definitely non-agro. I have read in a lot of places that you level faster soloing blues, but it just seems too slow. When I am grinding levels on yellow mobs I can usually get about 40% in an hour. A couple places for you to look would be in Nektulos Forest. Hit up the zombies near the Commonlands entrance. Or move to bone lake and go for the level 27 fairies there. Both of these mobs are non-agro and you will need that as assassins can’t afford unwanted adds. I am sure there are some good spots in TS, but I spent most my time in NF. Now combat tips: First of all – KEEP UP YOUR POISONS!!! I like to use a physical attack debuff poison along with a damage poison. Right now I am using Retribution of the Sky and either Catacomb Sludge (Ascending Poison) or the descending poison, don’t know the name right off hand. If you really want to kill fast pick up a legendary poison. I was fortunate to get an ascending one that hit 41 initially and then 106 initially and every six seconds. But it was not cheap. So don’t die while it is applied. Two – escape is your friend. Don’t be afraid to use it. If you get an unwanted add. Or bite off a little more than you can chew (like a green triple up heroic) use escape! Three – Chain your attacks. My current chain is as follows: Common chain: Ebon Blade (M2) Macro: HO Starter, Vex, Pierce (Cut @ lvl. 29) Bleed (Agonizing Wound) Impale (Insidious Cut) Cheap Shot {jump to back of target} Macro: Shrouded Strike, Poisoner’s Blade If not Dead: Macro: HO Starter, Caltrops, Pierce (Cut) Usually a yellow mob is dead by this point. Common chain two: Back Shot (Cloaked Barb) or Head Shot Open Shot Auto-attack *Macro: HO Starter, Caltrops, Pierce (Cut) Bleed (Agonizing Wound) Impale (Insidious Cut) Cheap Shot {jump to back of target} Macro: Shrouded Strike, Poisoner’s Blade If not Dead: Macro: HO Starter, Vex, Pierce (Cut) *I change the macro’s here to get most out of poison proc. Every five minutes instead of opening with Ebon Blade I will open with Assassin’s Blade. For real heavy damage I will do this combo: Back Shot (Cloaked Barb) or Head Shot Open Shot Auto-attack Macro: HO Starter, Vex, Pierce (Cut) Bleed (Agonizing Wound) Impale (Insidious Cut) Cheap Shot {jump to back of target} Macro: Stalk (Shadow), Assassin’s Blade Macro: Shrouded Strike, Poisoner’s Blade Macro: HO Starter, Caltrops, Pierce (Cut) I can kill orange mobs with this one, but all my CAs have to be up. Another note is that I have cheap shot adept III and always see it stick for the full duration. Even with an App 1 you should have enough time to at least get off a macro of Shrouded Strike and then Poisoner’s Blade. I don’t do small exp groups very much, but when I do I can sometimes pull with my back shot open shot combo and then get the mob off me with a spell from the evade line. Also keep Friendly Shadows up on your MT. An Adept of this spell really helps here as it is real easy to get agro without it and hard to get agro with it up. In groups with a good tank (where I don’t have to pull mobs to him) I will position my self behind the mob and then start with the same combo that I use when soloing. Usually the time it takes to the back of the mob allows the Tank to get enough agro for me to dish out the damage. If you open up to quickly and the mob turns, make sure to use evade. Use all your spells as they are available and just unleash as much damage as possible. The only note here is to be careful with adds. It is easy to get one or two from behind since the MT is on the other side of the mob you are fighting. This is where your stance may come in handy. If I am somewhere that I know I may get some adds I will switch to the def stance and hope that my health holds long enough for the MT to pull them off. Don’t forget that in groups you can usually back up and hit all two or three of your bow spells without a problem then move back into auto-attack range. This is one area that I admit I don’t have much experience in so if anyone has some comments I am more than open to them. Finally… hotbars. With my assassin I am more of a clicky person. (With my brawler and Necromancer this is not the case. I don’t know why.) Hotbar one has Auto-attack, Slip Away, Pounce, Assassin’s Blade, Assassin’s Mark, Shrouded Strike, Poisoner’s Blade, Ebon Blade, Cheap Shot, Pierce, Bleed, Impale Hotbar two has HO Macro 1, Poisoner’s Blade Macro, HO Macro 2, Assassin’s Blade Macro, Pathfinding, Stalk, Escape, and my Master Strikes (Skelly, Giant, Orc) Hotbar Three has Auto-range, Cloaked Barb, Open Shot, Head Shot, Cut Throat, Hunt, Divert, Vex, Caltrops, Lucky Break Hotbar Four has Survival Instincts, Blade Furry, Friendly Shadows, Hunters Instinct, Poison, Tracking, Follow, Call of the Overlord, Call for Help, Sprint. My hotbars are set up like this: 1……. 3……. 2……. 4…….. OK I think that does it. Now go and kill and most of all have fun.