View Full Version : Martial Arts Assassin help
I have a lvl 69 martial arts assassin that is getting owned in hell difficulty. It was my first character so it isn't so good.
Are there any martial arts assassin builds that do good in hell difficulty without using ww and relying a lot on traps?
Also, i have a lvl 59 trap assassin. I maxed out DS, LS, and CBS. I was wondering whether or not i should max out static trap to up LS's damage. Also, around when should i stop putting points into str, dex, vit and energy?
flapserdk
13-11-2004, 12:49
I have a lvl 69 martial arts assassin that is getting owned in hell difficulty. It was my first character so it isn't so good.
Are there any martial arts assassin builds that do good in hell difficulty without using ww and relying a lot on traps?
Also, i have a lvl 59 trap assassin. I maxed out DS, LS, and CBS. I was wondering whether or not i should max out static trap to up LS's damage. Also, around when should i stop putting points into str, dex, vit and energy?
It’s a bit difficult to help you, because I need more information:
What gear do you use?
What skills do you use?
But check the guides first:
http://www.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=126543
Good luck
I've checked most if not all the guides and I find that they lack crowd control.
Equipment i have for my assassin right now are:
2x Bartucs Cut-Throat
1x Jade Talon
Nat set (excluding claw)
rare ammy that gives +2 to shadow skills
martial arts gloves that give +2 to all martial art skills
some non assassin related equipment i have are:
skulder ( russet armor)
string of ears
vamp gaze
storm shield
a duel leach belt (set, i forgot the name...)
war travs
hellmouth...i think...(gloves)
...I'll continue the list if you still need more info on equipment
for skills...
i really don't know wat skills to use...the assassin i made which turned out to be a failure used:
max phoenix strike (main)
6 dragon tail (main)
burst of speed
max claw mastery
10 weapon block
max blades of ice
1 in all other skills as prereq
1 in dragon flight
and 1 in all prereqs for the skills i use
Your skill setup is way too thinned out. I see a maxed phoenix strike, but ice is the only synergy you put points into. This means you have a good way of holding things in place (as long as they aren't cold immune), but no real good way of damaging them. Don't forget to vary between Phoenix and Blades of Ice (BoI) when you are attacking. The Chaos Ice Bolt is great for slowing down the masses, but has pathetic damage.
A few other things that look weak on your setup are:
lack of +skills - elemental MA builds should be having high skill levels as one of their primary goals.
slow speed - You didn't mention all of the details, but I doubt you are attacking at a decent rate; check the stickies for details
Only one real form of damage - Ice is good, but not by itself.
Hope that helps.
flapserdk
13-11-2004, 18:55
I've checked most if not all the guides and I find that they lack crowd control.
Equipment i have for my assassin right now are:
2x Bartucs Cut-Throat
1x Jade Talon
Nat set (excluding claw)
rare ammy that gives +2 to shadow skills
martial arts gloves that give +2 to all martial art skills
some non assassin related equipment i have are:
skulder ( russet armor)
string of ears
vamp gaze
storm shield
a duel leach belt (set, i forgot the name...)
war travs
hellmouth...i think...(gloves)
...I'll continue the list if you still need more info on equipment
for skills...
i really don't know wat skills to use...the assassin i made which turned out to be a failure used:
max phoenix strike (main)
6 dragon tail (main)
burst of speed
max claw mastery
10 weapon block
max blades of ice
1 in all other skills as prereq
1 in dragon flight
and 1 in all prereqs for the skills i use
I will recommend a rebuild, because your points are not spent wisely. You have some good gear, and you can easely build an assa that will kick *** in Hell. The most obvious choice is a Phoenix assa, because it’s the best build for full Nat’s set. Check this page http://www.rpgforums.net/showthread.php?t=126543 and search for ‘The PvM Phoenix Striker’
Crowcontrol should never be a problem for any assa, because you have Cloak of Shadows (CoS). Just cast CoS, and all normal monsters will blinded until they are exposed to a melee attack.
When I encounter a big mob with a dangerous Boss, I cast CoS and then use Dragon flight to take the Boss out, and after that I kill the rest one by one.
Good luck
ok, ty, those were very helpful tips...
so just to make sure i understood everything here's what i should do:
max PS
max CoT
max MoF
1 Dragon Talon
1+ burst of speed
1 mind blast
1 CoS
1+ shadow master
and items that give lots of +skills?
I've also looked at the PS striker guide...it said 55 dex is enough...
I don't feel secure with 55 dex...can someone give me more advice on points distribution? or persuade me that 55 dex is enough?
Also, wat about Tiger Strike and claw mastery? Should i max them?
ty
The short answer is you don't *need* more dexterity if you can equip everything.
You only really need high dex when you have a shield to block with. Natalia's claw has Ignore Target Defence on it, meaning the only time you will actually have trouble hitting with it is when fighting bosses. That 55 dex is lower than I would typically use - I usually get 100-150 including all my equipment sources. With Nat's set and an Annihilus charm you'll be getting lots of dex points. Bartucs adds another 20 on top of that.
Burst of speed is usually enough with 1-3 points. 5 is the most I'd put into any build.
I would add 1 point into Dragon Flight (and prereqs). Your finisher can either be DTalon or DClaw. That 1 point in dragon flight is very useful.
if i ignore target's defense, why would i still have trouble hitting bosses?
And about TS and CM, max them?
around how much damage would CoT and PS 2 charges do when both are maxed?
Shadow Killa
14-11-2004, 19:13
I've checked most if not all the guides and I find that they lack crowd control.
Equipment i have for my assassin right now are:
2x Bartucs Cut-Throat
1x Jade Talon
Nat set (excluding claw)
rare ammy that gives +2 to shadow skills
martial arts gloves that give +2 to all martial art skills
some non assassin related equipment i have are:
skulder ( russet armor)
string of ears
vamp gaze
storm shield
a duel leach belt (set, i forgot the name...)
war travs
hellmouth...i think...(gloves)
...I'll continue the list if you still need more info on equipment
for skills...
i really don't know wat skills to use...the assassin i made which turned out to be a failure used:
max phoenix strike (main)
6 dragon tail (main)
burst of speed
max claw mastery
10 weapon block
max blades of ice
1 in all other skills as prereq
1 in dragon flight
and 1 in all prereqs for the skills i use
Hello,
U better make a new asn.try Kicksin (weapon/shield)
Max Dtalon
Max Dflight
Max Shadow Master
Max Fade (good Physical/elemental resist)
Other points is up to you.
Just a Tip,i hope this can help u survive in hell deficulty
Shadow Killa
(Asia Realm) :howdy:
i wanna try making an element..uh...sin first...i'll try kick sin next...can anyone answer my question? (see my last two posts)
and my trapsin question (see first post)
Ignore Target Defence does not apply to bosses or players. That's the way the game works, I don't have a different answer.
I would leave TS at one (you would do more physical damage doing a constant Dragon Claw), and Claw Mastery in the 1-10 range. I usually end up with 5 in it, but don't put any more. Basically I think it's better to work on your shadow (until level 17-18 with +skills), phoenix strike and synergies (until you have at least 60 points invested), and getting all the 1-pt wonders (including blade fury, death sentry, and venom).
For stats on a trapsin, you don't need anything more than str and dex to equip gear (which shouldn't be too much, honestly), and you don't need any points in energy. I usually end up with 100-150 dex and 100-175 strength depending on what I decide to equip.
Skill setup for my ideal trapsin: 20 LS (main lain trap) 20 DS (main corpse exploder) 18 Fire Blast (main thrown trap) 20 Shock web (secondary thrown trap) X Shadow Master (enough to get to level 18 with +skills) 1 Venom, MB, BF and prereqs/wonders (all useful, even at 1 point) rest into CBS.
Here is some lightning damage from Phoenix (2nd charge) and CoT (all 3, in order). I left off the bottom end (it doesn't get higher than 10), and listed the top in order of charge 1, 2, 3 for CoT. Both skills are maxed, meaning lightning is fully synergized between them.
+0 MA
CoT = 2028, 1235, 1924
Phoenix = 2664
+10 MA
CoT = 4108, 2457, 4004
Phoenix = 5544
+15 MA
CoT = 5408, 3302, 5304
Phoenix = 7344
+20 MA
CoT = 6708, 4147, 6604
Phoenix = 9144
wow...nice damage...
with blade fury, how does one point make it good?
Blade fury is an interesting skill that gets worse as you add points. It does 3/4 of your weapon damage (including elemental, physical, and venom) and acts as ranged for crushing blow and open wounds. Adding more points increases your mana and takes skill points without giving any real bonuses. Comparing +100 damage (which does not go through any ED multipliers) to 20 points in something like venom is just a joke.
With the damage I listed, I'd just like to mention that getting +20 MA isn't the cheapest trick to pull. Bartucs, +2 ammy, and Nat's set will only give you +8. With room to pick things up, you can get 7 charms and an anni, giving 16. It's only really possible to get ultra high damage using uniques/sets/rares.
Hello,
U better make a new asn.try Kicksin (weapon/shield)
Max Dtalon
Max Dflight
Max Shadow Master
Max Fade (good Physical/elemental resist)
Other points is up to you.
Just a Tip,i hope this can help u survive in hell deficulty
Shadow Killa
(Asia Realm) :howdy:
So you're saying a c/c sin, with DT as a finisher is a "bad idea?" I was thinking of maxing TS and DT, and mentioned that on another thread, and was told "it's not worth it."
Opinions welcome.
You *can* do it, but you will have trouble if you find something with either high fire or high physical resistance. Both become a problem for that build.
anyone know from experience whether maxing out FoF for PS is good?
should i max FoF for PS? and BoI for PS?
right now i have a lvl 45 ish Phoenix striker (account name is : TCC_YUCKEE, char name is TCC_striker)
it has CoT and PS maxed out, one in FoF, BoI, BoS, CoS, CM, WB, SM, TS, CS and DC...
it has 2 tucs equipped, a plus 2 SD mask, +1 skill ammy, nat boots, belt from set orphan's call, random rings, aaaanddd...forgot wat armor...
am i doing anything that can potentially dampen the effectiveness of a PSer?
oh, it has a bout 105 str and dex, no points into energy and 100 give or take vit
SilverNyte
26-11-2004, 10:22
anyone know from experience whether maxing out FoF for PS is good?
should i max FoF for PS? and BoI for PS?
right now i have a lvl 45 ish Phoenix striker (account name is : TCC_YUCKEE, char name is TCC_striker)
it has CoT and PS maxed out, one in FoF, BoI, BoS, CoS, CM, WB, SM, TS, CS and DC...
it has 2 tucs equipped, a plus 2 SD mask, +1 skill ammy, nat boots, belt from set orphan's call, random rings, aaaanddd...forgot wat armor...
am i doing anything that can potentially dampen the effectiveness of a PSer?
oh, it has a bout 105 str and dex, no points into energy and 100 give or take vit
Yes you should max FoF because you will increase the damage of the meteor in PS (first charge)
i would say dont max BoI because you are only using the third charge of PS to freeze your enemy since you shouldnt max BoI i would probably get myself a decent lvled SM to help you out
The problem with your build seems to be the lack of good synergies for Phoenix Strike.
For 20 PS with no skill increasing items:
Unsynergised meteor: 393-451 (459-477 per second)
Meteor (with 20 FoF): 1074-1230 (951-993 per second)
Unsynergised chain lightning: 1-836
Chain lightning (with 20 CoT): 3-2664
Unsynergised chaos ice bolt: 171-193
Chaos ice bolt (with 20 BoI): 468-528
BoI doesn't increase the duration of the PS freeze effect and also does't boost the chaos ice bolt's damage much. As a result it isn't a very good synergy to boost. I'd reccomend that you try to boost Claws of Thunder as much as possible, as this will give you a decent attack. Untill then you should try using your Shadow Disciplines (eg Cloak of Shadows, Burst of Speed and, if you have it, Venom) to help you kill things. If that doesn't work, you may have to restart with a new character.
Best of luck. :)
I've been working on my assassin, it's in hell diff and it sorta can do nm baal by herself
anyways, here are the stats, skills, equipment
lvl 75
165
146
174
25
70 unused stat points
DC
467-783
471-788
3654
PS
398-659
3502
81 hit zombie
80 hit zombie
1459 def
380 stamina
779 health
136 mana
(hell-saved nrml and nm anya)
-68 fire
-21 cold
-52 lightning
29 poison
two bartucs
nat helm, armor, boots (+600 def and +45 reduce magic damage)
telling of beads
venom grip
naegel ring
Wilhelm's pride (orphan's call)
random rare ring
switch
random rare claw that gives +20 mana, steelclash shield,
skills-attack and mindblast
Skills:
lvl 8 TS, CS DTalon,BOI and DC
rarely use TS, CS, BoI and DTalon
DC +85% damage and +215% attack
max FoF, CoT and PS
all at lvl 27
PS
1 charge 1818-2058
2 charge 3-4536
3 charge 308-337
+197% attack
SDs
8 SM- 63% damage, +100% attack, 15% critical
8 BoS 42 IAS, 49 Walk/run, duration 204 sec
8 Weapon Block 47% block
8 SM and SW 770 life, +320 attack, Def-84% for SW, 49 resist for SM
8 in psychic hammer as prereq
8 in CoS rnage 20 yards, duration 15 sec +31% def, -36% def
8 mind blast, duration 6-10 sec damage 24-34, stun-3.4sec 30% convert chance
none in traps...
10 unused skill points
my switch is from two tucs with DC (left) PS (right) to 1 random rare claw, steelclash attack (left) mindblast (right)
Equipment not used:
2x jade talon
stormshield
string of ears
shaftstop
vampgaze
The Disciple Set
IK boots and gloves
Andy's Visage
Arachnid Mesh
Hellmouth
Corpsemourn...
and some more stuff...dunno if they're good
no merc yet
in hell, act1, i die...not alot...don't feel i'm doing enough damage and still think i lack a bit of crowd control...or it could be that i'm used to play as a sorc which just dishes out k upon Ks of damage...
oh, i use mouse scroll to switch between skills...short cuts are (rarely use)
F1 TS F2 CoT F3 PS F4 BoS F5 SM F6 Mindblast F7 CoS F8 town portal
any suggestions?
skygoneblue
01-12-2004, 21:40
Well, it looks like you have a good start. However, Hell is never easy (unless you're a Summoner Necro).
I think you may need some more resists. Looking at your gear, you don't seem to have a lot other than Nat's Helm. What aura do you use? Fade? BoS? You could try using Fade to help out in Hell. Also, a Jade Talon with +2 MA wouldn't hurt either.
As for your extra equipment:
2x jade talon (already mentioned)
stormshield (socket with a PDiamond and use with Bartuc's?)
string of ears (Good idea for DR)
shaftstop (Meh)
vampgaze (Wouldn't hurt I guess, but not vital)
The Disciple Set (...meh)
IK boots and gloves (Dunno what difference they would make)
Andy's Visage (Trade this to me!!! :D )
Arachnid Mesh (This would help your damage with the +1 skill)
I think a really good setup would be:
Shako + UM rune
2x Bartuc's + SHAEL rune
...or 1x Bartuc's and StormShield
Chains of Honor
Mara's Kaliedescope
+2 Martial Arts gloves with IAS/Leech, etc
RavenFrost (with good AR)
Arachnid's Mesh
Bul Kathos' Wedding Band
Treks, Waterwalks, Shadow Dancers...doesn't matter
This setup can give you really good resists, good +skills, and can help out in the AR department. I haven't tried it out or ran any numbers, but I have a hunch that it would work pretty well! :thumb:
Another thing I wanted to ask: Are you using Cloak of Shadows? You shouldn't die much if you blind the enemies first, then pick them off as they stand there all stupid! :lol:
Main "aura" i use is BoS
i haven't used CoS a lot beecause it's hard to get two with the mouse scroll...
i usually mind blast them and then charge up on the 1 closest to me, freeze them and work from there...
with a tucs and stormshild, i'm reluctant to give up using double claws...can someone explain why shield and claw would be better or something?
and also, if i had a nat claw instead of a tucs would that help? Cuz i'm thinking of nat set...and working from there...
^ up? can i do this to up my thread?
Tips
Use shortcut keys! I use 6-8 of my keys in the asdfgve area of the keyboard. Switching skills quickly is incredibly important with a PS assy. In fact, it is more important than any other character I can think of.
CoS will help you a lot. Also, if you think a situation is dangerous, try converting 1-2 monsters, getting your charges, then release while they are still focusing on the one you converted. (edit: noticed you already do this - combining it with CoS is very helpful)
My hardest time leveling was from 75ish to 79 when I could use the full set. Then I immediately tore through most of Hell (I'm stuck again and need to level a bit more or improve my equipment, like finishing maxing my resists).
C/S can work, but if you charge using CoT, FoF, or BoI then you are much better off with C/C. C/S was more appropriate for 1.09 when Phoenix Strike didn't have any synergies. Also, you lose the ability to use DClaw with C/S.
The resists in the previous setup are horrible. Having good resists in Hell is far more important than most any other stat. I'd consider using the Jade Talon with the Bartucs, and getting some more resists from those armor sockets. Ums are ideal, but Ral, Ort, Tal, and Thul will work just as well with the resists you'll get from the set bonus.
Hope that helps.
Ty, those were really helpful tips
i'll try them
vBulletin® v3.8.4, Copyright ©2000-2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.