User:Defiant Elements/Saving Vetted PvE Assassin Builds

= A/D Dark Shadow Forge Runner =

This build enables an Assassin to solo run from Beacon's Perch to Droknar's Forge, and with some modification is suitable for running other areas. Agility and protection skills from the Shadow Arts line, plus the Dervish's anti-knockdown Fleeting Stability enchantment, make this a fragile yet efficient Droknar's Forge runner. This build is even more efficient since the last game update that fixed the "enemies following you forever" bug.

The build takes practice, timing, and knowledge of the whole Droknar's Forge run, particularly Lornar's Pass, in order to successfully complete the run. Overall run times are at least on par with Warrior or Dervish runners. Ultimately, if nothing else, this is a challenging and fun alternative to experienced Drok's runners.

Attributes and Skills

 * Runes can be used to boost Deadly Arts, although it is not necessary.

Equipment

 * Armor: Any armor with +energy mods and attunement runes.  You want your energy as high as possible.
 * Weapons: A perfect Insightful Staff of Enchanting or a Totem Axe with a shield.

Usage
The skill bar above is laid out from left to right in the general order in which to use skills, depending on the situation. Deadly Paradox plus Death's Charge and Dark Escape are the main movement skills. Dark Escape can and should be kept up constantly for 1/2 damage and +25% speed. Dash should be used when Dark Escape fades out to gain as much distance from any enemies following you, especially if you need some extra time to use Signet of Pious Light to end Shadow Form. Death's Charge can be a massive overall speed buff (and self heal) if used efficiently. Almost all healing during the run can be accomplished while still moving.

Normal running sequence:
 * Deadly Paradox -> Death's Charge -> Dark Escape -> Dash -> Deadly Paradox -> Dark Escape.

Anti-knockdown sequence (for wurms and giants):
 * Fleeting Stability -> Deadly Paradox -> Shadow Form -> Death's Charge -> Dark Escape -> Dash -> Deadly Paradox -> Dark Escape.

Healing sequence when Shadow Form begins to fade out:
 * Deadly Paradox -> Signet of Pious Light -> Heart of Shadow -> Dark Escape

Healing sequence when you have a place to rest with no aggro:
 * Fleeting Stability or Heart of Shadow -> Signet of Pious Light -> Signet of Pious Light
 * Repeatedly cast an enchantment and Signet of Pious Light as many times as needed to immediately recharge Signet of Pious Light after each use.

When to use Deadly Paradox:
 * Always before: Dark Escape and Shadow Form.
 * Preferably before: Death's Charge.

When to use Shadow Form:
 * To prevent Ice Imps and Ice Golems from slowing you down with hexes.
 * Near Wurms and Avicara, use Fleeting Stability followed by Shadow Form, to prevent the Avicara from stripping Fleeting Stability.
 * To nullify damage from enemies through intense parts of the run (Tundra Giants, Stone Summit, Avicara), although you can also tank through some enemies with Dark Escape, Heart of Shadow, and Death's Charge.
 * Shadow Form should only be kept up as long as necessary. Disable it with Signet of Pious Light before you encounter Grawl Crones.

Counters

 * Enchantment stripping, mainly from Grawl Crones casting Chilblains. Simply stay out of their range.
 * Conditions will severely hinder your chances of survival in most situations. Try to avoid Pinesoul traps -- NEVER use Death's Charge on a Pinesoul as you will likely teleport into a trap.
 * Dash can also be used to run through Pinesoul traps without triggering them.

Variants

 * Feigned Neutrality can be switched with Signet of Pious Light or Heart of Shadow, giving you an extra self-heal if needed.
 * Vital Boon can be switched with Heart of Shadow, Dash, or Death's Charge for an alternate way of healing when Shadow Form ends. You must cast Vital Boon immediately after using Shadow Form so they end almost simultaneously. Additionally, using Signet of Pious Light to end Vital Boon can give you a massive health boost as soon as Shadow Form ends.

= A/D Disciple of Death = This build works with the high damage generated from a critical hit by a scythe and the fact a scythe can hit multiple targets. It gives the user a near total condition removal (except blind), plus a cheap damage and Deep Wound inflictor without its usual drawbacks and a constant heal.

Optional Slot

 * Critical Defenses - This is the recommended skill but it loses effectiveness if the enemies are too spread out.
 * Mystic Regeneration - Take two point out of Scythe Mastery and put 8 points into Earth Prayers. This is the recommended replacement for Critical Defenses. It has a very powerful constant healing effect.
 * Guiding Hands - Put 3 points into Wind Prayers if there are enemies that will block your attacks.
 * Critical Eye - If there are no or few enemies that will block your attacks.

Variants

 * You can swap Reap Impurities for Chilling Victory for more dps.
 * You can swap Assassin's Remedy for Signet of Malice or a condition remover that takes away blindness.

Equipment

 * It is recommended that you use Vanguard's Armor Guise with Nightstalker's Armor Leggings, Gloves and Shoes.
 * Use a Sundering Scythe of Enchanting 20%, Damage +15% (while enchanted).

Usage

 * Maintain non-attack skills as long as possible.
 * Use Wearying Strike at the start of a fight and whenever anyone with the condition comes near, follow it with Malicious Strike for weakness to be removed.
 * Use Critical Defenses when necessary and possible and Malicious Strike whenever you need to renew it.
 * Use Reap Impurities on someone who has a condition to regain health.

Counters

 * Anything that takes off enchantments.
 * Evasions, if people do use these against you it is recommended to choose a different target.
 * Being blinded.
 * Stone Sheath and Dulled Weapon both remove your ability to critical, destroying this build.

Equipment

 * Radiant/Shrouded Armor
 * Place runes of attunement on any empty armor pieces
 * Zealous Scythe of Enchanting

Usage

 * Before Battle cast Fox's Promise and Critical eye, maintain these as necessary
 * Before enemy encounter begins cast critical defenses for protection
 * Follow Critical Defenses up with Mystic Regeneration and Conviction
 * Use the scythe attacks in order

Counters

 * Enchantment Removal
 * Heavy Energy Denial
 * Basic Anti melee counters

Variants

 * The last scythe attack is variable and can be switched (Crippling Sweep if against human characters)
 * Conviction to increase defenses if entering a magic damage heavy area
 * Vital Boon can be replaced with a resurrection for PuG's or death heavy areas
 * Assassin's Remedy if you're going into a condition heavy area

= A/E Solo Green Farmer = This build utilizes the elite Shadow Arts skill Shadow Form and the earth magic skill Sliver Armor to quickly take down bosses that are accompanied by medium/large mobs to efficiently farm their green items.

Equipment

 * Energy armor (i.e. Radiant or Shrouded Armor)
 * +5 energy, enchanting 20% weapon.
 * Galigord's Stone Staff is a recommended Staff, but any weapon with a max of Enchanting upgrade can be used, and it is preferred as when close combat enemies start to run away, a staff attack will bring them back, something that a totem axe can't do.
 * A Totem Axe along with the Earth Scroll from Collector Ohtah is a good combination which will give more energy than a staff.

Usage

 * Run to the boss using the speed buffs.
 * When you are just out of aggro, activate Shadow Form and use Death's Charge to teleport in. Usually aggroing before teleporting in makes enemies clump together, giving Sliver Armor less of a chance to target the boss.
 * Activate Glyph of Elemental Power, then Sliver Armor. Make sure you are closer to the boss than anything else, or you will not kill it!
 * Use Shock then Aftershock to speed up killing.
 * When the boss has died, activate Shadow Form and use the speed buffs to run away to safety. You can use Shadow Form again since Morale Boosts recharges all skills.

Counters

 * Shadow Form doesn't protect against signets, touch skills and Point Blank Area of Effect damage.

Variants

 * When fighting Warrior bosses such as Sunreach Warmaker, it helps to use Rust so that his Healing Signet takes 3 times as long to cast. To do this, though, you will be required to take one or two points off of Shadow Arts and put them into Water Magic.
 * Shock, Teinai's Wind, Aftershock, Rust, Teinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave, Obsidian Flame and Shadow Refuge may be switched out for other skills, depending on what you are farming.
 * Shock can be switched for other knockdown spells such as Dragon's Stomp for a bit more damage.
 * For people who don't have Prophecies skills unlocked, remember that you can always unlock them in PvP and then buy them at the trainers in Lion's Arch or your Guild Hall, if you have bought a skill trainer that is and assuming that you have a Guild Hall.
 * Caltrops can be useful against bosses who attempt to flee when heavily damaged.
 * Feigned Neutrality is useful against groups which have mobs with touch skills, Signets, and AoE skills and that may penetrate Shadow Form.
 * Exchange Dash for Deadly Paradox for a quicker Shadow Form recharge.
 * Exchange Dash with Shadow of Haste to warp back if necessary and retry the process.

List of soloable bosses
Total Number of Soloable Bosses: 106
 * Please add info of the level of difficulty for each boss (Very Easy, Easy, Medium, Hard and Very Hard) also add the location where the boss is, for easier preview.

Prophecies
2 Current Bosses


 * Crystal Desert
 * Prophet's Path:
 * Kepkhet Marrowfeast - Medium Use the following skill combo to take Kepkhet down: Glyph of Elemental Power, Shadow Form, Death's Charge, Sliver Armor, Obsidian Flame, Teinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave. Bring an interrupt such as Shock, Dragon's Stomp, and Gale to prevent Kepkhet from activating Mark of Protection. Furthermore, when you use Death's Charge to get to Kepkhet, be sure to bring Feigned Neutrality or Shadow Refuge as there are trappers in and around the vicinity of Kepkhet. If Sliver Armor targets another thing, you will die as one of the nearby necromancers will use Well of the Profane.


 * Southern Shiverpeaks
 * Grenth's Footprint:
 * Morgriff Shadestone - Easy

Factions
47 Current Bosses


 * Kaineng City
 * Bukdek Byway:
 * Wing, Three Blade - Medium (This may prove difficult because of the high HP of the boss, lack of mobs and a Rt healing him)
 * Wajjun Bazaar:
 * Lian, Dragon's Petal - Easy/Medium (Switch out Dash for Feigned Neutrality. Use Dark Escape to run past the first and second group of Knights.  Stop before you aggro Lian and make sure you aggro the second group of Knights.  Cast Shadow Form then Death's Charge to her.  Immediately cast Feigned Neutrality.  Wait for her to cast Double Dragon.  Glyph ,Sliver, Shock, then Aftershock.)
 * Sun, the Quivering - Hard/Very Hard (Mobs may appear from the roofs, making the run almost impossible)
 * The Undercity:
 * Chan the Dragon's Blood - Easy/Very Easy (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Mina Shatter Storm - Easy/Very Easy (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on her once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Chung, the Attuned - Medium (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Baubao Wavewrath - Medium (The run is easy if you have Feigned and just use aftershock on him once and then use feigned to heal because of the signets)
 * Shenzun Tunnels:
 * Cho, Spirit Empath - Easy/Medium (Bring Feigned Neutrality instead of Dash, come from Nahpui Quarter!!! Cast Feigned Neutrality last, chance monks will heal him, if so run and rezone, the fastest route is to run towards Nahpui Quarter (just a few feet west from Cho) . It will make the run a lot easier and shorter.)
 * Xaquang Skyway:
 * Ghial the Bone Dancer - Easy/Medium (Feigned Neutrality is NOT a neccessity for the run. Beware of the mesmers for they will disrupt your sliver armor TIP: All mesmers interrupt at once, so consider bringing a "scapegoat" spell with a long activation time, such as Dragon Stomp or Obsidian Flame.)
 * Shreader Sharptongue - Very Easy/Easy (Exchange Shock or Aftershock with Shadow Refugeand aggro as many groups as possible for most damage)
 * Ziinfaun Lifeforce - Easy/Medium (Hit Ziinfaun with your weapon to interrupt Ethereal Light)
 * Orosen, Tranquil Acolyte - Hard/Very Hard (When he starts charging for you, use Shadow Form. Run past him just close enough to aggro the group before the next bridge. Death's charge back to him, and Sliver armor.)
 * Sunjiang District (explorable): (only after the mission)
 * Warrior's Construct - Medium (Pretty hard to get to him)
 * Monk's Construct - Easy/Medium Let the first group go near the boss.
 * Necromancer's Construct - Medium You might encounter problems with keeping sliver armor focused
 * Mesmer's Construct - same as Necromancer's construct. Slightly easier (shorter) run, though.
 * Elemental's Construct - He uses [[Lightning Touch. Consider bringing Feigned Neutrality instead of dash.
 * Raisu Palace:
 * Star Ancient Koosun - Medium/Hard (Depends on conditions of run to the boss, can be done at 60% dp however)
 * Untouched Ancient Ky - Medium
 * Pongmei Valley
 * Xuekao, the Deceptive- Medium/Hard
 * Echovald Forest
 * Ferndale:
 * Warden of Saprophytes - Hard (Warden of the Trunks must be removed first, resurrection portal nearby to keep going at it, possible at 60% dp.)
 * Melandru's Hope:
 * Chkkr Locust Lord - Medium/Hard (The most difficult part is to maintain Sliver Armor on the boss)
 * Chkkr Thousand Tail - Hard/Very Hard (Really hard to keep going unless you have a backup for Sliver Armor, as it'll run out to quickly)
 * Morostav Trail:
 * Falaharn Mistwarden - Easy/Medium (Bring Shadow of Haste should the attempt to kill fail and you must retreat).
 * Sunreach Warmaker - Easy/Medium (Bring Shadow of Haste and Rust and if you feel the need, Feigned Neutrality too. Go in first without the boss in your mind, make Falaharn Mistwarden appear. Warp back using a stance. Go in again and aggro every mob, pull Sunreach with staff and cast glyph then sliver then rust, he will go down quickly.)
 * Strongroot Tanglebranch - Medium/Hard (Go around the other way and aggro the nearby kirin and dragon moss and use Rust and Caltrops to subdue him and spam Obsidian Flame to kill him.)
 * Kyril Oathwarden - Medium/Hard (Hard to make sliver armor target kyril; take feigned neutrality to survive traps.)
 * Ritualist's Construct - Easy/Medium (Very few mobs surrounding him, making it harder to kill. Replacing run skills or Shock & Aftershock with Obsidian Flame & Crystal Wave/Teinai's Wave can help overcome this obstacle.)
 * The Eternal Grove (explorable): (only after the mission)
 * The Scar Eater - Very Easy/Easy (Also a fairly easy boss to practice on, you must follow the 1st group that comes near the shrine, when you get near the boss aggro it and jump near the boss, also a good idea can be to change shock and aftershock for gale and Obsidian Flame)
 * Jayne Forestlight - Easy/Medium (Advisable to bring Shadow of Haste, Watch out for warriors, as they can KD with "None Shall Pass!". If not killed at first attempt, warp back with any stance and retry)
 * Wiseroot Shatterstone - Easy/Medium
 * The Time Eater - Very Easy/Easy (Add skills for more damage because very few mobs are surrounding him)
 * Bramble Everthorn - Very Easy/Easy
 * Mourning Veil Falls:
 * Darkroot Entrop - Easy (Make sure to add some skills to cripple or knockdown, such as Caltrops, as he tends to run at about half health)
 * Milefaun Mindflayer - Easy/Medium (Aggro another group of wardens near, may attract Rt wardens which increase difficulty)
 * Foalcrest Darkwish - Easy/Medium (Aggro the nearby group of Mantises and die yourself; he will make Bone Fiends which give you just enough damage for Sliver Armor.)
 * Xisni Dream Haunt - Easy/Medium (AddTeinai's Crystals, Crystal Wave and Obsidian Flame. Use Shadow of Haste for multiple tries.)
 * Rahse Windcatcher - Easy/Medium (Same build as with Xisni. Walk to pick up the Warden group, hit Glyph of Ele Power, turn around, hit Shadow Form outside his aggro and shadow step. If the wardens follow, he should be dead)


 * Jade Sea
 * Boreas Seabed (explorable):
 * Sskai, Dragon's Birth - Medium (This may prove difficult because of the high HP of the boss and lack of mobs surrounding him)
 * Gyala Hatchery (explorable):
 * Reefclaw Ragebound - Medium
 * Maishang Hills:
 * Sessk, Woe Spreader - Very Easy (Best for practice, sometimes hard to target)
 * Sarss, Stormscale - Medium (bring along obsidian flame to spam)
 * Silent Surf:
 * Kenrii Sea Sorrow
 * Assassin's Construct - Easy/Medium (Switch Shock for Stone Daggers and Death's Charge for Obsidian Flame, after you cast Sliver just use stone daggers 2-3 times, then Aftershock, then Obsidian Flame)
 * Rhea's Crater:
 * Onis for Ungues of the Oni - Easy/Medium (The hardest part is getting there, once there it's easy to kill them two/three at a time, just watch out for the Outcast Deathhands, as they WILL end your run!)
 * Mount Qinkai
 * Tomton Spiriteater Very Easy (Bring obsidian Flame with you and aggro all the yetis near)
 * Archipelagos:
 * Ssyn Coiled Grasp - Easy/Medium (Switch out Shock for Obsidian Flame and try to not aggro group next to the bridge.)
 * Ssuns, Blessed of Dwayna - Medium/Hard

Nightfall
57 Current Bosses


 * Kourna
 * Sunward Marches:(Consider getting the +1 earth magic blessing from the Melandru's shrine outside Dajkah Inlet. Although it is not necessary.)
 * Mahto Sharptooth - Very Easy/Easy "The run is sometimes a bit tough." (Despite the temptation, do not aggro the ntouka, spam obsidian flame & shock aftershock combo on him)
 * Birneh Skybringer - Very Easy/Easy (Lots of mobs for Sliver Armor to work)
 * Dabineh Deathbringer - Medium (Switch out shock for Feigned Neutrality. Exit Venta Cemetery.  Head south hugging the wall.  As you get close enough to target him, check for the number of Tusked Howlers nearby.  If there are 2 then rezone.  If there are 3 then count the number of Crested Ntouka Bird.  If there are 3 or 4 then you are in good shape to beat him.  Before you aggro Deathbringer, aggro the Howlers and cast Shadow Form. Next aggro Deathbringer.  Glyph then Sliver, before he gets to you, cast Feigned Neutrality.  Using his Intimidating Aura, you will lose Feigned Neutrality but Sliver Armor will do its job before he can remove another enchantment.)
 * Eshim Mindclouder - Very Easy (Short walk so it is like the Nightfall variant of Sessk, Woe Spreader)
 * Marga Coast:
 * Chor the Bladed - Very Easy/Easy (Just aggro one more group and try not to be interrupted while casting shadow form. Cast Sliver Armor when he uses Frenzy)
 * Lunto Sharpfoot - Medium/Hard (Once you find out how to aggro, then he will be Easy/Medium)
 * Bosun Mohrti - Medium/Hard (Aggro the insects nearby and Frigid skales and snare with Caltrops.)
 * Bubahl Icehands - Medium (Aggro nearby insects, snare with Caltrops, and heal with Feigned Neutrality)
 * Chidehkir, Light of the Blind - Easy/Medium (Aggro nearby Kournan patrol)
 * Neoli the Contagious - Hard/Very Hard (Clear out Kuskale lashers first with sliver armour, this may take quite a few runs, high dp.)
 * The Floodplain of Mahnkelon:
 * Zelnehlun Fastfoot - Very Easy/Easy (He is dead in 4 seconds if Sliver Armor targets him)
 * Terob Roundback - Very Easy/Easy
 * Admiral Kaya - Easy/Medium (Wait for the hekets to get near, sometimes there are 2 monks which increases difficulty)
 * Jerneh Nightbringer - Medium/Hard (Bring Feigned Neutrality and use immediately after Sliver Armor to keep health up from Vile Touch)
 * Robah Hardback - Medium/Hard
 * Buhon Icelord - Medium/Hard
 * Arkjok Ward:
 * Onwan, Lord of the Ntouka - Very Easy (Leave from command post and follow river into lake)
 * Modti Darkflower - Easy/Medium (Killing him is Very Easy, but the run is a bit heavy)
 * Lieutenant Kayin - Very Easy (Just aggro one other group, and he goes down in like 10 seconds)
 * Eshau Longspear - Easy/Medium (You need to aggro the group of Mandragors behind him. Rezone if that party has a Mandragor Imp in it.)
 * Captain Chichor - Easy/Medium (Approach the small base from the north, and wait for him to patrol outwards.)
 * Dejarin Estate:
 * Major Jeahr - Medium (Approach from Camp Hojanu)
 * Podaltur the Angry - Easy (body blocking during the run to him may be a hassle due to the large amount of hekets on the way)
 * Bahdok Caverns:
 * Wandalz the Angry - Medium/Hard (The hardest part about this boss is getting to him. You need to learn the hiding spots on the map, as the spawns in this particular area are quite massive to be running around by yourself. You'll want to keep the original build intact, and use speed buffs across the bridge. Once across, glyph, death's charge, and sliver armor, he goes down rather quick. Throw a shock and aftershock in there to see it go a little faster.)
 * Jahai Bluffs:
 * To Be Added...
 * Turai's Procession:
 * Korr, Living Flame - Medium/Hard (Don't lure the nearby water djinn, Sliver armor will target them instead)
 * Chiossen, Soothing Breeze - Medium/Hard (The Rampaging Ntouka make this hard, use Feigned Neutrality as the Rampaging Ntouka run towards you and it will strip Feign Neutrality instead of Sliver Armor or even worse, Shadow Form. Aggro the nearby hekets to the north of Chiossen's group. Pack Obsidian Flame and Aftershock to speed up the killing.)


 * Vabbi
 * Resplendent Makuun
 * Kormab, Burning Heart - Very Easy/Easy (bring Shadow of Haste instead of dash, Obsidian Flame and Teinai's Crystals instead of Shock and Aftershock. The hardest part is geting there: to behemoths, use Shadow Form and run towards them, while a little bit after their patrol point use Shadow of Haste. Run back, they run like hell, so they will follow. When form is about to end use Dark Escape to warp to a safe place, where they can't get to you. While near the boss use Shadow of Haste for multiple attempts if necessary, it should be dead in the first attempt, if not in the second.)
 * Wilderness of Bahdza:
 * Eshekibeh Longneck - Very Easy/Easy
 * Forum Highlands:
 * Grabthar the Overbearing - Medium (Bring Rust and aggro nearest Skree group)
 * Korshek the Immolated - Easy (Make sure to hit the nearby Whispers Informant for some easy Lightbringer points)
 * Commander Sadi-Belai - Medium/Hard (Aggro Skree group nearest to his group. Shock + Lift Enchantment AFTER he puts Shielding Hands on. Bring Obsidian Flame. Spam as needed)
 * Churahm, Spirit Warrior - Easy/Medium (You may have to use this build to kill some Ethers, which will make the run easier. Another method is to simply shadow step down to the area he is contained in using Deaths Charge. Simply run away after he is dead, by running around the Ethers and up on the ledge again.)
 * The Mirror of Lyss
 * Yammiron, Ether Lord - Medium (Switch Dark Escape with Obsidian Flame to spam)
 * Riktund the Vicious - Medium (aggro the beetles as well, he may kite when close to death, bring along Obs. Flame)
 * Holdings of Chokhin:
 * Banor Greenbranch - Easy/Medium (Bring Lift Enchantment to remove Shield of Regeneration instead of aftershock or deaths charge, need to aggro nearby Beetles)
 * Setikor Fireflower - Easy/Medium (Just switch Dash and Dark Escape for Shadow Refuge and Feigned Neutrality)
 * Tenezel the Quick - Very Easy/Easy (Aggro very nearby Rock/Rain Beetles)
 * Hanchor Trueblade - Easy/Medium (Bring and spam Obsidian Flame when needed. Nearby Skree Griffin can make it troublesome but still easy)
 * Yatendi Canyons:
 * Lieutenant Vanahk - Easy/Medium (Very easy but sliver armor tends to go off to another person.)
 * The Hidden City of Ahdashim
 * Shakor Firespear - Easy/Medium (Surrounding mobs should be aggroed.)
 * Yammirvu, Ether Guardian - Medium/Hard (May have to kill the dimond djinn first, but nearby resurection portal helps. If pulling another group, be sure to shadow form to pull them, or suffer from degen.)
 * Leilon, Tranquil Water - Easy/Medium (Dark escape is reccomended when Death's Charging in.)


 * The Desolation
 * Crystal Overlook
 * To Be Added...
 * Joko's Domain
 * To Be Added...
 * Poisoned Outcrops
 * Fondalz the Spiteful - Hard/Very Hard (Extra groups are not easy to pull together, but you can launch one attack on the boss and his group, flee, and repeat. Deadly Paradox may be useful.)
 * The Alkali Pan
 * To Be Added...
 * The Ruptured Heart
 * Rual, Stealer of Hope - Medium (exchange Dash for Shadow of Haste, Shock for Feigned Neutrality or Shadow Refuge and Aftershock for Obsidian Flame. Use Death's Charge from the top of the hill)
 * Tureksin the Delegator - Medium/Hard (Shadow of Haste instead of Dash in case he isn't the first target of Sliver Armor, Shadow Refuge instead of Shock and Obsidian Flame. Aggro nearby group of margonites and undead.)
 * The Shattered Ravines
 * Dunshek the Purifier - Medium (Pull a second group for a very easy kill.)
 * The Sulfurous Wastes
 * Vahlen the Silent - Easy/Medium (bring Shadow of Haste, you might not get it at first, bring high damage spells, and you might consider in taking Glyph of Concentration. Watch out for Signet of Judgment.)


 * Realm of Torment - (Lightbringer title in this area will alter effectiveness.)
 * Nightfallen Jahai
 * Chimor the Lightblooded - Medium (Nice pair of daggers if you don't have a +Energy/+Enchantment Staff)
 * Onslaught of Terror - Easy (Need to aggro at least one other group, elementalists and mesmers can interrupt/slow, bring Feigned Neutrality)
 * Domain of Pain
 * Fahralon the Zealous - Easy/Medium (Before entering battle, try using Dark Escape to minimize the damage taken from AoE and Dreadful Pain.)
 * Domain of Fear
 * Shrieker of Dread - Hard (you'll need to aggro several (ideally 3) patrols to take him down; wait for them to converge). Also watch out for the Death Nova when killed.
 * Storm of Anguish - Medium (Difficult to get to, try to slip between the two first mobs, lure another mob for easy kill)
 * Depths of Madness
 * Reaper of Agony - Medium (Time your run when he has moved near the two groups of Margonites)
 * Ravager of Dreams - Very Hard (Approach from the north, and pull 2-3 groups along with the boss group, 4+ Lightbringer rank reccomended.)
 * Topo the Protector - Hard/Very Hard (Aggro once, run, and wait for him to fully summon his army, (about a minute), then shadow form in for a rather easy kill, due to the surronding groups of graven monoliths.)
 * Master of Misery - Hard/Very Hard (Pull together groups, beware of scythe attacks and death novas, armor of earth, obsidian flame, feigned neutrality all are good to have.)
 * Consort of Ruin - Hard/Very Hard (Pull groups, and make sure it targets him and it will be easy, minions and blades of torment make this tough.)

= A/Me Fever Outbreak = The Fever Outbreak assassin is built for dealing with a large amount of targets. Likewise, it excels in a PvE and AB environment where the sheer amount of players and NPCs usually make Sins underpowered to deal with all the targets, so the Fever Outbreak assassin attempts to solve this by the use of the Mesmer elite Fevered Dreams to spread four potent conditions amid a large area of targets, while also hitting the primary target very hard. Likewise, it can also solo cap shrines, which sins also have problems doing in a speedy manner. The initial build is aimed at teams with a dedicated healer. If you do not have one, variants exist to cope.

Attributes and Skills

 * To fill in the Optional slots, look in the Variants section for many different uses for this build.
 * If you don't have a dedicated healer, drop Critical Strikes down to 10 and put 8 points in Shadow Arts.

Equipment

 * Armor: Radiant Armor with Runes of Attunement.
 * Weapons: Poisonous PvP Dagger of Fortitude with a 15% Modifier vs Hexed opponents. It is suggested however you bring along a Cripple, Deepwound, and Zealous Dagger set as well, using them as the situations call for it.

Usage

 * Select a target, hopefully one in the center of a large collection of foes. The area radius of Fevered Dreams is extremely large, so you can even pick an outlining foe and still possibly effect everyone. Now, hex your target with Fevered Dreams. Hit them with Black Mantis Thrust to slow them down, followed with Black Lotus Strike to give you energy for Black Spider Strike and Twisting Fangs. Everyone in the area should now be crippled, bleeding, poisoned, and suffering from a deep wound.
 * Note, this build is very flexible in relation to combo attack order. You can fire off all three of your attacks at any time except Twisting Fangs, which HAS to follow an Off-Hand attack.

Counters

 * Hex removal before the combo can be carried out. However, Fevered Dreams only has a 10 second recharge.
 * General other standard anti-melee counters can pose problems.

Variants

 * If you wish to have a consistent tanking ability in PvE, add in Critical Eye and Critical Defenses. You can even further drop Black Lotus Strike, put 8 + 1 points in Shadow Art by lowering Dagger Mastery to 10 and add in Way of Perfection. The energy gain from Critical Eye should cover you. If you decide you don't need crippling, you can always replace Black Mantis Thrust for something else of use to you, such as Blinding Powder, which can be shot off after your first off-hand attack without disrupting Twisting Fangs.
 * For Optional: Movement skills to close upon your target, such as Dash, Dark Escape, Shadow of Haste or Shadow Walk which will allow you to automatically teleport back after fufilling your combo if you bring a secondary stance, like Deadly Paradox which will cut down the recharge on a healing spell, such as Feigned Neutrality.
 * For Optional: Defensive skills, such as Signet of Malice which will clear you of conditions given the sheer many of them you'll spread around. Or Blinding Powder which can act in a defensive capacity with Fevered Dreams, blinding everyone in the area for 10 seconds with a 20 second recharge, which is considerably useful. Heart of Shadow, Feigned Neutrality, and Shadow Refuge will heal you.
 * For Optional: Offensive skills, for even more of an edge in killing your target. Interruptions such as Disrupting Dagger or Web of Disruption which will also count as a cover hex or all around hex so you can carry out your combo might be useful. Expunge Enchantments is even possible to deal with generally unkillable 'Mystic Regeneration' tanks which are common in AB.
 * If blocking foes become a problem consider using Way of the Fox to hit with all of the combo (at 5 shadow arts your next 3 attacks are unblockable and at 8 the next 4).

Equipment

 * Shrouded Armor or Radiant insignias are a must.
 * Because your health does not matter but your energy does, forgo a vigor rune in favor of two attunement runes.
 * Since if you aggro monsters outside of shadow form you will die, armor level is not important. Save money and buy starter level armor.


 * Daggers with a Dagger Handle of Enchanting and either bonus damage when enchanted or bonus energy. The Daggers of Xuekao or Chimor's Daggers or Arius' Sai are ideal.

Usage

 * Activate Shadow of Haste when you have more than one aggro bubble's width between the edge of your aggro bubble and your target.
 * Run close to your target (without aggroing) and cast Arcane Echo. (If this is removed before you go on to the next step, cancel Shadow of Haste with Dark Escape, wait for your skills to recharge, and try again.)
 * Cast Shadow Form and charge into battle.
 * Cast Empathy and follow up with Black Lotus Strike so you have your hex and enough energy; follow up with Black Spider Strike and Twisting Fangs.
 * Once Shadow Form is between one quarter and one third recharged, cast the echoed copy.
 * Shadow of Haste should run out just before the echoed copy of Shadow Form begins to flicker, and Shadow Step you back to your safe zone. If it does not, use Dark Escape to cancel.

Counters

 * If Shadow form or Arcane Echo are interrupted, you will not be able to make the assault, and will most likely die. However, provided you activate the first skills in a safe area, this should never happen
 * Touch skills (such as Vampiric Bite) or PBAoE (such as Symbol of Wrath) that are not affected by Shadow Form
 * Damage skills that affect an ally instead of an enemy (such as Riposte, Shield of Judgment, or Sliver Armor)
 * Enchantment removal that does not target an enemy (such as Chilblains or Expunge Enchantments)

Variants
Variants that do not require Nightfall skills:


 * Replace Black Spider Strike with Golden Phoenix Strike for a spike skill which will recharge quick enough to be used twice in each assault. Note that the loss of degeneration from poision in Black Spider Strike will slow down the build, usually meaning a maximum of one kill in each assault.
 * Replace Black Spider Strike with Repeating Strike for higher damage output. It is important not to spam this skill as energy will be consumed quickly.

Variants that do not require Dark Escape:


 * Replace Dark Escape with Recall.
 * Have a Hero or Henchman as a party member.
 * Cast Recall on the henchman and flag to a safe area.
 * Begin your assault. Recall to the henchman when Shadow Form ends.
 * Be aware that patrolling mobs may enter aggro with your henchman, most likely resulting in your death.
 * Using Recall enables you to drop Shadow of Haste in favour of another attack skill such as Death Blossom.

Attributes and Skills

 * Possible skills for the optional:
 * Resurrection Chant, Renew Life, or Restore Life
 * Restful Breeze
 * Death's Charge

Equipment

 * Armor: Since energy is not much of a problem, choose armor for elemental resistance. Nightstalker insignia is recommended.  A clarity rune is useful.
 * Weapons: Sundering or Vampiric daggers of Fortitude

Usage

 * Cast and maintain Live Vicariously and Vigorous Spirit on yourself. If there are other melee in your group, use Vigorous Spirit on them to aid in healing.
 * Activate Flashing Blades when engaging mobs. If you use Death's Charge for the optional skill, shadow step into the fray using Flashing Blades.  Maintain Flashing Blades while you fight.
 * Use Critical Eye for energy management.
 * Combo: jagged strike, wild strike, death blossom. Because of its short recharge time, spam this over and over.

Counters
In order of concern:
 * Heavy enchantment removal areas
 * Anti-melee hexes like Spiteful Spirit or Empathy
 * Blind
 * Stance removal

Variants

 * The last to skill slots are versatile, pick and choose skills from the optionals.

= A/R Critical Barrager = The Critical Barrager uses the Assassin primary Attribute of Critical Strikes, and the skill Critical Eye to increase the chance of critical hits. Coupled with a zealous bow string, this character has to hit just 2 enemies per Barrage (on average) to recover the energy cost.

Equipment

 * A zealous bow is required, a Flatbow like the Ironwing Flatbow or Chkkr's Flatbow is generally preferred for Barragers.

Usage

 * Set up with Favorable Winds.
 * Aim Barrage in the middle of tightly packed groups to maximize damage and condition spread.
 * Keep Critical Eye and Sharpen Daggers up constantly and spam Barrage.
 * Use Shadow Refuge to maintain your health and to counter Health Degeneration.
 * Distracting Shot and Savage Shot are used to interrupt enemies, particularly ones that spam a single skill, allowing for easy interrupts through the spamming. The increased recharge time imposed by Distracting Shot is especially useful against Wurms using Wurm Siege.

Variants

 * Antidote Signet for condition removal.
 * Barbed Trap and Serpent's Quickness are optional skills. Set the trap under Serpent's Quickness right before engaging the foes.
 * Way of Perfection can be used for impressive self-healing when Barraging into clumped foes.
 * This build can be adapted for a [Barrage/Pet] group. Take Charm Animal and Comfort Animal instead of Favorable Winds and Shadow Refuge.
 * Critical Defenses for extra defense.
 * Keen Arrow to deal additional spike damage

Equipment

 * A Full set of +Energy Armor, get energy around 35.
 * Zealous and Vampiric Daggers of Fortitude, along with +5 Energy Daggers.

Usage

 * Select your target and activate Assassin's Promise
 * Choose targets VERY carefully. Take out 'squishy' targets such as monks, elementalists, etc. first. Then when the mob begins to wind down to a few monsters, pile onto the heavier armored enemies such as warriors with your team to ensure the kill.
 * Immediately follow with Death's Charge followed by Lightning Reflexes
 * Use your attack chain: Black Lotus Strike, Twisting Fangs, Black Spider Strike, Blades of Steel.
 * Your target should be dead or near death, finish him off and move to your next target.
 * Use Feigned Neutrality as a self heal.
 * A good tactic to use is to cast Feigned Neutrality before the enemy dies, and let the conditions kill him off so Feigned recharges.

Counters

 * Standard melee counters: Blind,Empathy,Price of Failure etc...
 * Failing to kill your target or having Assassin's Promise interrupted results in a very long downtime.
 * Hex Breaker.

Variants
Sacrifices Twisting Fangs and Dark Prison for Death Blossom and Impale, works great to take out PvE mobs with effeciency.
 * Other possible changes are listed here:


 * Dark Prison instead of Death's Charge for a cover hex, but Lightning Reflexes will need to be cast after Black Lotus Strike.
 * Shadow Refuge instead of Feigned Neutrality.
 * Horns of the Ox instead of Blades of Steel.
 * Burst of Aggression instead of Lightning Reflexes for easier energy use, but less defense.

Equipment

 * Infiltrator's Armor.
 * 3 neccessary Weapon Sets:
 * A pair of 15^50 sundering or vampiric daggers.
 * One longbow.
 * Any one-handed weapon of Fortitude and a shield with health bonuses in stance. The Crimson Carapace Shield from Lord Dorn Lendrigen is a good choice.

Running to Rajazan

 * Leave Harvest Temple into the Unwaking Waters (explorable) while wielding the weapon set with health bonuses.
 * Dash down the stairs until you have only a little space between you and the first group of Shiro'ken.
 * Cast Troll Unguent; while doing so the first patrol will come up into your aggro circle, immediately activate Storm Chaser and rush past them. Do not engage the melee Shiro'ken.
 * As you approach the second group, be careful not to be body blocked.
 * As you approach the third group, your Storm Chaser will be about to end. As soon as it ends, activate Dark Escape and run past the next two groups.
 * After Dark Escape ends, activate Dash to finally shake all the Shiro'ken groups off.
 * Take the lower path until you reach a group consisting of 3 Creeping Carp. Run past them with Storm Chaser while under Troll Unguent. You may find it useful to use Dash, then immediately use another stance, so as not to get that stance ended by the Carps' Wild Strike.
 * Follow the path as described on the map (take the path immediately to the left). If you time everything correctly, the Kraken Spawn will not be in your path.
 * If Outcast Assassins appear, activate Dark Escape and run past, they probably won't even move if you do this. If you're still under Siphon Speed from the Creeping Carp (which is likely), Dash should be able to break their aggro. Beware, if Siphon Speed runs out while you are NOT in a speed-enhancing stance, they will run after you from beyond the aggro bubble.
 * Follow the path north until you approach the next group of Shiro'ken. Run towards them until they start moving, then immediately stop and apply Troll Unguent. The Shiro'ken will enter your aggro circle just as you finish casting Troll Unguent. Activate Storm Chaser and run past this group and the next group.
 * The final group of Shiro'ken will appear in front of you. Run past them with Dark Escape. If you time it right, no enemies will be at the right wall''. Occasionally, there will be a group of 3 Creeping Carp here, which makes things a lot more difficult. Try to run past them without aggroing the dangerous Saltspray Dragons and their boss. Use all your stances here, it'll help to avoid a group of enemies in the next area.
 * Hug the right wall from this point, and you should get into range of Cultist Rajazan without encountering any enemies. (You can get past the Saltspray Dragons by hugging the wall.) If you timed everything right, you should encounter Rajazan's group at the same time as, or slightly before, a pack of 3 Creeping Carp from the left. Activate Dark Escape (which should be ready by now) and run past Rajazan and the Carp. Do not run near any Outcast Assassins: they will use Leaping Mantis Sting and cripple you, wasting your run.
 * Run to the very end of the path. Use Storm Chaser as soon as Dark Escape ends to shake off any enemies that still follow you.

Running Notes

 * A single Carp often follows you at the end. Stand at the westernmost point where you can't walk any further. It will come very close to you, often use a last skill and then retreat. Don't attack it.
 * Timing is critical. Remember that one death means starting all over again from the Harvest Temple.

Pulling and Killing Rajazan
Now it is time to kill Rajazan. Equip your longbow.


 * Attack Rajazan with your bow and immediately retreat to the west with Storm Chaser. This is neccessary to make him use Cultist's Fervor so he is enchanted.
 * As soon as you shake off your pursuers, hurry back and attack Rajazan again.
 * Then run to the west again without any speed enhancing stances. If everything goes right, the Outcasts will retreat. When they do, stop walking; Rajazan will come alone. If the Outcasts don't break off, activate Storm Chaser or Dark Escape!
 * If he has a staff in his hands, walk towards him until he equips his sword and slowly pull him backwards.
 * Killing him is the easiest part. Take out your daggers and use your first 3 skills regularly and use Troll Unguent whenever it is ready. Rajazan will soon be below 50% health.
 * When his health is <50%, repeatedly use Moebius Strike and Death Blossom (while remembering to stay under Troll Unguent).

Notes on pulling
Several factors will determine how easily Rajazan is pulled.
 * If Rajazan is wielding his staff, he will be harder to pull than if he is wielding a sword.
 * If Rajazan is on the western side before the group, he will be easier to pull than if he is on the eastern side, behind the Outcasts.
 * Pulling him alone can really be tedious but don't give up!
 * Sometimes, outcasts will follow you even with Storm Chaser. Try to run in circles with speed enhancing stances, as shown in the adjoining picture.
 * Often, simply using Dash after pulling Rajazan the first time is enough to ensure that you are not followed.
 * The perfect run time from Harvest Temple to Rajazan is approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds, this should ensure that the runner avoids unnecessary and sometimes fatal groups.

= A/R Solo Securing Echovald Forest = This is a build for solo-running the quest Securing Echovald Forest given out by Scoutmaster Arne in Melandru's Hope which is good for 400 Kurzick faction and is a repeatable quest.

Attributes and skills

 * Also, you really only may ever need one running skill, but bring both just in case you can't get to the RH (Regen Health) spot before it ends.
 * If you have Nightfall you can choose to bring Deadly Paradox and drop the rest of your unused attribute points into Deadly Arts

Equipment
Any dagger with a dagger Handle of Enchanting (Preferably 19-20%)
 * Weapons

Usage


You'll start out by taking the quest from Scoutmaster Arne at the first PoI (Point of Interest, marked by the white numbers (refer to the map I've made to the right on this page)). From there you will slowly make your way over to the first SF (Shadow Form, marked by the green numbers). From there, cast Shadow Form immediately followed by either Dark Escape or Storm Chaser. Before Shadow Form runs out (which should be 24 seconds after you cast it) get to the first RH (Regen Health, marked by the red numbers). Regen your health with Troll Unguent and Shadow Refuge (not at the same time) and start to make your way to the second SF. On your way to the second SF, at PoI 2, you might notice two red dots on your compass running across your route. Just wait at PoI 2 until they pass and then continue on to SF 2. Continue this pattern till you reach RH 4. Now, it's not really rare that a group of Undergrowth and Stone Kirins will pass by at the third PoI so be careful and watch your aggro circle! They will make their way up the stairs and will be out of your hair soon. :) Also, you may need to climb a few steps of the same stairs to reach the quest star but you won't be in any enemy's aggro circle.  Slowly continue on with the same pattern being careful not to aggro everything in your path.  :)  Now you'll reach RH point 8 and the final PoI! Congrats! Claim your 400 Kurzick faction, 150 gold, and 2K XP!

Attributes and Skills
Optional Elite:
 * When survivability is an issue, use Flashing Blades instead of Moebius Strike to provide extra defenses
 * Altenatively, Critical Eye can be replaced by Critical Defenses at the cost of some energy gain

Equipment

 * Either armor with blessed insignia or a mix of nightstalkers and blessed Armor can be used.
 * Any Zealous Daggers.

Usage

 * Use Splinter Weapon before a combo (Jagged -> Wild strike -> Death Blossom) to deal a lot of AoE damage. Remember to target clusters of enemies for maximum effectiveness.
 * Use Moebius Strike strike to reset the combo, and allow a second application of Death Blossom immediatly afterwards
 * Use Nightmare Weapon before a combo for a self heal while still dealing a lot of damage.
 * Use Flashing Blades or Critical Defenses for extra defense if selected just before you engage
 * Remember to kite around to avoid enemy spells or to allow a more heavily armored character take the majority of damage.
 * Sins are not a tank. Don't play like one in PvE.

Counters

 * Blindness
 * Cripple
 * Anti-melee hexes
 * E-denial
 * Blocking stances and abilities

Variants

 * Flashing Blades instead of Moebius for more defense.

= A/any Blind Promises = This is a PvE build that uses an easily spammable attack chain and Assassin's Promise to spread blindness to a large number of foes.

Equipment

 * Armor
 * Nightstalker's Armor for the additional armor while attacking
 * Weapons
 * Perfect vampiric daggers for added damage. eg. Urkal's Kamas or Chkkr's Pincers

Usage

 * Choose your target and move into melee range.
 * Begin your attack string with Jagged Strike. Due to the fast recharge of Jagged Strike and Wild Strike you should be able to alternate between using Death Blossom and Blades of Steel over and over.
 * After hitting with Wild Strike, use Blinding Powder.
 * Just before the target dies, use Assassin's Promise on them. Blinding Powder will recharge and you will be able to continue spreading blindness.
 * Use Death's Charge to move to the next foe.
 * Maintain your health with Shadow Refuge while fighting.

Counters

 * Blindness
 * Evasion/blocking stances are a challenge.
 * Hex removal can strip Assassin's Promise before the target dies and you get stuck with a recharging skill bar.
 * Plague Touch can be tough as when fighting groups of necromancers. They'll all blind you in turn, using the blindness you put on them.

Variants

 * To handle evasion/blocking stances, use Unseen Fury instead of Death's Charge. If Blindness is a problem, use Plague Touch instead.
 * Also, to increase your ability to use your attacks repeatedly, try using zealous daggers.

= A/any Chkkr Farmer = The A/Any Chkkr Farmer uses Critical Defenses combined with Moebius Strike and dual attacks to maintain a constant physical defense, while dealing more DPS than many other builds.

This build is used to farm EVERY variety of Chkkr bosses in the factions campaign. This includes the Locust Lord, Thousand Tail, Ironclaw, and Brightclaw. It is also capable of soloing any other boss that deals physical damage and is able to be pulled away from surrounding mobs, including Shiro Tagachi in both campaigns.


 * This is also a great all-around PvE build for Assassins due to the low recharge time, high attack power, and fantastic e-management. It is also very versatile and you can edit it in many ways to your own style.

Attributes and Skills

 * Shadow Refuge or Dark Escape can be switched out for Way of Perfection or a different healing skill.
 * Feigned Neutrality can be used for PvE areas where in battle heals aren't as neccessary.
 * There are many useful variants posted below, this is a very versatile build that you can shape to your own style.

Equipment

 * Any Max Armor, try to get energy as high as possible and at least 400hp.
 * Zealous daggers of Enchanting with +15% damage while enchanted are ideal here.
 * Also bring a longbow of some sort for pulling some of the bosses away from mobs.

Running

 * To Chkkr Locust Lord:
 * Run normally north until you can go east to enter the lagoon area, wait for mantises to move away before you run.
 * Activate Dark Escape and run quickly to the clear area to the north of Chkkr, be very careful not to aggro the small groups!
 * Equip your bow and be patient while you wait for the mantises to move away from Chkkr, then fire and pull back.
 * Move behind the large tree stump that is sticking out of the water to avoid aggroing any mantises and begin killing.


 * To Chkkr Thousand Tail:
 * Move up to where the wardens are and wait until they all form into one small spot.
 * When this happens activate dark escape and run past them to the right to quickly lose aggro.
 * Be careful not to aggro the group coming from the right side of your screen, and wait for all of the mobs to move away.
 * No use in using a bow here since this Chkkr is a ranged boss, so move ahead to killing him.


 * To Chkkr Ironclaw:
 * This is by far the hardest one to do!
 * Run to the southwest, past the mesmer boss Xisni, and keep going until you hit a series of rivers and waterfalls where Chkkr is.
 * Try to avoid aggro as best as you can, its a very hard run, but eventually you can get through the the north of Chkkr.
 * Stay in the wide open area north of him, and shoot him with a bow. The entire group will come, but they SHOULD shake off.
 * Continue to go north until his group leaves, but Chkkr stays following you, now begin killing him.
 * It is very difficult to make this run, and also to get his group to leave without him, just try to be patient.


 * To Chkkr Brightclaw:
 * The run is nothing, just walk out of the Jade Flats and walk to the west.
 * When you approach him be careful, a lot of mantises will spawn when you get too close.
 * To pull him, stand near the top of the stairs and shoot at him, this should cause him to leave his group and come after you.
 * Watch out for the group of stone scale kirin and dragon mosses, for some reason they like to run across the map and kill you when you attack Chkkr...

Killing

 * This is pretty standard for any boss/PvE mob you will face.
 * Activate Critical Defenses as soon as the boss gets close, then use the first attacks.
 * Now just spam Critical Strike when you need to renew Critical Defenses or when you need energy. Otherwise use Death Blossom for damage.
 * Use Shadow Refuge/Way of Perfection as needed to keep up your health, as CD is only a 75% chance to block.

Counters
None. :) At least none on the Chkkr bosses. Unless you end up aggroing other monsters of course. (dreamweavers hurt, the rest are actually killable)

Shiro Solo

 * Heres one more variant I decided to add, its the one I use to SOLO Shiro Tagachi himself at the Gate of Madness. This allows the rest of the team to go ahead and get the bonus without having to worry about him! Its also easy to kill Shiro in Factions with it if you have a few heroes to get past Med. of the Reaper.


 * This build adds in Wild Blow as a quick stance remover that doesn't interrupt the attack chain to easily remove Battle Scars.
 * Here is a VIDEO of me Tanking Shiro Tagachi. -Samurai-JM -
 * The full battle took about 8 minutes, but it was too big for youtube so I had to cut the first half off. The first half of his hp goes down very slowly anyway, and it is basically the first 30 seconds of this part repeated over and over while the team got the bonus.
 * The monk hero is not necessary to do this, I just wanted to be perfectly safe in case I messed up. (and I did while talking to teammates) :)

Other Variants

 * For a much stronger degen/DPS build, maybe for PvP areas, equip fiery daggers and try something like this:


 * For more degenerative build that can easily take on defensive stances, use something like this:


 * For much more of degeneration to counter things like Troll Unguent and Shadow Refuge, try this:


 * Feel free to try out different variations of this and fit it to your own style. Also try to post your own versions on the discussion page to share them with everyone!

Attributes and Skills

 * Optional: Dash or another running skill
 * Optional: Shadow Refuge or another healing skill

Equipment

 * Nightstalker's Legs and Chest
 * Daggers of Xuekao work very well here, any longbow

Usage
Exit Lutgardis Conservatory into Melandru's Hope and talk to the Kurzick Priest to get the Blessing of the Kurzicks. Run a bit north of Chkkr Locust Lord, avoiding aggroing creatures. If you do aggro any creatures, use Dash to get them away from you. If there are mantises surrounding Chkkr, wait until they move away, if they don't, start again. Use your longbow to lure him out, and when he is inside of your aggro bubble run north so no mantis will interfere with your farming. Then use Critical Eye, Palm Strike and Blinding Powder as quick as you can. Follow up with Horns of the Ox, Falling Spider and Critical Defenses. Keep using the dagger combo until Blinding Powder recharges. Blinding Powder and Critical Defenses take priority, so whenever they are recharged use them as quick as you can. Keep critical eye up at all times. The bleeding and the poison will negate the healing from Shadow Refuge. He will soon be dead.

If Critical Defenses runs out, run around Chkkr Locust Lord until Critical Defenses or Blinding Powder recharge. He might run back to his island whilst running around him - if this happens just run towards him and he'll start attacking you again.

Variants

 * Fill the optional slot with whatever you like, Dash works well, or another running skill depending on your secondary profession (Sprint, Windborne Speed etc.)
 * You can replace Palm Strike with Golden Phoenix Strike. This enables you to use a different Elite.
 * An A/W variant can be made by replacing Horns of the Ox, Falling Spider, and Twisting Fangs with Golden Lotus Strike, Wild Strike, and Wild Blow. Way of Perfection would be placed into the optional slot.
 * Note that Wild Blow recharges fast enough to keep up Critical Defenses, but you have to watch it.

= A/any Critical Fox = This PvE build is built around the Assassin's primary attribute, Critical Strikes. Using Way of the Assassin and Critical Eye to raise your chance of a critical hit to about a 77% chance per hit, and Critical Defenses for a near-permanent 75% chance to block, nearly every hit you land will net you +4 energy. Using a skill chain of unblockable attack skills, you can be sure to consistently get your damage through.

Attributes and Skills

 * Your optional slot is normally reserved for Critical Eye, but there are a few other choices here:
 * In a full PvE party, Resurrection Signet is the best choice.
 * Way of Perfection is usable as a long-term heal, and can serve to keep Way of the Assassin active (the downside is the short duration and small heals at lower levels of Shadow Arts).
 * Another Dual Attack, such as Critical Strike, will provide more energy management and a critical hit on-demand.


 * If kiting foes are a problem, I've found Leaping Mantis Sting to be a viable alternative to Golden Fox Strike.
 * When playing with a normal party, energy isn't a big deal for this build. It's probably a good idea to switch out Critical Eye in favor of a resurrection skill.
 * If survival is an issue, you can go A/D and switch Shadow Arts for Earth Prayers (see Variants, below).

Equipment

 * Nightstalker's Armor is recommended.
 * Daggers with an "of Enchanting" mod is best, and preferably a "+15% while enchanted" or "+15% while in a stance" mod. Daggers of Xuekao may be the best green daggers for this build.
 * The build's defense is high enough that you'll be able to afford the HP loss from adding Superior runes to the build. A Superior Daggery Mastery can increase both your damage output and your critical hit chance by a small amount. A Superior Critical Strikes rune may also be helpful. Be very careful when using runes though, as anything more can be counter-productive.

Usage

 * The build centers around keeping four different skills up at all times: Shroud of Distress, Critical Eye, Critical Defenses, and Way of the Assassin. In the heat of battle, you'll need to remember to check your status bar often, and make sure to keep all your skills up as much as possible.
 * When first initiating battle, activate Critical Eye and Shroud of Distress as you charge. Right before you engage, activate Critical Defenses (make sure not to activate this skill too soon, or you run the risk of not getting a critical hit fast enough to recharge it). Once you engage, activate Way of the Assassin. Be careful when first starting this all, as you will lose a pretty sizable chunk of energy. Once you get a few hits in, your energy should recharge quite quickly.
 * Make sure to use your attack chain often, as it will deal a large amount of consistent, unblockable damage thanks to your high critical chance. Keep an eye on your status at all times. When anything starts to end, make sure to re-activate it right away. Pay special attention to Critical Defenses in particular. When your target dies, make sure to switch to a new target as quickly as possible to keep Critical Defenses up.
 * Shroud of Distress serves two major purposes here; keeping Way of the Assassin active, thanks to its long duration, and also granting you a very sizable amount of evasion when your health gets low. At seven Shadow Arts, it should last for 44 seconds (not counting any bonus from Daggers of Enchanting). This should be more then enough to last the duration of the battle, and the recharge time is one second longer, in case you need to re-activate.
 * Keep in mind that you have an increased chance of a critical hit when attacking lower-level monsters (this increased chance is more easily noticable when attacking creatures around level 10 or below). Target a nearby spirit or a weaker monster if you're in desperate need of a critical hit.
 * When facing foes with Enchantment removal, keep in mind that Critical Defenses will almost always be the first to go, reguardless of the order you activate your enchantments. This is because whenever you land a critical hit, Critical Defenses will re-apply itself, thus moving back to the top of the list. If you know that you're going to be losing an enchantment, it's probably a bad idea to get yourself in a fight with another melee character.

Counters

 * There are a few counters, but most of them are too narrow to consider a real threat. Your main worry is Enchantment removal and the Blind condition. When Blinded, your best bet is to get out of combat. Without a critical hit, you'll lose Critical Defenses and be easy prey for most attacks. Enchantment removal can also get rid of Critical Defenses, but this can normally be fixed by killing whoever's wielding the enchantment removal.

Variants

 * For superior self-healing and defense, consider going A/D and switching all of your points from Shadow Arts into Earth Prayers. This will allow you to use Vital Boon and Mystic Regeneration (replacing Shadow Refuge and Shroud of Distress). The large Block chance granted by Critical Defenses, in addition to the +9 Health regen provided by Mystic Regeneration (at 8 Earth Prayers and with all three enchantments active), should serve to keep you alive for a much greater amount of time, especially against other melee classes (don't forget the +72 maximum health bonus you'll gain from Vital Boon). Your attribute points should be reordered, like so:
 * This variant works much better against melee foes than casters, and the quick recharge times on the Dervish enchantments means you don't suffer nearly as much against foes with enchantment removal, as it's not a big deal to simply re-cast one of your cheaper enchantments to keep Way of the Assassin active.


 * If a Dervish secondary isn't what you're looking for, Assassin's Shadow Arts attribute has plenty of tricks to boost your survival even higher. Drop your Critical Strikes attribute down to 11 and add a Major Rune of Critical Strikes (11 + 2), and drop Dagger Mastery down to 10, keeping the current rune and headgear setup (10 + 1 + 2). This will allow you to boost your Shadow Arts attribute all the way up to 10.


 * You'll need to switch out Shroud of Distress for Way of Perfection, and switch Shadow Refuge for Critical Eye. With your Shadow Arts all the way up at 11 (10 plus the minor rune), Way of Perfection lasts 28 seconds out of the 30 second recharge, and grants a 32-health heal every time you land a critical hit. With Critical Eye as well, you'll gain tons of energy, and everything up and running grants you a massive critical hit chance, which will keep health and energy topped off during nearly any fight. The optional slot can be anything, but preferably you'll want to bring either a resurrection skill (when in a party), Shadow Refuge as an out-of-battle self-heal (just in case), or even Sharpen Daggers to add bleeding to the attack chain.


 * In some cases where the unblockable chain isn't needed, good options as a replacement attack chain are attack chains like Golden Phoenix Strike, Horns of the Ox, and Falling Spider, or maybe a chain with Jagged Strike, Wild Strike, and Death Blossom for faster damage. Using Golden Phoenix Strike will also allow you to use just itself and a Dual Attack, thus leaving you an extra skill slot as well.


 * If Blinding skills are a common occurrence, skills from other professions, such as Remedy Signet (Paragon), Antidote Signet (Ranger), Mending Touch (Monk), and Sight Beyond Sight (Ritualist) are easy to add to the build with no investment into other attributes.


 * Going A/E will allow you to replace a skill (preferably Shroud of Distress) with Conjure Flame/Frost/Lightning, which will not only enable Way of the Assassin (thanks to the fact that they're Enchantments with a long duration), but grant an additional +1...17 damage per attack. This of course will require a slight investment into the Fire/Water/Air Magic attribute, and your Daggers will need the corresponding Elemental damage modifier (Fiery/Icy/Shocking) in place of the Zealous tang.


 * In some cases, a speed boost is a nessessity for catching foes. Seeing as Way of the Assassin is a stance, using a speed boosting stance such as Dash will hurt your build in the long run. The Assassin has access to quite a few speed-reducing Hexes, such as of Shadowy Burden and Siphon Speed. Dervish secondaries have Featherfoot Grace at their disposal. And Elementalist secondaries can use Flame Djinn's Haste, Storm Djinn's Haste, or even Burning Speed as a non-stance speed boost.

= A/any PvE Attack Spammer = The PvE Attack Spammer makes use of cheap fast recharging attack spells in PvE to allows the assassin to continually make attacks without having to wait for attacks to recharge while still conserving energy.

Equipment

 * Any Armor can be used, providing it has max AL.
 * Any Weapon, although Zealous Daggers are helpful.

Usage

 * Keep Critical Eye and Flashing Blades up at all times.
 * Open with Jagged Strike.
 * Follow Jagged Strike with Wild Strike.
 * If there are lots of enemies around, finish with Death Blossom, otherwise finish with Critical Strike.
 * Heal with Shadow Refuge as necessary.
 * Options - Use the optional slot to tailor your effectiveness against specific enemies in an area
 * Against enemies with stances, bring Way of the Fox.
 * Against enemies who cause conditions, bring Signet of Malice.
 * For more defense, bring Critical Defenses.
 * For more damage, bring another attack like Malicious Strike.
 * For more energy during long fights, bring Way of the Lotus.

Counters
Defensive stances and Blindness will put you out of the fight, and prevent you from regaining energy from critical hits. Getting Crippled will allow enemies to kite you.

Variants
Trade Death Blossom for a more powerful dual attack like Twisting Fangs. This does more damage to a single target at the cost of using more energy.

Attributes and Skills

 * Users with Nightfall should replace Return with Death's Retreat for added healing.


 * As this is a PvE build, Rebirth would be a good way to fill the 8th slot but non-Monk secondaries can use the Resurrection Signet just fine.

Equipment

 * I use Nightstalker's Armor for extra protection, since Assassins are usually on the attack.
 * Any Daggers would work, but since Assassins tend to be fragile, consider:
 * Extra Armor, with daggers of Defense or of Shelter
 * Extra Health, with daggers of Fortitude


 * For extra damage, you can use Vampiric or Sundering daggers. I prefer Sundering because I don't like to deal with the pip of health degen, which can get worrisome.
 * The best Vigor rune you can afford, a Rune of Major Dagger Mastery, a Rune of Major Critical Strikes, a Rune of Minor Shadow Arts and any other rune you like. I use Vitae.

Usage
This is a fairly easy build to use. Early on, identify a party member who will likely be staying away from melee (like a Ranger). Remember his location on your party window, since he's going to be the one you shadow step back to when things get nasty.

Let your warriors charge in first, since they're good at it and it makes them happy. It also helps keep the heat off your much more fragile self.

If possible, position yourself so that Death Blossom's AoE will hit several foes. When you can, use Moebius Strike to hit a target with Death Blossom several times.

Keep pressure off your monks by using Shadow Refuge whenever your health begins to get low. You can also use Death's Charge on a healthy foe for an emergency burst of healing.

You are not a tank. Don't be afraid to Return to the back line, heal yourself, and pop right back into combat. Not only does this help keep you alive, but it helps take the pressure off your monks. With practice, you can be a fully self-sufficient damage dealer: use this to your advantage, because if the Monk has to choose between healing you and the tank, he will likely choose the tank.

If you want to be a little more creative and save Death's Charge for when you need healing, you can wait for a Warrior to engage, then use Return on him to enter melee. This lets you save Death's Charge for when you need a quick heal, or for more critical targets.

Counters
Blindness and spike damage can really hurt this build. A target using a defensive Stance such as Shield Stance can make your attacks hard to chain. Also, keep a watchful eye out for enemies who like to use spells that punish melee attackers.

Variant
Critical Fury

A more lethal variant of this build, however, the shadow step ability is removed from this one for a more welcome defense abitity, which also negates the need for a cooldown (45 seconds for a single shadow step is too long in PvE, expecially since enemies are not likely to flee your attack). Based on Moebius Strike to keep defenses up, and to spam damage on a single target.


 * Optional : taking a resurrection skill is viable since this sin has good survival potential, but you'll prefer Shadow Refuge because monks will not always be there when you get whopping degen...for those who own NightFall, its not incompatible to take feigned neutrality. Heart of Shadow is also a good idea to take, if critical defences are shut down, use it to help in fleeing the fight, and to give the burst of healing you need for the monks to react.


 * Usage : Begin the fight with Critical Eye, when the enemy is at one aggro Bubble or if he begins the attack cast Critical defenses and move into fight, once you get critical defense, do not stop hitting and keep Crit Eye up at all time. Normal combo bar : Jagged strike, Wild strike (can end any stance, very useful against Shiro Tagashi), if you lack Energy, follow by Critical Strike => Moebius==> Twisting Fangs. Otherwise Twisting Fangs ==> Moebius ==> Critical Strike (reload your E-bar) usually at this point, enemy is under 50%; so follow by Moebius, and select the Dual according to what you need : energy or damage. Use critical strike to ensure you get another 9 seconds Critical defenses...anyway with 13 attributes, 14 attributes and Crit Eye, you should land at least 1 crit every 6 Seconds.


 * Counters : Beware of enchantment removers...you can fall down incredibly fast without your defenses. Standard melee counter in effect, Empathy, Blindness. If an enemy is using a blocking stance, try removing it with Wildstrike, it is your priority, or change target.


 * Notes : This build is very usful to take down Shiro Tagashi and works well in chasing Xuekao alone...This build is fairly soloable...but many other builds may be much better for this, and some zones must be avoided (especially zones with dozen of Ele or Mesmers, since the first ignore your defenses, and the secdon simply shut it down...)