Secondary professions for an Assassin

Assassins are highly aggressive, focused damage dealers, better for hit and run skirmishes than drawn out tanking or back-line sieges.

/ Assassin/Warrior
As a warrior secondary, the assassin gains access to a number of defensive stances from the Tactics line; these allow sins to complete skill chains quickly, enabling impressive short term damage. Fast-hitting daggers quickly recharge adrenaline skills such as "Watch Yourself!" and "Fear Me!". Axe-wielding characters can take advantage from innately high critical damage and Axe Mastery skills that benefit from critical striking.


 * Warrior stances are useful to increase attack speed.
 * Flurry reduces weapon damage.
 * Avoid Frenzy, which is dangerous because of the sin's already low AL.
 * Tiger Stance's long recharge makes it useful for spiking, not for pressure.

/ Assassin/Ranger
Using a bow allows the assassin to improve survivability while still dealing impressive amounts of damage. Use Critical Eye, Way of the Master, and Critical Agility to manage energy and increase criticals while taking advantage of interesting ranger skills. Assassin/Rangers are also good runners, using Storm Chaser and Dark Escape for consistent speed boosts.


 * Barrage damage can be devastating (using the three key assassin skills above)
 * Disrupting Accuracy can turn most shots into interruptions
 * Keen Arrow also synergizes with the assassin's high crit rate well.

/ Assassin/Monk
A monk secondary is useful for its improved self-healing and protective skills, which work well with Critical Defenses.


 * Vigorous Spirit and/or Live Vicariously take advantage of the fast attack rate of daggers.
 * Protective Spirit shields against AoE damage such as Soul Explosions
 * Restful Breeze can be used as a faster version of Feigned Neutrality.
 * Mending Touch is a decent condition removal tool.

/ Assassin/Necromancer
The Necromancer hexes work well with Black assassin attacks and with some of the Deadly Arts skills. Also:
 * Rigor Mortis can bypass blocking to ensure your chain lands.
 * Plague Touch works wonders when already in melee range.
 * Parasitic Bond works well to satisfy the while hexed requirement of various assassin skills; it is cheap, quick, and lasts 20 seconds.
 * Demonic Flesh adds damage to adjacent foes each time an attack skill (or any other) is activated; it helps to overcome the Assassin's primary weakness of multiple enemies.

/ Assassin/Mesmer
The mesmer secondary is useful for spreading or punishing conditions, energy management, and repeating skills.


 * Arcane Echo for maintaining Shadow Form.
 * Channeling for energy management against crowds of foes.
 * Epidemic or Fevered Dreams spread conditions from dagger attacks or other skills.
 * Fragility punishes opponents for getting and removing conditions.

/ Assassin/Elementalist
Popular uses of the elementary secondary are creating knockdown chains or for Shadow Form-based farming builds.


 * Shock can knock down foes quickly, which combines well with skills such as Falling Spider.
 * Conjures can be used to trigger Golden attacks
 * Glyph of Swiftness can be used to reduce the recharge of Shadow Form to an infinitely manageable skill.

/ Assassin/Ritualist
The Ritualist secondary can be used to setup spirits that distract foes from the character and as targets for quick escapes. Various Weapon Spells can boost combat abilities.


 * Weapon spells (such as Warmonger's Weapon) can aid an Assassin in battle and are immune to disenchantment.
 * Splinter Weapon can be used to do damage to adjacent foes.
 * Spirit Walk can be used to quickly escape foes.

/ Assassin/Paragon
A spear-wielding Assassin with a high critical strikes attribute and skills such as Way of the Master and Critical Eye will be able to deal substantial damage, due to a spear's fairly high maximum damage and Vicious Attack.


 * "Go for the Eyes!" provides a significantly higher chance to land a critical strike, even without investing attribute points in Command.

/ Assassin/Dervish
There are three styles of Dervish secondaries: scythe assassins use Critical Strikes for massive AoE critical hits; runners; and those who use enchantments to reduce assassin fragility.


 * Critical Strikes used in conjunction with a scythe can create massive critical hits.
 * Dervish enchantments can help the Assassin survive longer in battle, or increase damage output, e.g. Vital Boon
 * Runners can combine Dash with Pious Haste to maintain high average speeds.
 * Rending Sweep is useful for removing protections from targets, when combined with hexes.