User:Tempest mizer/buildarchive/Build: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 affect 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 fulfilling 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).