User:Jasminethetender/builds/sin

Assassin =Shadow Blossom= This is a build designed for fun, as well as PvE damage dealing. It uses degeneration and area-of-effect attacks to take down foes while making use of the Assassin's unique ability to Shadow Step to move in and out of combat.

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...)

=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.

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.
 * The attack chain is Jagged Strike, Wild Strike, Death Blossom, Impale, Jagged Strike, Wild Strike, Death Blossom...
 * Due to the fast recharge of the attack skills you should be able to cycle through the chain 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
 * 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 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.

Template


=Splintering Nightmare= The Splintering Nightmare alternates splinter weapon and nightmare weapon to deal high level of damage while providing a means of a self heal.

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 for instead of Moebius for more defense.

=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
Plague Touch
 * 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 Death's Charge 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.

See-Also

 * - Favored, widely used.
 * Build:A/W Leet Ganker - Unfavored, merged with above.

=Vigorous Assassin= With offence being the best defense in mind, the Vigorous Assassin exploits the rapid attacks of daggers with the healing capability of monk spells.

Attributes and Skills

 * Possible skills for the optional:
 * Resurrection Chant
 * 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 Zealous daggers of Fortitude are the preferred weapons of this Build.

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 skill slot is versatile, pick and choose skills from the optionals.

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).

Necessities

 * Radiant or Shrouded Armor.
 * 20% enchanting, +5 energy weapon, such as a Totem Axe.
 * +12 energy rec. fire, +15 energy -1 regeneration, +30 health second hand item, such as those exchanged for Jade Bracelets.
 * Lightbringer level 2 or above has been proven to work, Higher is better.

Usage

 * Enter Ravenheart Gloom from the Gate of Anguish. Receive the bounty from the Whispers Informant.
 * Run past the first group of foes with Shadow Form and Dark Escape.
 * Now, near your position is a mob made entirely of spellcasters, lacking a Heart tormentor.
 * Wait for combat between the Shadow Army and the Order of Whispers ends. Get closer to the mixed group.
 * Cast Shadow Form and get into the middle of the enemy group with Shadow Walk.
 * Now, cast Pheonix, Meteor Shower, Bed of Coals, Lava Font, Phoenix and finally Lava Font in that order.
 * Once Shadow Form is about to expire (blinking slowly / quickly) use Dark Escape and run to safety.
 * Once the mixed group has been cleared, repeat the above tactics for the group of six Curse of Darknesses.
 * After that, you may want to attempt an attack on the group containing two Wind of Darknesses and one Scourge of Darkness.
 * If a torment gemstone drops at any time, making a clean escape and retrieving it is always an option.

Counters

 * Heart and Earth tormentors can severely damage, or kill you.

Variants
See Build:A/E UW Farmer for an underworld variant.

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

=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

 * Zealous PvP Daggers of Fortitude or of Defense, with the +5 energy mod.
 * Either Infiltrator's Armor or Saboteur's Armor for the condition reductions, and increased defense versus physical damage.

Usage

 * Choose a target that is not adjacent to any of its allies or its allied pets/spirits.
 * Lead with Palm Strike which doubles as an Off-Hand Attack.
 * If your target is still not adjacent to any of its allies, continue attacking using this skill-chain: Horns of the Ox, Falling Spider, Twisting Fangs.
 * If the target has moved to be adjacent with its allies, simply follow Palm Strike with Twisting Fangs.
 * Use Blinding Powder and Shadow Refuge as necessary to prevent and heal damage. Use Dash to catch up with runaways.

Counters

 * Landing Diversion, Disrupting Chop or Distracting Shot on Palm Strike will cripple this build.
 * Shadow Refuge is an easy healing skill to overwhelm, try to get this build to overextend and then spike it.
 * Because of the nature of this build, the skills Empathy, Clumsiness, Ineptitude, Insidious Parasite and Spiteful Spirit can be a source of significant damage.

Variants

 * Dash can be switched out with Shadow of Haste for a longer speed boost at the cost of Dash's faster speed.
 * If used in Alliance Battles, drop Resurrection Signet for Unseen Fury, as this synergizes will with Blinding Powder or Heart of Shadow

=Leaping Temple Strike= The Leaping Temple Strike build is designed for taking out spell casters of almost all types, especially support monks. It uses Shadow of Haste to keep up not only a constant speed buff, but as a means of escape used in conjunction with Dash. It uses Temple Strike to disable spell casters via Dazed, and other low cost attack skills to finish them off. It also keeps in mind that most players will run when inflicted with dazed, and has the appropriate counters.

Equipment

 * Silencing Daggers of Fortitude with +15% while in a stance
 * Shrouded Armor

Usage

 * Always keep Shadow of Haste on. This way you have a constant speed buff and in the long run will always outrun your target, it also allows you to fully utilized Leaping Mantis Sting.
 * Use Death's Charge as the best means of surprising your target, giving them little to no time to react before you've hit them with Temple Strike.
 * Critical Strike is used as the dual attack due to its energy mangement, as it essentially only costs you 1 energy at Critical Strikes 10, making up for the costly use of Temple Strike.
 * If your target runs, you'll already have a speed buff with Shadow of Haste to catch up to them and cripple them with Leaping Mantis Sting - which will in turn allow you to inflict even greater damage with Jungle Strike.
 * With Dagger Mastery at 16, you can keep reapplying the crippling as the recharge of Leaping Mantis Sting is only 8 seconds, and its duration is 16 seconds.
 * Use Dash to cancel Shadow of Haste to get yourself out of trouble.
 * Try to reactivate Shadow of Haste before going after a target if you figure that the time left on its duration is almost up, so that you can keep an escape point further back, because it doesn't help you as much if you have to activate again during combat.

Counters

 * Casters with a significant number of anti-melee skills.
 * Skills like Wild Blow or Wild Strike can mess you up.
 * Not built to go toe to toe with Warriors (but you can shut them down).
 * Plague Touch

Variants
Replace Death's Charge with one of these two skills:


 * Signet of Malice for quick and easy condition removal, works well with this build due to the 3 conditions you can inflict - greatly increases survivabilty without having to retreat.
 * Signet of Shadows for an extra burst of damage after your combo, drawback is having to move points to Deadly Arts by pulling some out of Dagger Mastery, which loses you some duration on Temple Strike's conditions.

Replace Critical Strike for Twisting Fangs to cover the effect of Temple Strike, making it harder to heal.

Equipment

 * Full Radiant or Survivor Armor (insignias). Superior Rune of Dagger Mastery, Superior Rune of Vigor.
 * Energy +5 Zealous Daggers of Fortitude.
 * 15^50 Zealous Daggers of Fortitude.

Usage

 * Pick a target, preferably a weakened one who's not adjacent to any other foes.
 * Suprise him/her by using Shadow Walk on him/her.
 * Use your attack combo and spam Moebius Strike -> Horns of the Ox if your target has less then 50% health.
 * Use Dash followed by Feigned Neutrality to Shadowstep back and heal yourself if needed.
 * Resurrection Signet speaks for itself, use it as soon as one of you allies dies.

Counters

 * Common melee counters like Empathy, Spiteful Spirit and Blind.
 * Block Stances/Enchantments.
 * Foes standing adjacent to other enemies.

Variants

 * The Shadow Walk/Dash combo is optional, these skills can be replaced by condition removers like Mending Touch or Plague Touch.
 * Disrupting Stab can be replaced by another Lead Attack of choice.
 * You can also drop Shadow Walk and use Impale instead, the Deep Wound it causes is very helpful.

=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, Leaping Mantis Sting is 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 or even if enermy spells are a problem you can bring Disrupting Stab which is a nice easy inturpt that is cheap and recharges ok.


 * 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.

=Beguiling Steel=

This build is meant to disable and kill casters by using daze. The six second duration of the dazed condition is easily enough time to unleash your combo. Although it works best against casters, the large spike can also easily take out medium to heavily armored targets.

Equipment

 * Zealous or Sundering Daggers of Fortitude or of Defense, with the +5 energy inscription.
 * Shrouded armor for maximum energy, and preferably at least one Rune of Attunement.

Usage

 * Choosing the right target is what leads this build to success. Pick a target, preferably a caster.
 * Use Shadowy Burden as a snare and to decrease AL.
 * Use Beguiling Haze immediately to reach your target to interrupt and daze him.
 * Use Black Lotus Strike to regain your energy.
 * Follow up with Black Spider Strike to apply poison and finish with Blades of Steel for a large spike.
 * Use Feigned Neutrality when appropriate.

Counters

 * Any anti melee hexes or conditions such as Insidious Parasite, Spiteful Spirit, or Blind.
 * Because Feigned Neutrality's duration is short, be sure not to linger in the middle of the battle.
 * A well used Contemplation of Purity.
 * A quick removal of Holy Veil, which would also remove Shadowy Burden to stop your chain.

Variants

 * Shadow Refuge can be used instead of Feigned Neutrality.
 * Instead of Shadowy Burden, you can use Siphon Speed for better energy management or Expose Defenses to combat block.
 * If used in Alliance Battles, drop your Resurrection Signet for speed buffs such as Dash or Dark Escape.
 * Alternately, with a Warrior secondary for Alliance Battles or the like, the Resurrection Signet can be dropped in favor of an IAS such as Burst of Aggression. This will greatly increase your chances of interrupting a foe while they're Dazed.

=BoA=

Equipment

 * A Full Set of Radiant (insignia) armor.
 * Zealous, Vampiric and Ebon Daggers of Fortitude.

Usage

 * The spike:
 * Shadow Prison -> Burst of Aggression -> Black Lotus Strike -> Twisting Fangs -> Black Spider Strike -> Blades of Steel.
 * Execute the attack chain with Vampiric daggers.
 * Switch to Zealous daggers if energy runs low.
 * Use Ebon daggers when fighting a Warrior or when you are not engaged in combat.
 * Use Expose Defenses if your target is protected by any skill (Aegis, Guardian, Weapon of Warding, Ward Against Melee) that gives a chance to block attacks.

Variants

 * Horns of the Ox is a common variant that sacrifices damage for a knockdown, and can therefore replace Blades of Steel.
 * Another Shadow Step or an additional healing/defensive skill (such as Feigned Neutrality) can replace the Resurrection Signet for Alliance Battles or Competitive missions.
 * Siphon Speed can replace Expose Defenses as a backup hex to trigger the attack chain, and to quickly escape.
 * Impale can be used in conjunction with different dual attacks (Horns of the Ox in Particular).


 * Death Blossom can replace Blades of Steel.
 * Assassin's Promise and Dark Prison can be used as a more PvE or AB/CM oriented version.

=Disrupting Steel= This build uses web of disruption and recall to create a very versatile assassin that can get rid of archers easily, interrupt key skills like healing signets, trolls, or mending touches, and have extremely high damage outputs on trains.

Equipment

 * A Full set of armor with radiant insignias
 * Ebon Daggers of Fortitude, Vampiric Daggers of Fortitude.

Usage

 * Begin your attack chain by casting web of disruption or using Shadow Prison.
 * Follow up with Black Lotus, Twisting Fangs,Black Spider,and Blades of Steel.
 * Feel free to use your interrupt any time you see convienient, as it also doubles as a hex to start your chains.
 * Be sure to keep recall on a monk or other type of healer for easy escape.

Counters

 * Standard Melee counters. (Empathy, Blind, Reckless Haste...ect.)
 * Diversion will kill your offense if any key skills are disabled.

Attributes and Skills

 * Drop Dash for Resurrection Signet if you want; however, the build performs optimally with the above bar.
 * Also consider dropping Dash for Critical Strike if you're having energy problems.

Equipment

 * Vampiric, Zealous and Ebon daggers, all 15^50 and of Fortitude.

Usage

 * Pick a target to pressure. This build is an effective Linebacker, dealing ~60 armor-ignoring damage per second; you can pressure a Warrior just as well as a Monk.
 * Use Leaping Mantis Sting -> Exhausting Assault -> Moebius <-> Death Blossom.
 * When your target gets below 50% HP, use Impale.

Counters

 * Standard Melee counters.
 * Diversion/interrupt of Leaping Mantis or Moebius, leaving you unable to start (or continue) the attack chain.

Equipment

 * Radiant Armor or Nightstalker's Armor
 * One pair of Zealous Daggers
 * One pair of Vampiric Daggers

Usage

 * Cast and Maintain Locust's Fury, Critical Eye, and Flurry.
 * Cast Critical Defenses and Way of Perfection
 * Cast "For Great Justice!"
 * Auto-Attack and spam "Fear Me!"

Counters

 * General Anti-Melee
 * Spiteful Spirit and Empathy will kill you in seconds

Variants

 * A Shadow Step rather than Caltrops
 * Crippling Dagger rather than Caltrops
 * An Alternative IAS
 * Healing Signet or Feigned Neutrality in place of Way of Perfection
 * In RA/TA bring a Resurrection Signet (obviously)
 * "To the Limit!"

Equipment

 * Full set of Radiant Armor
 * Any daggers you want. I prefer +5 energy +30 health 20/20 or Vampiric

Usage
Usage is very straightforward, use the skills from left to right in that order. After your first spike you can spike again without Shroud of Silence by using Siphon Speed as your hex. Use Restful Breeze to heal yourself, and sometimes you can even effectively heal allies with it.

Counters

 * Blindbots will stop you from killing your target. You can kill the blindbot since it will not be able to blind you during Shadow Shroud and you can use both Siphon Speed and Shadow Shroud while blinded.
 * Pre-veil will sometimes work.
 * Contemplation of Purity.
 * A few common assassin counters.

Overcoming Stance Monks
Who hasn't fought a monk that uses Frenzied Defense? It seems like a counter to this build but there is actually a way around it. It is however, a bit difficult to do. You won't be killing the monk, but you will be disabling him and killing one of his allies. First walk up very close to the monk. Put Siphon Speed on the nearest foe other than the monk. As long as the targets armor is 70 or below you should have no problem. As soon as you get Siphon Speed on that foe, put Shroud of Silence on the monk. The monk can't run away from you while you're trying to do this very well since you have the 33% speed boost from Siphon Speed. Now that Shroud of Silence is on the monk, switch back to the target you hexed with Siphon Speed and use your attack chain on it. If all goes well, the monk will be unable to heal it and it should die.

Overcoming Pre-Veil
Even more common than a monk that uses stances is a monk that puts Holy Veil on themself to remove any nasty hexes like Shroud of Silence. There is no absolute way around this, especially if the monk knows you have Shroud of Silence, but usually you can beat it. First put Siphon Speed on them. Watch for the hex to end within about 3 seconds of casting. That means the monk has removed its veil. If your Siphon Speed is almost recharged, use it again. If not, just go straight to Shroud of Silence and use your chain as normal. If the monk doesn't remove Siphon Speed, skip using Shroud of Silence and just use your attack chain. The monk will survive and heal itself, but will almost always remove the veil to recover the energy it lost healing itself. As soon as your skills are close to recharged, use Siphon Speed, Shroud of Silence, and your attack chain as always. If the monk refuses to remove its veil until you use Shroud of Silence (usually the case if they know you have it), just use Siphon Speed and your attack chain repeatedly. With the energy upkeep cost from veil the monk will not be able to survive long.

Variants

 * Dark Prison can replace Siphon Speed for a shadow step, although it has a longer recharge and doesn't snare as effectively as Siphon Speed.