RauI Assassin Guide

Introduction
An assassin does exactly what you think an assassin can do, it kills things incredibly fast. LOL, yup, I said it. This class is a mixture of DD (damage dealer) and crowd control. You can run very quickly, you can teleport, and yes, you can go invisible folks. The assassin class is the only class in perfect world that gives you the feel of a true ninja melee-ranged stealth fighter. Add a near perfected target control (as promised by translated sage/demon skills on foreign forums) with massive damage spikes, and you've got yourself a squishy, yet deadly, assassin. I started using the assassin the day they came out on PWI and have grown with the class since then. Not only will I be embedding my own personal experience into this guide, but the experience of many who've helped create what assassins have become thus far in the game.

Stats Allocation
~Dex (Optional Vit) Build~

+1 Strength +4 Dexterity (If you don't have the coin for good gear/shards, give yourself 20-30 vit)

Endgame: 5 Vitality (20-35 if you're poor) 5 Magic 117 Strength (so you can wear that Warsoul Helm) 400+ Dexterity

Early game: Many will debate this stat build, and I don't blame them! Cause sins are squishy. Period... well not period, more like comma or semi-colon. Haha, so here we go: early game, the best thing to do (it's up to you) is to give yourself maybe 20-35 vitality points, because early game, you have little to no HP. Even with a some HP shards and refines, your HP is a bit down the dumps! You only notice HP rise if you have +4 and up on all gears with 2-4 socket HP shards on all socketable equipment (which takes a ton of coin) so again, if you're poor ^_^ haha throw on some vit points =] it'll look good on ya'.

Endgame: You'll realize later that moving those Vit points back to Dexterity will help significantly. Every 20 Dex = 1% more crit and more damage, plus Blood Paint (a skill we acquire at level 34) starts to shine. 2% HP stolen from damage dealt each hit. Its BEAUTIFUL! Many might say, "Hey, it's not a lot... it doesn't sound like a lot... heck, it sounds useless to me." But whoa whoa WHOA there dude! 2% of 10,000-15,000 damage per smack is a whole lot of HP soakage. Especially if you have the coin to go interval, but we'll talk more about that later. In a nutshell, we assassins are not designed to take a hit at all. The truth hurts. Unless you can catshop those 24 primeval/savant stones, and 4 socket your gear, +10, charms, pots, etc., squish is the name and damage is the game. With that, please go 1str/4dex =] you won't regret it later on, trust me.

Types of Assassins
Interval Sin: They rely on very fast regular hits + buffs. (All interval comes from gear + demon spark, so if you want to go this way, you'll be spending a pretty penny. You can get Wind Shield or Relentless Courage on your genie for more speed on the side. Unfortunately, they don't stack with demon spark though.)

Why?: Can kill single targets very quickly (high DPS). Can tank with blood paint up. Demon skills portray longer stuns/immobilizes/paralyzes.

Skill Spammer: Well, the name says it all. (Not as expensive build as interval, so you can get by with the regular gear setup.)

Why?: Sage skills focus on higher spike damage (high DPH). Can spike crit AoE damage with clever skill combos. Gains sparks very fast with sage skills.

Skills
Twin Strike: Quickly overpowered by all your other skills. Don't bother with this. However, I do know a PK sin my level who likes to piss people off by finishing them with the level 10 version of this skill. It's cheap to upgrade and may be worth the yucks at high levels.

Slipstream Strike: This will be your best friend for a long time. Level: 8-10.

Tide Form: Pointless really, but it is fun. Level it as you desire.

Puncture Wound: This one is great for low to mid levels, but eventually the DoT isn't worth the time it takes to use. Level: 8 to 10, but only if you are still fairly low (below 60 or 50) However, in PvP, this would be a good skill to use after you stunned your opponent. Though I don't PvP much. Anyone want to correct me?

Raving Slash: Pointless as Tackling Slash soon replaces this. Level: 1 However, like Puncture Wound, this may have significant PvP uses.

Windpush: Both great for saving time and getting away in both PvE and PvP Level: 5-10

Shadow Walk: I'm sure you will use this often, especially if you PvP. Increasing its level will increase both your stealth level when using it and decrease it's mana drain. Level: 10

Wolf Emblem: Personally, I rarely use this, but others swear by it. Level: Negligible

Deep Sting: Not really worth leveling for the minor damage increase. Used for the sleep effect. I'm going to agree with Taxi and say: Level: 1-4

Tidal Protection: My comment is the same as Wolf Emblem, however I will agree with Taxi again and say it's a must have for end game (especially PvP). Level: Negligible

Focused Mind: Personally, I rarely use this, but others swear by it. Level: Negligible

Knife Throw: Short cooldown, ranged damage without using a bow, semi-pulling abilities, and a chance to interrupt channeling (70% at level 10 and 100% at Demon). Level: 10

Sharp Observer Level: 10 only if you PK a lot. otherwise, negligible.

Cat-Like Tread Level: 10 only if you PK a lot. otherwise, negligible.

Rib Strike: Your absolute best PvE skill and best defense against high APS opponents in PvP. Level: 10

Shadow Escape Level: 10

Bloodpaint: Going to quote Taxi here: Interval sin: max it. Skill spamming sin: get it to level 1 or higher to buff your party. (We love your buffs too BMs and barbs!)

Tackling Slash: There is currently a thread going on about whether this is worth leveling or not, so I shall say: Level: 1 (if just for chi) Level: 10 if used for it's stun

Shadow Jump: Mostly a PvP skill as the High rubberband effect is almost completely nurfing it in dungeons. Each level increases its range by 1.5 meters (it has a range of 16.5 at lvl 1) and decreases its cooldown by 1.5 seconds (28.5 at level one) Level: as you please

Shadow Teleport: Essentially Shadow jump with a 3 second stun and uses 1 spark Level: as you please

Maze Steps: Quoting Taxi again: This skill is great even at level 1, because it already gives you 82% increased movement speed. Although it uses 1 spark, it's still a good secondary escape/moving skill. In PvP it works wonders against those stuns/immobilizes/paralyzes. Also works great against those bishops in FCC (Frostcovered City).

Inner Harmony: 1.5 sparks at level 1. 2 sparks at level 10. Yet it takes a total of 3 mil coins at 4 mil spirit to get it to level 10. We already have Dragon Strike which gives 1.5 sparks and Tackling Slash which gives 1/2 a spark. By the time 2 sparks will be needed for Demon/Sage sparkburst, one should have 1.54 - 2.0 APS anyway, giving a great chi gain. Level: Negligable

Deaden Nerves: Expensive, but not as much a Inner Harmony. Leveling only decreases the cooldown; 4.8 minutes at level 1, 2 minutes at level 10. Mostly a PvP skill, but has a few uses in PvE, namely the balls in TT. Level: 1, but it could be worth it if you can afford it.

Chill of the Deep: There is A LOT of debate going on about this ones usefulness. It's great for skill spamming, one-shotting, and reducing your attack speed to keep from stealing aggro (the increased attack level does not make up for the lost APS for auto-attacking IMO). Level: 1-3 for aggro control Level: Experiment and find out which you prefer if you use it for skill spamming

Rising Dragon Strike: Another chi building skill. Debate is doing on whether its worth leveling for the damage or not. Level: 1 just for chi Level: 5-7 for damage

Throat Cut: I use this skill very rarely except in FCC as a follow up to Tackling Slash on the bishops for another stun. Going to quote taxi again as I know little of its use outside that: I honestly believe that this skill has been underrated by many due to its long casting/channeling time. But IMO it's a fantastic skill to mix up with. Especially in PvP. Comboed with Tackling Slash and you basically have a stun. Not to mention its silence lasts for a whopping 4 seconds, ROFL. Not to mention its fabulously high damage. Get it if you want to.

Earthen Rift: Optional skill until FCC, as sins aren't designed for taking on multiple enemies. We are much more effective killing one at a time. Level: 1-3 until FCC Level: 6-10 for FCC

Head Hunt: Your most powerful attack and main stun skill. Mostly useful in PvP as it uses 2 sparks, but it's essential in FCC. Level: 10 for PvP and FCC

Power Dash: Don't have this, so I'll quote Taxi once more: Deals a damage equals to your basic physical attack plus an extra amount of physical damage. Increases your Critical Chance lasts for 8 seconds. This skill is absolutely fantastic. It doesn't matter if you're an interval sin or skill spammer. At level 10, for a whopping 8 seconds, this gives you 40% EXTRA CRITICAL CHANCE. Yup, I said it. Combine this with your damage buffs and AoE skills or your increase attack speed skills and you'll be hitting like a stampeding musculized football player with steel plated pads and helmet. Absolute MUST at Endgame.

Interval Sins Side Note: Many people don't know this, but this attack is one of our only skills that auto attacks after you cast it, which is perfect for us interval sins. Combo it with any of these: 3 spark, Tangling Mire, Extreme Poison, Frenzy, any skills, etc. (Get creative guys! ^_^)

Subsea Strike: Here's where we start to be able to do some AoE. Peronally, I use the following combination: Tangling Mire - Subsea - Earthen Rift If anything is left, follow with: Rising Dragon Strike - Sparkburst - auto all left standing. This is a must have for FCC, especially as its Deep Poison effect stacks with Heaven's Flames effect. Level: 10 by 7x for FCC

Dagger Devotion: Level: 10

PvE Combos
Killing mobs out there can get a bit tricky for the assassin, considering how squishy we are. So, unfortunately, each mob will take some tactics to control their damage on you, and maybe even prevent having it all together. We really can't take more than a few hits, so concentration is key when fighting mobs. If you can, invest in a Gold HP Charm. At early levels, we have such low HP that charm will be with you for a very long time. Take advantage of the Tideborn quests also, since the end quest rewards you with a Platinum HP Charm.

In Squads: You'll be the squad's insurance. Meaning, you'll be watching out for those extra mobs the casters/archers in the back that might be taking aggro. Sometimes the barb won't be able to hold all aggro especially when your squad DD is doing a ton of single target damage. Control that crowd, yoooooo.

Physical Mobs: Start off with Rib Strike then DD skills unless you want to stop his attacks entirely then mix it up with Throat Cut, Head Hunt, Shadow Teleport, Deep Sting. Genie skill: Occult Ice (optional).

ACLucious - "When fighting a melee mob, use Tackling Slash and position yourself right in the middle of them. If you do this, for 9 whole seconds the mob wont be able to hit you with his melee attacks because it's too busy trying to position itself next to you! LOL."

Magic Mobs: Stop their initial channeling with Deep Sting then hold them in place with Tackling Slash, then you can DD skills and stop more of their channeling with another Deep Sting, Knife Throw, Throat Cut, then DD skills until they're dead. Genie skill: Occult ice (optional).

Archer Mobs: Start off with Deep Sting, position yourself, then Tackling Slash to keep them in place. DD Skills until they're dead.

Bosses: Rib Strike to slow their melee damage on the tank, and do it every 30 seconds. You can also use Subsea Strike to increase the overall damage the party does.

Instance Running (FBs, BHs, HHs, etc.)
Greetings, my fellow fishmen. I know, I know, "Assassins are awesome! High DPS, invisibility, plus Bloodpaint makes you practically invincible!" However, you aren't as special as you might think. Bloodpaint can only heal you for so much, after all. Sometimes, you've gotta get a squad. Unfortunately, not all of you have realized this. I can count on one hand the number of assassins that actually know how to play well with a party. So to help all of you prima donnas (and I don't use that as a derogatory term) I've decided to create a simple guide to help you be a team player. Trust me, the rest of your party will be grateful.

1: Rib Strike early, Rib Strike often. Your Rib Strike ability isn't just a great spike damage skill. As you can read in its skill description, Rib Strike gives the added bonus of lowering an opponent's attack speed. So use this as often as you can, especially on bosses, as lower attack speed means the tank takes less damage and the cleric doesn't have to spam heals as much.

2: Guard your cleric. Your high damage, debuff attacks, and teleportation skills means you can kill and maneuver around the battlefield quickly. It's best to use these skills to keep mobs off of your cleric. If your cleric manages to take aggro due to healing, you can:
 * 1) Shadow Teleport (your teleport stun move) and Throatcut to stun and silence the mob, effectively removing it from play until either you and/or your party can kill it.
 * 2) If your tele-stun and silence attack is on cooldown, use your other teleporting ability (Shadow Jump) and Tackling Slash to get to the mob and keep it from moving so that your cleric can maneuver out of its aggro range while you kill it. Deep Sting also works well if Tackling Slash is on cooldown.

3: Control your anger...and aggro. As a high-DPS class, you generate aggro quite easily. Indeed, not knowing how to control aggro well is one of the top ways to get killed quickly. Luckily, you have two built-in skills that can make aggro control pitifully easy:
 * 1) Chill of the Deep. I can already hear some of you balk at the mere mention of the skill. Who would want a skill that actually lowers attack speed? Sure, it gives a minor attack level boost, but it's not even remotely equal to the damage you can put out without the buff on. However, you're in a party, so unfortunately damage isn't everything; survival is. Chill of the Deep is almost essential for aggro control on bosses, as your lowered attack speed means you can let the tank do his job without any real worry (plus, it gives Rib Strike a nice damage bonus, so it's not all bad). Plus, casting it a second time ends the effect, so you can activate it when you start a boss, then deactivate it when the boss's health is about halfway gone, as by then the tank will likely have the boss's complete attention, letting you cut loose and take out the other half of the boss's HP quickly.
 * 2) Shadow Escape. This skill is absolutely essential to aggro control, as casting it completely removes you from the aggro table. Use this for those moments when you actually take aggro away from the tank, so that you don't die, the tank can easily regain aggro, and no one gets mad at you for a party wipe.

4: Subsea Stike = more damage for all! Your Subsea Strike skill is an AoE that increases the damage mobs take for a set amount of time, similar to the BM's Heaven's Flame skill. The best part is, they stack! So if a BM is in your party, use this as soon as you see the dragons from HF, as that means more damage for everyone.

5: Bloodpaint your tank. As you know, Bloodpaint lets you regain health equal to a percentage of damage you deal, so you want to cast this on your tank the moment he pops into the instance. In fact, it's great for everyone else in your party that's melee DPS, as it lets them get the bloodsucking benefits you get. Luckily, Bloodpaint is an AoE skill, so you just cast it when the cleric's casting buffs and you're good!

Now go out there, and be a team player!

Links
PWI Assassin Guide (forum thread)