Assassin Guide

[b]~~~~~~
Skill Overview
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The worst thing that could happen to you in D2X with an Assassin
(especially a Martial Artist) is to place your skill points in the
wrong Skills, and then when you want to start pumping points into a new
Skill, you don't have any left over, or not enough in a good one to
accumulate new ones. In this section I'll give you my opinion about
each skill, but I'll leave the points you want to put in each skill up
to you. Remember though, this is a Elemental Assassin guide, so I won't
be recommending maxing Tiger Strike, though normal Martial Artists
would need this skill as their backbone.
Also, don't just use these skills in the way I say to. Be creative
and find how each skill works best for you. I'm not always right, you
know.
One last thing: To make you use your own creativity, I am only
including a Martial Arts skill tree over-view. Use Shadow Disciplines
and Traps however you like. Though, if I am flooded with requests for
some, I ~will~ add guides to those. I highly doubt I'll be flooded with
anything but hate-mail for blasting some highly-used Skills in this
Overview.

Tiger Strike (Charge) Pre: None Mana: 1

Tiger Strike would normally be the backbone for a Martial Artist, but
for an Elemental Martial Artist, you won't need it. Though maxing it
does give you a fabulous amount of boosted power and only cost one
measly mana, you may only want to put one point in it if you want Cobra
Strike (for leeching) or Phoenix Strike for more raw Elemental damage.

Dragon Talon (Finisher) Pre: None Mana: 6

This is your first finishing move. If you read the intro, then you
should know that my Elemental Assassins do NOT use a Finisher, but if
you find you're Elemental attacks are not doing as much damage as they
should, go for Dragon Tail. This skill does poor damage at level 20 but
does give 3 attacks at once. If you must max it, go ahead.

Fists of Fire (Charge) Pre: None Mana: 2

This is the first Elemental Charge-Up your Elemental Assassin will get,
and it will be your back-up skill for any Lightning Immunes you may
find. It may have crappy damage at level 20 (201-205), but it's
reliable and if you charge it three times, then you have that 201-205
burning for 2.5 seconds in a 2 yard radius. If you cast it several
times (for it has a measly mana cost) you will have some char-broiled
enemies. However, if you want to use a Finishing Move, this could be
easily replaced by Dragon Tail.

Dragon Claw (Finisher) Pre: Dragon Talon Mana: 2

This is another Finishing Move, and a so-so skill. It requires two
claws, so if you're even tempted to go for Finishers but are using a
Claw & Shield, then you should just put one point in it and forget it.
Though if you max it, it gives more than double your normal damage and
attacks with both claws at once, so that could add up to a lot of
damage if you have two awesome Claws (Which are RARE in the D2X World,
and cost a fortune on the Realms).


Cobra Strike (Charge) Pre: Tiger Strike Mana: 2

Cobra Strike is a good skill to have to take some pressure off. It only
needs one point to be useful, but it does require having a point in
Tiger Strike. If you want Phoenix Strike (I don't suggest to), then
you'll have this skill anyway. The way it works is the first charge
gives your claws some Life Leech (40% at level 1) which is great when
you get stuck in an icky Stair Trap and are running low on potions. The
second Charge gives 40% Life AND Mana Leech at level one, which could
help you in a Stair Trap when you're running out of Life and Mana. Plus
the extra mana will help you spam out some more Claws of Thunder Novas,
to help ease the pain. The third charge gives 80% Mana and Life leech
at level one, but in my opinion the last charge or more skill points in
this skill are just gravy being poured onto an already fine turkey (Odd
analogy, yes).

Claws of Thunder (Charge) Pre: Fists of Fire Mana: 4

Claws of Thunder are my baby, and are going to be your main source of
damage. After the first charge you have a Sorceress's Lightning spell
equipped on your claws and will dish out the most reliable (but lowest)
damage that this skill has to offer. And, it is a mimic of the
Lightning spell, so it shoots in one straight line. Charge #1 is great
for fighting solo-bosses like Diablo, but a poor choice when fighting
mobs. Charge #2 gives it a Nova spell on your claws, so as soon as you
attack one enemy, a big ring of electricity will spread out and maul
your enemies. This Charge is my personal favorite when dealing with
mobs, for it WILL hit all enemies in its radius, unlike Charge #3 (this
will dish out a max of 465 damage to each enemy). Charge #3 will give
you a lot of power and a lot of Charged Bolts. When maxed at level 20
each bolt will do a max of 740 damage, which will deal a hurting on
most enemies. It may not be great for tightly packed enemies, but a
loose circle of enemies should feel the wrath of Charge #3. There is a
downside for Charges #2 and #3, though. The minimum damage for both
will always be 1, no matter how many skill points are in it, which
turns away most people from this skill. BUT, why would I try this
skill/character without some weakness or challenge?

Dragon Tail (Finisher) Pre: Dragon Talon; Dragon Claw Mana: 10

I don't like this Finisher. It deals a kick with a percentage of fire
damage tacked onto it, but I find it somehow un-reliable. Sure, when
maxed, this kick will do a lot of fire damage (240%) and a fair chunk
of boosted power (173%), but I don't like the way this attack works.
The explosion adds a great effect to this attack, but this skill could
never find a permanent home on my hot-key mania keyboard. If you want
to use a Finisher though, this is the choice for an Elemental Assassin.
It adds on more Elemental Damage. If you were to max this, you could
throw Fists of Fire out the window, freeing up more skill points.

Blades of Ice (Charge) Pre: Fists of Fire; Claws of Thunder
Mana: 3

This is my least favorite of the Elemental Claw trio, but it has its
uses. It works the same way Fists of Fire works, with Charge #1 adding
damage of the Element, Charge #2 adding a radius of the damage (this
time it's greater than Fists of Fire, though being at 3.3) and Charge
#3 adds a Freeze Duration (though it's NOT freeze, it's chill, plus
more time is tacked on with more levels into this skill) which at level
20 is 11.6 seconds long. What's disappointing about this skill is not
the damage, seeing that it's 231-251 at level 20, but the fact that to
get ANY chill effect you must charge this skill three times. It was
hard for me to adjust to this skill after I was so used to killing
everything with just Charge #1 and Charge #2 of Claws of Thunder.
Blades of Ice is a nice skill, and I recommend you put ATLEAST five
points in this skill, for it will save your ass a couple times if you
remember to charge this skill three times. And also, if you max this
skill, then, well, look at the chill duration. That's ELEVEN (DECEMIL)
SIX SECONDS OF CHILL EFFECT. And if you just leave it at level five, it
still gives 5.6 chilling effect which will give plenty of time for you
to get your ass out of an icky spot. But this skill will not help you
in a Stair Trap. I suggest using Claws of Thunder for that. Flight

Dragon Flight (Finisher) Pre: Dragon Talon, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail
Mana: 15 CASTING DELAY: 2 Seconds

Dragon Flight has me pulled both ways. It gives a great AR and Damage
bonus even at level one, but it Teleports and kicks. The teleporting
makes me have no real solid opinion about this skill. It Teleports to
THE NEAREST ENEMY, so in dueling say, a Necromancer you could just
teleport into one of his useless Skeletons or a Bone Wall. Or when
dueling a Druid, you could smack into a measly Vine. Or when dueling an
Amazon you... Well, you get the picture. You could always accidentally
Teleport into an LEB which you would have normally just left alone, or
you could hit one of Diablo's useless minions and just have wasted 15+
mana. So, it's your call. Again, however, if you chose to use a
Finishing Move to pack more punch, I recommend Dragon Tail. Also, it
has a Casting Delay, but shouldn't get you too worried, because the
skill will be over by the time it's up.



PHOENIX STRIKE (Charge) Pre: ALL CHARGES Mana: 4

(Note: All of the Sorceress damage 'quotes' are before the Masteries
are added in, mind you.)

This is the Charge-Up of choice for most Martial Artists when dealing
with Physical Immunes (Tiger Strike would maul anything else), for it
delivers a different Element for each charge-up (but Charge #1's
element does not carry over to Charge #2). This may be what I hate the
most. Charge #1 unleashes a fiery Meteor, one of the Sorceress's most
damaging Fire Spells. But for Phoenix Strike, they have SEVERELY toned
down the damage for Meteor. A level 20 Sorceress Meteor will do 888-908
damage; where as a Level 20 Phoenix Strike Meteor does 370-390. Big
difference, eh? AND the Meteor still takes a while to land. Chain
Lightning's damage however is a little better. A Sorceress's Slvl 20
Chain Lightning will do 1-281 damage, where a Slvl 20 Phoenix Strike
Chain Lightning will do 1-353. Even though it is a step up from the
Sorceress's Chain Lightning attack, the damage could be upped and the
radius could be improved by Claws of Thunder's Charge #2. The last
charge is called 'Chaos Ice Bolt', but it looks more like Frozen Orb to
me. This Frozen Orb wanna-be will do 156-172 at level 20, whereas a
real Frozen Orb would do 262-367 damage. So, if you really want to use
this skill I suggest you play a Sorceress, for you will get much more
bang for your buck, unless you're dealing with Chain Lightning. Just
LOOK at the Meteor damage difference!


BIG NOTE: If you are using Claws of Thunder or Blades of Ice (haven't
tried Fists of Fire, though I really should) you MUST have at least one
Assassin-Only, Claw-Class weapon in the weapon slot you are using upon
charge. Don't think you can use a Lightsabre for charging Claws of
Thunder.


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Basic Walk-Through/Strategy
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In this section, I tell you a basic idea of how to use your main skills
(Fists of Fire, Claws of Thunder and Blades of Ice) to a certain
extent, and how to generally get through the game. Do not follow this
guide perfectly, or you will become a walking, talking clone of me.
That's bad. So, if you find a certain skill to be more useful when in a
certain position, don't hesitate to make your life easier because I
said to do it a different way. Just have fun!

A. Your Infant Years with Fists of Fire

As an Elemental Assassin, you don't get much to work with at the
beginning. But then again, the basic enemy doesn't get much of a
chance to hit you, for in my opinion, the Assassin has kick-ass
opening stats and just eases through Act 1. At level 6, you get your
first glimpse of Elemental Assassin-ness. At its first few levels, the
damage of Fists of Fire is really poor. REALLY poor. So, until you get
a few points in this back-up, you should really charge it up the full
three times to get maximum use out of it. Fists of Fire is really good
for taking out Blood Raven, but taking it past Charge #1 with her is
just pointless, because she is constantly one the run. Also, Andariel
is really easy with a moderate level Fists of Fire, because she has an
automatic -50% resistance to Fire. You shouldn't even HAVE Claws of
Thunder when you face her, anyway. Take Fists of Fire past Charge #1,
all the way up to Charge #3 because she doesn't tend to move that
fast. It you can keep her in one spot, and then the burning will
REALLY help.

B. Your Teen Years with Claws of Thunder

In my opinion, you really need to max Claws of Thunder. As fast as
humanly possible. You should get this lovely skill at about mid-Act 2,
unless you were really sand-bagging in Act 1. I can't express how much
this skill is going to carry you through-out the game. If you at least
have it at a moderate level for Duriel, Mephisto, Diablo or Baal, then
it really shouldn't take much time. It's Charge, Charge, and Unleash.
And they're ALL DEAD. Claws of Thunder Charge #2 is my favorite,
especially in tight jams like a Stair Trap. With it's low mana cost,
and the fact that you shouldn't be using a Finisher, you could clear
out any Stair Trap or flanking with just a few Novas, and if you get
max damage, then it will only take one. And don't worry if a Lightning
Immune Unique is hoarding you, just get his minions out of the way and
hack at him with Fists of Fire/Blades of Ice. It will be much easier
then tackling him first.

B. Your Mid-Life Crisis with Blades of Ice

I shouldn't have something against Blades of Ice, but I do. The first
time I tried it, I was completely robbed because it said 'Freeze
Duration', not 'Chill Duration'. I was really heart-broken. But, Blades
of Ice can really save you in tight spots. If you're facing down some
Flayers or some speedy enemy, charge Blades of Ice up to Charge #3 and
they're easy pickings. Also, if you're low on health, running low on
potions and just plain forgot you had TPs (like this will ever happen
to a Vet...) and you desperately need to get away, but you'll be caught,
Charge #3 will save you. It will chill the enemy for long enough (even
at Slvl 1) for you to get away. Even though I have some odd hatred
towards Blades of Ice, it has saved my behind many, many times because
of it's nice, long chill duration.

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Stat Points
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For my two Elemental Assassins (one Multi-Player currently retired and
one Single Player, in Nightmare Act 3) I have followed the same pattern
for Stat Points. From Act 1 Normal to Act 1 Nightmare, I always do
2Str/2Dex/1Vit. It has seemed to work both times very efficiently, for
I haven't have need for much life because constantly pumping Dexterity
is bringing my Block Rate up high enough (I always start doing
Claw/Shield) to weather most blows efficiently. After I start Nightmare
Difficulty, however, I always switch to 1Str/2Dex/2Vit. Because the
Monsters are more heavy-hitters now, I need more Life to weather these
blows yet I still need accuracy and Block Percentage. I should already
have more than an abundance of Strength to wear all equipment by now,
so it seems to work fine enough for me. If I seem to be lacking in
either Hitting/Blocking or I seem to keep dying, I go 3Dex/2 Vit, or
2Dex/3Vit, depending on my situation. I don't tend to have this sort of
problem, though with my Multi-Player Elemental Assassin once I hit Hell
I was going 2Dex/3Vit until I retired, because I really needed to be
able to stay alive through the sudden leap in attack power from
Nightmare to Hell.

So:
In Normal Difficulty you should do:
2Str/2Dex/1Vit
In Nightmare Difficulty you should do:
1Str/2Dex/2Vit, but is open to changes depending on situation.
In Hell Difficulty you should be doing:
2Dex/3Vit

It seemed to work for me.