The Warrior Monk (An Assassin Guide)

This, overall, has been one of my favorite builds in all the time that I've played D2. Now, many things have been said about this build (most of them bad), but those people (and even the people who said good things about it) have never even tried it. So I suggest to you, that you TRY IT OUT, before you give it a bad or even a good review. It takes actual SKILL (something a lot of players don't have) to use this build, so be wary.

The warrior monk is a build that takes skills from all 3 categories. Yes, that's right, all 3. Martial Arts, Shadow Disciplines and Traps. Now, this may seem silly and/or stupid, but I have found with this myriad range of skills, you can do just about anything!

Please note: This build is VERY geared based, and without the recommended gear you can be very limited, even invalid in some cases. So if you don't have the time and/or energy to get the gear, then I suggest you try a different build.

~~~ SKILLS ~~~

Main Skills:
20 Tiger Strike
20 Dragon Talon
20 Blade Fury

Other Skills:
10 Burst of Speed
10 Fade

Optional Skills:
1 Cobra Strike (IMO, not needed, but some people may want it)
5-10 Cloak of Shadows (Personally, I don't think it's worth it because the duration sucks, I'd rather stick with the far more useful Fade skill)
1 Dragon Flight (Get it if you're big on the PvP)

Prerequisites:
1 Claw Mastery (Burst of Speed)
1 Fire Blast (Blade Fury)
1 Blade Sentinel (Blade Fury)
1 Wake of Fire (Blade Fury)

((That's what I like about this build, very few prerequisites!))

Optional Prerequisites:
1 Dragon Claw ( Dragon Flight)
1 Dragon Tail (Dragon Flight)
1 Psychic Hammer (Cloak of Shadows)


Q: Ok, but once I get all those skills, what do I do with the rest of my points?
A: Personally, I don't care. If you want to know, I'm going to pump them into Burst of Speed. You may not want to do that. You may want to go for Cloak of Shadows, or pump it into fade. Again, I don't care.

~~~ STATS ~~~

The Arreat Summit wrote:

Starting Attributes
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 20
Vitality: 20
Energy: 25

Hit Points: 50
Stamina: 95
Mana: 25

Each Character Level
Life +2
Stamina +1
Mana +1.5

Attribute Point Effect
1 Vitality point gives 3 Life
1 Vitality point gives 1.5 Stamina
1 Energy point gives 1.5 Mana

Each level after you get each Attribute up to 25, you should add your stat points as so:
Strength: +2
Dexterity: +1
Vitality: +2
Energy: +0


Q: Only +1 Dexterity each level?! What is this guy, stupid? How am I going to be able to hit anything?
A: There is an alternative solution for you! Since you're so insecure (and probably unwilling to trust in your own gear and skill) then you can add your stat points like this:

Strength: +2
Dexterity: +1.5
Vitality: +1.5
Energy: +0

Q: 1.5? How can you put 1.5 points into an attribute?
A: Simple. Every even level (2, 4, 6, 8, ect...) you add: +1 Dexterity and +2 Vitality.
And every odd level (1, 3, 6, 9, ect...) you add :+2 Dexterity and +1 Vitality

Q: Why so much strength?
A: You will need it to be able to wear the gear, and so you do (even if it is a small amount) a bit more damage. But, if you still think it's pointless, then by all means, only use enough strength for the gear. Your character, not mine, and personally, I like to have a little extra strength.

~~~ GEAR ~~~

Weapon: Last Wish (Jah + Mal + Jah + Sur + Jah + Ber) Phase Blade
Alternative: Grief (Eth + Tir + Lo + Mal + Ral) Phase Blade

Shield: Phoenix (Vex + Vex + Lo + Jah) Monarch
Alternative: Stormshield

Body Armor: Chains of Honor (Dol + Um + Ber + Ist) Archon Plate
Alternative: Fortitude (El + Sol + Dol + Lo) Archon Plate

Helm: Guillaume's Face
Alternative: None (Reason: Guillaume's Face is easy to get and VERY useful)

Gloves: Dracul's Grasp
Alternative: Laying of Hands (I'll admit +350% Damage To Demons CAN be useful, but if you don't have Last Wish, then get Dracul's Grasp)

Belt: Arachnid Mesh
Alternative: Nosferatu's Coil (also known as Siggard's Stealth)

Boots: Shadow Dancer
Alternative: Rare Myrmidon Greaves (or Mirrored Boots if you can't find them)


Q: This gear is expensive...
A: It will be worth it in the end (it was for me, at least)

Q: Why should I waste gear on this build, it seems kind of stupid to me.
A: It's not a "waste", all the gear in this build (except Shadow Dancer) is useful to any other class. That, and if you want to be successful with this build, then you will need the gear. Besides, most builds (to a point anyways) are gear based.


Yes, I have built this build before, and yes I plan on (eventually) completing it again. Have fun with it!

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them.

ive never made a sin, i might just have to try it now

i made a trapper sin once but it sucked ass and i spreaded the skills and one time i had like a glitch that i can show u guys how it works and u become god mode....pm me on game and i can show you

i love that guide lol ill use it!

very nice, and origional too!

yep it is!

...and it also sucks bad if you don't have the gear.

true

yea its a nice guide someone should make a assassin like this lol and tell me how it goes.

i want to, love to, but im kinda lazy right now