We are used to the fact that the best assassin is the one who cannot be detected. In PoE, the best assassin is the one who kills the target as quickly as possible, and moves around the map like lightning. This guide will help you make the best currency farmer in the game with huge damage and attack speed. The nice surprise about this build is that the assassin will also be very tanky and easy to play.
Introduce
The Assassin is one of Ascendancy class for Shadows. Agility and intelligence as his main characteristics allow him to strike quickly and accurately. Assassins rely on critical attacks in combat, so combat rarely lasts long. But protracted combat is not a problem for an Assassin, with Mistwalker he has the ability to gain the Elusive buff on critical strikes and additional benefits while being affected by it.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
- Very tanky ( over 7k hp + dodge/evasion, also can fit in Divine Flesh)
- Excellent single target
- Excellent map clear
- Cheap from starting, scale with currency
- Colorful gameplay
Disadvantages:
- Maybe boring playstyle
- Hard to leveling at the beginning
- Very colorful spells, hard to see mechanics
Gear
Our goal is to get as much as possible chaos resistance, because we are going Divine Flesh. Divine Flesh is a keystone passive skill for us that converts 50% of elemental damage taken to chaos damage. The entire build costs about 40 Exalted Orbs, which is inexpensive considering the advantages in farming and the fun it provides. We are creating a potential farm-machine that can recoup all spent orbs. By the way you can buy the cheapest currency on Overgear. Overgear is a reliable and respectable platform for trading. We have a top rating on Trustpilot, so people trust us for a reason. Moreover we have a special offer: every ten Exalted orbs will give you a 1% discount up to 10%.
In addition, we need high critical strike chance and attack speed. Each item has its own «best stats», so follow my advice.
Weapon
Weapon is an important piece of equipment that can give you maximum attack speed. Try to find something one-handed with:
- Cast Speed
- +1 to level of Physical Spell Gems/All Spell Gems
- Spell Damage
- Crit Multi
- Crit Chance for Spells
In rare cases, you can choose something two-handed, but then the build will not work as a tank
Offhand
Thanks to gems, we have a lot of damage, so it’s better to take a shield for offhand. Look for a shield with some combination of:
- Chaos resistance
- +1 to level of Physical Spell Gems
- Spell Damage
- Critical Strike Chance to Spells
- Cast Speed
- HP
Helmet
When choosing a helmet, look at the enchantment «15%/30% reduced mana reserved for Auras». It’s the best enchantment that you can get, so craft it. Also, look at:
- Life
- Elemental Resistance/Chaos Resistance
- Physical Damage Taken as X Elemental Damage
Body Armour
A Crusader Chest with «Enemies you kill explode» is the best choice for clear speed. It comes in handy in farming and leveling, so look for this enchant. Moreover look for:
- Life
- Elemental Resistance/Chaos Resistance
- Spell crit
- Spell Dodge
By the way craft «gain % of Life as Extra ES» if you have troubles with mana regeneration.
Gloves
Gloves with «Socketed Gems are supported by Faster Casting» are very nice, saving us a link in our Bladefall. Look for:
- Life
- Elemental Resistance/Chaos Resistance
- AS
Boots
Movement speed is prized as usual in boots. Of course Tailwind boots are the best choice, but not necessary. Look for:
- Movement Speed
- HP
- Spell Dodge
- Elemental Resistance/Chaos Resistance
Belt
A Stygian Vise is ideal for every build. Here we are looking for HP and Elemental Resistance/Chaos Resistance
Flasks
You need to make sure your suffixes cover Heat, Warding, and Staunching. Use Forbidden Taste for Divine Flesh. Also you need:
- Quicksilver
- Quartz Flask
- Diamond Flask
- Sulphur Flask/Bottled Faith
Rings
We need a ring with «elemental/physical damage vulnerability» enchantment or «life gained for each enemy hit by your spells». Otherwise look for:
- Elemental Resistance/Chaos Resistance
- HP
- Strength
- Cast speed
- Spell Damage
- Life gained for each enemy hit by your spells
Amulet
Same rules as for rings. Also look for «+1 to level of Dexterity/Physical Skill Gems» and Strength.
Gem Links
Active skill gems must be equipped in item sockets before their use. Active skill gems grant an active skill. Insert it in the right order for better effect. All gems should be linked.
Blade Blast
- Blade Blast — deals spell damage in a targeted area. When this spell deals damage, if your Lingering Blades or Blade Vortex blades are nearby, it will detonate them, dealing damage again in an area around them. Up to 50 Blades can be detonated this way.
- Energy Leech Support — supports any skill that hits enemies, causing those hits to leech energy shield based on damage dealt.
- Brutality Support — deal 0.5% increased Physical Damage per 1% Quality
- Empower Support — supports any skill gem. Once this gem reaches level 2 or above, will raise the level of supported gems. Cannot support skills that don’t come from gems.
- Controlled Destruction Support — supports attack skills, or spell skills that deal damage.
- Awakened Increased Area of Effect — supports any skill with an area of effect.
Support Gem priority order: Energy Leech > Awakened Inc. AoE > Brutality > Controlled Destruction > Empower
Bladefall
- Blood Magic Support — your spells cost life instead of mana.
- Bladefall — ethereal weapons rain from the sky, dealing damage to enemies in a sequence of volleys, each wider but less damaging than the last. Enemies can be hit multiple times where these overlap.
- Spell Cascade Support — supports spell skills that apply an effect to an area around a targeted location. Cannot support Vaal skills, minion skills, or skills used by totems, traps, or mines.
- Unleash Support — supports spell skills, making their effect reoccur when cast. Cannot support skills with cooldowns, triggered skills, Brand skills, Vaal skills, channelling skills, skills which reserve mana, or skills used by totems, traps, or mines. Cannot modify the skills of minions.
All gems here are mandatory, but keep Spell Cascade at a low level
Auras
- Flesh and Stone — сasts an aura that affects you and nearby enemies differently depending on your stance. Using the skill again alternates between Blood Stance and Sand Stance.
- Herald of Purity — grants a buff which lets you deal more physical damage. When you kill an enemy while you have this buff, this skill will summon a Sentinel of Purity, or refresh the duration and life of an existing one instead if you have the maximum number of them. The Sentinels of Purity have a single-target melee attack and an area melee attack.
- Pride — casts an aura that causes nearby enemies to take more physical damage.
Extra mechanics
- Cast when Damage Taken — each supported spell skill will track damage you take, and be triggered when the total damage taken reaches a threshold, so we cast extra bladefall or blade blast.
- Increased Duration Support — supports any skill with a duration.
- Immortal Call — take less Physical and Elemental Damage for a short time. Consumes up to 5 Endurance Charges to lengthen the buff and further lessen Physical Damage taken. Shares a cooldown with other Guard skills.
The main idea of this build
We have wonderful aoe damage, so pull all map and clear them all with Bladefall and Blade Blast. For each attack and passively (gem Cast when Damage Taken) Bladefall leaves a number of lingering blades in the ground. Blade Blast detonates these blades dealing lots of damage. Use Unleash + Spell Cascade to support Bladefall and generate up for 40 blades for a single cast. Do not be afraid of large clusters of the enemy, we have lots of damage avoidance from Elusive, Blind and Acrobatics. Also you can use Divine Flesh (only if you have a lot of Chaos resistance). Use Forbidden Taste if for some reason you HP very low.
While leveling you can use Orb of Storms/Stormblast Mine until 16. At 16 level start looking for Blade Blast. At 28 you can begin using Blade Blast + Bladefall through the entire levelling process into the endgame. Until you get Brutality, Increased Area of Effect, Energy Leech for your Blade Blast, use Onslaught, Controlled Destruction, Added Fire Damage, Faster Casting, Increased Critical Strike Chance, Increased Critical Strike Damage in order of important.
For Bladefall start with Spell Cascade, Faster Casting, Concentrated Effect.
