Assassin FAQ

Contents

Introduction

The Assassin class is unlike any other character class for Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction. It is the only class that is a "hybrid" build by nature to be successful, frequently relying on skills from all three Skill trees for maximum effectiveness in both PvM play and PvP play. The most powerful minion of the game, the Shadow Master, is also an Assassin skill. Playing an Assassin requires guile, cunning, and agile fingers to manipulate the hotkeys for maximum effectiveness.

Basic Terms and Abbreviations

AoE: Area of Effect
AR: Attack Rating
BoI: Blades of Ice
BoS: Burst of Speed
BF: Blade Fury
C/C: Claw/Claw (dual wielding claws)
C/S: Claw/Shield (using a claw and a shield)
CoS: Cloak of Shadows
CoT: Claws of Thunder
CS: Cobra Strike
DC: Dragon Claw
DEF: Defense Rating
DF: Dragon Flight
DR: Damage Reduced (a mod on items)
DTalon: Dragon Talon
DS: Death Sentry
DTail: Dragon Tail
EIAS: Effective Increased Attack Speed
ED: Enhanced Damage
FoF: Fists of Fire
IAS: Increased Attack Speed
LS: Lightning Sentry
MA: Martial Arts, usually referring to the Martial Arts skill tree
MDR: Magic Damage Reduced (a mod on items)
Nat's: Natalya's Odium (the assassin set)
PS: Phoenix Strike
PvM: Player Vs. Monster
PvP: Player Vs. Player
SD: Shadow Discipline Skill tree
SLVL: Skill Level
SM: Shadow Master
SW: Shadow Warrior
TS: Tiger strike
WoF: Wake of Fire
WoI: Wake of Inferno
WB: Weapon Block
CSS: Cruel Scissors Suwayyah
CSSQ: Cruel Scissors Suwayyah of Quickness
CSSE: Cruel Scissors Suwayyah of Evisceration

Misc/Item FAQs

What claw do I use when determining the WSM Kicks use, when C/C?

Use your right-hand claw's WSM (the left weapon slot in the Inventory screen).

What mods work on the Blade skills and Kicks?

For Blade Sentinel (main claw only: i.e. the claw you equip first or the one that's left behind if you unequip one. Shields transfer their effects normally)

What works

Deadly Strike

Elemental damage/Venom (3/8)

Physical/Weapon damage (3/8)

Pierce Target (natural)

Prevent Monster Heal

What doesn't work

Hit Causes Monster to Flee

Hit Freezes Target

Open Wounds

Hit Slows Target

KnockBack

Hit Blinds Target

Crushing Blow

Chance to cast on Striking

For Blade Fury (main claw only: i.e. the claw you equip first or the one that's left behind if you unequip one. Shields transfer their effects normally)

What works

Ignore Target Defense

Deadly Strike/Critical Strike from Claw Mastery

Crushing Blow

Hit Causes Monster to Flee

Knockback

Chance to cast on Striking

Hit Freezes Target

Elemental Damage/Venom (3/4)

Leech

Open Wounds

Hit Blinds Target

Prevent Monster Heal

Hit Slows Target

Physical/Weapon Damage (3/4)

What doesn't work

Chance to cast on Attacking

Pierce Target

For Blade Shield (main claw only: i.e. the claw you equip first or the one that's left behind if you unequip one. Shields transfer their effects normally)

What works

Deadly Strike

Elemental Damage/Venom (1/4)

Leech

Physical/Weapon Damage (1/4)

What doesn't work

Open Wounds

Crushing Blow

Hit Causes Monster to Flee

KnockBack

Hit Freezes Target

Chance to Cast on Striking

Pierce Target

For Kicks (main claw only: i.e. the claw you equip first or the one that's left behind if you unequip one. Shields transfer their effects normally)

What works

Leech (both from equipment and CS)

Elemental Damage/Venom (note: Venom is only applied on the monster you target DTail on, not the AoE. However, elemental damage on equipment is added onto the AoE. Elemental damage/Venom is applied on every kick of DTalon, and on DF)

Crushing Blow

Open Wounds

Prevent Monster Heal

Chance to Cast on Striking

Hit Causes Monster to Flee

Ignore Target Defense

Hit Blinds Target

Hit Slows Target

Hit Freezes Target

Chance to Cast on Attacking

KnockBack (natural)

What doesn't work

Weapon damage

Pierce Target

Deadly Strike (includes Critical Strike from Claw Mastery)

Hit Recovery, Cast Rate, and Attack Speed Breaks

Hit Recovery Frame Rates

0% - 9 frames

7% - 8 frames

15% - 7 frames

27% - 6 frames

48% - 5 frames

86% - 4 frames

200% - 3 frames

4680% - 2 frames

Faster Cast Frame Rates

0% - 16 frames

8% - 15 frames

16% - 14 frames

27% - 13 frames

42% - 12 frames

65% - 11 frames

102% - 10 frames

174% - 9 frames

Block Frame Rates (applicable for both Shield block and WB)

0% - 5 frames

13% - 4 frames

32% - 3 frames

86% - 2 frames

600% - 1 frame

Faster Attack Frames Rates

Refer to Appendix A. Fuzzbox/Lunatic's Assassin Claw/Shield and Claw/Claw Increased Attack Speed (IAS) Breakpoints with Burst of Speed.

Are any mods transferred from the off-hand claw when Kicking or using the Blade skills?

Unfortunately, none of the above mods (including leech, elemental damage, and Crushing Blow, among the other mods) from the previous FAQ are transferred to Kicks or the Blade skills (if they are on the off-hand claw). Only "indirect" mods such as +skills, +stats, resists with off-hand claws.

Do note that this claw order (between the main and off-hand claw) is reset after you gain a level or take a Town Portal/Waypoint, so remember to re-equip your claws after these events.

Note: As stated above, Shields tack on effects the above effects on their listed normally, if they have they possess the proper mods (e.g.. OW on SwordBack Hold works on BF and Kicks).

Why isn't my attack speed increasing, even though I have a claw with a lot of IAS on my off-hand?

IAS on your off-hand claw does not work with any skills(or Normal Attack).

If I'm using a missile weapon with the 'Fires Explosive Arrow/Bolt' mod (e.g.. Kuko Shakaku, Demon Machine), is Venom and other mods (like CB, OW, and the rest of the mods in the list above) applied to all monsters in the radius of the Explosive Arrow/Bolt?

For Venom: Only applied on the target monster, not explosion. For Leech: Yes (applied to radius).

What are synergies?

Synergies are skills that benefit another skill if you invest in them. For example: BoI contributes to the damage of PS's 3rd charge, if you invest in it. Do note that +skills do not contribute to synergies, only natural points do.

Does the +Whirlwind on the 'Chaos' runeword allow Assassins to release charges and trigger chance to cast X spell/skill mods? Also, when you Whirlwind, do you gain Claw Mastery's bonuses?

No to releasing charges, and no triggering cast X spells/skills. You do gain Claw Mastery's bonuses when you Whirlwind, though (if you use claws).

Is there any way to get rid of the 50% damage penalty on the 'Chaos' runeword's WhirlWind?

You can try to look for +all skills items for your gear (note that +all assassin skills won't work). You'll need at least 7 +all skills on equipment to get 'Chaos slvl 1 Whirlwind out of the negative damage range, though.

Does the -35% Enemy Lightning Resistance on the 'Crescent Moon' runeword and the Lightning/Fire-flavored Rainbow Facet help the Traps and FoF/CoT/PS do more damage?

No for the Traps (as the game considers them minions, they do not benefit from -x% Enemy Resistance), and yes for CoT/PS/FoF. Do note that while -(3-5)% To Enemy Fire/Lightning Resistance on Rainbow Facet does not work with Traps, ATM, we have not confirmed whether the +3-5% To Lightning/Fire Skill Damage on it does (though it has been confirmed not to work in SP).

Both FB and SWeb are exempt from the above bugs/penalties, and benefit normally from Rainbow Facets (e.g.. both -% enemy resistance and +% skill damage work on them), as the game does not consider them true "Traps" (and by extension, they are not considered minions).

Do items that give "+chance to block" add that chance to WB skill?

No.

What's this NextDelay thing mean?

NextDelay is a property that activates a hidden "hit timer" that limits how often any attack from that group can damage a single target. This works similarly to the infamous spell timer, which limits how often any spell in that group can be cast. The difference is that the hit timer doesn't prevent you from attacking, it just sets everyone's chance-to-hit that monster (with a hit timer attack) at zero until the timer runs out.

Here's a list of skills (Assassin skills in italics) that are affected by NextDelay, and the lengths of them:

25-Frame Delay (1 second)

Shock Web

Blade Sentinel

Twister

Tornado

10-Frame Delay (0.4 seconds)

Volcano (initial eruption)

6-Frame Delay (0.24 seconds)

War Cry

Grim Ward

5-Frame Delay (0.2 seconds)

Fissure

Volcano (small fireball)

4-Frame Delay (0.16 seconds)

Multi Shot

Strafe

Lightning Strike

Chain Lightning

Nova

Frost Nova

Poison Nova

Shock Wave

FoH Holy Bolts

Wake of Fire

Claws of Thunder

Phoenix Strike

Dragon Flight

Battle Cry

Battle Command

Battle Orders

So, the moment a certain skill from the list damages a monster, it prevents every other skill on the list from hitting the said monster for the original skill's NextDelay duration (whether from you or any other character).

Hey, why did that Experience shrine effect run out so fast?

Chances are, you had Fade active. Strange as it is, the game seems to treat lasting Shrine effects as Curses, and accordingly, they suffer a shortened duration when used in conjunction with Fade (exact decrease in duration depends on the slvl). So, when you're about to activate a Shrine, remember to switch to BoS(you can switch back to Fade once you've activated the Shrine with BoS, with no ill effect).

Does Magic Find work with Traps/Shadows?

Yes.

What's the best claw to use in PvM?

It would depend on your build. For Kickers, it's usually Bartucs/Jade Talon. For Trappers, it's usually two +3 Traps/All Assassin skills claws. Nataya's Mark, together with the rest of the set, works nicely for pure PS/Physical Damage Assassins.

Which skills do not work against other players?

Mind Blast will knock back and stun hostile players but it will not convert them. Cloak of Shadows will not obscure their vision.

What are the Assassin’s special items?

Claw class weapons. Assassin claws may have +1-3 points in up to 3 individual skills from all three of her skill trees, Traps, Shadow Disciplines, and Martial Arts. These random +skills work just like the bonuses you see on wands/scepters/staves in Diablo II, and can occur on normal, magical, and Rare items and can be any of her skills, Clvl 1 up to and including Clvl 30 ones.

What are the different types of claw weapons she can have?

Katars, Hatchets and Talons are just a few. There are normal, exceptional, elite and unique variants. You can see the specific claw weapons and their details in Assassin Items.

She also has a Set specifically designed for her, Natalyas Odium, which consists of Katar, Chain Mail, Bone Helm and Chain Boots.

Can the Assassin pick locks?

Yes, she does not need to keep keys to open locked chests.

How do you stunlock something?

In PvM, you can't really stunlock a monster the way you can another player. In PvP, if you use MB on an opponent and have a trap doing damage to that opponent, you can keep them in one place, stunned, or "stunlocked." This doesn't work on monsters, since traps don't continue the stun effect in PvM.

What's the best trap to use for stunlocking in PvP?

It depends on your opponent. Against most opponents, WoF is best, due to the wide area of effect. Against Amazons and Necromancers, LS is usually best.

Martial Art FAQs

Hey, why isn't my CS/Equipment leech working on those Skeletons? They aren't PI!

Some monsters are naturally resistant or immune to leeching (in addition to PI/StoneSkinned monsters whom also give you a leech penalty). Go to the Arreat Summit's [Monster Listing] for information regarding "Drain Effectiveness" on monster types. Note that this is on top of the [global leech penalties in Nightmare and Hell].

To counter this, you can ask the party Necromancer to cast Life Tap or Amplify Damage (or get charges of them on your own equipment), or simply tack on more leech. When Life Tap is active, it allows 50% normal leech even on monsters with a listed 0% "Drain Effectiveness" (however, it won't make PIs leechable). It's for this reason among others that makes the unique Vampirebone Glove Dracul's Grasp such a hit among melee Assassins.

Q: Are CoT/FoF/BoI/DC still uninterruptible (e.g.. you will always complete the attack, even if you are hit)?

No for all.

The third charge of CoT now releases Nova and Bolts together. How does CoT's NextDelay of 4 frame affect it?

A: Since 1.10 CoT has a NextDelay of 4 frames, which means anybody receiving Nova's damage (the faster animation, compared to CB) becomes immune to its bolts for 4 frames (note that while those monsters damaged by Nova are immune to the bolt's damage, they won't be hit by the bolts at all, so targets out of the Nova's range will be damaged by the bolts). So, the pure damage of 1.10 CoT has been nerfed somewhat, but has the secondary feature of being able to damage monsters out of Nova's range.

Does leech work with Kicks?

Yes, both from CS and equipment leech.

Why is my DTail suddenly so weak when I tried using it in conjunction with FoF?

In 1.10, for every level (whether natural or from +skills) Fists of Fire has, it converts 3% of your total Physical damage into Fire damage (e.g.. an slvl 20 Fists of Fire will convert 60% of your Physical damage into Fire damage. The no. of Fists of Fire charges present does not chance the 3%/lvl, as long as there's at least one Fists of Fire charge present). This includes the Physical damage portion of DTail, so you'll end up with a lower AoE damage (since the damage of the AoE is calculated from the Physical damage done). Hence, using Fists of Fire in conjunction with DTail is not recommended. The Physical damage that Fists of Fire uses to convert to Fire damage is the total Physical damage of a DTalon/DF, and the total Physical damage of a DTail (not the Fire AoE).

Note that this conversion only takes place when you release your Fists of Fire charges (so you'll convert more Fire damage if you have TS charges active when you release), not when you're charging them. The conversion damage is only applied to the target you release Fists of Fire on, not the AoE.

Would that Physical to Fire damage conversion on Fists of Fire mean I'll do even more Fire damage than I originally had Physical, when Fists of Fire is above slvl 33, since it converts 102%+ Physical damage to Fire?

No, you'll never have more Fire damage than Physical damage you had originally.

Is the converted fire damage just applied from the base weapon damage or does it benefit up with charges and ED modifiers on equipment?

The Fire damage converted is taken from the total Physical damage, so yes, it benefits from charges (specifically, TS charges) and +ED on gear.

Since Fists of Fire has this conversion property, does CoT/BoI/PS have similar damage conversions?

Unfortunately, no. Only Fists of Fire has this conversion property.

Does Venom/elemental damage on my equipment apply on Kicks?

Yes, it applies on all the kicks of DTalon, DF, and DTail (only on the monster you target the DTail on, not the AoE Fire explosion), despite what the Character Screen might show otherwise.

Does BoI freeze now?

Yes, BoI's 3rd charge now freezes for its listed duration (though not always. The chance appears to be based on a formula we have yet to discover), and chills for its 2nd charge.

How is Kick Damage calculated?

This is quite a long answer, so bear with me:

Kick damage formula:

Minimum Damage=[(STR+DEX-20)/4]*(100+skill_bonus)/100 +

BootMinDam*[100+(STR*StrBonus/100)+skill_bonus+off_weaponED+Aura_bonus]/100

Maximum Damage=[(STR+DEX-20)/3]*(100+skill_bonus)/100 +

BootMaxDam*[100+(STR*StrBonus/100)+skill_bonus+off_weaponED+Aura_bonus]/100

*Any decimals are rounded down

Legend:

(STR+DEX-20)/4) and (STR+DEX-20)/3)

Self-explanatory: Just substitute STR and DEX for your current STR and DEX. Notes: For base kick damage, with no boots, STR and DEX have the same effect on Kick damage. DEX, however, also boosts AR and defense. Thus, in 1.09, DEX was the better choice for boosting your kick damage. This is no longer strictly true in 1.10, but the difference comes in a later part of the equation.

*(100+skill_bonus)/100

The skill_bonus spot is where the ED for DTalon, TS, DFlight, and some other skills such as might get placed (note: this does not include aura bonuses, such as the ED bonus on Might, or ED on equipment, which get added below). If more than one of these sources of ED are present, they get added together and placed into this slot. Remember to put this combined number in absolute terms (e.g.. 1440, not 1440%). Note: DTail's ED bonus is not figured into the equation in this place, it’s actually figured using the result of the kick damage equation (more below).

The next part of the equation dealing with boots and their damage was added in 1.10 (e.g.. everything below until you reach the section on DTail's ED bonus applies). A couple of points worth noting are: 1) This boot damage is added to the normal kick damage, not multiplied with it. 2) The StrBonus is added to the skill_bonus, not multiplied by it. Note: If you aren't going to wear a pair of boots, you may safely omit the following portions of the equation.

BootMinDam and BootMaxDam

These refer to the minimum and maximum damages of boots, respectively. Refer to Boots listing, or this table: