Build:A/any Shattering Burden

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This build has been successfully vetted by the GuildWiki community according to the vetting procedure. This build has been designed for the following use: PvP RA PvP TA

Contents 1 Attributes and Skills 2 Equipment 3 Usage 4 Counters 5 Variants 6 Notes

This build uses Shadowy Burden to reduce the target's armor level, making Shattering Assault much more effective than normal due to the fact that it creates base damage as opposed to bonus damage like most attack skills.

[edit] Attributes and Skills

Assassin / Any	Attribute Rank
Dagger Mastery	11 + 1 + 3
Shadow Arts	10 + 1
Critical Strikes	9 + 1
Deadly Arts	4 + 1

Shadowy Burden

Black Lotus Strike

Shattering Assault

Black Spider Strike

Impale

Siphon Speed

Feigned Neutrality

Resurrection Signet

[edit] Equipment

• Any armor you want, this build is not as energy intensive as most assassin builds, but you may want energy armor anyway.
• Again, pretty much any daggers should work. I use 15^50 Zealous +30 daggers. Vampiric would work nice as well.

[edit] Usage

• Shadowy Burden is one of the two main skills in this build. In normal cases you would use Shadowy Burden, Black Lotus Strike, Shattering Assault, Impale, Black Spider Strike, Shattering assault. Repeat when your skills are recharged (should be about 3-6 seconds of downtime between chains).
• Use Siphon Speed to remove hex-breaker or if Shadowy Burden gets removed. Your spike will not be as strong but it will still work.
• Use Feigned Neutrality for a quick self heal.

[edit] Counters

• Both of your hexes being removed.
• A protection skill covered by other enchantments reduce your spiking power. The more enchants covering it, the longer it will take to remove with shattering assault. If it is covered with 4 enchantments, it will be impossible to remove during your spike.
• Blocking Black Spider Strike or Black Lotus strike will reduce spiking power. Blocking both of them will make the spike fail, although if one of them hits you can use Shattering Assault since it cannot be blocked.
• Most usual assassin counters.

[edit] Variants

• Shadow Refuge or Restful Breeze can replace Feigned Neutrality if desired. If you use Restful Breeze, put any remaining attribute points into Healing Prayers.
• Another backup hex can be used instead of Siphon Speed.

[edit] Notes

• The lower armor your target has the better. Shattering assault doesn't deal bonus damage, it deals base damage, so armor is taken into consideration. Base damage from skills is determined based on 60 armor level targets. If you reduce that amount the target will take more damage than listed, hence the ability to use Shattering Assault to deal massive damage. Against a 60 armor level target hexed with Shadowy Burden, Shattering assault will deal 127 damage x 2 (because its a dual attack). Against a monk using Frenzied Defense and Protective Spirit, your first attack will deal 10% of the target's full health, but that attack will also strip Protective Spirit. The second attack usually deals about 250 damage, for a total of approximately 300 damage from one skill. However, monks will often wait until they are under attack to use Protective Spirit to conserve energy, resulting in an opportunity to deal 500 damage in one skill, often killing the target alone.
• If your first offhand attack is blocked, do not use Shattering Assault. Simply go on to the next offhand attack and continue the combo from there.
• If you use Shadowy Burden and see your target start to run away, do not use Siphon Speed. Shadowy Burden already gives a 25% snare and using Siphon Speed would eliminate your damage bonus.