Assassin at a glance
A
- Role
- Melee DPS
- Weapon
- Dual daggers
- Difficulty
- High
- Solo
- Good
Approaches unseen and bursts a single target with dagger combos, stacking Insignias and detonating them. It has the highest skill ceiling and is rated the strongest PvP pick, but it is the least forgiving class to learn.
A burst duelist. Stacks 5 Insignias on one target and detonates them, ideally from behind. Widely rated as having the highest skill ceiling and the best PvP fit, but fragile when an opener fails.
Strengths
- Top single-target burst
- Rated the strongest PvP fit
- Highest skill ceiling
Weaknesses
- Punishing learning curve
- Fragile when caught out of position
In a group: Single-target damage. In PvP: Best fit: burst and outplays.
PvE rotation and core skills
Heart Gore
Insignia Explosion
Shadowstrike
Ambush
Savage Roar
- Open with Shadowstrike, then Savage Fang to engrave all 5 Insignias at once (Savage Roar adds one more if needed).
- Illusive Clone, then Heart Gore (triggers on Critical Hit and restores MP).
- Ambush from behind for +30% damage.
- Insignia Explosion scales with stacks; fill with Triniel's Dagger and Quick Slice.
Tip: Use a low-chance, high-damage single-target Theostone; your fast hits make its 1s cooldown irrelevant.
Best Stigmas
Stigmas unlock at levels 22, 27, 32 and 37. These are the picks top Global Assassins equip for PvE.
| Slot | Unlocks at | Stigma |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lv 22 |  Illusive Clone |
| 2 | Lv 27 |  Swift Contract |
| 3 | Lv 32 |  Savage Fang |
| 4 | Lv 37 |  Triniel's Dagger |
PvP swaps: Shadow Walk.
Assassin PvE build
For dungeons, raids and bosses.
| Slot | Unlocks at | Stigma |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lv 22 | Illusive Clone |
| 2 | Lv 27 | Swift Contract |
| 3 | Lv 32 | Savage Fang |
| 4 | Lv 37 | Triniel's Dagger |
The top three are near-universal among Global Assassins.
Rotation
Shadowstrike → Savage Fang (all 5 Insignias) → Savage Roar → Illusive Clone → Heart Gore → Ambush from behind (+30%) → Insignia Explosion → Triniel's Dagger → Quick Slice.
Tips
- Stand behind the boss: Back Attack Damage Boost and Ambush both depend on it.
- Heart Gore triggers on Critical Hit and restores MP; Critical Hit is your key stat.
- Swift Contract gives +20% Combat Speed for 10 s; line it up with Illusive Clone.
Assassin PvP build
For the Abyss, Artifact Sieges and arenas.
| Slot | Unlocks at | Stigma |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lv 22 | Illusive Clone |
| 2 | Lv 27 | Swift Contract |
| 3 | Lv 32 |  Shadow Walk |
| 4 | Lv 37 | Triniel's Dagger |
Shadow Walk is the client's listed PvP swap; Triniel's Dagger stretches the target's cooldowns.
Game plan
- Approach in Shadow Walk (Stealth for 20 s; must be out of combat).
- Open from behind: Shadowstrike (Stun 3 s), then Shadow Fall (Knockdown 3 s).
- Burst inside Illusive Clone and Swift Contract.
- Escape with a movement skill if the burst fails; Smoke Bomb (Blind 5 s) is a popular arena alternative.
Weakness: Fragile: a failed opener usually means retreating.
Theostone: Low-chance, high-damage single target.
Assassin solo build
For leveling, farming and open-world elites on your own.
| Slot | Unlocks at | Stigma |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lv 22 | Illusive Clone |
| 2 | Lv 27 | Swift Contract |
| 3 | Lv 32 | Savage Fang |
| 4 | Lv 37 | Triniel's Dagger |
Tips
- Strongest on single elites and named monsters; slower on big packs than AoE classes.
- Heightened Sixth Sense heals you every time you evade.
- Determination adds bonus damage to targets under 30% HP; finish mobs quickly and move on.
Assassin in a party
Your job: Single-target damage. No party buffs, but your debuffs help everyone hit harder.
Buffs you bring
None for the party: Assassin buffs are self-only. Your value is damage and debuffs.
Debuffs you apply
| Skill | Effect on enemies | How you get it |
|---|---|---|
 Defense Break | −12% Defense, −11% Status Effect Resist for 10 s (on Staggered or Impacted targets) | Always (passive) |
 Apply Poison | 15% chance: −12% incoming healing and poison damage for 10 s | Always (passive) |
Tips
- Ask your tank to turn the boss so its back faces you.
Planning a party? Try the party composer.
Stats, Daevanion and Arcana
Stat priority
AttackCritical Hit (cap 50%)Back Attack Damage BoostAccuracyEvasion (cap 30%)
Daevanion board
Nezekan: Assault Stance and Exploit Weakness pairs, then Zikel: Defense Break.
Arcana
4 Vigor cards for Primal Vigor (+150 PvE Attack above 70% HP), with Bell of Magic for Attack.
Theostone
Low-chance, high-damage single target.
Key passives
| Passive | Effect |
|---|---|
 Heightened Sixth Sense | +200 Evasion, +6% Max HP, heals on Evasion |
 Exploit Weakness | +100 Critical Hit, chance of clones on Critical Hit |
 Rear Smite | +3% Back Attack and PvE Damage Boost |
 Assault Stance | +6% Critical Damage Boost |
| Defense Break | Lowers enemy Defense and Status Effect Resist |
More on gear: Manastones, Arcana and the upgrade order.
All 35 Assassin skills
Every skill and Stigma with its in-game tooltip at level 1, from the Global client. Full details and maximum-level text are on the Skills page.
| Skill | Type | Learned | Cooldown | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Quick Slice | Active skill | Lv. 1 | None | Deals 61 (+70% Attack) damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and restores 100 MP. |
| Savage Roar | Active skill | Lv. 1 | None | Deals 68 (+83.5% Attack) damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and engraves 1 Insignia for 10s. 2 Stagger Gauge Damage |
| Shadowstrike | Active skill | Lv. 1 | 20s | Moves behind a target within 20m and deals 52 (+100% Attack) damage, rotates, and inflicts Stun for 3s. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage |
| Ambush | Active skill | Lv. 3 | 10s | Deals 126 (+138% Attack) damage to a target within 4m. Increases damage by 30% on landing as a Back attack. 7 Stagger Gauge Damage |
| Heart Gore | Active skill | Lv. 4 | 5s | Triggers on landing a Critical Hit, dealing 111 (+122% Attack) damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and restores 100 MP. 5 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Storm Rampage | Active skill | Lv. 5 | None | Deals 107 (+82.5% Attack) damage to a target afflicted with Stagger within 4m. |
 Whirlwind Slice | Active skill | Lv. 7 | 10s | Deals 300 (+177% Attack) damage to a target within 4m with a 40% chance to rotate and inflict Stun for 3s on Evasion. 100% to inflict Stun on NPC targets. 7 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Flash Slice | Active skill | Lv. 8 | 10s | Moves to the opposite side of a target within 4m and deals 181 (+107% Attack) damage to up to 4 enemies, with a 40% chance to inflict Blind for 3s. 100% chance to inflict Blind on NPC targets. 7 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Infiltrate | Active skill | Lv. 10 | 20s | Moves behind a target within 10m and deals 239 (+105% Attack) damage with a 50% chance to inflict Blind for 3s after using [Dodge] or while flying. 100% chance to inflict Blind on NPC targets. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Shadow Fall | Active skill | Lv. 12 | 20s | Moves to a target afflicted with Stun within 10m, deals 465 (+204% Attack) damage, and inflicts Knockdown for 3s. Has a 5% chance to trigger on attacking a target with Incapacitated Immunity. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage |
| Insignia Explosion | Active skill | Lv. 14 | 10s | Selects a target within 20m and deals 663 (+220% Attack) damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m, inflicting Stun for 3s. Stun chance is doubled on NPC targets. Damage and Stun chance increase based on Insignia stacks. 1 stack: 742 (+246.4% Attack) damage, 10% Stun chance 2 stacks: 822 (+272.8% Attack) damage, 20% Stun chance 3 stacks: 902 (+299.2% Attack) damage, 30% Stun chance 4 stacks: 981 (+325.6% Attack) damage, 40% Stun chance 5 stacks: 1,061 (+352% Attack) damage, 50% Stun chance 7 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Defiance | Active skill | Lv. 16 | 60s | Removes Stun, Knockdown, Airborne, Grab, Frost, and Fear from the caster and grants Tenacity for 5s. Tenacity: Grants Status Effect Immunity Unaffected by cooldown reduction effects. |
| Heightened Sixth Sense | Passive skill | Lv. 1 | None | Increases the caster's Evasion by 200 and HP by 150. Increases Max HP by an extra 6% and restores 85 (+100% Attack)-102 HP on Evasion. Cooldown: 3s |
| Exploit Weakness | Passive skill | Lv. 6 | None | Increases caster's Critical Hit by 100. Has a 25% chance to increase Attack by 5.5% for 10s, and a 7% chance to summon up to 5 clones on landing a Critical Hit. Each clone deals 17 (+13.8% Attack) damage and inflicts Insignia that lasts for 10s (up to 5 Insignia stacks). Clone cooldown: 1s Attack increase cooldown: 1s |
| Apply Poison | Passive skill | Lv. 9 | None | Has a 15% chance to reduce the target's Incoming Heal by 12% and inflict Poison for 10s on landing an attack. Poison deals 233 (+138% Attack) Damage over Time every 1s. Cooldown: 1s |
| Rear Smite | Passive skill | Lv. 11 | None | Increases the caster's Back Attack Damage Boost by 3%, PvE Damage Boost by 3%, and PvP Damage Boost by 1.5%. |
| Assault Stance | Passive skill | Lv. 13 | None | Increases the caster's Critical Damage Boost by 6%. |
 Impact Hit | Passive skill | Lv. 15 | None | Increases the caster's Impact-type Chance by 11.2% and Double Chance by 0.3%. |
 Ambush Stance | Passive skill | Lv. 17 | None | Grants Ambush Stance for 10s when using skills that rush or involve movement. Ambush Stance: Has a 50% chance to deal 152 (+39% Attack) damage on landing an attack. Cooldown: 1s |
| Defense Break | Passive skill | Lv. 21 | None | Reduces the target's Defense by 12% and Status Effect Resist by 11% for 10s when landing an attack on a target afflicted with Stagger or an Impact-type status. Cooldown: 20s |
 Revitalization Contract | Passive skill | Lv. 23 | None | Increases the caster's Status Effect Resist by 17%. Increases Status Effect Resist by 10% for 5s when hit while afflicted with Stun, Knockdown, Airborne, Frost, or Fear (up to 10 stacks). Immediately restores 35% Max HP when HP is 10% or less. Healing Cooldown: 60s Status Effect Resist Cooldown: 1s |
 Determination | Passive skill | Lv. 25 | None | Deals 228 (+37.5% Attack) damage when landing an attack on a target with 30% HP or less. Cooldown: 1s |
 Evasion Contract | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 90s | Removes Slow and Root from the caster and increases the caster's Evasion by 200 for 10s. Grants Slow and Root Immunity. Unaffected by cooldown increase effects. |
| Shadow Walk | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 120s | Grants Stealth for 20s. Cannot be used in combat and the effect is removed upon entering combat. |
| Savage Fang | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 60s | Deals 1,074 (+200% Attack) damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and engraves 5 Insignias for 10s. 50 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Assault Ambush | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 120s | Selects a target within 20m and deals 977 (+182% Attack) damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m, with a 30% chance to inflict Blind for 5s. 100% chance to inflict Blind on NPC targets. Increases Defense by up to 20% proportional to the number of targets hit. |
| Swift Contract | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 60s | Increases the caster's Combat Speed by 20% for 10s. |
 Throw Shadowblade | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 30s | Deals 778 (+145% Attack) damage to a target within 20m and inflicts Slow, which reduces Move Speed by 40% for 5s. 15 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Shadowstep | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 45s | Deals 832 (+155% Attack) damage to a target within 4m. The caster moves back and gains Stealth for 3s. |
 Smoke Bomb | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 30s | Deals 966 (+180% Attack) to a target within 10m and inflicts Blind for 5s. 15 Stagger Gauge Damage |
| Triniel's Dagger | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 45s | Deals 1,374 (+256% Attack) damage to a target within 4m and increases all of the target's skill cooldowns by 5% of their duration. Increases damage by 30% if attacking from behind the target. 20 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Aerial Bind | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 120s | Deals 837 (+156% Attack) damage to a target within 4m, with a 50% chance to inflict Airborne for 3s. Has a 100% chance to inflict Airborne for 3s on targets with 5 stacks of Insignia. 100% chance to inflict Airborne on NPC targets. 20 Stagger Gauge Damage |
 Evasion Stance | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 20s | Grants guaranteed evasion of all damage for a brief duration. Restores 110 MP and Stamina once on Evasion. |
| Illusive Clone | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 90s | Removes [Heart Gore] cooldown and deals 20% of damage dealt as extra damage for 10s. |
 Spiral Slice | Stigma skill | Lv. 22 | 90s | Rushes to a target within 20m and deals 1,074 (+200% Attack) damage, removing 1 buff. Deals 386 (+72% Attack) extra damage based on the number of buffs removed. 20 Stagger Gauge Damage |
More class guides
- Gladiator: Melee DPS / off-tank
- Templar: Main tank
- Ranger: Ranged physical DPS
- Sorcerer: Ranged magic DPS
- Spiritmaster: Summoner / magic DPS
- Cleric: Primary healer
- Chanter: Hybrid support
Compare them side by side on the Classes page, or open the Assassin build tabs.