The Ultimate Guide to the Best Assassin Builds in Diablo 2
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The Ultimate Guide to the Best Assassin Builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected
The Assassin class excels in versatility, combining lethal traps, powerful melee attacks, and crowd control. This guide covers three top Assassin builds—Mosaic Phoenix Strike, Trapsin, and Whirlwind Assassin—offering optimal skills, gear, and strategies for each.
Mosaic Phoenix Strike "PS" Assassin Build
This build utilizes the Mosaic Runeword Claws introduced in patch 2.6, which provides 100% uptime on charge-up skills. With the Crack of the Heavens Lightning Sunder Charm, this build delivers powerful elemental damage across multiple targets.
Key Skills:
- Phoenix Strike: Your primary attack, delivering a mix of Fire, Cold, and Lightning damage based on the number of charges.
- Blades of Ice, Fists of Fire, Claws of Thunder: Max these skills to enhance the elemental damage of Phoenix Strike.
- Dragon Talon: Your finishing move, triggering area-of-effect (AOE) explosions and dealing massive damage.
- Fade: Boosts resistances and damage reduction, essential for surviving tough encounters.
- Dragon Flight: Teleport-like skill for quick repositioning.
- Mind Blast & Cloak of Shadows: Crowd control skills for managing large groups of enemies.
- Weapon Block: Grants a chance to block while dual-wielding Claws, enhancing your defense.
- Burst of Speed: Increases both run and attack speed, improving skill execution.
Recommended Gear:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Helmet | Griffon’s Eye – Increases lightning damage and reduces enemy lightning resistance. |
| Weapon | +3 Phoenix Strike Greater Talon (x2) – Each claw offers a 50% chance not to consume a charge. |
| Gloves | +3 Martial Arts Skill + 20% Increased Attack Speed – Enhances primary skills and attack speed. |
| Ring One | Raven Frost – Provides dexterity, attack rating, and prevents freezing. |
| Ring Two | Stone of Jordan – Adds +1 to all skills and a significant amount of mana. |
| Belt | Arachnid Mesh – Adds +1 to all skills and faster cast rate. |
| Boots | Gore Rider – Offers crushing blow, open wounds, and deadly strike. |
| Armor | Enigma – Provides +1 to Teleport, strength, and damage reduction. |
| Amulet | Mara's Kaleidoscope – Provides +2 to all skills and all resistances. |
Inventory:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| +1 Martial Arts Skill Grand Charm x9 | Boosts additional stats like FHR, life, or resistance. |
| Small Charms x10 | Offers life, mana, and resistances for balanced offense and defense. |
| Assassin Torch | Essential for boosting skills, resistances, and attributes. |
| Annihilus | Provides +1 to all skills, all resistances, and all stats. |
Mercenary:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Ethereal Elite Infinity – Provides damage and Conviction aura. |
| Armor | Ethereal Fortitude – High defense, damage, and all resistances. |
| Helmet | Ethereal Andariel’s Visage – Life leech and increased attack speed. |
Tips for Mosaic Phoenix Strike Assassin:
- Master Timing: Balance charge-up skills and finishing moves for optimal damage.
- Strategic Positioning: Stay mobile to maximize AOE and single-target skills.
- Balanced Gear and Stats: Enhance both damage output and survivability.
Trapsin Assassin Build
The Trapsin focuses on laying deadly traps that deal significant Lightning and Fire damage. This build excels in both solo and group play, controlling the battlefield from a distance.
Key Skills:
- Lightning Sentry: Primary trap dealing continuous lightning damage.
- Death Sentry: Adds corpse explosion for increased damage and crowd control.
- Wake of Fire: Secondary trap dealing fire damage, useful against Lightning-immune enemies.
- Mind Blast: Adds crowd control by stunning enemies and converting some to fight for you.
Recommended Gear:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Helmet | Griffon’s Eye – Enhances lightning damage and reduces enemy resistances. |
| Weapon | Crescent Moon – Reduces enemy lightning resistance, boosting Lightning Sentry's power. |
| Gloves | Magefist – Provides faster cast rate and mana regeneration. |
| Ring One | Stone of Jordan – Increases mana pool and adds +1 to all skills. |
| Ring Two | Stone of Jordan – Same benefits as the first ring. |
| Belt | Arachnid Mesh – Adds +1 to all skills and faster cast rate. |
| Boots | Sandstorm Trek – Provides strength, dexterity, FHR, and poison resistance. |
| Armor | Enigma – Grants +1 to Teleport, allowing quick repositioning, and adds strength and damage reduction. |
| Amulet | Mara's Kaleidoscope – Provides +2 to all skills and all resistances. |
| Shield | Spirit Monarch – Offers faster cast rate, +2 to all skills, and mana regeneration. |
Inventory:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| +1 Trap Skill Grand Charm x9 | Boosts trap skills and additional stats like FHR, life, or resistances. |
| Small Charms x10 | Focus on life, mana, and resistances to support trap setting. |
| Assassin Torch | Boosts skills, resistances, and attributes. |
| Annihilus | Provides +1 to all skills, all resistances, and all stats. |
Mercenary:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Ethereal Elite Infinity – High damage and Conviction aura. |
| Armor | Ethereal Fortitude – Increases defense and damage output. |
| Helmet | Ethereal Andariel’s Visage – Adds life leech and attack speed. |
Tips for Trapsin Assassin:
- Strategic Trap Placement: Maximize damage by placing traps strategically.
- Countering Immunities: Use Wake of Fire against Lightning-immune enemies.
- Teleport for Positioning: Use Teleport for optimal trap placement and to avoid danger.
Whirlwind Assassin Build
The Whirlwind Assassin combines the Chaos Runeword to use Whirlwind with traps for additional area control and damage. This build is ideal for fast-paced, strategic combat.
Key Skills:
- Whirlwind: Core skill for spinning through enemies, dealing continuous physical damage.
- Claw Mastery: Enhances damage, attack rating, and critical strike chance with Claws.
- Burst of Speed: Increases attack speed and movement speed for faster Whirlwind execution.
- Fade: Boosts resistances and reduces curse duration for improved survivability.
- Death Sentry: Provides additional lightning damage and corpse explosions for area control.
Recommended Gear:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Helmet | Guillaume’s Face – Grants a high chance of Deadly Strike, boosting critical damage output. |
| Weapon #1 | Chaos Runeword – Essential for enabling Whirlwind on an Assassin. Adds Open Wounds and +1 to Whirlwind. |
| Weapon #2 | Eth Upped Bartuc’s Cut-Throat or High ED Eth Rep Rare Claw – Provides attack rating and skill boosts. |
| Gloves | Laying of Hands – Adds attack speed and fire resistance. |
| Ring One | Raven Frost – Adds dexterity, attack rating, and "Cannot be Frozen" mod. |
| Ring Two | Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band – Increases skill levels and provides life leech. |
| Belt | String of Ears – Offers life leech and damage reduction. |
| Boots | War Traveler – Provides magic find and boosts damage slightly. |
| Armor | Enigma – Provides +1 to Teleport, strength, and significant mobility. |
| Amulet | Mara's Kaleidoscope – Increases all skills by +2 and adds substantial resistances. |
Inventory:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Small Charms x33 | Enhance Life, Attack Rating, and Maximum Damage. |
| Assassin Torch | Provides +3 to all Assassin skills, all resistances, and stats. |
| Annihilus | Provides +1 to all skills, all resistances, and all stats. |
Mercenary:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Weapon | Ethereal Elite Infinity – High damage output and Conviction aura. |
| Armor | Ethereal Fortitude – High defense, damage output, and resistances. |
| Helmet | Ethereal Andariel’s Visage – High life leech and attack speed. |
Tips for Whirlwind Assassin:
- Master Hit-and-Run Tactics: Use Whirlwind to slice through enemies quickly, then retreat.
- Keep Burst of Speed Active: Essential for maintaining high mobility and attack speed.
- Use Fade Strategically: Increase resistances and reduce curse durations in tough areas.
- Optimal Positioning: Hit as many enemies as possible with each Whirlwind pass.
These builds offer distinct approaches to gameplay, whether you prefer the high-speed melee and elemental damage of the Mosaic Phoenix Strike Assassin, the strategic trap control of the Trapsin, or the blend of melee and traps with the Whirlwind Assassin. Enjoy dominating the battlefield with these powerful Assassin builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected!