Balthazar's Fang

[Malhavoc Adhamar]

This is merely a build I whipped up after having a play with the daggers on my R/Mo and wanting a way to do some damage without actually having any ranks in Dagger Mastery. The R/Mo build would only be used for amusement purposes however I think the basic idea can be applied to an Assassin/Monk.

Stats

With Self heal

Dagger Mastery: 12
Critical Strike: 10
Smiting Prayers: 10
Shadow Arts: 10

No Self Heal

Dagger Mastery: 13
Critical Strike: 10
Smiting Prayers: 12

Skills

Golden Phoenix Strike (Dagger Mastery)
Description: If you are not under the effects of an enchantment, this skill misses. If it hits, Golden Phoenix Strike deals +10-26 damage.
Energy Cost: 5
Activation Time: None.
Recharge Time: 8 Seconds.
Linked Attribute: Dagger Mastery. Increases damage dealt.
Skill Type: Off-Hand Attack.

Twisted Fangs (Dagger Mastery)
Description: Must follow an off-hand attack. If it hits, Twisting Fangs strikes for +10-18 damage and struck foe suffers from Bleeding and Deep Wound for 5-17 seconds.
Energy Cost: 10
Activation Time: None.
Recharge Time: 15 Seconds.
Linked Attribute: Dagger Mastery.
Skill Type: Dual Attack.

Golden Lotus Strike (Dagger Mastery)
Description: If it hits, this attack strikes for +5-17 damage. If you are under the effects of an enchantment, you gain 3-9 Energy.
Energy Cost: 5
Activation Time: None.
Recharge Time: 15 Seconds.
Skill Type: Lead Attack.

Horns of the Ox (Dagger Mastery)
Description: Must follow an off-hand attack. If it hits, Horns of the Ox strikes for +15-27 damage. If struck foe is not adjacent to any allies, that foe is knocked down.
Energy Cost: 5
Activation Time: None.
Recharge Time: 12 Seconds.
Skill Type: Dual Attack.

Holy Strike (Smiting Prayers)
Description: Target touched foe takes 10-46 holy damage. If knocked down, your target takes an additional 10-46 holy damage.
Energy Cost: 5
Activation Time: 3/4ths of a Second.
Recharge Time: 8 Seconds.
Skill Type: Skill.

Smite (Smiting Prayers)
Description: This attack deals 10-46 holy damage. If attacking, your target takes an additional 10-30 holy damage.
Energy Cost: 10
Activation Time: 1 Second.
Recharge Time: 10 Seconds.
Skill Type: Attack.

Strength of Honour (Smiting Prayers)
Description: While you maintain this enchantment, target ally deals 1-8 more damage in melee.
Energy Cost: 10 and an arrow of regeneration.
Activation Time: 2 Seconds.
Recharge Time: None.
Skill Type: Enchantment Spell.

Rebirth (Protection Prayers)
Description: Resurrect target party member. Target party member is returned to life with 25% Health and zero energy, and is teleported to your current location. All of target's skills are disabled for 10-4 seconds. This spell consumes all your remaining energy.
Energy Cost: 10
Activation Time: 6 Seconds.
Recharge Time: None.
Skill Type: Spell.

The order of activation is this:

Strength of Honour -> Golden Phoenix Strike -> Twisting Fangs/Horns of the Ox->
Smite/Holy Strike -> Golden Lotus Strike

Golden Lotus is our energy management skill so it’s more useful to use at the end of the combo so you have enough to pull off a few more moves to finish off the target. If you want to take a self heal then I would suggest dropping Twisting Fangs and taking Shadow Refuge. Personally I wouldn’t bother with a self heal because while it is useful I don’t find the Assassin self heals that good.

The advantages of this build are that with Strength of Honour up you’re doing +7/8 extra damage that isn’t affected by armour and that will stack when used with Smite.

So roughly totalling it up you’re looking at a total damage output (per four move combo) of:

(Smite and Dagger Mastery at 12)


First Combo

Golden Phoenix Strike ----> +26(+8)*
Twisting Fangs----> (+18 (+deep wound and bleeding) (+8)*)x2)
Smite----> +46 (+30 if attacking) (+8)*
Golden Lotus Strike----> +17 (+8)* (+9 Energy)

Total added damage----> +195

Second Combo

Golden Phoenix Strike----> +26(+8)*
Horns of the Ox----> (+27(+ knock down if no adjacent ally) (+8)*) x2
Holy Strike----> +46(+46 if knocked down)
Golden Lotus Strike----> +17 (+8)* (+9 Energy)

Total added damage----> +221

*Strength of Honour bonus

And that’s not including the damage you’ll be doing with normal dagger attacks (+bonus from Strength of Honour) and critical hits.

Blind and evasion can still mostly shut it down since Holy Strike is a skill so you could still do 46 damage per 8 seconds. It does, however, offer a decent amount of damage against warriors because Smite, Holy Strike and Strength of Honour bypass armour.

Still like I said this was something I whipped up after playing with my R/Mo and a pair of daggers so before I say this build is solid I would want to test it in the field with a A/Mo.

C&C, as always, is welcomed.

[Dutch Mike]

OMG OMG OMG, Thanks for making this build, THANK YOU !!!!!!!

I've pre-ordered Factions and i will get a +15%(enchanted) req 9 max dmg dagger set ^^ And since str. of honor is an enchantment, hehe ^^ *yay*

LAWLx0r.. Im even more happy about my pre-ordered Factions:cloud9:

Greets, thanks, mike


*EDIT*: Removed the "quote" stuff.

[Shadow Dancer]

Sounds pretty good. one small pedantic point though, Rebirth is Protection, not Smiting. Wouldn't really matter a huge heap, would just mean that the person resurrected would have to deal with the full 10 sec blackout.

[Malhavoc Adhamar]

*Waves wand of modding*

I don't know what you're talking about *looks innocent*

[Deus Invictus]

meh ppl deal with the 10 sec blackout all the time
just run away lol

[JeanDeathwish]

Very nice. Id like to point out that your dual attacks (Twisting Fangs and Horns of the Ox) count as two attacks that both deal +x damage and they both get the bonus from Stength of Honor.

This makes your First Combo +195 damage and your Second +213.

[Malhavoc Adhamar]

Good point. I'll make the adjustment now.

[Zero]

Little disaapointed to not see Judges insight in there but I guess it's yet to be calced if strength of honor or judges will add more damage. But with zealous dagger you could keep it up all the time easily imo

[Malhavoc Adhamar]

Main reason for using Srength of honour is because unless I cancel it or it's removed, it wont run out after 18 seconds. Usually when I have JI in my skill bar I use it once then forget to recast it again when I'm in the heat of battle.

[Longasc]

I think that Armor Penetration does not really do that much damage on Daggers.


Their base damage is rather low, the skills, the occasional double strike and the high crit rate do the the damage.

What would 20% AP add - for a 10 energy cost that does not hold too long with low attributes in smiting.

7-17 Dagger
+20% customized
+15% > 50% Health
+15% for Dagger Mastery being at 16 (12=0/100%)

25,5 ... lets say 26 max damage without AP, no critical hit

What extra damage would 20% AP give?
(Let us assume 60 AL.)

32,01 (I used the Calculator at GWGuru). that is 6 more damage.


at 10 Smiting, Strength of Honor deals +7 damage. But it is maintained. Judges would cost a one time investment of 10 energy, too, but would only hold for 16 seconds, but not decrease energy regeneration.

I think I would go with SoH, because it takes some time to recast Judges and if he really uses the Preorder Daggers, they are 15% while enchanted, one more reason to keep an enchantment up permanently.

[MaximumSquid]

Hey you're not using an elite skill! =/

Dump smite for mobius strike

It's amazing with horns of the ox!

Holy strike is an 8 second recharge so you should be able to run a devastating chain.

First combo: Gold Pheonix > horns > holy strike
Second Combo: Mobius Strike > Twisting Fangs
Third Combo: Gold Pheonix > horns > holy strike
Fourth Combo: (Your target is still alive?? something is wrong! switch targets!)

You should also dump golden lotus strike for one of the following:

Smite hex
Contemplation of purity
Disruptive strike
Shadow Refuge
Dark Escape

I'd also take Vengance instead of rebirth for PvP in arenas, or a res sig for 8v8, 12v12.

I dont have time to give you the damage, but I recommend you pen and paper my suggestions and see if you like the way it rolls better.

I also recommend you pen and paper the damage if you were to say switch your primary and secondary around. Daggers do not get that much better from 10 to 16. It's this key feature that is the corner stone for many of my E/A builds.

Hope this helps!

Love the build!

[Malhavoc Adhamar]

Hey you're not using an elite skill! =/

Don't need one. I'm not a fan of having an elite for the sake of having an elite.



Dump smite for mobius strike

Smite gives more damage than Moebius Strike

(Smite and DM at 12)

*Strength of Honour

Smite = 46 + 8* (+30 if target is attacking) = 84 holy damage unaffected by armour.

Moebius Strike = 30 + 8* = +38 damage but dagger damage is affected by Armour.

Also Smite isn't dependent on being in a combo so if something gets fuffed up (like my lead attack is disabled) then I can still use Smite.



You should also dump golden lotus strike...

GLS is my energy management attack. Since I intend to be enchanted all the time with Strength of Honour I'll get +9 energy back from the attack. Making it a finishing move gives me +9 energy to either start the second combo or move onto the next target.

[Shadow Dancer]

Don't need one. I'm not a fan of having an elite for the sake of having an elite.
Indeed. the rule is you CAN have 1 elite, not that you MUST have 1 elite. My Necro MM build doesnt have one (Although that will change for Flesh Golem XD )

[Patccmoi]

Don't need one. I'm not a fan of having an elite for the sake of having an elite.


Smite gives more damage than Moebius Strike

(Smite and DM at 12)

*Strength of Honour

Smite = 46 + 8* (+30 if target is attacking) = 84 holy damage unaffected by armour.

Moebius Strike = 30 + 8* = +38 damage but dagger damage is affected by Armour.

Also Smite isn't dependent on being in a combo so if something gets fuffed up (like my lead attack is disabled) then I can still use Smite.


GLS is my energy management attack. Since I intend to be enchanted all the time with Strength of Honour I'll get +9 energy back from the attack. Making it a finishing move gives me +9 energy to either start the second combo or move onto the next target.

For energy management, i'd say Critical Strikes is much more useful than GLS in the long run. GLS nets you 4-5E every 15 sec and does a +17 damage attack. CS would give you +5% Crit AND +1E for every crit. CS will net you more than 5E per 15 sec and you'll have better chances of criticals. And Critical Strikes is just a passive skill. Can't be removed in any way, always active (well, not always at 10 CS but you have a small downtime overall), and mostly no chance to be blocked/evaded.

As for not using an elite skill, well while i don't see that builds NEED to use one, there's nearly no build i can think of where one skill wouldn't be better off replaced by an elite.

In the case of your build, you have Smite. Is it good? Ya, not bad, but worth not picking an elite?

At 12 Smite, it'll do 46 damage, 76 if target is attacking (which isn't THAT likely with an assassin unleashing their combo on their back, unless you plan at targetting warriors mainly which is kinda weird)

It's 10/1/10

Compared with Word of Censure, which is 63 damage always and 10/1/2, having a longer recharge only if the guy is below 33% (so shouldn't be used as a finishing move, but you got enough attacks that can act like one, say Holy Strike) so you can throw them really fast on targets when you're blind and it's a non-attack non-projectile skill (target is just hurt), is Smite really superior? I mean, in SOME cases Smite would be better, but in general i'd just carry Word of Censure over it. The 2 seconds recharge and non-projectile/attack part just makes it incredibly more versatile.

Or have an elite that can support your team and help you, say Empathic Removal. 5/1/10, you and another ally lose 1 hex and 1 condition. Makes you much harder to shutdown, and makes your monks job much easier.

And that's without mentioning things like Temple Strike, Moebius Strike (btw Moebius isn't really there for damage, it's to recharge all your attack skills so straight after your Moebius you can do ANOTHER Horn of the Ox for a KD chain), of very useful elites like Beliguing Haze (instant interrupt that exhaust and dazes target), Aura of Displacement which makes you a master of movement, Palm Strike which does about the same damage but acts as an Off-Hand attack at the same time, i just don't see why you'd pick Smite above them.

I'm not for using an elite at all cost, but i'm not for not using it when one could be stronger or benefit your team more than a mere 46 damage attack with 10/1/10.

[Demetri]

your build looks pretty good, but i dont get what you mean by self heal - you dont use any shadow arts skills

[Bobross]

I like...but also agree that some elites would work really well here. I'd like to suggest locusts fury...the increased dual attack means that that bonus damage has a 20% extra chance of being applied twice with each attack (along with all the regular attack damage)...also increases your chance of criticals...which makes it energy management....so you could replace your energy management skill with it...consider it a kind of long lasting tiger's fury. Also it is an enchantment and lasts a decent duration...so it would be helpful to cover your strength of honor... All in all a versatile skill that'll help you more than some of your other skills.

[weaponvii]

You could also replace one of the smiting/healing skills for Falling Spider (after horns) to get a nice extra posion condition on top of bleeding and deep wound.

[Transcendent Clarity]

wat kind of runes are needed for this?

[Lawe]

no defence stance, the assassin kinda needs sum kind of defence. Also can u get a 1 second spell off before the oppenent is able to get bak up?

Falling spider - must hit a knockdown foe strikes for x damage and foe is poisoned for x time. Off hand. Think this would slot in nicly and allow u to chain horns of the ox first then this then twisting fangs.