User:Jioruji Derako/User Builds/A/D NFT Sneak-Assault Sin

 OUTDATED

''This build was created prior to a large number of skill updates, and has not been edited to reflect these changes. It is kept merely as an archive. This build was vetted before becoming outdated.'' This is a speedy and powerful Assassin build, designed to run through The Norn Fighting Tournament quickly and efficiently. A skilled player using this build can beat the entire tournament in a little over five or six minutes, with exceptions depending on some of your matchups.

Attributes and Skills
[build prof=Assassin/Dervish Critical=11+1+1 Dagger=11+1 EarthPrayers=8][Sneak Attack][Wild Strike][Shattering Assault] [Mystic Regeneration][Critical Defenses][Critical Agility][Assassin's Remedy]["You Move Like a Dwarf!"][/build]
 * can be switched in on Assassin's Remedy if you're not particularly afraid of the few condition-based foes in the tournament; the extra energy allows you to pretty much spam your attack chain on recharge.

Equipment

 * Any armor should do, although Radiant will make things a bit easier. Minor runes of Dagger Mastery and Critical Strikes, highest Vigor rune you can get, with runes of Attunement on the extra spots. Dagger Mastery can be safely boosted to a Major rune if you need the extra point.
 * Zealous Daggers of Enchanting are best, as the Enchanting mod will save you energy in the long run. A +5 energy inscription or a +15% while Enchanted inscription should be used.

Usage
When starting each battle, check your opponent before you leave the doorway. If your foe is a caster-build, then you don't need to activate Critical Defenses (only benefit will be extra regeneration from Mystic Regeneration). Activate your other skills (Critical Agility and Mystic Regeneration, and Assassin's Remedy if it's a foe with conditions), and activate Sneak Attack. As soon as you reach melee range, this will Blind your foe, and effectively shut down any weapon-based build. Run through your chain as it recharges, and maintain your enchantments, and foes should go down quickly. Some foes will put up more of a fight then others, or will require special care; see below for specific character strategies.

Opponent Strategies
Opponents not listed here are generally simple to beat; use your own judgment when fighting, and don't forget "YMLaD!" is primarily an unstoppable interrupt skill in this situation.


 * Argo (Stoneflesh Aura Earth Tank):
 * Argo will start off by casting one of his big AoE attacks, either Argo's Cry or Sandstorm. You can interrupt one of these with "YMLaD!", and simply back away from him for the second one, so it activates in a different area. Once you've dealt with these two spells, simply run through your attack chain; after Shattering Assault hits, he'll be sans-defenses and will go down quickly without much of a fight.

It's worth noting that her only source of offense if you're not attacking is Parasitic Bond and staff attacks, which gives you -1 health degeneration and about 10-20 damage per hit. If you somehow get killed by this, then you should probably stop playing Guild Wars for a little while.
 * Eve (Anti-Melee SS Necromancer):
 * Eve is the hardest foe you can face using this build, and is certain death to any player who rushes in too quickly. A combination of Spiteful Spirit, Insidious Parasite, and Reckless Haste means anyone stupid enough to attack through her hexes will take massive damage and probably end up gaining her health. Simply attack as soon as the gates open, and try to use "YMLaD!" on Insidious Parasite. If you miss this, or she gets too many hexes on you, pull back and regenerate your health. Sit back for a little while and keep Mystic Regeneration active to counter her degen, and attack whenever Insidious Parasite ends. Pull back or interrupt whenever she re-applies; you'll notice that each time, she takes longer to re-apply the hex. She's running out of energy. Eventually, Insidious Parasite will run out, and she won't have enough energy to get it or anything else back up in time before you beat her. Just to note, avoid casting any spells other then Mystic Regeneration; she has Leech Signet, and will interrupt your other spells, both costing you energy and gaining her energy back.


 * Gwen (Signet of Midnight / E-Denial):
 * Gwen is seemingly as hard as Eve, but very, very simple to defeat if you know how. She always starts off the battle with Signet of Midnight; you'll have a hard time interrupting this, due to the short cast time coupled with her Fast Casting, but if you time "YMLaD!" for the moment she gets into melee range, you can get it. No worries if you miss. Don't bother with your attack skills while you're blind; it'll simply be a waste of energy. Instead, keep an eye on the Blind effect; Gwen always, always re-applies the Blind the moment it leaves your status bar. As soon as it ends, hit "YMLaD!"; she'll be activating Signet of Midnight by the time you hit this, and will get interrupted. She loses surprisingly quickly once that's gone.


 * Headmaster Vhang (Mind Shock Air Spiker):
 * Vhang uses Blinding Flash and Mind Shock to both Blind you and knock you down; luckily, he spams Mind Shock too much for his own good, and locks down his bar with Exhaustion. Keep all your enchantments active for this fight, to get the most out of Mystic Regeneration, and throw in knockdowns yourself with "YMLaD!" whenever possible. The battle should end in your favor when his Blind runs out.


 * Mhenlo (55 monk):
 * Don't even bother using any enchantments. Just run through the attack chain and laugh.


 * Norgu (Toolbox Mesmer):
 * Empathy and Visions of Regret are your only problems here. Try to interrupt one of them at the start of the fight; if he gets both of them up, don't try to power through it unless he's already low on health. Not many of his other skills should cause you much of a problem, although watch out for Backfire when re-applying Mystic Regeneration.


 * '''Magni the Bison (final boss):
 * Magni's both your biggest foe and your easiest foe. He takes a lot to defeat, but the build is mainly designed to deal with him, so you shouldn't have much trouble. Start of with Sneak Attack as always, and have a finger ready to fire off "YMLaD!" soon after; he uses Purge Signet to remove the Blindness. Him being Blind, coupled with your 75% block chance, generally means you never get hit; occasionally, he may get Purge Signet off, and land a hit or two before Sneak Attack lands again, but this is fairly rare and not much of an issue. So long as you keep all of your skills active, and keep him Blinded (you can skip Shattering Assault against him to conserve energy if need be), he loses eventually.

Counters

 * Inexperience with the Tournament and the opponent's builds.
 * If you see Danika, give up. You can't out damage her.

Variants

 * Brawling Headbutt can be a useful option instead of "YMLaD!" if you want a faster spammable knockdown, but be warned, it's quite hard to use this for interrupting (due to the delay in activation). If you're having trouble with general casters, this might be a better option though, providing a nice break from spells every few seconds (the adrenaline builds up quickly).


 * With little to no modifications, this build can also be used to solo farm any weapon-based boss who can be pulled from his mob.
 * Confirmed Farmable Bosses:
 * Chkkr Locust Lord: Normal build with no mods works wonderfully. You won't need "YMLaD!" for him, so this can be switched in favor of something else if you like.
 * Sskai: Switching "YMLaD!" for Brawling Headbutt makes it possible to kill Sskai solo. Be warned, he doesn't die quickly at all, so use a different build if you're planning to seriously farm this guy.
 * more to come(?)