User:Happy Days 6/The Art of Sin Spiking

Introduction
Hello, Now, this "art" is made for the likes of Assassins, who like to do what they do best. Hit and Run, Now, many people might think "O this is easy, just put in some attack chains and walk up to a person and spam stuff, right?", no... Not only does the build matter, but you must be smart at picking your targets. Now, there are some builds that are more suitable for other causes. One I am going to show I great for the likes of The Areas. And others are great for Alliance Battles. But without the skill and the knowhow on how to use these builds, you're nothing.

In this guide, I will show you some good builds to start off with, as long as A-Net hasn't done anything with the skills required. But, when it comes down to it, the best spiker's make their own builds to suit their own taste.

Skill Prefixes/Suffixes
The prefixes/suffixes of the skills are the bread and butter of all sins, all the masters know them. Now, this work is a tad bit like latin roots, accept these are skills, not words. Now, let's learn them!

("Borrowed" from guild wiki)


 * Has requirement for use or conditional effects:
 * Black requires a Hex on the target.
 * Falling requires a knocked down target.
 * Golden requires an Enchantment on the user.


 * Cause effects to target:
 * Fang inflicts Deep Wound condition.
 * Mantis inflicts Crippled condition.
 * Ox causes knockdown.
 * Prison indicates a snare.
 * Spider inflicts Poisoned condition.

Now, lets take this into example, say
 * Cause effects to user:
 * Critical indicates a Critical Hit modifier.
 * Fox indicates an unblockable attack.
 * Lotus indicates energy gain.
 * Way of... indicates an attack modifier.

[Black Lotus Strike]

We know Black means it requires a hex to be on the target, Lotus means it gives energy. Now, look at the skill, if you wanna understand it more, look at other sin skills.

Choosing Your Targets
Although there are builds that can take on the toughest of baddies. You must choose your target wisely. Now, we prefer casters, or squishys, as they have the lowest armor in the game. Depending on the build, this might be entirely different. Remember, Warriors have +20 against physical, and Rangers have +30 on elemental.

1. The Opening
Now, the opening is just a way that I like to call the appearance, usually a shadow step of some sort, but not always as you will see.

Some good skills to use are:

[Death's Charge][Aura of Displacement][Dark Prison][Wastrel's Collapse][Shadow Walk]

Deaths Charge is a basic one, simple shadow step in. You get it early, and it serves it's purpose. Aura of Displacement is a great skill to use if you are missing an elite. It shadow step's you in, stays there, and can shadow step you out if things go hairy. It also is an enchantment, and you get it to start off with. Dark Prison is only good when you need a hex, it slows down your opponent, although it does take ten energy. Wastrel's Collapse used to be the worst sin skill. Though, recent improvements have made it great to work with. Yes, it has knockdown for a great first blow. But don't rely on that knockdown, as the target basically has to not be breathing for it to work.

The Strong Elites
I would just like to say now that this can change, with the rapid nerfing everywhere.

[Palm Strike][Temple Strike][Golden Skull Strike][Moebius Strike][Assassin's Promise][Shattering Assault]

And the ones seen up there. I will allow you to look at the skills, choose the ones that are the best for you.

The IAS, or increased attack speed
This is needed to be a speedy spiker, although, not all sins need to be speedy.

Good skills are:

[Tiger Stance][Lightning Reflexes][Flurry][Frenzy]

It is best to bring a cancel stance, such as Dash for Frenzy, or else you will look like an idiot.

The Finishing Move
For these, I will just label them, you look at them yourself, specifically the requirements, and use them as you see fit.

[Impale][Signet of Deadly Corruption][Signet of Toxic Shock]

Builds
[build prof=A/W name="AoD Quick Spike" cri=12+1 dag=12+1+1][Aura of Displacement][Golden Lotus Strike][Fox Fangs][Twisting Fangs][Golden Phoenix Strike][Blades of Steel][Tiger Stance][Resurrection Signet][/build]

This build is made to be simple, fast, and a decent killing machine. If you are going into Alliance Battles, I suggest replacing rez with a IMS, such as Dash.

[build prof=A/W name="Temple Strike Spiker" cri=9+1 dag=12+1+1 dead=9+1][Dark Prison][Black Mantis Thrust][Temple Strike][Trampling Ox][Falling Lotus Strike][Twisting Fangs][Signet of Deadly Corruption][Flurry][/build]

This build is a very powerful build, but it does require a ridiculous amount of energy to use. I would not suggest this build as a starter.