Assassin's Strike

Out of curiousity what is everybody's desired IO set for this power? I went with Crushing Impact first (6/6) and now to Mako's Bite (6/6) following a respec which I gave Crushing to Disembowl. So what about the rest of you?

I have 5/6 crushing impact and the KD proc. It brings a smile to my face when I AS a target and then it spends the next few seconds getting off it's butt.

On my NB/Nin, it's slotted with a couple Acc/Dmg HO's, 3 Gladiator Strikes
(including the Proc), and a Hecatomb Proc.

This is a PvP toon, so when I attack, I need it to hit players, and I'd like it to
hit like a truck when it does.

On my Elec/WP, it's got a bunch of mid level set IO pieces in it (bonesnap,
focused Smite, and Bruising Blow). That gives it 68%/92% (Acc/Dmg) and more
than an SO each of Erdx & Rch in it.

This one is mostly a PvE toon, with a little PvP tossed in -- it was originally
created to deal with a griefer or two in a specific zone ... It's as effective as
it needs to be to handle that purpose and a lot of fun in PvE otherwise...


Regards,
4

On one stalker I have 3 x acc/dmg HOs and 3 x dmg procs and on the other, 4pc Mako with 2 x dmg procs.

Depending on the character's needs, I go with one of the following: 5 crushing impacts; 6 ToD's; 6 Mako's; or 2 Dam IO's and a Dam/End from a set. I don't find that I need to add accuracy to it if I already have some acc from set bonuses and I use it with buildup anyway.

3 Acc/Dam HO's and Hecatomb/Mako/Glad Strike procs, but that's for PvP.

Those are some of the cheapest HOs around. It's hard to imagine anyone having problems affording them. Run a few newspaper/scanner missions and you have probably earned enough to buy one.

Barring PvP (which as mentioned earlier, is probably best with 3 Acc/Dam HO/SHOs and 3 procs), it's based on the set bonuses I'm looking for on the character. Since most of my Stalkers are Ninjitsu, it's usually Touch of Death or Mako's Bite 6-slotted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PleaseRecycle it has gone from unconscionable to downright appalling that we have no way of measuring our characters' wetness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brillig It's hard to beat the entertainment value of Whackjob Wednesdays.

You know, I generally try to leave AS's sets out of the build particularly so if I read about a super great slotting strategy for it, I can aim for that ^^

I am currently deciding whether to go for a full purple set or to go for Four Mako's and then two Hecatomb... The important thing to remember is that damage is the primary focus of AS, you don't need to worry so much about recharge or endurance because it is a one and done, for the most part...

(The reason I go for Mako's over Crushing is the damage boost from four. You can easily stack up 35-50% damage bonus from IOs without sacrificing much. However, going with Hecatomb over Mako's pumps up the AS at the expense of 2.5% universal damage buff...)

Ah, the KD proc is the funnest thing ever! Sadly I took mine out and have Touch of Death 6slotted now.

AS is a set mule. 6 slotted in both my stalkers for ranged defense.

I barely ever use the attack honestly.

Interestingly enough, I specifically avoided the 3rd HO in there in favor of
some recharge and faster recycle time.

While it's true that it's usually one and done in PvP, I find that's definitely
not the case in PvE, particularily in combination with Placate.

With a recharge time of ~10 seconds or so, I use it multiple times per PvE
fight, especially where Bosses EBs, and AVs are involved.

It is interesting to see some of the differing slotting approaches though.


Regards,
4

I was just bummed slotting my Assassin's Strike (BS) from 3 damage encs and 3 accuracy, to find out it loses about 20points of damage. Still well above 200 on it's own but I like seeing it close to 300. Right now it's slotted with Mako's Bite (6/6) I'm honestly relatively new still to enhancements sets so for me I'm just trying to see what I can afford (or accomplish via the merit system) and create in order to spec it out to my liking.

To-Hit becomes my main concern but then again hitting a Rikti Magus with a AS and only watching 5% of their life get stripped away is a pet peeve of mine. >_<#

I must say, I am quite surprised what low regard so many hold AS in. I am equally surprised that so many of you cannot use it more than once or twice per mob. I use it at every opportunity, especially so in PvP. I can get off multiple AS's on most PvE mobs unless the team is steamrolling them.....in which case it is not important for me to use it more than once/twice. Hell I can use it 3-4 times or more in a 60 second PvP skirmish. What are the power combos that some of you are using? I'm trying to understand under what circumstances AS can not be used more consistently or rather what sets make AS less appealing/productive to use as often as I seem to think it needs to be used? Thanks for anyone with some simple examples.

I find it to be extremely useful, productive, and deadly in almost all situations.
My preferred power combo is Spines/Nin, so this may allow me to slip back into hide consistently easier than some non-defense sets, but still....even on my Energy/Regen stalker plays similarly except that I use fewer overall attacks due to hitting my heals in between attacks for survival since i get hit more often.

I would agree with Zem on many of his points.

Unless you run against largish groups, the entire spawn is dead before you
can get a 3rd AS off most times.

For Elec particularily, LR and Tstrike kills the standard 3 mob spawn most
times right then and there, not even using AS at all.

For my NB/Nin, after the first AS, Soaring Dragon, Gambler's Cut, and
Flashing Steel will take out the others pretty quickly, again, not even
needing a Placate & 2nd AS . With Divine Avalanche double-stacked for
Melee Defense, it's easily softcapped and gives you a nice "pocket scrapper".

Where I use multiple AS is against larger groups (Boss, Lt, a couple
minions), or double spawn points where you'll aggro both, or hardened
targets like EBs, AVs, or GMs.

In PvP (I stick to Zones), you don't (or at least I don't) usually use multiple
AS's because you need high (and quick) burst damage, and the player won't
typcially be sticking around - for me, the first AS, followed up with Dragon,
and the other two minor attacks probably need to finish the job.

Placate, and the 2nd AS are for the other heroes that will instantly flock
to the rescue as soon as they realize you're there.

For me, 99% of PvP fights are shorter than corresponding PvE battles -
either my target is dead after the first attack chain, or I need to get out
of dodge to avoid the inevitable hero swarm.

Only FiteKlub (which I don't do), or late-night and empty zones allow for
a fight that extends past the first attack chain.

Where I *like* the recharge on AS is for the next group, or the follow-up
on a player that thinks they got out of range in time (or thinks they'll get
to rescue the first).

I use AS a lot - maybe even constantly in both PvE and PvP, but I only
occasionally use (or need) a 3rd AS unless I'm moving around between
different players or mob spawns quickly.


Regards,
4