Been stuck on Dragonica lately. Its like Maple, only with instances, and so levelling becomes easier, if you consider having a personal space as easy. The grinding is still there, sadly, but at least there's PvP, which was what really drew me in.

I have no idea where to post my thoughts about the Assassin, so imma gonna rant here..


My thoughts on Assassin:

A super sneaky character. He's the biggest headache to ever to deal in PvP, but with him on your side, bosses fall rather quickly.

Now for my skill build.

Thief skills

Air Combo Launch - launches an enemy into the air.

Ah... Bread and Butter skill. Either use this to start an Aerial Rave, or just whack away nuisances who are in your way. I pumped this to level 2 for 3 targets being launched. You can add more, but 3 is optimal for me. Don't forget the Ninja morph uses this move so keep this skill.

Aerial Frenzy - Spin attack in air to hit airborne enemies.

Follow up to Air Combo Launch. You remain suspended in mid air spinning while enemies in your wake get repeatedly cut. This skill racks up combo hits very quickly, and its quite essential to have high combos in Mission Maps, so get at least 1 point. Mine's level 2, because Air Combo launches 3, so Aerial Frenzy should hit 3 as well for optimal efficiency. Also, this is used during the Ninja stage so put at least 1 level for it.

Somersault kick - Kicks enemies down, At level 3, launches them.

Sounds like Air Combo Launch doesn't it? But you need level 3 for it to have the same effect. Skip it. Point waster here.

Cut-Down - Stabs downwards into the fray. Usable only in air. Launches at level 3

One skill that i spent a precious reset skill card for. It does a beautiful job as a combo follow up after your targets drop away from your Aerial Frenzy. Level 3 launches them back up, just for you to Aerial Frenzy too. In PvP, it works well as a surprise attack too. Ninja mode uses this skill so at least have level 1 to utilize it. I highly recommend level 3 for the launching. Note that enemies lying on the floor can be relaunched too.

Rocket punch - Shoot a fist at enemies. Inflict stun.

Too slow to use in PvP, but it works very well in PvE. Try to get this to level 5 asap. At level 5, it inflicts 70% stun, which is helpful against enemies that resist knockback.

Nosel Tunnelling - Enhances Rocket Punch to deal more damage.

Sounds good, but points are too precious to be wasted this way. I skipped it, for the sake of assassin skills.

Re-launch - launches downed enemies back into the air

It SOUNDED good, until you realise you have Cutdown level 3. Staying on the ground means enemies can have a go at you. Plus, you need to press an extra key to use it, as compared to Cutdown's 1 button reliance. Skip it.

Double Attack - percentage change to hit twice on the second and fourth hit

Not as imba as Ragnarok's double attack, but who can argue with a free hit? Keep it at level 1 though. The bonus damage and chance per level doesn't justify the points spent. Plus, assassin skills are better. Or skip it if you don't like normal attacks.

Venom - poisons enemies, reducing their HP every second

A bad poisoning skill. First, it deals no damage, just inflicts poison. Second, the casting time is LONG, long enough for you to get swatted for 50% HP. Third, the poison deals minute damage over a few seconds (level 1 was 10 HP for 12 seconds). Skip it altogether,

Vitality- (Buff) +VIT to party (+2 per level of skill)

Woo buffs, sounds great, doesn't it? First of all, food can give better buffs. Second, you don't have enough points to go round. Third, items can give literally the same amount of stats the buff can. More is always good, but not when your second job skills need points as well. I skipped it.

Dexterity- (Buff) +AGI to party (+2 per level of skill)

Same reasoning as Vitality. I skipped it.

Assassin Skills

At this point you should have a taste of how irritating Farrel is, as well as have a skill reset card. You also have a HP/MP boost so you won't die THAT easily now. Keep the card in case you decide to change your build later on. Don't worry, Ninja promotion will give another, so decide what will your skill build be before using it.

Poison Crasher - Poisons your weapon, giving a very small % chance to poison an enemy.

It's not WoW, 1% poisoning means nothing here. But it DOES happen, and when it does, it tends to deal bonus damage, followed by poisoning similar to venom. Think of it like Double Attack: just a bonus damage. Skip it altogether if you wish. I left it at 1 for wishful poisoning.

April Fool - Damages enemies and reduce their ATK/MATK to 1

Yaaayyy... sounds cool right? Wrong. First, attacks are still attacks, and Mission Maps still count them as damage. Second, reducing their attack doesn't remove the attack's ability to knockdown or stun. The attacks still retain their negative qualities and so doesn't nerf your targets at all. So you can have your targets dealing 1 damage and STILL knock you down and interrupting all your skills. Skip it altogether.

Ambush - Knocks your enemies into the air

At lvl 1, it knocks 4 enemies into the air. Kinda like Air Combo Launcher, isn't it?
Leave it at level 1 for pre-requisite purposes.

Violent Blow - 5 hit combo on enemies. Retargets after every hit. Hit damages more enemies per skill level

I find this an overrated skill. Enemies aren't affected too negatively after being hit. They can attack you immediately after Violent Blow ends. Don't get me wrong, the damage is impressive, but its best to use this skill after the target is stunned or there's an opening. You can max this, or you can leave it at at least lvl 3 for the targetting fallen enemy bonus.

Claw Blocking - (Passive) blocks attacks at a low % success rate.

I haven't maxed this, but even at 7% success rate, I'm seeing the BLOCK word pop up many times instead of a damage number. It helps to have cunningly blocked a fatal attack. Max this if you're a firm believer of luck. Otherwise, save your points for Ninja.

Throwing Dagger - Throws a dagger an an enemy and knocks him down. Hits fallen enemies at level 4.

Sounds as useless as Ragnarok's Venom Dagger? Nope, this is an assassin's MAIN killing move, when coupled with Dagger mastery. The damage is similar to an Air Combo Launcher hit. It knocks down too, great for interrupting spells in PvP or just to get closer. Get this to level 4 for its ability to hit fallen targets. Or 5 if you want more damage.

Dagger Mastery - Increases damage of Throwing dagger, as well as number of daggers thrown

THE reason why Throwing Dagger shines. Damage is increased, at smack from level 1, you throw 3 daggers. Lvl 3 throws 5, Lvl 5 throws 7. Needless to say, max this. Try to use Throwing Dagger at point blank range to make your target eat ALL the daggers, since the daggers are thrown in an outward arc.

Burrow - Dig a hole Kakashi style and hide from enemies. Saps 30 MP per 3 second regardless of skill level

1 level will do for this skill. You can't move while in hiding, but this is one of the best skills for a Thief. You literally disappear from view, removing all aggro on you, and gives you time to let those regen potions take effect. Its instant cast too, so you can hide from boss attacks instantly. Careful of the mana drain though.

Gimlet - Thorns rise to attack while Burrowing.

If you've seen Ragnarok's Grimtooth, its the same idea. While in Burrow, you can attack enemies. It saps a lot of mana, but can grant you a good rank in dungeons since you cannot be hit. However, you can only attack in a straight line, and only in the direction you are facing. Since you cannot change directions while Burrowed, you have to take extra note while using Gimlet.
Leave it at level 1 for pre-requisite.

Shadow Walk - Hide from view, speed is reduced but you can still dash.

The skill that defines an assassin. Your speed is slightly reduced (about 18%) while hiding, and casting time is about 2 seconds. But while in this, you are impervious to damage. Great for assassinating Acolytes before they find you. Its a great skill in PvP, but not much use in PvE though. Keep it at lvl 2 for pre-requisite purposes.

Swift Attack - Attack multiple enemies in a blink of an eye.

No shit there. Once you get this skill, you will know it is a must max skill. Hits 2/4/6/8/10 targets at level 1/2/3/4/5 instantly and knocks them down. Its an ideal skill to catch people/monsters by surprise. Max it if you can.

That about covers my rant about the Assassin. Till next time.