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Deadly Assassin Guide

By burnhj

Ideal Builds for Assassin Captains who wield Blades, Pistols, or Rifles.

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Created by

burnhj
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Category: Classes

Posted

Updated

21 Apr, 2023 @ 9:35am

21 Jan, 2024 @ 8:14pm

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Guide Index

Overview

SECTION 100 – Overview

SECTION 200 – Blade-wielding Assassin Captain

SECTION 300 – Pistol-wielding Assassin Captain

SECTION 400 – Rifle-wielding Assassin Captain

SECTION 500 – Conclusion

SECTION 000 – My Guides

Comments

SECTION 100 – Overview

110 – INTRODUCTION – Assassin Captains are designed to win Crew Combat Battles quickly and efficiently. They combine high initiative, damage buffs, and high critical hit rates to do massive damage to enemy crew. An effective Assassin Captain can be built around a wide variety of weapons – Blades, Pistols, or Rifles. Common among all Assassin Captains is a reliance on Stealth Mode to enable attacks that can quickly down an enemy.

120 – STEALTH MODE – Stealth Mode is a buff provided by specific talents and traits. It provides a bonus to your Critical Hit Chance equal to your characters Stealth Skill + 10%. It also allows for certain attacks that “Require Stealth Mode to Use”. Some attacks require but ALSO end Stealth Mode. Notably, ANY attack that has two targets always ends Stealth Mode. For that reason, this guide will generally focus on single-target attacks that allow you to maintain your Stealth Mode. However, the Melee Assassin has a two-target attack, Dissection, which may be too powerful to pass up for some players.

130 – CRITICAL HITS – Critical Hits are very important to Assassin Captains. In addition to the bonus provided by Stealth Mode, Assassins typically utilize a variety of buffs that increase their Critical Hit Chance. When landing a Critical Hit, the damage is increased by an amount equal to a random value between 20% and 40% plus the characters relevant Weapon Skill (Blades, Pistols, Rifles). This bonus is multiplicative, not additive, with other Damage Boosting buffs. For example, if an Assassin has a 40% Damage Boost and lands a Critical Hit with a 60% damage increase, their Base Damage would be increased by (140%) * (160%) = 224%, not by 100% + 40% + 60% = 200%.

140 – CAPTAIN TRAITS – Assassin Captains have two great Captain Traits that assist Crew Combat:

Stalker – Seeks high-value targets, when crew combat includes an enemy officer or captain then immediately gains a Buff for +15% Critical, +10% Dodge, +10% Parry and Stealth Mode for 3 Turns.
On Edge – Coiled spring ready to strike, +1 Strength, +1 Fortitude, +3 Initiative.

The initiative boost from On Edge is fantastic and Stalker can help you get into Stealth Mode quickly against enemy Captains/Officers. However, you shouldn’t rely on Stalker alone. Every Assassin Captain must have at least one other way to activate Stealth Mode, in case you face an enemy squad that doesn’t have an Officer or Captain.

150 – STARTING BUILD – I recommend the following build for you Assassin Captains:

A – ATTRIBUTES

Strength = 14 + 1 = 15
Quickness = 14 + 16 = 30
Fortitude = 14 + 16 + 1 = 31
Charisma = 14
Wisdom = 14 + 16 = 30
Resilience = 14 + 4 = 18

B – SKILLS

+10 Blades / Pistols / Rifles (based on weapon choice)
+5 Stealth

C/D – SHIP or CONTACTS

E – EXPERIENCE

You want full Quickness and Wisdom to max out your Initiative stat. Combined with your Captain Trait On Edge you’ll start out with 18-33 base initiative, before adding Talents and Gear. I recommend also maxing out Fortitude to prevent the occasional “bad luck” combat death. For Skills, you want to max out your Weapon Skill and put your remaining points into Stealth.

160 – RECOMMENDED GEAR – I recommend the following Gear for your Assassin Captain:

Dragoon Injector (Level 5 Specialist Gear) - +3 Quickness, -3 Wisdom, +2 Initiative, +15% All Damage, +15% Critical.

There are lots of choices out there, but the Dragoon Injector is certainly my favorite option. It provides a nice boost to Initiative, Damage, and Critical Hit Rate. It can be purchased as a Level 5 Specialist Gear from a high-influence Contact for ~$100K.

SECTION 200 – Blade-wielding Assassin Captain

210 – RECOMMENDED JOBS – At Level 18 I’d recommend the following Job Ranks:

Assassin (Rank 11) – 7 Blades, 8 Stealth
Swordsman (Rank 7) – 8 Blades
Blade Dancer (Rank 2) – 3 Blades

220 – RECOMMENDED WEAPON – For this guide we’ll assume you have a Weapon Locker A6 but you don’t have any high-end Vignette or Salvage Weapons:

Clashblade

8 Initiative Cost
43-78 Damage
6 Accuracy
20% Armor Piercing
7 Parry

230 – OPPONENTS ARMOR – For this guide we’ll assume your opponent has 20 Fortitude and is wearing Meshed Body Armor from a Weapon Locker A6:

Meshed Body Armor

23-46% Range Soak
23-46% Melee Soak
114% Deflection
8 Dodge

240 – ON INITIATIVE TALENT – Make sure only your Captain has an “On Initiative” Talent available so that it always triggers at the start of combat. NOTE: If you are frequently fighting Xenos in Crew Battles you may want to deactivate this Talent and instead train your Xeno Hunter the Irid-Laced Resolve Talent.

Bravely Line (Swordsman – Rank 1 – On Init) – When making Initiative Roll in Crew Combat, Buff yourself with +3 Initiative, +15% Critical, +15% Melee Defense for 3 Turns.

250 – BUFF TALENTS – In this guide we’ll assume your Stalker Trait did not activate and that one of your talents will be required to activate Stealth Mode. Your Assassin Captain will start in SLOT 2 and will activate Gliding Advance first and Rash Courage second. NOTE: This build requires a “support” Swordsman/Wing Commando in SLOT 1 who will activate the talent Knife Work for their first action.

Gliding Advance (Assassin – Rank 5 – 8 Initiative) – In crew combat, Buff yourself with +20% Melee Damage, +10% Critical, Engages Stealth Mode, lasts for 3 Turns, advances 1 slot.
Rash Courage (Swordsman – Rank 1 – 6 Initiative) – In crew combat, Buff yourself with +30% Melee Accuracy, +30% Melee Damage, +10% Armor Piercing, -10% Armor for 4 Turns, advances 1 slot.
Knife Work (Wing Commando – Rank 5 – 12 Initiative) – In crew combat, Remove all Debuffs; Buffs 2 targets with +25% Melee Accuracy, +25% Melee Damage, +10% Critical, +20% Melee Defense for 3 Turns. [SUPPORT OFFICER]

260 – ATTACKS – The Melee Assassin Captain has two very powerful attacks to choose from. Either you can pick off enemies one at a time with Flash Fury or you can slay two at once with Dissection.

Flash Fury (Swordsman – Rank 5 – Weapon’s Initiative) – In crew combat, Blade Attack with +25% Armor Piercing, +25% Critical and removes all Buffs from target, knocks target back 1 slot.
Dissection (Assassin – Rank 11 – 2x Weapon’s Initiative) – In crew combat, Crippling Blade Attack with +50% Melee Damage; successful hit hits 2 targets and causes +3 Bleeding for 2 Turns; Requires but ends Stealth Mode to use.

270 – DAMAGE CALCULATIONS

Flash Fury

+90% Damage
55% Armor Piercing (41% Chance to Pierce)
98% Critical Hit Chance
121 AVERAGE DAMAGE PER HIT

Dissection

+140% Damage
30% Armor Piercing (16% Chance to Pierce)
73% Critical Hit Chance
124 AVERAGE DAMAGE PER HIT

SECTION 300 – Pistol-wielding Assassin Captain

310 – RECOMMENDED JOBS – At Level 18 I’d recommend the following Job Ranks:

Assassin (Rank 2) – 3 Stealth
Spy (Rank 5) – 2 Pistols, 4 Stealth
Pistoleer (Rank 13) – 12 Pistols

320 – RECOMMENDED WEAPON – For this guide we’ll assume you have a Weapon Locker A6 but you don’t have any high-end Vignette or Salvage Weapons:

Olsafige Security

7 Initiative Cost
55-66 Damage
7 Accuracy
8% Armor Piercing
0 Parry

330 – OPPONENTS ARMOR – For this guide we’ll assume your opponent has 20 Fortitude and is wearing Meshed Body Armor from a Weapon Locker A6:

Meshed Body Armor

23-46% Range Soak
23-46% Melee Soak
114% Deflection
8 Dodge

340 – ON INITIATIVE TALENT – Make sure only your Captain has an “On Initiative” Talent available so that it always triggers at the start of combat. NOTE: If you are frequently fighting Xenos in Crew Battles you may want to deactivate this Talent and instead train your Xeno Hunter the Irid-Laced Resolve Talent.

Raining Steel (Pistoleer – Rank 1 – On Init) – When making Initiative Roll in Crew Combat, Buff yourself with +3 Initiative, +15% Ranged Damage, +15% Critical for 3 Turns.

350 – BUFF TALENTS – In this guide we’ll assume your Stalker Trait did not activate and that one of your talents will be required to activate Stealth Mode. Your Assassin Captain will start in SLOT 2 or 3 and will activate Aimed Focus first and either Disappearing Act or Distracting Shot second. NOTE: Distracting Shot is technically an Attack and not a Buff, but we’ll treat it as a Buff because it’s a valuable talent for activating Stealth Mode.

Aimed Focus (Pistoleer – Rank 1 – 6 Initiative) – In crew combat, Buff yourself with +25% Ranged Accuracy, +25% All Damage, +10% Critical for 3 Turns. Restores 10 + Evasion Morale.
Disappearing Act (Spy – Rank 1 – 8 Initiative) – In crew combat, Buff yourself with +2 Initiative, +25% Melee Defense, +25% Ranged Defense, Engages Stealth Mode for 3 Turns.
Distracting Shot (Spy – Rank 5 – Weapon’s Initiative) – In crew combat, Pistol Attack with +10% Ranged Accuracy, +10% Armor Piercing, retreats 1 slot. Successful attack engages Stealth Mode for 3 Turns.

360 – ATTACKS – Shadow Fire is the Pistol Assassin Captain’s bread-and-butter attack. This talent can attack from SLOT 2, 3, or 4, making it a very flexible and powerful source of damage.

Shadowed Fire (Spy – Rank 1 – Weapon’s Initiative) – In crew combat, Pistol Attack with +25% Ranged Damage, +25% Armor Piercing, +25% Critical; Requires Stealth Mode to use.

370 – DAMAGE CALCULATIONS

Shadowed Fire

+80% Damage
33% Armor Piercing (19% Chance to Pierce)
87% Critical Hit Chance
97 AVERAGE DAMAGE PER HIT

SECTION 400 – Rifle-wielding Assassin Captain

410 – RECOMMENDED JOBS – At Level 18 I’d recommend the following Job Ranks:

Assassin (Rank 2) – 3 Stealth
Sniper (Rank 11) – 9 Rifles, 5 Stealth
Soldier (Rank 7) – 8 Rifles

420 – RECOMMENDED WEAPON – For this guide we’ll assume you have a Weapon Locker A6 but you don’t have any high-end Vignette or Salvage Weapons:

V-Might Sniper

18 Initiative Cost
75-116 Damage
10 Accuracy
110% Armor Piercing
0 Parry

430 – OPPONENTS ARMOR – For this guide we’ll assume your opponent has 20 Fortitude and is wearing Meshed Body Armor from a Weapon Locker A6:

Meshed Body Armor

23-46% Range Soak
23-46% Melee Soak
114% Deflection
8 Dodge

440 – ON INITIATIVE TALENT – Make sure only your Captain has an “On Initiative” Talent available so that it always triggers at the start of combat. NOTE: If you are frequently fighting Xenos in Crew Battles you may want to deactivate this Talent and instead train your Xeno Hunter the Irid-Laced Resolve Talent.

Ferocity (Soldier – Rank 1 – On Init) – When making Initiative Roll in Crew Combat, Buff yourself with -10% Ranged Accuracy, +30% Ranged Damage, +15% Critical, -25% Ranged Defense for 3 Turns.

450 – BUFF TALENTS – In this guide we’ll assume your Stalker Trait did not activate and that one of your talents will be required to activate Stealth Mode. Your Assassin Captain will start in SLOT 4 and will activate Vanishing Act first.

Vanishing Act (Assassin – Rank 1 – 8 Initiative) – In crew combat, Buff yourself with +2 Initiative, +10% Armor Piercing, +25% Ranged Defense, +15% Armor, Engages Stealth Mode; lasts for 2 Turns. Retreats 1 slot.

460 – ATTACKS – The Rifle Assassin Captain has two very powerful attacks to choose from. Bullet Trace is a standard attack that deals good damage and removes buffs from the enemy. One-Shot deals ENORMOUS damage but costs a whooping 2x Weapon Initiative for a single-target attack.

When wielding a Sniper Rifle it’s important to carefully manage your Initiative! Remember, falling to -10 Initiative or less will put you into “Penalty” for the next round. Use this threshold wisely. If you have 9+ Initiative I recommend using the Bullet Trace attack. If you’re at 8 or less Initiative ANY attack will put you into “Penalty”, so you might as well swing for the fences with One-Shot.

Bullet Trace (Sniper – Rank 1 – Weapon’s Initiative) – In crew combat, Crippling Rifle Attack with +10% Ranged Accuracy, +15% Armor Piercing; successful hit causes -15% Deflection, -15% Ranged Defense for 2 Turns and removes all Buffs from target.
One-Shot (Sniper – Rank 11 – 2x Weapon’s Initiative) – In crew combat, Rifle Attack with +10% Ranged Damage, +15% Armor Piercing, +55% Critical; Requires Stealth Mode to use.

470 – DAMAGE CALCULATIONS

Bullet Trace

+45% Damage
135% Armor Piercing (100% Chance to Pierce)
53% Critical Hit Chance
151 AVERAGE DAMAGE PER HIT

One Shot

+155% Damage
135% Armor Piercing (100% Chance to Pierce)
100% Critical Hit Chance
194 AVERAGE DAMAGE PER HIT

SECTION 500 – Conclusion

In conclusion, an Assassin Captain can deal incredible damage when wielding a Blade, Pistol, or Rifle. By adding a few Buffs and utilizing Stealth Mode each build can dish out 100+ damage per hit, quickly ending any Combat Crew battle. Enjoy these builds and let me know which style you like best!

SECTION 000 – My Guides

2 Comments

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burnhj [author] 27 Apr, 2023 @ 5:49am

Metallicus, the Blade Assassin Build is fantastic at avoiding Melee Attacks due to its extremely high Blades Skill. It’s only OK at avoids Ranged Attacks due to the Swordsman and Assassin Jobs providing some Evasion.

The Pistol Assassin Build can sit in Slot 4 and pick off enemy combatants while only being exposed to a few possible Ranged Attacks. The Rifle Assassin Build is similarly protected by sitting in Slot 4.

Metallicus 26 Apr, 2023 @ 5:02pm

How good is this build at avoiding damage? Without any evasion it seems like a build destined to get pummeled in the front ranks (assuming blade or pistol builds).

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