[Not recommended as of 2.1] Maelstrom Assassin miniguide

[Istaryu]

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Maelstrom assassin

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Introduction

Welcome to my Maelstrom sin miniguide. I have seen many people asking for tips on how to play this buid, so here I go. It is a safe ranged build that can do every single uber (other than high tier dimensional labs and Samael) untwinked, sniping enemies from across the screen. Most of the damage on maelstrom comes from the dex scaling on the skill, so dexterity is the only thing you want to stack on this build. This sin utilizes Pinnacle, which means we have half defense, but it also has many other defensive layers: very easy max block because of huge dex stacking, lots of flat dmg reduction from Prismatic Cloak, lots of free physical resist from Shadow Refuge, tons of avoid from Perfect Being, and lots of movement speed from Beacon to kite and outrun bosses and enemies that get close to you.

Changes with 2.0

Maelstrom's dmg was buffed by a bit, and mana cost was reduced by a huge amount. Block cap is now 50%, which can only be increased by using whychwind with its upgrade. We lost beacon, since doom is now a lvl 90 uberskill, so we lost a big chunk of movement speed. We also lost pinnacle, no more insane amounts of stamina. What we gained insane single target dps from whychwind and its upgrades.

Changes with 2.0

The potential of maelstrom sin remains the same as before, but thanks to the stat requirement changes, early game will be quite a bit harder since you have to pump more str for gear which means less dex, which means less damage which wasnt exceptional even before.

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Playstyle

During the leveling process in normal, nightmare, and early ubers in hell, the build is very squishy, one must learn to kite and kill efficiently, before enemies can reach melee range and slap the poor assassin into an other dimension. This playstyle can be also kept when the gear is much better, and could facetank enemies, but it is just much better to not risk it, and keep kiting and dodging. To achieve that, there is a mechanic in diablo 2 (and many other hack and slash games): holding shift, and then using a skill will make the character stop in its current position, and use the skill in the targeted direction. Utilizing this, you can run, press hold, throw an attack, release shift, and keep running. Mastering this playstyle is very crucial to not die every other minute, on this, and many other squishy builds.

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Pros
-Very newbie friendly, uses only 1 skill actively for both aoe clear and single target dps
-Can do most of the content untwinked
-No jewelcrafting needed, as the builds stacks dex with amethysts/fal runes
-Deceptively tanky thanks to the high avoid and block
-Has the only source of magic resistance debuff in the game from Doom

Cons
-Low life pool, which makes the build very reliant on manual dodging, and avoid for tanking big hits
-Can feel squishy during the leveling process, when block chance and is not that high
-No leech, because almost all the damage of maelstrom is magic, so this build is very reliant on chugging pots (and life after kill)
-Can feel boring, because virtually no skill switching is required
-Not the fastest build for clear speed, but in return it can handle most of the content without too much trouble the game has to offer

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Utilized Skills and Descriptions

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Maelstrom
The build's bread and butter skill.
A wdm based missile, that throws a knife, which emits damaging novas as it travels. It does 90% weapon damage with 90% conversion to magic, and it adds a % of your dexterity as flat magic damage. This skill massively multihits, and most of the damage on it comes from the flat damage.


Doom
The other most important skill. It reduces the magic resistance of enemies, and any time an enemy takes physical, doom causes the enemy to take additional physical damage.


Shadow Refuge
A melee skill, that we utilize for its buff. When slapping an enemy with it, it grans the assassin a buff, that increases physical resist and movement speed.


Blink
A teleport skill, that stuns enemies around you when you arrive. 'Nuff said.

Perfect Being
Grants us avoid, which allows us to ignore any type of damage, even spells.

Prismatic Cloak
Nice free flat damage reduction, 'nuff said

Noctule
A melee skill we use to level before we have access to Maelstrom

Way of the gryphon, Way of the phoenix
Passive elemental damage added to weapon we use to make early game leveling very gear undependant

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Breakpoints

► Show Spoiler

ATTACK SPEED
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With balanced knife: With Flying knife and Throwing knife:
IAS Frames IAS Frames
8 10 10 9
23 9 29 8
46 8 60 7
86 7

BLOCK RATE
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FBR Frames
6 10
13 9
22 8
32 7
52 6
86 5
174 4
600 3

HIT RECOVERY
-----------------
FHR Frames
7 8
15 7
27 6
48 5
86 4
200 3
4680 2

Aiming for 86 fhr and fbr is totally fine for most content. If anyone is planning to go for better breakpoints, i suggest going for better blocking frames, because most of the hits that go trough avoid will get blocked.

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Mercenary
There are 2 choices: shapeshifter from a2 or barbarian from a5.

Every mercanary starts with the following bonuses:

Heroic strength:
Per 3 strength points: Enhanced Weapon Damage +1%
Per strength point: Regenerate Life +1
Per strength point: +0.17 Energy Factor to Spell Damage

Heroic resists:
All Resists +70%

Shapeshifter skills:
1 WEREBEAR Effect: turn into a bear, increasing life and armour
1 CLAW TORNADO Effect: melee attack that sends out spinning whirlwinds
6 BLOODLUST Effect: increases all damage of the party
12 POUNCE Effect: teleport onto an enemy, causing a powerful shockwave
90 THORN FIELD Effect: melee attack that summons a ripple of spiked thorns
Suppression: crushing blow 25%, +1% per 5 levels
Grit: damage reduced by 25%, +1% per 5 levels

They can equip paladin specific helms and any spear, including paladin specific ones.

Barbarian skills:

1 SCREAMING EAGLE Effect: weakens enemies and strengthens elemental damage of the party
12 THUNDER SLAM Effect: damages and stuns enemies in a radius
18 WRAITHSWORD Effect: melee strike that explodes into ghostly blades
60 ANCIENTS' HAND Effect: melee attack that unleashes a shockwave through the ground
Mountain King: 20% bonus to strength and dexterity, +1% per 2 levels

Which one to choose: Shapeshifter is way less gear dependant, since it gains tons of free phys resist passively. If you do not wish to invest much to gear your merc, it is the perfect choice. It also uses werebear morph which makes his attack speed very terrible without a lot of attack speed on the weapon, so do not expect it to do any damage. Barbarian on the other hand scales way better with gear, because it has the mountain king passive. If you equip some decent gear on them with physical resist, and stack some str on them, they are gonna have huge hp regen thanks to the heroic strength passive. They also have a screen wide stun and can do decent damage without having to invest in a very good weapon.

Read more about them HERE

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Early Game

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Gear
Weapon:

Shark

Shark
Weapons
Except Necromancer Daggers, Assassin Claws
'Eld'
Runeword Level: 8
5% Chance to cast level 9 Bloodlust on Kill
+(7 to 9)% Bonus Damage to Bloodlust
20% Attack Speed
+5 to Maximum Damage
+0.125 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
1.5% Bonus to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
+(24 to 35)% Enhanced Damage
-1 to Mana

->

Void

Void
Weapons
'Sur'
Runeword Level: 75
Adds 7-13 Damage
+(58 to 72)% Enhanced Damage
Slow Target 20%
Regenerate Mana +15%
Cold Resist +40%
Physical Damage Reduced by (11 to 15)
+(3 to 5) Mana on Striking
2% Reanimate as: Random Monster

or a Sacred Honorific Balanced Knife blessed with abandoned
Shield/Offhand:

Black Sheep Wall

Black Sheep Wall
Totem Shield (4)
Defense: (47 - 51) to (91 - 100)
Chance to Block: 4%
(Assassin Only)
Required Level: 6
Required Dexterity: 44
Item Level: 10
+1 to Assassin Skill Levels
+(4 to 5) to Maximum Damage
Adds 6-8 Magic Damage
2% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(12 to 23)% Enhanced Defense
4% to Dexterity
+2 to Light Radius
Socketed (1)
Defense: (175 - 189) to (290 - 313)
Chance to Block: 4%
(Assassin Only)
Required Level: 24
Required Dexterity: 65
Item Level: 31
+2 to Assassin Skill Levels
+(7 to 9) to Maximum Damage
Adds 18-23 Magic Damage
4% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(35 to 46)% Enhanced Defense
8% to Dexterity
+4 to Light Radius
Socketed (4)
Defense: (442 - 473) to (701 - 750)
Chance to Block: 4%
(Assassin Only)
Required Level: 41
Required Dexterity: 137
Item Level: 51
+3 to Assassin Skill Levels
+(15 to 18) to Maximum Damage
Adds 61-68 Magic Damage
6% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(58 to 69)% Enhanced Defense
12% to Dexterity
+7 to Light Radius
Socketed (5)
Defense: (650 - 693) to (1025 - 1092)
Chance to Block: 4%
(Assassin Only)
Required Level: 50
Required Dexterity: 282
Item Level: 77
+4 to Assassin Skill Levels
+(31 to 36) to Maximum Damage
Adds 150-200 Magic Damage
7% Chance of Crushing Blow
+(69 to 80)% Enhanced Defense
16% to Dexterity
+10 to Light Radius
Socketed (6)

Armor: Akara's Robe ->

Leather of Aut

Leather of Aut
Hard Leather Armor (4)
Defense: (66 - 75) to (132 - 151)
Required Level: 2
Required Strength: 28
Item Level: 1
+(2 to 4) to Whirlpool
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Defense
(3 to 5)% to Strength
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
(3 to 5)% to Vitality
(11 to 20)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (2)
Defense: (267 - 297) to (449 - 500)
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 55
Item Level: 31
+(5 to 8) to Whirlpool
+(52 to 69)% Enhanced Defense
(9 to 11)% to Strength
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
(9 to 11)% to Vitality
(21 to 30)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (4)
Defense: (701 - 761) to (1131 - 1228)
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 193
Item Level: 51
+(9 to 12) to Whirlpool
+(87 to 103)% Enhanced Defense
(15 to 17)% to Strength
(15 to 17)% to Dexterity
(15 to 17)% to Vitality
(31 to 40)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (5)
Defense: (1052 - 1135) to (1691 - 1823)
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 385
Item Level: 77
+(13 to 16) to Whirlpool
+(104 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
(18 to 20)% to Strength
(18 to 20)% to Dexterity
(18 to 20)% to Vitality
(41 to 50)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (6)

Helm:

Topspin

Topspin
Skull Cap (4)
Defense: (76 - 83) to (115 - 125)
Required Level: 3
Required Strength: 28
Item Level: 1
5% Attack Speed
+(31 to 50)% Enhanced Defense
+(31 to 50) Defense
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
(3 to 5)% to Energy
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
10% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (1)
Defense: (277 - 301) to (365 - 397)
Required Level: 20
Required Strength: 55
Item Level: 31
15% Attack Speed
+(61 to 80)% Enhanced Defense
+(71 to 100) Defense
(6 to 8)% to Dexterity
(6 to 8)% to Energy
Maximum Elemental Resists +1%
20% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (3)
Defense: (704 - 760) to (876 - 943)
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 192
Item Level: 51
25% Attack Speed
+(91 to 110)% Enhanced Defense
+(151 to 200) Defense
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
(9 to 11)% to Energy
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
30% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (4)
Defense: (1182 - 1258) to (1471 - 1564)
Required Level: 47
Required Strength: 384
Item Level: 77
30% Attack Speed
+(121 to 140)% Enhanced Defense
+(301 to 400) Defense
(12 to 14)% to Dexterity
(12 to 14)% to Energy
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
40% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (4)

Gloves: Honorfic Leather glove
Belt:

Rainbow

Rainbow
Belts
'Eth'
Runeword Level: 15
+5% to Spell Damage
+(6 to 10)% to Summoned Minion Resistances
Regenerate Mana +(5 to 10)%
Elemental Resists +(10 to 15)%
(6 to 8)% Magic Find
+2 to Light Radius

-> Honorfic Sash
Boots:

Zealot Rush

Zealot Rush
Light Plated Boots (4)
Defense: (67 - 78) to (102 - 119)
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 31
Item Level: 10
5% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(11 to 25)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(21 to 40)% Enhanced Defense
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
1% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (1)
Defense: (248 - 281) to (338 - 384)
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 62
Item Level: 36
10% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(41 to 55)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
2% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (2)
Defense: (613 - 685) to (817 - 914)
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 218
Item Level: 51
20% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(71 to 85)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(61 to 80)% Enhanced Defense
(15 to 17)% to Dexterity
3% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (3)
Defense: (944 - 1044) to (1247 - 1378)
Required Level: 50
Required Strength: 436
Item Level: 85
30% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(86 to 100)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(81 to 100)% Enhanced Defense
(18 to 20)% to Dexterity
4% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (4)

Rings:

Empyrean Band

Empyrean Band
Ring
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
1% Chance to cast level 18 Singularity on Kill
(3 to 5)% to All Attributes
Maximum Life +3%
Maximum Mana +10%
(5 to 15)% Gold Find

Amulet:

Angel Heart

Angel Heart
Amulet
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
(5 to 10)% to Strength
(5 to 10)% to Dexterity
(15 to 25)% Bonus to Defense
+(3 to 5) to Light Radius

Make sure to pick every single amethyst up, and socket them in your gear, it makes a huge difference!

► Notes for items

-Black Sheep is the first item you need to make. You get 1 free ac for completing a2, and 1 more for killing council in a3, use them to make it. (See more about this below in the next spoiler).
-MO priority on honorifics is the following: all res to cap resists, dex for more dmg, str to help wear other items, fhr for breakpoints, later fbr too when you have decent block chance
-While leveling, the honorifics should be made in normal in t2 items. When reaching hell, you should remake them in a t4 base for more sockets.
-Akara's robe is a very nice item, which is rewarded on each difficulty for rescuing Cain. It has resists, and nice flat stats, and all skills in nightmare and hell. I only swapped it to Leather of Aut, when i had lvl115 charms, because i didn't need the resist anymore, but players can choose to wear Leather of Aut, and use more resist gems.
-The Zealot rush should be kept at tier 3, as the tier 4 variant needs lots of str
-For weapons before Void, keep remaking

Shark

Shark
Weapons
Except Necromancer Daggers, Assassin Claws
'Eld'
Runeword Level: 8
5% Chance to cast level 9 Bloodlust on Kill
+(7 to 9)% Bonus Damage to Bloodlust
20% Attack Speed
+5 to Maximum Damage
+0.125 to Maximum Damage (Based on Character Level)
1.5% Bonus to Attack Rating (Based on Character Level)
+(24 to 35)% Enhanced Damage
-1 to Mana

in higher tier throwing knives as you find them. Making TU balanced knife is not worth, as you will just use Void asap, but feel free to do so if you farm the acs for it.
-For rings and amulets, players can use whatever they find, but those uniques i mentioned are really cheap to buy on TSW, and do wonders for this build.
-When weapon damage is comparable to the bonus dmg from dex mon maelstrom, which is the case at low levels (around below 115), weapon damage plays a big role in maelstrom's total damage, so it is important to keep upgrading weapon. Pick up higher tier bases, and make better runewords, before making void. Eventually, void should be made in a sacred balanced knife asap.
-Void allows you to spec out of ways and go all in for maelstrom. If unlucky with a sur rune to make it, use a honorific.
-When using a sacred honorific weapon, mo with the folloing: ed, max dmg, life after kill, ias if needed, 1 or 2 ar, rest ewd. If you cant find a balanced knife, any throwing knife will do, you can just remake in balanced knife later.

► Notes, Sockets, and MOs

Tiered items
Tiered items are items that have a number behind their name, like this: Boots [1]. The number behind their name is their tier, and tiered items go up to tier 4. Higher tier items have better base defense, and their unique versions have better stats, but their level and stat requirement also increases. The maximum number of sockets depend on the tier of an item. I'll note here, that unique, honorfic (and crafted) items always spawn with the maximum number of avaliable sockets. For base items, check this link:

https://docs.median-xl.com/doc/items/baseitems

Tiered unique (TU) items:

Each tiered base item has a unique verion, called a tiered unique, or TU for short. Each TU item can be disenchanted by cubing it (or up to 10 items at the same time) with a Catalyst of Disenchantement (obtained at the end of normal act 1) for an Arcane shard. Cubing 5 arcane shard together create an Arcane crystal (AC).

Players can use the following cube recipe to turn any tiered item to its unique version:
2 Arcane Crystal + oil of enchancement + item = unique of same tier and same base
The oil is sold by vendors in towns, and base items can either be found or gambled.

The players are rewarded an AC when travelling to act 3, and 1 more ac after killing the council in Travincial, and talking to Cain. These ACs should be used to make the TU totem shield, recommended above. Additional ACs can be esily farmed from normal Mephisto (drops 2 TUs per kill), or Nihlathak (2 TU per kill)

Tiered items can also be uptiered by cubing them with an AC. Keep in mind, that their level and stat requirement goes up with tiers, always check if you can wear after uptiering or not at this link:

https://docs.median-xl.com/doc/items/tiereduniques

Players should always aim to farm all their TU items, and upgrade them to tier 4 (unless they need lots of str/dex to wear, like tier4 Zealot rush for this build) before stepping in hell.

Runewords
Most Runewords in MXL require only 1 rune. If an item has multiple sockets, they must be filled with Jewels (and not gems, jewels only), with the rune going in the last socket. An item can be rerolled with an oil of renewal, to reroll the number of socets on it, or cubed with jewels to add sockets to an item that has no sockets (1 socket per 1 jewel added).
This build does not really utilize runewords, only 1 for weapon, but i will leave the link for a list of runewords here:

https://docs.median-xl.com/doc/items/runewords

Honorfic items
Honorfic items are a special type of items. They have no stats on their own, but they receive double stats from Mystic orbs, allowing you to add the stats you need to make a custom item. Honorfic items are a great way to cap your resistances, and to get str needed to wear items, in addition to combat speeds, and offensive stats.
Honorfic items are made by the following recipe:

Any magic item + Mark of infusion = honorfic item of the same item

The mark of infusion is found by killing Shenk.
Magic items can be made by the following procedure:

Any item + oil of renewal = Normal version of the item
Any normal item + oil of enhancement = Magic version of the item

The honorfic belt and glove should be made as soon as the player has access to mark of infusions.

These honorfic items should be made

Mystic Orbs (MO):
Mystic orbs are sold by vendors in towns, they add stat bonuses to your item at the cost of increasing their level requirement. These MOs are pretty expensive, so players should not mo TU items that are not tier 4, because they will be eventually uptiered, and lose the MO bonuses.
The honorfic glove and belt should be MO'd with the following, in order if importance:
-all resistance, reaching max resists is very important
-str to wear your other items
-fhr, and fbr to reach 86 in both
-dex for damage

Weapon should be MO'd with:
-life after kill
-enhanced damage
-max damage

As TU items are upgraded to T4, they should be MO'd with:
-dex
-magic find
-fhr and fbr to reach breakpoints
-(no resists on them, as you can mo those on rings and amulets)

-Rings and mulets should be MO'd with:
-mana regen
-resists
-magic find
-Poison length reduction

Sockets:
Pick up every Amber, Onyx, Bloodstone, and Turquoise you come across, and socket them in your items for resists. Also pick amethysts, and fill the rest of the sockets with them for dex, only after capping resists.

Be sure to use Oil of Luck on items planned to be used for a longer time to try for:
Amulet: +1 Skills
Armor/Helm/Gloves/Belt/Boots/Shield: 20%ED and/or 1% Phys Res
Weapon: 20%ED and/or 100%AR

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Stats
Strength: enough for items
Dexterity: ALL
Vitality: 0
Energy: 0

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Skillplan

Until lvl 50, akara offers free unlimied respecs. Use them to experiment

Before lvl 15:
We start with melee before we can get Maelstrom. Put 1 point in noctule at lvl 2, 1 point in way of the gryphon at lvl 3, 1 in melee devotion at lvl 4, optionally 1 point it blink for teleport, then max way of the gryphon.

At lvl 15: respec at akara, put 1 point in maelstrom, 1 in blink, and start maxing way of the gryphon, and 1 point on queen of blades for 15% free ias. Put 1 point in perfect being at lvl 20. Optionally put 1 or more points in shadow refuge, domain, blink, shadowrush, and purity. When way of the gryphon is maxed, start maxing way of the phoenix. When both are maxed, look at the optional skill points again, now is the time to invest more in some utility. After that, max perfect being. Start saving skill points now for prismatic cloak and doom from reward skills, or put some more in maelstrom optionally, but not too many points as the mana cost grows fast. This is where you can invest in 3/3 meditaton

► Notes for skills

Keep maelstrom at lvl 1, because we will rely on ways to carry our damage. As you get better gear, and better mana sustain from higher mana pool, and optionally meditation from the mastery tree, you can start putting points in it.

After getting your

Void

Void
Weapons
'Sur'
Runeword Level: 75
Adds 7-13 Damage
+(58 to 72)% Enhanced Damage
Slow Target 20%
Regenerate Mana +15%
Cold Resist +40%
Physical Damage Reduced by (11 to 15)
+(3 to 5) Mana on Striking
2% Reanimate as: Random Monster

: This is when we use a free respec at akara to ditch ways and go all in for maelstrom.
Mastery tab: 4/4 purity, and 3/3 meditation IF you dont have void. Void gives enough mana sustain that we dont need mediattion. Later chemist is a must have, the third is a free choice, i went with endurance.
Ninja tab: 1 point in blink, optionally more for cooldown reduction, 3/3 into domain for more range on blink, 1 point in shadow refuge, 6/6 in shadowrush for gotta go fast, max perfect beig. Optionally 1 point in queen of blades for 15% free ias.
Throwing tab: max maelstrom, 1 point in whycwind. Use whychwind for stationary bosses. After we maxed everything else, start putting in whychwind and its upgrade.
Reward tab: max prismatic cloak and doom.

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Mid-Game

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This build can do all 115 ubers without any modification to early game gear, and players should not modify gear until getting (almost) all 115 charms, because sacred items require quite some str, which is not worth getting without charms.

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Gear
Weapon:

Void

Void
Weapons
'Sur'
Runeword Level: 75
Adds 7-13 Damage
+(58 to 72)% Enhanced Damage
Slow Target 20%
Regenerate Mana +15%
Cold Resist +40%
Physical Damage Reduced by (11 to 15)
+(3 to 5) Mana on Striking
2% Reanimate as: Random Monster

or Sacred Honorific Throwing knife ->

Dawn

Dawn
Weapons
'Zol'
Runeword Level: 100
10% Chance to cast level 32 Celerity on Kill
45% Hit Recovery
(301 to 500)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Damage
75% to Strength
75% to Dexterity
35% to Vitality
75% to Energy
+80 to Mana
60% Gold Find
+(2 to 4) to Light Radius

in a sacred balanced knife
Shield/Offhand:

Hexward

Hexward
Totem Shield (Sacred)
Defense: (1668 - 2085) to (1932 - 2415)
Chance to Block: 4%
(Assassin Only)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 527
Item Level: 105
Maelstrom MkI: +25% Bonus Magic Damage
2% Chance to cast level 50 Shadow Blade on Striking
+(140 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
(20 to 30)% to Dexterity
20% Curse Length Reduction
Physical Resist 5%
Socketed (6)

Armor:

Leather of Aut

Leather of Aut
Hard Leather Armor (4)
Defense: (66 - 75) to (132 - 151)
Required Level: 2
Required Strength: 28
Item Level: 1
+(2 to 4) to Whirlpool
+(18 to 35)% Enhanced Defense
(3 to 5)% to Strength
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
(3 to 5)% to Vitality
(11 to 20)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (2)
Defense: (267 - 297) to (449 - 500)
Required Level: 19
Required Strength: 55
Item Level: 31
+(5 to 8) to Whirlpool
+(52 to 69)% Enhanced Defense
(9 to 11)% to Strength
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
(9 to 11)% to Vitality
(21 to 30)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (4)
Defense: (701 - 761) to (1131 - 1228)
Required Level: 37
Required Strength: 193
Item Level: 51
+(9 to 12) to Whirlpool
+(87 to 103)% Enhanced Defense
(15 to 17)% to Strength
(15 to 17)% to Dexterity
(15 to 17)% to Vitality
(31 to 40)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (5)
Defense: (1052 - 1135) to (1691 - 1823)
Required Level: 45
Required Strength: 385
Item Level: 77
+(13 to 16) to Whirlpool
+(104 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
(18 to 20)% to Strength
(18 to 20)% to Dexterity
(18 to 20)% to Vitality
(41 to 50)% Bonus to Defense
Socketed (6)

-> Abandoned craft
Helm:

Witchhunter's Hood

Witchhunter's Hood
Cap (Sacred)
Defense: (2136 - 2611) to (2161 - 2642)
Required Level: 90
Required Strength: 250
Item Level: 1
+(80 to 120)% Enhanced Defense
10% to Strength
10% to Dexterity
Maximum Elemental Resists +2%
Elemental Resists +(31 to 40)%
Physical Resist 5%
(16 to 20)% Bonus to Defense
Requirements -50%
Socketed (4)

Witchhunter's Attire
(Assassin Claw Set)

or

Royal Circlet

Royal Circlet
Tiara (Sacred)
Defense: (1740 - 1957) to (1968 - 2214)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 392
Item Level: 105
+2 to All Skills
+50% Damage to Demons
+50% Damage to Undead
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
(21 to 25)% to All Attributes
Elemental Resists +(25 to 30)%
Physical Resist 5%
(21 to 25)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)

Gloves: Sacred honorfic with abandoned bless -> Abandoned craft
Belt: Sacred honorfic with abandoned bless ->

The Endless Loop

The Endless Loop
Light Belt (Sacred)
Defense: 1101 to 1143
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 550
Item Level: 105
40% Combat Speeds
+(10 to 19) to Charged Strike
Slow Target 10%
+50 to all Attributes
+75 Life Regenerated per Second
+(0 to 1) Mana on Striking
Socketed (2)

Boots:

Zealot Rush

Zealot Rush
Light Plated Boots (4)
Defense: (67 - 78) to (102 - 119)
Required Level: 6
Required Strength: 31
Item Level: 10
5% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(11 to 25)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(21 to 40)% Enhanced Defense
(3 to 5)% to Dexterity
1% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (1)
Defense: (248 - 281) to (338 - 384)
Required Level: 24
Required Strength: 62
Item Level: 36
10% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(41 to 55)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(41 to 60)% Enhanced Defense
(9 to 11)% to Dexterity
2% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (2)
Defense: (613 - 685) to (817 - 914)
Required Level: 41
Required Strength: 218
Item Level: 51
20% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(71 to 85)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(61 to 80)% Enhanced Defense
(15 to 17)% to Dexterity
3% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (3)
Defense: (944 - 1044) to (1247 - 1378)
Required Level: 50
Required Strength: 436
Item Level: 85
30% Attack Speed
(10 to 40)% Movement Speed
(86 to 100)% Bonus to Attack Rating
+(81 to 100)% Enhanced Defense
(18 to 20)% to Dexterity
4% Reanimate as: Random Monster
Socketed (4)

-> Abandoned craft
Rings:

Empyrean Band

Empyrean Band
Ring
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
1% Chance to cast level 18 Singularity on Kill
(3 to 5)% to All Attributes
Maximum Life +3%
Maximum Mana +10%
(5 to 15)% Gold Find

->

Empyrean Glory

Empyrean Glory
Ring
Required Level: 50
Item Level: 120
1% Chance to cast level 40 Singularity on Kill
(6 to 10)% to All Attributes
Maximum Life +5%
Maximum Mana +15%
15% Gold Find

Amulet:

Angel Heart

Angel Heart
Amulet
Required Level: 40
Item Level: 40
+(1 to 2) to All Skills
(5 to 10)% to Strength
(5 to 10)% to Dexterity
(15 to 25)% Bonus to Defense
+(3 to 5) to Light Radius

->

Beads of the Snake Queen

Beads of the Snake Queen
Amulet
Required Level: 100
Item Level: 120
4% Chance to cast level 33 Scorpion Blade on Kill
Adds 5-10 Damage
Stun Attack
+(200 to 500) Defense
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Dexterity
+100 Life after each Kill

On Switch:

Shamanka

Shamanka
Long Staff (Sacred)
Two-Hand Damage: 56 to 58
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 203
Item Level: 105
Dexterity Damage Bonus: (0.15 per Dexterity)%
+(3 to 6) to Sorceress Skill Levels
45% Cast Speed
45% Hit Recovery
+50% Damage to Undead
+(21 to 25)% to Fire Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Cold Spell Damage
+(21 to 25)% to Poison Spell Damage
+(6 to 16) to Bloodlust
Maximum Life +(10 to 13)%
Fire Resist +(50 to 70)%
Lightning Resist +(50 to 70)%
Socketed (4)

or 2 crafted claws with bloodlust

► Notes for items

-Hexward should be the first upgrade to get, since it is a mssive boost to damage, and it is an awesome item overall, and only requires dex to wear
-Sacred honorfics should be made pretty soon as players have the str for them, since they can be blessed with an abandoned shrine for more dex, but players probably want to keep 1 of them non-sacred for the 50 str on them.
-We use Endless loop for the combat speeds, as we are not using jewels. It also has some nice flat dex, and slow target.
-Leather of Aut is a pretty good item, it has 20% str to help wearing sacred items, it should be one of the last items to be replaced
-Beads of the snake queen should also be one of the first upgrades to get, as it is a really awesome item that helps wearing sacred items, has awesome dex, and 100 life after kill that boosts survivability a lot.
-sacred honorfic items can be shrine blessed, more on that later
-torajan jungles have rune bias, it is a decent spot to find a zol rune for dawn

► Notes, Sockets, and MOs

Sacred Items
Sacred items can be thought as the next tier of items. They have even higher base stats (and higher str/dex requirements) than tier4 items, but they have their own unique variants (most of them has more than 1), they cannot be gambled, they can be obtained only from drops. Sacred unique items also can not be made by the TU make recipe, they can only be found. There are 2 special things that can be done with sacred items, that are not possible with tiered items: shrine crafting them, and shrine blessing them.


Shrine crafting and blessing:
Players will find various shrines starting from somewhere in nightmare. These shrines are used for crafting your own items. Each shrine comes with 10 charges. Each shrine adds a set of preset affixes to an item, see them HERE.

The recipe to shrine craft items:

Shrine (x charges) + sacred rare/crafted item = randomly rerolled item with added shrine bonuses + shrine (x-1 charges)

An item can be made rare by using Charsi's imbue from the quest reward, use it wisely.
For a list of the random affixes items can get check HERE
The native bonus stat of shrines, and regular affixes on items can stack together, resulting in very strong items.

Players can also bless sacred honorfic, sacred rare, and crafted items ONCE with the following recipe, which adds the shrine's bonuses to the item (doesnt reroll, just adds)

Item + shrine(x charges) + 2 AC = item with shrine bonuses added (again) + shrine (x-1 charges)

Some examples of nice abandoned crafted items:

► Show Spoiler

Sockets and MOs
All sockets should be amethysts/fal runes by lvl120
MO priority: dex on all armors, combat speeds for breakpoints, 86 is enough for most content, tho going next breakpoint for blocking is not a bad idea. Mo mf on most items for farming, and mana regen, poison length reduction on rings/amulet.

---

Stats

Strength: enough for gear, possibly 0
Dexterity: ALL
Vitality: 0
Energy: 0

---

Disclaimer: This gear and skill plan should carry the build to 120 easily. I am gonna keep updating this guide, i just did a minor update to accomodate for 2.0 changes.

---

[Istaryu]

PROGRESSION (click [level] for video) [DOCS for more info: DUNGEONS / RIFTS]:
[<59][ Level Challenge: Throne of Destruction -> last wave portal -> Tran Athulua [WP] (kill under level 59 or pay extra AC).
[80] Ennead Challenge: Nightmare Mephisto -> K3BA portal
[105] The Butcher: A1 Stony Field -> Tristram -> inside house [LOCK:20s]
[105] Infernal Machine: A1 Tamoe Highland -> The Pit
[105] Island of the Sunless Sea [FARMING SPOT: GOLD BIAS]: A2 Rocky Waste -> Stony Tomb 1 -> Treasure Vault -> Kill Gheed's Mentor
[105] Riftwalker (hell): A2 Palace Harem
[105] Death Projector: A3 Flayer Jungle -> Swampy Pit -> Proving Grounds [LOCK:30s]
EXP->110: IotSS / A5 Red portals / End of A5 / A5 Icy Cellar
[110] Creature of Flame: A3 Lower Kurast -> The Vizier @ entrance -> Caldeum [WP] -> Dimensional Sanct [LOCK:20s]
[110] Tal Rasha: A2 Canyon of the Magi -> Tal Rasha Tomb -> Kill guardians of duriel chamber entrance
[110] Akarat: A3 Town -> Torajan Jungles [WP][FARMING SPOT: SIGNET BIAS] -> north
[110] Jitan: A3 Town -> Torajan Jungles [WP][FARMING SPOT: SIGNET BIAS] -> north-west
[110] Inquisitor of the Triune: A3 Town -> Kurast Causeway -> next to the right side temple entrance
[110] Bul-Kathos: A5 Ancient's Way -> Mount arreat -> kill a guy that opens portal [LOCK:120s]
[110] Cow level [FARMING SPOT: SHRINE BIAS]: cube wirts leg in a1 town
EXP->115: Torajan Jungles / Cow Level
[115] Kurast 3000 BA [FARMING SPOT: SET SHRINE AND RUNE BIAS]: A3 Town -> Torajan Jungles -> north
[115] Black Road Challenge: A1 Town (Warriv) -> Bramwell -> Church of Dien-Ap-Sten
[115] Rathma Square: A3 Lower Kurast -> kill The Vizier at the entrance -> Caldeum [WP] -> Rathma Square
[115] Bull Prince Rodeo: A1 Tristram -> Cow level (kill king) -> Another leg -> rodeo portal
[115] Tran Athulua [WP][FARMING SPOT: UNIQUE BIAS]: A2 Dry Hills - >Halls of the Dead level 3 -> kill Kethryes at golden chest
[115] Legacy Of Blood: A3 Town -> Torajan Jungles [WP] -> south-east [LOCK:30s]
[115] Khalimgrad: A4 Plains of Despair -> Izual -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City [WP] -> Library Of Fate (Khalimgrad)
[115] Cathedral of Vanity: A4 Plains of Despair -> Izual -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City [WP] -> Library Of Fate [LOCK:30s]
[115] Azmodan: A4 Chaos Sanctuary -> kill Ghom to obtain Key of Sin
[115] Greater Riftwalker: A4 Chaos Sanctuary -> kill Ghom to obtain Key of Sin -> upper left part of the map
EXP->120: K3BA / Tran Athulua / Khalimgrad / Azmodan level
[120] Judgment Day: A4 Plains of Despair -> Izual -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City [WP] -> Silver Spire 1->2 -> Crystal Arch
[120] Quov Tsin: A3 Lower Kurast -> kill The Vizier at the entrance -> Caldeum [WP] -> Vizjerei Temple
[120] Duncraig [WP][FARMING SPOT: SET AND SACRED UNIQUE BIAS]: A1 Town (Warriv) -> Bramwell -> Subterranean Corridor
[120] Teganze [FARMING SPOT: ELEMENTAL ESSENCE AND RUNESTONE BIAS]: A3 Town -> Torajan Jungles [WP] -> east -> Torajan Cemetery
[120] Ureh: A3 Lower Kurast -> The Vizier @ gate -> Caldeum [WP] -> Vizjerei Temple -> Ureh (path to banner)
[120] Triune [FARMING SPOT: CYCLE BIAS]: A3 Lower Kurast -> kill The Vizier at the entrance -> Caldeum [WP] -> Rathma Square (kill boss)
[120] Kabraxis: A1 Town (Warriv) -> Bramwell -> Church of Dien-Ap-Sten (boss opens portal)
[120] Athulua: A2 Halls level 3 -> Tran Athulua [WP] -> Island of Skartara [WP] (summon from scroll that drops in TA)
[120] Eve of Destruction (Baal) - The Worldstone Chamber
EXP->125: Duncraig / Teganze / Triune
[125] Toraja: A3 Town -> Torajan Jungles [WP] -> east -> Torajan Cemetery
[125] Vizjun: A3 Flayer Jungle -> Swampy Pit -> Proving Grounds
[125] Fauztinville [FARMING SPOT: SU RINGS AND AMULETS, RUNES AND SHRINES]: A5 Open portal using Black Road charm upgraded with Kabraxis Stones
[125] Bremmtown: A5 Fauztiville north-east
[125] Belial: A4 Chaos Sanctuary -> kill Maghda to obtain Key of Lies [LOCK:60s]
[125] Ascendant Riftwalker: A4 Chaos Sanctuary -> kill Maghda to obtain Key of Lies - [LOCK:60s]
[125] Astrogha: A3 Town -> Torajan Jungles [WP] -> north-west
[125] Xazax: A2 Halls level 3 -> Tran Athulua [WP] -> Island of Skartara [WP] -> Wretched Sands (hug left side) [LOCK:300s]
[125] Yshari Sanctum: A3 Lower Kurast -> kill The Vizier at the entrance -> Caldeum [WP]
[125] Spirit of Giyua A3 Town -> Torajan Jungles [WP] -> north-east -> Torajan Cemetery -> Teganze -> Mbwiru Eikura
[125] Startled Witch: A3 Lower Kurast -> kill The Vizier at gate -> Caldeum [WP] -> Vizjerei Temple -> Ureh north [LOCK:60s]
EXP->∞: Fauztinville / Bremmtown / Vizjun / Toraja / Duncraig
[130] Uldyssian: A4 Plains of Despair -> Izual -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City [WP] -> Silver Spire 1->2 -> Crystal Arch
[130] The Void: A4 -> Izual -> Diamond Gates -> Silver City [WP] -> Library Of Fate -> CoV -> Black Abyss [LOCK:1500s]
[130] Brother Laz: A3 Flayer Jungle -> Swampy Pit -> Proving Grounds -> Vizjun (north-east) -> Genesis [LOCK:15s]
[135] Scosglen: A5 Ancient's Way -> Mount arreat -> King Koth -> find town bottom right corner Tur Dulra [WP]
[135] Samael: Farm hell Baal that drops mystery item with clues. [LOCK:1200s]

Shoutout to aerial for letting me use his formatted text from his guide for this.

[anicocia]

give this man a cookie

[HurtSmash404]

Can this build do Inarius and Bartuc as a Fresh 115 or do you need to level up first?

[Jampula]

Can this build do Inarius and Bartuc as a Fresh 115 or do you need to level up first?

Yes it can.


Good job on the miniguide. Although I wouldn't recommend using WotP instead of Tiefling, you really need to learn that kiting/dodging playstyle and better to start early and not respec to Tiefling in late NM or early Hell and wonder why you die a lot.
Also mana in early game isn't that big of a problem and Void is not a must until Hell. You can easily get by with Sapphires on weapon and/or sacrifice a little and use TU Gauntlets/Bone Helm. As you said in the guide packs die with few Maelstroms so your bulb is always full and normal/nm bosses are so weak that regen from jewelry and pots are enough.

[Istaryu]

Can this build do Inarius and Bartuc as a Fresh 115 or do you need to level up first?

Inarius was not really a problem. Make sure you have shadow refuge up when you go in, and you should be able to facetank those few nuns that swarm you. If not, you can just kite a little bit inside the place you are stuck in between the lightning. The crystal ball should fall really quickly, and then its really easy.
As for Bartuc, you can use wychwind to cheese it, or the easier method is to wait for lvl120, get judgement day charm, summon edyrems before you go in, enter, quickly blink into the corner above bartuc, which causes your summons to sorround you, and then blow the sucker up before your summons die. And they will die fast, but you only need that 2 seconds for them to tank. Pick the charm up quickly before the traps explode and kill you.

Also mana in early game isn't that big of a problem and Void is not a must until Hell. You can easily get by with Sapphires on weapon and/or sacrifice a little and use TU Gauntlets/Bone Helm. As you said in the guide packs die with few Maelstroms so your bulb is always full and normal/nm bosses are so weak that regen from jewelry and pots are enough.

It was like a month or maybe more when I started this sin, but i remember being constantly out of mana before void, especially on bosses. Bosses in nightmare take some time to fall, unlike in normal, and you dont want to be oom all the time. Most runewords before void are really bad in terms of dmg, and you will not make tu balanced knife, because you do want to use void, it makes a huge difference, especially with mana. I know the dmg on void is not awesome, but it also has slow, and it is just too good to not make asap. Also it is really easy to get a rune for it, becaue countess will pretty much always drop a rune for it. Making tu gloves or bone helm would be just a waste of acs, and the glove wouldnt help on single target fights anyway. As for mana regen mos, you cant really afford them untwinked, because you do want to throw all your gold on honorfics.

[Artas28]

why no max way of spider and phoenix? this passive skill no add additional damage with tiefling? why max doom?

[Istaryu]

why no max way of spider and phoenix? this passive skill no add additional damage with tiefling? why max doom?

I did explain why ways are useless for this build.
1, Most bosses in hell have 70% elemental resists, and you have no pierce, so they would do close to 0 dmg
2, Tiefling form disables the flat elemental damage of ways.

Maelstrom does almost all magic damage, and doom reduces magic resistance, enough said i think. Not to mention the bonus physical damage part of it.

[AKwasp]

I could have really used this guide before I made this character last weekend. I'm less experienced and only 115, but it's my second character and I made a few different decisions. Solo-self-found for what that is worth, very new to MXL. I started this character because the Tracker set was the first complete set that dropped on my melee character so I wanted to switch up my playstyles. My initial reluctance to using Void RW was misguided, I'm definitely glad I switched. However I'm still using the Tracker Body + Belt Combo, which gives +15% Dex and +2 Assassin skills, alongside similar rolls on the items. Additionally, I had a pair of Water Gloves and Frost Boots which each roll 10-15% Dex and combo for 50 IAS and 50 allres. All 5 of these items have 33% reduced Requirements, making 360str the highest req on the Body. Topspin/Lavadone require less strength. TU Totem Shield and Circlets don't require any strength.
Hexward looks like a nice upgrade, but I can't target farm it without trading. Found Rainbow Fury but TU feels better. Never made an honorific, I'll have to look into that. Also realized you can't shrine-craft non-sacred rares, so now I need to find some low-str Caps, Quilted, etc. How important would you say is ilvl99 for the crafted pieces? Would the ilvl85 rare recipe actually be sub-par? If I'm reading the Item Affix documentation correctly, the only relevant stat above alvl 82 is 15% attributes and is exclusive to body armor.
Is Broadside a useful skill to include? Also how do you feel about weapon swapping to Nih Claw + investing into the passive w/ 1pt Noctule like Aerial suggested for a hybrid build on post 86 viewtopic.php?f=4&t=34785&start=80 I was planning to try that out same time I respec this weekend to lower my initial strength investment and cut Ways for TF.
Your suggested MOs on weapon are different from what I guessed might be good. Max damage is better than deadly strike or crushing blow? Also I figured 5x EWD MOs should be worthwhile on non-eth Balanced Blade, since dexterity won't hit the ceiling until after reaching that Xis rune as an intermediate option.
Thanks for the guide and looking forward to feedback!

[Istaryu]

However I'm still using the Tracker Body + Belt Combo, which gives +15% Dex and +2 Assassin skills, alongside similar rolls on the items. Additionally, I had a pair of Water Gloves and Frost Boots which each roll 10-15% Dex and combo for 50 IAS and 50 allres.

I guess that works too, use whatever you can that synergizes with the build
Here is a picture of my sin at 117, im curious what your stats are with that build compared to mine:

► Show Spoiler

How important would you say is ilvl99 for the crafted pieces? Would the ilvl85 rare recipe actually be sub-par? If I'm reading the Item Affix documentation correctly, the only relevant stat above alvl 82 is 15% attributes and is exclusive to body armor.

Not that important, but for boots, you do want ilvl90, because thats when 2 assa skills can roll on boots. You should also go above 85, because there are some affixes that can roll on ilvl85 items, but cant on higher, lowering your chances of hitting the better ones. All loot found in hell will be at least ilvl 99 anyways.

Is Broadside a useful skill to include?

Broeadside is pretty useless for this build, because your weapon dmg is pretty low, and you would have to max it if you want to use it, and we dont have points for that

Also how do you feel about weapon swapping to Nih Claw + investing into the passive w/ 1pt Noctule like Aerial suggested for a hybrid build on post 86 viewtopic.php?f=4&t=34785&start=80 I was planning to try that out same time I respec this weekend to lower my initial strength investment and cut Ways for TF.Also how do you feel about weapon swapping to Nih Claw + investing into the passive w/ 1pt Noctule like Aerial suggested for a hybrid build on post 86 viewtopic.php?f=4&t=34785&start=80 I was planning to try that out same time I respec this weekend to lower my initial strength investment and cut Ways for TF.

The only places where i could see that being useful, is fauztinville and vizjun. But i am not too sure about survivability like that, becuase this build has pretty much no leech. Killspeed in other places with maelstrom is pretty good, but fauzt and vizjun does butcher it sadly.

Your suggested MOs on weapon are different from what I guessed might be good. Max damage is better than deadly strike or crushing blow? Also I figured 5x EWD MOs should be worthwhile on non-eth Balanced Blade, since dexterity won't hit the ceiling until after reaching that Xis rune as an intermediate option.

Crushing blow is definetly not needed. It doesnt work on bosses, and most enemies get 1shot usually by maelstrom. Deadly strike works only with the weapon dmg part of the skill, not the added magic dmg, so again, useless. EWD also not too good, because you already have lots of ewd from dexterity, you want to boost the base dmg of the weapon, and you want survivability from the life after kill.