Assasin / AionSource

LAST UPDATED: 9/2 (Additional skill name changes)
<blockquote>TABLE OF CONTENTS:
</blockquote>

• 1.0 - Basic Overview
  
• 2.0 - Hide (Stealth)
  
• 3.0 - Signet Patterns
  
  
  
  • Pattern Engraving (3.1)
    
  </li>
  
• 4.0 - Back Attacks (Backstabs)
  
• 5.0 - Stuns
  
• 6.0 - Stigmas
  
  
  
  • Normal Stigma List (6.1)
    
  • Advanced Stigmas (6.2)
    
  • Advanced Stigma List (6.3)
    
  </li>
  
• 7.0 - Faction Skills
  
  
  
  • Asmodians (7.1)
    
  • Elyos (7.2)
    
  </li>
  
• 8.0 - Poisons
  
• 9.0 - Primary Stats
  
  
  
  • Critical (9.1)
    
  • Evasion (9.2)
    
  • Attack Speed Increase (9.3)
    
  • Attack (9.4)
    
  </li>
  
• 10.0 Socketing
  
  
  
  • Manastones (10.1)
    
  • God Stones (10.2)
    
  11.0 - Flight
  
  
  
  • Abilities (11.1)
    
  </li>
  
• 12.0 - Crowd Control (CC)
  
• 13.0 - Pickpocket/Stealing
  
• 14.0 - Titles
  
  
  
  • Elyos (14.1)
    
  • Asmodian (14.2)
    
  </li>
  
• 15.0 - Professions
  
• 16.0 - Weapons
  
  
  
  • Bonus Stats (16.1)
    
  • Bows (16.2)
    
  
  
  
  
  • Extendable Weapons(16.3)
    
  </li>
  
• 17.0 - Snares (Slows, Roots, Etc.)
  
• 18.0 - Consumables
  
  
  
  • Potions (18.1)
    
  
  
  
  
  • Scrolls(18.2)
    
  • Food (18.3)
    
  • Other (18.4)
    
  </li>
  
• 19.0 - Assassin Links & Resources
  
  
  
  • Posts/Articles (19.1)
    
  • Videos (19.2)
    
  </li>
  

(1.0)Basic Overview:
<blockquote>The Assassin
class is the "Rogue" or "Thief" archetype found within Aion. Like the majority of games which have such a class, you will find that dual wielding, stealth, and large amounts of melee (physical) based damage make up the class' basic utilities. They rely on their ability to "burst" (do large amounts of damage in a short period of time) and restrict their targets movements through the use of stuns.

- The Assassin is one of two specialized classes you are able to choose upon reaching level 10 in the initial Scout school/subclass. The other being a Ranger.
</blockquote>________________________________________________
(2.0) Hide (Stealth): Does the Assassin get some type of stealth skill?
<blockquote>- Yes. The Scout class gets the skill Hide I (lvl. 5), which is the Aion equivalent of "stealth", allowing both Assassins and Rangers to use the initial rank. Assassins however are the only ones which obtain Hide II (lvl. 34), which is much more difficult to detect, and lasts slightly longer.
</blockquote>Are there any abilities that can only be used while Hiding?:
<blockquote>NO. As of now there are no
abilities that are performed exclusively while in Hide mode, or any
special damage/crit or other bonus for attacking while in Hide mode.
Furthermore any ability used while in hiding will take you out of hiding.
</blockquote>________________________________________________
(3.0) Signet Patterns: What are Signet Patterns? How do they work? How do they effect stuns?
<blockquote>- Signet Patterns are often considered to be the Aion
equivalent of a WoW Rogue's "Combo Points". Both of which can be
stacked up to the maximum intensity of 5, and upon using a signet skill all engraved signet patterns on the target are consumed.
</blockquote>How are they used?:<blockquote>- The more signet patterns engraved on a target, the greater effect the signet bursting ability will have on the target.

- Pain Rune
is an example of a skill that utilizes signet patterns. As you can see
from the tooltip, the more signet patterns erased/consumed, the higher
the damage will be, and the higher chance you have of stunning the
target.

- Signet Patterns are arguably the most difficult concept behind
Assassins, as well the hardest thing to efficiently manage (next to
rotation and cooldowns). Not every skill uses signet patterns, or applies patterns.

- Signet patterns compound with other
Assassin's engraving abilities. If you have two Assassin's on one
target, their signet pattern application and consumption will be from
the same pool, and are still capped at 5 pattern levels.
Therefore monitoring, coordinating, applying, and removing signet
patterns is rather important when two or more Assassin's are on a
single target at the same time. Read on to find out more.</blockquote>Signet Stun Mechanics: Coming soon.


(3.1) Pattern Engraving:
Engraving is the method of applying a pattern to your target. Each
skill that has the ability to apply a pattern can only do so up to a
certain intensity, and that intensity can be found in the skill
description. See the following skill for an example:

Engrave Signet I

As you can see from the above tooltip the skill "Engrave Signet" can apply patterns "up to the level of 3". The pattern level can only go up one level at a time, per skill used. There are skills that are capable of applying up to 3 signet pattern levels, as well as ones that are capable of applying up to 5 signet pattern levels. See the following skill for an example:

Beast's Roar I

The skills that can apply up to the 3rd level means that upon reaching
pattern level 3 it will not be capable of pushing the pattern level any
higher without using a skill that can go to level 5. Skills that can apply pattern up to level 5 however can further the targets Signet level from 1, all the way up to 5.
This limitation makes it more difficult to obtain the maximum 5
patterns, and forces you to choose which skill to use in order to
further it rather than simply spamming random skills to achieve 5
patterns without effort.

Photos: The following photo is
of an Assassin's level 5 pattern graphic. At level 1 there is only one
square, at level 2 there are two squares, and so on. This is different
than the debuff icon found found on the targets buff/debuff bar. The
graphic only lasts for roughly .5-1 second before fading.


________________________________________________
(4.0) Back Attacks (Backstabs): Do
Assassins get a "Backstab" type of ability? (An attack that does more
damage from behind, and/or can only be done from behind)

- Yes. Assassins get two attacks that deal bonus damage from the back. They are usable from any side, but the bonus will only be applied if you are at the targets back. The skills are as follows:


The above skills are rendered virtually useless if not executed at the
opponents back. Coupled with their long cooldown periods it is wise to only use them on a stunned, fleeing, or unaware target that you can easily approach from behind.

NOTE: There is a third "backstab" ability. However,
it is a Divine Prayer skill and has been excluded from the list due to
the high level requirement (50), DP (4000), and cooldown (1 hour) on
the skill. I may add it later.
________________________________________________
(5.0) Stuns: Do Assassins have any stun abilities?
<blockquote>- Yes. The Assassin gets a total of seven stuns
to work with. Stuns are an essential tool to any Assassin that will
effectively prevent your target from fleeing, casting, and damaging
you. Stunning also grants you the opportunity to get in devastating
back attacks that can turn the tide of any fight. While stunned the
target is incapable of not only casting or movement, but defending
themselves through the use of passive blocking, dodging, or parrying
which indirectly boosts the Assassins damage on the target.
</blockquote>Due to the importance and complexity of
Assassin stuns, I have written a full guide on them which can be found
in the AionSource forums here: Assassin Skillset - Stuns. I urge anyone that has yet to view it to give it at least a once over.


________________________________________________
(6.0) Stigmas: What are stigmas? Howmany do I get? Where do I get them?<blockquote>- Stigmas are abilities that are only usable when a "Stigma Stone" is equipped in a "Stigma Slot". Come patch 1.5, you will be able to equip an additional 3 stigma stones! Bringing the total you can equip to 8 at level 50.
</blockquote>(6.1) Stigma List:<blockquote>Here
is a full list of currently known Assassin Stigma's. They can be
obtained through two methods: quests and drops. This list will grow as
the new Advanced Stigma's are revealed. Also, if you are curious as to
what quest you get the item from, or what mob(s) drop it, click on the
stone name.
</blockquote>Format: (Level) Name of Ability - Name of Stone: Location (Quest, Drop, or Unknown)<blockquote>
(20) Sigil Strike - Sigil Strike I: Quest.
___

(20) Flurry - Flurry I: Drop.
___

(22) Aethertwisting - Aethertwisting I: Drop.
___

(25) Ambush - Ambush I: Drop.
___

(28) Apply Deadly Poison - Apply Deadly Poison I: Unknown.
___

(28) Pattern Crush - Pattern Crush I: Unknown.
___

(31) Oath of Accuracy - Oath of Accuracy I: Unknown.
___


(34) Rune Knife - Rune Knife I: Unknown.
___

(37) Eye of Wrath - Eye of Wrath I: Unknown.
___

(37) Blinding Burst - Blinding Burst I: Unknown.
___

(44) Throw Shuriken - Throw Shuriken: Unknown.
___

(44 Asmodian Only) Ancestral Darkness Rune - Ancestral Darkness rune I: Unknown.
___

(44 Elyos Only) Ancestral Radiant Rune - Ancestral Radiant Rune I: Unknown.
___

(48) Escape - Escape I: Unknown.
</blockquote>
(6.2) Advanced Stigma Stones:<blockquote>With the introduction of patch 1.5 each class will gain access to roughly six new stigma stones (abilities).

In order to unlock the three additional stigma slots you will have to do the following:
1.) Complete the initial introductory quest at level 40.
2.) Complete another quest quest at level 45, which unlocks two advanced stigma slots.
3.) And lastly, you must complete the third final quest at level 50 which unlocks the third and final advanced stigma slot.

The in game stigma stone tab as of 1.5 will look like the following:
</blockquote><blockquote>
The three slots on the right within the yellow rectangle are the
"Advanced Stigma Slots". You are capable of equipping any stone in
these slots, but are unable to equip "Advanced Stones" in the original
five slots on the left.

The Advanced Stones are more complex than original stones, and have
pre-requisites to equip; such as other Advanced Stones, and/or regular
stigmas. This will create a lot of customization between characters.

-For exact translations of the new Assassin stigmas and bonuses, go >here<.
-For a full discussion on Advanced Stigmas, visit this link.
</blockquote>

(6.3) Advanced Stigma List (Courtesy of TTB):
<blockquote>Advanced Stigmas: Chain Pattern Explosion option

Beastly Scars
Level: 45
Cast time: instant
Cool-down: 6 sec
Required Stigmas: Long Range Engrave Signet, Pattern Shattering
Inflicts 362 to 366 physical damage and engraves a signet pattern upto level 5.
Chain skill level 4
Beastly Strike > Beastly Scars

Rapid Slash
Level: 45
Cast time: instant
Cool-down: 24 sec
Required Stigmas: Eye of Wrath
Inflicts 318 to 322 physical damage, decreases targets magical resistance by 200 and all elemental defenses by 50.

Chain Pattern Explosion
Level: 50
Cast time: instant
Cool-down: 1 min
Required Stigmas: Beastly Scars, Rapid Slash
Inflicts 1250 fire magical damage to a target within 10m.
Chain skill level 2
All pattern explosions > Chain Pattern Explosion


Advanced Stigmas: Surprise Slash option

Explosive Apply Poison
Level: 45
Cast time: instant
Cool-down: 3 min
Required Stigmas: Deadly Apply Poison, Contract of Accuracy
Uses 5 scolopen poison to apply poison to your weapon. For 30 seconds,
inflicts 579 additional damage with 20% chance each time you attack.

Lightning Slash
Level: 45
Cast time: instant
Cool-down: 24 sec
Required Stigmas: Blinding Burst
inflicts 318 to 322 damage and decreases targets magical accuracy by 200.

Surprise Slash
Level: 50
Cast time: instant
Cool-down: 3 min
Required Stigmas: Explosive Apply Poison, Lightning Slash
Rushes to a target within 20m and inflicts 923 to 927 physical damage
</blockquote>As soon as the armory includes the above Advanced Stigmas, the display format will be changed.

________________________________________________

(7.0) Faction Skills: What are faction skills?
- Faction skills are unique abilities that the Elyos and Asmodians get, that the opposing faction does not. Not including Divine Prayer skills, they both get two abilities unique to their faction's class.

________________________________________________
(8.0) Poisons: Do Assassins get any type of poison abilities?

- Yes. They get two poisons to work with. The most important thing to know, and is by no means common knowledge, is **a poisoned target cannot initiate flight**. If poisoned while in flight however they will not be forced out of flight, but will still take damage from the poison as usual.
Meaning if they are on the ground and in an area where you can fly, if
you poison them they will not be able to pull out their wings until
that poison is cured and/or wears off. They WILL be able to glide
however, so don't rule that out by any means. This will reduce their
chance of fleeing by leaps and bounds.

-The poisons require a reagent named Scolopen's Poison,
which is quite cheap and can be purchased from every General Goods
Merchant throughout the game. The skills that you are able to use are
as follows:

(1st rank at LVL. 16)

Apply Poison I

The above poison is very useful in both PvE and PvP, due to the fact
that it not only deals periodic damage to the target, but when used in
conjunction with the Assassination skill you can dish out a great deal of bonus damage.

The second skill is actually a stigma, so it requires you to equip it in order to use it:

(1st and only rank at LVL. 28)

Apply Deadly Poison I

________________________________________________
(9.0) Primary Stats: What are the main stats an Assassin uses, and looks for in items and armor?<blockquote>- The most valuable statistics for an Assassin are without question Physical Crit., Attack Speed Increase, Evasion, and Attack.
</blockquote>(9.1) Physical Crit.:<blockquote>Physical
Crit. is the most crucial statistic for an Assassin, and can be the
difference between a bad Assassin character, and an amazing Assassin
character. For every 10 Critical rating you have, you gain roughly ~1% critical rating. So if you were to have 400 critical rating, it would be in the 40% crit region.

This stays true until 400 critical rating. From 400 and beyond you
begin to get diminishing returns. Every 10 rating from 400 and on will
in turn grant you half a crit. So 10=.5%, rather than the usual full
1%. This would mean that at 450 critical rating, you would be sitting
at 42.5% crit.

In short: The faster you are able to reach and maintain 400+ critical rating the better. You will see a substantial increase in your slaying speed and efficiency as your critical rate increases.
</blockquote>**Important Fact**:<blockquote>As of patch 1.5 (the version which NA/EU will be launching with), the critical damage modifier (NOT THE RATE) on both swords and daggers have been lowered. The exact figure is unknown but is rumored to be around 2.2x (down from 2.5x)</blockquote>(9.2) Evasion:<blockquote>Evasion
is the main defense method of the Assassin. Due to their low P. Defense
they must rely on avoiding as many hits as possible. Evasion does not
effect your chances of resisting or avoiding spells however. It is
suggested that once you are capable of attaining a high level of
critical rating, that you then focus on evasion. it is highly debated
as to just how effective evasion is, but from personal experience I
must say that from a PvP standpoint it's very, very strong.</blockquote>(9.3) Attack Speed Increase:<blockquote>The
Attack Speed Increase stat increases the speed with which you attack
with your auto-attack, and engravings. The stats soft and hard caps are
unknown, but one is able to stack potions and skills upwards of 65% as
of now. Furthermore, if you are using two weapons with + attack speed,
only the weapon with the higher total amount will count (they are not cumulative anymore).

- Currently the stat can be found on several weapons (such as this one: Alukina's Silver-Decorated Knife), a few pairs of gloves (as seen here: Archon Centurion Leather Gloves), and even some titles.

- The faster you attack, the faster you are able to execute pattern
engraving abilities, as well as increasing your white damage a
significant amount. </blockquote>(9.4) Attack:<blockquote>The
attack rating is just what it sounds like. It is the amount of damage
you are able to output. The higher the attack rating, the harder you
will hit with both regular attacks as well as physical based skill
attacks (Pain Rune is an example of a skill that is not affected by your attack rating). </blockquote>**Important Fact**:<blockquote>When using a weapon in the offhand that increases attack (such as this: Black Claw Chieftain's Dagger),
the bonus is applied directly to both your main and offhand. I.E. if
your original attack was 100 on your main hand, upon equipping that
dagger in your offhand you would see a new rating of 110, which is
equivalent to a +5 enchantment.
</blockquote>________________________________________________
(10.0) Socketing: What should I socket?<blockquote>-
You should socket according to the primary stats listed above. Focus
entirely on Physical Crit rating. The majority of players will not
deviate from full crit sockets until they are capable of maintaining a
high value (350-400+ at least) while socketing Evasion, which shouldn't occur until much later on ( level 35+).

-Play around with your stats to find your ideal amount of evasion and critical rate. But remember, crit always supersedes evasion in the stat food chain. In the end the higher you can get of both stats, the better.
</blockquote>(10.1) Manastones: Specifically, what stones should I use, on what gear, and at what levels?<blockquote>- It is wise to use only level 4 stones up until your mid 20's, and only on green gear that you'll be using for some time. Never waste a crit stone on a white item, ever. After that it's up to the discretion of the player.

- You can use alchemy and transform stones into even better ones (8's,
9's, 11's, 12's) and save them for higher levels, or you can use them
on your good gear that you will be using for some time. The way to know
what items you will be using for some time is to actually ask around
and/or look on sites such as AionArmory - Aion Database to see what future gear you will have access to in the following levels.
</blockquote>(10.1) God Stones:<blockquote>These
are much like Manastones but are much more difficult to get, and a good
deal more powerful. They are usable on weapons and grants a special
"glow" or "visual effect".

You can find a list of the stones here. Also you can take a look at my Assassin Skillset - Stun posting to see a list of God Stones with the stun effect.
</blockquote>________________________________________________

(11.0) Flight: How do Assassins fair in flight combat? What abilities do they get while in flight?
<blockquote>-
This is a very valid and frequently asked question that is heavily
debated. While the Assassin obviously does not want their target to
live long enough to move, let alone take off into flight (which can be
prevented through the use of poisons), they are capable of holding
their own while in an an aerial battle. They are given several
abilities that can solely be used while in flight combat.

- One of the most valuable assets for an Assassin to use while in
flight is a bow. Get a good bow and work on fast weapon swapping + auto
attack, and you'll be much more powerful in the air.
</blockquote>
(11.1) Flight Abilities:
<blockquote>Assassins
are granted two passive abilities (ones that do not need to be
activated) while in flight form. The first of which is a Winged Fury that grants an additional 50 (5%) crit rating while in flight form. The second is Winged Death,
which increases the Assassins flight speed by 20 as well as 10 STR/AGI
to several other stats. Although at level 25 everyone gets a similar
flight speed increase, it still is noteworthy.

Sprinting, which stacks with the aforementioned Blessing, as well as flight scrolls and items, will make catching people or fleeing while in flight easiest for an Assassin in comparison to other classes.

They also have a flight only stun called Throw Dagger.

When you add up all the tools at an Assassins disposal while in flight they become quite a formidable aerial combatant.
</blockquote>
________________________________________________
(12.0) Crowd Control (CC): Do the Assassins get any form CC abilities?
<blockquote>- No. As of now there are no CC skills.
</blockquote>
________________________________________________
(13.0) Pickpocket/Stealing: Can the Assassin pickpocket or steal in Aion?
<blockquote>- No. As of the most recent update (patch 1.5),
the Assassin does not have any method of pickpocketing or stealing in
their arsenal. There has also been no mention as to whether or not such
an ability will be added.
</blockquote>
________________________________________________
(14.0) Titles: What are titles? What should I use as an Assassin?

What are titles?:
<blockquote>Titles are exactly what
they sound like. Where a surname would go after someones name, a title
precedes it. Titles offer special stat bonuses that can prove to be
quite beneficial. See below for an example of a title:
</blockquote>
(The
name of the above character is "Fatal Fool"--most people don't have
spaces in their names, which makes the "Fatal" part actually appear to
be a title in and of itself. The part in the red rectangle is the
title.)
They are given out as a reward for completing difficult
quest chains, or accomplishing great feats such as defeating a specific
boss, or mastering a profession. The bonuses and names are unique to
each faction. Some titles clearly cater to specific archetypes more
than others, and would only be used by an opposing archetype for the
name of the title itself, and not the bonuses. For example: A Sorcerer
(mage) wouldn't use the "Expert Fisher" title which grants 7 accuracy
for any reason other than they like the name of the title itself.
Reason being that mages use "Magical Accuracy" for their attacks, not
regular Accuracy, which applies to melee.

What title should I use as an Assassin?:


<blockquote>- As an Assassin you should first and foremost use the
best title you have at your disposal. If you only have one title, you
might as well use that one rather than none. If you have multiple
titles however, the title you choose should focus on boosting one (or
several) of the main attributes of your class which are initially: Physical Crit., Evasion, and Attack.

At later levels however you get to choose from superior titles that give Attack Speed, Flight Speed, and Speed
increases. Those would be the ideal titles to use, because they make a
much larger impact even in small doses than say +3 crit, or attack
would.
</blockquote>


<blockquote>- In the beginning your titles will be
very limited due to the quests that you can complete. It's not possible
for you to attain specific titles of your choosing due to the level
restrictions on quests. If for instance you were level 12, and the
title you want to use is obtained through completing a quest that
involves an Abyss NPC, you wouldn't be able to get it due to the fact
you are unable to even set foot in the Abyss until level 25. Therefore
that title is out of the question for anyone lower than level 25.
</blockquote>

(14.1) Elyos Titles:

<blockquote>Here are three great titles for the Elyos. A full list can be found here.

(LVL. 14) - Bottled Lightning - Quest Chain: Missing Village Seal - +3% speed

(LVL. 25 through 40) - Heroic - Quest Chain: [Group] Confrontation with Asmodian General - +4 Physical Critical Hit, +1 Physical Att, +1% Atk Speed

(LVL. 38) Honorary Black Cloud - Quest Chain: Jakurerk's Opportunity to Make it Big - +5% speed increase.

(LVL. 47) Owner of the Dragon Sword - Quest Chain: [Group] True Owner of the Dragon Sword - +52 Maximum HP, +3 Flight Time, +3% Flight Speed, +6% Speed (This is my personal favorite Elyos title for PvP)</blockquote>


(14.2) Asmodian Titles:

<blockquote>Here are three great titles for an Asmodian Assassin (for a full list go here):

(LVL. 14) Mosbear Slayer - Quest: A Friendly Wager - +2 Evasion

(LVL. 21) Postal - Quest Chain: [Infiltration] Elim of Elysea - +4% speed increase.

(LVL. 38) Wheeler-Dealer - Quest Chain: Contract of Black Cloud Traders - +5% speed increase.

(LVL. 25 through 40) Heroic - Quest: Confrontation with Elysean Army General - +52 Maximum HP, +3 Flight Time, +3% Flight Speed, +6% Speed (This is my personal favorite Asmodian title for PvP)
</blockquote>

________________________________________________
(15.0) Professions: What are the best professions for an Assassin? For PvP? For PvE? For making money?

<blockquote>- In order to save a lot of time, I'm just going to summarize the following information into the main point:
Choose professions based first and
foremost on personal preference & goals. Followed closely by
legion/friend demand, and then server demand. Don't be too concerned
with what other people classify as PvE or PvP professions, because in
Aion every single profession is viable for both.

If you feel the need to understand why I said the above, be my guest to read on through the full explanation!
</blockquote>

What are the best professions for an Assassin?


<blockquote>- Despite circulating rumors there are no definitive
"best professions" for an Assassin. The reason being that the best
professions will always be relative and extremely subjective. Relative
in the sense that the value of the professions will be directly
connected to demand of the goods on your server. Subjective in regard
to the fact that the goal of having professions is different from
person to person. Some people pick up a profession to be
self-sufficient, while others will pick up a profession to be
profitable, or a mixture of both.

-As of patch 1.5 you will be able to bring two skills to 450, so you won't have to narrow it down to just one.</blockquote>


Professions for PvP & PvE:

<blockquote>- PvP
- The pre-packaged answer for PvP professions seems to always be
Alchemy first, followed by Cooking. I agree that potions and scrolls
are absolute necessities for PvP, there's just no way around it.
Cooking bonuses are also huge for PvP, and just as beneficial for PvE.
The problem here is that countless people are thinking the same
thing in terms of PvP professions. Meaning that there will be a lot of
people around to be crafting them, whether they be friends, legion
mates, or just someone doing it for skill up's and/or a fee. It doesn't
matter who crafts the potions/scrolls, since you still need to provide
the materials.

Also purchasing food, scrolls, and potions off of the broker can
sometimes be easier/faster than crafting if you have the gold at your
disposal from farming, or selling goods from another profession.
</blockquote>

PvE/Making Money:

<blockquote>- Any and all
professions in the game will be useful in PvE. If you craft a sword it
will obviously be used regardless of if you are fighting mobs, or
players. There will also be a demand for that sword from other players
and can in turn be sold for large sums.
</blockquote>

________________________________________________
(16.0) Weapon Choice: What is the best weapon type (Sword/Dagger) to use as an Assassin overall? For Main-Hand? For Off-Hand? Can we use bows? What are extendable weapons?

What melee weapon type should I be using?:

<blockquote>-
What weapon type an Assassin should use is a very subjective and
situational decision. The most logical answer to this question is use the best weapon (based on stats) that you have at your disposal, regardless of the type. The higher you get in level the more this will hold true. If you are using your level 10 green quest dagger (Dagger of Karma) at level 18 over some level 18 sword you just looted (i.e. Nukaka's Sword), simply because it's a dagger, you're unnecessarily hurting your damage because of a weapon type bias.
</blockquote>

Is there a definitive best weapon type for my Main-Hand or Off-Hand?:

<blockquote>- NO.
As aforementioned the stats of a weapon precedes the type. However, if
you have a say/choice in the type of weapon upgrade you will be getting
that's a different story. At lower levels it's common practice to use a
Dagger MH, and a Sword OH. Reason being that the crit
rate of a dagger is double (100 base crit rate) of a sword (50 base
crit rate), and you will most likely be lacking in crit at lower levels
(1-25ish) more so than at higher levels (30-50). Also a Sword hits
harder than a dagger, so having a harder hitting weapon in your OH is a
good thing since your dual wield swings both hands at the same time, not independently of one another.

- Bonus stats can be a deciding factor in weapon choice as well. This mechanic is further elaborated on in the next section.
</blockquote>

(16.1) Bonus Stats: What are bonus stats on weapons? How do they work?

What are bonus stats on weapons?:

<blockquote>They are
additional statistics that are most commonly found on green quality
(and higher) weapons. Please refer to the following picture for a
better understanding:
</blockquote>




How do bonus stats work?:

<blockquote>- Bonus stats are
quite unique in the way that they apply to your dual wield. If you look
at the bonus stats in the above picture you will see that this
particular weapon has Physical Crit, Physical Attack, and Attack Speed. There are other bonus stats besides these such as Parry, Accuracy, HP, and MP just to name a few.

- Bonus stats are applied to BOTH weapons in your dual wield,
regardless of what hand you use the weapon in. This can play a huge
role in your weapon choice. This means that if your off-hand sword adds +10 physical attack, you will gain that attack on your main-hand and your off-hand.

- There is however an exception to how Attack Speed is applied to your dual wield. If you are using two weapons
with Attack Speed Increase only the highest percent will be used, and
the other will be completely ignored. Every other bonus stat will be
applied to both hands of your dual wield cumulatively. (If you still
don't understand the concept don't hesitate to PM me for further
explanation).
</blockquote>

(16.2) Bows: Can we use them? How well?

Can we use them?

<blockquote>Yes.
The use of bows is granted to the School of Scouts. Because the
Assassin is within that school, they are able to use bows. While they
are not a staple of the Assassin class, as they are with the Ranger,
they are quite important.</blockquote>

How do we fare with them?

<blockquote>Like
Daggers, Swords, and Dual Wield proficiencies, we are able to rank up
our bow proficiency as well. This increases our damage with them as we
level, and makes them increasingly more powerful, so it would be unwise
to not purchase the new ranks.

- Bows are a huge asset to an Assassin when pursuing a fleeing target.
If someone takes off into flight and is low health you can often finish
them off with your bow before you even get to them. Also if you are
running from someone til your pot cool is finished, or another skill,
peppering someone with your arrows can add up. Every good Assassin will have a bow, and a good one at that.

- Bow auto attacks can be used while running/flying.
</blockquote>

(16.3) Extendable Weapons: What are they? When can I get one?

What are they?

<blockquote>Extendable weapons are weapons
which have a greater range (reach) than your typical weapon. Because of
this they are extremely rare, highly sought after, and very powerful.
It is not uncommon for an individual to use an extendable weapon with
slightly worse stats than a non-extendable, due to the unrivaled reach
of said weapon. There are several extendable weapons to be found in
Aion and they are one of the greatest assets to an Assassin, making
combat, especially while flying, exponentially easier.

They come in all types, such as swords (1 and 2-handed alike), maces, daggers, polearms, and so on.

Here is a video of an extendable dagger in action:

Extendable Daggers - Kromede's Silver-decorated Knife (lvl. 35)

YouTube - Aion - KOR Lvl 35 Extendable Dagger #1



</blockquote>

When can I first use an extendable weapon?

<blockquote>The very first extendable weapon that you will have access to is a level 35 orange dagger seen here:

Kromede's Silver-decorated Knife

The above dagger is shown in the video example previously linked. The
other weapon is a level 35 sword which you can view at the bottom of
this post in section 19.2.
The next level extendable weapon can be found at level 40, though it is
a sword. There is also a quest at level 43 for an extendable weapon, as
well as this dagger drop at 44:

Alukina's Silver-decorated Knife

</blockquote>

________________________________________________
(17.0) Snares (Slows, Roots, Etc.): Do we get a Snare of any kind?

<blockquote>- NO.
As of now (1.5) we are completely and utterly devoid of any kind of
snare skill. Whether it be a slow, root, or any variation thereof.
Because of this Assassin's have more stuns than any other class, and
must rely on them to compensate for their lack of snares.

- *Due to the ever changing nature of MMO's, skills are frequently
added, removed, or altered. Because of this a future snare effect in
the Assassin's arsenal isn't out of the question.*
</blockquote>

________________________________________________
(18.0) Consumables: What do they do? Should I use them? What ones? Where do I get them?

What do they do??:

<blockquote>- Consumables are any and
all items which you use or "consume" for unique beneficial effects.
Once you've used the consumable the original item is discarded. Food/drink, potions, and scrolls are the three main consumables types in Aion </blockquote>

Should I use them?:

<blockquote>YES!
Consumables are truly a necessity when it comes to PvP, and can be
equally beneficial in PvE. They can greatly influence leveling speed,
as well as increase survivability.

Some mobs and quests that would typically be unsoloable by an Assassin
are made doable thanks to the correct use of health potions. If you
come up against a player in PvP that is utilizing potions to the
fullest you are immediately at a disadvantage. After reaching your low
20's, every Assassin should have a nice stockpile of consumables at all
times.
</blockquote>

Where do I get them?

<blockquote>There are five ways to get consumables. The first way (and most common) is from Alchemy, and Cooking.
The second source is from the Food Merchant and Potion Merchant. The
less common way is from mob drops, and quest reward (though you get
quite a good amount early on via quests).

However, the last way to get consumables is from the Abyss vendors. The
best consumables in the game are bought with Abyss Points from these
vendors. The downside of using them however is that they are on a
longer cooldown, and obviously they take Abyss Points which you also
use for armor and weapons.
</blockquote>

What consumables should I be carrying?[INDENT]Not
every consumable is all that useful for an Assassin, so you should know
what to stock up on in advance in order to save you a good deal of time
and money. The most important consumable type hands down are potions, and here are the main ones that should always be carried:

(18.1) Potions: I
will be listing the lowest ranks of the potions, as they will be the
first potions you have access to. As you level up and amass more
kinah/abyss points you will obviously want to use superior ones

<blockquote>(Cure/Cleanse) - Lesser Healing Potion - 30s cooldown.
Arguably the most important potion you can carry. This handy thing
cures poisons (if you get poisoned you can't fly, so just pop this and
then take off ASAP), roots, slows, DoT's, and various other stat
ailments. This potion can save your life and/or end others more than
you can imagine.


(Flight Time) - Lesser Wind Serum - 30s cooldown.
When traveling in the Abyss, pursuing or fleeing from a target, or even
gathering aether, having enough flight time is crucial. Running out of
flight time can be the difference between killing someone you're
chasing and falling to your death.

(Instant Heal) - Minor Life Serum - 30s cooldown.. Health=good, enough said . **On separate cooldown from its Heal Over Time counterpart**

(Heal Over Time AKA HoT) - Minor Life Potion - 30s cooldown.
It's very good to use these preemptively the second you start taking
damage. Since it's on a different cooldown than the instant potions
they can be amazingly effective. **On separate cooldown from its Instant Heal counterpart**
</blockquote>

(18.2) Scrolls: The actual increase values on these scrolls are not accurate on Aion Armory.

<blockquote>(Flight Speed) - Lesser Raging Wind Scroll - This scroll stacks with items as well as Sprinting. It's a must for any serious abyss hunting.

(Run Speed) - Lesser Running Scroll
- Like the flight speed counterpart, it also stacks with run speed
items and sprinting. It also stacks with transformations which can be
one of your best friends during rift hunting.

(DMG Absorb) - Lesser Anti-Shock Scroll
- If used prior to several stunning effects (such as Ambush) it can
completely negate the stun. For a full list of stuns that can be
resisted check back later.

There are also magic resist, evasion, and crit scrolls that are very
nice as well. I can't seem to find links to any of them as of right
this second.
</blockquote>

(18.3) Food: 18.3-4: Coming soon.

________________________________________________
(19.0) Assassin Links & Resources: An ever growing list of important/helpful links to other informative posts, videos, and more.

(19.1)Posts/Articles:

• [Translation] Know-How: Assassin PvP - For real - Translated Assassin PvP information.
  
• Ranger or Assassin - Ranger vs. Assassin class choice thread (very long)
  
• Aion Class Interview - The Assassin | Ten Ton Hammer - Assassin interview with Lani Blazier ("Liv").
  
• Assassin Pics - The main Assassin picture thread.
  
• Assassins: Elyos or Asmodian? - Faction choice debate.
  
• Assassin Skill Rotation - PvE (Solo) - Skill rotation discussion (read through other posts for alternative methods)
  
• Assassin Skillset - Stuns - Full list of stuns, their mechanics, etc.
  
• How awkward is Flight Combat - Large flight oriented discussion.
  
• Advanced Stigmas - Scouts - Advanced Stigmas & 2 new normal stigmas
  
• Assassin Stigma Calculator - Stigma template tool
  

(19.2)Videos:

Extendable Sword (lvl. 35)

YouTube - Aion - KOR Lvl 35 Extendable Sword

Korean Assassin Tournament (1.2)

YouTube - Aion KOR - Assassin Tournament

Top tier group PvP video from Assassin PoV (watch in HD it's great quality--second half is cleric)

YouTube - [ AION ] No.3_TICTACS vs .......... (RVR)




YouTube - AION: Introducing the Assassins









_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_
Contributors & Sources: I'd like to give a special thanks to the following.
The whole Aion Armory staff - Thanks for compiling and maintaining such a useful tool.
r0yc3 - Insight and links
Xenobius - Pattern icon pictures
elliot - Useful 1.5 stigma article
That's Too Bad - Advanced stigma list, crit change clarifications, links.
HellBound - 1.5 Translation page
Ryizzel - Question contributor