Post by nessalin on Sept 7, 2013 17:51:26 GMT -5
* Consider getting a ranger to at least the ten day mark before attempting an assassin. If you have trouble reaching that milestone, you haven't yet developed the focus needed to play a (sometimes city-bound) assassin.
*Make sure to buff up your character's combat skill to the point where you can surpass a newbie warrior before settings out, ideally in a clan such as the Byn. Your new assassin will be somewhat vulnerable.
* Sneak and hide will be somewhat useless to you until they are operating at a high level of quality. Practice these skills religiously while you are buffing up your character.
* Backstab will need a ton of work before it will be moderately useful. Don't neglect the throw skill.
* Keep a low profile. Subtlety is everything.
Thank you for taking an interest in playing an assassin. Assassins are hands-down my favorite guild to play. Assassins have the advantage of being a zero-karma guild, which means that you will be under a lot less staff scrutiny while playing one than you would be with any of the guilds that require karma. Additionally, if you are playing from a shill account, the assassin guild will be available to you from the outset, something handy if you are either a prolific cheater or a new player. When making an assassin, make sure to choose strength as either your best or second-best stat. Strength will become an important factor in both the success of the throw and backstab skills. Neither are essential but both are enjoyable aspects of playing the assassin.
New assassins are vulnerable characters. Their combat abilities typically begin lower than a warriors or a ranger's. They don't begin the game with a bunch of flashy spells. The skills that they start with don't present any immediate benefit to would-be benefactors in the way that a ranger's or a merchant's do. Putting them through the training of a sponsored clan (as described in my warrior's guide) will therefore be important.
Regarding starting equipment, you will probably want most of the same stuff that a warrior or ranger carries, except for armor. I recommend that assassins go somewhat lighter in armor. Covering for the head, neck, waist and body is recommended once you develop the means to purchase them. Assassins will want to be under most circumstances light on their feet.
A word about blades – you are probably better off practicing piercing weapons, since that is what you will primarily be using. But a bit of subtlety is advised. You will somewhat limit your access to cool plots and role-play opportunities if you are the guy wandering around with the knife belt and the black clothing and the black face paint. As a general rule, I would avoid advertising the fact that you're an assassin to anyone unless you already have a good relationship with them, can count on their discretion and can reasonably expect them to afford your rates. Contract killing is typically seen as a commodity. A reputation of any sort as a contract killer is not desirable. The sole exception to this is Tuluk, and it surprises me that more players don't take advantage of the fact that it is possible to operate openly in Tuluk as a successful licensed criminal.
I mentioned above that assassins are my favorite guild, but it is not for assassination purposes that I find them so interesting. Rather it is the fact that they like rangers are diverse. Assassins are also very well-rounded. In essence I usually play assassins as though they are commandos, not as hit-men. I recommend that you choose one of the sub-guilds that give you direction-sense. If you build your character right, you will get someone who has a very dangerous blend of both urban and rural combat skills. This is what I think makes an assassin better than a warrior. Warriors are good at tanking, typically in rural environments, but assassins have skills that will make them much better at tactical missions, or especially in scenarios of asymmetric warfare.
And so you've rolled up your assassin, and you've played a few years in training in one of the guilds, and now finally you have your freedom. What next? There are two skills you'll want to build early on. - throw and backstab. People tend to underestimate throw, but it is often more lethal than backstab. Javelins are a personal favorite of mine for throwing purposes. I usually keep a bag of them handy on my mount in case I plan to take out a particularly dangerous monster.
The backstab skill seems to confuse a lot of players. Try to get the idea of the one-hit-kill (sometimes abbreviated OHK) out of your mind. One-hit-kill are cool, but are unreliable and it is unclear why so many people are obsessed with them. If you must kill someone in an urban setting, poison or thrown weapon methods are preferred. Alternatively, consider partnering with another assassin and softening a target with a couple of thrown blades. Then, attempt to both land backstabs at approximately the same time. The one-hit-kill is tricky and unnecessary.
Training backstab itself seems to present a quandary for many players. Confusion on what methods staff will allow seems to prevail, perhaps since staff tolerance for the different methods varies by staff, changes over time and is otherwise inconsistent. One method I have found to be universally acceptable, is to alternate between training on victims in the Labyrinth and wild animals. I have never had conflicts with the staff about this, across several administrations, provided that I made no more than two practice attempts per real life day, and am always careful to garnish these attempts with plenty of emoting and use of the think command. It is worth noting that while some players have had limited success improving the backstab command on a friend, other players have had problems with staff on this or else worry that they will accidentally kill their friend during practice.
It is in a rural environment where the backstab command truly shines. A couple of times I had a spear with the 'stab' capability and this allowed me to level the playing field in fights against either hostile PCs or tough monsters. Please read my guide for rangers about advice for wilderness survival.
No doubt it will come as disappointing to some players that assassins are not fantastic, especially through the mid-game, at conventional James-Bond style assassination, but if you really want to play this sort of character you are probably better off playing a ranger or one of the more dangerous elementalists. In any event, I advise against taking contracts from the sponsored game clans. The leaders of the clans will be loathe to deal with you until you have proven yourself, and even then they are cheapskates. If you must pursue contract killing, independents usually have a lot more money and are less likely to treat you like they own you.
What to do with your assassin after you've buffed him up? Your assassin will never really need any fancy equipment. I suggest maybe teaming up with a couple of rangers to make a super group, or else advertising your services discretely to people as a sort of wandering spy, enforcer or commando. Thank you for reading and please don't hesitate to post any feedback or contact me with questions.
Happy hunting!
*Make sure to buff up your character's combat skill to the point where you can surpass a newbie warrior before settings out, ideally in a clan such as the Byn. Your new assassin will be somewhat vulnerable.
* Sneak and hide will be somewhat useless to you until they are operating at a high level of quality. Practice these skills religiously while you are buffing up your character.
* Backstab will need a ton of work before it will be moderately useful. Don't neglect the throw skill.
* Keep a low profile. Subtlety is everything.
Thank you for taking an interest in playing an assassin. Assassins are hands-down my favorite guild to play. Assassins have the advantage of being a zero-karma guild, which means that you will be under a lot less staff scrutiny while playing one than you would be with any of the guilds that require karma. Additionally, if you are playing from a shill account, the assassin guild will be available to you from the outset, something handy if you are either a prolific cheater or a new player. When making an assassin, make sure to choose strength as either your best or second-best stat. Strength will become an important factor in both the success of the throw and backstab skills. Neither are essential but both are enjoyable aspects of playing the assassin.
New assassins are vulnerable characters. Their combat abilities typically begin lower than a warriors or a ranger's. They don't begin the game with a bunch of flashy spells. The skills that they start with don't present any immediate benefit to would-be benefactors in the way that a ranger's or a merchant's do. Putting them through the training of a sponsored clan (as described in my warrior's guide) will therefore be important.
Regarding starting equipment, you will probably want most of the same stuff that a warrior or ranger carries, except for armor. I recommend that assassins go somewhat lighter in armor. Covering for the head, neck, waist and body is recommended once you develop the means to purchase them. Assassins will want to be under most circumstances light on their feet.
A word about blades – you are probably better off practicing piercing weapons, since that is what you will primarily be using. But a bit of subtlety is advised. You will somewhat limit your access to cool plots and role-play opportunities if you are the guy wandering around with the knife belt and the black clothing and the black face paint. As a general rule, I would avoid advertising the fact that you're an assassin to anyone unless you already have a good relationship with them, can count on their discretion and can reasonably expect them to afford your rates. Contract killing is typically seen as a commodity. A reputation of any sort as a contract killer is not desirable. The sole exception to this is Tuluk, and it surprises me that more players don't take advantage of the fact that it is possible to operate openly in Tuluk as a successful licensed criminal.
I mentioned above that assassins are my favorite guild, but it is not for assassination purposes that I find them so interesting. Rather it is the fact that they like rangers are diverse. Assassins are also very well-rounded. In essence I usually play assassins as though they are commandos, not as hit-men. I recommend that you choose one of the sub-guilds that give you direction-sense. If you build your character right, you will get someone who has a very dangerous blend of both urban and rural combat skills. This is what I think makes an assassin better than a warrior. Warriors are good at tanking, typically in rural environments, but assassins have skills that will make them much better at tactical missions, or especially in scenarios of asymmetric warfare.
And so you've rolled up your assassin, and you've played a few years in training in one of the guilds, and now finally you have your freedom. What next? There are two skills you'll want to build early on. - throw and backstab. People tend to underestimate throw, but it is often more lethal than backstab. Javelins are a personal favorite of mine for throwing purposes. I usually keep a bag of them handy on my mount in case I plan to take out a particularly dangerous monster.
The backstab skill seems to confuse a lot of players. Try to get the idea of the one-hit-kill (sometimes abbreviated OHK) out of your mind. One-hit-kill are cool, but are unreliable and it is unclear why so many people are obsessed with them. If you must kill someone in an urban setting, poison or thrown weapon methods are preferred. Alternatively, consider partnering with another assassin and softening a target with a couple of thrown blades. Then, attempt to both land backstabs at approximately the same time. The one-hit-kill is tricky and unnecessary.
Training backstab itself seems to present a quandary for many players. Confusion on what methods staff will allow seems to prevail, perhaps since staff tolerance for the different methods varies by staff, changes over time and is otherwise inconsistent. One method I have found to be universally acceptable, is to alternate between training on victims in the Labyrinth and wild animals. I have never had conflicts with the staff about this, across several administrations, provided that I made no more than two practice attempts per real life day, and am always careful to garnish these attempts with plenty of emoting and use of the think command. It is worth noting that while some players have had limited success improving the backstab command on a friend, other players have had problems with staff on this or else worry that they will accidentally kill their friend during practice.
It is in a rural environment where the backstab command truly shines. A couple of times I had a spear with the 'stab' capability and this allowed me to level the playing field in fights against either hostile PCs or tough monsters. Please read my guide for rangers about advice for wilderness survival.
No doubt it will come as disappointing to some players that assassins are not fantastic, especially through the mid-game, at conventional James-Bond style assassination, but if you really want to play this sort of character you are probably better off playing a ranger or one of the more dangerous elementalists. In any event, I advise against taking contracts from the sponsored game clans. The leaders of the clans will be loathe to deal with you until you have proven yourself, and even then they are cheapskates. If you must pursue contract killing, independents usually have a lot more money and are less likely to treat you like they own you.
What to do with your assassin after you've buffed him up? Your assassin will never really need any fancy equipment. I suggest maybe teaming up with a couple of rangers to make a super group, or else advertising your services discretely to people as a sort of wandering spy, enforcer or commando. Thank you for reading and please don't hesitate to post any feedback or contact me with questions.
Happy hunting!
