[2.4 Assassin] Viper Strike Build Fast, Fun and Cheap to Start [Video Guide]
 This is a build with a fun, fast, high damage play style. It is a true melee build jumping into the middle of enemies destroying them with a series of critical strikes. Any survivors have the horrible fate of slowly dyeing to deadly poison that spreads through their ranks like a plague. Any Damage that manages to make it through your high evasion is quickly recovered by leaching life from the same monster that dared damage you. Here are some of the details of the build: Videos Assassin Skill Tree
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Leveling Skill Tree
Full Assassin Skill Tree Jewels For the Jewel sockets you want Ascendancy Class You want to grab Noxious Strike, Toxic Delivery, Unstable Infusion then Deadly Infusion Bandits Help Oak Kill All Help Alira Gear/Links
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How to Find Weapons
For the main weapon you want the highest physical dps weapon you can find. Two main ways to find one are: http://poe.trade/
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You can find cheap weapons on poe.trade by looking searching generic 1h melee weapon under type and setting a max price you want to pay under misc buyout max (i would recommend 5-10c). After clicking search click the number under pDPS. Scroll down from the top until you find a sword, dagger, or claw. Once you find one that you want click whisper then go into game and click the chat and press CTRL V and you will whisper the person to buy their item
Self Found
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The main thing to do is figure out what types of weapons can be good for you then pick up every weapon like that and id it too see if it is better then yours. To quickly check just look at the physical % roll or added physical roll if one is high then you can take it too your sharpening wheel and if you have levels in Vagan you might be able to add some physical %, added physical, or attack speed.
Some of the yellow items too look out for are: Eternal Sword Tiger Hook Jewelled Foil Dragoon Sword Throat Stabber Hellion's Paw Eye Gouger Imperial Claw Gemini Claw Terror Claw Ambusher Ezomyte Dagger Imperial Skean Sai Code to make them show up with a blue border in your loot filter
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Show
BaseType "Tiger Hook" "Jewelled Foil" "Dragoon Sword" "Throat Stabber" "Hellion's Paw" "Eye Gouger" "Imperial Claw" "Gemini Claw" "Terror Claw" "Ambusher" "Ezomyte Dagger" "Imperial Skean" "Sai" "Eternal Sword" SetBorderColor 0 0 255 Main Hand: Off Hand To shield or not to shield?
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After trying both i recommend using 2 weapons.
By equipping 2 weapons you character gets 10% more attack speed, 15% block chance, and 20% more physical dmg. The word more is very important because it multiplies not adds to your other stats. A shield gives you MASSIVE amounts of evasion because of the nodes on the tree that increase the stats given by shields. Also the shield gives you around 30% block. Offhand has to be a dagger to use the dagger nodes on the tree. Critical strike chance is the most important stat, if you can try to get 8% or higher. The main link setup is: I switch out added chaos dmg and inc aoe when needed. Last slot is Void Manipulation Support on 6 link. Utility Links For rares you are looking for mostly resists, life and evasion. The power Charge on Critical strike on the helmet is how i keep up power charges. Jewelry Jewelry is resists, life and physical dmg. Critical strike multiplier stat helps A LOT if you can get it. For flasks this is the set up i have Leveling
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Skill Tree
While leveling skip the critical strike nodes and the area around vaal pact until later in the game. Also wait to spec any critical strike or frenzy charge nodes until later in the game. Last nodes i got were the dagger critical strike nodes. Gear Gearing this character is easy while leveling you are just looking for resists, life, and evasion on your armor. Keeping your weapon near you lvl is the hardest part but if you ever can't find one poe.trade usually has some good weapons for very cheap. Some tips for leveling are: Use a mana potion in normal Use Blaspheme and Poacher's Mark until you get mana leech and life leech is very cheep and will carry you until you can get a lighting coil. Last edited by Rumdum#5389 on Sep 25, 2016, 6:23:24 PM Last bumped on Feb 23, 2017, 8:19:24 AM
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Patch 2.1 Edits
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edit 1: did a big edit fixing all the sections and adding a dps section
edit 2: added some leveling skill trees edit 3: did a small change to the skill tree get another growing agony jewel in Patch 2.2 Edits
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edit 4: i put my planed builds for ascendancy up
edit 1: updated the skill trees for the new patch edit 2: added some tips for finding a weapon edit 3: added 2.2 Raider Viper strike Build Video edit 4: updated the raider skill tree edit 5: updated the skill tree for assassin and the gear section edit 6: updated the gear to make it more clear the aura set up is vulnerability and grace for assassin edit 7: added a raider skill tree for using a Shield edit 8: added flasks too the gear section and made some other small changes edit 9: new forum post for raider only added vaal pact back to the skill tree edit 10: added a video for assassin in 2.2 and updated the dps edit 11: added a new link setup for the head armor that is a lot of fun :) edit 12: changed the skill tree and recomended jewels Patch 2.3 Edits
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Did the small change to the skill tree more updates as i play it later in the league
Patch 2.4 Edits
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Removed the raider and dps sections. Added a new 2.4 video guide. Updated the skill tree and added a leveling skill tree. Many smaller changes.
Last edited by Rumdum#5389 on Sep 25, 2016, 6:26:21 PM
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where is the video ?
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hi link was broken fixed it. ty for pointing it out did not even notice D:
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Nice build !
I have a few questions: How do you sustain mana? And why do you link with increased area of effect? Does it increase the aoe of melee splash? *new* |
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Hi,
Thanks glad you like the build! I sustain mana while lvling by using blasphemy linked with poachers mark and before that with mana pots mostly but once you get the dullest mana leach node you can sustain off of that .4 % or u might need one more. (This leech node but still follow the skill tree i have posted :) Increased aoe does increase the aoe of melee splash. I mostly have that linked because for the maps i am doing now my dmg is so high that i do not need added chaos dmg. Hope that answers your questions :) Last edited by Rumdum#5389 on Jan 15, 2016, 5:54:07 PM
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Im currently in act 4 normal and i gotta say, this is the most fun ive had with a melee character. I started with a few levelling items and some elreon rings and 'went to town' as they say. Rushed through content so i was always 3-4 levels below the area and switched to a 5l chest as soon as i could (just happened to be a solaris lorica).
My current setup (in standard league act 4 normal): Just hit level 31 after killing Voll - looking forward to adding blasphemy and multistrike xD |
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Hi glad you are liking the build! Gear looks good and once you get blasphemy with poachers mark and multi strike you might not need the Elreon jewelry any more. Also i like the build the most once i got multi strike :) Enjoy!
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" haha i'll be needing them for a bit longer it seems ;) Just threw on a tabula, so now im running a 6l setup. Still dual wielding, but now im using Mightflays. Use Hatred + blasphemy & PM for trash and Hatred + HoA for boss fights. Damage is very nice (4.6k on viper) and survivability is decent - only 1k life, but whirling blades gets me out of trouble :P Godless three & Malachai down @ lvl 38 with 1 death at Malachai (poor pot management). Quickest ive done them :) Current gear (about to start act 1 cruel): |
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that's some nice stuff :) if you are looking for some more random thing to put in slot you could get a vaal grace or vaal double strike bro if you like minions. Grats on Malachai gl in cruel :)
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