Hassan's Assassin

[nokowi]

I think the U23 Fanged Gloves would work better in your set-up.

[CThruTheEgo]

I think the U23 Fanged Gloves would work better in your set-up.

I see some benefits, but why do you think so?

[nokowi]

I see some benefits, but why do you think so?

Better augment slots.

Having the 20% miss chance would also allow you to slot a 45 HP concordant opposition or 45 HP radiance guard boots for your set-up. This assumes you are willing to equipment swap for displacement clickies.

I'm not sure if blurry is currently a separate effect from smokescreen, as I have been told by some that blur spell stacks with smokescreen item. This needs some testing. If they do both apply, you would use your set-up with epic fanged gloves to get both blur/smokescreen effects.

[CThruTheEgo]

Better augment slots.

Having the 20% miss chance would also allow you to slot a 45 HP concordant opposition or 45 HP radiance guard boots for your set-up. This assumes you are willing to equipment swap for displacement clickies.

I'm not sure if blurry is currently a separate effect from smokescreen, as I have been told by some that blur spell stacks with smokescreen item. This needs some testing. If they do both apply, you would use your set-up with epic fanged gloves to get both blur/smokescreen effects.

I'm already running out of things to slot, so one more slot really isn't needed. Something fairly useless and nonessential would just end up there. 20% concealment is on the Shroud of Ardent already, so it's not needed on the gloves or the GS. I just haven't bothered to change what type of GS boots I have yet.

Blurry and smoke screen both provide 20% concealment and concealment bonuses don't stack. I've not tested this, but these effects have been around long enough that somebody would know by now if they did stack, so I think it's safe to assume they do not. If you do test though, let us know what your results are.

The strongest reason to go with the Fanged Gloves imo, is their availability. They're much easier to acquire than a set of EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist. But I already have the EE Illusionist's Gloves, so this factor doesn't really matter for me. If you've already got the EE Illusionist's Gloves, then the Fanged Gloves aren't needed. But for anyone who has neither, the Fanged Gloves are definitely the way to go.

[Calaquende]

Boots: GS HP Smoke2 boots with resistance ritual (45HP/dex skills6/blur/displacement clicky x2/alchemical saves1)

This is a fantastic road map and while I'm no where near this I've been using it as a guide. Thanks for putting it together. That being said, how do you put the Resistance Ritual on boots? According to http://ddowiki.com/page/Resistance_Ritual, ""Jewelry" means goggles, necklace, ring, bracers or trinket." What am I missing?

[CThruTheEgo]

This is a fantastic road map and while I'm no where near this I've been using it as a guide. Thanks for putting it together. That being said, how do you put the Resistance Ritual on boots? According to http://ddowiki.com/page/Resistance_Ritual, ""Jewelry" means goggles, necklace, ring, bracers or trinket." What am I missing?

That's just a copy/paste error. Thanks for pointing it out. I'll update the OP soon.

I'd favor the goggles or trinket for the resistance ritual because both of those items are likely to be in use for a long time. Intricate Field Optics is one of a few sources of insightful int 3 and Epic Litany is just too good overall. The way loot has developed in the last several updates, it is quite possible that something will come along that makes these obsolete. But at least for now those items are ideal for their slots imo, unlike the other items that you can put the resistance ritual on, which are more expendable.

EDIT: The Field Optics also have a lower min level (assuming it's not raised by augments), so if you plan to TR/ETR, I'd go with those.

[nokowi]

I'm already running out of things to slot, so one more slot really isn't needed. Something fairly useless and nonessential would just end up there. 20% concealment is on the Shroud of Ardent already, so it's not needed on the gloves or the GS. I just haven't bothered to change what type of GS boots I have yet.

Blurry and smoke screen both provide 20% concealment and concealment bonuses don't stack. I've not tested this, but these effects have been around long enough that somebody would know by now if they did stack, so I think it's safe to assume they do not. If you do test though, let us know what your results are.

The strongest reason to go with the Fanged Gloves imo, is their availability. They're much easier to acquire than a set of EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist. But I already have the EE Illusionist's Gloves, so this factor doesn't really matter for me. If you've already got the EE Illusionist's Gloves, then the Fanged Gloves aren't needed. But for anyone who has neither, the Fanged Gloves are definitely the way to go.

If you are providing a guide for others to use, it might be best to show your ideal set-up with options, and then people can use whatever they can find. You may not need augment slots, but someone following your build may not have all the gear yet and the Epic Fanged Gloves would be a much better option, both for ease of finding and for augment slots. If you are trying to help other people achieve a build, I would not minimize the importance of extra augment slots. As further examples of how augment slots are useful (beyond while still acquiring gear), you may think Str is a dump stat, but your jump skill may not be 40 when sneaking. Slotting a +8 Str augment, and a +2 Str augment would help to stay in sneak during difficult jumps. +2 Dex augment is +1 AC and helps you to save vs knockdown (an Int rogue weakness). Having extra augment slots is beneficial for the reasons stated above IMO, and not something to dismiss lightly.

I believe you disagree by your statements, and I am not trying to convince you of anything. I do want readers to have an alternate opinion.

[CThruTheEgo]

PRR augments and the bonus from planar focus of power add to PRR, but not to MRR.

FYI, this is incorrect. Confirmed in game that PRR augments apply to both PRR and MRR. Planar Focus of Prowess only applies to PRR, not to MRR.

[nokowi]

FYI, this is incorrect. Confirmed in game that PRR augments apply to both PRR and MRR. Planar Focus of Prowess only applies to PRR, not to MRR.

I tested both of these so they may have done a stealth fix. PRR augment does now add to MRR. Planar focus of prowess is as I stated.

[nokowi]

I tested both of these so they may have done a stealth fix. PRR augment does now add to MRR. Planar focus of prowess is as I stated.

Leave it to Turbine to make a specific effect (Sheltering) that affects both PRR and MRR, and then have PRR effects that sometimes effect MRR and sometimes don't.

Maybe they will rename the PRR augments Sheltering Augments. I hope for this change in another stealth update.

[Calaquende]

That's just a copy/paste error. Thanks for pointing it out. I'll update the OP soon.

I'd favor the goggles or trinket for the resistance ritual because both of those items are likely to be in use for a long time. Intricate Field Optics is one of a few sources of insightful int 3 and Epic Litany is just too good overall. The way loot has developed in the last several updates, it is quite possible that something will come along that makes these obsolete. But at least for now those items are ideal for their slots imo, unlike the other items that you can put the resistance ritual on, which are more expendable.

EDIT: The Field Optics also have a lower min level (assuming it's not raised by augments), so if you plan to TR/ETR, I'd go with those.

Thank you for the clarification. It's not too hard to put a Resistance Ritual on something, so if the item is already BTC then there's no real downside.

By the way, I'm shortly going to have Insightful Int 3 on a level 24 Spyglass. That's pretty easy to grind out. It's also on the Helm of the Blue Dragon and Planar Focus, but the Field Optics are nice.

Anyway, while your gear is obviously maxed out, grinding out all that level 28 gear is not going to be easy. I'm wondering what your optimal gear set would look like at level 27, and how different that would be from what you've got above. My guess is that would be a lot easier to work towards.

[CThruTheEgo]

By the way, I'm shortly going to have Insightful Int 3 on a level 24 Spyglass. That's pretty easy to grind out. It's also on the Helm of the Blue Dragon and Planar Focus, but the Field Optics are nice.

Anyway, while your gear is obviously maxed out, grinding out all that level 28 gear is not going to be easy. I'm wondering what your optimal gear set would look like at level 27, and how different that would be from what you've got above. My guess is that would be a lot easier to work towards.

I don't try to find optimal gear setups for anything lower then a final level 28 gear set because an optimal set may include gear that is just as difficult to obtain, and the gear set you actually use is heavily dependent on the gear you already have or pick up along the way. I'm also not into ETRing, so there's little reason to try to optimize before a final set. But I can offer some suggestions for alternative gear.

To boost assassinate, there are only 5 pieces of gear to choose from. +4 assassinate is available on the Mythic Muffled Veneer (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) which is nothing more than a luck based grind, and Dark Diversion which will most likely require 20 completions of Temple of the Deathwyrm to acquire. +2 assassinate is found on the shadar-kai starter ring and requires you to be shadar-kai, Epic Midnight Greetings (from the epic House D chain) which is also a luck based grind, and the Epic Muffled Veneer (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) which is the easiest of all these options to acquire. If you have none of these, I'd recommend going for the Epic Muffled Veneer. You can farm the ENecro chain on normal for a chance to find it in the chain reward. Epic Midnight Greetings is a great item to have since it's useable at level 20, but you could go through several epic lives without ever getting all the pieces to craft it, that's just the nature of a luck based grind.

You've already mentioned the alternatives for insightful int 3.

Another trinket worth considering is the Manual of Stealthy Pilfering from Haunted Halls. And another helm option is the Dragon Masque from Fire on Thunder Peak, but that's also raid loot.

The black dragonscale armor is a good option before shadowscale armor. Coupled with the helm, you get a nice set bonus for a rogue.

The Epic Fanged Gloves (from epic Temple of Vol) offer +11 int and are much easier to acquire than the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist. There's also the Epic Eye of the Beholder (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) for int 11.

Lower level versions of Consuming Darkness are a fine substitute until you get the EE version. You can also use Epic Mentau's Goggles (from epic Fleshmaker's) for seeker 10 and exceptional seeker 2.

The Skirmisher's Bracers (from Army of Shadow end reward) offers doublestrike 8. And the Guardian's Ring (from the Stormhorns chain reward) offers PRR/MRR 24.

Lootgen of course offers some good options as well and can be used to fill in the gaps.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Perhaps others can offer some suggestions that I've missed. You'll notice some of these are easy to obtain while others are not. Unless you plan on doing a lot of ETRing, I wouldn't spend the time trying to develop and acquire the optimal gear set before a final one, since you'll likely spend just as much time acquiring the final gear set and may quickly outlevel the lower level stuff. For me, any gear set before the final one is a continuous work-in-progress. I just put together the best gear set that I can with what I already have and incorporate what I pick up along the way. I'm still working on acquiring the gear set listed in the OP so my current setup is in transition.

I know that's not a complete setup but I hope it helps.

[Calaquende]

To boost assassinate, there are only 5 pieces of gear to choose from. +4 assassinate is available on the Mythic Muffled Veneer (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) which is nothing more than a luck based grind, and Dark Diversion which will most likely require 20 completions of Temple of the Deathwyrm to acquire. +2 assassinate is found on the shadar-kai starter ring and requires you to be shadar-kai, Epic Midnight Greetings (from the epic House D chain) which is also a luck based grind, and the Epic Muffled Veneer (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) which is the easiest of all these options to acquire. If you have none of these, I'd recommend going for the Epic Muffled Veneer. You can farm the ENecro chain on normal for a chance to find it in the chain reward. Epic Midnight Greetings is a great item to have since it's useable at level 20, but you could go through several epic lives without ever getting all the pieces to craft it, that's just the nature of a luck based grind.

You've already mentioned the alternatives for insightful int 3.

Another trinket worth considering is the Manual of Stealthy Pilfering from Haunted Halls. And another helm option is the Dragon Masque from Fire on Thunder Peak, but that's also raid loot.

The black dragonscale armor is a good option before shadowscale armor. Coupled with the helm, you get a nice set bonus for a rogue.

The Epic Fanged Gloves (from epic Temple of Vol) offer +11 int and are much easier to acquire than the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist. There's also the Epic Eye of the Beholder (from epic Ghosts of Perdition) for int 11.

Lower level versions of Consuming Darkness are a fine substitute until you get the EE version. You can also use Epic Mentau's Goggles (from epic Fleshmaker's) for seeker 10 and exceptional seeker 2.

The Skirmisher's Bracers (from Army of Shadow end reward) offers doublestrike 8. And the Guardian's Ring (from the Stormhorns chain reward) offers PRR/MRR 24.

This is great. Thanks for the help! It's very handy to have a list of good stuff as I try to make my way to the "end game" stuff, which is going to take quite a bit of work. A few notes:

• EMG - This worked out quite easy for me. I had the Heroic version, the scroll and the seal lying around, so it was quick work to grind out the shard. I'll work on Epic Muffled Veneer anyway as it'll let me swap weapons. Putting it on, however, will require me to move fortification since that's on Minos.
• Armor - I've got heroic black dragonscale and don't feel motivated to grind out an epic version, mostly because the tier 3 level 24 leather from CC are really good: http://ddowiki.com/page/Duelist%27s_Leathers. With a 24% dodge at level 25 I think I'll be wearing them for a while.
• Int +11 - Those are some good options, especially on the gloves. I think I'll go for Epic Fanged Gloves.
• Consuming Darkness is nice, but I've got my GS HP item on the robe. I think I'm going to have to fix that by moving them to the boots, although it'd be very helpful to put striding +30% on the quiver. That's going to be a grind.

Also, the augments are also problematic since I'll probably want to move them around as I get different gear sets. I suppose with infinite Jeweler's Kits this is not so much of a problem, but I don't, so when I slot something in I'm going to want it to stay there for a while.

I definitely could use a better INT for assassinate. I'm currently at 43. Lvl 24 spyglass will get me to 44. Shadowdancer will get me to 50. A +11 item will get me to 55. I put 2 level-ups in DEX for Impr. Sneak Attack, so a +5 DEX tome (with an LR) would get me to 57. A +6 INT tome (not holding my breath for that) would get me to 60. The last level-up will get 61. 63 with Yugo pots. I think I've got a bit of work in front of me.

My biggest challenge currently, however, is finding room to store all this stuff. My bank currently has 60 BTC items in it! Where am I going to put all of this great stuff when I find it? Unbelievably, I think I'm going to have to be making some tough choices regarding my BTC gear. And I've only had two past lives (both Ranger). Where do people keep all of their equipment when they're TRing through tons of different classes? Perhaps, like you, they just keep the "final" gear and junk most of the rest. This is causing me a lot of concern, however.

[CThruTheEgo]

the tier 3 level 24 leather from CC are really good: http://ddowiki.com/page/Duelist%27s_Leathers. With a 24% dodge at level 25 I think I'll be wearing them for a while.

I forgot about those. They are also a good option.

although it'd be very helpful to put striding +30% on the quiver. That's going to be a grind.

Don't forget that speed also provides striding. The Epic Ethereal Bracers are very easy to get and are min level 27. Except for the raid loot and mythic helms, all of the other U23 items are extremely easy to acquire. You are guaranteed 1 item in your chain reward and occasionally 2 items show up. So you can quickly run the chain on norm for the chain reward.

My biggest challenge currently, however, is finding room to store all this stuff. My bank currently has 60 BTC items in it! Where am I going to put all of this great stuff when I find it? Unbelievably, I think I'm going to have to be making some tough choices regarding my BTC gear. And I've only had two past lives (both Ranger). Where do people keep all of their equipment when they're TRing through tons of different classes? Perhaps, like you, they just keep the "final" gear and junk most of the rest. This is causing me a lot of concern, however.

Heh. I've never been much for TRing and I've wondered this as well. The inventory management mini game is a constant work-in-progress for me.

[Vengenance]

You and Nokowi are both acting like a couple of school children, but even worse since you both should no better.

Cthru: "It was my idea"
Nokowi: "No, It was my idea first"
Cthru: "Na uh, I thought of it yesterday"
Nokowi: "No you didn't, I thought of it first"

And then more of the same...Totally ridiculous. It's a video game and to be honest both of you should be crediting Melkor who really put the Int based rogue on the map. Both of you have good ideas, but this arguing makes you both look like petulant children.

[CThruTheEgo]

You and Nokowi are both acting like a couple of school children, but even worse since you both should no better.

Cthru: "It was my idea"
Nokowi: "No, It was my idea first"
Cthru: "Na uh, I thought of it yesterday"
Nokowi: "No you didn't, I thought of it first"

And then more of the same...Totally ridiculous. It's a video game and to be honest both of you should be crediting Melkor who really put the Int based rogue on the map. Both of you have good ideas, but this arguing makes you both look like petulant children.

Agreed. I have a strong penchant for accuracy, but I've come to realize that when I strive for accuracy with nokowi the conversation inevitably degrades into a childish game of who said what and when. I don't know exactly why discussions between he and I always end up that way, but they do. It's not productive and is a waste of everyone's time. I've decided the best course of action from me is to stop trying to engage him so much. I may provide my own perspective in response to his comments but I won't be repeating myself like a broken record again. Whatever value does come out of our discussions isn't worth the trouble of getting there.

Regarding Mellkor's build, he did present the first int based assassin, but he sacrificed a lot to do it when he did, too much imo. That is the reason why I waited until there were several changes made in the game (dex to damage for example) before I posted my build. Once those changes were made, the int based assassin didn't have to sacrifice nearly as much. Of course with the current state of the game, there is essentially no sacrifice.

[Calaquende]

The Epic Fanged Gloves (from epic Temple of Vol) offer +11 int and are much easier to acquire than the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist.

Another question - Why would you go with EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist over Epic Fanged Gloves? They both have int +11, but the Epic Fanged Gloves also have blurry in addition to two slots, as opposed to just one. And they're ML27 as opposed to ML28. Plus, as you say, they're easier to acquire. I don't see any advantage to the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist.

[CThruTheEgo]

Another question - Why would you go with EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist over Epic Fanged Gloves? They both have int +11, but the Epic Fanged Gloves also have blurry in addition to two slots, as opposed to just one. And they're ML27 as opposed to ML28. Plus, as you say, they're easier to acquire. I don't see any advantage to the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist.

I just already have the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist, that's all. Blurry is already on the Shroud of Ardent so it's redundant (which actually reminds me that it's also redundant on the GS boots and I need to change that). And I'm already slotting useless stuff like proof against poison and disease, so the extra slot isn't really needed. I also don't TR/ETR so the lower min level doesn't really mean anything to me.

If you don't already have the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist, then I'd definitely go with the Epic Fanged Gloves. But if you already have them, then the Fanged Gloves aren't much of an improvement imo.

[Calaquende]

I just already have the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist, that's all. Blurry is already on the Shroud of Ardent so it's redundant (which actually reminds me that it's also redundant on the GS boots and I need to change that). And I'm already slotting useless stuff like proof against poison and disease, so the extra slot isn't really needed. I also don't TR/ETR so the lower min level doesn't really mean anything to me.

If you don't already have the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist, then I'd definitely go with the Epic Fanged Gloves. But if you already have them, then the Fanged Gloves aren't much of an improvement imo.

That makes perfect sense. However, as a "guide" for other people looking to build an assassin like yours (which is what I think you're attempting to do), I'd suggested putting in the 'best' item for each slot, whatever that happens to be as opposed to whatever you happen to have. Sure there's some redundant stuff and some useless stuff, but for people looking to put together a build, the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist offer no advantages and some disadvantages.

[CThruTheEgo]

That makes perfect sense. However, as a "guide" for other people looking to build an assassin like yours (which is what I think you're attempting to do), I'd suggested putting in the 'best' item for each slot, whatever that happens to be as opposed to whatever you happen to have. Sure there's some redundant stuff and some useless stuff, but for people looking to put together a build, the EE Gloves of the Master Illusionist offer no advantages and some disadvantages.

It's a guide for myself as much as it is for others. If I change things too far away from what I currently play, or am building towards, then it becomes hard for me to follow. You'll notice that I have a note at the bottom of the gear section which mentions using the Fanged Gloves instead of the Gloves of the Master Illusionist, so that option is there for those who want it.