Syd's Shadow Sutra: An Assassin Almanac

Welcome~! Obsydianyte here, but most of you know me as Syd, or Oby. Either works! But enough about me, let's get down to why you're here. You want to learn some Assassin Arts! Of course you do; who wouldn't want to be someone whom is sleek, chic and trs magnifique! But like I said, enough about me!

Use this guide to gather information you don't know, expound upon or verify what you already DO know or just as a fun read if you're bored. It's for the MNC community to use as you like!

However, I do request that if you are to use an excerpt of text or any of my edited images that you do so only with my permission--I worked really hard on this, and I don't want to see any of its content stolen and/or plagiarized. Other than that, you can use this however you like.

It is the request of the author that readers refrain from fornication to this material.

Table of Contents - Detail Digest


0} Table of Contents - Detail Digest (You're here, silly!)
1} Introduction - Sneak into the Shadows
2} Pros and Cons - Risk vs. Reward
3} Weapons and Bot - Assassin's Arsenal
4} Skills - Artful Abilities
5} Endorsements - Sponsor Slots
6} Builds - Strategic Skillsets
7} Tactics - General Gameplay
8} Match-Ups - Oust Opponents Over Ominous Odds (or, Pesky Pros)
9} Credibility - Voluminous Validity
10} Appendix - Great Guides Galore!

Introduction - Sneak into the Shadows

Silent, stealthy, swift, and...sexy? The Assassin is the only female competitor in Monday Night Combat. Despite this, she has garnered respect (or fear) in the eyes of her fellow Pros. No one really knows what she looks like behind that mask, but then again, when you're spending most of your time on the business end of a three-foot blade, your assailant's appearance probably the last thing one would worry about.

She's indubitably one of the more challenging classes to play properly and effectively. I emphasize both of these terms because most players are either one, the other, or neither. Notable Assassins must be both. With a multiple jobs, a high learning curve and lowest number of players to have actually mastered that curve (except perhaps Sniper players), Assassin is definitely an intricate class.

Even in light of this, she is the least worrisome of all the classes due to the sole fact that a myriad of the playerbase that attempt to play with her do so abhorrently. This guide is here to help exclude you from that group.

Pros and Cons - Risk vs. Reward

Benefits
{+} Viably the most mobile Pro in the game
{+} One-hit KO capabilities
{+} When certain conditions are met, Criticals are self-guaranteed
{+} Viably the fastest Juice-builder in the game barring taunting under fire
{+} Quickest Reload on both weapons barring Endorsements (Blade needs none)
{+} The ability to blind foes
{+} Bot spawns in swarms
{+} Expeditious default Rate of Fire
{+} Ammunition ricochets
{+} Very quick cash accumulation
{+} Able to access higher platforms without the use of jump pads
{+} Damage is increased if done from the rear (also applies to Bots)
{+} Thin target
{+} Difficult to headshot
{+} Multiple jobs: adapt to the situation

Deficits
[-] A carelessly discarded pebble can kill her
[-] A still-present bug can sometimes cause Smokebombs to fail--more common when Host
[-] A still-present bug can sometimes cause lunges to fall short or not happen at all
[-] A still-present bug can sometimes cause "Stutterstep": while Dashing the Assassin's movement is slow and glitchy
[-] Very easily crowd-controlled
[-] High learning curve
[-] Primary weapon depends on life-threatening close combat
[-] One little mistake can cost your life
[-] Disarmingly detectable to trained eyes and ears
[-] Multiple jobs: expectant teammates

Weapons and Bot - Assassin's Arsenal

The Kunai Blade

The Kunai is the Assassin's primary weapon. It is short and pointy. Professionals strongly advise against running with them. But you're an Assassin--and as such, a rebel.

This weapon's primary fire is a slash. Horizontal, vertical, diagonal--whatever direction she slashes, it hurts. It is a melee weapon that requires no aim. Well, basically none, unless you like cutting air. Aim your blade at the target, of course.

The Kunai's secondary fire is a grapple. If you grapple the opponent from the front--which is ill-advised, I'll add (but it CAN happen by accident)--you will gracefully flip onto his or her shoulders and shove that dagger into the foe's face, nonchalantly hopping off after the fact. If you grapple from the back (well done!), you will adapt a strong stance, plunge your blade into the helpless victim's spinal cord, and effortlessly cartwheel away with your tool as they lie in anguish. However, if your target happens to be a fat cow (lookin' at you, Tank and Gunner), you will instead plant your hands on their attractively broad shoulders for leverage before leaping with your knife in toe (zing) and piercing their thick skulls, springing off afterward.

Naturally, a blade doesn't need to be reloaded. Unless you have a chainsaw gun. I would like to see that. Pressing reload with your Kunai equipped allows you to perform a Lunge that covers a nice distance--if it doesn't fail. Following this leap forward, you will slash upward, taking out a chunk of health from anything that happens to be in the way. However, bear in mind that if you do lunge into something, that something will stop you--you don't lunge past it. This technique is a great opener for a grapple attack, and since it covers a lot of distance (except when it fails), it's great for traveling, too.

If you press the right analog stick like a button, you will perform a melee attack. There is more than one animation for this--the Assassin will do a fancy flipkick in either one.

When your Passive skill to Level 3, you trade your admittedly dinky little dagger for...

The Katana Blade



This weapon is a lot more amazing than my crudely self-made depiction of it. For one, its range is much longer than your three inch dagger. The damage it deals is significantly increased, as well. You will want to get this as soon as clonely (humans in the future? Forget those meatsacks) possible.

Primary and secondary fires are the same as the Kunai, but stronger and fancier. If you grapple from the front, you will perform three elegant slashes to the foe which I like to call the Dragon's Dance. Of course, you'll have to call it something else. My name is patented. If you grapple from the back, with a stylish sweep kick you will trip your target before spinning up and thrusting your tool into the enemy's face.

Meleeing is the same as with a Kunai.
Reload will still lunge.

The Shuriken Launcher

The Assassin's secondary weapon which I have affectionately dubbed "The Shuri-gun". It's a lot more than just a garish bracelet, and comes equipped with thin steel stars that will shred through anything that has the bad fortune to be in their path.

Primary fire...well, fires. Stars will spray within the reticule, which, at its wonderfully small size, means that you will pretty much shoot them in a precise line. The shuriken have a decidedly quick rate of fire and the remarkable ability to bounce off of walls--use this to your advantage if you can learn how. However, though they FIRE fast, they don't TRAVEL as fast as bullets do. Because of this, shooting while strafing alongside your target is a good way to make sure they all connect.

The stars themselves don't do impressive damage on their own, though, if you want to deal the hurt, make sure the whole clip connects. This should be the tool of choice for taking out turrets and firebases. Only use it to kill Pros if they are already in the red and you're too far away to finish the job with your blade, or if the Pro is stationary (examples include deployed Tanks and Gunners, an EXTREMELY hardscoping Sniper, enemies caught in ice traps).

Secondary fire, as with all secondary fires on secondary weapons, is a grapple. It's quite the uncharacteristically comical action: if you grapple from the front, you will jump onto your opponent's shoulders and pound them in the face with a few punches. If you grapple from the back, you will bend your victim forward onto their knees, climb onto their exposed back and...

Slap them upside the head.

If you like to humiliate your opponents, get them with this type of back-grab. Unless of course, the target needs to put down the fork. If that's the case, you'll trip the fatty and land a swift kick to his face--not quite as embarrassing.

Meleeing is the same as with the blades.
Pressing the reload button will let you reload your bracelet--er, launcher.

Gremlins


Gremlins are your little devious helpers. I like to think of them as my children, and I love my children~ They share some abilities with the Assassin--they can cloak, they slash at things, and they are clad in sexy skintight jumpsuits. ...Oh wait, sorry, that's just the Assassin.

Anyway, they are what you call Elimination bots. There are two types of Bots, see. Breach bots that focus on munching on the Moneyball's membrane and Eliminator Bots that pummel Pros to a pulp. Scramblers, however, fall under neither category, being identified instead in some cases as a "Denial Bot". However, without this special nomenclature the Scramblers still are known as Breachers. But we're not here to talk about those butterflies or the sniveling capped coward to which they belong.

Being Eliminator bots, Gremlins head straight for any blood they can find. As soon as they spawn in their group of four, they beeline to the nearest Pro and start gauging eyes, clawing knees, and rending flesh. If there aren't any enemies to sate their bloodthirst, they'll take out their rage on turrets. In the unlikely event that there are neither Pros to reach nor turrets to ravage, they will target the Moneyball.

It is a practiced technique to summon a group of these baddies and Cloak yourself, walking along with them. Many players don't think twice about finding an Assassin in a cluster of Gremlins. Imagine their surprise when they are confronted by a pack of Gremlins only to find you in them as well! However, this practice is anticipated a lot more, now, so keep that in mind if you plan to employ it.

Skills - Artful Abilities

Now that we've gone over the tools of the trade, let us review the tricks of the trade.

Passive - Assassin

This should be THE first (if not one of the first) things you upgrade at the start of the game. It increases the clip size of your Shuri-gun, and decreases fall damage you take, which is pretty keen because normally you'd break your ankle just just by stepping out of your spawn.

Buying Level 3 Passive trades your Kunai for a Katana and negates all fall damage. As such, Passive 3 will be the first maximum upgrade you'll want to achieve.

X Skill - Dash

If nothing else, the Assassin can be broadly stroked as a ninja. Ninja are fast. Ninja are nimble. This is where Dash comes in. It lets you dart around at not-quite-lighting-but-faster-than-you-normally-run-so-it's-still-useful fast speeds.

Each upgrade extents how long you can Dash, and how quickly the ability recovers after you use it. I recommend leaving it at 2 unless you're playing on a large map like Grenade III, in which case, it'll be one of the last max-outs you should buy.

You can use this ability while Cloaked, but be wary--you kick up a trail of dust in your wake that can give your location and bearings away.

Y Skill - Cloak

Ah, the Cloak. It's probably the most misused of the Assassin's skills. A lot of people think it's free pass to jack around, doing whatever you want and not get caught. Well, it's not, and this is why.

The Cloak emits a quite obnoxious hum that's easy for trained ears to pick up on. Because of this, it's wise to uncloak when sneaking up behind an enemy so they won't know you are there.

The Cloak also shimmers if you even so much as wag a finger. The color of this waver is dependent on your team--Hotshots shine a brilliant orange, Icemen gleam a radiant blue. In fact, people can even see you Cloaked when you're standing still. The thing is--you're not transparent. You're TRANSLUCENT. Understanding this is key in utilizing Cloak properly. True invisibility can, however, be obtained when certain conditions are met.

Leveling this ability up will increase how long you can stay Cloaked, how close you have to be to a person to be seen while Cloaked, and how fast the ability recovers after using it. Once you reach Cloak 3, standing still while Cloaked will grant you benefits: slow regeneration of the ability while in use and true invisibility. However, people can still HEAR you.

Another benefit you obtain from Cloak 3 is that when coming out of said Cloak, the first second of fire from your Shuri-gun will be guaranteed Critical shots. If you have enough Rate of Fire (via Endorsement), this can mean your whole clip will be full of Criticals. Rumor has it that the first slash out of a Level 3 Cloak is critical as well.

Bear in mind that if you are set on fire by an Assault's Bomb, a Tank's Jet Gun or other means, Cloaking will NOT help you. If you Cloak while on fire, not only will the skull-scorching flame give you away, but it'll also reveal the eye-catching outline of your camouflage, leaving you lit up brighter'n Las Vegas on the 4th of July.

B Skill - Smokebomb

Viably the most unappreciated of the Assassin's skills, though I have noticed that more people have discovered it's usefulness. It has the ability to blind anything hostile--be it Pros, Bots or Turrets (the machines are actually paralyzed)--but I, personally, love to use it as an escape tool.

For a short period of time, jumping after the use of a Smoke Bomb will increase your jump height exponentially. Be careful, though, not to try Bomb-jumping while under a bridge or some other platform--you'll just bonk your head on the ceiling. However, remember that I said "for a short period of time." If you act quickly, you can maneuver yourself from under the cover and soar away. Keep in mind that takes a bit of practice to learn how small a window of time you have.

Here's an interesting tidbit to know as well, using the Smokebomb as you're being charged will negate being knocked away. Some speculate that this is only at Level 3, but I have seen and done otherwise.

Speaking of upgrade, each time you level it up, the speed of its regeneration increases, as does the radius in which it can cause blindness; however, the duration of the blindness stays the same.

Endorsements - Sponsor Slots

So, now that you know what you can do, let's enhance how you can do it. Endorsements can boost your potential by quite a hefty amount if you use them correctly. Let's go over the which Endorsements best suit the Assassin. We'll just cover Endorsements and their usefulness for now--we'll look at builds later.

Armor
Arguably the best Endorsement for the Assassin. Without even a hint of armor, you're frail enough to die from a BlackJack's melee or a couple of Slim lasers. Or, you know, that pebble I mentioned earlier.
Suited for: Gold, Silver

Clip Size
Not really useful for an Assassin since she can already up her Clip size on her own. However, if you excel at using the Shuri-gun, or choose to make that your main weapon instead of the blades, it's worth a little consideration.
Suited for: Bronze

Critical Shots
Suggested only for those who are proficient in the Shuri-gun. Of course, with Cloak 3 you pretty much have self-guaranteed Critical Shots, but only for a second. How would it feel to have 3 or 4 extra crit shots after that? Combine Cloak 3 and a Crit Shot Endorsement to find out.
Suited for: Bronze

Health Recovery
It's always a pain waiting for health to come back. After all, you wanna be in the action all the time. Staying in one spot all the time is for skinny little high-pitched yellow-bellied lily-livered four-eyed codpieces. You have too much to do to even think about waiting to recover. To get your kick back sooner, try a Health Recovery Endorsement.
Suited for: Silver, Bronze

Juice
Ordinarily, I would say "Next." and move on. However, it has been brought to my attention that Juice as an Endorsement is actually useful. I know, right? See that pig with wings? However, it only benefits those with free Custom Class slots that are willing to devote one of those slots to an Overtime-only Assassin build. If that's you, step up! Even though in Overtime you spawn with Baconesque stats, for whatever reason if you equip Gold Juice during OT, you'll spawn with anywhere between half or nearly a full bar depending what your other equipped endorsements are! Useful for turning the tide, but again, it costs a custom class slot--not really worth it if you'd like to use it for something else, as the Assassin gains Juice in a snap anyway.
Suited for: Gold (In Overtime Only) -None- otherwise.

Rate of Fire
Rate of Fire vies with Armor for top Assassin Endorsement, and I wouldn't count it out of that competition. The higher your Rate of Fire, the more slashes you can do per second. You'll cut down Pros and Bots like horrific split ends in an awful hair-don't. Shuriken will rip through the fabric of space and time itself. Or that Deployed Gunner's polished melon.
Suited for: Gold, Silver

Reload Speed
Laughably useless on the Assassin, as she already has the fastest reload time of both Primary and Secondary weapons. Don't even think about it. ...Stop thinking about it!
Suited for: -None-

Skill Recovery
Quite useful. Remember that if nothing else, the Assassin can be described as a ninja. Ninja are nothing without their skills! That can be said of the Assassin as well. While you may not use them all the time, it's good to have them ready when you want them. There's nothing worse than trying to escape a cavalry only to find your Smokebomb isn't there. Dead Assassin? You betcha.
Suited for: Silver, Bronze

Speed
By default, this is the Assassin's Gold Endorsement. I suppose it's pretty helpful if you want to start quick right off the bat. However, seeing as you can increase your Speed anyway with random pickups you get from killing Pros, this probably isn't something you should invest in unless you really want to.
Suited for: Bronze

Weapon Accuracy
One of the less useful Endorsements to consider, as your reticule for the Shuri-gun is already pretty small and the blades don't even have one. I'd suggest just waiting until Overtime for increased Accuracy rather than using a slot for it.
Suited for: -None-

What you consider putting where is only relevant until you have Bacon, which gives you a Gold Endorsement in EVERY property. Once you die, however, you lose that Bacon and its effects. Be cautious. That said, pick up ANY Bacon you can. Ever. Even if it means lunging off the map with it--because that means that the enemy doesn't have it.

Builds - Strategic Skillsets

I'll list builds used by notable Assassins here. I claim by no means that these players (excluding myself) have coined these builds, but it has been noted that they use them. Utilize as skeletons for your own skillset, or hey, blatantly cookie-cut them. It's a free country.

BoltAktion: Armor / Rate of Fire / Health Recovery
PU5H: Armor / Rate of Fire / Clip Size
Rev Rabies: Armor / Rate of Fire / Skill Recovery

Notice that I excluded myself from the players whom I note claim the listed builds as their own. This is because my build has pretty much been declared my trademark by consensus. It's been shrouded in mystery for the longest time--until the game was made so that Endorsements of your killer are shown, anyway. Even still, I've been constantly asked what Endorsements I use, and here now, I reveal my skillset to you. Be warned: It's nothing special. It's just weird.

Obsydianyte: Armor / Skill Recovery / Health Recovery

How you use these builds is up to you. One can lead a horse to water, but cannot make it drink.

Tactics - General Gameplay

The object of the game is to down the enemy team's Moneyball, and now that you understand what you can do, and how and with what you can do it, let's dive into what you SHOULD do with what you CAN do. Confused? You should be; there are many facets to the job of an Assassin. Let's straighten them out.

The first thing to do once any game starts if you want to play Assassin well is... Pick the Assassin class, duh.

After that, you should consider what skills to purchase once the bout commences. Most people start out with Passive - Assassin and Cloak, Passive - Assassin and Dash, or just plain Passive - Assassin.

Whatever you choose, Passive - Assassin will be the FIRST skill you want to upgrade to max. To make things simpler, let's lay out a Buy Order Skeleton. This is subject to preference, mind you. The standard buy order should go something along the lines of this.

Passive - Assassin 2 (Optional: Dash 2 or Cloak 2)
Passive - Assassin 3
Cloak 2 (Cloak 3 if 2 and Passive - Assassin 3 are already obtained)
Dash 2 (if not obtained)
Smokebomb 2

Dash and Smokebomb 3 are optional. If you find yourself sitting on a wad of cash, go ahead and upgrade them. I find Dash 3 is useful for zipping across large maps like Grenade III.

Since that is now out of the way, time to get into the nitty-gritty of the match.

The Assassin is a Bot-Pushing class. As such, it is YOUR job to make sure that A) Your Bots get into the enemy base to tear down their Moneyball and B) none of the enemy Bots sink their teeth into yours. The Tank will happily help you do this if there is one on your team. Let's briefly skim over the Bots you'll face.

Slimbots
Weak, frail, and laughable. Because of this, dying from one is one of the most humiliating ways to leave the physical plane. They spawn in a small crowd and die easily. Dispatch with a slash.

Black Jacks
Pack a considerably strong laser, and a mean left hook that can knock you off the map if you're unlucky. They spawn in gradually increasing swarms. A lunge and a few slashes should do the trick here.

Buzzers
Laugh at them. When they're not busy flying uselessly into walls, they are too distracted by other Pros to even think about coming at you. There's always a chance you're a target, though, so if you hear their distinct buzzing, Cloak in case and they'll leave you be. They spawn in swarms.

Gremlins
Enemy Gremlins are pests. They spawn in swarms. Dispatch them at once. They have strong, gut-mutilating claws that make mincemeat of you if you get caught in a Swarm. However, they're pretty fragile. A few slashes will do the trick.

Gap Shots
These are annoying. If you hear or see their air missiles, seek them out and take them down because they cause much more trouble than they are worth if left unattended. They spawn alone, though many Supports tend to buy multiple Gapshots at once.

Scramblers
They spawn in a pair. These Bots at first glance may seem like a joke, but don't take them lightly. Their skill-draining ability is no laughing matter to an Assassin, especially when they come out of nowhere to eat your brains just as you need to Smokebomb away and laugh derisively as you perish to gunfire. A lunge will usually get the job done.

Bouncers
PRIMAL KILLERS. Obliterate them. They are incredibly bulky, so it'll take a lunge or two and a few slashes to take them down. However, if the situation is dire (I.E.: You're in the red and a Bouncer comes along like HAYGURLHAY), grapple the crap out of them--it takes them out instantly. They spawn alone, and even on their own on Spunky Cola Arena.

Jackbot XLs
Nightmares. They spawn alone, but as soon as they do, they become EVERYONE'S center of attention. What spotlight whores. They are clunky, chunky, and a little bit funky. Dodge its Buick-sized photon blasts to go around and deal all your damage to it from the back where it is increased. As soon as you see one lift its fist, jump. It will slam the ground, causing a massive shockwave that could very well ring you out. NEVER GRAPPLE A JACKBOT XL UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. This will leave you exposed to more cutlery and cannonade than a ship harboring the heart of Davy Jones in the port town of Tortuga. A suitable situation to grapple would be if The Jackbot XL is at the doorstep of your base and the Moneyball is on the verge of going down. An interesting thing to note is that once a Jackbot XL spawns, no other Bots will for a set period of time. Use this time to buy Gremlins and catch your foes off guard.

But Bot-Pushing is not your only job.

As the most effective Pro in taking out enemy machines, it only stands to reason that you should be focused on Turrets as well. What kinds of turrets are there, you ask? Well I'm glad you did! That means more talking. And I love to talk.

LazerBlazers
These may be small, but they do the trick. If you're in the red, and escaping, there they are to pick you off. Smart players will taunt in front of a carelessly built LazerBlazer to build Juice (which will be explained later), but SMARTER players will build one just to bait you into taunting and kill you. Be cautious. If you let a LazerBlazer get to Level 3 and a Support is smart enough to hack it to 3.3, take it out immediately, as it will then pose a moderate threat.

Long Shots
Not many people build these, but if they are ever on the field, it's basically free money. Take them out with some slashes. Easy. Be careful that you don't let them get upgraded and hacked, however. They'll be an actual problem, then.

ShaveIces
These pretty little snowcones are one of your worst enemies. Take them out as SOON as you can. Do NOT let them get upgraded or hacked, because they will slow you down and reveal you if you're Cloaked via a frosty aura, which take away your two main assets: stealth and speed. They are heavily armored, so have a friend help you take them down or Juice and obliterate them.

Rockit Turrets
These can be considered Boss Turrets. They are heavily armored and pack a wallop. Destroy them as soon as scientifically possible, because if they are upgraded or hacked, or upgraded AND hacked, they will pose an immense threat to not only you, but your team. Shurikens dispatch them from a safe distance, slowly but surely unless a Support is babysitting it. Juice pretty much makes them a pushover unless they are 2.3 or higher. Simply Juice up, blind them with a smokebomb and slash away.

Firebases
A Support's pet. They are meddlesome, can crop up anywhere, and are real threats to your team. It is dangerous to take them out with blades. As such, use your Shuri-gun to destroy them from a distance. If a Support is babysitting it, aim for the Support and kill the Firebase once the Support is dead. If you can't do that with stars, either have a teammate help you or wait until you get Juice and blind and destroy the Firebase.

Bear in mind that all turrets have a line of sight. As such, position yourself to be shot by as few as possible. Turrets cannot shoot through other turrets, so use that to your advantage.

Since you know about machines that can hurt you, let's talk now about machines that can help you: namely the Ejectors and the Annihilator.

Ejectors
The Ejectors are your best friend. For a measly 50 dollars, a seismic pulse will catapult anyone caught in its radius in a trajectory relevant to their location in that radius--most likely resulting in a Ring Out. I can't stress enough how much I LOVE Ejecting people from the ring. It's one of my favorite things to do. Another interesting thing to note is that unless it is overhealed, a Support's Firebase can be destroyed by an Ejector if he is silly enough to place one within its area of effect.

The Annihilator
As the one of the (if not THE) most mobile Pro, it's YOUR job to be on the lookout for the Annihilator. Always have cash on hand for it. It costs $250, so it's pretty pricey, but well worth the spend. It destroys ALL enemy Bots on the field and injures all enemy Pros. That said, DON'T let the other team have it. Even if it costs you your life, you better get those plump buns to that Annihilator ASAP. If for some reason you don't have the money for it as it's about to come up, let your team know. This way they won't be expecting you to get it and won't complain when you don't. A helpful teammate will gladly get it instead if he or she can.

Once your Bots are in the enemy base and the Moneyball is down, KEEP it down. Whittle away at its health every once in a while to make sure it never goes back up. Finishing it off right away makes for a very short game, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it's more preferred by any player that you spend more time in the game than you do waiting in the lobby.

Destroy the Moneyball when the time is opportune. But whatever you do, don't let it go back up.

Sounds like a lot to do, right? Well, every now and then, you'll need a little boost. It's not steroids exactly, but it might as well be. I speak, of course, of Juice.

Juice is pretty simple, so I'll only skim it. You build Juice easily by hacking bots. You can also gain it from picking up the little purple boxes. Alternatively, you can buy Juice for a whopping $500 at any Spunky Dispenser that isn't recharging. Buying Juice even if you don't need it is a good way to deny enemies of it. However, leave this to your teammates, as you should save your cash for other, more important things.

You can also acquire Juice by taunting in front of a LazerBlazer--or anything that shoots you, really, but LazerBlazers are the safest thing in front of which to do so. This is because if you are hurt while Taunting, you get beaucoup Juice to compensate for and damage you might take. This is apparently to reward you for Taunting under dangerous circumstances.

Once you have Juice (however you earn it), go in and tear down everything you can--focus on Turrets and hack down any Pro that gets in your way. Leave as soon as your Juice reaches a low level, because if you're caught in their base when it runs out, chances are you won't make it out alive.

Now you know what to do. Communicate with your teammates, get those Bots in, down enemy Bots and Turrets, mind the Ejectors, keep a hawk eye on that Annihilator, keep that Moneyball down, and you're crazy when Juiced. What's stopping you now?

Everyone else.

Match-Ups - Oust Opponents Over Ominous Odds (or, Pesky Pros)

The enemy Pros aren't just going to sit back with a pina colada and watch your sexiness tear down their base. They're gonna wanna cop a feel. With their bullets. Whether you'll survive or not is up to you, but here are some things you should know about how you stack up against certain foes. Bear in mind that it is generally the best idea--and STRONGLY recommended to skedaddle if a Pro knows you are nearby. This section assumes that either you have the advantage or no one does. This section also assumes that you are facing only one opponent.

It is strongly recommended that you pick your fights, because you can. Off hindered enemies, single out loners. "Assassinate" doesn't mean "publicly attack a bunch of people at once." Use your brain.

Never be afraid to run at even the slightest hitch. If you're in the red, don't even engage anyone. Don't try desperately to kill your opponent if you fail. Get out of there; don't linger. As I've said before, pride is no good if you're dead.

vs.
The Dark Diva. The Shadow Sister. That Freaky Three-Eyed Ninja Chick. Whatever you call her, her lethal array of skills makes her a hazardous foe. Or not.

Enemy Assassins are either dumb as a doorstop or as pesky as you are (which in some cases can coincide). They have all the abilities you do, but perhaps different Endorsements.

Despite this, treat all Assassins the same. Assassinate them before they Assassinate you. If you miss, jump immediately. Remember that Lunge-Grappling is an excellent technique in taking down Pros. A fully upgraded Passive - Assassin will take out any Assassin from behind, and leave them in the red from the front. Utilize lunge.

Pro Behavior: Assassins tend to camp with Cloak 3 on Ejectors. Be careful when approaching one to activate--use your ears. Often times when you are chasing one, she will duck behind a corner. Don't follow. She's waiting to lunge-grapple you. Instead, Smokebomb away to an Ejector--more likely than not that corner happens to be affected by it.

vs.
The Assault is the VIP of all the Pros. He gets Duck A L'orange for breakfast, Fillet Mignon for lunch and fried chicken for dinner. However modest he may be, he will not stand in your way.

However, he is not to be taken lightly. He has so many ways to throw you out of the ring that I'm surprised he doesn't think you're a basketball. Listen for the beeping or watch for the sporadic dancing of his bombs. Once detonated, set you on fire (and send you flying). Look out for his Charge. It'll send you flying. If he has max Charge, he'll grab you and uppercut you, which'll send you flying. If he BLINKS he'll send you flying.

His Assault Rifle can tear through you. Be careful. Always attempt an back-grapple (Henceforth known as Assassination). Good Assaults will be jetpacking around once they know you're there. If this is the case, leave them alone and go somewhere else. Often he is trying to bait you into a trap. However, some Assaults either just jetpack backward, or hover in place. Under this circumstance, you CAN jump and slash at them, but watch for the bomb throwing animation.

Fun fact: Continuously jumping and slashing is known as "butterflying" or "dancing." I will use either of these terms to refer to the technique from now on.

Pro Behavior: Assaults seem to have the habit of traveling in pairs or groups of three. Avoid these gangs at all costs. Stay outta da ghetto, sistah.

vs.
The Big Kahuna. The Sweet Bruddah. The Gentle Giant. Airhead? This Hawaiian may be adorable, but he's no one to cross. Those miniguns will absolutely rip you to dark, ninja-y shreds if you get caught around him.

Gunners are super easy targets to anyone, fortunately for you. The thing is to get the drop on them. As soon as they know you're there, they will either attempt to ring you out via a Slam or start hopping around like rabbits on crack.

If the latter is the case, back off. He'll keep jumping around shooting the ground for a good two or three minutes before he realizes you're gone--time that will both allow you to get something done somewhere else and distract him from his objective.

Assassinations usually kill. Be wary if you accidentally grab them from the front--jump immediately if they survive. Predictable Gunners will Slam, unpredictable ones will attempt to Grapple. Either can be avoided by jumping. Be careful--smart Gunners will wait for your jump before acting. If in doubt, use Smokebomb.

Once you jump his Slam or Grapple, dance. This is to avoid any future grapple attempts or to catch him in the air if he's jetpacking.

Down Deployed Gunners from afar out of their range of rotation with your Shuriken Launcher.

Pro Behavior: Be on the lookout for the Gunner on a Leash combo--that is, a Gunner with a creamy thread up his butt, courtesy of the Support. Said Support will be following the Gunner closely, overhealing that Hawaiian out the wazoo. To approach this pair, take out the Support and get away. Leave the Gunner to your teammates, or, during your escape, position yourself out of the Gunner's reach and shoot stars into that bruddah.

vs.
Snipers are boisterous, loquacious, and are prone to cowardice. They scream like girls and are thin as a stickbug. However, despite all this, for some reason, he's lovable to the point of irresistibility.

And it is for that sickening fact that he must die.

Snipers tend to camp WAY in the back of their base. Few Sniper players actually step foot out of their boundaries. Use this to your advantage.

The first thing Snipers usually max out is their Passive to acquire explosive shots. This makes pushing Bots extremely difficult, because if they're firing into a mass of Bots that you're trying to either escort or take out (explosive rounds affect Friendly AND Hostile Bots), unless you act fast, you're pretty much dead. This is another reason to target any Snipers on the other team with prejudice.

Ice traps are your mortal enemy. They completely rob you of EVERYTHING you have. Being surrounded in ice crystals steals your stealth. Being frozen to the spot thieves your mobility. The draining ability that for some reason or another this magical ice seems to have will snatch away your skills. Avoid these at all costs.

If you DO get caught, melee like crazy. It will move your head so that it'll be harder to nail a headshot. However, be wary. Smart Snipers will, instead of going for a headshot, sprinkle you with SMG bullets as they move closer to you. When they get close to you, they will try to grapple you. If you notice them approaching, MASH that alternate fire--you may luck out and get a kill. However, SOME Snipers will SMG shower and throw a Flak to add fireworks to that sprinkle. The method below can help minimize damage from that--but don't bank on it. It's a pretty deadly combination. The best way to evade it is to dodge traps entirely.

It is a notable technique to use Smokebomb while you are trapped to reduce any damage you take. However, don't always count on being able to do that--the traps may have drained that skill and any time spent mashing the button and wondering why nothing is happening could be costly.

How can you avoid the traps, you ask? Well, they emit a obnoxious hum. Not only that, they glow faintly on the ground. Not only THAT, but they are usually in predictable places. Snipers usually surround themselves with them--one at the summit of each jump pad that leads up to their location (usually two in total), and if they have a third one they'll place it either in front or back of their person.

But aha! You don't NEED jump pads to reach that sniveling pencil of a man. Utilize that Smokebomb! But be observant. While you're in the air, you'll have to act quickly. First, make a note of where the traps are. Then, make a note of where they are NOT. Land in the latter space and act from there. Of course, only land behind him. If you can't, don't land near him at all.

It is a good technique to first use one Smokebomb to gather his trap layout, go do something else while the skill recovers and then come back to Smokebomb again and land in a premeditated spot.

However, this takes more time, during which that Sniper can have accomplished a lot. Practice analyzing and landing all at once.

Pro Behavior: Snipers sometimes throw their traps in front of turrets to catch you when you're taking them down while Juiced. More often than not, you'll be frozen JUST out of range being able to slash the turret. Cloak immediately if this happens so you aren't shot to death by it. However, being frozen at all in the enemy base usually means imminent death. Also, since Snipers don't tend to make a lot of money just staying in one spot (or if the player is just a butt), most will taunt after EVERY kill. Easy target? You bet.

vs.
Ah, the clown of the game. I love the Support so much. He's funny, charming, and huggable, but a nuisance. A chubby little nuisance.

The Support comes with a Heal-Hurt gun. Laugh at it and Cloak. It can't harm you while you're Cloaked. Proceed to kill unless he switches to his Shotgun, explained below.

I have already explained his Firebase before, but I'll reiterate it here. Take it out. As soon as possible. If he's babysitting it, take him out first if your efforts to take out the base are being undermined by his constant healing.

That said, there are two other things you should watch out for when attempting to Assassinate a Support. The first is his shotgun.

Mama Mia will that thing tear you apart. Two or three shots is enough to send you on your way. But it has a short range, and he hardly ever has it out. He's too busy healing. If you go to attack him, watch him closely. If you notice his gun flip, back off. He knows you're around and has switched weapons. He will also switch to his shotgun (if it's not out already) after a failed face-grapple kill. Get out.

I have noticed that the Shotgun fires a skosh downwards. Either this is intended, or a lot of Support players have really bad aim. If you should ever fail to kill him and he whips out his Shotgun, jump backwards. This will more likely than not result in you avoiding the first shot completely. After you land from this jump, escape immediately by any means necessary, which you should have ample time to do since the Shotgun fires like once every ten years without Endorsements.

Another thing to look out for is the Support's Air Strikes. These beams of light may look very pretty, but the phrase "don't go into the light" applies to more than flies and people losing consciousness. That ray actually happens to be a beacon, produced by a tiny, circular device that the Support throws. It summons a missile of questionable size and origin from the very heavens themselves (or Subcon), to land precisely in that spot, devastating anything that's caught in the radius of its blast. They kill in one hit, unless you are on the very VERY edge of its explosion, in which case a good (at least) 70% of your health will be gone.

The Air Strike will not only have that signal beam to give it away. It sounds a distinct, oscillating tone that is easily heard. The closer you are to the point of impact, the louder the sound will be. As soon as you hear it, lunge in ANY direction to get the heck outta dodge. Just...be careful not to lunge off the map or into enemy territory.

Protip: Speaking of lunging and Air Strikes, I have found that if one is attached to you, if you lunge at JUST the right time, you can dodge the missile. It is not instant impact--the missile takes time (however little) to fall. Knowing this, it is possible to time a lunge so that you can avoid the strike.

Another way to avoid an Air Strike that is attached to you is to hide under a bridge or some other form of cover. The Air Strike can't strike you if you've a roof over your head--instead it will hit the cover above you.

Pro Behavior: Supports tend to hop around wherever they go, truly emulating the Italian plumber to which he seems to be so akin. This makes it hard to Assassinate them. Just time it. Supports will also, instead of Shotgunning you, attempt to attach an Air Strike to you after a failed facegrapple, and in your panic, gun you down. Be careful.

vs.
Billy Mays is no laughing matter at all, so I won't even both making quips about him. Oh, did I make one? Well poop.

The best way to counter Tanks is to dodge them entirely. Don't even think about THINKING about confronting a Tank. But just in case for whatever reason you encounter one, here are some things you should look out for.

His Death Blossom. This sensitively (read: girlishly) dubbed attack is a roaring tirade of fire and ash, and will burn you to a crisp rivaling that of a delicious strip of Bacon. Look out for his Jet Gun in general, because if you are caught in the wake of its flame, you will be set ablaze and left to incinerate, and dying to fire is quite demeaning.

His Charge. It will not only knock you away like the frail woman you are, it will cripple your health. Maxed out, the charge not only knocks you away, but you are also rooted to the spot on which you land for a few seconds. Most Tanks will take advantage of this and obliterate you with his Killer Pansy. I mean--Death Blossom.

His Product Grenades. Being Billy Mays, he likes to pummel you conspicuously with advertisements. If you are hit by one of his sticker bombs, you will be blinded by his ostentatious Endorsement banners. Smokebomb immediately and use peripheral vision (the edges of your screen) to see as you get away.

The Tank has the strongest armor in the game. This means that if you are to target a Tank at ALL, his health better be at most 75%, or else all you'll do is get yourself killed. ALWAYS attempt Assassinations preceded by a lunge.

Pro Behavior: Tanks have a unique ability. By upgrading their Passive ability, they automatically recover all of their health from ANY level of damage, as well as gain a bit of armor. As such, Tanks will conserve this upgrade until they are on the brink of death, then use it to regain all of their health on the spot and proceed to mow you down with their beards of justice. This technique is called a "Clutch Passive." Supports can also pull this off, but only if they are upgrading from Passive 2 to Passive 3. Tanks have TWO Clutch Passives. Be very careful.

So now you know what you're up against. Remember that it is ill-advised to confront a foe for too long. Get in, get out, be on your way.

Credibility - Voluminous Validity

So after reading all that, you're probably wondering who I am to tell you what to do. Well, first, haha, I'm only offering tips and pointers. You can do whatever you like--I'm only trying to help you out.

But any old schmoe can can write a guide, right? Well, I can assure you, I'm not just any old schmoe. I played Assassin exclusively until my first All-Star rank and continue to main her beyond even my second. I've built up quite the reputation if I do say so, myself. But if you don't believe me, listen to these testimonies!
Please Note: These are the views and opinions of the poster in question and not necessarily the opinion of the author of this guide.

(The above statement was made before I first reached level 99, obviously, haha. Dunno who Murdok is, though. >.> )

That's right--I was ASKED to write this guide!

Willing to listen to me now~?

It is at this time that I'd like to take the liberty to thank everyone for their kind words and compliments, without which I would not have been motivated to write this Guide. It's through your encouragement that I was able to better myself as a player.

I'd live to also give special thanks to Bolt and Rev, whom walked me through my baby ninja steps before I grew to become the Assassin I am today. Which honestly, I don't think is THAT impressive, but I'm working to set an example for those newbie Assassins!

I'd also like to give special thanks to Uber Entertainment for producing this game, without which none of us would even be here. Thanks for creating such a promising game that has brought many players together the world over! Keep on keepin' on~!

Thank you all!

Appendix - Great Guides Galore!

That said, if you still don't want to take MY advice, there are plenty of other places that offer infomation, tips, and tricks on the Assassin. Here are but a few places where you can check that out. Shameless advertisement, go!

BoltAktion's Assassin Compendium
Rev Rabies' Pitgirl's Nemesis Returns!
HI I'M SNARF's Assassin Guide
Jackal Queenston's Poison in a Killer's Sketchbook (PC Guide)
Marmalade's Advanced Guide [Assassin] (PC Guide)

And for a list of Guides that cover other topics, such as how to play other classes, general strategy, and more on Endorsements, check this thread out.

Well, that's all, folks! I hope that you have gained something by reading this Guide. I thank you very much for choosing my Shadow Sutra for either your learning needs or reading pleasure. I hope you found it both entertaining and educational.

Any input is welcome and encouraged. I'd love to know what you think of this Guide. If there is anything I failed to cover, please let me know and I'll add it into the Guide posthaste!

I'll see you around the forums!

Syd~<3

Amazing Almanac!

Very well done.

:mrgreen:

Jesus.

I'll read that when I'm not suffering from sleep deprivation, k?

Thanks Zombie!
Either you read fast or you just wanted throw out the compliment before you buckle down, haha.

BAhaha, I understand fully, Psycho. I kinda put my foot into this Guide, haha. It took me a total of a day and a half to make with no sleep inbetween.

For just this moment of time the heavens opened up thus allowing us to...damn it I lost it. I was trying to make it sound good but no good.

Syd, AMAZING guide. I did read all of it, yet, but I love the formatting and just the added flair of yours.

My guide has been need of finishing/updating and I think this was just enough to inspire me to finish it.

Again great guide. Your playstyle, imo, is a true Master Assassin.

DAYUM!

Probably the most detailed, longest guide I've read to date from this forum about any class.
Whilst Assassin is my least favorite class, I have been recently trying to get better and use her more. I will certainly bookmark this thread and apply it to my play when I play her. I think I will read it in more depth too once I go to bed.
Very well done.

I read it just the style and humor

At first I saw the word Sutra so I got turned on. Then I scrolled down the wall of text and got turned off. Great guide though, very well organized and has cute little pictures and colors to keep people from getting bored. Just wait till my assassin guide though.. I just went 13-10-0 not upgrading anything, just spawning gremlins

I'll be anticipating it, DeadEye, haha.
And then I can stick it in my Appendix.

Hopefully that won't make it burst.

Great guide. One thing I would add though.

You're saying juice endorsement should NEVER be used. However, I disagree.

Having an extra profile with juice/x/x can be very useful if you die during overtime. Just switch to the profile and you'll spawn with almost full juice.

Absolutely fantadtic, syd!

I'll add that in, then. Thanks for your input!

Thank you, Greg~! x3

All endorsements become gold in overtime anyways.

It's been verified that for whatever reason that Juice endorsements can effect the amount of Juice you spawn with at Overtime.

Don't worry, I actually looked into it, haha.
It seems that with a Gold Juice Endorsement equipped, instead of half a bar full, you can spawn with a random amount between 50% and 80% depending on what the other Endorsements you have equipped are.

I have witnessed the power of science and am in awe.

Thank you for making this guide. It might actually make assassins not be my second most killed class when I play sniper.

Some advice on the player matchups though. I main sniper, support, and gunner. When I play sniper, assassins usually hate me. One of the things I like to do is lay my freeze traps in a really long strip. When the assassins come after me, they will typically try to lunge at me and get stuck in one or two of my traps, at this point I switch to my SMG and flak them. Even Gold armored assassins die if I execute this tactic. When assassins go for my jackbots from the back, they are still affected by the exploding bullets, but they are harder to notice. They still typically die anyway.

When I play support I get a ton of kills on assassins. If the support is standing next to his firebase, take the firebase out first. If you don't kill the firebase first, it will shoot you in the grapple, which will lead you to your death 75% of the time. If you cannot kill the firebase, just run away and come back later. Another thing that you might want to add is that you can take out an unattended firebase by cloaking, then smoke bombing next to it, then slashing it to death. This makes killing the firebases much easier and faster. You can also smokebomb the firebase, kill the support, then try to run away if the firebase is attended.

Assassins used to give me the hardest time when I played gunner. I recently have been trying some new tactics as gunner that give me an edge against the average assassin. My first tactic is strafe shooting. If I think there is an assassin near an ejector or in my general vicinity, I will shoot in random patterns to expose them. If I hear a cloaked assassin. I bunny hop a few times, then I randomly throw in a slam or two to daze and expose them. A bot pushing trick I use to counter assassins is mortar the enemy bots through my own bots. Mortars will actually shoot through friendly bots. If an assassin gets near my bots, they are hit by the mortar and they will be exposed. They are usually dead soon after that.

Thanks for your input, but the Guide pretty much addresses those issues.

When addressing Snipers, I made sure to state the fact that you'll need to assess the layout of his traps before striking. I offered two ways to do this--immediately, in which case you'd bomb up and analyze the layout on the way down toward the Sniper, or passively in which case you'd bomb up once, learn where the are, and come back later to strike. However, you do bring up that I didn't mention the Flak. I'll fix that.

I made it clear to stay far away from Firebases as soon as I address them. I state that slashing them down is dangerous and punctuate that by recommending that one shoots them from afar.
Readers should gather that I don't suggest grappling near a Firebase, but I'll make that more clear if it's necessary.

I do say that you can blind Firebases and destroy them, but that requires being close (to execute the blinding), which is dangerous. To counter the danger I suggest Juicing before worrying about blinding.

It's generally better to take out the Support before the Firebase, because as long as the Support is there, the Firebase will be too. While the Support is respawning you can notify your team of his status away from the thing and try and get someone to help you take it out without the pesky Italian breastfeeding it.

As for the Gunner, I explicitly stated that you need to get the drop on them, and that if they know you're there, to back off. The situations you're describing say to me that you know they are there, meaning that if they are following my advice, they won't be for long.

I don't think I've read a "Pro Behavior" section in a guide yet. A great addition.

When I play sniper, I constantly change location and trap layouts, any good sniper will. It is very possible to take down a firebase unjuiced with your dagger or Katana. The key is to approach the unattended firebase while cloaked (firebases won't shoot you while you are cloaked), then smoke bomb it while cloaked. This will expose you, but it only takes about 5-7 slashes to kill a firebase. You will kill it before the bomb wears off. I as a support rarely attend my firebase. I watch assassins do this all the time to rocket turrets as well. You do realize that you can destroy a firebase faster than a support can heal it? It will take more time, but it is worth it in some situations.

Before I end this post, I would like to give a tip for all of you assassins out there. It only takes about two crit clips of shrukens to take out a gold armor deployed gunner.

Right. Because those layouts are constantly changing, it's good to always check before striking.

It is very well known that Shuriken does more damage to the Firebase than the sword. This makes it the optimal weapon to take it out. I didn't say it was impossible to slash it down--I just said it's better to do it with stars.

I also know it's possible to destroy a Firebase while a Support is healing it. However, Supports tend to upgrade and hack their Firebases before Air Strikes now that the missiles have been nerfed. I have learned through personal experience (as in, I have PLAYED Support enough to know) that if a Firebase is at least Level 2.2, it will take more than just one person to take it down if a Support is overhealing it, and since it's possible to have a Firebase that strong right off the bat, I find it's generally better to take out the Support first.

Not only that, but spending all your time trying to destroy a Firebase while a Support is babysitting it means that you're not using your time wisely. Focusing too much on one task (Tethered Firebase destroying is quite time consuming) means you've lost time you could be using to accomplish your objective.