The Assassin is one of the well-known and best DPS classes in Diablo. Known for having strong close-quarter abilities and being heavily reliant on traps, the class is great for those players who don’t want to rely on magic. Although the Assassin class was replaced in Diablo 4, you can still recreate the same playstyle using the strongest Diablo 4 Assassin build.
- The top Diablo 4 Rogue Assassin Build, replicating the now-replaced Assassin class from previous Diablo entries, relies on the Rogue class.
- For Basic Skills, prioritize Invigorating Strike for energy regeneration.
- Choose Flurry and Twisting Blades as Core Skills to boost damage via the Combo Point specialization.
- Opt for Shadow Step in the Agility Tree for increased Movement Speed, facilitating easy navigation around enemies.
- From the Subterfuge Skill tree, select Concealment, Smoke Grenade, and Poison Trap to replicate the trap abilities of the typical Assassin class.
- Utilize Shadow Imbuement from the Imbuement Skill to deal Shadow Damage to all foes.
- As the Ultimate Skill, go with Shadow Clone, aligning with the Shadow and Critical Damage theme.
- Specialize in Combo Points and target stats like Dexterity, Intelligence, and Strength for optimal build performance.
Before we get started, here is a quick summary of the strongest Diablo 4 Assassin Build.
| Skill Tree | Suggested Skill |
|---|---|
| Basic Skills | -Invigorating Strike |
| Core Skills | -Flurry -Twisting Blades -Siphoning Strikes |
| Agility Skills | -Shadow Step -Concussive -Weapon Mastery |
| Subterfuge Skills | -Concealment -Poison Trap -Smoke Grenade -Mending Obscurity -Exploit |
| Imbuement Skills | -Shadow Imbuement -Precision Imbuement |
| Ultimate Skills | -Shadow Clone -Trap Mastery -Adrenaline Rush |
| Aspects | -Cheat's Aspect -Bladedancer's Aspect -Aspect of Unstable Imbuements |
| Specialization | -Combo Points |
| Important Stats | -Dexterity -Intelligence -Strength |
Best Rogue Assassin Skills
There are six different skill trees for the Rogue Assassin build. Considering that the Rogue class is quite diverse and can have a mixed playstyle ranging from melee to ranged and trap-based, it is vital to choose the relevant skills needed to depict Assassin-styled gameplay.
Basic Skills
The Basic Skills tree is the first tree you’ll get to mess around with. The skills in the tree can be majorly split between Marksman and Cutthroat skills (essentially ranged and melee skills). We will mainly be interested in the melee skills for our Rogue Assassin build. Here are the two options you can opt for, though we mainly recommend using Invigorating Strike.
Invigorating Strike
Invigorating Strike is a Basic Cutthroat skill that necessitates dual-wielded weapons and delivers Physical Damage. With a Lucky Hit Chance of 50%, it enables a melee attack against an enemy, dealing 23% damage and simultaneously enhancing Energy Regeneration by x20% for a duration of 3 seconds.
The skill incorporates various modifiers that amplify its utility and impact:
- Enhanced Invigorating Strike: increases the energy regeneration bonus of Invigorating Strike to x30% when damaging a Crowd Controlled or Injured enemy, providing a more substantial energy boost under certain combat conditions.
Two choice modifiers offer further customization:
- Primary Invigorating Strike: augments Invigorating Strike to grant +8% Lucky Hit Chance. The Lucky Hit Chance bonus elevates to +16% when hitting a Crowd Controlled or Injured enemy, increasing your chances of dealing higher damage.
- Fundamental Invigorating Strike: It offers a defensive strategy. If you hit an enemy with an Invigorating Strike while your energy is below 50%, the enemy becomes Vulnerable for 3 seconds, receiving more damage from all sources.
Core Skills
Rogue class core skills define your playstyle. For Rogue Assassins, prioritize melee options: Flurry and Twisting Blades.
Flurry
Flurry is a swift, dual-wielding move that costs 25 energy, has a 10% lucky hit chance, and deals physical damage. Activate it for four rapid attacks at 60% damage each, ideal for multiple foes. Special moves:
- Enhanced Flurry: Heal 1% max life per hit on controlled/vulnerable enemies, max 12% per cast.
- Improved Flurry: Makes enemies vulnerable for 3s when Flurry hits a vulnerable foe.
- Advanced Flurry: Stuns enemies for 2s after evading through them.
Combo Points boost Flurry:
- 1 Point: 75% damage, +15% Attack Speed.
- 2 Points: 90% damage, +30% Attack Speed.
- 3 Points: 105% damage, +45% Attack Speed.
Twisting Blades
Twisting Blades is a dual-wielded skill costing 30 energy, with a 33% lucky hit chance, dealing physical damage. Impale an enemy for 45% damage, and 8% increased damage taken, then blades return for 72% damage. Enhancements:
- Enhanced Twisting Blades: Adds 30% returning damage.
- Improved Twisting Blades: Dazes impaled enemies.
- Advanced Twisting Blades: Reduces active cooldowns up to 3s when blades hit enemies.
Combo Points enhance Twisting Blades:
- 1 Point: 58% damage, +20% Movement Speed.
- 2 Points: 72% damage, +40% Movement Speed.
- 3 Points: 86% damage, +60% Movement Speed.
Agility Skills
The Agility tree is quite important for making the Rogue Assassin build work in Diablo 4. It offers abilities that allow you to remain in the dark while dealing more damage and also another ability that resembles the trap abilities that the original Assassin possessed.
Shadow Step
Shadow Step is an agility-based combat ability particularly tailored for cutthroat characters who prefer dual-wielded weapons. Shadow Step has a cooldown of 9 seconds and a lucky hit chance of 100%. It inflicts physical damage upon enemies.
- When Shadow Step is activated, your character becomes Unstoppable and swiftly moves through the shadows to strike the enemy from behind, dealing 72% damage.
- Following the attack, your character enjoys a 50% increase in Movement Speed for a duration of 2 seconds.
Shadow Step also offers modifiers that can enhance its performance:
- Enhanced Shadow Step: raises your Critical Strike Chance against enemies damaged by Shadow Step by +8% for a duration of 3 seconds.
- Methodical Shadow Step: inflicts a Stun on enemies damaged by Shadow Step, immobilizing them for 2 seconds.
- Disciplined Shadow Step: the cooldown of Shadow Step is reduced by 3 seconds when it damages an enemy you haven’t hit with Shadow Step in the previous 4 seconds.
Alternatively, you can also get Dash, which lets you perform more Critical Strike Damage. But when talking about an Assassin-specific build, the Shadow Step outperforms it.
Subterfuge Node Skills
Diablo 4’s Subterfuge Node Skills empower your Assassin Build with stealth and trap abilities. Focus on these key skills:
Concealment
- Offers advanced Stealth with a 20-second cooldown.
- Grants 4 seconds of undetectable status, even when taking damage.
- Provides +30% Movement Speed and the ability to move through foes.
- Caution: Attacking during Concealment breaks Stealth.
- Modifiers:
- Enhanced Stealth: Gains 40 Energy on entry.
- Countering Stealth: Guarantees a Critical Strike when breaking Concealment.
- Subverting Stealth: Render’s enemies Vulnerable for 6 seconds after breaking Concealment.
Poison Trap
- It’s a 10-second cooldown subterfuge trap skill with a 20% lucky hit chance.
- Sets a trap that activates after 1 second, dealing 344% poison damage over 9 seconds to nearby enemies.
- Up to 4 traps can be active simultaneously.
- Modifiers:
- Enhanced Poison Trap: Adds a 1-second knockdown effect.
- Countering Poison Trap: Offers a 30% chance to reset Imbuement Skill Cooldowns.
- Subverting Poison Trap: Inflicts x10% increased Poison Damage to trapped enemies.
Smoke Grenade
- A strategic 15-second cooldown ability for close combat.
- Throws a smoky concoction, causing a 4-second Daze effect on enemies.
- This effect hampers and slows their actions.
- Modifiers:
- Enhanced Smoke Grenade: Boosts damage by x15% to affected foes.
- Countering Smoke Grenade: Chance to reduce Cooldown by up to 3 seconds when damaging Vulnerable enemies.
- Subverting Smoke Grenade: Extends Daze by x20% for Vulnerable, Slowed, or Chilled enemies.
Master these skills for a formidable Diablo 4 Assassin.
Imbuement Skills
The Imbuement node focuses on applying elemental damage to the enemies. You have options between Poison, Cold, and Shadow Damage. Although our traps are more focused on Poison damage, opting for Shadow damage in terms of your weapons is more beneficial.
Shadow Imbuement
Shadow Imbuement is a unique Imbuement ability that brings a distinctive flavor of damage and crowd control to your repertoire. The ability has a cooldown of 13 seconds and a lucky hit chance of 33%, dealing Shadow Damage.
- When activated, Shadow Imbuement imbues your weapons with festering shadows.
- Your next 2 Imbueable Skills will then deal Shadow Damage and infect enemies for 6 seconds.
- The infection has two potential outcomes: if the infected enemy dies, it explodes, dealing 40% damage to all surrounding enemies. However, if the infection expires before the enemy’s death, it inflicts 40% damage solely to that enemy.
Shadow Imbuement also includes various modifiers:
- Enhanced Shadow Imbuement: increases your Critical Strike Chance by +15% against injured enemies infected by Shadow Imbuement, heightening your damage potential.
Two choice modifiers offer additional strategic adaptations:
- Blended Shadow Imbuement: it allows Shadow Imbuement’s primary explosion to make enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds, increasing the damage they receive.
- Mixed Shadow Imbuement: enemies infected by Shadow Imbuement take x12% increased Non-Physical damage from you for 8 seconds, further amplifying your damage output.
Ultimate Skills
Choosing the right Ultimate Skill is crucial for the best Assassin Build in Diablo 4. There are three main options: Physical Damage, Ranged Damage, or Shadow Damage via a trap. We recommend the Physical Damage ultimate, Shadow Clone. A 60-second cooldown creates a combat duplicate for 15 seconds, dealing 60% of your damage and boosting your offense.
Shadow Clone
Shadow Clone also offers valuable modifiers:
- Prime Shadow Clone: Grants 5 seconds of Unstoppable status after casting, making you immune to crowd control abilities, providing a tactical advantage.
- Supreme Shadow Clone: Empowers your Shadow Clone, increasing its damage to 80% of your total damage during its active duration.
Shadow Clone is ideal for high damage and self-protection, offering a unique tactical advantage in critical encounters.
Best Passive Skills
In crafting your Diablo 4 Best Assassin Build, don’t overlook Passive Skills, which complement the Active Skills from each tree. Here are the top Passive Skills for the Rogue Assassin build:
- Siphoning Strikes: This Core Node passive ability allows you to maintain an offensive stance while regenerating health. It grants up to 3% health regeneration (based on your max life) upon landing Critical Strikes on nearby enemies. This skill is highly effective given the focus on Critical Strikes in the Assassin build.
- Concussive: Utilize the Concussive passive ability from the Agility Tree to enhance your Critical Strike Chance against knocked-down enemies by +15% for 5 seconds. This synergizes well with traps like Poison Trap, which can incapacitate multiple foes.
- Weapon Mastery: Found in the Agility Tree, Weapon Mastery provides damage bonuses to various weapon types. Notably, it offers a +9% damage increase for all Swords, making it a valuable choice for sword-focused builds.
- Mending Obscurity: If you favor Concealment from the Subterfuge tree, Mending Obscurity is a must-have. It grants 9% health recovery per second while in Stealth, potentially allowing for a 36% health recovery during Concealment’s 4-second duration.
- Exploit: For a more offensive boost, consider the Subterfuge tree’s Exploit passive, which offers an +18% increase in damage against Healthy and Injured enemies at rank 3 of the skill.
- Precision Imbuement: Regardless of your build, Precision Imbuement from the Imbuement tree is a versatile choice. It provides a +15% increase in Critical Hit chance and complements various setups.
- Trap Mastery: Given the importance of traps in an Assassin build, the Trap Mastery passive ability is a logical choice. It boosts Critical Strike Chance by +12% against Vulnerable and Crowd-Controlled enemies for 4 seconds when using Poison Trap or Death Trap.
- Adrenaline Rush: This skill is especially useful when combined with the Combo Points specialization. It grants a +15% increased Energy Regeneration while moving, empowering your regular attacks.
These Passive Skills enhance the effectiveness of your Assassin build, allowing for more strategic and powerful gameplay.
Best Assassin Build Items & Stats
Besides choosing the best active and passive skills for the Rogue Assassin, there are other stats and items you can choose in Diablo 4 to create a powerful build. These contain things like Aspects, choosing the right stats, and much more.
Aspects
Aspects are crafted through the Codex of Power and can provide useful enhancements to your equipment. Here are some aspects that you can consider using with the Diablo 4 best Assassin build.
- Cheat’s Aspect: A defensive Aspect that will allow you to take less damage from crowd-controlled enemies. Additionally, you will get an increase in movement speed each time a crowd-controlled enemy damages you.
- Bladedancer’s Aspect: An offensive aspect that allows the Twisting Blades to orbit around you briefly and damage nearby enemies.
- Aspect of Unstable Imbuements: Cause an Imbued Explosion each time you use an Imbuement Skill, causing enemies around you to be affected by the Imbuement effects.
Specialization
Your first specialization will be unlocked at level 15. After that, you’ll be able to unlock two more as you level up, but the first available specialization is all that you’ll need for the Rogue Assassin build.
- To unlock the Rogue’s Specialization system in Diablo 4, you need to reach level 15.
- Once you do, you’ll automatically begin the Priority Quest called “True Potential,” which, upon completion, will unlock the Specialization ability.
After that, you can opt for Combo Points. It essentially gives your Core Skills more power.
- You build up combo points by using your basic skills.
- At a time, you can have a maximum of three combo points.
Once you’ve built up combo points, they can be used alongside your Core Skills to give them more power. Although we discussed the possible effects of the Combo Points in the Core Skills section, here is a general summary of how they can help out in our Diablo 4 best Assassin build:
Flurry: Combo Points increase damage and grant a +30% Attack Speed bonus: +25%/+50%/+75% damage, 1.5/3.0/4.5-second bonus (depending on your skill rank).
Twisting Blades: Combo Points increase damage and grant a Movement Speed bonus: +30%/+60%/+90% damage, 20%/40%/60% bonus (depending on your skill rank).
Stats
For any class, it is important to upgrade all stats as you level up and progress through the game. But for our Diablo 4 best Assassin build, there are certain attributes and stats you will want to favor more than others while leveling up.
- Dexterity: The Rogue class is quite low on health, so it is important that you have high dexterity such that you can remain clear of danger. Additionally, dexterity helps increase your skill damage and dodge chance.
- Intelligence: Critical hits are quite an important part of the build, so Intelligence is a good attribute to invest in. It helps increase your Critical Strike chance and offers resistance to all elements.
- Strength: Lastly, as you’ll be relying heavily on melee for damage output, it is also important to invest in strength. It increases your resource generation, meaning the energy that is used to make your attacks more powerful.
With that, you know everything about the strongest Diablo 4 Assassin Build. Although the Assassin class has been removed from the game, you can replicate it quite well using the Rogue class and choosing the appropriate skills and specializations.
While you’re already here, consider checking out our different builds, such as the Barbarian Build and the best Twisting Blades Build. Perhaps you might also be interested in checking out all the dungeon locations or best farming spots to look for better loot.
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