Aion 2 Assassin PvE build: skills, stigmas and macro

Active skills and specialties

Each note gives the rank to aim for and the specialties Grobs slots there. Where aLuckyRO picks differently, the text below says so.

Heart Gore is the skill to get right first. You can only use it after landing a Critical Hit, and at rank 16 its specialty resets the cooldown each time it lands a Critical Hit. Grobs adds the extra Critical Hit specialty for the same reason: the more often Heart Gore crits, the more often it resets.

Creator tip

So, main goal, get your Heart Gore to level 16.

At rank 16, Quick Slice always lands as a Critical Hit, and Grobs pairs it with the specialty that cuts Insignia Explosion's cooldown on each hit. Since you use Quick Slice constantly to cancel animations, both add up quickly.

The two creators split on Insignia Explosion while leveling. Both take Multi-Hit.

Creator tip

You don't need to stun the target. You prefer more damage. So multi hit chance is much better here.

For Savage Roar, aLuckyRO agrees on Skill Speed but suggests the fewer-targets damage bonus against single bosses. For Shadowstrike and Infiltrate, both creators take the same picks. Infiltrate's extra range brings it to the 20m that Shadowstrike has by default, so Grobs puts them on the same key and uses whichever is off cooldown.

Storm Rampage only hits staggered targets. Grobs ranks it last and uses it only when Illusive Clone and Swift Contract are on cooldown, because at rank 16 each hit cuts all your cooldowns, stigmas included. Grobs counts one second per hit; the game data does not list the amount.

Leveling picks

Both creators take Absorb HP on several skills until your gear can carry you, then swap them for damage specialties.

Stigmas

Stigmas level with stigma points and gain a fixed effect at ranks 5, 10, 15 and 20.

Illusive Clone is your burst window. Swift Contract goes with it, and Triniel's Dagger follows right after both, because its rank 10 effect cuts the cooldowns already running.

Creator tip

This 10% cooldown reduction is current cooldown. So, it's important that you always use Triniel's Dagger right after you use both of these abilities.

Grobs's stigma order:

1. Triniel's Dagger to rank 10.
2. Illusive Clone to 20.
3. Swift Contract and Savage Fang.

He says Illusive Clone's duration grows with rank, to 20 seconds at rank 20. The game data does not record the duration.

Savage Fang is the fourth stigma Grobs adds in the mid game, as an opener that fills the target with Insignia before your first Insignia Explosion. aLuckyRO also runs it, and puts Throw Shadowblade to rank 10 while leveling because it resets when an enemy dies. He suggests Evasion Stance later on, against bosses whose attacks you need to avoid.

aLuckyRO rates the remaining stigmas, such as Spiral Slice, Shadow Walk and Aerial Bind, as PvP skills.

Passives

Grobs focuses on four passives and leaves the rest at a basic level.

aLuckyRO also maxes Exploit Weakness, and adds Determination, which deals extra damage to targets at low HP. For survival while leveling, he takes Heightened Sixth Sense, which adds Evasion and HP.

Rotation and macro

Grobs's macro is one row:

Hold the macro key and left click Quick Slice at the same time, so the game can cancel animations.

1. 1 Buff

   Cast Illusive Clone and Swift Contract.

2. 2 Get behind

   Use Shadowstrike to jump behind the boss and gain its Critical Damage Boost.

3. 3 Cut cooldowns

   Use Triniel's Dagger. From rank 10 it cuts the cooldowns of the buffs you just used.

4. 4 Hold the macro

   Hold the macro and left click. Reposition with Shadowstrike, Infiltrate or Flash Slice to stay behind the boss.

Grobs also suggests one setting: under Settings, Info display, Combat, set "display boss orientation indicator" to back. It shows where the boss's back is.

Next steps

• Assassin guide: the class overview and every Assassin page.
• Daevanion planner: plan the board nodes that add skill ranks.