MapleStory 2 Assassin Build - guide to assassinate your enemies

If you have not yet tried Maplestory 2, you might want to check it out. It is an MMORPG made by NSquare and published by Nexon in 2018. As of the time of writing this guide, there are ten classes featured in the game, with the Assassin being one of them. With this article, we will guide you on your way to create a potent Assassin character, explaining all the major mechanics as well as what skills and attributes to pick. 

If you are interested in playing other classes as well, make sure to check our Maplestory 2 guides for classes such as Knight, Soul Binder, Berserker, Wizard, Heavy Gunner, Thief, Priest, and Archer.

MapleStory 2 Classes Guide >>>

Now, let's move on to the actual overview of the Assassin class, shall we?

Assassin

Class role: DPS

Weapon used: One-Handed Thrown Weapons

Attribute: Shadow

Main Statistics: Luck

Difficulty to play: 2/5

Assassins are straight damage-dealers, built usually around Critical Damage. Their single-target damage is outstanding, and their burst damage can take down most enemies in a matter of seconds. They also possess high mobility with their ability to dash. 

Assassins are the most useful in either Dungeons or World Bosses, as their high DPS can easily whittle down major targets. However, they require a good tank and a healer, as they lack survivability during whopping their foes from afar with their thrown weapons.

Pros and Cons of playing MS2 Assassin

Pros:

• Very high Damage Per Second

• A substantial chance to land a Critical Strike

• The ranged attack makes it easier to avoid damage

• High mobility

• Easy to play

• Can take down single targets in mere seconds.

Cons:

• Very squishy

• Requires a skilled tank and support

• No shield

• No heals

• Hard to master.

MS2 Assassin's Skills

• The percentages in the brackets are the upgrade range of the skill, usually from rank 1 to 10.

• Active and Passive besides skill names designate whether they have to be activated manually in case of active skills or are always in effect in the case of passive skills.

• "Available at lvl" informs at which level skill first becomes available to use.

Offensive Assassin Skills

• Dash – (active) Deftly leap forward 4.5 m. This skill can cancel other skills. It consumes 40 stamina.

While not strictly offensive, as it does not deal any damage, it is one of the more useful skills. Use it to evade enemies.

• Fragmented Star – (active) Throw a shattering weapon at the closest enemy within 8 m in front of you, which breaks apart on impact to deal (215% - 341%) to 8 enemies within 3 m. The damage of this attack is affected by the weapon in your right hand. It consumes 20 spirit.

It is usually used to activate the Thrown Weapon Mastery.

• Lucky Stars – (active) Throw your weapons at the closest enemy within 8 m to deal (76% - 121%) damage 2 times. Each weapon then ricochets to other enemies within 3 m and deals (76% - 121%) damage 2 times. The damage of each attack is affected by the weapon in both hands.

A regular attack; you should rely on this skill when out of SP.

• Shadow Chaser – (active) Send your mirror image to the nearest enemy within 8 m in front of you, dealing 23% damage and marking them with Assassin's Brand, which steals their energy to grant you 1 spirit every 0.1 sec for 30 sec.

Useful to regen some SP, but usually not very frequently used.

• Shadow Cutter – (active) (available at lvl 10) Throw your weapon forward 8 m with a strong spin to deal (99% - 162%) dark damage 2 times to 8 enemies in its path both ways. The damage of this attack is affected by the weapon in your right hand. It consumes 13 spirit.

A decent AOE, but its minor damage does not do well against single targets. One of the more core skills.

• Dark Cloak – (active) (available at lvl 13) Utilize dark magic to walk in shadows for 12 sec. While hidden, your movement speed increases by (21% - 39%), and your spirit recovery increases by 2. While camouflaged, you can ambush enemies, stunning them for 1.5 sec. Using a skill or an item, or being hit by an enemy, will take you out of hiding.

This skill is useful both for moving and also for avoiding enemy aggro. Use it often as it has virtually no downsides.

• Fatal Strikes – (active) (available at lvl 16) Utilize dark magic to strengthen your secret assassin techniques, allowing you to identify enemy weak spots. All attacks become critical hits for (8 - 17) sec.

Assassin's most crucial skill. Grants you a 100% chance to trigger a critical strike every time you hit an enemy. It is what makes the Assassin one of the highest DPS classes in the game – the crit damage attribute with Fatal Strikes.

• Star Chaser – (active) (available at lvl 19) Equip 4 homing weapons in each hand, and throw them at 8 enemies up to 8 m in front of you, dealing (39% - 66%) damage per hit. The damage of each attack is affected by the weapon in each hand. It consumes 15 spirit.

One of the primary attack skills of the Assassin, great AOE. Keep in mind that it eats spirit extremely fast, as the cooldown is just 4 seconds. Use it with caution. 

• Shadow Burst – (active) (available at lvl 22) Equip 5 thrown weapons imbued with dark magic in each hand, then throw them forward at the same time to deal (211% - 337%) 2 times to 8 enemies within 8 m. If any of the enemies hit are marked for death, the mark explodes, dealing an additional (211% - 337%) dark damage. The damage of each attack is affected by the weapon in each hand. It consumes 30 spirit.

Another excellent attack skill which allows you to hit up to eight enemies two times in a row. Often a staple in many builds, especially when coupled with Soul Grind and Mark of Death.

• Mark of Death – (passive) (available at lvl 25) Attacks against enemies with 30% health or less have a 25% chance to mark them for death for 6 sec. Marked enemies take (1% - 10%) additional damage.

Not the most useful of the skills, most often not taken at all. Sometimes useful with Shadow Burst.

• Star Flurry – (active) (available at lvl 28) Equip 3 weapons in each hand and throw them at the closest enemy within 8 m in front of you, dealing (59% - 86%) damage 6 times. The damage of each attack is affected by the weapon in each hand. It consumes 15 spirit.

Core attack skill. 4-second cooldown. Considerable single-target damage hits a single enemy up to six times.

• Soul Grind – (active) (available at lvl 31) Throw a giant weapon at the closest enemy within 8 m in front of you, which spins rapidly upon impact, dealing (97% - 151%) dark damage to 5 enemies within 3 m 5 times. The damage of this attack is affected by the weapon in your right hand. It consumes 30 spirit.

Very often a maxed-out skill. Primary damage spell in a lot of builds. It is used with Shadow Burst in between Shadow Cutter and Lucky Stars.

• Death Sentence – (active) (available at lvl 34) Summon 3 mirror images and send them toward 3 enemies up to 8 m in front of you, dealing (83% - 128%) dark damage each and shadow marking the enemies for death, regardless of health. These shadows marks last for 6 sec and increase damage taken by 1%. Your mirror images' shadow marks stack with your marks of death. The mirror images will not attack the same target.

Usually picked only in meme support builds, which are generally not very efficient. We recommend leaving it unpicked most of the time.

• Shadow Web – (active) (available at lvl 37) Summon a mirror image and backstep 3 m. The clone explodes after 1 sec, tossing out a web that deals (28% - 46%) to 5 enemies within 3 m and entangles them, reducing movement speed and jump power by (10% - 28%) for 4 sec and dealing an additional 14% (23%) damage every sec for 4 sec. This skill can cancel other skills. It consumes 28 spirit.

Also mostly a meme skill, not very useful in serious builds. Could be used to escape and slow down enemies.

• Thrown Weapon Mastery – (passive) (available at lvl 40) Your proficiency with thrown weapons increases your weapon attack by (1% - 6.4%) when you have thrown weapons equipped.

An absolute must-have in almost every Assassin build. While not being an active skill, it still increases your attack damage by quite a bit, and since most Assassin's skills utilize weapon damage, it lifts your DPS by a considerable margin.

• Shadow Arts – (passive) (available at lvl 43) Utilize secret assassin techniques to strengthen your command of dark magic. It increases the damage of Shadow Burst, Shadow Cutter, Soul Grind, Shadow Web, and Death Sentence by (2% -20%).

Not a very great skill, rarely used.

• Mirror Image: Dark Blade – (active) (available at lvl 46) Marks a 2.25 m radius spot on the ground with an insignia of darkness for 10 sec, dealing (236% - 380%) dark damage to 3 enemies within the mark by sending a mirror image to attack them. This skill also brands enemies, reducing their accuracy by 20 for 10 sec. All attacks dealt to branded enemies have a 30% chance to summon additional mirror images to attack them for 23% dark damage 4 times. Summoned mirror images can only appear once every 1.5 sec. The accuracy reduction does not stack.

A staple in the meme support build, but otherwise not very useful. Best left unleveled.

The priority of statistics on items

The most important stat, in general, is Piercing, as it increases your damage the most.

Boss Damage helps out when clearing World Bosses and Dungeons, increasing your single-target DPS further. High priority in PvE content, falls off naturally in PvP.

Physical Attack and Total Damage further increase your attack damage.

Critical Damage and Critical Rate are the staple stats of the Assassin class. Try to juggle with the damage/rate statistics to see which works the best. A combination of both Crit Damage and Crit Rate usually is the most efficient.

Assassin Builds

Lucky Stars + Star Chaser + Star Flurry Build

This build is among the most efficient builds currently available. It works great both for leveling and finishing the endgame content. Make sure to utilize two weapons of similar attack damage, as the skills used in the build make use of them both.

In this build, the Thrown Weapon Mastery serves as the most significant damage output increase, without you having to pick your skills carefully. The build is easy to play and powerful, both in the early game and in the late game. The only problem you might have is that the skills, with their low cooldowns, use a lot of SP, which is problematic, especially in the early game. 

The best way to make your life easier while playing this build is to utilize a macro. Make sure to pair Lucky Stars, Star Chaser, and Star Flurry together. If you seem to be lacking SP, use Shadow Chaser, especially versus Bosses. Make sure, also, to frequently use Fatal Strikes, as it increases your damage output immensely, allowing you to sit in one spot and press the macro key to make your enemies evaporate.

Alternatively, you could try experimenting with Fragmented Star, which increases your burst damage but is only useful in several dungeons. Try at your own risk.

Shadow Cutter Build

This Assassin build is perfect for people who prefer to party up with other players and play with a team, becoming a powerful single-target damage dealer. However, this one is much, MUCH harder to play and master, as you cannot utilize a macro to make your life easier. It is a good build, however, if you have one of your weapons significantly more powerful than the other. Keep in mind that you will have to keep pressing over five buttons (all of this while trying not to die), which can be quite tricky and requires practice.

Max out Lucky Stars, Soul Grind, Shadow Burst, and Shadow Cutter. The build has both great AOE and a powerful single-target DPS, but it is tough to play. If you feel up to the task, we recommend you try it. You will surely learn in time!

To make your life just a little easier, you can create a macro with Shadow Cutter and Lucky Stars, but all the other skills need to be used manually. 

Summary

We hope that we managed to shed some light at one of the most fun to play classes in MapleStory 2. The Assassin class playstyle will surely find more than enough fans throughout the world. There will always be hundreds of thousands of players tending to maintain distance while dishing out an immense amount of DPS. The class is kind of flexible - depending on the build, you can go either for PvP or PvE content. As for the difficulty, it is definitely more complex than the Berserker, but far less demanding than the Thief. Every newcomer should not have much of a problem to play it, and it can offer something for the veterans as well.

It is only a part of our MapleStory 2 Guides series. Be sure to check some other stuff related to the Korean bestseller. We keep coming with new content every now and then. Follow us on our social media to stay up to date.