Overview
An in-depth analysis of Assassin’s melee options.
Overview
Hello guys,
I’m writing an in-depth analysis for melee assassin weapons, showcasing the strengths and weaknesses of each weapon. Overall, Melee assassin has very strong sweep options. Most of them are able to deal strong damage to multiple targets while not lacking at all in single target department. Nevertheless, they have limited options against armor units, heavy armor units in particular. Melee Assassin doesn’t have a single Armor Piercing skill in any weapon, which makes dealing with Lehman Russ and other heavy armor bosses an uneasy experience.
An extra note: The damage here is taken from unequipped lvl 50 relic weapons. The values are unaffected by my skill point and/or the roll on the weapons. Also, lvl 50 weapons have the same damage value as lvl 1 weapons, thus the damage here can be used as your point of reference. The damage and DPS calculation only varied +/- 5% due to different damage roll on the weapon. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t affect the analysis.
Death Cult Blade (Physical, One-handed)
This is the first weapon you pick up if you choose to play as Infiltrator.
Pros: Strong single target weapon set of melee asassin. The set revolves around applying Death Marks through 3/4 skills and then use Killing Blow to nuke down the target. Can use clones from Holo armor to apply Death Marks faster. Death Marks also counts as debuffs for Debuff tree.
Cons: Weak Multi-Target option.
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Blade Storm:
200 DMG. 222 DPS.
Single Target.
Critical Strike. Death Cult Combo. Death Mark.
Analysis: Strong single target skill with Critical Strike to up critical chance. Hit harder and faster after each hit. -
Wide Strike:
160 DMG. 160 DPS.
Multi-Target (Cone).
Death Mark. DoT (Poisoning).
Analysis: The only Multi-target of this weapon set. Strong damage and DPS. Apply poison. -
Phasing Assault:
266 DMG. 133 DPS.
Single Target.
Stun. Shock. Death Mark.
Analysis: Strong blink strike that applies stun to single target. -
Killing Blow:
133 DMG. 27 DPS.
Single Target.
Armor-Breaking. Removes Death Marks.
Analysis: Death Mark removal skill. Strong against target.
Assassin Power Sword (Physical, Two-handed)
Death Cult Blade’s 2h cousin. Hits slower but harder and have higher overall DPS than Death Cult Blade. It is the only weapon that has access to 2 movement skills with very short cd. Thus, spamming Serpent Strike and Phase Assault can get you through the map very quickly. Right now OD is bugged which makes every AoE skills hit like a truck. Serpent Strike is the best skill to abuse the bug due to its innate short cd, shortest amongst AoE skills. Nevertheless, OD gets fixed, Serpent Strike is the lowest damage skill amongst AoE skills, which will hamper the weapon’s ability to effectively deal damage to multiple targets.
Pros: Very high single target damage and okay sweeping power. Lots of crits built-in. Phasing Assault is just straight up a better option than Death Cult Blade’s Killing Blow, having twice the power and half of the cooldown. Can use clones to help apply death marks faster.
Cons: Mediocre Multi-target damage (When OD is fixed/nerfed). Limited “real” debuffs.
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Blade Storm:
242 DMG. 242 DPS.
Single Target.
Critical Strike. Death Cult Combo. Death Mark.
Analysis: Strong single target skill with Critical Strike to up critical chance. Hit harder and faster after each hit. -
Blade Bite:
165 DMG. 138 DPS.
Multi-Target (Cone-Wide).
Critical Strike. Death Cult Combo. Death Mark.
Analysis: Strong damage and DPS Multi-target option. Hit harder and faster after each hit. -
Phasing Assault:
275 DMG. 138 DPS.
Single Target.
Stun. Shock. Armor-Breaking. Removes Death Mark.
Analysis: Strong blink strike that applies stun to single target. It also acts as Death mark Removal. It has higher base damage than Death Cult Blade’s Killing Blow while having half of the cooldown. -
Serpent Strike
132 DMG. 44 DPS.
Multi-Target (AoE-Large).
Death Mark. DoT Poisoning.
Analysis: Large AoE that applies poison and debuff.
Carthean Sword (Physical, Two-handed)
Jack-of-all-Trade. Above average single target. Average sweeping power. “Smooth” to use. Unique “Long Range” abilities, though its usefulness is debatable. My least favorite weapon due to its lack of damage and/or utility.
Pros: Jack of all trade. Average hitting power. “Smooth” to use.
Cons: Master of none. No movement skill. Slower to get around than other weapons.
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Carthean Strike
220 DMG. 275 DPS.
Single Target.
Death Cult Combo. Needler Toxin.
Analysis: Above Average single target skill. Hit harder and faster after each hit. Apply Needler Toxin. -
Crimson Path:
138 DMG. 138 DPS.
Multi-Target (Cone-Wide).
Channeled.
Analysis: An average damage multi-target sweep. Allow you to move and hit together. Useful to trigger a few buffs that only applies when you are moving. “Smooth” to use. -
Severance
220 DMG. 44 DPS.
Single Target. Long Range.
Armor-Breaking. Stun. Shock. Needler Toxin Removal.
Analysis: Needler Toxin Removal Skill. Okayish damage that gets better with Needler Toxin stacks. Still worse than Power Sword’s option. -
Blade Dance
220 DMG. 27 DPS.
Multi-Target (max of 6). Long Range.
Vulnerability (Phys). Needler Toxin. DoT (Poisoning).
Analysis: AoE long range skill.
Arc Sword (Heat, Two-Handed)
Arc Sword is a strong Multi-Target weapon, able to cover the most amount of enemies compared to other weapons. All of its skills have the ability to deal damage and apply debuffs to multiple targets within a large AoE.
Pros: Large Area of Effect skills that apply strong debuffs in a wide area.
Cons: Long Cooldowns. Average damage. Unable to deal with Armor units.
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Voltaic Strike
216 DMG. 270 DPS.
Multi-Target (Lightning Combo-Chain)
Slow.
Analysis: This skill has Single Target tag but able to deal damage to multiple targets, which makes it the strongest multi-target sustained DPS. It also applies a slow which enable many buffs to activate. The downside is that killing blows will NOT generate Lightning chain, which makes it rather useless against horde enemies. -
Thunder Slide:
194 DMG. 49 DPS.
Multi-Target (Area of Effect).
Knockdown. Knockback.
Analysis: A blink that deals AoE damage and AoE stun. Nevertheless, the cooldown is long and damage is average. -
Voltaic Backflip
162 DMG. 20 DPS.
Multi-Target (Area of Effect).
Stun. Shock.
Analysis: Large area of effect stun/shock. Low damage and long cooldown. Awkward to use. -
Shock Nova
216 DMG. 27 DPS.
Multi-Target (Aura).
Knockdown. Shock
Analysis: Large AoE that applies knockdown and shock. Above average damage and long cooldown.
Null Rod (Heat, One-handed).
Null Rod is the most underrated melee choice for the assassin class. Nevertheless, it has potential being the strongest Multi-target weapon amongst melee assassin’s choices, while also apply tons of debuffs in the process. It is also the only Anti-psyker weapon in the game which fills a very unique niche.
Pros: Highest burst AoE damage. 7 different types of “real” disables (!!!). 3/4 skills can use the AoE tag and AoE skill tree to buff effectively (include abusing Optimal Dispersion bug).
Cons: Lack of ways to deal with Armor units.
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Null Strike:
242 DMG. 303 DPS.
Single Target.
Anti-psyker. Stun. Shock.
Analysis: Strong single target skill. Applies stun/shock. Anti-psyker is a very unique niche. -
Wide Strike
220 DMG. 110 DPS.
Multi-Target (Cone-Wide).
Blind.
Analysis: Strong damage Multi-target skill. Blind is a rare yellow effect that basically gives you free 80% dodge chance. -
Null Wave:
330 DMG. 83 DPS.
Multi-Target (Path).
Knockback. Restrain.
Analysis: Strongest Multi-target burst damage for melee skill. Decently low cooldown as well. Apply 2 unique affects as a bonus. Still, Path has the least potential to hit multiple target compare to other type of Multi-Target tags. -
Annullment
264 DMG. 44 DPS.
Multi-Target (AoE-Large).
Knockdown. Knockback. Cellrot. Anti-psyker
Analysis: Large AoE and strong damage skill. Ability to apply 3 distinct types of effects. Anti-psyker is a very unique niche.
Arc Blade (Heat. One-handed).
Arc Blade is my favorite melee option for Assassin. It carries a very strong kit for multi-target slaying while does not slack off against single target either. Relic weapon carries exceptionally strong Unique affix that gives bonus damage based on your dodge value.
Pro: Strong Multi-Target sustained DPS. Single Target DPS is also very respectable due to overal strong DPS. Spammable AoE stun ability. Has the fastest hitting melee skill for the assassin, while also being a multi target skill. This helps proc HP per hit/Adrenaline per hit/Cd reduction per crit. Exceptionally strong Relic’s unique affix.
Cons: Hard to buff skill damage due to varied tags that are wildly different from each other. No special abililty to deal with armor unit.
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Blade Storm:
222 DMG. 247 DPS.
Single Target.
Death Cult Combo. High Suppression.
Analysis: Strong single target skill hit harder and faster after each hit. It also deals high suppression damage which shreds through suppression defense of the enemy, open it up for debuffs. -
Voltaic arc:
175 DMG. 222 DPS.
Multi-Target (Chain).
Stun. Shock.
Analysis: Another skill with Single Target tag but able to deal damage to multiple targets, which gives it very strong multi-target sustained DPS. It also applies stun/shock to multi-target. The downside is that killing blows will NOT generate Lightning chain. Its short cooldown and AoE stun ability make it a great pairing with Holo clones since clones will be able to chain stun many targets at once. -
Whirlwind Attack:
61 DMG. 244 DPS.
Multi Target (360 degree sweep)
Channeled.
Analysis: This skill is basically Carthean Sword’s Crimson Path on steroid. It has twice the DPS of Crimson Path, while being able to hit twice the amount of units due to its 360 arc. It is amongst the strongest sustain DPS Multi-target skills, rival even some single target skill’s DPS. It is also the fastest hitting melee skill in the game, dealing 4 hits per sec. Being able to move while hitting helps enabling some buffs that are only active when moving. The downside is that it is currently bugged and can’t generate HP per hit/adrenaline per hit properly. For now, it still works wonderfully with cd reduction per crit skill, making sure that you can spam Voltaic Arc every 1.5 sec even. It doesn’t benefit from AoE skill/tag due to a weird design choice that dev doesn’t give AoE nor single target tag to this skill. Overall, it’s rather hard buff this skill reliably. -
Voltaic Leap
266 DMG. 44 DPS.
Multi-Target (AoE-Large).
Stun. Shock.
Analysis: Large AoE that applies stun/shock to multiple targets. Strongest AoE-large burst damage, while having a decently low cooldown as well.
