Divinity: Original Sin 2 is in full swing, and one of the major issues players are having with the game isBuilds. WhatBuilddo I use? What’s a goodBuildfor a Warrior? Ranger? Mage? etc. Since the game is rather difficult this has come much more into focus than one would expect. In thisBuild Guidewere going to cover theLone WolfBuild:Assassin. Let’s jump into thisBuildand see just how it works.
Assassin – Rogue/Ranger Build
TheAssassinis a hybridRogue & Ranger Buildthat uses Daggers and Bows to deal massive damage to its enemies.Assassinscan pull this off becauseFinesseis used to determine the damage of both of these weapon types. By putting points intoWarfare, we increase all Physical Damage thisBuilddoes from any source, further allowing thisBuildto be possible. Although it costs AP to swapWeapons, you will hardly notice it inLone Wolfand we can take advantage ofChameleon Cloak’s2 turns to swapWeaponswithout losing any AP.
Stats of my Level 16 Assassin (Lone Wolf). You can see I max Warfare and have a good amount of points into Scoundrel. This makes all my attacks hit hard and Crit large.
Assassin Attributes and Equipment
As mentioned aboveAssassinsfocus onFinessein order to increase damage with Bows and Daggers. You’ll want to pump this as high as you’re able to, only placing points intoMemoryorWitsas necessary (which shouldn’t be much) in Act 1.Witscan still be useful to thisBuildbecause you won’t only be using Daggers, so once you’ve hit Act 2 consider dropping a few points intoWitsto help bump yourCritical Chancea bit. Ideally you’ll want to be capped onFinesseor near capped when doing this, but because you have a highCritical MultiplierfromScoundrelyou’ll want to take advantage of it when notBackstabbingtoo.
Assassinscan utilize any type ofArmourwhich means they will have a good balance of Physical and Magical, which works well for thisBuild. BecauseAssassinsare capable of fighting at range or close combat, this will give them some flexibility to decide how to engage based on the enemies they are facing.Assassinsshould look forArmourwith bonuses toWarfare,Finesse,Scoundrel,WitsandCritical Chance, in that order.Huntsmanis also not that bad if you’re able to get it without sacrificing anything mentioned before. SlotMasterwork Runes of Powerinto yourArmourandFire Rune of Powerinto your Necklace.
Giant Flame Rune of Power is still the best Rune to slot into your Necklace, despite the bonus to Intelligence. Mystical Giant Masterwork Rune is the best you may do in your Daggers because their is no Rune that adds Finesse and Physical Damage.
As far asWeaponsgo,Assassinswill need two decent Daggers and a good Bow. You’ll want to look for similar bonuses on theseWeaponsas you did with theArmour. There are a couple good pairs of Daggers you can get early on.Kniles the Flenserdrops the Unique Daggers:ChastityandAbstinenceinFort Joy Prison. If you defeatDorotya, the Decadent Onein theUndertavernofDriftwoodyou will getTerrorbiteandVenombite, which are also very good. These will help get you going until there is a better selection of gear to choose from. Because there is noRunethat givesFinesseand Physical Damage you’ll want to slotMystical Masterwork Runesinto them if you can, which will give youWitsinstead.
Assassin Abilities and Talents
One of the hardest parts about making aBuildinDivinity: Original Sin 2is getting yourAbilitiesdistribution correct. It’s easy to get spread too thin, and often people make the mistake of not spreading points around enough. The bonuses you gain fromAbilitiesin this game are somewhat different than the original, so it’s easy to see why people can get confused. Let’s take a look at whatAbilitiesandTalentsyou need for aAssassin.
Because we can’t put points into Ranged or Duel Wield without gimping one Weapon type, we use Scoundrel to increase the damage of our Critical Attacks of any type.
Assassinsdeal damage with two differentWeapontypes so focusing on the common denominator, Physical Damage, is key. This is achieved by maxing outWarfareand then placing points intoScoundrelto capitalize on highCritical Multiplier. This also works really well withBackstabswhich you can perform with Daggers, as they always Crit. In Act 1Assassinswill need to get 2 points in bothHuntsmanandScoundreland then start dropping points intoWarfare. In Act 2 these should be taken up to 3 each and thenWarfaremaxed. OnceWarfareis maxed then all additional points should be placed intoScoundrel.
As far asTalentsgo I’d recommend the following:
Lone Wolf- You can’t be aLone Wolf Buildwithout taking thisTalent, so here it is. You don’t have to play thisBuild Lone Wolf, but I think it works rather well.
Executioner- ThisTalentis flat out amazing inLone Wolfand should give you extra AP nearly every round. Get this one as soon as you can.
Hothead- Although extraCritical Chancedoesn’t come in handy when you’reBackstabbing, thisTalenthelps when you’re not, which will be about half the time or more. This works great because it applies to both Bow and Daggers.
Opportunist– This will allow you to deal more damage when in melee combat. You won’t need it as much later in the game, but it’s really good early game.
Far Out Man- Can help with Bow attack range along withThrowing Knife. You might get more use out of this late game, so consider swappingOpportunistfor this sometime in Act 2.
Assassin Skills
Now that you’ve decided whichTalentsandAbilitiesyou want, you’ll need to identify just whichSkillswork best with this kind of setup.Assassinswill use a mix ofHuntsmanandScoundrelSkillsto deal damage. SinceBuildsevolve over the course of the game, I’m going to put theSkillsin order from earliest obtainable to latest, because you won’t be able to get them all right way.
Huntsman Skills
First Aid– Just an all around great skill for removingStatus Effectsand healing a solid amount. Also only costs 1 AP which is super nice. Has a short range, so get up high to help improve that if you need to use it on a teammate.
Tactical Retreat– This skill has so many uses with thisBuild. Use it to get up high to get increased damage with Bow attacks, or to jump into the fray when you are ready to melee. Also grantsHaste, which rocks.
Ballistic Shot– This is extremely powerful because it adds 5% damage for every meter you are from your target. This skill is a great way to take down a target in a single Bow shot from up high. Probably the best all aroundBowskill there is.
Sky Shot– Not as good asBallistic Shot, but still pretty good. Can give you a height advantage when you don’t have one. SinceHuntsmandoesn’t have a ton ofSkills, this is another one that’s just good to keep on your bar because you may need it.
Marksman’s Fang– This skill works tremendously with thisBuildbecause you may drop an enemy to half health and then jump in with Daggers and hit withSawtooth Knifeto finish them off without ever needing to touch their Armour.
Assassinate– What kind ofAssassinwould you be without this skill? You can use from Stealth to increase it’s damage by 50%. You won’t need it often but you will use it. Keep it for those times when you do.
Scoundrel Skills
Adrenaline– Gives you AP at the cost of AP next round. I like to use this at the end of a turn where I useChameleon Cloakbecause I swapWeaponswhile Stealthed and then pass, so this ensures that you won’t lose AP during that turn.
Backlash– A great gap closer that guarantees aBackstab Critical, albeit with a 15% damage reduction vs a basic attack. This should be used on turn 2 or 3 after you’ve unloaded with your bow, jumped in and already killed one target in melee.
Throwing Knife– A decent ranged skill for thisBuild(85% damage vs basic attack). This should be used if you can hit an enemy in range it you’ve already swapped to Daggers. If not swap to Bow and finish off the target.
Corrupted Blade– A 115% damaging skill with 2 negativeStatus Effects, both of which are resisted byPhysical Armour. Hard to find manySkillsthis good with no downside.
Sawtooth Knife– This attack piercesArmourand is a great way to finish off a target hit withMarksman’s Fang. Try to take down warriors or tanky characters with this combo.
Cloak and Dagger– This skill works great turn 1 or 2 after you’veChameleon Cloakedto get in position for turn 2 or 3 so as to waste no AP. Hit with aBackstaborMortal Blowimmediately after on the following turn.
Mortal Blow– The best finisher in the game. Does 140% damage and double that if you are Sneaking or Stealthed, which you will be when you use it. Use turn 2 or 3 to wipe out the most dangerous target on the field.
Miscellaneous Skills
Chameleon Cloak– Use this skill at the end of your first or second turn to hide from enemies. attempt to useAdrenalinejust before and then the following turn swap to your Daggers andCloak and Daggerinto position, then pass. This will leave you with full AP (8) for turn 3 or 4 without needing to move.
Final Tips
When playing anAssassinI advise starting battles with your Bow as enemies usually begin a good distance from you. UseTactical Retreatif you can get up high to deal extra damage and have extra range during this turn. attempt to kill your first target quickly and get 2 extra AP fromExecutioner. Hopefully this will give you enough AP to kill another target, but if not hitAdrenalineand finish it off and then useChameleon Cloak. Turn 2 if you usedAdrenalineyou’ll be short 2 AP so I recommend swappingWeaponsto Daggers and then usingCloak and Daggerto get into position if you can. This will give you 8 AP on the start of turn 3 and you won’t need to move.
Because Chameleon Cloak lasts two turns you can use Adrenaline the same turn with no negative results. It’s a good idea to swap Weapons while cloaked as well, so that you don’t use valuable AP during a turn you will attack.
Mortal Blowis your big finisher and can be used to kill even the hardest targets in the game. You should be able to get the double damage from Stealth easily usingChameleon Cloakso if you know you’re going to use this skill, be sure to use it after you’ve cloaked. If you don’t think you can kill your target with oneMortal Blow, try to soften them up with your Bow first.
You can play thisBuildin a party using theGlass CannonTalent, but you will need to ensure that you have the highestInitiativeon your team if you do this. This will ensure that you always go first (combat order alternates between your highest initiative player and the enemy’s highest) and can get off your attacks, and then Stealth, before you get CCed. I also suggest if you do this that you take theWhat a RushTalent and keep your Health just under 50% to keep this active at all times. This will ensure you have 7 AP every turn to spend, just ensure that you don’t have any points in Necromancer, and make sure someone can removeStatus Effectsfrom you if needed.
Talents I would take with a Glass Cannon Build.
As mentioned above,Marksman’s FangandSawtooth Knifecan be an extremely deadly combo if used together on a single target. Keep this in mind when choosing what to do with your Bow attacks on turn 1 or 2. It might be a good idea to leave the target you hit withMarksman’s Fangalive, if you’ve already gotten anExecutioner bonus, so that you can easily finish them the next turn withSawtooth Knife. Note thatWarfarealso increases Piercing Damage.
Normally neither of these Skills is quite enough to finish a target in one attack, which can be problematic if the target is heavily armoured. However, together they’re a guaranteed kill.
Lastly, you’re able to swap from Daggers back to Bow for only 1 AP, which is great for picking off stragglers after you have jumped in and “assassinated” the main group. Often on turn 4 I can’t reach a mage or archer without moving, so I just swap to Bow andBallisticorSky Shotthem and that’s that. The fact you can just do that at will makes thisBuildone of the most fun I have ever played. I highly recommend it!
Be sure to check out our otherBuild Guides! Good luck Sourcerers, Rivellon is counting on you!
