Best Assassin Builds in Diablo 2 Resurrected

Over 20 years after it was initially released, Diablo II has made its return. This has, of course, led to an influx of players interested in rekindling their love for finding the best synergies and techniques to make in their quest to defeat Baal, Mephisto, and Diablo himself. We cover some of the best builds for Assassin, the sneakiest of all the classes in the list below.

Best Assassin Builds

Assassins are best known for their aptitude in one-on-one combat. However, they are also known for being in their enemies' faces and completely out of the way. Their high dexterity allows them to evade with blazing fast speeds, counter with incredible accuracy, and strike with unmatched critical damage. If played poorly, the Assassin is as squishy as they come and can be taken down easily. However, if played well, they are the best method to take an enemy's HP from extremely high to zero in no time.

Equipment

One important thing to note about equipment is that choosing the right kind almost always depends on the player's methods rather than the build itself. Since loot is randomly generated when you slay enemies, it is always best to equip gear that best suits your needs rather than searching for specific items. However, we listed the items below that best suit the Assassin class overall. If different gear is recommended for a specific build, it will be mentioned in the Additional Notes for that build.

• Helm: Guillaume's Face
• Armor: Treachery or Chains of Honor
• Gloves: Dracul's Grasp or Soul Drainer
• Belt: Verdungo's Hearty Cord or Arachnid Mesh
• Boots: Gore Riders
• Shield: Spirit or Phoenix
• Amulet: Mara's Kaleidescope or Highlord's Wrath
• Rings: Raven Frost, Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band, or Stone of Jordan

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Kicker

If you're going the martial arts route, the Kicker Assassin build is one of the most popular builds. It is a simple guide with moderate versatility and different options to accommodate you and your team's preferred play styles. It is a classic go-to build for many Assassin players.

• Skill Points
  • Dragon Talon: 20
  • Venom: 20 (for strike and evade play) or Burst of Speed: 20 (for repeated attacks)
  • Death Sentry: 20
  • Claw Mastery: 20
  • Weapon Block: 10
  • Fade: 1
  • Cobra Strike: 1 - 3
  • Light Sentry: 5+ to boost Death Sentry
• Stat Points
  • Strength: Enough for equipment.
  • Dexterity: Enough for equipment.
  • Energy: Base level.
  • Vitality: Dump almost all your stat points in Vitality.
• Added Notes
  • Gear
    • Weapon: Bartuc's Cut-Throat is a great weapon for Kicker Assassins. It includes faster hit recovery, skill bonuses, life leech, and improved attack rating. However, if you don't have Life Tap from Dracul's Grasp, it may be a good idea to us Last Wish instead.

Elementalist

Elementalists use element-centered martial arts abilities to break through opponent resistances and play on their weaknesses. This is a great option for players who don't want to depend on their weapon to determine the amount of damage they deal and be effective against many enemies.

• Skill Points
  • Phoenix Strike: 20
  • Fists of Fire: 20
  • Claws of Thunder: 20
  • Blades of Ice: 20
  • Claw Mastery: 5+
  • Weapon Block: 5+
  • Burst of Speed: 5+
  • Fade: 1
  • Cloak of Shadows: 3+
• Stat Points
  • Strength: Enough for equipment.
  • Dexterity: Enough for equipment.
  • Energy: Base level.
  • Vitality: Dump almost all your stat points in Vitality.
• Added Notes
  • Build up Fists of Fire in the early game until you can build up Phoenix Strike.
  • The downside to this build is that you need to switch skills a lot to use it to its full potential. When you reach level 30 and boost Phoenix Strike to level 3, you will frequently be switching between Phoenix Strike and your normal attack to spam damage. This takes practice, so find a technique that works for you and get a rhythm going before fighting tougher enemies.

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Shockbringer

Shockbringer is an Assassin build that focuses on using traps to deal damage. Since lightning traps deal the most damage, this is the most common Trap Assassin build. This Assassin build does not get in the heat of battle but works from the sidelines to deal massive damage to enemies while their teammates distract them.

• Skill Points
  • Lightning Sentry: 20
  • Wake of Inferno: 20
  • Death Sentry: 20
  • Shadow Master: 10+
  • Burst of Speed: 1
  • Cloak of Shadows: 1 (to evade) or Mind Blast: 1 (to stun)
• Stat Points
  • Strength: Enough for equipment.
  • Dexterity: Enough for equipment.
  • Energy: Base level.
  • Vitality: Dump almost all your stat points in Vitality.
• Added Notes
  • This build requires moderate skill in switching abilities. It's best to have your secondary set active with Burst of Speed and Shadow Master when approaching dangerous areas, then activate Cloak of Shadows to stall groups of monsters you encounter. Then, immediately switch to your primary set and spam Lightning Sentry or Wake of Inferno. Death Sentry will then explode corpses to deal additional damage.
  • Gear
    • Weapon: Your primary set should be Cunning Katars, and your secondary set should be Shadow Katars.

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Vampire

The Vampire Assassin focuses on close-range melee combat that rejuvenates your health as you continuously deal damage. Although it is one of the more risky builds, it is highly efficient when mastered. It's a great build to use in solo or group, even on Hell difficulty. However, the biggest downside to this build is the vast list of techniques and combat methods you need to memorize.

• Skill Points
  • Claw Mastery: 20
  • Shadow Master: 20
  • Cobra Strike: 20
  • Dragon Claw: 1
  • Dragon Flight: 1
  • Burst of Speed: 5-10
  • Weapon Block: 10
• Stat Points
  • Strength: Enough to wear desired items.
  • Dexterity: Enough to wear desired items and raise block to 75% if using a shield.
  • Energy: None.
  • Vitality: Base value.
• Added Notes
  • Stack Crushing Blow, Critical Strike, and Open Wounds mods as best you can, as these are crucial to make this build reach its maximum potential.
  • Gear
    • Weapon: Cold damage is essential. This build focuses on out-maneuvering your opponent, so you want to speed yourself up and slow your enemies down at every opportunity.
    • Use armor that provides the best defense and resistance, rather than armor that provides skill boosts. If you don't fully utilize the speed of the Vampire Assassin, your health can go down fast.
    • Mana and Health potions aren't necessary since you'll mostly be stealing them from enemies. However, it's important to keep rejuvenation potions on you at all times.

Whirlysin

Whirlybarbs are one of the most commonly used builds in the game, but few people know about the Whirlysin, who uses the Barbarians Whirlwind ability with the Chaos Rune Word. This is a simple build that uses standard Assassin gear and abilities.

• Skill Points
  • Dragon Talon: 20
  • Venom: 20
  • Claw Mastery: 20
  • Weapon Block: 10
  • Dragon Flight: 1
  • Burst of Speed: 1+
  • Fade: 1
  • Cloak of Shadows: 1+
• Stat Points
  • Strength: Enough for equipment.
  • Dexterity: Enough for equipment.
  • Energy: Base level.
  • Vitality: Dump almost all your stat points in Vitality.
• Additional Notes
  • Gear
    • Weapon: To play a Whirlysin, you must have katars and imbue them with Chaos Rune Word to get the Whirlwind ability. Without it, this build simply serves as a basic rounded build with no specific advantages.

Ultimately, the best build for you depends on your play style. However, the builds above are tried and tested by many players with experience in the game. If you have any builds that you think should be mentioned, tell us in the comments below!

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