Shaiya: Assassin Leveling Guide

So you decided to be an assassin. Sucks to be you. At least, that's what a
pagan'll tell you. "z0mgwtfbbq i got lvl50 in 3 dayzzz lOOOOOL." then you whip out your 44 assassin, kill them in four hits, and smile. how do you get the levels though? patience. lots of patience.

Who should play an assassin?
If you play long hours, you might consider an assassin. AOE chars tend to find maybe one or two good parties a day, whereas a 'sin can solo all day long. You also need patience. lots of patience. If you get on just for a few hours a day, pagan/orc/guard may be a better choice for you. hop on, check for parties, come back later if you can't find one.

What stats to get?
For NM, you want 3/2 str/dex. 3/2 dex/str also works, so i've heard, but i like my power, and i'm sure you will too.
For HM you have more variety.
The most basic, high-damage build is 5/2 str/dex. It works, it's simple, it'll get your target dead. Some people like to add in luck, but the rule with luck is, if you are going to add it, add a lot. Anything under 300 is absolute crap. Anything under 400 is pretty weak. But you have a luck buff, so you can take advantage of that.
The absolute best build you can do is a custom build. That is, not xx per level, but set goals. Say, 100 str, 250 dex, 350 luck with buffs. Lapised correctly, this is a very good build.
If you're UM, here's a build i've been considering (if you're a ranger, don't bother - it won't work for you): 5 str / 2 dex / 2 luck. All the power of the 5/2 HM build plus 100 luck by 50. At level 53, you'll have incantation lvl3, pushing you to about 200 luck. Add in 3 level 5 lapis and you have 260. Get a weapon with good base luck ( i have one with 35 so let's go with that), and you have almost 300. So now, at 53, you have maybe 600-650 damage (no damage lapis added), and a 60% chance to crit. Pretty good, huh? All you furies, try it if you want. But rangers be warned, it will never work for you. i promise.

What skills to get?
Muscle Training 3
Rogue weapon power up 3
Relax body - optional, not useful in combat
Evasion ascent 3
Rogue Weapon Mastery 2
Fatal Hit - your preference; i recommend keeping it at 1 until 50. if you want longer charge time for longer combos, up it.
Agility 3
Sprinter - optional, i like it at 3. NM has the points for 1
Blunt - HM skill only, get it at 1 for pulling monsters.
Tetanus 3
Halt Kick 1
Drag down - optional, this combo is for taking down defenders - if you're NM don't bother
Stun Crash 1
Stealth - 3 if you can get it, and you're untouchable until you choose to be touched
Trap - 1 if you want to decloak enemy rangers, optional if you want more
Aggravation 3
Venom Crash - see drag down.
Flash Attack - UM only. get it. love it. lvl3 it.
Incantation 3
Potential Nimble 3
Transformation - optional, good for running past monsters. do not get 3, a horse is ridiculously large and easy to see
Slasher 3
Disguise - optional, good for confusing dumb Alliance and getting past monster (that's right, they do NOT attack a disguised sin!)
Perfect Position - optional, good for duels, not so good for long-term hunting
Fantom Assault 1, 2, or 3. 3 is wonderful
Gruesome attack - see Drag Down. level it to 3 for best results.
Terrible Attack - HM only. TA + GA = very sore defender.
Syeeric Touch - if you get level 60 UM, you deserve this. Use it and watch a defender drop a log.


What skills to use while grinding?
Fatal Hit lv1, Tetanus lv3. That's all. When you get into dungeons, use the entire combo. If you're HM, pull with blunt. You "can" use Halt Kick/Stun Crash (especially on magic monsters, if you must fight them), but they are set damage attacks, and rather low damage at that.

What you need for hunts
Potions. Lots and lots of potions. Set up your skill bar so you can display many potions at a time. i have six potion slots when i PVE. For map areas, use health potions. for dungeons, take health potions, supin potions, and a few stamina potions. i like to take half a page of supins, half a page of HP, and 3-4 stacks of SP.

What to avoid
Sonic volt, rooted foot, double pain, poison, vital farer, darkness, unconscious. Anything that slows you, stuns you, or poisons you over time. Avoid monsters who you can't tetanus, avoid monsters who do high magic damage (VIPERS). For a more complete list, refer to page 2, post 4.

Parties
Who to party with? Duoing with oracles is great if you don't want to die. i've never personally duo'd with a hunter, but it can be good experience as well, so i hear. The ideal party is a trio - the exp only goes down a tiny bit, with the party power increasing by one-half. Anything bigger than that is annoyingly slow.

And now, on to the levels. Just a warning, it will mostly be hard mode levels - if you are Normal Mode, add on two levels and you should be able to handle the same thing. i will not be listing ANY monsters that cast the debuffs listed above. if you like them, go for it. i don't.

Level 1-18
For 1-15, just do quests and you should get there. HM will have to grind a bit, i suggest helltooths til lvl11 (both difficulties), and wolves/boars north of Gliter til 13~, frogs til 15.

Once you hit 15, you can pvp for a while. Enjoy it, you've got a long road ahead of you.

Level 15-18
From 15-18, do quests, play with different monsters, find out what you like. If you can't tetanus it, remember because chances are you NEVER will. The annoying monsters, over time, become even more annoying variations of themselves.

Level 18-30
Don't solo in AR. Don't solo in AR. Don't solo in AR. Do you get the message? If you're looking for a weapon, kill skeleton soldiers, or goblin gateguards. If you're NM, parties are cool. If you're HM, go to map 2 and kill frogs (after doing quests).
Level 20-22 should be fairly fast due to quests. Kill whatever you want...frogs, wolves, pixies, gallus are all good targets.
Level 22-25 i can't remember the levels exactly...but the ONLY thing you should be killing is boars/gallus south of Starfumos until you can handle bison/antelopes west of Aumeros. If you can start here at 21, start here at 21. It's slow, slow, slow exp, but get used to it. It gets worse.
25-30 Do antelopes til they're green. Move on to sealakels. They hit HARD but you need Spirit Cores for your quest. Get 60 of them, then find something that hurts you less. At level 27 or 28 (can't remember which), Gigas bison/boars will be available. They are so easy it's pathetic. Level 30 should allow you Gigas Beholders/Golems. If it's overcrowded, you can do Gigas sealakels/frogs, but they hurt a lot. Also, don't forget your dread quests. Silverback Goblin Hunters, Poison Mist Zombies, and Silverback Goblin Shamans drop the items to start the quest. Use this gear til lvl43.
Rapioru Maze is also a possibility for 25-30, although i never enjoyed it myself. If you go, bring potions and go at high bless or it's slow.

Level 30 - PVP.
Do it. PVP til you're sick of it. Til you can't stand to see another Alliance ever. And when you hit that point, PVP some more. If you can get 1k kills do so. If you can get more, do so. This is the final frontier. There can be no looking back once you hit 31.

Level 31-36
Don't enter KH. Don't enter KH. Don't enter KH. It's so horrible for assassins, i could just cry.
Pop a stone if your HM. You will never get below .08% if you pop a stone, and rarely even that low.
Level 31-32, try your luck with keuraijen big bears and spiders. They hurt. Get used to it. You can also try goblins way over to the west, but get ready for some sonic volting.
Level 33-35, your best bet is white lions. They are gloriously easy, despite rooted foot (which you will come to LOATHE by the time you hit 36), and they drop ridiculous amounts of gold. Buy exp stones with that gold, you'll need them. Level 35 will be your slowest level to date.
Level 36 is when you can finally start in on map 2. You can start earlier if you so choose, but the fastest exp per minute is white lions. Level 36 is a rough one too, but kill goblin stonethrowers/looters til you're blue in the face. They're north of the first goblin camp you'll see. You can also do D1 at 36, but have fun with farmers.

Level 37-43
Go to FL. Go to FL. GO TO FREAKIN' FL! This is what i'm talkin' about. Remember those last two painful levels? Now it gets easy for a while. Take potions, don't die, and get your glorious .2%. Even more if you're NM (but don't come here til 39). Hit the early rooms til 39, at which point they should turn green. Then jump the red elves entirely and move on to skeletons. At level 40, check for quests - you get a lovely HM quest that gives you 15%. At 41, check map 2 for quest, you get an easy 10%. Kill skeletons til level 42 (the last level's a rough one). At 42, go down to FL2 - if you have your dread set lapised up nicely, these guys should be... unbearably slow and painful. Here is when i started sucking supins and HP both. If you know of a better place to get to 43, let me know. i tried AN, too easy to die there.

Level 43-44
This is when you start to question your worth. Those kobolts and ghosts are just as hard as ever at 43, and they give less exp. The ghosts give a solid .1 but this level will still be noticeably slower. At level 44... well... try mutants/vampires, but be prepared to suck potions. This is where i am at the moment, so i haven't explored all options yet. If you know of a better place, let me in on the secret.

Level 45-48
USE YOUR EPIC! It IS better than your 43. If you cannot afford mountains of lapis, use it until 50. It will get the job done. Just... avoid water monsters. god priests, vampires, sealakels...are a no.
Level 45 - if you can get in a Lan party, by all means, do it. If you have a nice guild, ask them to help you. You *can* handle the ghosts on FL3, but they come with vampires which are WAY too strong for you. Soloing, the fastest exp is vamps/mutants in FL2, though if you're getting poor (and you will be), you might consider Futesys camp (yellow monsters). they drop a lot, require few potions, and die so easily (as all elves do).
Level 46 - Ruber Chaos is still orange and better. This IS the fastest exp you'll get (spiders/undeads anyway, NOT vampires), BUT alone you will die. The absolute fastest "solo" exp is to get healed by an out of party oracle here. If you go alone, you'll die quite often. Second best would be FL3, in a room with ghosts. Vamps are annoyingly long to kill, but ghosts are ridiculously easy to kill. Another option is D2, which is, in fact, faster than RC but dangerous due to Alliance. If you're not going solo, your best bet is a fast lanhaar aoe party or a deep, deep RC aoe party.
47, D2/RC will be yellow to you. I D2, as in RC there are monsters who will debuff you extensively. If you are using the lvl45 epic (and you should be unless you have a well-lapised level 47 drop limited weapon), you will be unable to fight the succubi. Try to find a place where you can easily pull the orange skeletons without getting the succubi as well. If there are spiders nearby, even better. Don't fight goblins if you can help it, since they stun you often. If you have access to ele lapis, stick an earth in a 47 drop limited and own the succubi too. unfortunately, the writer of this guide is not so rich.
At 48, both NM and HM should continue in D2/RC (if you're UM i don't care, go own lanhaar and level fast!). If you can get into a Lanhaarr party, do it. Even a random melee grind party will be fast there. Duo with a warrior and stun while he damages, or add in an oracle and damage combo. Regardless of where you level, it will be long and hard (well, actually, Lan is quite fast). If you're NM you might consider committing suicide because you'll do about 5 damage to Lan monsters. i might recommend suicide, actually.
According to Grizz's post below, Hellfire monsters are rather good at 45, though i've tried the spot myself and was less than impressed. Your call though. in my own opinion, 45-48 should only use map 3 for quests, and even those seem to be a waste of time compared to exp you could get elsewhere in the same time.
Another possibility are leopards near the Heres relic in D-water. they are apparently beefed up and will hit hard, but they'll give amazingly good exp for 46-48. just watch out for elves.

The Last Level.
You did it. The hard part is over. You still have 13mil to get, but Lanhaar is soloable with lots of potions. With a stone, that's an effing lot of experience. Without a stone, that's an effing lot of experience. If you like to solo at low cost, deeper D2/RC are good (watch out for Alliance in D2, especially on Teos - they like to farm the floor 2 boss!). Do not go into FL, it's beyond worthless to you now.

The Millionaire's Den
Leveling going too slow? Pop a KO, pay an orc to heal out of party, and level in Lanhaarr. This works best starting at level 48 and 49, but can be done (if you are very careful) at 47.

That's it, you hit 50. Did you ever try D1 and get slaughtered by Alliance farmers? Return the favor. What can you do with your big, strong 50 assassin? Duo with an oracle to farm. It goes pretty fast, honestly, considering it's a two-way split. Kill anyone of your level/difficulty. Easily. Kill B6. Ok maybe not, but it's worth a try.

D-water PVP guide
You can handle pvp fairly well at level 40 if you pick your battles carefully, but i would recommend 45+ for the most fun. If you're alone, never stay in one place for too long. Alliance are wusses. You beat them too much and they'll call their friends. Level 3 stealth is a must. Wait until time's almost up on Stealth, hit someone, stealth again before they can touch you. Fade in, fade out. Aim for mages, priests, and party leaders. Avoid defenders unless you're HM or better.
If you're with a group, be sure to have Sprint level 2 or 3. Again, never stay in one place too long. Know what you can handle, and have your finger on the Stealth button in case you get in over your head.

Assassin Vs...
Fighter - If you're with a group, stun crash and let others finish him off. If you're alone, tet combo to see how tough he is, stun him or stealth if he hurts too much, finish him with tet combo. You *can* beat a fighter of your level and difficulty in almost any one-on-one situation.
Defender - If he's any good at all, this will be a long fight. Kill any party members first, and if he's the party leader, be ready for respawn. If you want, use darkness scrolls, though i personally don't have hotkey room. Terrible Attack and Gruesome Attack work beautifully, and even if GA isn't charged, poison lvl3 can still take off a lot. Stun a lot too, especially if you party with another assassin. If he's stunned, he can't dark you. He also has invincibility, as well as other minor buffs. Basically it's going to be a long, annoying fight and you're going to want to kick puppies by the time you're done.
Ranger - Big Coup. If you're with a group, stunlock him. If you're alone, stunlock and tetanus combo. If he disappears, lay a trap and watch him die.
Priest - ...hit him and watch him go dead. He'll be in a party. Find out who's the priest, and kill him first.
Mage - See above. After you kill the priest, you must stealth. They'll use firebrush or whatever to try to unstealth you. Stay back and wait for it to end. Pop out and kill them as fast as possible or you will die. If you can wait for stealth to recharge, do it. If the priest was the party leader, you can do this.
Archer - These guys look way intimidating, and from a distance they are. Stealth in, stunlock him, tet combo, etc. If you're with a party, keep him stunlocked. You can heavily damage a higher level archer, but they'll almost always run away before you kill them. Archers of your level are cake and pie. NM can beat HM archers, HM can beat UM archers.

Leveling past 50
Level as you farm. If you level with the intent to level, you WILL go insane. If you level with the intent to get money, it will go pleasantly fast...ish. Level 50-53, go D2; level 52-55 duo or solo at Aurizen Ruin, and any time past 53, the jungle/desert areas should be ok. Basically, there are a lot of options. Early Lanhaarr monsters are not worth killing because of bad drops, though later monster drops are very worth it. There is possibly a guide coming out soon that will be suited for 50+ leveling. When it becomes available, i'll link it.

Watch for more later...if anyone knows of better places to level, tell me. Also include any debuffs to watch out for in your leveling areas.

All credits for this guide goes to mmOverload. The best MMORPG Guide site on the net.

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