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Madness Assassin PvE Guide by MKnightRider


MKnightRider

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Last Updated: 8/4/14

 

This guide is a copy of my Balance Shadow guide with terms changed to Assassin terms. Here is a link to the original guide in Shadow speak.

 

Now that 2.8 is here and this spec actually kicks ***, I figured it would be a good time to finally finish my guide. I hope it helps both players who are new to the spec and veterans alike.

 

Just to note, I am no theory crafter or crazy mathematician, I don't have any hard numbers saying that one gear setup or rotation is better. I just have my own experience working with many different combinations of gear, specs, rotations, and raid fights and feedback and tips from other players. Any feedback is welcomed; I want to keep advancing this spec as far as it can go.

 

Terms and Abbreviations

  • Death Field (DF) - Force in Balance
  • Crushing Darkness (CrD) - Mind Crush
  • Creeping Terror (CT) - Sever Force
  • Discharge (DI) - Force Breach
  • Assassinate (AS) - Spinning Strike
  • Thrash (TH) - Double Strike
  • Saber Strike (ST)
  • Shock (SH) - Project
  • Force Lightning (FL) - Telekinetic Throw
  • Lacerate (LA) - Whirling Blow
  • Overload (OV) - Force Wave
  • Raze (RA) - Force Strike (proc for free CrD)
  • Recklessness (RE) - Force Potency
  • Overcharge Saber (OS) - Battle Readiness
  • Force Cloak (FC)
  • Force Speed (FS)

 

 

Spec

Spec is 8/2/36. However, there can be a couple slight point variations in the Deception and Madness trees. I linked the one I use the most. You can also move the two points in Dark Embrace over to Avoidance for shorter CD on FS and your interrupt. Where those two points go is totally dependent on the situation. Like for Raptus I take Avoidance because you don't want to use FC; Nefra I take Dark Embrace because who needs FS anyways.

 

With the 2.8 changes to Shapeless Spirit, this skill becomes very useful and in my opinion should always be taken. The only other skill points I would move around is putting points into Corrupted Flesh instead of Sith Defiance. If a fight has DoT damage then that is worth giving up 2% overall DR. If you ever need both of these (16 man fights I'm looking at you), you can always pull the point out of Lambaste and one point from Electric Execution.

 

 

Gear

My AMR

Here is my AMR profile for my Balance Shadow which I try to update fairly often. Until I get full Dread Master gear, I may run with a little more crit than what I recommend/want, just know that my goal is 284 no matter what my AMR shows.

 

Crit

I did a decent amount of testing on the PTS to figure out where crit should be and what I found was that for Dread Master gear crit should be somewhere between 280-300. I personally am shooting for 284 which I will reach with a crit/acc implant, one mod, and one enhancement. If you want to run a little more, you could go up to about 350-360 max and still average out to similar numbers, but I wouldn't go any higher. For lesser tiers of gear I would drop about 25 off the range I gave above. So Dread Forged = 255-275, Kell Dragon = 230-250, etc.

 

Accuracy

Preferred amount is 440, which can be reached with 4 Dread Master enhancements/implants/earpiece and one accuracy augment. I do this personally, and while I don't have any solid numbers I feel it is the best way to reach optimal accuracy. You could always run 5 pieces of accuracy but you lose surge which is very helpful to our spec. For Dread Forged gear you can also run 4 accuracy pieces but you will have to run 2 accuracy augments. For any tier lower than DF it's better to run 5 pieces of accuracy and no accuracy augments.

 

Augments

Should be willpower all around, unless you do what I mentioned above, then 13 willpower augments and 1 accuracy if in DM gear, or 12 willpower and 2 accuracy if in DF gear.

 

Relics

Serendipitous Assault and Focused Retribution.

 

Set Bonus

The 4-piece Stalker PvE set bonus is important for this spec. The 15% extra crit to TH from the set bonus along with the extra 9% melee crit from Exploitive Strikes paired with 50% extra surge on TH makes it a very valuable move. This used to be a more powerful set bonus pre-2.8, but it is still very important to this spec.

 

 

Move Priority/Rotation

There are two ways to play this spec. I will label them the "DoT Focus" and "Priority" methods.

 

DoT Focus Method

This is the method I am most used to and what I prefer. In this method you keep your reapplication of DI and CT static and a higher priority than reapplying CrD. Now you might think that reapplying CrD should always be priority, but the truth is as long as you aren't holding a RA proc long enough that you don't use it and lose it to proccing RA again (which should NEVER happen anyways, barring any downtime), you will still be using CrD just as much as you would if you prioritized CrD. But the good thing about this method is you have better uptime on DI and CT and they get to eat more Deathmark charges, and it helps with reapplication on targets because the GCD after a DoT falls off is when you reapply that DoT.

 

So the main focus of this method is reapplying DI and CT right away and keeping 3 GCDs between those two DoTs. The only thing that will break the 3 GCD separation is AS in the execute which has more priority at that point. In fact, because AS takes priority and will definitely break the 3 GCD separation, this method reverts to just a straight priority during the execute and moves CrD up the priority.

 

The priority will look like this:

  • DF on CD
  • AS when <30%
  • CrD when <30%
  • DI (or CT)
  • CT (or DI)
  • CrD when >30%
  • MA (Melee Attack), which is: ST if below 30 force>AS>TH

 

I listed DI and CT in opposing spots in the priority list because if you want to you can do CT first and then DI. However, it will mean that you don't get a RA proc as early as possible and it also means you get one less tick of CT using a Deathmark charge at the beginning, and CT does more damage than DI does.

 

For actual fights, my opener is this:

RE,DI-->Adrenal,OS,DF-->MA-->CrD-->CT then follow priority

 

For parsing I use a slightly different opener that doesn't use the 3 GCD spread right at the beginning to maximize use of the adrenal at the beginning. It looks like this:

 

RE,Hardcast CrD-->DI-->Adrenal,OS,DF-->CT-->MA-->CrD-->MAx4-->CrD-->MA-->DF-->DI-->MA-->CrD-->MA-->CT then follow priority

 

For a longer look at this rotation, Aelanis has done a much better job than me at explaining it so I will quote him on that (originally written in Shadow terms, I changed them to Assassin ones for this guide):

...Death Field has a 15 second cooldown and Raze has a 7.5 second internal cooldown (a half mutiple of 15 seconds), while Discharge and Creeping Terror both have 18 second durations. That means that if you look at the Madness "rotataion" in a 15 second block, DI and CT fall back 2 spaces each rotation. Example:

 

DF > DI > CrD > MA > MA > CT > MA > CrD > MA > MA

DF > MA > CrD > DI > MA > MA > MA > CrD > CT > MA

DF > MA > CrD > MA > MA > DI > MA > CrD > MA > CT

 

If you look at it as an 18 second rotation, however, it's Death Field and Crushing Darkness that shift positions. Example:

 

DF > DI > MA > CrD > MA > CT > MA > MA > CrD > MA > DF > MA

MA > DI > CrD > MA > MA > CT > CrD > MA > DF > MA > CrD > MA

MA > DI > MA > CrD > MA > CT > DF > MA > CrD > MA > MA > MA

 

Note: this is with CrD at a lower priority than the other dots and Death Field, so its position doesn't shift as smoothly as Death Field's does. Also, in the first example, if there had been a MA before the first CrD, we would have seen it interfere with the other dots and DF and have to shift there, too.

 

Also, leto_cleon made a google spreadsheet to analyze my personal rotation for a couple of my top parses, I figured I'd link it too since it is very detailed and might help understand the DoT Focus method more. Here is the thread that he started when he made the spreadsheet. Note this is all in Shadow terms.

 

Video of me using the DoT Focus method.

 

Priority Method

The only difference in this method is it always prioritizes CrD reapplication instead of the rigid DI and CT reapplication. This means it can be a little harder to follow in an actual fight but this priority does flow perfectly into the execute phase and is exactly what you end up doing in the DoT Focus method during the execute anyways.

 

Priority is this:

  • DF on CD
  • AS when <30%
  • CrD
  • DI (or CT)
  • CT (or DI)
  • MA (Melee Attack), which is: ST if below 30 force>AS>TH

 

Openers will be the same as the other method, the differences show up when you get to the second DoT applications and later.

 

Video of me using the Priority method.

 

Some Things to Note

Using Saber Strike

 

I mention using ST when below 30 force, and in general and for someone without much experience with the spec, that is something you probably want to follow. But there are times when this rule can be broken. The main reason for this rule is so that you don't ruin your force right before you need to use DF, CT, DI, or any combination of them in succession. But if those moves all have a while before they need to be used again, you can go crazy with AS/TH and burn all your force because you won't need it. But just make sure you pay attention to when you need to reapply DoTs or use DF and plan ahead, especially if you need to use two in succession.

 

 

When NOT to apply your DoTs

 

Your DoTs are an important part of your arsenal, but they are very bad ideas sometimes. If a target is only going to survive for 1-4 more GCDs, don't worry about applying any. If you get to do 5-8 GCDs you can use CrD and apply DI to get another RA proc. Finally, try not to use CT unless the target is going to survive 8+ GCDs.

 

 

Overload does damage?

 

A very small amount, but yes. It does have a 15m range though. So if you're just awkwardly walking up to your target because FS still has a CD and you don't have DF or CT up, you can use OV. Every little bit helps.

 

 

Wait, we use Shock? And Force Lightning?

 

In short, no; they should not be used rotationally. But don't just remove them from your quickbar either. In times when you can't be in melee range of your target and have nothing else to use, SH and FL (and FL+RE for 30m range) are options. They're very situational because they both cost a lot of force and FL requires you to stand still and takes 2 GCDs, but just don't dismiss them altogether.

 

 

AoE abilities, lol

 

Aside from DF, AoE is not something an Assassin can do very well compared to other classes, but this spec can do decent AoE for a short amount of time. I'm sure I'll get laughed at for even suggesting picking up Lambaste, but it isn't utterly terrible. When there are 5 targets, LA is an option. With Lambaste, LA can do about 5500 to each target if OS is going and you get crits, and it refunds 10 force after a second due to Lightning Burns being applied to all 5 targets.

Another AoE move to think about is OV. Be careful what you use it on, because knocking targets out of other peoples' AoEs is very bad, but if the targets have boss immunity (like the droid adds in the Titan 6 fight or the Subteroths in the Draxus NiM fight), OV is definitely another option, and it has no force cost to boot.

So when a fight calls for AoE, we can do DF-->LA-->LA-->OV-->LA (assuming at close to full force when this is started), which is decent damage. You could stop at OV too, to keep force higher and get back to single target dps right away.

 

 

Getting the most of Recklessness

 

DF paired with RE is a very good thing indeed, but it can eat both stacks of RE if it hits multiple targets and crits on two of them. However, it seems that they still tend to crit on multiple targets even with only one stack of RE. So if at all possible, when using RE+DF on multiple targets, try and use a stack on CrD first then use the AoE move to maximize your use of RE. This applies to OV also, don't accidentally use both RE stacks on OV.

 

 

Personal Records

Dummy

http://www.torparse.com/a/735041/time/1407115731/1407115953/0/Overview

Accompanying video

 

Deception (Pre-2.10) 5/36/5

 

Hybrid 4/18/24

 

 

Current Operation Fights

* = clipped to when boss died

 

Nefra: 8M

Draxus: 8M

Grob'thok: 8M*

C-Zero: 8M

Brontes: 8M*

 

Bestia: 8M - 16M

Tyrans: 8M - 16M

Calphayus: 8M - 16M

Raptus: 16M

Council: 8M

 

 

Shameless Plug

If you feel like giving me free cartel coins, here is my referral link.

Edited by MKnightRider
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I'm one of the many assassin's/Shadows that are trying to make the switch from Deception/Infiltration to Madness/Balance so this guide is awesome. TY

 

I'm curious, why there's 3 GCD's between each DoT application?

 

It allows you to squeeze in an Assassinate if you need to, letting you more effectively use your procs. It also eases you into the execute phase, where you need to Assassinate on cooldown.

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Updated OP:

  • Fixed the Discharge/Force breach typo (thanks for pointing that out Gelgaroth)
  • Updated personal records for the dummy and added a video to go with it

 

So I guess I'll add this now. I will not be playing the game any longer come August 15th I think is when my sub runs out. Severity Gaming is no more and I am not enticed by any upcoming content and am also upset with the fact that they pushed the Infiltration buff back even farther. And even before SG died, I barely logged on except for raids and just didn't really enjoy playing as much. I also have real life things going on so it comes at a good time. I'm not going to say I'll never be back, because I just don't know, but as far as I'm concerned right now, it is very unlikely. Sorry if I didn't get back to some people but I just have been busy and haven't had much motivation to do much with regards to this game.

 

Hopefully Adixia/Aelanis/Civille/Dertygun/Ilnox/leto_cleon will still be playing and I'm sure if they see any questions they'll be more than happy to help. I hope the guide will keep doing its job at least until 3.0 comes out.

 

Farewell and thanks to everyone who has helped to make this game what it is. Good luck everyone with all your future endeavors.

 

MK

Edited by MKnightRider
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Updated OP:

  • Fixed the Discharge/Force breach typo (thanks for pointing that out Gelgaroth)
  • Updated personal records for the dummy and added a video to go with it

 

So I guess I'll add this now. I will not be playing the game any longer come August 15th I think is when my sub runs out. Severity Gaming is no more and I am not enticed by any upcoming content and am also upset with the fact that they pushed the Infiltration buff back even farther. And even before SG died, I barely logged on except for raids and just didn't really enjoy playing as much. I also have real life things going on so it comes at a good time. I'm not going to say I'll never be back, because I just don't know, but as far as I'm concerned right now, it is very unlikely. Sorry if I didn't get back to some people but I just have been busy and haven't had much motivation to do much with regards to this game.

 

Hopefully Adixia/Aelanis/Civille/Dertygun/Ilnox/leto_cleon will still be playing and I'm sure if they see any questions they'll be more than happy to help. I hope the guide will keep doing its job at least until 3.0 comes out.

 

Farewell and thanks to everyone who has helped to make this game what it is. Good luck everyone with all your future endeavors.

 

MK

 

:(

 

I certainly hope to see you around in the future, a lot of people are going to lose their idol/goal to beat when you leave. Maybe when you come back, you could come to The Shadowlands? :D

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