Unlike other relatively unpopular classes to play on bnet, assassins are not underpowered. Assassins might not be WF zons, but they’re no elemental druids either. What asns lack in single minded killing speed (like bowazons or novasorcs), they make up for by being among the most versatile and capable classes around. A good assassin can solo in high player count games, tackle any tough boss pack, and clear every map without assistance.

Here’s how.

INTRODUCTION
“I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubble gum.” Rowdy Roddy Piper, They Live

A martial arts assassin has a unique combat system. Where every other class fights by simply spamming their primary attack skill (zeal, WW, fury), with support from secondary skills (utility spells, like barb war cries or zon valks/decoys or sorc teleport, or AI spells, like necro curses, or auras for pallies, or feral rage/shockwave for shifters), backed up with secondary attack skills depending on immunities (vengeance, zerk, etc.), the assassin is constantly switching her attacks just to initiate the move.

MA assassins operate by switching between her chargeups and finishers. An assassin has 6 chargeups and 4 finisher skills, plus the option of releasing the chargeup via normal attack. The chargeup skills are largely clustered into "strikes" (phoenix, tiger, and cobra) and "elemental chargeups" (fists of fire, katars of thunder, and blades of ice). The 4 finishing skills include 3 kick finishers (dragon talon, dragon tail, and dragon flight) and one finisher that relies on a dual katar attack (dragon katar).

Unfortunately, the decision by blizzard at the 11th hour to remove kick damage from boots (meant to operate similar to smite damage on shields for pallies) reduced the kick finishers to not much more than variant skills or one point utility skills, since kick damage can only be improved through ungodly investment into strength and dex. The decision to require dragon katar to be used only with dual katar attacks leads most assassins to simply ignore most finishing skills (beyond their one point utility use) and simply use normal attack to release their strikes and chargeups.

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