Faith Assassin (SL 125 PvP)
rating: +1+–x
Build summary PVP Dex/Faith Hybrid
Recommended starting class(es) Temple Knight
Recommended Soul Level 125

Recommended stats (Leave at default (**) if not raised)
Vitality 40
Will/Intelligence 15
Endurance 35
Strength 18
Dexterity 42
Magic 6
Faith 42
Luck 7
Recommended equipment

Your Dex is high enough for you to effectively wield any combination of Sharp weapons, including but not limited to:

  • dual kats
  • estoc/kat
  • shield/kilij
  • etc.

Basically, just use whatever you feel most comfortable with. If you use dual kats, I recommend putting Hiltless +5 in your left hand and a Sharp Uchi +5 in your right. Hiltless deals more damage than the Sharp Uchi and if you're going to be pushing people with your right hand, you want your left hand dishing out maximum punishment while they're stumbling backwards. 1h Hiltless+5 at these stats has 332AR.

You can choose to play in Dex or a Faith mode, depending on your preference or how you perceive your opponent. In most cases you will begin in Dex mode with Second Chance active. Once SC breaks, cast Warding and switch to a +5 Blessed weapon. By doing this, you're able to reduce the physical damage taken drastically and regenerate 6 HP per second. Couple this with a Regen ring when hosting for a total of 10 HP/second. Since you have so many levels devoted to Faith, you'll still do a lot of damage with your weapon. Great Axe at these stats has about 540 AR when two-handed.
Recommended spells/miracles

This build relies on Warding instead of Cursed Weapon. Because of this, we save 3 levels in INT. We also get the benefit of playing in two distinctly different playstyles:

  • Aggressive rush-down Dex
  • Regenerating defensive Faith

Keep in mind that when using Warding, you're only protecting yourself from physical damage. If you see that you're fighting against a Mage or another Faith build, Warding isn't going to do much. You would be better off staying in Dex mode to finish off your opponent. By the same token, if you see someone cast Warding at the beginning of the match, switch over to your Blessed weapons since they deal mostly magic damage.

Another thing to consider with this build is that people won't know what to expect from you. You'll appear to be whatever weapons you're wielding. In other words, if your opponent is expecting the moveset of a Faith build, they'll be surprised when you whip out your katanas and start rushing them. I can't stress enough how important this is in PvP - the element of surprise. Similarly, instead of retreating when low on health, become MORE aggressive. More times than not you will catch your opponent off guard and pull out the win.

A quick note about the Large Sword of Moonlight (LSoM). First, it looks great. That alone is enough sometimes for me to wield it. Still, it's actually feasible to use occasionally. If you see someone in pre-fight with a shield and estoc, you might consider putting this sword in your right back-up slot. It doesn't deal enough damage to rush down someone, but since it completely ignores shields then you can consistently antagonize opponents with it. Against turtles that think their shield will protect them from all harm, this sword is the answer. Additionally, it's possible to sneak in a win with this sword if you save it until your opponent is low on health and looking to heal. They'll have their shield up as you approach, but unfortunately for them their shield won't protect them. At the stats listed for this build, the LSoM has about 300 AR, all magic damage.

STAT BREAKDOWN:

  • Vitality - 40: Since this build is a hybrid, you have to sacrifice some stats to make room for others. VIT is one of those stats. The good news is that if don't die then you can pat yourself on the back - you're playing better and not taking a ton of hits.
  • Int - 15: This provides the mana required to cast Second Chance, and it's also enough for two casts of Warding.
  • Endurance - 35: I used to think 40 was the minimum, now I realize 35 is plenty. You can perform the Great Axe three-hit combo and rush down people with ease.
  • Strength - 18: This is the required STR to 1-hand a katana. You can 2h the other heavy weapons in your arsenal. If you love the Guillotine Axe you can consider raising this to 20 for 1h privileges, but my opinion is that if you have access to DEX weapons, you should use DEX weapons to harass your opponent. Running R1 with a katana is scarier than running R1 with the Guillotine Axe.
  • Dex - 42: If you decide to go above level 125, I advise distributing points evenly between Dex and Faith, with first preference going to Dex.
  • Magic - 6: You need Warding so you'll have to get Magic to 10 to get the spell from Sage Freke, and then delevel it to 6. I'll give advice on how to do this in the gameplay progression section below.
  • Faith - 42: Same deal as DEX, although I'd argue that DEX is more important since you'll obtain more kills from your Sharp weapons.
  • Luck - 7: No need to increase.
Gameplay tips and progression

There are better guides elsewhere for this so there's not much reason for me to rewrite; however, I will say a few things about how best to get Warding and delevel your magic stat.

THE EASIEST WAY I'VE FOUND TO GET WARDING AND DELEVEL BACK TO 6 MAGIC:

Beat world 1-1 and 1-2 as fast as you can. Upon returning to the Nexus, level up only Vitality. Proceed to 4-1 to grab the +1 Crescent Falchion by the first black skeleton. Remember to use turpentine on your halberd to make quick work of the regular skeletons along the way (they're weak to fire).

Now head to 3-1. You need this world so you can unlock Sage Freke and get your Black Eye Stone (you will use this to delevel). Once you're back in the Nexus, level up Magic to 10, learn Warding and then go to any world that you wish to invade from. If you want to kill two birds with one stone then go to 4-1, grab the Talisman of God on your way up to Sparkly the Crow and farm Colorless Demon's Souls while you're invading. The method for doing this is very simple. Once you see "You are moving to another world as a Black Phantom" flash for the second time, grab the Colorless Demon Soul. DO NOT hit "X" again until after you've invaded the other world. Once you're there, quickly use your White Stone to leave. You'll return to Sparkly to repeat the process (the CDS will still be there if you've done everything correctly) and you'll have lost a level in your Magic stat. If you want to keep farming these even after you're back to 6 Magic, feel free to do so. You won't lose any more levels by White Stoning out since the VIT stat doesn't ever decrease once increased.

When you're finished here, beat world 2. You'll get the Red Hot Demon's Soul from Flamelurker and since you're there you might as well finish off the Dragon God for more souls. You need the Red Hot Soul to use the CDS's on items with Blacksmith Ed. Now beat world 4-2 and grab Hiltless along the way. This weapon, along with an upgraded Adjudicator's shield from 4-1 will take you through the rest of the game and up to PvP levels.

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