The Antivan Crows send their regards, but have you ever hoped to receive a recruitment offer?  Zevran may not have been able to pick a lock, but he does make his Assassin specialization look exciting.  Dragon Age: Inquisition doesn’t allow the player character to forsake their post to hunt targets in Antiva, but it doesn’t mean you can’t build a deadly assassin to tear through the Inquisitor’s enemies.

The Assassin specialization is available for Rogue players in Dragon Age: Inquisition.  These builds can also be used for Cole, one of the nine available companions in the game.

1.  The Dual Dagger Assassin

It’s difficult to not feel powerful when you first use the Twin Fangs ability.  This classic Rogue build is flashy and exciting, just what playing an assassin should feel like.  Diving in and out of stealth and dealing massive criticals makes using this build incredibly fun.

The Dual Dagger Assassin Excels In:

• High combat mobility
• Taking down high value individual targets
• Massive critical damage bonuses

Build the Dual Dagger Assassin:

Recommended Skill Trees:

• Double Dagger
• Subterfuge
• Assassin

Recommended Abilities:

• Twin Fangs + Ripping Fangs
• Flank Attack + Skirmisher
• Deathblow
• Stealth + Lost in the Shadows
• Evade
• Shadow Strike + Quick Blade
• Hidden Blades + Overkill
• Mark of Death

Recommended Passives:

• Dance of Death
• Sneak Attack
• Looked Like It Hurt
• Evasion
• Ambush
• I Was Never Here
• Knife in the Shadows
• Throatcutter

2.  The Adrenaline Assassin

Evasion is central to the Adrenaline Assassin.  This build is designed to maximize critical damage and use stealth to avoid damage.  It relies on a constant rotation of high damage strikes, kills, and slipping back into the shadows.  The Adrenaline Assassin is a well designed approach to tackling the Nightmare difficulty.

The Adrenaline Assassin Excels In:

• Taking minimal damage by utilizing stealth abilities
• Dealing high backstab and critical damage

Build the Adrenaline Assassin:

Recommended Skill Trees:

• Double Daggers
• Assassin
• Subterfuge (Entire Tree)

Recommended Abilities:

• Hidden Blades + Overkill
• Knockout Bomb
• Flank Attack + Skirmisher
• Twin Fangs + Ripping Fangs
• Deathblow + Thrill of Victory
• Stealth + Lost in the Shadows
• Evade + Shadow Steps
• Shadow Strike + Quick Blade
• Knockout Powder + Deep Sleep

Recommended Passives:

• I Was Never Here
• Knife in the Shadows
• Throatcutter
• Gaps in the Armor
• Dance of Death
• Sneak Attack
• Looked Like It Hurt
• Evasion
• Ambush
• Mercy Killing
• Easy to Miss

3.  The Assassin Archer

Bow-wielding Inquisitors can utilize the critical damage and stealth bonuses of Assassin abilities to deal massive damage from a safe distance.  Although this specialization is generally associated with dual daggers, poisoned arrows and leaping shots prove that Assassin Archers can be just as flashy and deadly.

The Assassin Archer Excels In:

• Keeping a low profile with stealth abilities
• Stacking massive damage from a safe distance

Build the Assassin Archer:

Recommended Skill Trees:

• Archery
• Assassin

Recommended Abilities:

• Explosive Shot + Chain Reaction
• Full Draw
• Leaping Shot
• Poison Weapons + Infected Wounds
• Stealth
• Overkill
• Mark of Death + Mark of Doom

Recommended Passives:

• First Blood
• Strafing Shots
• Pincushion
• Death from Above
• Looked Like It Hurt
• I Was Never Here
• Knife in the Shadows

4.  The Antagonistic Archer

Similar to the Adrenaline Assassin, the Antagonistic Archer is designed to generate critical hits by moving in and out of stealth.  This is especially useful for an archer who is less effective in single combat.  By building distance from enemies and utilizing stealth, an Antagonistic Archer can command a battle without taking damage.

The Antagonistic Archer Excels In:

• Building critical weapon damage from the safety of stealth
• Keeping hard-hitting enemies at bay from a distance

Build the Antagonistic Archer:

Recommended Skill Trees:

• Assassin
• Archery
• Sabotage
• Subterfuge

Recommended Abilities:

• Hidden Blades + Overkill
• Mark of Death
• Leaping Shot + Shot from the Shadows
• Explosive Shot + Chain Reaction
• Poisoned Weapons + Infected Wounds
• Stealth + Lost in the Shadows
• Shadow Strike + Long Shadows

Recommended Passives:

• I Was Never Here
• Throatcutter
• Knife in the Shadows
• Death from Above
• First Blood
• Fighting Dirty
• Explosive Toxin
• Evasion
• Ambush

5.  The Poison Assassin

Poison is the classic assassin’s weapon, and for good reason.  But slipping poison in an enemy’s drink is understandably not an option in an action RPG.  Rather than deliver a poison to a target discreetly, the Poison Assassin slashes into the heat of battle with massive damage bonuses.  This build is perfect for more aggressive players who want to build damage over time rather than in their first strike.

The Poison Assassin Excels In:

• Direct intense combat with enemies
• Building higher damage over time in an encounter

Build the Poison Archer:

Recommended Skill Trees:

• Dual Daggers
• Subterfuge
• Archery
• Sabotage
• Assassin

Recommended Abilities:

• Flank Attack + Skirmisher
• Twin Fangs
• Deathblow + Thrill of Victory
• Poisoned Weapons + Infected Wounds
• Stealth + Lost in the Shadows
• Evade + Hidden Step
• Hidden Blades
• Mark of Death + Mark of Doom

Recommended Passives:

• Dance of Death
• Sneak Attack
• First Blood
• Pincushion
• Looks Like It Hurt
• Cheap Shot
• Evasion
• Easy to Miss
• Throatcutter
• I Was Never Here
• Knife in the Shadows

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