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Discover how to create the best Assassin build in Avowed, with recommendations for skills, attributes, weapons, companions and leveling progression!
Avowed is a first-person RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Xbox Game Studios. Set in the Pillars of Eternity universe, the game occurs in the Living Lands, where you uncover a secret mystery. The Assassin build in Avowed focuses on stealth, critical hits, and high burst damage to eliminate enemies. It emphasizes dexterity, perception, and precision, allowing for silent kills.
Assassin Build is the best one for the players who love stealth & precision kills. Allocating points in correct attributes is crucial for the Assassin build as your gameplay revolves around them. Dagger is the best weapon for the Assasin build as it allows you to kill enemies without allowing them to react. In this guide, we’ll discuss the best Avowed Assassin build and useful gameplay tips along with the gear to choose from.
Everything You Need To Know About Assassin Build Guide in Avowed
Our Assassin build in Avowed involves a strategic combination of attributes, skills, weapons, and companions to maximize stealth and critical damage. We include a Dagger as a primary weapon, a One-handed sword as an off-hand weapon, and a Bow as a secondary weapon. Perception, Dexterity, and Might are the main attributes to focus on for the Assassin build. Skills like Shadowing Beyond, Marksmanship, Finesse, Flurry of Blows, and Sniper are the best ones to unlock.
Upgrade the abilities to the higher rank to make them more effective in intense combat. Sheathed in Summer and The Long Touch are the best weapons for the Assassins to deal massive damage without being detected Marius and Yatzli are the best companions that we include in our build, aiding you in battle. Investing attribute points in Dexterity allows you to enhance dodging capabilities. However, this build has low survivability and requires good positioning.
| Assassin Build Pros | Assassin Build Cons |
|---|---|
| High Burst Damage | Low Survivability |
| Stealthy Playstyle | Limited Against Armored Enemies |
| Fast Combat | Requires Good Positioning |
| Critical Hit Focused |
Assassin Build Features & Mechanics
Below are the essential best Assassin build features and mechanics for Avowed:
- Background: Vanguard Scout
- Attribute Points: Perception, Dexterity, Might
- Weapon Choices: Dagger, One-Handed Sword, Bow
- Best Skills: Sniper, Flurry of Blows, Staggering Shot, Marksmanship, Shadowing Beyond, Steady Aim
- Recommended Companions: Marius and Yatzli
- Best Consumables: Magran’s Blessing, Mulled Musketeer, Tani Cream
Related:
Background
Vanguard Scout is the best background for the Avowed Assassin build. This background increases your assassin build, especially if you favor stealth and high burst damage. Vanguard Scout grants a strong foundation for a stealth-focused character, maintaining Perception and Dexterity. You start with a common axe, such as a Vanguard Scout, and attribute points distributed to enhance critical hit chance, attack speed, and health. Stealth allows you to take down enemies without even letting them react. You can quickly acquire ranged weapons like bows or firearms, aligning with their stealth-oriented role. Vanguard Scout also unlocks unique dialogue options.
Background plays a pivotal role in shaping your role-playing experience. It affects your dialogue options and determines your starting weapon during the tutorial. Your initial allocation of attribute points across six stats is also influenced. However, they do not restrict your access to any equipment or abilities as the game progresses. Regardless of your background, you can use any equipment and abilities. Avowed enriches your character’s backstory and provides initial attribute distributions and dialogue options by selecting the background.
Attribute Points
Perception, Dexterity, and Might are the best attributes for the Avowed Assassin build. Focusing on these attributes enhances stealth, critical damage, and combat efficiency. Allocating points in Perception allows you to boost essential chances of hit and extend the maximum range for ranged weapons. This balance enhances your ability to deal significant damage from stealth. Dexterity improves attack speed, action speed, and the reload speed for ranged weapons. This allows you for quick executions and quick retreats, essential for an assassin’s hit-and-run tactics.
Might, on the other hand, enhance damage from all sources and maximize carrying capacity. Allocating more points makes you a lethal character, ensuring that your initial strikes are as devastating as possible. You need to be mindful while allocating attribute points, as your gameplay revolves around them. Earn additional attribute points upon leveling up, offering opportunities to customize your build. Enhance your attribute points by using the consumables you acquire while progressing. You can select 27 attributes at a max level of 30. Assassin players excel in both stealth and combat, making you formidable player by focusing on the attributes. Below are the attribute points distribution for the Assassin build.
- Resolve: 1
- Perception: 12
- Dexterity: 6
- Might: 4
- Constitution: 3
- Intellect: 1
Weapon Choices
Dagger, One-handed Sword, and Dagger are the best weapons for the Avowed Assassin build. Choosing the best weapons is crucial to maximize the effectiveness of this build. Daggers are your primary weapon with fast attack speed and a critical hit bonus, making it ideal for quick and lethal strikes. Daggers are one of the fastest melee weapons, allowing for quick, consecutive strikes. Assassin depends on stealth attacks and critical hits, making dagger an ideal choice for the players. Daggers like Sheathed in Summer apply fire damage over time, which can weaken enemies. Daggers allow for quick strikes without heavy stamina drain, making it beneficial for Assassins who like to stay mobile. A dagger is a must-have weapon if you’re looking for a critical strike during combat. Dagger is excellent for close-quarters combat with high critical rates.
A one-handed sword is your off-hand weapon that benefits from high-damage first strikes and deals more burst damage. One-handed swords are faster than two-handed weapons, making them great for assassins who want a mix of power and agility. You can pair a sword with a dagger for speed and damage for melee combat. Use the high-level sword for the bleeding effect and piercing the enemy’s armor during intense combat. Each weapon type comes with unique strengths, so selecting the one that complements your playstyle is crucial.
Secondary Weapon
A bow is an excellent choice for the Assassin build, allowing you to eliminate enemies from a distance without being detected. A bow lets you eliminate targets from cover, unlike the melee weapons where you need to get close to the foes. Most bows have bonuses to critical hit chance, which synergizes well with the Assassin build. Practice using the bow to enhance your archery skill, improving the draw speed. This weapon is excellent for stealth or ranged combat but is difficult in close quarters. You cannot block with a bow, making you vulnerable if enemies get too close. You can headshot with the Bow to defeat the enemies in one shot, allowing you to save ammo. Bow allows for stealth attacks, dealing moderately high damage.
Critical Damage
In Avowed, our critical damage build focuses on increasing your perception attribute and selecting abilities that boost critical hit chance and damage. Daggers allow you for critical strikes dealing critical damage. The base Critical Hit Damage Bonus is an additional 50% on top of the regular attack damage. Allocating 5 points into Perception grants a 10% increased chance to land a critical hit. Different weapons come with varying base critical hit chances in the game. Abilities like Critical Strike increase your critical hit chance by up to 20% at higher ranks. Bow lands a headshot or hitting a weak point guarantees a critical hit, resulting in critical damage.
Stealth Kills (Godlike Ability)
Divine Thorn in Avowed is a passive Godlike ability that boosts your stealth capabilities. This passive ability allows you to perform powerful stealth attacks on enemies by summoning a lance of energy for massive damage. You can unlock this ability at the initial stages of the game. However, the enemy must be unaware of your presence. You can stay behind a cover to remain undetected while approaching enemies. Pair this ability with the Shadowing Beyond to improve your stealth approach.
Skill Selection
The game allows you to unlock skills at each level, starting at 2. One level gives you one more skill point to place in one of three skill trees. You can mix and match skill trees, but Ranger and Fighter synergize the best together. Moreover, you can reset skills at any time with gold, though it gets more expensive the more levels you increase.
Levels 1-10 Skills
Charge, Steady Aim, Shadowing Beyond, Tanglefoot, and Marksmanship are the best skills to unlock initially. Invest skill points to gain the skills that can keep you alive in the initial stages of the game. Passive skills are used to increase damage or survivability, while active skills require essence, and you can’t use them due to their cost.
Below is a list, in order, of the skills for the Best Assassin Build for Avowed from levels 1 to 10:
| Level | Skill Name | Tree | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None | ||
| 2 | Charge Rank 1 | Fighter | Dash forward and smash into anything in your way, interrupting enemies and dealing Explosive Damage to break enemy Blocks, destroy walls, and shatter frozen enemies for bonus damage. |
| 3 | Toughness Rank 1 | Fighter | Increases your Maximum Health by 20%. |
| 4 | Tanglefoot Rank 1 | Ranger | Summon lingering entangling vines that Root nearby enemies in place for 8 seconds. |
| 5 | Steady Aim Rank 1 | Ranger | Holding your Power Attack with a bow or gun slows time by 25%. |
| 6 | Evasive Rank 1 | Ranger | Reduces the Stamina cost of Dodge by 25%. |
| 7 | Shadowing Beyond Rank 1 | Ranger | Channel the Beyond, becoming Invisible and draining Essence until your next combat action. |
| 8 | Piercing Thrusts Rank 1 | Ranger | Power Attacks with daggers, swords, and spears deal +25% damage. |
| 9 | Finesse Rank 1 | Ranger | Increases damage with one-handed melee weapons by 25%. |
| 10 | Marksmanship Rank 1 | Ranger | Increases damage with bows and guns by 25%. |
Levels 11-20 Skills
Devastating Criticals, Power Slide, Sniper, and Critical Strike are the best skills to use after reaching level 11. The skill you choose during levels 1 to 10 should be upgraded during your journey from level 11 to 20. Earn skill points to invest in better skills to make your character and Assassin build powerful.
Below is a list, in order, of the skills for the Best Assassin Build for Avowed from levels 11 to 20:
| Level | Skill Name | Tree | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Devastating Criticals Rank 1 | Fighter | Critical Hits with melee weapons deal 30% more damage. |
| 12 | Steady Aim Rank 2 | Ranger | Holding your Power Attack with a bow or gun slows time by 50%. |
| 13 | Piercing Thrusts Rank 2 | Ranger | Power Attacks with daggers, swords, and spears deal +35% damage. |
| 14 | Charge Rank 2 | Fighter | Increases the distance traveled during Charge by 100% |
| 15 | Marksmanship Rank 2 | Ranger | Increases damage with bows and guns by 40%. |
| 16 | Power Slide Rank 1 | Ranger | Your slides pass through enemies and knock them down at the cost of 20 Essence. |
| 17 | Steady Aim Rank 3 | Ranger | Holding your Power Attack with a bow or gun slows time by 75%. |
| 18 | Devastating Criticals Rank 2 | Fighter | Critical Hits with melee weapons deal 50% more damage. |
| 19 | Critical Strike Rank 1 | Ranger | Increases your Critical Hit Chance by 10%. |
| 20 | Sniper Rank 1 | Ranger | Increases ranged weapon damage against unaware enemies by 25%. |
Levels 21-30 Skills
A flurry of Blows, Staggering Shot, and Clear Out are the best skills to unlock after you get to level 21. Upgrade your skills to the higher rank to make them more effective in combat.
Below is a list, in order, of the skills for the Best Assassin Build for Avowed from levels 21 to 30:
| Level | Skill Name | Tree | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Flurry of Blows Rank 1 | Ranger | Gain maximum Attack Speed, rapid Stamina regeneration, and increased Move Speed for 10 seconds. |
| 22 | Staggering Shot Rank 1 | Ranger | Power Attacks with bows and guns deal +40% Stun. |
| 23 | Clear Out Rank 1 | Fighter | Spin in a dangerous whirlwind, becoming Uninterruptable and hitting all nearby enemies with your currently equipped melee weapons. |
| 24 | Piercing Thrusts Rank 3 | Ranger | Power Attacks with daggers, swords, and spears deal +40% damage. |
| 25 | Sniper Rank 2 | Ranger | Increases ranged weapon damage against unaware enemies by 35%. |
| 26 | Marksmanship Rank 3 | Ranger | Increases damage with bows and guns by 50%. |
| 27 | Shadowing Beyond Rank 2 | Ranger | While Invisible, gain increased Stealth Attack Damage and Move Speed. |
| 28 | Staggering Shot Rank 2 | Ranger | Power Attacks with bows and guns deal +70% Stun. |
| 29 | Flurry of Blows Rank 2 | Ranger | Flurry Of Blows grants lifesteal to your weapon damage. |
| 30 | Sniper Rank 3 | Ranger | Increases ranged weapon damage against unaware enemies by 40%. |
Best Assassin Skills Explained
Sniper, Flurry of Blows, Staggering Shot, Marksmanship, Shadowing Beyond, and Steady Aim are the skills for the Assassin build. Steady Aim is a passive skill that increases proficiency with ranged weapons, specifically bows and guns. Sniper is a passive ability that boosts your effectiveness with ranged weapons against unsuspecting foes. Shadowing Beyond is an active ability that makes you invisible, facilitating stealth tactics and sudden attacks. Marksmanship is the passive ability that increases your proficiency with bows and firearms. Piercing Thrust is a passive skill that boosts your effectiveness with specific melee weapons. Staggering Shot is a passive ability that enhances your proficiency with bows and firearms.
- Steady Aim- This ability allows you to increase your damage output with bows and guns.
- Sniper- Increase ranged weapon damage against unaware enemies.
- Flurry of Blows- Grants maximum attack speed, stamina regeneration, and movement speed.
- Staggering Shot- Boost the stun dealt by power attacks with bows and guns.
- Marksmanship- This ability allows you to increase your damage output with bows and guns.
- Shadowing Beyond- This ability allows you to be invisible and move stealthily, reducing Essence drain during invisibility.
Companions
Marius and Yatzli are the companions for the Avowed Assassin build. His crowd control and high burst damage abilities align well with an assassin’s need for stealth eliminations. What makes him the best companion for the Assassin builds is his damage-over-time effects that weaken the enemies over time, making them easier to eliminate. Marius’s Bleeding Cuts ability inflicts damage over time, weakening enemies before direct engagement. His Thorny Shield reflects the damage to attackers. Marius is a crowd-control companion, and his ability, like Binding Roots, allows you to focus on dealing damage without being overwhelmed by multiple foes. Use Marius’s Heart Seeker’s ability to increase damage dealt to low-health enemies.
Yatzli’s ranged magical attacks and debuffs can soften targets from a distance. This makes it easier for you to approach and execute stealth kills. Her abilities complement an assassin’s need to control the battlefield. Arduous Delay of Motion is her crowd control ability that can hinder foes, allowing you to take control over the battlefield. Her Blast ability ensures that attacks affect multiple enemies, which further increases overall damage output. Her Slowing Hex ability mitigates enemy movement speed.
Marius
| Skill 1 | Skill 2 | Skill 3 | Skill 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binding Roots | Heart Seeker | Shadow Step | Wounding Shots |
| Entangle enemies | Increases damage dealt to low-health enemies | Devastating Blow | Damage over time |
Yatzli
| Skill 1 | Skill 2 | Skill 3 | Skill 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essence Explosion | Minoletta’s Missile Battery | Arduous Delay of Motion | Blast |
| Increases the size of the blast caused by Essence Explosion. | Increases the rate of fire for missiles from Minoletta’s Missile Battery. | Creates an area of effect that afflicts all enemies within its radius. | Deals explosive damage, breaking enemy Blocks, destroying walls, and shattering frozen enemies for bonus damage. |
Assassin Gameplay & Tips
Use Marius and Yatzli as your companions for the Avowed Assassin build. Perception, Dexterity, and Might are the main attributes to focus on for this build. Perception allows you to increase critical hit chance and attack range. This is crucial for maximizing damage from stealth attacks. Dexterity allows you to boost attack speed and action speed. Investing points in Might enhance overall damage output. Use the ability like Shadowing Beyond to gain temporary invisibility, enabling you to reposition. Sniper is the best ability to increase damage with bows against unaware enemies.
Upgrade the Marksmanship skill to increase the overall damage with ranged weapons. These abilities complement your assassin’s need for high burst damage. Use Dagger for the close-quarters combat, offering high critical hit rates. You must crouch or stay behind the trees or grass to eliminate the enemies without being detected. Use the lighter armor to boost your stealth and mobility. This allows you for quicker movement and reduced detection. Ensure you have the consumables in your inventory that restore stamina or health.
Weapons and Armor
Beginner
| Slot | Item | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon 1 | Sheathed in Summer | 137 Physical Damage 104 Stun 9 Stamina Cost 9% Critical Hit Chane |
| Off-Hand | Last Light of Day | 168 Physical Damage 130 Stun 11 Stamina Cost 3% Critical Hit Chane |
| Secondary Weapon | The Long Touch | 189 Physical Damage 182 Stun 12 Stamina Cost 9% Critical Hit Chane |
| Armor | Blackwing Armor | +30% Stealth Attack Damage |
| Gloves | Death Knight Gloves | -10% Stamina cost while Blocking |
| Boots | Boots of the Bricklayer | +10% Dodge Distance |
| Trinket | The Fantastic Alembic | Drinking a potion clears all your Accumulations |
| Ring | Delver’s Caution | +1 Dexerity, +15% Parkour Speed |
| Ring | Ring of Pain Amplification | +15% Critical Damage |
- Sheathed in Summer (Dagger)- Location is Dawnshore. Looted from the Dawnshore Bounty target Octav the Firebrand.
- Last Light of Day (One-Handed Sword)- Location is Dawnshore. Killing the Oracle in “Dawntreader”.
- The Long Touch (Bow)- Location is Dawnshore. Purchased at Paradisian Military Surplus in the Militia Headquarters in Northern Paradis for 4,320 Skeyt.
- Blackwing Armor- Location is Dawnshore. Choosing to kill your assassin at the end of the Dawnshore zone.
- Death Knight Gloves- Location is Emerald Stair. Kill Captain Aelfyr at the end of the Emerald Stair chapter.
- Boots of the Bricklayer- Location is Dawnshore. Found inside of the Pargrun Cache east of the Overgrown Expanse Party Camp in Dawnshore.
- The Fantastic Alembic- Location is Dawnshore. Give the Luminous Adra to Sapiento in the Side Quest “Precious Light”.
- Delver’s Caution- Location is Dawnshore. Obtained as a reward for speaking to Ofryc at the end of the Side Quest “Dawntreader” in Dawnshore.
- Ring of Pain Amplification- Location is Emerald Stair. Obtained from Dolina as a reward for defeating Amadio and the Xaureps in the Fortified Xaurep Camp in the northeastern Grim Wetlands of Emerald Stair.
Advanced
| Slot | Item | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon 1 | Umbral Needle | 98 Physical Damage 80 Stun 9 Stamina Cost 9% Critical Hit Chane |
| Off-Hand | Meteor Blade | 120 Physical Damage 100 Stun 11 Stamina Cost 3% Critical Hit Chane |
| Secondary Weapon | Storm-Sworn | 189 Physical Damage 182 Stun 12 Stamina Cost 9% Critical Hit Chane |
| Armor | Helwalker’s Vestments | +25% Melee Damage, -50% Damage Reduction |
| Gloves | Gauntlets of Devotion | -10% Stamina cost while Blocking |
| Boots | Greaves of Exalted Stride | +10% resistance to Poison and Bleed Accumulation |
| Trinket | Poisoner’s Kit | +3 Intellect |
| Ring | Gourmand’s Delight | Food restores 40% more Health and Essence |
| Ring | Ring of Greater Overseeing | +20% area of effect damage |
Locations
- Umbral Needle (Dagger)- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Found in a chest at the very top of the map – there’s a nearby spider cave, and the entrance to a hidden cave is directly north of the “h” in Ash Forest. This is the item for Treasure Map – The Blade That Hungers.
- Meteor Blade (One-Handed Sword)- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Crafted by Forgemaster Dela at Abydon’s Forge in Solace Keep for 1 Starmetal.
- Storm-Sworn (Bow)- Location is Shatterscarp. Found behind a door sealed with three powered locks on a cliff notheast of Leviathan’s hollow.
- Helwalker’s Vestments- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Found behind a door sealed by three electric switches in the northwest wall of the Shrine to Galawain.
- Gauntlets of Devotion- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Purchased from Forgemaster Dela at Abydon’s Forge in Solace Keep for 9,500 Skeyt.
- Greaves of Exalted Stride- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Sold by Merchant Alonya at Oddments and Oddities south of the Living Archives for 9,500 Skeyt.
- Poisoner’s Kit- Location is Shatterscarp. Wasteland Courier Side Quest – Test the “goods” you receive from Aiko, and tell Daiko nothing happened.
- Gourmand’s Delight- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Purchased from Chef Kumitru at Kimitru’s Questionable Edibles in Solace Keep for 3,000 Skeyt.
- Ring of Greater Overseeing- Location is Galawain’s Tusks. Use Twisted Iron Key to open iron gate and chest in Northern Warden Tower.
Consumables
Magran’s Blessing grants you +20% Damage and +20% Damage Reduction in combat when you consume it. Mulled Musketeer is the best consumable because it grants +40% action speed and reload speed. Tani Cream allows you to gain +2 Dexterity and +5% maximum stamina. You must take three points into the survivalist skill in the ranger tree. Once unlocked, you can craft advanced food and buffs that drastically increase your survivability, damage, and regeneration.
FAQs about Assassin in Avowed
What is the best Assassin build in Avowed?
The best Assassin build uses a Dagger as a primary weapon, a One-handed sword as an off-hand weapon, and a Bow as a secondary weapon.
Which is the best Background for an Assassin build?
Vanguard Scout is the best background for the Avowed Assassin build. This background increases your assassin build, especially if you favor stealth and high burst damage.
Which are the best skills for Assassin build?
Sniper, Flurry of Blows, Staggering Shot, Marksmanship, Shadowing Beyond, and Steady Aim are the skills for the Assassin build.
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