Ragnarok Online 2: Advent of Valkyrie - Master Assassin Level 40 PvE Build

This is a guide for PvE (Player Versus Environment) build Master Assassin. PvE is a rare endeavor for a Master Assassin because the class itself is designed for PvP. Regardless, if you are looking to explore this game in a different perspective with a PvE Master Assassin, you came at the right place. As a PvE Master Assassin, you should focus on achieving max Vigor, 100k+ HP, 25k+ Defense and 35%+ Parry. The reason for this is for you to survive in Jawaii Island without getting killed instantly. Together with proper arsenal of pets this will allow you to solo the monsters in the island with the exception of bosses.

Stats

STR: Each point will increase Physical Attack by 2, Parry by 1 and Hit by 2.

AGI: Each point will increase Hit by 1, Critical by 2 and Dodge by 1.  

INT: This stats give no benefit for Master Assassin.  

WIS: Each point will increase SP by 15 and SP Recover potion effect rate by 0.10%.  

VIT: Each point will increase HP by 13 and HP Recover potion effect by 0.20%. 

At Master Level 40, I highly recommend to put all +375 bonus stats to VIT. While it is tempting to go for AGI or STR build, it is not viable in Jawaii Island monsters, especially the bosses. 

Other Relevant Stats for PvE Master Assassin:

Vigor: Decreases Cooldown of all skills.

Parry: Decreases incoming damage by 50% when Parry succeeds.

Penetration: Ignores target's defense by a certain percentage.

Skills

Before Combat: Shadow Form > Poisoning Weapon > Mark of Genocide > Shadow Claw.
Solo Combat: Hiding > Cross Impact > Shadow Assault > Shadow Strike > Double Attack > Shadow Explosion. Repeat, starting from Cross Impact.
Mob Combat: Shadow Fang to lure > Grimtooth > spam Shadow Fang while running around mobs in a circular path. Repeat Grimtooth to replenish Combo Points.

* It is important to use Shadow Armor when expecting huge incoming damage.
* Keep the pets summoned, especially the AoE stunner pet.
* When using Shadow Fang + Grimtooth on mobs, it is important to run in a circular path to pin the mobs in the center of the circle - this makes them unable to hit you if you run fast enough. Together with AoE stunner pet you can be sure to survive. This maneuver however requires practice to perfectly execute.
* Gorem pet is a must when facing bosses, whether you go solo or in a party. 

Offensive Skills

• Double Attack (1/5): Requires Dagger, Claw or Dual Dagger and 2 points of SP to cast. At a range of 2 meters, attacks the enemy and inflicts damage equaling 170% of your Physical Attack, then obtain 1 Combo Point. This is an instant cast skill and the cooldown depends on your Vigor. I highly recommend to keep this skill at level 1. 

• Deadly Blow (1/5): Requires Dagger, Claw or Dual Dagger and 2 points of SP to cast. At a range of 2 meters, strikes the enemy with Blow of Death and inflicts damage equaling to 170% of your Physical Attack. It consumes all Combo Points and inflicts additional damage equaling to 7% of your Physical Attack for each Combo Point consumed. This is an instant cast skill and has no cooldown. I recommend to keep this skill at level 1. 

• Dark Illusion (1/5): Requires Dagger, Claw or Dual Dagger and 2 points of SP to cast. At a maximum range of 20 meters, appears and attacks from behind the enemy and inflicts damage equaling to 210% of your Physical Attack and obtain 1 Combo Point. This skill always lands as Critical Hit and you need to be in Hide state to cast. This is an instant cast skill and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Keep this skill at level 1. 

• Dagger Throwing (1/5): Requires Dagger, Claw or Dual Dagger and 2 points of SP to cast. At a maximum range of 20 meters, throws a dagger to distant enemy and inflicts damage equaling to 184% of your Physical Attack. This is an instant cast skill and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Keep at level 1. 

• Meteor Assault (1/5): Requires 2 points of SP to cast. Generates Shock Wave on the ground and inflicts damage equaling to 171% of your Physical Attack, damaging up to 3 nearby enemies in a 2 meter radius. This skill is cast instantly and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Keep this skill at level 1.

• Cross Impact (5/5): Requires Dagger, Claw or Dual Dagger and 13 points of SP to cast. At a range of 2 meters, attacks the enemy and inflicts damage equaling to 700% of your Physical Attack and obtain 1 Combo Point. This is an instant cast skill and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. This is one of your offensive skills included in your skill rotation, Max this skill to level 5. 

• Grimtooth (1/10): Requires Dagger or Claw and 12 points of SP to cast. At a maximum range of 10 meters, raise a shadow that will attack target with 332% of Attack Power. Obtains 1 Combo Point and obtain additional combo point for each enemies affected around the primary target. Grimtooth also recovers 20% of HP and slows down the Movement Speed of the target by 50%. This is an instant cast skill and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Keep this at level 1, you only use this to recover a bit of HP during mobbing.

• Shadow Fang (1/6): Requires 7 points of SP to cast. At a maximum range of 10 meters, devours the target up to 10 enemies nearby the target with the Shadow and at level 1, inflicts damage equaling to 88% of your Physical Attack. Additional damage equaling to 1% of your Physical Attack is inflicted for every compounded Combo Point. Obtained Combo Point is not consumed when using this skill. This skill can be cast instantly and has no cooldown. Keep at level 1 or invest your extra skill points here, it depends on if you are planning to mob.

• Shadow Strike (10/10): Requires Dagger or Claw and 25 SP points to cast. At a range of 2 meters, attacks an enemy and inflicts damage equaling to 581% of your Physical Attack. Obtains Mark of Shadow buff with 30% success rate. When Mark of Shadow is in effect, Shadow Explosion skill inflicts double damage. Requires to be in Shadow Form to cast and obtains 3 Combo Points. It is instant cast skill and the cooldown depends on your character's vigor. Max this skill for it is among your best skill that can increase your Shadow Explosion skill's damage significantly.

• Shadow Explosion (10/10): Requires Dagger or Claw, 39 SP and 5 Combo Points to cast. At a range of 2 meters, explodes the Shadow inside the enemy's body and inflicts damage equaling 770% of your Physical Attack. 6% additional damage per each Combo Point consumed. This skill inflicts double damage except the additional Combo damage when Mark of Shadow buff is in effect. This is cast instantly and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Max this skill for this is your ultimate offensive strike. 

• Shadow Assault (1/5): Requires Dagger or Claw, 23 SP and 5 Shadow Form to cast. At a maximum range of 20 meters, leaps and attacks a distant enemy and inflicts damage equaling to 375% of your Physical Attack, and Knocks down the enemy for 3 seconds. This skill can be cast instantly and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. This is a PvP skill, so keep it at level 1.

Support Skills

• Hiding (3/3): Requires Dagger, Claw or Dual Dagger. Hides in the shadow. The first skill cast while in Hide state inflicts critical damage. Hiding cannot be used when in combat state. Hiding is an instant cast skill and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Max this skill, as a hiding class it is a must. 

• Mark of Genocide (5/5): Requires 14 SP to cast, an instant cast buff that increases Critical Hit Rate of all Party and Attack Squad members by 10% for 30 minutes. Cooldown depends on character's Vigor. I recommend to max this skill.  

• Poisoning Weapon (1/5): Requires Dagger, Claw or Dual Dagger. When using poison laced weapon attack skill, the target may be poisoned with 30% success rate. Poisoned target will be inflicted with additional damage equaling to  17% of your Physical Attack every 2 seconds for 20 seconds. This buff is cast instantly and the cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Keep at level 1. 

• Shadow Claw (5/5): An instant cast self-buff that increases 5% of Critical hit and adds 250 Penetration for 30 minutes. Cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Max this skill.

• Shadow Form (5/5): An instant cast self-buff where you fully merge with the Shadow Fiend. Increases both Physical Attack and Movement Speed by 30%. The effect is canceled if you use the skill again. Cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. Max this skill.

• Shadow Armor (8/8): An instant cast self-buff that encircles your body with the Shadow and increases your Defense by 50% for 10 seconds. At max level there is a 100% damage reduction for 5 seconds and the cooldown becomes 40 seconds. The cooldown can be further reduced by increasing your character's Vigor.

• Ymir Child Cthulhu (3/3): Your ultimate buff, infuses the magical power of Ymir's Heart with you faith and creates usable energy. Increases your Attack and Movement Speed by 30% and Penetration by 450. Cooldown depends on your character's Vigor. No questions asked! Max this skill.

Passive Skills

• Combo Training (3/3): When skill that obtains Combo Point is used, 1 additional Combo Point is obtained with 20% success rate. With Combo Points being your lifeblood, it is proper to max this skill.

• Hiding Exceed (3/3): A passive skill that increases your Movement Speed by 30% when in Hide state. 

• Shadow Fiend (3/3): A passive skill that when a skill that obtains Combo Point is used, Shadow may appear from the ground below with 12% success rate and inflict additional damage equaling to 220% of your Physical Attack.

Note: After putting the skill points, you will notice that there are extra points left. You can put them to skills the you deem necessary. I recommend to putting them to Grimtooth, Shadow Fang or Shadow Assault.

Cards

Slot 1: +10 Queen Serenia Card [Epic+]

Slot 2: +10 Queen Serenia Card [Epic+]

Slot 3: +10 Hidden Beach's Arista Card [Epic+]

Slot 4: +10 Garden Protector Ormes Card [Epic+] 

Slot 5: +10 Garden Protector Ormes Card [Epic+] 

Overall these five cards will give your character 980 VIT, 1,013 Vigor, 489 Penetration, 250 STR, 200 Critical and 250 Haste.

Gears

Weapon

• +20 Serenia's Claw: I recommend to put 2 pieces Bind Rune of Strength +80 and 1 piece BlueSeed Rune[50] on the weapon slots. For the honing, the first line must be VIT and the second line must be Defense. The last three remaining lines can be either Attack Power or VIT. 

Armors 

Armor honing must be focused on defense. Like the weapon honing, the first line of hone must be VIT, the second hone must be Defense and the remaining three lines must be either Defense or VIT.

• +20 Serenia's Light Armor Helmets: Unfortunately you can only put 1 rune in Serenia headgears. I recommend to put 1 piece Bind Rune of Strength +80.

• +20 Serenia's Light Armor Plates: 1 piece Bind Rune of Strength +80 and 1 piece GreenSeed Rune [Armor 25] is recommended for the rune holes. 

• +20 Serenia's Light Armor Pants: 1 piece Bind Rune of Strength +80 and 1 piece BlueSeed Rune[50] is recommended. 

• +20 Eddga Tunic Gloves: 2 pieces Bind Rune of Strength +80 and 1 piece BlueSeed Rune[50] is recommended for the rune holes. I choose Eddga Tunic Gloves over Serenia's Light Armor Gloves because it gives Penetration and a bit of AGI. 

• +20 Serenia's Light Armor Boots: 2 pieces Bind Rune of Strength +80 for the rune holes.

Accessories

• Serenia's Necklace: VIT Seal of about 70+ and 1 piece Bind Rune of Strength +80 is recommended.

• Serenia's Earing: VIT Seal of about 70+ and 1 piece Bind Rune of Strength +80 is recommended. 

• Serenia's Ornaments: VIT Seal of about 70+ and 1 piece Bind Rune of Strength +80 is recommended. 

• 2 Pieces Serenia's Ring: VIT Seal of about 70+ and 1 piece Bind Rune of Strength +80 is recommended for each rings.

Costumes

All costumes from head accessories down to shoes must have 3 slots each. Put Bind Rune of Strength +80 and +50 to available rune holes. To complete the rune holes you will need 15 pieces Bind Rune of Strength +80 and 9 pieces Bind Rune of Strength +50. Completing the set will give you a total 1,650 bonus STR.

Pets

Giant Driller: A 5 star pet pet comes with the skill AoE Stun.
Vador: A 4 star pet pet comes with the AoE Offensive skill Wide Area Attack.
Gorem: A 3 star pet pet comes with the buff skill Damage Reduction and HP/SP Increase.
Assassin Elder: A 4 star pet pet comes with the buff skill DoT heal.

Titles

A Lawless World!: Gives 200 STR, 200 AGI, 200 INT, 100 WIS and 100 VIT. This title in my opinion is better than Hellion on the Island even though this build is investing on defense. The reason for that is if you completed the recommended hones, adding more defense Defense from Hellion on the Island becomes negligible. Whereas the 200 STR and 200 AGI from A Lawless World! will give you more Parry and Dodge.

Christmas Wreath: Gives 400 Attack Power, 400 Magic Power 500 Defense and 150 Vigor. All the bonus of Christmas Wreath is very beneficial for a PvE Master Assassin, Attack Power, Defense and Vigor is a trifecta of attributes that you need.