There are a lot of ways to beat Diablo 2: Resurrected. That's part of the game's fun! Tanking works, magic works, swords work, arrows work, maces work, etc. With all of these classic ways to beat the game, it's easy to grab an uncreative build and trudge through all five acts, then let the credits roll.
There's the worry that doing something unconventional won't work well, especially as Diablo 2: Resurrected's difficulty amps up. But what if players found out that the "Trapsin" build is probably the best build for the Assassin class? Indeed, when it's made correctly, this is one of the game's premier builds for any class.
Updated on November 15th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: A few months later and this remains the best build for the trapper Assassin. That stands to reason, it has been refined for years, so it playing incredibly well should surprise absolutely no one. But although players should be focused on the endgame while leveling, none of the items and most of the skills aren't available for a while. The Assassin, in particular, is susceptible to getting killed in just a few hits while leveling. To prevent gamers from getting farmed by enemies, a section has been added that will aid with the build before getting to max level and farming the hardest difficulties.
Skills
|
Fire Blast |
20 |
|
Shock Web |
20 |
|
Charged Bolt Sentry |
20 |
|
Lightning Sentry |
20 |
|
Death Sentry |
20 |
|
Psychic Hammer |
1 |
|
Cloak of Shadows |
1 |
|
Mind Blast |
1 |
|
Claw Mastery |
1 |
|
Weapon Block |
1 |
|
Shadow Warrior |
1 |
|
Shadow Master |
1 |
|
Burst of Speed |
1 |
|
Fade |
1 |
|
Venom |
1 |
The Assassin isn't always thought of as having some of the best endgame skills as far as overall classes are concerned, but that's because the Assassin is given an array of abilities to use. After getting max skill in the five signature traps, there really isn't anything monsters can do to stop the Assassin from wrecking them. Magic immunity? The Death Sentry explodes corpses. Physical immunity? Have some fire and lightning. And the two shadow assassins provide plenty of cover fire as the Assassin pulls off these combos.
Our friends over at Icy Veins have a skill calculator (as seen here) for those who would like to customize the skills for themselves!
Attributes
|
Strength |
156 |
|
Dexterity |
Until block hits 75% chance |
|
Vitality |
All the rest |
|
Energy |
None |
The Monarch shield, which is needed for the Spirit Runeword, requires 156 strength and all the rest of the gear will be less than this. Getting to 75% block chance with dexterity will help when enemies do manage to surround and Assassin. Although this is a caster, the gear will have plenty of mana for the Assassin and potions can help with the rest, so energy is not useful. Vitality will keep endgame monsters from killing this build which is often in danger of being too squishy.
Equipment
|
Weapon |
Heart of the Oak |
|
Offhand |
Spirit |
|
Head |
Harlequin Crest |
|
Body |
Enigma |
|
Hands |
Magefist |
|
Feet |
Sandstorm Treks |
|
Waist |
Arachnid Mesh |
|
Neck |
Mara's Kaleidoscope |
|
Finger 1 |
The Stone of Jordan |
|
Finger 2 |
Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band |
|
Unique Charms |
Gheed's Fortune, Hellfire Torch, Annihilus |
|
Grand Charms |
Entrapping Grand Charms of Balance |
|
Small Charms |
Shimmering Small Charms of Balance |
Yes, the gear on this list includes some of the best Runewords in the game for casters. This is a build that relies on casting spells, not making attacks. The only attackers should be the mercenary (see next section) and the shadow assassins and even they are not supposed to be dealing damage, just living as meat shields. The Shimmering Small Charms are important for getting up to 75% magic resistance, which, when paired with the vitality and maximum block, makes this build rather tanky.
Mercenary
|
Mercenary |
Act 2 Defensive Desert Mercenary |
|
Weapon |
Infinity |
|
Head |
Andariel's Visage |
|
Body |
Fortitude |
Many classes count on getting every last drop out of the mercenary, but the Trapsin probably gets the most advantage from him. The Infinity weapon and the Defensive attribute on the Desert Mercenary combine to slow enemies and reduce their magic resistance. Slowing clusters of enemies in place is extremely useful for the traps and bombs the Assassin throws and it is a strategy that carries all the way through Act 5 on Hell difficulty.
Leveling With This Build
The Assassin is often regarded as the hardest class to level for a good reason. Without the ability to wear the heaviest armor in most cases, enemies hit hard. And without magic resistances of a Paladin or Sorceress, they're not particularly strong against magic attacks either. Here is how to level up and take on the game's toughest bosses without having perfect stats and gear.
Skill Order
This is a build on many extremes, with each skill either getting one point or a full twenty. Get about three points in each of the five traps, then make sure each of the recommended skills gets their one point. Most importantly, the Shadow Warrior, even with just one point, excels at distracting enemies and forcing them to attack the Assassin.
After that, evenly level up the traps. It can be tempting to make each one twenty, but enemies with resistances will ruin a lopsided leveling process by becoming immune to the featured trap.
Stat Priorities
It can be helpful to learn some pro tips for the endgame, but living that long is more likely when wearing heavy armor. Make it a priority to get strength high enough to wear the heaviest armor available. Shields will greatly help with survivability, too. Make it a point to get items that boost resistances until each resistance is at 75%. After getting these two benchmarks, focus on skills that boost either all Assassin skills or Traps skills.
Diablo 2: Resurrected was released on September 23rd, 2021, and is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.