What does everyone think of altering the assassin to allow it to use claws as an off-hand instead of a shield?
Which would allow you to equip a sword, axe… Etc in your main hand.
Having the off-hand claw give a little block chance as well. It could also allow use of the claw only skills (the damage is calculated against the claw still though)
This could give the MA builds a big boost
I’m confused. Assassins can dual wield claws now.
Think he means a claw in you off-hand while wielding something like a sword in your main, this is something the assa cannot.
Might be effective at some moments, though I wouldn’t like it, I think it would not be nice ecstatically.
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Guess he wants to combine Hoto or grief with a claw and since he mentioned claw skills I’d guess grief
Interesting. I’ve never actually tried to equip a sword and a claw. It is odd that the assassin can’t.
Why?
The equip 2 weapons is something unique to the Barbarian, the Assassin gained a part of that ability but only for her main weapon…oh sorry in the current blizzard system I should say their main weapon.
Her whole kit focusses on claws so to me it wouldn’t feel right to add Axes and the like.
Would personally make an exception for Daggers and change Claw Master into Claw and Dagger Mastery, think they fit the concept.
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I think it’s odd that an assassin can’t equip an offhand claw regardless of what the assassin has equipped in the main hand.
The barbarian “ability” is equipping two handers in each hand. It shouldn’t be the only class that can dual wield… in my opinion of course.
Yes that and before the Assassin entered the game it was the only on one that could dual wield.
The Assassin gained the ability only with Claws, just as her Weapon Finisher is a Claw finisher.
I personally think it’s fitting, stealthy blade of the night wielding 2 Berserker Axes or even 1 Berserker Axe with a more fitting weapon in her off-hand does not do it for me (though I personally wouldn’t have minded if she couldn’t use any of the bigger weapons and shields at all).
But yeah those things are personaly opinions, to me it does not fit the Archetype they created.
I guess I don’t agree with your opinion.
Before the assassin entered the game, the barbarian was the only class that could dual wield. Then the assassin entered the game… why not give them the same ability? I mean, they can already dual wield some weapons, why stop at claws and allow other one hand blades or daggers?
It’s not like barbarians had a union agreement to be the only dual wield class. They are still the only class that can dual wield 2 handers.
Well as I said I personally would have liked Daggers aswell, they do feel like assassin weapons imo.
One handed swords, a bit one the fence, looking at some of them (like Short Sword and Scimitar) I think yeah why not, it fits, but others (like Longsword and Falchion) I think no it doesn’t fit.
Weapons like axes, clubs and hammers all feel out of place.
True, however I wouldn’t see a reason why the assassin should have the ability (except with Claws and Daggers).
Basically just as I don’t see why a Necromancer should be able to dual wield to weapons.
Of course you could always just ignore the archetype and allow it, but allow it with Assassins and then I would say why can’t the Druid and the Amazon, why can’t a Druid wear a Vortex Shield and a Claw.
The answer ofcourse is the dev’s didn’t feel it fits the archetype they wanted to make and I understand that, I agree, with the exception that I feel Daggers fit the Archetype very well, but the dev’s chose to do only Claws and only the Assassin can wear Claws.
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Agreed. “Assassin” style weapons like daggers and shorter bladed weapons would fit the class. I also think a quarterstaff line would sort of fit given the Asian nature of the class, but I digress.
Can Necros dual wield wands? I’ve never tried…lol. I suppose I’m not opposed to that either I suppose. Dual wands for casters would be neat.
Am I the only one that thinks claws would be awesome on Druids?
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Definitely, though ofcourse she can already wield it, and in D2 there is no such thing as using each end in dual wield.
Would love to see the Assassin get bonuses on Staves (Bo or Quarterstaff style staves, not the short ones), probably would do a run with a Ribcracker if it was viable.
Nope only Barbarian can dual wield weapons (exception Assassin but limited to claws).
Would be incredibly strong if Necro could dual wield them though, dual Death’s Web would melt.
Would increase the power of all necro builds, Wands surpass Shrunken Heads.
No your not, would love things like that, even on Barbs tbh, though it feels it fits the druid more, I think dual Claw Barbs aren’t that far fetched.
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Actually i dig that suggestion. I’d even consider taking it further since shes a martial artist add staff to it too so that they can actually be put to use* too lol
And why exactly would a staff be “Asian” but not a two handed sword? Or a bow for that matter. I mean hell the crossbow was invented in China.
I mean the assassin doesn’t even use “Asian” weapons. The Katar is from India. 
Which yes technically is part of “Asia” but then so is Russia.
Why would India only technically be a part of Asia, it’s one of it’s biggest countries and one of the nations that comes to mind when talking about Asia in my experience.
Russia is partially in Asia, however it is the sparsely populated part that it’s often ignored.
Think mongolia has a more famous martial history to draw from.
However I think it’s more important to think of the Archetype presented, I mean Assassins historically were not from that area, technically Asian though as Iran is Asian, but we more often refer to that area as the middle east so might not be the first country you think about when on the subject of Asia.
But the Archetype Assassin portrait has more of a romanticized and shinobi ninja style, which means silently striking from the shadows (not a realistic depiction of ninja’s ofcourse, hence sticking to the fantasy Archetype), that was given Indian weapons but not an Indian appearance, it fits many roleplaying concepts I’ve seen of Assassin’s true the time.
Two-Handed weapons are not often associated with this Archetype as speed and manoeuvrability don’t fit the concept of 2 handed weapons, those that are sometimes associated are the weapons people think are more light, agile and fast (doesn’t matter what the truth is here it’s all perception), which in 2 handed is often a Bo, Three-Section Staff, Kusari and sometimes man sized spears.
Have seen a Katana sometimes by mentioned which is more a sword and a half usually wielded in 2 hands, but this normally belongs to the Samurai/Ronin Archetype.
But in my experience it’s mostly short and fast weapons like claws, daggers, kami, Ninjato, Sai, Sticks of all kinds, complemented with Staves and Flexible Weapons like Chains that you get when you see a Shinobi like Archetype.
Diablo doesn’t have most of the weapons that are associated to the Archetype and don’t think you should add things like 2-H swords to the Assassin, would ruin the immersion.
So Claw and Dagger would do fine as Assassin weapons, but Quarterstaff and possibly the smaller 2-handed spear might do as well (problem with those is that I don’t think diablo mechanics differentiate between spear types and a War Pike would be very out of place and thus I personally would leave the spear out for that reason).
Diablo doesn’t have most of the weapons that are associated to the Archetype.
If you add reality, well Shinobi were completely different than the Archetype ninja, Covert Agents and Mercenaries, that did a wide range of things and assassination would only be a small part of the things they were hired for, probably more were employed as bodyguards than assassins.
And mostly tried to not be perceived as a warrior, so tools, improvised weapons and hidden weapons would be the more like what you expect.
Simply put, at least from the US perspective, no one says “Asian person” when they referring to someone from Russia, the Middle East, or India. They say Russian, Middle Eastern, or Indian. Asian is commonly used to refer to people of Asian ethnicity/race or w/e the hell they teach people to call it in schools these days.
And trying to call a staff “Asian” period is just silly. The staff has been used as a weapon by people on every part of the planet.
Also the “ninjato” wasn’t even a real weapon. That’s a modern invention. The sai didn’t come to mainland Japan until MUCH later, and again the Katar is Indian.
Many real Shinobi used weapons like the odachi, tachi, or katana because many real shinobi were of the samurai caste. Again those are two handed swords.
This whole thing smells like people who think Karate is an ancient marital art of the Japanese. Hell ninjutsu itself is a modern fabrication. There was never some secret martial art that every member of the shinobi practiced.
There reason real world things need sat aside here, is it doesn’t work for D2.
Are you arguing that because you don’t consider Indian people Asian, that other people don’t?
Some weapons used by Asian martial artists, like the staff, tonfa, etc. came into use because it was illegal for peasants to have weapons.
What’s with you. You have a bug up your butt or something?
The man is talking about Ninjas dude. He’s obviously not talking about India. Also that has nothing to do with my argument. That’s simply clearing up the wordage. People in all parts of the planet don’t use the same usages. I was making it clear that I as referrng to ethnic/racial Asian people. The worlds just so damn PC now that you can’t carry on a conversation.
The yellow ones, not the brown ones or the white ones. That clear it up? Damn.
It’s a talk about assassins, not ninjas.
As I said the Archetype.
Not the real world version.
Neh shinobi were not samurai, heritage could have been from there ofcourse.
True, therefor I keep mentioning the Archetype, I mean the fantasy archetype on which this and many assassin’s where build.
If you would actually have to apply the real world things like whirlwind would be a deathsentence to the barbarian himself.