Phoenix Strike Assassin: Enigma or CoH? Feedback Welcome (Shadow Master Build)

Ookami-21447 · June 8, 2025, 7:36pm

Hey!
I’ve built two versions of a Phoenix Strike Assassin in Diablo II Resurrected, focusing on full elemental synergy (Fire, Lightning, Cold). In both versions, I use Shadow Master – I love the skill and I don’t want to give it up.

Here are the two builds I made:
Chains of Honor version (more resists + finishers):

CoH for defense and resistances
Added finishers: Dragon Talon, Claw, Tail, Flight
Still fully synergized for Phoenix Strike
Shadow Master also maxed
Infinity merc

Chains of Honor Version (Shadow Master Core Build)

This is a Phoenix Strike Assassin build built for versatile PvM (Players vs Monsters), capable of handling Cows, Chaos Sanctuary, Baal, and more. It blends elemental damage from Phoenix Strike with maximum Shadow Master support, while offering high survivability from Chains of Honor.

BUILD OVERVIEW

Type: Martial Arts Assassin
Core Skills: Phoenix Strike, Shadow Master, Fade
Gameplay Style: Build up charges with Phoenix Strike, release with Dragon Talon / Dragon Claw / Dragon Flight (finishers), while supported by Shadow Master.
Weapon Style: Dual Claw (Bartuc’s x2)
Mercenary: Act 2 Holy Freeze with Infinity
Strengths: Elemental versatility, utility, durability (CoH), crowd control (Mind Blast, Cloak of Shadows), and style.
Key Identity: You keep Shadow Master maxed as a central part of the playstyle.

ATTRIBUTE POINT DISTRIBUTION

Attribute	Base	Final (with gear)	Notes
Strength	79	134	Enough to wear all gear with bonuses from items (CoH, Anni, Torch)
Dexterity	95	182	For gear and Claw Mastery/Block
Vitality	306	346	Maximize life pool
Energy	25	25	Unused – not needed

Main idea:

Just enough Str and Dex to equip gear
Dump the rest into Vitality for survival
No Energy used

SKILL DISTRIBUTION (Skill Tree)

Martial Arts: 23 total hard points

Skill	Level	Purpose
Phoenix Strike	20	Core elemental skill – fire, lightning, cold AoE damage via charges
Dragon Talon	1	Finisher (multiple kicks)
Dragon Claw	1	Finisher (double claw attack)
Dragon Tail	1	Optional finisher – fire splash
Dragon Flight	1	Mobility, repositioning, finish combo

Shadow Disciplines: 44 total hard points

Skill	Level	Purpose
Shadow Master	20	Maxed – tank, crowd control, support (core identity)
Fade	6	Huge resist boost + curse reduction
Weapon Block	1	Claw block chance (passive, works while standing still)
Burst of Speed	1	Alternative to Fade if needed for farming
Cloak of Shadows	3	Defense debuff + blind enemies – massive utility
Mind Blast	3	Crowd control – converts enemies
Prerequisites	9	To unlock other key abilities

Traps: 1 total hard point

None besides prereqs

GEAR SETUP

Weapons:

Main Hand: Bartuc’s Cut-Throat
Off-Hand: Bartuc’s Cut-Throat

Dual Bartuc’s for +skills, FHR, stats, and AR

Helm:

Andariel’s Visage (socketed with IAS/Res jewel)

Life leech, +skills, strength, IAS – essential for attack speed

Armor:

Chains of Honor (Runeword: Dol Um Ber Ist)

Massive resists, +2 all skills, +damage to demons/undead

Shield: (none – dual claw build)

Weapon Block is your “shield”

Boots:

Gore Rider

Deadly strike, open wounds, +run, perfect for finishers

Belt:

Verdungo’s Hearty Cord

Life, FHR, DR – defensive powerhouse

Rings:

Raven Frost – Cannot Be Frozen, AR, Dex
Rare/Crafted Ring – With dual leech, resistances, stats

Amulet:

Mara’s Kaleidoscope or rare +2 Sin + res/stats

+skills and resists

Charms:

Hellfire Torch (Assassin)
Annihilus
Shadow Discipline Grand Charms
Life/Resist Small Charms

MERCENARY

Type: Act 2 – Holy Freeze (defensive aura slows enemies)
Weapon: Infinity (eth elite polearm) – Conviction aura reduces enemy resistances
Armor: Fortitude
Helm: Andariel’s Visage (or Vampire Gaze for more DR)

Why Infinity?
→ Boosts elemental damage from Phoenix Strike by breaking immunities and reducing resistances – essential for elemental assassin builds.

Enigma version (mobility + max DPS):

Teleport from Enigma = huge mobility
Full synergy on elemental skills
No finishers – just Phoenix Strike + normal attack
Infinity merc
Maxed Shadow Master
Fade, Mind Blast, Cloak of Shadows for utility*

Enigma Version (Shadow Master Core Build)

This is a Phoenix Strike Martial Arts Assassin designed for high mobility and powerful elemental AoE damage. The main focus remains on maximizing Shadow Master, while relying on Phoenix Strike’s elemental charge system for offensive power. Using Enigma allows teleportation, enabling fast repositioning, farming, and merc control.

BUILD OVERVIEW

Type: Martial Arts Assassin
Core Skills: Phoenix Strike, Shadow Master, Fade
Gameplay Style: Build up Phoenix Strike charges → release with basic attack (no finishers)
Weapon Style: Dual Claw (Bartuc’s)
Mercenary: Act 2 Holy Freeze + Infinity
Focus: Maximum synergy on Phoenix Strike’s elemental charges, mobility from Enigma, and support from Shadow Master

ATTRIBUTE POINT DISTRIBUTION

Attribute	Base	Final (with gear)	Notes
Strength	79	134	Just enough to wear gear after gear boosts
Dexterity	95	182	For equipping claws and contributing to AR/block
Vitality	306	346	Main pool for survivability
Energy	25	25	Not used

Idea: Enough Str/Dex for gear → everything else into Vitality for maximum life

SKILL DISTRIBUTION (Skill Tree)

Martial Arts: 37 total hard points

Skill	Level	Purpose
Phoenix Strike	20	Core elemental attack – builds fire/lightning/cold charges
Fists of Fire	5	Synergy – boosts fire charge damage
Claws of Thunder	5	Synergy – boosts lightning charge damage
Blades of Ice	5	Synergy – boosts cold charge damage
Cobra Strike	1	Optional life/mana leech on demand
Tiger Strike	1	Prerequisite
No finishers used	-	This build skips all Dragon finishers entirely

Note: Charges are released using basic attack, not finishers.

Shadow Disciplines: 44 total hard points

Skill	Level	Purpose
Shadow Master	20	Maxed – strong summon, tank, skill spammer
Fade	6	Main defensive layer – resists + curse duration
Weapon Block	1	Passive claw block (works when stationary)
Burst of Speed	1	Optional – use if Fade is not needed in easier zones
Cloak of Shadows	3	Blinds enemies + lowers defense – excellent control
Mind Blast	3	Converts enemies – perfect for crowd control
Prereqs	10	Required for unlocking core utility skills

GEAR SETUP

Weapons:

Main Hand: Bartuc’s Cut-Throat
Off-Hand: Bartuc’s Cut-Throat

+Skills, AR, FHR, and stats – simple, effective, and classic

Helm:

Andariel’s Visage (socketed with IAS/Resist jewel)

+2 skills, IAS, life leech, strength – amazing offensive option

Armor:

Enigma (Runeword: Jah Ith Ber)

+2 skills, +strength, and most importantly: Teleport
Increases clear speed, mobility, and merc positioning

Boots:

Gore Rider

Open wounds, deadly strike – synergizes well with basic attacks

Belt:

Verdungo’s Hearty Cord

+Vitality, DR%, FHR – strong defensive choice

Rings:

Raven Frost – Cannot Be Frozen, AR, Dexterity
Rare or crafted ring – Preferably with dual leech, stats, resists

Amulet:

Mara’s Kaleidoscope (or rare +2 Sin +res)

+2 all skills, resistances – good overall boost

Charms:

Hellfire Torch (Assassin)
Annihilus
Shadow Discipline GCs
Life/Resist SCs

MERCENARY

Type: Act 2 – Holy Freeze (slow enemies for more control)
Weapon: Infinity (elite eth polearm) – conviction aura boosts your elemental damage and breaks immunities
Armor: Fortitude
Helm: Andariel’s Visage (or Vampire Gaze for survivability)

Why Holy Freeze?
→ Slows enemies to give more control for both you and your Shadow Master

My questions:

Which version works better for PvM, Baal runs, Cows, Chaos Sanctuary, and general farming?
Is skipping all finishers and going full elemental + normal attack a good idea?
What would you change or tweak?
Shadow Master is non-negotiable for me – have you played similar builds?

Thanks a lot for any feedback!

Blockquote

Leslaw-1328 · June 9, 2025, 12:39am

Hey there cool builds

although they may be more polished so to speak…

first of all finishers won’t get you anywhere:
dragon talon with + to skills will net you more than 3 kicks so without mosaics any kick beyond kick #3 is wasted

Dragon claw is meh as well it uses up two charges without mosaics so second attack will only have 1 charge left so basically you do 50% damage with every other dragon claw

dragon tail… the attack rate is fixed and pretty slow

dragon flight agin fixed & terrible attack speed even worse than dragon tail…

Bartucs is only good mid game it lacks proper IAS it’s AR is lackluster

Raven frost is a ring for losers

Instead

foxus your finisher to be plain normal attack you’ll release 1 charge at a time past patch 2.4 and any normal attack will not require attack rating to hit if you have charges ready to spend…

weapons:
Since You’ll be using yoour weapons mainly to strike but not depend on weapon damage You’ll require 3 things of them attack rating extended durability ( so they don’t get destroyed quickly), and fast attack…
You can aquire literally any magical runic talons and cube them with socket magical weapon formula untill you get “fool’s runic talons of ages” with 2 open sockets rolled

why runic talons not greater talons? simply the cube formula yealds ilvl 30 items so in order to have all affixes available you need an item with high enaugh quality level to roll them when item level is 30 runic talons have qlvl of 81 so it’s enaugh greater talons do not fall into this category

so what fool’s runic talons of ages with two sockets are good for you ask?
simply you get ton of attack rating per level they are indestructible, so you won’t have to worry about their durability, and finally 2 open sockets should be filled with 2x shael runes for 40% IAS. why 40% IAS? because if you get just 20% IAS elsewhere ( in our case the gloves) You’re siting just at the correct attack speed breakpoint for maximum attack of 7 frames or 3.57 attacks per second this goes for both Phoneix strike and normal attack as finisher ( yeah i know dragon talon says it’s faster in maxroll calculator, but it does lots of dud shots as every kick beyond #3 is a waste of time without mosaics)…

Gloves
either go with laying of hands for the needed 20% IAS
or if you’re still angry about those + skills you’ve lost from 2xbartucs go farm a hell vendor past lvl 74 for:
+3 Matrial arts & +20%IAS magic gloves

hard to shop for but doable with a little bit of patience…

Jewlery a.k.a why Raven Frost is only for weaksauce losers
Ideally You’d want what i call “angelic jewlery triecta”
you should wear angelic set amulet and two angelic set rings ( two pieces of th same item)
why?
because the green power that appears from 2piece of the set worn the massive attack rating bonus does apply from both rings at the same time meaning you get double the bonus and on ontrary to fools mod on the weapons the ring bonus gets applied to both weapons. a.k.a you shouldn’t struggle to hit anything anymore. the cannot be frozen that you crave so badly from raven frost ring can be easily replaced by a cham rune to the helm since you don’t need more IAS and you shouldn’t require more all res…
7x 5%res all small charms plus fade should keep you satisfied, if not put more points into fade

weapon block is also not a 1 point wodnder, for certain builds it is possible to reach 62% block with weapon block, and it does block almost everything not just physical ranged and melee attacks wepon block can also block spells that are capable of blocking like most flying projectiles like fireballs etc. this skill should be invested at minimum 10 point sinto

on a side note if you want to do tons of physical damage with tiger strike and you hate mosaics, there’s also an option…

do note that the martial arts tree is divided into three sections not without a reason the rightmost are finishers the leftomost are chargeups that require claw class weapons, and the middle ones are chargeups that require any weaon ( a.k.a not limited to claw class weapons)…

So having a Grief Phase Blade that rolled exactly 40%IAS on it and Laying of Hands gloves puts you at 8 frames per attack ( the fastest breakpoint with non claw class weapons for assassin)… on top of that if you charge up with 3 tiger strike stacks you can controll how many of them you spend which is not normally possible with dragon talon ( you use all of them doing half of dmg with second kick and a mere fraction of the damage with 3rd kick and no damage with rest of the kicks).
drago claw you do full damage with first claw and half of it with the second ( second charge is only half of the 3rd charge).
and with normal attacks you chew up only 1 charge at a time, so instead of doing atack for 1and half full damage you could charge to full spend 1 charge regain charge with tiger strike, and agin spend one charge…
the above seemes like the annoying task you did at the beginning of the game with your basic claws, yet now it’s different because:
-You are at your character’s maximum attack breakpoint

Your weapon damage is the best possible one because you use the best damage wise wepon Grief ( pay no attention to character sheet damage as due to blizz so called fixes to palladin skill smite so that it could benefit from Grief’s added damage they basically broke the damage display on the characrer sheet for every other class using that weapon… just comprare your killspeed using Grief and other weapons to notice the difference.

also You don’t need to put any points into mind blast as shadow master has this skill natively after some skill pumped into shadow master regardless if you pick mind blast for yourself or not (unfortuneatly)… also cloak of the shadows is a meh skill… it is on a large cooldown it makes the screen dark so you cannot see anythin from far away, and has limited radius for a skill with so big cooldown…better make call to arms runeword and utilize all three skills there Battle Orders pump your hp mana and stamina Battle Command raises all skills by 1 and Battle Cry does what Cloack of shadows does and more… It reduces mob armor class by 50% and mob damage by 25% on slvl1 and you could roll up to 4 on CTA + 1 from batte command +1 from anni
so a total of -62% to affected mob armor class and -37% to affected mob damage, and no cooldown on this…