Hello all
I’ve been a bit bored lately, so I’ve come up with some ideas on how to improve and flesh out the Assassination Rogue fantasy while also adding some QoL.
To me, the assassin fantasy revolves around killing deliberately with precision and patience in one of these three ways.
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Corrupting and rotting enemies from the inside with poisons
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Inflicting deep wounds that bleed the life out of the target slowly
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Dealing heavy physical damage through brutal strikes
With the changes in Midnight, I feel like the poison side is in a good spot, only needing a few tweaks to really shine. Bleeds, though, need more synergy and focus on the AoE side to truly stand on their own. And the physical execution part is still completely missing. So far, it’s only used for building combo points without doing any meaningful killing like an assassin should.
I’ve tried to organize my ideas into some clear overviews to make it easier for everyone.
Anyway, enjoy my scrambled brain and drop a like or comment if you enjoy it 
Baseline Changes
Right now, too many defining abilities are locked behind talents that should simply be part of the core kit:
- Deadly Poison – essential, should be baseline.
- Crimson Tempest – AoE should be standard like in other specs.
- Seal Fate – iconic, central to combo point generation.
- Deathmark / Kingsbane – key cooldowns that should be customizable, not gated.
Other specs begin with their identity already established:
Outlaw has Blade Flurry, Restless Blades, and Roll the Bones.
Subtlety starts with Shadow Dance, Symbols of Death, Black Powder, and Shadow Techniques.
Those abilities are their fantasy - right out of the gate and Assassination deserves the same treatment.
QoL Changes / Spec tree ideas
Below here i’ll just list all changes ive thought up, starting with rework of talents.
1 - Scent of Blood really needs to work better on single targets also. Right now it feels pretty bad to spend 2 points in the bottom of the tree to have no effect on single targets. I think if you make it like this is doesnt feel that bad.
- Scent of Blood
Enemies affected by your bleeds increases your agility by 1%/2%, up to a maximum of 10%/20% agility
2 - Shrouded Suffucation needs a bad luck timer to help with being pulled out of stealth before opening. Something like this would be nice.
- Shrouded Suffucation
Garrote damage increased by 20%. Your first Garrote generates 2 additional combo points when used from Stealth and for 6 sec after breaking Stealth.
3 - Systemic Failure should also increase damage to other direct damage sources like Fan of Knives, Crimson Tempest and Kingsbanes Apex. New talent could look like this.
- Systemic Failure
Garrote increases the damage of all non-bleed physical damage on the target by 20%.
4 - Deadly Momentum shouldn’t be a random trigger but a more controlled one, that also feeds into itself. I’m thinking something like this.
- Deadly Momentum
Triggering Seal Fate increases your critical strike chance by 2% for 12 seconds up to a maximum of 10%
5 - Poisoner’s drive feels really tame compared to inspiring strike, so i think adding bonus weapon poison damage to it would make it more compelling. It would look like this.
- Poisoner’s Drive
Applying Envenom while Envenom is already active causes it to increase all weapon poison damage by 30% and restore 1 combo point.
6 - Bloody Mess could easily be combined with Razor Wire and Avulsions and made a 2 point talent to make more room for other new talents in the tree. I would look like this.
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Bloody Mess
Increases the damage of garrote by 10/20%, rupture damage by 20/40% and duration on garrote by 3/6 seconds
7 - Internal bleeding feels like a weird talent since it doesnt scale with more than 5 combo points and doesn’t work with other combo point spenders? And if it’s more of a flavor talent why doesnt kick, gouge or sap cause internal bleeding? I’ve made two ideas on how to improve it.
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Internal Bleeding spending combo points also apply internal bleeding dealing (40% of attack power) bleed damage over 6 sec per combo point spent.
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Internal Bleeding
Your kick, cheap shot, kidney shot, gouge and sap applies a bleed for (150% of attack power) over 6 sec.
Your damage-over-time effects does not interrupt incapacitate effects.
8 - Razor Wire could be a talent that adds some instant damage to Garrote so it also can trigger seal fate. I’m thinking something like this.
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Razor Wire
Garrote additionally deals (120% of attack power) physical damage and generates an additional combo point.
9 - Fatal Concoction and Improved Poisons could easily be combined to one talent and then you could move Amplifying Poison up instead of Improved Poisons.
10 - If Kingsbane gets made baseline you could add a choice node which gives it some different playstyles for either more damage or shorter cooldown.
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Fit for a King
Kingsbane lasts 2 sec longer and it’s damage bonus can increase up to 1200% maximum. -
Fit for a Prince
Kingsbanes cooldown is reduced by 20 sec and it’s damage bonus is reduced to 700% maximum.
11 - Deathmark really needs some dispel protection protection as it feels pretty bad when Assa’s biggest cd gets dispelled or the target becomes immune. Also if it gets made baseline you could have a choice node in it’s place for enhancing different playstyles. I thinking some like this.
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Deathmark
Carve a deathmark into an enemy, dealing (320% of Attack Power) Bleed damage and restoring 80 Energy to you over 16 sec. Damage dealt to the target by your Garrote, Rupture, and Lethal Poisons is increased by 100%.Each time you apply a Lethal Poison to the target, apply it twice.
If Deathmark would be dispelled all other damage-over-time effects on the target becomes undispellable for the next 10 seconds and they deal 50% more damage
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Shroud of Death (2 min cd)
Replaces Deathmark.Increases the haste of all of your bleeds within 12 yard by 30% and whenever a bleed deals damage generate 1 energy.
Lasts 16 sec
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Finish the Job
Deathmark increases all damage you deal by 10% for 16 sec
12 - Blindside could use an update where it ditches the Ambush for an enhanced Mutilate. It’s the only talent which have any synergy with Ambush and after the Deathstalker rework we dont even use Ambush in the opener. You could do something like this.
- Utter Carnage
Mutilate has a 15% chance to make your next Mutilate free and deal 20% more damage and generate an additional combo point. Chance increased to 30% if target is under 35% life.
Apex Talents
Throughput wise I think it’s pretty good, but thematically it’s lacking, especially compared to specs like Frost DK, Affliction or Enhancement, where the focus is on empowering one ability and building gameplay around it without forcing you to pick every node.
The main issue for me is the two middle nodes (Nature and Bleed damage +10% / +20%). They feel like bad design because they’re much stronger than most spec nodes, which takes away a lot of build diversity.
The first node actually feels great. It supports the energy pooling gameplay Blizzard is going for and would fit better as a core part of Assassination’s identity.
The last node feels like a real Apex talent since it adds depth and self feeding synergy to Kingsbane.
If the first three nodes were replaced with something that fits better with the Kingsbane and weapon poison theme, it could look something like this:
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Implacable 1/4
During Kingsbane and Regicide’s Reward your weapon poisons deal 100% more damage and applying a weapon poison genererates 1 energy. -
Implacable 2/4 & 3/4
During Kingsbane and Regicide’s Reward your weapon poisons have a 20% / 40% chance to additionally apply one of your active lethal poisons.
New Talent ideas
Here i’ll just list a bunch of ideas for enhancing poison/nature, bleed and physical gameplay and giving the player a lot of choice for customization. There will be a lot more focus on seal of fate synergy as i feel it’s a shame you dont really build around it. But i think the talents will speak for themself, so here we go!
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Grim Fate
Triggering Seal Fate reduces the energy cost of your next Mutilate by 5, up to a maximum of 20 -
Sharpened Blades
Triggering Seal Fate increases the damage of your next Mutilate or Fan of Knives by 15% -
Murderous Glee
When you critical strike with an ability generate 2 energy. Can only trigger once every 12 seconds from damage-over-time effects. -
Overflowing Toxins
Envenom causes your next Mutilate to deal an additional 20% damage as nature damage. -
Serrated Flying Blades
Fan of Knives deals an additional 20% bleed damage over 8 sec -
Severe Mutilation
Mutilate attacks 1 additional times with both weapons.
Mutilates damage is reduced by 50%/25% and critical strike chance is increased by 8/16% -
Venomous Ending
Each combo point generated by Seal Fate increases the damage and crit chance of your next envenom by 5% up to 20% maximum. -
Aggressive Bloodshed
Garrote causes your next Rupture within 6 sec to be applied as if 2 additional combo points were spent. -
Enhanced Neurotoxins
Your mastery bonus applies to your non-bleed physical damage also -
Death is Inevitable
Combo points generated by Seal Fate can exceed your maximum by 1/3 -
Violent Exsanguination
Mutilating an enemy afflicted by Garrote and Rupture causes them to erupt in a bloodbath, spreading Violent Exsanguination to them and up to 2 nearby enemies.Violent Exsanguination causes all of your bleeds on affected targets to deal 30% of their damage to enemies within 8 yards for 12 sec.
Damage reduced beyond 5 targets.
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Deadly Rhythm
Applying Rupture with 6 or more Combo points causes your next Garrote to be cast as though it was from stealth, last 4 sec longer and deal 10% more damage. -
Brutal strikes
Mutilate and Fan of Knives deal 20% more damage and have 10% increased critical strike chance. -
Blackend Blood
Using Envenom on a target with 4 bleeds causes your blades to become infected with blackend blood for 12 sec.Each stack of blackend blood increases your mastery by 3% up to a maximum of 15%
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Sepsis
Gaining five stacks of blackend blood causes your next envenom within 12 seconds to also apply Sepsis to your target.Consumes all stacks of Blackend Blood and increases your weapon poisons damage by 100% for 12 seconds
Corrupt the blood of your target applying all of your active lethal weapon poison 3 times and a concentrated form of your active non-lethal poisons and deals (100% of attack power) Natures damage over 12 seconds
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Improved Crimson Tempest
Crimson Tempest also applies a bleed to the 5 nearest targets for (60% of attack power) over 12 sec Crimson Tempest damage is increased by 10% for each bleed it applies. -
Serrated Bone Spike (TWW version)
Prepare a Serrated Bone Spike every 30 sec, stacking up to 3. Rupture spends a stack to embed a bone spike in its target.Serrated Bone Spike: Deals (174.24% of Attack Power) Physical damage and (17.424% of Attack Power) Bleed damage every 3 sec until the target dies or leaves combat.
Refunds a stack when the target dies.
Awards 1 combo point plus 1 additional per active bone spike.
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Improved Serrated Bone Spike
Serrated Bone Spike damage increased by 20%. Serrated Bone Spike generates 2 energy each time it deals damage and can apply up to 3 stacks to a single target. -
Creeping Demise
Damage-over-time effects from combo generating abilities may trigger Seal Fate once every 12 seconds. -
Brutal Finality
Replaces kingsbane
35 energy
30 second cooldownCan only be cast on a target with a bleed.
Tear open your targets wounds with five brutal stabs dealing (240% of attack power) each.
Deals 30% more damage on targets with less than 35% life.
Awards 1 combo point.
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Overkill
Brutal Finality strikes with such excessive force that it deals 50% of its damage to enemies within 8 yards of your target. -
Sheer Brutality
Brutal Finality sends you into a lust for carnage causing your next 2 Mutilates to attack 2 additional times with both weapons and have 10% additional crit chance. -
Overdosed Injections
During Envenom, your weapon poisons have a 20% chance to additionally apply one of your active lethal poisons. -
Revel in Blood
Each time your bleeds deal damage gain a stack of Revel in Blood up to a maximum of 30 stacks.For each 5 stacks gain 2% haste, 5% movement speed and 2% leech.
The stacks decay rapidly when you have no active bleeds.
Home made talent tree
I’ve also made an upgrade talent tree with a lot more nodes so you really can customize how you want to play.
The tree without tooltips:
https://imgur.com/gallery/tcfZr1a
The tree with tooltips:
https://imgur.com/gallery/S5tLPmj
Below are all talent descriptions for each talent in each row.
The order will be from top to bottom and left to right:
------- Row 1 -------
- Grim Fate -
Triggering Seal Fate reduces the energy cost of your next Mutilate by 5, up to a maximum of 20
------- Row 2 -------
- Sharpened Blades-
Triggering Seal Fate increases the damage of your next Mutilate or Fan of Knives by 15%
- Motivated Murderer -
Increases your Energy regeneration by 30%.
- Fatal Concoction -
Increases the application chance of your weapon poisons by 5% and the damage of your weapon poisons by 20%
- Path of Blood -
Increases maximum Energy by 50
- Doomblades -
Mutilate deals an additional 20% Bleed damage over 8 sec.
------- Row 3 -------
- Flying Daggers -
Fan of Knives has its radius increased to 12 yds, deals 20% more damage, and an additional 10% when striking 5 or more targets.
- Murderous Glee -
When you critical strike with an ability generate 2 energy. Can only trigger once every 12 seconds from damage-over-time effects.
- Overflowing Toxins -
Envenom causes your next Mutilate to deal an additional 20% damage as nature damage
- Improved Garrote -
Garrote deals 50% increased damage and has no cooldown when used from Stealth and for 6 sec after breaking Stealth.
- Razor Wire -
Garrote additionally deals (120% of attack power) physical damage and generates an additional combo point.
------- Row 4 -------
- Serrated Flying Blades - (Choice node) - Thrown Precision -
Fan of Knives deals an additional 20% bleed damage over 8 sec
Or
Fan of Knives has 5% increased critical strike chance and its critical strikes always apply your weapon poisons.
- Severe Mutilation -
Mutilate attacks 1 additional times with both weapons.
Mutilates damage is reduced by 50%/25% and critical strike chance is increased by 8/16%
- Venomous Ending -
Each combo point generated by Seal Fate increases the damage and crit chance of your next envenom by 5% up to 20% maximum
- Venom Rush -
When your Envenom bonus expires, gain 40% increased Energy generation for 5 sec.
Gain an additional 15% increased Energy generation for each Envenom you used while Envenom’s bonus was active, up to 100% total.
- Bloody Mess -
Increases the damage of garrote by 10/20%, rupture damage by 20/40% and duration on garrote by 3/6 seconds
- Aggressive Bloodshed -
Garrote causes your next Rupture within 6 sec to be applied as if 2 additional combo points were spent.
------- Row 5 ------
- Enhanced Neurotoxins -
Your mastery bonus applies to your non-bleed physical damage also
- Sanguine Strategem -
Gain 1 additional max combo point.
Your finishing moves that consume more than 5 combo points have increased effects, and your finishing moves deal 5% increased damage.
- Death is Inevitable -
Combo points generated by Seal Fate can exceed your maximum by 1/3
- Caustic Spatter - (Choice Node) - Violent Exsanguination
Envenom or Kingsbane apply Caustic Spatter for 10 sec. Limit 1.
Caustic Spatter causes 40% of your Nature damage dealt to splash onto other nearby enemies, reduced beyond 5 targets.
-- Or –
Mutilating an enemy afflicted by Garrote and Rupture causes them to erupt in a bloodbath, spreading Violent Exsanguination to them and up to 2 nearby enemies.
Violent Exsanguination causes all of your bleeds on affected targets to deal 30% of their damage to enemies within 8 yards for 12 sec.
Damage reduced beyond 5 targets.
- Venomous Wounds -
You regain 4 Energy each time your Garrote or Rupture deal Bleed damage to a target affected by your weapon poisons. Energy gain is reduced for bleeds beyond the first.
If an enemy dies while afflicted by your Rupture, you regain energy based on its remaining duration.
- Improved Deathmark - (Choice Node) - Finish the job -
Deathmarks duration is increased by 4 sec and energy generation by 20.
If Deathmark would be dispelled all other damage-over-time effects on the target becomes undispellable for the next 10 seconds and they deal 50% more damage
-- Or –
Deathmark increases all damage you deal by 10% for 20 sec
- Internal Bleeding - (Choice Node) - Deadly Rhythm
Your kick, cheap shot, kidney shot, gouge and sap applies a bleed for (150% of attack power) over 6 sec.
Your damage-over-time effects does not interrupt incapacitate effects.
-- Or –
Applying Rupture with 6 or more Combo points causes your next Garrote to be cast as though it was from stealth, last 4 sec longer and deal 10% more damage.
- Iron Wire -
Garrote silences the target for 5 sec when used from Stealth.
Enemies silenced by Garrote deal 15% reduced damage for 5 sec.
------- Row 6 ------
- Brutal strikes -
Mutilate and Fan of Knives deal 20% more damage and have 10% increased critical strike chance
- Amplifying Poison -
Coats your weapons with a Lethal Poison that lasts for 1 hour. Each strike has a 30% chance to poison the enemy, dealing (8.14% of Attack Power) Nature damage and applying Amplifying Poison for 12 sec. Envenom can consume 10 stacks of Amplifying Poison to deal 35% increased damage. Max 20 stacks.
- Lethal Dose -
Your weapon poisons and Nature or Bleed damage over time abilities deal 2% increased damage to targets for each of your lethal poison or damage over time effects on them.
- Poison Bomb - (Choice Node) - Secondary Poisoning -
Envenom has a 5% chance per combo point spent to smash a vial of poison at the target’s location, creating a pool of acidic death that deals [(38.3328% of Attack Power) * 4] Nature damage over 2 sec to all enemies within it.
-- Or –
When you apply a Weapon Poison with a single-target attack, you have a 50% chance to strike a nearby enemy for (15% of Attack Power) Physical damage and apply the same Weapon Poison to them.
- Blackend Blood -
Using Envenom on a target with 4 bleeds causes your blades to become infected with blackend blood for 12 sec.
Each stack of blackend blood increases your mastery by 3% up to a maximum of 15%
- Improved Crimson Tempest -
Crimson Tempest also applies a bleed to the 5 nearest targets for (60% of attack power) over 12 sec
Crimson Tempest damage is increased by 10% for each bleed it applies
- Serrated Bone Spike -
Prepare a Serrated Bone Spike every 30 sec, stacking up to 3. Rupture spends a stack to embed a bone spike in its target.
Serrated Bone Spike:
Deals (174.24% of Attack Power) Physical damage and (17.424% of Attack Power) Bleed damage every 3 sec until the target dies or leaves combat.
Refunds a stack when the target dies.
Awards 1 combo point plus 1 additional per active bone spike.
------- Row 7 -------
- Utter Carnage -
Mutilate has a 15% chance to make your next Mutilate free and deal 15% more damage. Chance increased to 30% if target is under 35% life.
- Creeping Demise -
Damage-over-time effects from combo generating abilities may trigger Seal Fate once every 12 seconds
- Dashing Scoundrel -
Envenom’s effect also increases the critical strike chance of your weapon poisons by 5%, and their critical strikes generate 1 Energy.
- Inspiring Strike - (Choice Node) - Poisoner’s Drive -
Applying Envenom while Envenom is already active causes it to increase all damage you deal by 5% in addition to increasing your poison application chance.
-- Or –
Applying Envenom while Envenom is already active causes it to increase all weapon poison damage by 30% and restore 1 combo point.
- Sepsis -
Gaining five stacks of blackend blood causes your next envenom within 12 seconds to also apply Sepsis to your target.
Consumes all stacks of blackend blood and increases your weapon poisons damage by 100% for 12 seconds
Corrupt the blood of your target applying all of your active lethal weapon poison 3 times and a concentrated form of your active non-lethal poisons and deals (100% of attack power) Natures damage over 12 seconds
- Shrouded Suffucation -
Garrote damage increased by 20%. Your first Garrote generates 2 additional combo points when used from Stealth and for 6 sec after breaking Stealth.
- Improved Serrated Bone Spike -
Serrated Bone Spike damage increased by 20%. Serrated Bone Spike generates 2 energy each time it deals damage and can apply up to 3 stacks to a single target
------- Row 8 -------
- Systemic Failure -
When at least two bleeds and one weapon poison is on a target increase all non-bleed physical damage taken by you by 20%
- Deadly Momentum -
Triggering Seal Fate increases your critical strike chance by 2% for 12 seconds up to a maximum of 10%
- Rapid Injection -
Envenom’s effect increases the damage of Envenom by 15/30%.
- Scent of Blood -
Enemies affected by your bleeds increases your agility by 1%/2%, up to a maximum of 10%/20% agility
------- Row 9 -------
- Brutal Finality -
Replaces kingsbane
35 energy
30 second cooldown
Can only be cast on a target with a bleed.
Tear open your targets wounds with five brutal stabs dealing (240% of attack power) each.
Deals 30% more damage on targets with less than 35% life.
Awards 1 combo point.
- Fit for a King - (Choice Node) - Fit for a Prince -
Kingsbane lasts 2 sec longer and it’s damage bonus can increase up to 1200% maximum.
-- Or –
Kingsbanes cooldown is reduced by 20 sec and it’s damage bonus is reduced to 700% maximum.
- Overdosed Injections -
During Envenom, your weapon poisons have a 20% chance to additionally apply one of your active lethal poisons.
- Zoldyck Recipe -
Your Bleed, weapon poison, and other Nature damage is increased by 15/30% against targets below 35% health.
- Revel in Blood -
Each time your bleeds deal damage gain a stack of Revel in Blood up to a maximum of 30 stacks.
For each 5 stacks gain 2% haste, 5% movement speed and 2% leech.
The stacks decay rapidly when you have no active bleeds.
------- Row 10 -------
- Overkill -
Brutal Finality strikes with such excessive force that it deals 50% of its damage to enemies within 8 yards of your target.
Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets.
- Sheer Brutality -
Brutal Finality sends you into a lust for carnage causing your next 2 Mutilates to attack 2 additional times with both weapons and have 10% additional crit chance.
- Regicide’s Reward -
When Kingsbane ends, gain 2% haste for every 5 stacks of increased Kingsbane damage that you had, decreasing by 2% every 2 sec.
- Dragon Tempered Blades -
You may apply 1 additional Lethal and Non-Lethal Poison to your weapons, but they have 30% less application chance.
- Sudden Death -
Bleed damage increased by 10%.
Targets below 35% health instantly bleed out and take fatal damage when the remaining Bleed damage you would deal to them exceeds 150% of their remaining health.
