General Assault Builds (Revised)

*BIG NOTE* This initial post is way outdated...I've now created a guide (see my signature).

I made a post a while ago regarding Assault builds, but as it's mostly all I play, I feel my continuing experience has molded my general builds, and I thought I'd share them, for those that even care about this mode. Personally, the fact that Assault is random is part of the fun...I never know who I'm going to get, and the random matchups force me to try to adjust my playstyle each time.

I'll try to explain reasoning for my item choices, but if you have questions or have a different opinion, let me know! Also, I'm not detailing the multitude of protection items overall...just key ones, since the others are situational.

Firstly, some general rules I follow for actives:

* Meditation: Always, ALWAYS get meditation (level 1) to start. Since you cannot go back to base, sustain is essential, and you want to make sure you don't render yourself useless by running out of mana and not being able to use your abilities.

* Salvation: This leads to ALWAYS upgrading (eventually) to Salvation. EVERYONE should have this...even if you have a strong healer like Ra, Sylvanus, Aphrodite, Guan Yu or Hel.

* Purification Beads: This is mostly a duh, but if there's an enemy Ares, get Purification Beads right at the beginning. Especially early game, I've seen games basically decided in the first minute of play, because of a deicide from a pull. If it's Hades or other, I usually don't worry as much, as there are ways to avoid and/or get out of his pull.

* Blink: Unless there's an enemy Ares that takes up the 2nd active slot, Ymir, Hercules and Ares should get blink. Maybe Tyr too. Why Herc? The standard Earthbreaker pull chained with Driving Strike is solid, but many people anticipate it and can dodge the somewhat slow pull. Instead, blink behind them, then use the instant Driving Strike. Now they're in a position where all they want to do is run away. So...their back is to you, which means it's more difficult for them to avoid your Earthbreaker, which will put them right into your team's midst yet again.

* Weakening Curse/ Enfeebling Curse: If your 2nd active slot isn't tied up based on the above, Weakening Curse is great for countering enemy healers. Enfeebling Curse is awesome when against a bunch of assassins/hunters.

Also, a quick note on movement items...I only start my first item as Warrior Tabi/ Ninja Tabi or Shoes of the Magi when I'm an Assassin, Hunter, or Freya. With the two towers so close together to start, escape isn't that important yet. Sustain ( Stone of Gaia) and CDR ( Breastplate of Valor or Chronos' Pendant) are way more valuable. Just try to play intelligently and avoid getting in situations from which you can't retreat.

Standard Builds:

Assassins:

1. Warrior Tabi...essential for assassins to be mobile. They can't take damage, so getting in and out is first priority. I use Ninja Tabi for Bakasura and sometimes for Bastet. Bakasura has Butcher Blades for true damage (decreasing effectiveness of penetration), and Bastet is best-suited for jumping in, bleeding someone, and jumping out. Depends also on enemy team makeup...if they don't have any tanks, I tend a little more strongly toward Ninja.

That's actually the only set thing...the rest consist of different orders of mostly the same things...

* Lifesteal items: Asi and Bloodforge
* Crit items: Rage and Deathbringer (in that order, except reverse for Mercury)
* Attack speed/damage items: Qin's Sais and/or The Executioner
Hastened Fatalis: This one is specifically for Kali, Bakasura...and maybe Mercury.
CDR: Jotunn's Wrath, specifically for Thanatos and Bastet.
* One specific note...contrary to what some others have said, I've personally found it helpful to get one strong protection item when the enemy team consists of 4+ physical or magical enemies. Sure, it takes a bit away from your end damage, but you can still get items that will also increase damage, such as Runic Shield and Void Shield.

Example builds:

* Kali: Warrior Tabi, Qin's Sais, Hastened Fatalis, Rage, Deathbringer, Bloodforge
* Thanatos: Warrior Tabi, Jotunn's Wrath, Hydra's Lament, Shifter's Shield, Titan's Bane, Hide of the Urchin (since he does so much damage already)
* Mercury: Warrior Tabi, Deathbringer (his Made You Look can crit), Asi, Rage, Qin's Sais, Titan's Bane


Guardians:

1. Start with Stone of Gaia, unless 0-1 magical enemies. Again, Assault is about sustain. The HP5/MP5 is extremely valuable, and combines with strong magical protection.
Breastplate of Valor for CDR: Guardians excel at CC. CC comes from abilities. Get this unless there are 0-1 physical enemies...if only the 1, consider that God's damage, and decide if you need the physical protection or not. If not, consider Shoes of Focus or Chronos' Pendant.

2. Shoes of Focus: Okay, NOW get your movement speed up. Combined with Breastplate or Chronos', you've maxed your CDR. Good job.

I consider the above items and build order to be essential. The rest of the build is flexible, consisting of some of the following, in no particular order:

* Hide of the Urchin: Great physical and magical protection...use when you've got roughly even physical/magical enemies.
* Ethereal Staff: Similar in function to Hide, but instead of protection, it's a ton more HP (600!!!), with some added damage.
* Rod of Tahuti: Pure damage...great for a bruiser build if there's already someone going full tank.
* Not mentioning the large variety of other defense items...shields and other armor...

Example builds:

* Damage Ymir: Stone of Gaia, Breastplate of Valor, Shoes of Focus, Ethereal Staff, Obsidian Shard, Rod of Tahuti
* Tank Kumbhakarna: Stone of Gaia, Breastplate of Valor, Shoes of Focus, Hide of the Urchin, Ethereal Staff, Rod of Tahuti


Hunters

1. Warrior Tabi: Essential for hunters to be mobile

2. Asi: Helps with sustain

3. Qin's Sai's (or The Executioner if $$$ is an issue)

4. Rage (maybe Malice for Artemis...maybe)

5. Deathbringer

6. The Executioner (or Qin's Sais if you reversed it)...or Titan's Bane if there are 2+ tanks.

This is perhaps the one group I don't usually deviate build too much, no matter the enemy. Main function is ADC, so all items target increased attack speed, crit, power, penetration, etc.


Mages

1. Chronos' Pendant: CDR is king for mages. I know lots of people go with shoes to start, but most mages shouldn't be front and center...play it safe and you don't need shoes to start...Chronos' will be much more functional. Consider Breastplate of Valor instead, if all 5 enemies are physical, or your main focus is healing rather than damage.

2. Shoes of the Magi (Shoes of Focus for Ra and Hel, to max CDR)

The rest here are situational:

* Healing+:

Rod of Asclepius for Ra and Hel. Don't bother if you're Chang'e, as her heals are terrible.
* CC: Gem of Isolation (perfect for Chang'e)
* Damage/Penetration: Rod of Tahuti, Obsidian Shard, Spear of the Magus
* Lifesteal: Bancroft's Talon...I don't usually bother with Polynomicon since people say it's been nerfed too hard. Divine Ruin if there's an enemy healer.


Example builds:

* Ra/ Hel: Chronos' Pendant, Shoes of Focus, Rod of Asclepius, Gem of Isolation, Rod of Tahuti, Obsidian Shard or Ethereal Staff (if survivability is important)
* Freya (okay, she's unique): Shoes of the Magi, Hastened Fatalis, Polynomicon (this is the specific situation where Poly's passive synergizes perfectly), Demonic Grip, Rod of Tahuti, Spear of the Magus
* Standard damage mage: Chronos' Pendant, Shoes of the Magi, Bancroft's Talon, Rod of Tahuti, Obsidian Shard or Spear of the Magus, Situational Item


Warriors:

1. Start with Stone of Gaia, unless 0-1 magical enemies, similar in start to a Guardian. Assault is about sustain. The HP5/MP5 is extremely valuable, and combines with strong magical protection.

2. Next, Witchblade. I strongly prefer this to Warrior Tabi. Why? It provides almost as much movement speed (15% instead of 18%), and gives you your first decent physical protection (45) along with attack speed, and a physical weakening aura. Perfect for the standard warrior that has to get up close and personal. If 0-1 physical enemies, then get Warrior Tabi ( Ninja Tabi for Guan Yu).

3. Jotunn's Wrath: Like a guardian, a warrior's effectiveness usually relies on abilities. CDR is essential. This also provides some power and penetration.

I consider the above to be essential. After that...

* Tank builds can get

Hide of the Urchin and other protection items.
* Bruiser builds can get Hydra's Lament for added CDR and extra damage, and Shifter's Shield for situational damage/protection.
* Osiris can consider Qin's Sais and Asi, as his attack speed is higher. Maybe even the crit items Rage/ Deathbringer.


Example builds:

* Bruiser Hercules: Witchblade, Jotunn's Wrath, Shifter's Shield, Hide of the Urchin, Hydra's Lament, Titan's Bane
* Guan Yu: Stone of Gaia, Witchblade, Jotunn's Wrath, Hydra's Lament, Hide of the Urchin, Titan's Bane

So that's it. Curious to hear about your opinions. Just trying to be helpful here, so constructive feedback is appreciated.

So in your previous guide you went into a lot more detail about situational buying, ie buy item A unless there is no need for Physical protection in which case buy Item B, and so on. Did you stop building in that way, or did you feel that was just too wordy for the guide and wanted to shorten it?

@Daroses - Wow, a response, thanks!

Mainly, the original was super wordy, and way too much to take in for a first time read, and only easily useful once you were familiarized with it. Also, I found that in between deaths, during buying time, it was almost too wordy for me.

I think I've just gotten more and more familiar with the game and the items, and after talking with others and trying out different things, my builds have sort of solidified, at least for the first 3-4 items. I think it makes it easier to keep track of, and has been, to me at least, the most effective. I will point out that there are still some situational indications in this version, where I say "unless 0-1 magical enemies" etc. Just not as many.

I showed some example builds in this version because I didn't do that in the original, and to show how the builds might vary based on different gods' strengths/weaknesses within a specific class.

And after the game is over, I often look at everyone's builds. I think I have enough general knowledge of items and gods now that in some cases, I go "hmm...that's interesting...I should try that..." or "what the heck were they thinking???" I wonder how many are regular Assault players and how many just jump in for a round here and there to break the monotony of conquest over and over. Because for sure, the most effective Assault builds are often only mediocre builds in Conquest.

I have a 61% assault win rate. HEre are my tips.

ADCS: Bloodforge Med first items. Bloodforge beats literally everything else, more than Tabi, because it lets you actually heal. Then Tabi for the speed, then go for crits, then pen last.

Tanks/Bruisers: Hide of the Urchin when against most teams. Stone of Gaia for magical teams. Sov if mostly or all physical. Then get the other two items you didn't get at the start, along with boots and Salv. Get Salvation before anyone else, because you have more health = more heals for team. Then build based on who gets fed, or for bruisers, get stuff like Jotunn's Wrath.

Assassins: Tabi, because you can't heal as well from basic attacks. Then build literally whatever. It depends a lot on the assassin.

Mages: I usually go for Pendant or Boots plus Med, then go for a Bancroft's, then Salv. Then I build whatever depending on gold. If you can get a straight Rod, then do it.

Get only either beads or weakening curse, and get them only when you have most of your items. Stuff like beads and such are poor substitutes for better positioning, and doing things like saving your ultimate for the CC immunity. And maybe blink for like 2 gods, but I'd honestly rather get Salv first.

Hey @Subzero008,

Thanks for the response. I've actually thought about getting some kind of lifesteal on ADCs to start in place of tabi. What reason for Bloodforge instead of Asi? On steroid hunters like Rama and Art, I'd probably choose Bloodforge, but would likely get Asi on others like neith.

If there are 2 or more magical enemies when I'm a tank, I pretty much always get Gaia to start. I find the HP5 sustain to be critical in most cases. I have to combine that with patience, and fight the urge to dive back in, though.

For which God's would you get blink? I'm starting to get it more now... Ymir, Hades, Herc. Maybe Odin if multiple enemies don't have a jump/escape. I know in the latter 2 cases that they already have initiating abilities, but I find blinking in first gives me much more utility and a surprise factor. I do get weakening curse when there are enemy healers.

herc doesn't need blink he got a pull

@devampi I know... Thing is, I've found it useful sometimes to blink, use #1 to push them back, then as they're running away use #2 to draw them back in. Since their back is turned at that point it's harder for them to dodge the pull. Then they don't know which way I'm going to initiate. I just know it's worked for me pretty well. Thoughts?

also I still don;t know why you didn't make a real guide out of this (because them more players would see it)

@Devampi not familiar enough with the system that I felt comfortable in making a more official guide. Do you think the meat of my content is solid and appropriate/accurate enough to do one?

it's pretty solid. And the best thing of a guide would be more comments and tips and an easier overview (with chapters etc). Also you can always "update" (editing stuff en republishing) if things changed.

If I were you I would try. and you can always ask persons on the forum for help with BBcoding for the formatting