In the world of Warhammer 40K Inquisitor – Martyr, the reign of the Imperium of Mankind in the 41st Millennium is still threatened by Xenos and Chaos Worshippers. While some titles set in the Warhammer 40K universe need players to tear one enemy after the other to protect humanity, the nature of Inquisitor – Martyr as an ARPG requires players to use a bit more tactical prowess.
As an Assassin, players are expected to use subterfuge and stealth to take unsuspecting foes. Armed with powerful Sniper Rifles and lightweight blades, the Assassin can take out enemies in a flash, whether from afar or up close. However, with light armor turning them into rather fragile characters, how can players of Inquisitor – Martyr build their ideal Assassin?
Basics Of The Assassin: Strike Fast, Strike Hard
Of all the Classes in Inquisitor – Martyr, the Assassin specializes in hit-and-run tactics, due to their low defense but ridiculously high attack power. Relying on stealth more than direct assaults, the Assassin performs best when they’re given the resources to attack at their own pace and punish enemies for trying to hit back. Building an Assassin means players must ensure that their defenses are high enough to protect them in emergency situations, while guaranteeing their combat potential remains sufficient to kill enemies fast enough before things get dangerous.
Attributes: Guaranteed Offense Means Neglected Defense
- Accuracy 25 (Rank 5)
- Survival 26 (Rank 5)
- Bloodlust 11 (Rank 2)
Given the Assassin's lack of defenses, it’s crucial that they’re able to protect themselves in the thick of combat. This is why players should prioritize getting Survival Rank 5 in order to get +30% HP and Suppression, with additional points to Dodge when surprised. This will also add add seconds to the Inoculator effect duration. There’s not much focus added to Bloodlust Rank 2. Its 200% Adrenaline on hit when surprised, in addition to bonus Critical Strength, is decent enough for the Assassin.
Meanwhile, players should focus heavily on Accuracy Rank 5. Not only does it provide bonuses to Normal and Suppression Damage, but it also regains Suppression on hit and even grants damage boosts on Surprise, as well as innate HP regeneration per hit. This approach to Attributes will incentivize a combat-ready Assassin that protects herself the more she engages in fighting.
Perks: Survivability Wouldn’t Hurt
- Blessing of Saint Victorious: Players can’t lose more than 30% of their HP in a single hit.
- Nephrine-monger: Adds Dodge for every 10% of unspent Class Resource up to 20-percent when Class Resource is full.
- Stagger Exploitment: Adds Surprise Critical Hit Chance and Surprise Critical Hit Strength against foes with Debuffs.
- Tactical Mastery: Swapping weapons now reloads Ammo and resets Overheat while adding to Supreme Cooldown reduction.
- The Art of Crippling: Adds damage to weapons that aren’t damage-over-time while also adding debuff duration.
Perks should try to compensate for the Assassin's lack of defense by giving protections. A basic Perk for this Warhammer gameplay style would be Blessing of Saint Victorious. However, defenses also mean striking faster than the enemy, making decreased cooldowns (Tactical Mastery), higher Crit Chances (Stagger Exploitment), and better probability of dodging (Nephrine-monger) a great way to boost survivability.
Arming The Assassin
Players who want to use the Assassin need to make sure she’s equipped with armaments that best suit her recommended playstyles. Whether playing from afar or staying up close, the Assassin’s weapons should be powerful enough to take down opponents, either through a single shot or through a barrage of attacks.
Equipment: Punish Offense With Defense
- Armor: Fabricator Distortion Armor provides a huge bonus to Supreme Dodge and a chance to Blind enemies upon dodging. It also gives the wearer the ability to teleport away from a potentially lethal blow in a random direction.
- Inoculator: When Enraged, enemies within 5 meters are Feared. Additionally, players can gain Berserk tokens when losing 10% HP in a second.
- Main Implant: Main Implant of Wrath gives the Assassin an added maximum to Enraged Token, and a recommended socket of Single Target Damage and Vulnerability for damage boosts.
When it comes to general Equipment, the Assassin should have equipment that boosts their overall defenses. In addition to the Blind-dodge effect and the teleportation options of the Fabricator Distortion Armor, it wouldn’t hurt to ensure the Assassin gets access to Berserk and Enrage Tokens, which gives them a way to unleash more powerful attacks.
Addons: Focus On Debuffs
- Neural Implant: Provides an additional Enrage Token on Criticals, wherein there’s also a Chance to Slow and Shock on Vulnerability.
- Eye Implant
- Damage bonus per Enraged Token as well as AOE
- Eye Implant of Insanity: Multiple Berserk tokens activate a Massacre Effect.
- Purity Seal
- Enter a Focused state when Suppression is Protected, and gain bonuses to HP and Suppression Regeneration.
- Provides HP generation per Berserk token
- Personal Teleporter: When Enraged, enemies up close are Shocked.
- Refractor Field (Belt): Provides boosts to Crit Chance and Crit Strength per Berserk Token, as well as reduction to Supreme and Suppression Damage and Max Suppression Regeneration per second.
- Signum: Players can equip four Signums, two for each weapon slot
- Boost Critical Hit when in an Enraged state
- Bonus damage per Berserk token
- Bonus damage per Enraged Token, with attacks removing one Enraged token
- Signum of Stride: HP is gained on a Critical Hit
In the Addons, the Assassin Class shines in her deadly prowess. Her best Addons allow her to disable an opponent’s approach in combat. For instance, it’s recommended that not only do the Assassin get as many Critical boosts as possible, but also access to punishing Debuffs. For instance, boosts in Enraged mode can incentivize a more aggressive approach, especially when other items can pave the way for attacks to generate more Enrage and Berserk Tokens.
Assassin Passives: Incentivize Going Aggressive
When it comes to choosing the Passives associated with the Assassin, it’s ideal that these abilities incentivize her presence on the battlefield. Unlike the Tech-Adept that can readily stay in the sidelines, the Assassin’s fragile nature can be boosted because some of her Perks enhance her performance when she’s danger. This encourages high-risk, high-reward gameplay for hardcore players who want to see their Assassin one-shot foes from afar.
Emphasize Criticals & Aggression
- Fast Aim (Aimed Shots): Sniper Skills have reduced aiming time.
- Deep Lacerations (Physical Attacks): Crit strength is boosted for Physical skills.
- Impact Necrosis (Physical Attacks): Criticals now grant a Physical Vulnerability, which deals more Physical damage.
- Severing the Tendons (Physical Attacks): Dealing criticals with Physical Damage will slow down the target.
- Battle Dance (Melee Combat): Boosts damage for a short time when using Dodge.
- Bloodthirst (Melee Combat): Gain HP when attacking on melee.
- Sweeping Strikes (Melee Combat): Get melee damage bonus when at least three enemies are within striking range.
- Optimal Dispersion (Area Effects): +3% damage bonus to AOE for each hit.
- Eradicative Protocols (Area Effects): Lessens cooldown on hit, with boosts on kill, for the used AOE skill.
- Red Thirst (Critical Hits): Get bonuses when a critical hit kills for a few seconds. Stackable.
- Berserker Rage (Critical Hits): Crits heal a percent of max HP.
- Massacre (Critical Hits): Crit chance is boosted for every enemy within melee range.
The main performance of the Assassin Class has to do with her combat capabilities. Her best Passives allow her to dish out damage in a firefight that punishes opponents. In addition to Passives that boost her Critical Chance, the Assassin should also have Passives that add effects to basic attacks, incentivizing aggressive gameplay.
Debilitating Debuffs
- Neurotoxins (Damage Over Time): Reduces damage dealt by Poisoned enemies
- Culling: Critical hit strength is boosted for every debuff on the target.
- Dirty Fighting: Each debuff in a target grants more damage output to players.
- Paralyze: Adds to Slow duration while boosting player damage against Slowed enemies.
- Strikedown: Reduces damage dealt by enemies affected by Knockback and Knockdown for a few seconds.
Some of the Assassin’s best weapons deal damage over time in the form of Poisons, which makes Poison-leaning Passives ideal for their kit. However, players may as well add Passives that also boost the effects of debilitating Debuffs in order to further stop the opponent from striking back, ensuring that while the Assassin may not kill them upfront, their effects would do the job.
Defense & Mobility
- Defense, General: Boosts to Physical Resistance
- Reanimator Glands (Defense): Lowers damage to any attack that would be lethal if survived. Adds HP regeneration per second and damage bonus for a short while.
- Defensive Stance (Defense): Damage reduction is added to what Deflect protects players from.
- Cerebral Feedback (Movement): Reduces cooldown on hit.
- Synaptic Rewriting (Movement): Reduces cooldown
When built properly, the Assassin shouldn’t need too much focus on Defenses or Movement. However, players may as well allocate some points for cooldown reductions to be able to use more skills liberally and without worrying about their rotations.
Assassin Build Option 1: Slashing Up Close
- Main Weapon: Assassin Power Sword. Any Relic Enchant is possible, but advisable to have six slots.
- Secondary Weapon: Null Rod. Get Vulnerability on hit and as many slots as possible.
Given the combat-heavy focus of the Imperial Assassin, there’s not a lot of focus on specific attacks and skills, but rather the kind of effects procc’d on opponents. For instance, slots for the Assassin Power Sword should ideally have boosts to crit strength and shield charge, as well as HP and Suppression gained on both hits and kills. If possible, players should also secure damage bonuses against Shocked, Slowed, and Stunned enemies. This can allow Assassins to kill foes more efficiently.
Any weapon could go as a Secondary Weapon, although the Null Rod works with its HP and Suppression gained on kill and bonuses to One-Handed Melee Weapon skills. The Null Rod also has skills to aid the Assasssin’s combo-building, with AOEs that can Knockdown with Overwhelmed and Knockback with Suppressed (Annulment, Null Wave), as well as damage boosts and restraints to psychic enemies (Anti-Psyker).
Assassin Build Option 2: Strike From Afar
- Main Weapon: Needler Sniper Rifle provides a damage bonus for every Debuff on target as well as a massive Physical Damage bonus, halving enemies' Physical Resistance.
- Secondary Weapon: Grav Gun offers the same effects as above.
This build focuses on the Assassin's potential to go long-distance. The Needler Sniper Rifle provides the means to attack from afar without retaliation, alongside a neat method of providing Poison via a Warhammer 40K weapon. There are skills that not only Poison opponents (Short Burst) but even Slows (Shoot and Retreat) opponents, as well as forcing Restraints on Overwhelmed Suppression (Sniper Shot) foes. There’s also an AOE that not only slows down foes but also boosts their chances of missing (Needle Blast).
An alternate weapon for this build would be the Grav Gun, a more straightforward long-ranged armament. Its main appeal is its Gravity Implosion skill, where not only does it slow down the movement speed of targets but also stays active when switching to swords and shields. Since this can get more Enraged tokens for the Assassins, there’s a lot of chance of stacking damage bonuses.
Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr is playable on the PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S