Assassin Darkness Basics Guide
Darkness
In darkness, there is protection. A darkness assassin acts in defense of their allies, using the dark side of the force to ward off attacks and launch powerful channels of force lightning while standing their ground against even the most formidable enemies.
- Role: Tank
- Weapon: Double-bladed Lightsaber
- Distance: Short Range
- Mirror: Shadow – Kinetic Combat
Darkness for New Players
- Darkness is a tank style, which means it does less damage, but can stay alive more easily.
- Most players recommend to level as a damage style, then switch to tank when you are ready for group content.
- In group content, tanks are expected to take a unique leadership role, not just do damage, which can be challenging for new players.
- Darkness is the most complex of the three tanking styles.
How to play a Darkness Assassin
You can start playing Darkness at level 1. To start playing Darkness, you will need to first create a Assassin character, which can be played by Sith Warriors and Sith Inquisitors (or even the Jedi Knight and Jedi Consular if you unlock the dark-side Combat Styles.)
Once you are ingame, press K on your keyboard to open the Combat Style tab, and choose Darkness from the three options. This choice is not permanent, you will be able to switch between all three options by finding a rest location like a cantina.
Updated for 7.2!
Below Level 80
If you are below level 80, there are no true guides available to tell you what specific abilities you should be using, because the ideal rotation would change every level.
Instead, you can use this guide to figure out which of your abilities are attacks, which are defensive, and which are just useful.
5 Ability Basic Rotation
Not quite ready to learn all your abilities yet? Use this quick 5-ability rotation for the Darkness Tank until you’re ready to read and learn from a true level 80 guide. The goal for this rotation is to build up threat and reduce damage taken.
- Wither is a huge threat generator, and it weakens your enemy so you take less damage. Wither also builds a stack of “Harnessed Darkness” a special buff which you’ll be working on building up as a tank.
- Shock generates lots of threat, and is your other ability that generates a stack of “Harnessed Darkness”.
- Depredating Volts is a channeled ability and your best attack, but you should only use it when it’s sparkling, which happens when you’ve built up 3 stacks of “Harnessed Darkness.” Your goal is to build up those three stacks of Harnessed Darkness and then use Depredating Volts as much as possible, which will give you a defensive boost.
- Discharge generates a high amount of threat much like Wither, use it when it’s glowing!
- Thrash is your filler ability in between generating and using Harnessed Darkness. It also has a chance of resetting Shock’s cooldown. Use it when you have nothing else left!
More than 3 Enemies
- Wither and Discharge remain high priority in multi-target situations.
- You can spam Lacerate to hit many targets around you over and over!
Extra Tips
- Start in Stealth for a defensive boost.
- Force Pull followed by Phantom Stride is a great way to generate a bunch of threat and then get into combat quickly, at that very start of a fight, even if your enemy is too big to actually pull to you!
- Maul can be worked into your rotation – use it instead of Thrash when it’s sparkling.
- Assassinate hits extremely hard, but normally can only be used when your enemy is below 30% health. The Stalker’s Swiftness choice at level 73 can make Assassinate usable whenever Phantom Stride is used.
- Feeling spicy? Recklessness acts as both a defensive and offensive ability. 30% absorption is good, but it can also make abilities critically strike, and crits will do more threat.
Taunts
- Mind Control is your single-enemy taunt ability. Never start a fight with a taunt! After a few seconds of doing your high threat attacks on a boss, it is good to make sure you’ll keep threat by using a taunt. You can continue to use your taunt through-out the fight to build up threat. If you notice you have lost the attention of the boss, this should be the first thing you use. Some Operation fights require a “tank swap” that will require you save your taunt for a specific time.
- Mass Mind Control is your AoE Taunt ability. This has the same effect as Mind Control, but it applies to every enemy in a large radius around you. This is great to use during Flashpoints or fights with many additional weaker enemies (adds). Make sure your character is in the center of the enemies you’d like to pick up, followed by your AoE attacks. In operations, be careful when using this ability if you are not the tank assigned to the boss, because if the boss is close enough to you, this will also taunt the boss.
- Guard allows you to place a guard on an ally, reducing their threat and damage taken. Guard your team-mate who hits the hardest – they’ll be the one accidentally stealing the boss from you during the fight.
Defensives
As a tank, in addition to building threat, you also need to use your defensive abilities to keep yourself alive.
- Dark Ward is a very important Assassin tank ability – it’s a stack of shields you put on yourself. You will want to refresh it any time it falls off, either from taking damage or after it runs out of time. You should be using it quite often and your goal is to be protected by Dark Ward 100% of the time, so it should be a regular part of your combat abilities.
- Force Shroud is a very important defensive ability that has three methods of use: either use it on cooldown to reduce incoming damage as much as possible throughout a fight, use it to cleanse all harmful effects from you, or use it at a very specific time to completely block 3 seconds worth of very heavy damage. It has a very short duration of protection, but comes off cooldown quite often. Using Force Shroud is a very active way to take less damage and knowing when to use it is something you’ll learn over time as you learn the tricks for each boss.
- Deflection will increase your defense chance against basic damage by 50%, but also debuffs the amount of Tech/Force damage done by enemies. It has a long cooldown, so generally you will either use it when tanking smaller enemies to defend against their basic attacks more reliably, or to protect your group from raid-wide Tech/Force damage being done. There are some specific Operation bosses that have a rapid amount of basic damage being done in a short window of time, or many many extra enemies: Deflection is great for these types of fights.
- Overcharge Saber is an optional but very useful defensive ability available on your ability tree at level 43 that has many smaller benefits over the course of 15 seconds, and unless the fight has a lot of Force/ Tech damage that you cannot avoid, Overcharge Saber can be used on cooldown to help make you be more durable overall.
- Force Cloak allows you to fully stealth out against regular enemies and run away, and allows you to partially stealth out when fighting Flashpoint or Operations bosses or other instanced enemies but won’t take you out of combat. As a tank, Force Cloak is a very powerful defensive cooldown that not only cleanses, but lets you “dodge” certain attacks entirely by using it during the boss’ cast of the attack (causing it to interrupt the cast and start looking for a new enemy), and then immediately taunting the boss back onto yourself before it can switch and hit someone else! The level 73 Choice “Cloak of Resilience” turns this into an even more reliable defensive identical to Force Shroud. The level 51 choice “Fade” allows you to use this much more often per fight as well.
Discipline | Tactical | Legendary | Stats |
---|---|---|---|
Guardian Defense Juggernaut Immortal | Grit Teeth Jaw Breaker, Hord’s Makashi Strike and Leviathan’s Hide are good alternatives | Force Resistance + Retaliator | Shield: 5500-6000 Absorb: remaining tertiary stats |
Guardian Vigilance Juggernaut Vengeance | Hemophilic Slash (Single Target), Cut to Pieces (AoE) | Fearless Victor + Champion’s Precision | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Guardian Focus Juggernaut Rage | Cauterized Coronary | Fearless Victor + Champion’s Precision | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Sentinel Watchman Marauder Annihilation | Spiteful Saber | Fearless Victor + Berserker’s Call and Dispatcher are all viable options | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Sentinel Combat Marauder Carnage | Shard of Mortis | Fearless Victor + Dispatcher | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 1123 (4.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 4021 (12.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 9981 (22%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.3 GCD = 2134 • 1.2 GCD = 6315 |
Sentinel Concentration Marauder Fury | Cauterized Conary | Fearless Victor + Berserker’s Call | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Sage Telekinetics Sorcerer Lightning | Stormwatch | Gathering Storm + Unmatched Haste | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 560 (2.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 3209 (10.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 8296 (20%) • 1.1 GCD under PS = 3596 (16.366) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.3 GCD = 1494 • 1.1 GCD under PS = 1801 |
Sage Seer Sorcerer Corruption | One for All | Unmatched Haste + Revitalize or Dynamic Force are all considered viable as of now | Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Sage Balance Sorcerer Madness | Tempest of Rho | Gathering Storm + Unmatched Haste | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Shadow Kinetic Combat Assassin Darkness | Two Cloaks, The Life Warden, Ancient Tome of Wrath and Shroud of a Shadow as potential alternatives | Dynamic Force + Force Resistance or Ballast Point is fine if you prefer to use pieces with tanking stats | Shield: 5000-5500 Absorb: remaining tertiary stats |
Shadow Infiltration Assassin Deception | The Awakened Flame | Dynamic Force + Force Training | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Shadow Serenity Assassin Hatred | Two Time Trouble | Dynamic Force + Force Training | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Commando Combat Medic Mercenary Bodyguard | SC-4 Treatment Scanner | Advanced Scanning + Concentrated Fire or Overcharged Cells seem to all be viable options | Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Commando Gunnery Mercenary Arsenal | Primed Ignition (Single Target) | Concentrated Fire + Overcharged Cells | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 1123 (4.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 4021 (12.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 9981 (22%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.3 GCD = 2134 • 1.2 GCD = 6315 |
Commando Assault Specialist Mercenary Innovative Ordnance | Energized Charges (Single Target) | Concentrated Fire + Overcharged Cells | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Vanguard Shield Specialist Powertech Shield Tech | Thermal Screen (Single Target), Oil Fire (AoE), The Life Warden | Supercommando + Squad Leader | Shield: 6000 - 6500 Absorb: remaining tertiary stats |
Vanguard Plasmatech Powertech Pyrotech | Superheated Fuel | Shock Trooper + Mandalorian Armaments | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Vanguard Tactics Powertech Advanced Prototype | Overwhelming Offense | Shock Trooper + Mandalorian Armaments | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Gunslinger Sharpshooter Sniper Marksmanship | Agitating Energies | Locked and Loaded + Improved Targeting use Energy Regulators if you experience energy issues | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Gunslinger Saboteur Sniper Engineering | Ruthless Interrogation | Locked and Loaded + Improved Targeting | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Gunslinger Dirty Fighting Sniper Virulence | Exploited Weakness (Single Target), Airborne Agents (AoE) | Locked and Loaded + Improved Targeting | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: 2700 - 2800 With Alacrity Guild Perk 1100 - 1300 |
Scoundrel Sawbones Operative Medicine | Critical Surgery and Diagnostics Probe are both viable alternatives | Tactician + Aggressive Treatment or Field Medic | Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Scoundrel Scrapper Operative Concealment | Acid Lash (Single Target), Explosive Cells (AoE) | Tactician + Locked and Loaded | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Scoundrel Ruffian Operative Lethality | Synox Shots (Single Target), Viral Elements (AoE) | Tactician + Locked and Loaded | Accuracy: 2694 Alacrity: • 1.4 GCD = 2054 (7.14%) • 1.3 GCD = 5431 (15.38%) • 1.2 GCD = 13531 (25%) With Alacrity Guild Perk • 1.4 GCD = 560 • 1.3 GCD = 3209 |
Ready to learn more about your class, and how to play at a higher skill level? These guides by other players break down your class's abilities and your full rotation!
Guides
- Kinetic Combat / Darkness 7.4 by admiralnick on admiralnicksswtorgu (7.4)
- Darkness Assassin Guide by Biggs on YouTube (7.02)
- Darkness Assassin PvE Guide and Best Builds by Jaydenz by Jaydenz on vulkk.com (7)
- Darkness Assassin PvP Guide and Best Builds by Siow by Siow on vulkk.com (7)
Attacks
- Saber Strike - Basic AttackLevel 1
- Thrash - AttackLevel 1
- Shock - AttackLevel 4
- Lacerate - Area AttackLevel 7
- Maul - AttackLevel 12
- Depredating Volts - AttackLevel 15
- Discharge - Area AttackLevel 23
- Assassinate - AttackLevel 47
- Wither - Area AttackLevel 47
- Severing Slash - Optional Area Attacks Level 68 Option 2/3Level 68
Multiple Enemy Attack Abilities
These Darkness attacks are useful for attacking groups of enemies.
- Lacerate - Area AttackLevel 7
- Discharge - Area AttackLevel 23
- Mass Mind Control - Area TauntLevel 31
- Wither - Area AttackLevel 47
- Severing Slash - Optional Area Attacks Level 68 Option 2/3Level 68
Taunts
Taunts help the Darkness Assassin generate threat and keep the attention of the enemy on them.
- Mind Control - TauntLevel 10
- Mass Mind Control - Area TauntLevel 31
Buffs
You can combine your Darkness buffs with your attacks to create powerful combinations.
- Mark of Power - Passive Class BuffLevel 1
- Recklessness - BuffLevel 15
- Overcharge Saber - Optional Buff Defensive Level 43 Option 3/3Level 43
Defensive & Healing Abilities
Use these abilities to help yourself stay alive. The Assassin has these defensive and healing abilities and you'll want to know where they are in a difficult fight.
- Deflection - DefensiveLevel 27
- Dark Ward - DefensiveLevel 35
- Overcharge Saber - Optional Buff Defensive Level 43 Option 3/3Level 43
- Force Shroud - DefensiveLevel 51
Useful Abilities
These abilities may not be directly for attacking, but they are used heavily by skilled Assassins in combat to turn the tide of a fight.
- Seethe - Regeneration - Regain health out of battle.Level 1
- Guard - Guard - Protect another player / companionLevel 1
- Electrocute - Stun - You can use your short stun on weaker enemies to stop them from running around, from casting abilities, to stop them from damaging you, or just to keep them out of the fight in general.Level 7
- Stealth - Stealth - Enter Stealth to sneak around or sneak up to enemies. Stronger enemies can see you coming, but you can sneak past weaker ones. You can only enter Stealth when you are outside of combat unless you use your Combat Stealth ability.Level 10
- Unbreakable Will - Stun Break - If you are stunned and can’t move, you can use this ability to unstun yourself.Level 10
- Force Speed - Movement - Increases movement speed by 150% for 2 seconds. Does not break stealth.Level 15
- Jolt - Interrupt - Every class has an interrupt ability that allows them to interrupt an enemy while they are casting. Enemy castbars that fill up from left to right are called casts and can be interrupted and the ability will be stopped, but castbars that go from right to left deal damage the entire time they are channeling. Using your interrupt in combat is very useful as it can prevent the enemy from damaging you, or sometimes even prevent them from stunning you or knocking you back!Level 19
- Mind Trap - Crowd Control - Your crowd control (CC) is a special type of stun you can only use when your enemy is outside of combat. You use it before a fight, to temporarily knock an opponent out of the fight while you deal with the other enemies. Accidentally damaging your crowd control'd target will wake them up.Level 19
- Spike - Optional Stun Level 27 Option 1/3 - Spikes the target upon an overloaded lightsaber, dealing energy damage and stunning the target for 3 seconds. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down. Dealing damage with Spike applies Steely Spike to you, increasing your damage reduction by 10% for 6 seconds.Level 27
- Force Cloak - Combat Stealth - Enter Stealth while you are in combat, either to run away, to sneak off and heal up, or to take advantage of stealth in the fight. If you enter Combat Stealth while you are alone or all your team mates are dead, the fight may reset.Level 31
- Force Slow - Slow - Slows slow the enemy down, making it hard for them to run away.Level 35
- Phantom Stride - Leap - Jump to a faraway enemy.Level 60
- Force Pull - Pull - Pull an enemy to you. Doesn't work on stronger enemies.Level 60
- Overload - Optional Knockback Level 68 Option 1/3 - Pushes enemies back.Level 68
- Whirlwind - Optional Crowd Control Level 68 Option 3/3 - Your crowd control (CC) is a special type of stun you can only use when your enemy is outside of combat. You use it before a fight, to temporarily knock an opponent out of the fight while you deal with the other enemies. Accidentally damaging your crowd control'd target will wake them up.Level 68
Tree Choices
As you level up, you will be able to make choices about how you play your Darkness Assassin with the Ability Tree, which can be opened with the K key on your keyboard. If you do not choose one, a default option will be chosen for you.
You will have eight choices to make as you level up, at levels 23, 27, 39, 43, 51, 64, 68 and 73. All of these Ability Tree choices are not permanent choices and can be changed later. If you are following a Level 80 guide on how to play your Darkness Assassin, you will need to make sure to choose the same options as they have. You may not have the same choices chosen as a friend who is also playing a Darkness Assassin.
Level 23 Choice: Depredating Volts Change
Choose from one of three ways that you want Depredating Volts to change at level 23. Your options are Antagonizing Volts, Energized Volts, and Chained Volts.
Deals energy damage to the target and consumes 40 Force over the duration of the channel. Slows the movement speed of the target by 50% and stuns weak or standard enemies while channeled. This ability can be channeled while moving.
Increases the damage, critical hit chance, and threat generated by Depredating Volts by 10%.
Increases the damage, critical hit chance, and threat generated by Depredating Volts by 10%.
Depredating Volts deals 20% more damage to targets you have mind controlled and restores 5 Force whenever it deals damage to them.
Depredating Volts deals 20% more damage to targets you have mind controlled and restores 5 Force whenever it deals damage to them.
Depredating Volts arcs to nearby targets each time it deals damage.
Depredating Volts arcs to nearby targets each time it deals damage.
Flashpoint Suggestion: Antagonizing Volts - Antagonizing Volts will give the most benefit, both to threat generation and damage. If you're doing many big pulls in the flashpoint, Chained Volts may be worth considering, but Antagonizing Volts will be best for most bosses.
Operation Suggestion: Antagonizing Volts - Antagonizing Volts will give the most benefit, both to threat generation and damage. If you're fine switching back and forth, you could use Chained Volts for combat in between bosses for better AoE but stick to this for bosses.
Solo Single-Strong-Enemy Suggestion: Chained Volts - If you are fighting groups of 3+ at a time (and doing solo content as a tank means you should probably pull extra) then this choice will help make it go faster. If you're doing mostly single target, Antagonizing Volts will be much stronger.
Multi-Enemy Solo Suggestion: Chained Volts - If you are fighting groups of 3+ at a time (and doing solo content as a tank means you should probably pull extra) then this choice will help make it go faster. If you're doing mostly single target, Antagonizing Volts will be much stronger.
Level 27 Choice
Choose from one of three Assassin abilities at Level 27, you can only have one of these options at any given time. Your options as a Darkness Assassin for the Level 27 choice are Spike, Energized Shock, and Force Magnetism.
Spikes the target upon an overloaded lightsaber, dealing energy damage and stunning the target for 3 seconds. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down. Dealing damage with Spike applies Steely Spike to you, increasing your damage reduction by 10% for 6 seconds.
Spikes the target upon an overloaded lightsaber, dealing energy damage and stunning the target for 3 seconds. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down. Dealing damage with Spike applies Steely Spike to you, increasing your damage reduction by 10% for 6 seconds.
Shock's critical hit damage is increased by 50% and dealing damage with Shock extends the duration of mind control by 3 seconds to targets already affected by your mind control.
Shock's critical hit damage is increased by 50% and dealing damage with Shock extends the duration of mind control by 3 seconds to targets already affected by your mind control.
Force Cloak increases movement speed by 50%. Force Speed lasts 1 second longer and slows all enemies within 5 meters by 75% for 2.5 seconds when activated.
Force Cloak increases movement speed by 50%. Force Speed lasts 1 second longer and slows all enemies within 5 meters by 75% for 2.5 seconds when activated.
Flashpoint Suggestion: Energized Shock - This choice is the default best due to the increase to dps and threat management. Take this unless you need a stun.
Operation Suggestion: Energized Shock - This choice is the default best due to the increase to dps and threat management. Take this unless you need a stun.
Solo Single-Strong-Enemy Suggestion: Force Magnetism - Force Magnetism can really help a stealthy tank solo certain content faster, but for tangible combat benefits, Energized Shock is a nice damage boost as well.
Multi-Enemy Solo Suggestion: Force Magnetism - Force Magnetism can really help a stealthy tank solo certain content faster, but for tangible combat benefits, Energized Shock is a nice damage boost as well.
Level 39 Choice: Dark Ward Change
Choose from one of three ways that you want Dark Ward to change at level 39. Your options are Dusk Ward, Twilight Ward, and Gloom Ward.
Surrounds you in a dark ward with 15 charges that increases your shield chance by 18% for 20 seconds. Each time you successfully shield, Dark Ward loses 1 charge. Does not break Stealth.
Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Force Cloak is reduced by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it reduces the accuracy of all nearby enemies by 20% for 6 seconds.
Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Force Cloak is reduced by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it reduces the accuracy of all nearby enemies by 20% for 6 seconds.
Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Recklessness is decreased by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it grants 1 charge of Recklessness to you.
Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Recklessness is decreased by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it grants 1 charge of Recklessness to you.
Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Mass Mind Control is reduced by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it deals damage to nearby targets, generates a high amount of threat and finishes the cooldowns of Discharge and Wither.
Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Mass Mind Control is reduced by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it deals damage to nearby targets, generates a high amount of threat and finishes the cooldowns of Discharge and Wither.
General Suggestion: Twilight Ward - Recklessness is absolutely the most worthwhile of your cooldowns available for reducing in this tier. Remember to keep Dark Ward up for this!
Level 43 Choice
Choose from one of three Assassin abilities at Level 43, you can only have one of these options at any given time. Your options as a Darkness Assassin for the Level 43 choice are Dark Forces, Reckless Defense, and Overcharge Saber.
Each time you deal damage to a target you have mind controlled you restore 2 Force and heal for 2% of your maximum health.
Each time you deal damage to a target you have mind controlled you restore 2 Force and heal for 2% of your maximum health.
Consuming a charge of Recklessness grants you and nearby allies Reckless Defense, increasing damage reduction by 5% per stack. Reckless Defense stacks up to 3 times and lasts 10 seconds.
Consuming a charge of Recklessness grants you and nearby allies Reckless Defense, increasing damage reduction by 5% per stack. Reckless Defense stacks up to 3 times and lasts 10 seconds.
Overcharges your lightsaber charge for 15 seconds, immediately restoring 15% of your max health and increasing damage reduction by 25%. While active, Overcharge Saber increases the damage of Dark Charge by 50%, increasing the chance to trigger Dark Charge by 25%, and healing you when their effects are triggered. The triggered healing cannot occur more than once per second.
Overcharges your lightsaber charge for 15 seconds, immediately restoring 15% of your max health and increasing damage reduction by 25%. While active, Overcharge Saber increases the damage of Dark Charge by 50%, increasing the chance to trigger Dark Charge by 25%, and healing you when their effects are triggered. The triggered healing cannot occur more than once per second.
General Suggestion: Overcharge Saber - The other options in this tier aren't terrible for an assassin tank, but Overcharge Saber is a "use it when you need it" defensive option that sees it's full benefit exactly at the right times. The most important part of tanks being healable is surviving those difficult spikes of damage, so having something that helps you for a few seconds majorly instead of all the time minorly is appreciated, not to mention the personal DPS boost this choice can bring.
Level 51 Choice
Choose from one of three Assassin abilities at Level 51, you can only have one of these options at any given time. Your options as a Darkness Assassin for the Level 51 choice are Formless Phantom, Fade, and Dark Stability .
Reduces all damage taken while stunned by 30%.
Reduces all damage taken while stunned by 30%.
Reduces the cooldown of Force Cloak by 30 seconds and extends its duration by 5 seconds.
Reduces the cooldown of Force Cloak by 30 seconds and extends its duration by 5 seconds.
Activating Deflection grants 6 seconds of immunity to stun, sleep, lift, and incapacitating effects.
Activating Deflection grants 6 seconds of immunity to stun, sleep, lift, and incapacitating effects.
General Suggestion: Fade - One of the coolest things Assassin Tanks bring to the party is a way to "cheese" mechanics by force cloaking out of the fight at the last second and immediately taunting the boss back to themselves to "dodge" an attack this way. This is an advanced skill to learn (if you don't taunt right away you may kill your companion or another player) but definitely worth it. The reduced cooldown of Force Cloak in this choice is also just a good convenience option in any mode of play, but if you don't plan
Level 64 Choice
Choose from one of three Assassin abilities at Level 64, you can only have one of these options at any given time. Your options as a Darkness Assassin for the Level 64 choice are Obfuscating Speed, Force Phase, and Lambaste.
Increases your movement speed by 15% and your effective stealth level by 10. Activating Shock, Ball Lightning, or Eradicate increasing your movement speed by 50% for 9 seconds. This effect cannot occur more than once every 18 seconds.
Increases your movement speed by 15% and your effective stealth level by 10. Activating Shock, Ball Lightning, or Eradicate increasing your movement speed by 50% for 9 seconds. This effect cannot occur more than once every 18 seconds.
Force Speed and Phantom Stride grants Force Phase, removing all movement-impairing effects and granting immunity to them for 2 seconds.
Force Speed and Phantom Stride grants Force Phase, removing all movement-impairing effects and granting immunity to them for 2 seconds.
Increases the damage dealt by Lacerate by 25%.
Increases the damage dealt by Lacerate by 25%.
General Suggestion: Obfuscating Speed - More movement speed is always great! The faster you can get from Point A (danger) to Point B (out of danger) the more delayed your initial reaction can afford to be. If in a fight where you are slowed, Force Phase may be even better.
Level 68 Choice
Choose from one of three Assassin abilities at Level 68, you can only have one of these options at any given time. Your options as a Darkness Assassin for the Level 68 choice are Overload, Severing Slash, and Whirlwind.
Deals energy damage and knocks back up to 8 enemies within a 15-meter cone in front of you, binding them in electricity and immobilizing them for 5 seconds. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down for 3 seconds. Direct damage dealt after 2 seconds ends the immobilize effect prematurely.
Pushes enemies back.
Strikes targets in a cone, dealing weapon damage, immobilizing targets for 2 seconds, then slowing them for an additional 6 seconds once the immobilize effect wears off.
Strikes targets in a cone, dealing weapon damage, immobilizing targets for 2 seconds, then slowing them for an additional 6 seconds once the immobilize effect wears off.
Traps the target in a whirlwind for 8 seconds. Non-player, non-standard, and non-weak targets heal rapidly while trapped. Damage causes this effect to end prematurely and stuns the target for 2 seconds.
Your crowd control (CC) is a special type of stun you can only use when your enemy is outside of combat. You use it before a fight, to temporarily knock an opponent out of the fight while you deal with the other enemies. Accidentally damaging your crowd control'd target will wake them up.
General Suggestion: Severing Slash - An extra aoe attack is great news for any tank, let alone one that slows enemies and gives you a defensive buff. This should absolutely be your default for personal performance but as tank you have more room to consider utility choices too, such as overload to knock enemies off ledges for an instant kill or whirlwind to keep certain enemies out of a fight until the end.
Level 73 Choice
Choose from one of three Assassin abilities at Level 73, you can only have one of these options at any given time. Your options as a Darkness Assassin for the Level 73 choice are Reaper's Rush, Avoidance, and Shroud of Madness.
Phantom Stride grants Reaper's Rush, allowing your next Assassinate to be used on any target, regardless of remaining health. Reaper's Rush lasts for 10 seconds. Additionally, if the target of your Phantom Stride is killed within 10 seconds of using Phantom Stride, Phantom Stride's cooldown is reset.
Phantom Stride grants Reaper's Rush, allowing your next Assassinate to be used on any target, regardless of remaining health. Reaper's Rush lasts for 10 seconds. Additionally, if the target of your Phantom Stride is killed within 10 seconds of using Phantom Stride, Phantom Stride's cooldown is reset.
Reduces the cooldown of Jolt by 2 seconds, Unbreakable Will by 30 seconds, and Force Speed by 5 seconds.
Reduces the cooldown of Jolt by 2 seconds, Unbreakable Will by 30 seconds, and Force Speed by 5 seconds.
Activating Force Cloak grants 2 seconds of Force Shroud.
Activating Force Cloak grants 2 seconds of Force Shroud.
General Suggestion: Shroud of Madness - Force Shroud and Force Cloak are both two very powerful moves for Assassin Tanks, so this choice is most beneficial, but if you aren't comfortable using Force Cloak as a tank yet, Avoidance may be a great choice for cooldown reductions as well.
All Abilities
All your abilities for the Darkness Assassin.
Lvl | Icon | Ability |
---|---|---|
LvL1 | Saber StrikeBasic Attack 4m (melee range) Deals weapon damage spread across a flurry of 3 melee attacks. Deals weapon damage spread across a flurry of 3 melee attacks. | |
LvL1 | SeetheRegeneration Allows you to pause to prepare for the coming fight, restoring your health and Force. Cannot be used during combat. Regain health out of battle. | |
LvL1 | ThrashAttack 4m (melee range) Strikes the target twice. Each hit deals weapon damage. Strikes the target twice. Each hit deals weapon damage. | |
LvL1 | Lightning ChargePassive Lightning pulses through your weapon, giving your melee attacks a 50% chance to deal energy damage. Lightning pulses through your weapon, giving your melee attacks a 50% chance to deal energy damage. | |
LvL1 | Mark of PowerPassive Class Buff Increases Mastery by 5%, internal and elemental damage reduction by 10%. Increases Mastery by 5%, internal and elemental damage reduction by 10%. | |
LvL1 | GuardGuard 30m (long range) While active, the guarded player takes 5% less damage and generates 25% less threat. In addition, so long as you remain within 15 meters of the guarded player, 50% of all incoming damage from enemy players is transferred back to you. Protect another player / companion | |
LvL1 | Dark BastionHidden Passive The cooldown of Dark Ward is reduced by 5 seconds, the shield chance it provides is increased by an additional 3 %, and shielding an attack while it is active has a 20% chance to restore a charge and increase its active duration by 1 second. In addition, Dark Bulwark can build 2 additional stacks. The cooldown of Dark Ward is reduced by 5 seconds, the shield chance it provides is increased by an additional 3 %, and shielding an attack while it is active has a 20% chance to restore a charge and increase its active duration by 1 second. In addition, Dark Bulwark can build 2 additional stacks. | |
LvL1 | ElectrifyHidden Passive Shock deals 20% more damage and consumes 15 less Force, and Thrash and Lacerate inflict their targets with Trauma, which reduces the healing received from all sources by 20% for 6 seconds. Shock deals 20% more damage and consumes 15 less Force, and Thrash and Lacerate inflict their targets with Trauma, which reduces the healing received from all sources by 20% for 6 seconds. | |
LvL1 | PremonitionPassive Increases your stealth detection level by 5, defense by 2%, and shield absorption by 4%. Increases your stealth detection level by 5, defense by 2%, and shield absorption by 4%. | |
LvL1 | Shroud of DarknessHidden Passive Increases damage reduction and Endurance by 2% and allows for Spike to be used out of stealth mode. Additionally, activating Recklessness grants 30% shield absorption for 20 seconds. Increases damage reduction and Endurance by 2% and allows for Spike to be used out of stealth mode. Additionally, activating Recklessness grants 30% shield absorption for 20 seconds. | |
LvL1 | Swelling ShadowsHidden Passive Increases armor rating by 20% and damage reduction by 2%. Increases armor rating by 20% and damage reduction by 2%. | |
LvL1 | Crackling BlastsPassive Increases the critical strike damage dealt by Discharge and Ball Lightning by 20%. Increases the critical strike damage dealt by Discharge and Ball Lightning by 20%. | |
LvL4 | ShockAttack 10m (short range) Shocks the target for energy damage. Standard and weak targets are additionally stunned for 3 seconds. Shocks the target for energy damage. Standard and weak targets are additionally stunned for 3 seconds. | |
LvL7 | ElectrocuteStun 10m (short range) Electrocutes the target, dealing energy damage and stunning it for 4 seconds. You can use your short stun on weaker enemies to stop them from running around, from casting abilities, to stop them from damaging you, or just to keep them out of the fight in general. | |
LvL7 | LacerateArea Attack Deals weapon damage to up to 8 targets within 5 meters. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff. Deals weapon damage to up to 8 targets within 5 meters. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff. | |
LvL10 | Mind ControlTaunt 30m (long range) Controls the mind of the target, forcing it to attack you for 6 seconds. Player targets deal 30% less damage for 6 seconds when attacking anyone other than you. Controls the mind of the target, forcing it to attack you for 6 seconds. Player targets deal 30% less damage for 6 seconds when attacking anyone other than you. | |
LvL10 | StealthStealth Enters stealth mode, increasing your stealth level by 15 and making you difficult to detect. While in stealth, movement speed is slowed by 15%. Your companion will not react to enemy attacks while in stealth. Most hostile actions prematurely end the effect. Cannot be used in combat. Enter Stealth to sneak around or sneak up to enemies. Stronger enemies can see you coming, but you can sneak past weaker ones. You can only enter Stealth when you are outside of combat unless you use your Combat Stealth ability. | |
LvL10 | Unbreakable WillStun Break Summons an unbreakable will, immediately purging incapacitating and movement-impairing effects. If you are stunned and can’t move, you can use this ability to unstun yourself. | |
LvL12 | MaulAttack 4m (melee range) Deals moderate weapon damage to a single target if used from behind the target or less weapon damage otherwise. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff. Deals moderate weapon damage to a single target if used from behind the target or less weapon damage otherwise. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff. | |
LvL15 | Force SpeedMovement Increases movement speed by 150% for 2 seconds. Does not break stealth. Increases movement speed by 150% for 2 seconds. Does not break stealth. | |
LvL15 | RecklessnessBuff Grants 2 charges of Recklessness, which increases the Force critical chance of your direct attacks and heals by 60%. Each time a direct Force ability critically hits or each time a channeled Force ability is activated, 1 charge is consumed. Lasts 20 seconds. Grants 2 charges of Recklessness, which increases the Force critical chance of your direct attacks and heals by 60%. Each time a direct Force ability critically hits or each time a channeled Force ability is activated, 1 charge is consumed. Lasts 20 seconds. | |
LvL15 | Depredating VoltsAttack 10m (short range) Deals energy damage to the target and consumes 40 Force over the duration of the channel. Slows the movement speed of the target by 50% and stuns weak or standard enemies while channeled. This ability can be channeled while moving. Deals energy damage to the target and consumes 40 Force over the duration of the channel. Slows the movement speed of the target by 50% and stuns weak or standard enemies while channeled. This ability can be channeled while moving. | |
LvL15 | Dark ChargePassive Dark energy courses through your weapon, giving your melee attacks a 50% chance to deal internal damage and generate additional threat. Reduces all damage dealt by 10%, but increases armor rating by 150%., shield chance by 15%, threat generation by 150%, accuracy by 10%, damage reduction by 5%. Replaces Lightning Charge. Dark energy courses through your weapon, giving your melee attacks a 50% chance to deal internal damage and generate additional threat. Reduces all damage dealt by 10%, but increases armor rating by 150%., shield chance by 15%, threat generation by 150%, accuracy by 10%, damage reduction by 5%. Replaces Lightning Charge. | |
LvL19 | JoltInterrupt 10m (short range) Interrupts the target's current action and prevents that ability from being used for 4 seconds. Every class has an interrupt ability that allows them to interrupt an enemy while they are casting. Enemy castbars that fill up from left to right are called casts and can be interrupted and the ability will be stopped, but castbars that go from right to left deal damage the entire time they are channeling. Using your interrupt in combat is very useful as it can prevent the enemy from damaging you, or sometimes even prevent them from stunning you or knocking you back! | |
LvL19 | Mind TrapCrowd Control 10m (short range) Traps the target's mind, leaving it bewildered and unable to act for 60 seconds. Damage will break the effect prematurely. This ability is only usable in stealth mode and cannot be used against a target in combat. Only one target can be incapacitated at any given time. Cannot be used on droids. Your crowd control (CC) is a special type of stun you can only use when your enemy is outside of combat. You use it before a fight, to temporarily knock an opponent out of the fight while you deal with the other enemies. Accidentally damaging your crowd control'd target will wake them up. | |
LvL23 | Assassin's TrainingPassive Increases your total Endurance by 3%. In addition, Saber Strike restores 1 Force each time it damages an enemy. Increases your total Endurance by 3%. In addition, Saber Strike restores 1 Force each time it damages an enemy. | |
LvL23 | DischargeArea Attack 10m (short range) Strike up to 8 nearby enemies with dark energy, dealing internal damage and generating a high amount of threat. Strike up to 8 nearby enemies with dark energy, dealing internal damage and generating a high amount of threat. | |
LvL23 | Antagonizing VoltsOptional Passive Level 23 Option 1/3 Increases the damage, critical hit chance, and threat generated by Depredating Volts by 10%. Increases the damage, critical hit chance, and threat generated by Depredating Volts by 10%. Flashpoint Suggestion: Antagonizing Volts will give the most benefit, both to threat generation and damage. If you're doing many big pulls in the flashpoint, Chained Volts may be worth considering, but Antagonizing Volts will be best for most bosses. Operation Suggestion: Antagonizing Volts will give the most benefit, both to threat generation and damage. If you're fine switching back and forth, you could use Chained Volts for combat in between bosses for better AoE but stick to this for bosses. | |
LvL23 | Energized VoltsOptional Passive Level 23 Option 2/3 Depredating Volts deals 20% more damage to targets you have mind controlled and restores 5 Force whenever it deals damage to them. Depredating Volts deals 20% more damage to targets you have mind controlled and restores 5 Force whenever it deals damage to them. | |
LvL23 | Chained VoltsOptional Passive Level 23 Option 3/3 Depredating Volts arcs to nearby targets each time it deals damage. Depredating Volts arcs to nearby targets each time it deals damage. Solo Single-Enemy Suggestion: If you are fighting groups of 3+ at a time (and doing solo content as a tank means you should probably pull extra) then this choice will help make it go faster. If you're doing mostly single target, Antagonizing Volts will be much stronger. Solo Many-Enemy Suggestion: If you are fighting groups of 3+ at a time (and doing solo content as a tank means you should probably pull extra) then this choice will help make it go faster. If you're doing mostly single target, Antagonizing Volts will be much stronger. | |
LvL23 | TormentPassive The effects of your Discharge ability are modified, and Discharge causes its targets to become unsteady for 45 seconds. Unsteady targets have their melee and ranged accuracy reduced by 5%. In addition, Lacerate deals 15% more damage to Unsteady targets. The effects of your Discharge ability are modified, and Discharge causes its targets to become unsteady for 45 seconds. Unsteady targets have their melee and ranged accuracy reduced by 5%. In addition, Lacerate deals 15% more damage to Unsteady targets. | |
LvL27 | DeflectionDefensive Increases your ranged and melee defenses by 50% for 12 seconds. Requires a melee weapon. Increases your ranged and melee defenses by 50% for 12 seconds. Requires a melee weapon. | |
LvL27 | SpikeOptional Stun 4m (melee range) Level 27 Option 1/3 Spikes the target upon an overloaded lightsaber, dealing energy damage and stunning the target for 3 seconds. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down. Dealing damage with Spike applies Steely Spike to you, increasing your damage reduction by 10% for 6 seconds. Spikes the target upon an overloaded lightsaber, dealing energy damage and stunning the target for 3 seconds. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down. Dealing damage with Spike applies Steely Spike to you, increasing your damage reduction by 10% for 6 seconds. | |
LvL27 | Energized ShockOptional Passive Level 27 Option 2/3 Shock's critical hit damage is increased by 50% and dealing damage with Shock extends the duration of mind control by 3 seconds to targets already affected by your mind control. Shock's critical hit damage is increased by 50% and dealing damage with Shock extends the duration of mind control by 3 seconds to targets already affected by your mind control. Flashpoint Suggestion: This choice is the default best due to the increase to dps and threat management. Take this unless you need a stun. Operation Suggestion: This choice is the default best due to the increase to dps and threat management. Take this unless you need a stun. | |
LvL27 | Force MagnetismOptional Passive Level 27 Option 3/3 Force Cloak increases movement speed by 50%. Force Speed lasts 1 second longer and slows all enemies within 5 meters by 75% for 2.5 seconds when activated. Force Cloak increases movement speed by 50%. Force Speed lasts 1 second longer and slows all enemies within 5 meters by 75% for 2.5 seconds when activated. Solo Single-Enemy Suggestion: Force Magnetism can really help a stealthy tank solo certain content faster, but for tangible combat benefits, Energized Shock is a nice damage boost as well. Solo Many-Enemy Suggestion: Force Magnetism can really help a stealthy tank solo certain content faster, but for tangible combat benefits, Energized Shock is a nice damage boost as well. | |
LvL31 | Force CloakCombat Stealth Uses the Force to vanish from sight, immediately exiting combat, purging all hostile removable effects and entering stealth mode. For 10 seconds, you become virtually undetectable. Enter Stealth while you are in combat, either to run away, to sneak off and heal up, or to take advantage of stealth in the fight. If you enter Combat Stealth while you are alone or all your team mates are dead, the fight may reset. | |
LvL31 | Mass Mind ControlArea Taunt Forces all enemies within 15 meters to attack you for 6 seconds. Player targets deal 30% less damage for 6 seconds when attacking anyone other than you. Forces all enemies within 15 meters to attack you for 6 seconds. Player targets deal 30% less damage for 6 seconds when attacking anyone other than you. | |
LvL35 | Force SlowSlow 10m (short range) Deals kinetic damage and slows the target's movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds. Slows slow the enemy down, making it hard for them to run away. | |
LvL35 | Dark WardDefensive Surrounds you in a dark ward with 15 charges that increases your shield chance by 18% for 20 seconds. Each time you successfully shield, Dark Ward loses 1 charge. Does not break Stealth. Surrounds you in a dark ward with 15 charges that increases your shield chance by 18% for 20 seconds. Each time you successfully shield, Dark Ward loses 1 charge. Does not break Stealth. | |
LvL35 | Tainted BloodPassive Increases the rate at which your Force regenerates by 30% and increases internal and elemental damage reduction by 10%. Increases the rate at which your Force regenerates by 30% and increases internal and elemental damage reduction by 10%. | |
LvL39 | Dusk WardOptional Passive Level 39 Option 1/3 Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Force Cloak is reduced by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it reduces the accuracy of all nearby enemies by 20% for 6 seconds. Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Force Cloak is reduced by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it reduces the accuracy of all nearby enemies by 20% for 6 seconds. | |
LvL39 | Twilight WardOptional Passive Level 39 Option 2/3 Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Recklessness is decreased by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it grants 1 charge of Recklessness to you. Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Recklessness is decreased by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it grants 1 charge of Recklessness to you. General Suggestion: Recklessness is absolutely the most worthwhile of your cooldowns available for reducing in this tier. Remember to keep Dark Ward up for this! | |
LvL39 | Gloom WardOptional Passive Level 39 Option 3/3 Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Mass Mind Control is reduced by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it deals damage to nearby targets, generates a high amount of threat and finishes the cooldowns of Discharge and Wither. Each time you consume a charge of Dark Ward the cooldown of Mass Mind Control is reduced by 2 seconds. If Dark Ward is broken by damage it deals damage to nearby targets, generates a high amount of threat and finishes the cooldowns of Discharge and Wither. | |
LvL43 | Exploitive StrikesPassive Critical hits with Force attacks increase your melee critical chance by 5% for 10 seconds. Critical hits with Force attacks increase your melee critical chance by 5% for 10 seconds. | |
LvL43 | Dark ForcesOptional Passive Level 43 Option 1/3 Each time you deal damage to a target you have mind controlled you restore 2 Force and heal for 2% of your maximum health. Each time you deal damage to a target you have mind controlled you restore 2 Force and heal for 2% of your maximum health. | |
LvL43 | Reckless DefenseOptional Passive Level 43 Option 2/3 Consuming a charge of Recklessness grants you and nearby allies Reckless Defense, increasing damage reduction by 5% per stack. Reckless Defense stacks up to 3 times and lasts 10 seconds. Consuming a charge of Recklessness grants you and nearby allies Reckless Defense, increasing damage reduction by 5% per stack. Reckless Defense stacks up to 3 times and lasts 10 seconds. | |
LvL43 | Overcharge SaberOptional Buff Defensive Level 43 Option 3/3 Overcharges your lightsaber charge for 15 seconds, immediately restoring 15% of your max health and increasing damage reduction by 25%. While active, Overcharge Saber increases the damage of Dark Charge by 50%, increasing the chance to trigger Dark Charge by 25%, and healing you when their effects are triggered. The triggered healing cannot occur more than once per second. Overcharges your lightsaber charge for 15 seconds, immediately restoring 15% of your max health and increasing damage reduction by 25%. While active, Overcharge Saber increases the damage of Dark Charge by 50%, increasing the chance to trigger Dark Charge by 25%, and healing you when their effects are triggered. The triggered healing cannot occur more than once per second. General Suggestion: The other options in this tier aren't terrible for an assassin tank, but Overcharge Saber is a "use it when you need it" defensive option that sees it's full benefit exactly at the right times. The most important part of tanks being healable is surviving those difficult spikes of damage, so having something that helps you for a few seconds majorly instead of all the time minorly is appreciated, not to mention the personal DPS boost this choice can bring. | |
LvL43 | Dark BulwarkPassive Consuming a charge of Dark Ward increases shield absorption by 1%. Stacks up to 10 times. This effect lasts for 20 seconds or until Dark Ward is reactivated. In addition, shielding an attack while Dark Ward is active has a 20% chance to restore a charge and increase its active duration by 1 second. Consuming a charge of Dark Ward increases shield absorption by 1%. Stacks up to 10 times. This effect lasts for 20 seconds or until Dark Ward is reactivated. In addition, shielding an attack while Dark Ward is active has a 20% chance to restore a charge and increase its active duration by 1 second. | |
LvL47 | AssassinateAttack 4m (melee range) Attempts to assassinate the target, dealing weapon damage. Only usable on targets at or below 30% max health. Attempts to assassinate the target, dealing weapon damage. Only usable on targets at or below 30% max health. | |
LvL47 | Thrashing BladesPassive Increases the damage dealt by Thrash, Lacerate, Voltaic Slash, and Leeching Strike by 5%. Increases the damage dealt by Thrash, Lacerate, Voltaic Slash, and Leeching Strike by 5%. | |
LvL47 | WitherArea Attack 10m (short range) Causes up to 8 targets to wither under the weight of the Force, dealing kinetic damage, slowing the movement speed of all affected targets by 30% for 10 seconds, and weakening all affected targets for 45 seconds. Weakened targets deal 5% less melee and ranged damage. Does not damage sleeping, lifted, or incapacitated enemies. This ability generates a high amount of threat. Causes up to 8 targets to wither under the weight of the Force, dealing kinetic damage, slowing the movement speed of all affected targets by 30% for 10 seconds, and weakening all affected targets for 45 seconds. Weakened targets deal 5% less melee and ranged damage. Does not damage sleeping, lifted, or incapacitated enemies. This ability generates a high amount of threat. | |
LvL51 | Force ShroudDefensive Purges all hostile removable effects and increases your chance to resist Force and tech attacks by 200% for 3 seconds. Does not break Stealth. Purges all hostile removable effects and increases your chance to resist Force and tech attacks by 200% for 3 seconds. Does not break Stealth. | |
LvL51 | Formless PhantomOptional Passive Level 51 Option 1/3 Reduces all damage taken while stunned by 30%. Reduces all damage taken while stunned by 30%. | |
LvL51 | FadeOptional Passive Level 51 Option 2/3 Reduces the cooldown of Force Cloak by 30 seconds and extends its duration by 5 seconds. Reduces the cooldown of Force Cloak by 30 seconds and extends its duration by 5 seconds. General Suggestion: One of the coolest things Assassin Tanks bring to the party is a way to "cheese" mechanics by force cloaking out of the fight at the last second and immediately taunting the boss back to themselves to "dodge" an attack this way. This is an advanced skill to learn (if you don't taunt right away you may kill your companion or another player) but definitely worth it. The reduced cooldown of Force Cloak in this choice is also just a good convenience option in any mode of play, but if you don't plan | |
LvL51 | Dark Stability Optional Passive Level 51 Option 3/3 Activating Deflection grants 6 seconds of immunity to stun, sleep, lift, and incapacitating effects. Activating Deflection grants 6 seconds of immunity to stun, sleep, lift, and incapacitating effects. | |
LvL51 | EnergizePassive Damage dealt by Thrash, Maul, Lacerate has a 30% and Assassinate has a 100% chance to finish the cooldown on Shock and make your next Shock cost 15 less Force and automatically critically hit. Energized Shocks that consume a charge of Recklessness deal an additional 50% critical damage. Damage dealt by Thrash, Maul, Lacerate has a 30% and Assassinate has a 100% chance to finish the cooldown on Shock and make your next Shock cost 15 less Force and automatically critically hit. Energized Shocks that consume a charge of Recklessness deal an additional 50% critical damage. | |
LvL60 | Phantom StrideLeap 30m (long range) Use the Force to move through time and space, appearing at your enemy target and increasing your movement speed by 75% for 3 seconds. Does not break stealth. Cannot be used against targets in cover. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff. Jump to a faraway enemy. | |
LvL60 | Force PullPull 10-30m Uses the Force to draw the target in, instantly pulling it to your location and generating a high amount of threat. Does not work against targets in cover. Pull an enemy to you. Doesn't work on stronger enemies. | |
LvL60 | Lightning ReflexesPassive Increases your melee and ranged defense by 4%. Additionally, whenever you successfully shield, parry, or deflect an attack, you recover 4% of your total Force and increase the damage dealt by your next Discharge by 75%. This effect cannot occur more than once a second and does not stack. In addition, when you shield, parry, or deflect an attack, the active cooldown of Force Shroud is reduced by 1 second. This effect cannot occur more than once a second. Increases your melee and ranged defense by 4%. Additionally, whenever you successfully shield, parry, or deflect an attack, you recover 4% of your total Force and increase the damage dealt by your next Discharge by 75%. This effect cannot occur more than once a second and does not stack. In addition, when you shield, parry, or deflect an attack, the active cooldown of Force Shroud is reduced by 1 second. This effect cannot occur more than once a second. | |
LvL60 | Lightning RecoveryHidden Passive Increases the amount of Force recovered by Lightning Reflexes by 100%. In addition, when you shield, parry, or deflect an attack, the active cooldown of Force Shroud is reduced by 1 second. This effect cannot occur more than once a second. Increases the amount of Force recovered by Lightning Reflexes by 100%. In addition, when you shield, parry, or deflect an attack, the active cooldown of Force Shroud is reduced by 1 second. This effect cannot occur more than once a second. | |
LvL64 | Obfuscating SpeedOptional Passive Level 64 Option 1/3 Increases your movement speed by 15% and your effective stealth level by 10. Activating Shock, Ball Lightning, or Eradicate increasing your movement speed by 50% for 9 seconds. This effect cannot occur more than once every 18 seconds. Increases your movement speed by 15% and your effective stealth level by 10. Activating Shock, Ball Lightning, or Eradicate increasing your movement speed by 50% for 9 seconds. This effect cannot occur more than once every 18 seconds. General Suggestion: More movement speed is always great! The faster you can get from Point A (danger) to Point B (out of danger) the more delayed your initial reaction can afford to be. If in a fight where you are slowed, Force Phase may be even better. | |
LvL64 | Force PhaseOptional Passive Level 64 Option 2/3 Force Speed and Phantom Stride grants Force Phase, removing all movement-impairing effects and granting immunity to them for 2 seconds. Force Speed and Phantom Stride grants Force Phase, removing all movement-impairing effects and granting immunity to them for 2 seconds. | |
LvL64 | LambasteOptional Passive Level 64 Option 3/3 Increases the damage dealt by Lacerate by 25%. Increases the damage dealt by Lacerate by 25%. | |
LvL68 | OverloadOptional Knockback 15m Level 68 Option 1/3 Deals energy damage and knocks back up to 8 enemies within a 15-meter cone in front of you, binding them in electricity and immobilizing them for 5 seconds. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down for 3 seconds. Direct damage dealt after 2 seconds ends the immobilize effect prematurely. Pushes enemies back. | |
LvL68 | Severing SlashOptional Area Attacks 5m (melee range) Level 68 Option 2/3 Strikes targets in a cone, dealing weapon damage, immobilizing targets for 2 seconds, then slowing them for an additional 6 seconds once the immobilize effect wears off. Strikes targets in a cone, dealing weapon damage, immobilizing targets for 2 seconds, then slowing them for an additional 6 seconds once the immobilize effect wears off. General Suggestion: An extra aoe attack is great news for any tank, let alone one that slows enemies and gives you a defensive buff. This should absolutely be your default for personal performance but as tank you have more room to consider utility choices too, such as overload to knock enemies off ledges for an instant kill or whirlwind to keep certain enemies out of a fight until the end. | |
LvL68 | WhirlwindOptional Crowd Control 30m (long range) Level 68 Option 3/3 Traps the target in a whirlwind for 8 seconds. Non-player, non-standard, and non-weak targets heal rapidly while trapped. Damage causes this effect to end prematurely and stuns the target for 2 seconds. Your crowd control (CC) is a special type of stun you can only use when your enemy is outside of combat. You use it before a fight, to temporarily knock an opponent out of the fight while you deal with the other enemies. Accidentally damaging your crowd control'd target will wake them up. | |
LvL68 | Mounting DarknessPassive Deflection grants Mounting Darkness, causing all enemies within 8 meters to deal 15% less Force and tech damage. This effect lasts for the duration of Deflection. Additionally damage dealt by Discharge and Wither is increased by 30%. Deflection grants Mounting Darkness, causing all enemies within 8 meters to deal 15% less Force and tech damage. This effect lasts for the duration of Deflection. Additionally damage dealt by Discharge and Wither is increased by 30%. | |
LvL73 | Reaper's RushOptional Passive Level 73 Option 1/3 Phantom Stride grants Reaper's Rush, allowing your next Assassinate to be used on any target, regardless of remaining health. Reaper's Rush lasts for 10 seconds. Additionally, if the target of your Phantom Stride is killed within 10 seconds of using Phantom Stride, Phantom Stride's cooldown is reset. Phantom Stride grants Reaper's Rush, allowing your next Assassinate to be used on any target, regardless of remaining health. Reaper's Rush lasts for 10 seconds. Additionally, if the target of your Phantom Stride is killed within 10 seconds of using Phantom Stride, Phantom Stride's cooldown is reset. | |
LvL73 | AvoidanceOptional Passive Level 73 Option 2/3 Reduces the cooldown of Jolt by 2 seconds, Unbreakable Will by 30 seconds, and Force Speed by 5 seconds. Reduces the cooldown of Jolt by 2 seconds, Unbreakable Will by 30 seconds, and Force Speed by 5 seconds. | |
LvL73 | Shroud of MadnessOptional Passive Level 73 Option 3/3 Activating Force Cloak grants 2 seconds of Force Shroud. Activating Force Cloak grants 2 seconds of Force Shroud. General Suggestion: Force Shroud and Force Cloak are both two very powerful moves for Assassin Tanks, so this choice is most beneficial, but if you aren't comfortable using Force Cloak as a tank yet, Avoidance may be a great choice for cooldown reductions as well. | |
LvL73 | Harnessed DarknessPassive Shock and Wither grant Harnessed Darkness, which makes the next Depredating Volts used uninterruptable and immune to pushback. In addition, each stack increases the damage dealt by your next Depredating Volts by 15%. Stacks up to 3 times. At 3 stacks, each tick of Depredating Volts grants Dark Protection, which increases damage reduction by 1%. Dark Protection stacks up to 4 times and lasts 12 seconds. Shock and Wither grant Harnessed Darkness, which makes the next Depredating Volts used uninterruptable and immune to pushback. In addition, each stack increases the damage dealt by your next Depredating Volts by 15%. Stacks up to 3 times. At 3 stacks, each tick of Depredating Volts grants Dark Protection, which increases damage reduction by 1%. Dark Protection stacks up to 4 times and lasts 12 seconds. | |
LvL78 | Conspirator's CloakPassive Exiting Stealth instantly grants 4 stacks of Dark Protection. In addition, Thrash, Lacerate, Assassinate, and Phantom Stride grant Conspirator's Cloak, which makes your next Maul consume 50% less Force and deal damage as if you are behind the target regardless of your actual positioning. This effect cannot occur more than once every 10 seconds. Exiting Stealth instantly grants 4 stacks of Dark Protection. In addition, Thrash, Lacerate, Assassinate, and Phantom Stride grant Conspirator's Cloak, which makes your next Maul consume 50% less Force and deal damage as if you are behind the target regardless of your actual positioning. This effect cannot occur more than once every 10 seconds. |
Milestones
- At Level 15 you will get your first exclusive ability only the Darkness Assassin has, it will be called Depredating Volts.
- At Level 23 you will get to choose a way to change how Depredating Volts works from three different options. This is your first Ability Tree choice, and you can make it by pressing K on your keyboard and selecting an option from the Darkness Ability Tree on the right.
- At Level 27 you will get your second choice between three options in your Ability Tree. These options may be useable abilities you can click, or they can be passive abilities which give you a boost to your existing abilities.
- At Level 47 you will get your second exclusive ability only the Darkness Assassin gets, it will be called Dark Ward.
- At Level 39 you will get to choose a way to change how Dark Ward works from three different options in your Ability Tree.
- At Level 47 and 60 you will get your last two exclusive abilities only the Darkness Assassin has, Wither and Force Pull.
- At Level 73, you will get to make an important choice between three major abilities. This is a big choice all players need to make for their character.
- At Level 43, 51, 64, 68 you will get to make additional choices for your Assassin.
- All of these Ability Tree choices are not permanent. You can change them any time you are not in combat and are not in a queue for Flashpoints, Operations or PvP.