The Death's Empty Palm build is a high damage dealing and self-healing assassin which has the ability to escape whenever needed and keep up its skills and energy while doing so. By using all the skills available in the skill bar, a Death's Empty Palm assassin will be able to hold its own in battle but still be able to flee if need be, which is key to playing any assassin.

Attributes and Skills

Assassin / Necromancer	Attribute Rank
Death Magic	9
Dagger Mastery	10 + 1 + 3
Deadly Arts	4 + 1
Critical Strikes	11 + 2

• Put remaining points where ever. Putting them in Shadow Arts increases duration of "Cripple" condition for Return.

Unsuspecting Strike

Fox Fangs

Critical Strike

Way of the Empty Palm

Taste of Pain

Viper's Defense

Return

Consume Corpse

• Replace Critical Strike with Death Blossom. It deals about the same damage, -20dmg really, for 5 energy less. The only problem is you do not gain energy at all from it, it's merely cheaper to use. Good if you're going against clustered enemies.
• If Taste of Pain isn't helping too greatly, or you're just confident in your abilities with this build, switch out Taste of Pain for Soul Feast, or another major heal.

Equipment

• All Shrouded armor, max AL and the Bladed mask.
• Any dagger with a zealous mod will do, but if you can manage to get a +5 energy dagger it would help greatly.

Usage

• Use your full combo; Unsuspecting Strike, Fox Fangs, and Critical Strike. (Unsuspecting strike deals massive damage if you get in the first few strikes with it, otherwise it does the same amount as a dual attack, minus the double strike.) Use Assassin's Promise on enemies who are near death to keep your skills recharged and your energy up.
• Use Taste of Pain on any targets with health lower than 50% to keep yourself alive, or if you switched to Soul Feast use it if there are any unexploited bodies to use (honestly, though, if you're going to wait that long, you're probably better off using Consume Corpse to heal, regen energy, AND get out of the heat of battle.)
• When facing the afflicted, or just need to escape, use Viper's Defense. Use Return if Viper's Defense is still recharging.
• If you're low on health and/or energy, and waiting for your other skills to recharge, use Consume Corpse. Not only will you be able to escape the harmful battle, but you get a minor health boost and massive energy boost.

Counters

• Any interrupts. Despite the fact that the skills used all have fast casting times, you still are in danger of those interrupters. Somehow, they always get you.
• Daze condition. When you're dazed all your spells take twice as long to cast which leaves you extremely vulnerable to interruptions.
• Any skills that disable the use of spells.
• Any areas where body drops are impossible or rare, such as the Crystal Desert.

Notes

• Instead of using Return, as I use it minimally, replace it with a self heal or another damage dealer.