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Dragon Talon Kicksin Assassin Build for Diablo 2 Resurrected

Dragon Talon Kicksin Assassin Build for Diablo 2 Resurrected

Build Guide on the best Boss-killing build for the Assassin class in D2R

Furious Kicker
Dragon Talon/Blade Fury Assassin Build

For Diablo 2 Resurrected
 

Build notes:
September 17, 2021
-Build created 

 

Build Overview

Dragon Talon is one of the most powerful Single target abilities in Diablo 2 Resurrected. With enough Skill Points invested, it becomes the fastest attack in the game, great for dispatching Bosses - especially when combined with max frames speed, Crushing Blow, and Deadly Strike. Its main weakness is the fact that it only targets single opponents... That's where the second main ability of the featured Build comes in; Blade Furry is the polar opposite of Dragon Talon - it is capped at 6 frames speed and does not deal insane amounts of damage but it's very reliable and well-suited for eliminating packs of enemies, especially when used in a combination with Death Sentry - the build's third offensive skill. 

The featured build is a hybrid between the standard Dragon Talon and Blade Fury Assassin Builds. It tries to take the best aspects of the two while minimizing their weaknesses. As a result, it's great for farming Bosses and can easily pull its weight when clearing densly packed maps. 

You can also check our other  Diablo 2 Resurrected Builds

 

 Pros  Cons
 Very Versatile   Some sacrifices were made to achieve said versatility (Death Sentry does not have maxed out synergies, for example) 
 Great Single Target DPS   AoE Damage, while high, is not exceptional 
 Good Utility   Heavily relies on items with +Skills 

 

Skills

ATTRIBUTES
  1. Strength - All you want, in terms of Strength, is enough of it to equip everything you will want to use on your character. 
  2. Vitality - Enough to get at least 1000 total Life. 
  3. Dexterity - Spend all your remaining points here, as doing so will greatly increase your Attack Rating (and you'll need it). 
  4. Energy - Adding points to Energy is an extreme waste - don't do it. 
MARTIAL ARTS

All you want from this Skill tree is the Dragon Talon which will act as your main Single Target Ability. With it, you will be able to dispatch Bosses with ease. 

Skills:

  1. Dragon Talon [20/20] - A powerful kick that sends opponents flying. The number of Kicks increases when you spend additional points here (6 at skill level 30 - a good reason to get skill levels from gear). Kick Damage and Attack Rating of Dragon Talon also scale with Skill Levels, so you want to max this out. This is potentially the fastest attack in Diablo 2 Resurrected, and it shines in 1vs1 situations (so, Bosses). It works extremely well with Increased Attack Speed and Crushing Blow, so we want to focus on these two stats. 
TRAPS

This is not a regular "Trapsin" build, but you still want to max out two Skills from this tree. Mainly, Blade Fury and Death Sentry. These two work extremely well when combined and will allow you to clear packs of monsters with ease. 

Skills:

  1. Fire Blast [X/20] - Throws a small incendiary device that explodes on impact, damaging all enemies within its small blast radius. Fire Blast synergizes with Death Sentry by increasing its number of shots by 1 per 3 levels. Because of this, you should ensure that your Fire Blast's Skill Level is dividable by 3. 
  2. Shock Web [1/20] - Prerequisite. A trap that electrocutes any enemy who treads on it. 
  3. Blade Sentinel [1/20] - Prerequisite. Throw a razor-sharp device that flies back and forth between you and your target. 
  4. Charged Bolt Sentry [1/20] - Prerequisite. A Trap that emits charges of electricity that shock any enemy who strays too close. 
  5. Wake of Fire [1/20] - Prerequisite. A trap that generates fire waves when it's triggered.
  6. Blade Fury [20/20] - Throw several shurikens, shredding enemies with a storm of metal. This is a solid AoE Skill that deals 3/4 weapon damage (3/8 when using a 2-handed weapon - don't do it) plus the bonus determined by skill level. Blade Fury is affected by Attack Rating, despite the fact that the tooltip does not mention it. This is your main AoE Skill - use it for clearing packs of monsters and combine it with Death Sentry for the best effect. 
  7. Lightning Sentry [X/20] - A powerful Trap that discharges great bolts of electricity, frying monsters when they come near. Shoots 10 times. This synergizes with Death Sentry, so you should invest some of your spare points into it. Doing so will increase Death Sentry's Lightning Damage, making the build more versatile overall (you won't have to rely solely on physical damage). 
  8. Death Sentry [20/20] - A Trap that emits projectiles laden with a potent chemical catalyst, detonating the exposed cadavers of slain enemies. In simpler words, it's a corpse explosion in the form of a trap. It deals Lightning, Physical, and Fire damage which makes it extremely versatile. While Death Sentry does not deal the highest Damage, it's very reliable when used against groups of enemies; this is your supporting damage skill - it synergizes very well with Blade Fury (Blade Fury shreds packs of weak enemies and Death Sentry detonates their corpses, killing any remaining monsters). 
SHADOW DISCIPLINES

This Skill Tree is a great source of utility - Shadow Disciplines allow you to improve your mobility, survivability, and damage in combat by a lot. 

Skills:

  1. Claw Mastery [X/20] - Increases your Damage, Attack Rating, and Critical Strike Rating with Claw-type weapons. Max this one out only if you use a Claw as your main hand weapon (or not max it at all if you decide, you need points somewhere else). Claw Mastery's Attack Rating bonus does not apply to Blade Fury, but its Damage and Critical Strike do. 
  2. Psychic Hammer [1/20] - Prerequisite. Damages an enemy and pushes it back from afar. This is the Diablo 2 version of Thor's hammer. Sadly - it's not too powerful. 
  3. Burst of Speed [1/20] - This is your main utility skill. It gives a high boost to movement and attack speed for a period of time. The Burst of Speed provides an extremely solid mobility boost - you should have it active at all times. 
  4. Weapon Block [1/20] - A passive skill that gives you an increased chance to block when you're dual-wielding claws. This increases your defenses substantially; you should put all your remaining points here. If you prefer using shields, you don't need this one at all. 
  5. Cloak of Shadows [1/20] - Darkens the sky, affecting the defense of the Assassin and monsters. This Skill works in two ways - it increases your Defense, lowers the defense of monsters, and reduces the enemy's vision, making them less likely to spot and attack you. It makes ranged enemies not shot at you and monsters with special abilities not use said abilities (Fallen Shamans will not resurrect their comrades when you have this active, for example). The range of these effects is 20 yards. 
  6. Fade [1/20] - This increases all your elemental resistances for a period of time. It is a great addition to our utility toolkit and allows us to farm in certain areas earlier (as we don't need to stack as many resistances). 

 

Items

First of all, +Skills are extremely important as they will greatly increase your Damage output. Secondly, effects like Open Wounds and Crushing Blow work extremely well with Dragon Talon and Blade Fury - you should get some of these. Thirdly, Defensive stats, like Resistances and Faster Hit Recovery are also welcome. Moreover, Extra Health and Vitality will come in handy as well. Increased Attack Speed will only affect your Dragon Talon, but is still good to have if you focus on farming bosses. Faster Run/Walk and extra Stamina/Stamina Regen are also very useful to have as they will boost your mobility. 

HELMETS

Andariel's Visage (Demonhead) - This amazing mask will give you a nice Skill increase and a high boost to Attack Speed, both of which are great. Moreover, it will grant you a nice Life Leech effect which can be extremely helpful. 

Andariel's Visage

 

  • Defense: 310-387
  • Required Level: 83
  • Required Strength: 102
  • Durability: 20  
    • +100-150% Enhanced Defense 
    • +2 To All Skills 
    • 20% Increased Attack Speed 
    • 8-10% Life Stolen Per Hit 
    • +25-30 To Strength 
    • +10% To Maximum Poison Resist 
    • Fire Resist -30% 
    • Poison Resist +70% 
    • 15% Chance To Cast Level 15 Poison Nova When Struck 
    • Level 3 Venom (20 charges) 

Guillaume's Face (Winged Helm) - This powerful Helmet gives a whopping 35% Chance of Crushing Blow and a 15% chance for a Deadly Strike, which makes it great for this build. Pick it if you lack Crushing Blow and Deadly Strike from other items. 

Guillaume's Face

  • Defense: 85 to 98
  • Required Level: 24
  • Required Strength: 115
  • Durability: 40
    • +120% Enhanced Defense 
    • +30% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • 15% Chance of Deadly Strike 
    • 35% Chance of Crushing Blow 
    • +15 to Strength 

WEAPONS

Fury (Runeword) - This is a perfect weapon for this build. It allows you to Ignore Target's Defense, which makes your Blade Fury much more effective (you don't need as much Attack Rating because of this). Moreover, it provides a high damage boost, strong Life Leech, a great chance for Open Wounds, and a Deadly Strike. You should inscribe this in Greater Talons. 

Fury

  • Damage:  Depends on base Weapon
  • Required Level: 65
  • Required Dexterity: Depends on base Weapon
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon
  • Durability: Depends on base Weapon 
  • Jah + Gul + Eth  
    • +40% Increased Attack Speed 
    • +209% Enhanced Damage 
    • Ignore Target's Defense 
    • -25% Target Defense 
    • 20% Bonus to Attack Rating 
    • 6% Life Stolen Per Hit 
    • 33% Deadly Strike 
    • 66% Chance of Open Wounds 
    • +5 to Frenzy (Barbarian Only) 
    • Prevent Monster Heal 

Bartuc's Cut-Throat (Greater Talons) - These Claws can give you up to +3 to Martial Arts Skills, which is massive. Moreover, they give a lot of bonus stats and have a solid 20% bonus to Attack Rating. You should go out of your way to obtain at least one of these. 

Bartuc's Cut-Throat

  • Damage:  [77-88] to [137-155], Avg 107-121.5  
  • Required Level: 42
  • Required Dexterity: 79
  • Required Strength: 79
  • Durability: 69  
    • +1 to Martial Arts Skills (Assassin Only) 
    • +2 to Assassin Skill Levels 
    • +30% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • +[150-200]% Enhanced Damage (varies) 
    • Adds 25-50 Damage 
    • 20% Bonus to Attack Rating 
    • [5-9]% Life Stolen per Hit (varies) 
    • +20 to Strength 
    • +20 to Dexterity 

Jade Talon (Wrist Sword) - A solid choice for an off-hand weapon that will greatly boost your Resistances and increase your Martial Arts and Shadow Disciplines Skills. Pick it if you don't have enough resistances from other items. 

Jade Talon

  • Damage:  [98-115] to [130-153], Avg 114-134  
  • Required Level: 66
  • Required Dexterity: 105
  • Required Strength: 105
  • Durability: 56  
    • +[1-2] to Martial Arts (Assassin Only) (varies) 
    • +[1-2] to Shadow Disciplines (Assassin Only) (varies) 
    • +30% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • +[190-240]% Enhanced Damage (varies) 
    • [10-15]% Mana Stolen per Hit (varies) 
    • All Resistances +[40-50] (varies) 

[Alternative/Budget] Magic Claws with +3 to Martial Arts. These can be purchased in Act V from Anya. Claws like this are actually very strong as off-hand weapons and will serve you well until you find something stronger to replace them. 

Magic Claws

  • Damage:  Depends on the Weapon
  • Required Level: Varies
  • Required Dexterity: Depends on the Weapon
  • Required Strength: Depends on the Weapon
  • Durability: Depends on the Weapon 
    • +3 To Martial Arts (Assassin Only) 
WEAPON SWAP

Call to Arms (Rune Word) - This powerful Runeword will allow you to pre-buff yourself up with Warcries (buffs persist through weapon swap). 

Call to Arms

  • Defense: Depends on base Weapon 
  • Required Level: 57
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Weapon ​​​​​
  • Durability: Depends on base Weapon 
  • Amn • Ral • Mal • Ist
    • +1 to All Skills 
    • +40% Increased Attack Speed 
    • +250-290% Enhanced Damage 
    • Adds 5-30 Fire Damage 
    • 7% Life Stolen Per Hit 
    • +2-6 To Battle Command 
    • +1-6 To Battle Orders 
    • +1-4 To Battle Cry 
    • Prevent Monster Heal 
    • Replenish Life +12 
    • 30% Better Chance Of Getting Magic Items 

Lidless Wall (Grim Shield) - A very powerful Shield that grants bonuses to all skills and FCR. If you are using CTA on weapon swap to boost your stats with Warcries, it's good to equip this shield to best the effect. 

Lidless Wall 

  • Defense: 271 - 347
  • Required Level: 41
  • Required Strength: 58
  • Durability: 70
    • +80-130% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
    • +1 to All Skills
    • Increase Maximum Mana 10% 
    • 20% Faster Cast Rate 
    • +3-5 to Mana After Each Kill (varies) 
    • +10 to Energy 
    • +1 to Light Radius 

AMULETS

Highlord's Wrath - The optimal choice for this build. Highlord's Wrath offers a great boost to your Dragon Talon by increasing your Attack Speed by 20%. Moreover, it gives you a scaling chance for a Deadly Strike and +1 to all Skills. 

Highlord's Wrath

  • Required Level: 65
    • +1 to All Skills 
    • 20% Increased Attack Speed 
    • +0-37% Deadly Strike (+0.375 per Character Level) 
    • Lightning Resist +35% 
    • Adds 1-30 Lightning Damage 
    • Attacker Takes Lightning Damage of 15 

Mara's Kaleidoscope - This amazing Amulet provides a great combination of offensive (+2 to all skills) and defensive (+20-30 to all resistances) properties. If you lack elemental resistances, pick this one over Highlord's Wrath. 

Mara's Kaleidoscope

  • Required Level: 67
    • +2 To All Skills 
    • All Resistances +20-30 (varies) 
    • +5 To All Attributes 

ARMORS

Fortitude (Runeword) - An extremely solid Armor Runeword that will give you a lot of offensive power and survivability. Moreover, it will take care of your mana problems. 

Fortitude

  • Defense: Depends on base Armor 
  • Required Level: 59 
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Armor 
  • Durability: Depends on base Armor 
  • El + Sol + Dol + Lo   
    • 20% Chance To Cast Level 15 Chilling Armor when Struck 
    • +25% Faster Cast Rate 
    • +300% Enhanced Damage 
    • +200% Enhanced Defense 
    • +15 Defense 
    • +[1-148] To Life (Based on Character Level, [1-1.5] per Level) 
    • Replenish Life +7 
    • +5% To Maximum Lightning Resist 
    • All Resistances +[25-30] (varies) 
    • Physical Damage Taken Reduced by 7 
    • 12% Damage Taken Gained as Mana when Hit 
    • +1 To Light Radius 

Chains of Honor (Runeword) - Very strong runeword that mixes solid defenses (resistances, leech, and enhanced def) with a nice +2 bonus to all Skills. Chains of Honor will singlehandedly take care of your Resistance needs, opening up some interesting options for other gear slots. 

Chains of Honor

  • Defense: Depends on base Armor 
  • Required Level: 63 
  • Required Strength: Depends on base Armor 
  • Durability: Depends on base Armor 
  • Dol + Um + Ber + Ist 
    • +2 To All Skills 
    • +200% Damage to Demons 
    • +100% Damage to Undead 
    • 8% Life stolen per hit 
    • +70% Enhanced Defense 
    • +20 Strength 
    • Replenish Life +7 
    • All Resistances +65
    • Damage reduced by 8% 
    • 25% Better Chance of Getting Magic Items 

RINGS

Raven Frost - Seeing this one in the recommendations shouldn't surprise anyone. Raven Frost provides Freeze Immunity, you need freeze immunity, thus you need Raven Frost. Simple as that. It also gives a nice bonus to Attack Rating and some Dexterity. 

Raven Frost

  • Required Level: 45
    • +150-250 Attack Rating (varies) 
    • 15-45 Cold Damage 
    • +15-20 Dexterity (varies) 
    • +40 Mana 
    • Cold Absorb 20%
    • Cannot be Frozen 

Bul-Kathos Wedding Band - A solid ring that grants +Skills, a rather high bonus to Life, and a nice Life Leech. If you're after a balanced choice, here it is. 

Bul-Kathos Wedding Band

  • Required Level: 58
    • +1 To All Skills 
    • + (0.5 Per Character Level) 0-49 To Life) 
    • 3-5% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies) 
    • +50 Maximum Stamina 

"Dual Leech" Rare Ring - A Rare Ring with Life and Mana Leech is a great alternative to the available unique D2 rings. If you manage to find one that also grants Resistances, attributes, or Attack Rating, consider yourself lucky. 

Rare Ring

  • Required Level: Varies
  • Quality: Rare 
    • Look for the following bonuses:
      • Life Leech
      • Mana Leech
      • Attributes
      • Attack Rating 
      • Resistances

GLOVES

Dracul's Grasp (Vampirebone Gloves) - These amazing gloves grant a 25% Chance of Open Wounds. Moreover, they give you high Life Steal, life after each kill, and a good chance to cast Life Tap on Striking*. A great balanced choice that should keep you alive when you kick Bosses to death. 

Dracul's Grasp

*"On Striking" Effects work with Dragon Talon, but "On Hit" Effects do not. 

  • Defense: 125-145
  • Required Level: 76
  • Required Strength: 50
  • Durability: 14
    • +90-120% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
    • +10-15 to Strength (varies) 
    • +5-10 Life After Each Kill (varies) 
    • 25% Chance of Open Wounds 
    • 7-10% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies) 
    • 5% Chance to Cast Level 10 Life Tap on Striking 

Bloodfist (Heavy Gloves) - A solid defensively focused choice that will give you +30% faster hit recovery, a solid boost to Life, and +10% Attack Speed (which is great for Dragon Talon). 

Bloodfist

  • Defense: 17-18
  • Required Level: 9
  • Required Strength: -
  • Durability: 14
    • +10% Increased Attack Speed 
    • +30% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • +5 to Minimum Damage 
    • +[10-20]% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
    • +10 Defense 
    • +40 to Life 

BOOTS

Shadow Dancer (Myrmidon Greaves) - These boots require A LOT of Strength, but they are definitely worth the investment. They offer ridiculously high Kick Damage (the highest in the game, in fact) and give you up to +2 to Shadow Disciplines. A great choice if you're after raw Dragon Talon Damage and some extra utility. 

Shadow Dancer

  • Defense: 62-71
  • Required Level: 71
  • Required Strength: 167
  • Durability: 24
  • Kick Damage: 83-149  
    • +[1-2] to Shadow Disciplines (varies) 
    • +30% Faster Run/Walk 
    • +30% Faster Hit Recovery 
    • +[70-100]% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
    • +[15-25] to Dexterity (varies) 
    • Requirements -20% 

Gore Rider (War Boots) - A great offensively-oriented pair of boots. They offer a good chance for a Crushing Blow and Open Wounds, both of which work great with this build. 

Gore Rider

  • Defense: 140-162
  • Required Level: 47
  • Required Strength: 94
  • Durability: 34
  • Kick Damage: 39-80  
    • +160-200% Enhanced Defense
    • 30% Faster Run/Walk
    • 10% Chance Of Open Wounds
    • 15% Chance Of Crushing Blow
    • 15% Deadly Strike
    • Requirements -25%
    • +20 Maximum Stamina 

Goblin Toe (Light Plated Boots) - Another great pair of boots. These ones have a rather low Kick Damage but compensate for it with a very high chance for a Crushing Blow. 

Goblin Toe

  • Defense: 33-34 
  • Required Level: 22
  • Required Strength: 95
  • Kick Damage: 8-16 
  • Durability: 18
    • +50-60% Enhanced Defense (varies) 
    • +15 Defense 
    • 25% Chance of Crushing Blow 
    • -1 to Light Radius 
    • Damage Reduced by 1 
    • Magic Damage Reduced by 1 

BELTS

Nosferatu's Coil (Vampirefang Belt) - An extremely solid belt that gives a high Attack Speed bonus and 15 Strength. A great choice if you want to improve your Dragon Talon. 

Nosferatu's Coil

  • Defense: 56 - 63 
  • Potion Slots: 16 
  • Required Level: 51
  • Required Strength: 50 
  • Durability: 14
    • Slows Target By 10% 
    • +2 To Mana After Each Kill 
    • 5-7% Life Stolen Per Hit (varies) 
    • +15 To Strength 
    • 10% Increased Attack Speed 
    • -3 to Light Radius 

Arachnid Mesh (Spiderweb Sash) - This amazing belt will make you stronger in pretty much all aspects by improving your Skills. If you want something versatile, pick this one. 

Arachnid Mesh

  • Defense: 119-138 
  • Potion Slots: 16 
  • Required Level: 80
  • Required Strength: 50
  • Durability: 12
    • +90-120% Enhanced Defense  
    • Slows Target by 20% 
    • +1 To All Skills 
    • 20% Faster Cast Rate 
    • Maximum Mana 5% 
    • Level 3 Venom (11 Charges) 

Verdungo's Hearty Cord (Mithril Coil) - If you feel like you need a bit more sustainability and resilience, this belt might be a good choice. It won't boost your offensive power, but it will make you much harder to kill. 

Verdungo's Hearty Cord

  • Defense: 125-158
  • Potion Slots: 16 
  • Required Level: 63
  • Required Strength: 106
  • Durability: 16
    • +90-140% Enhanced Defense 
    • 10% Faster Hit Recovery  
    • +30-40 To Vitality 
    • Replenish Life +10-13 
    • +100-120 Maximum Stamina 
    • Damage Reduced By 10-15% 

CHARMS

  1. Annihilus - This fabled Charm boosts your Skills, Stats, and Resistances. It's the best Unique Small Charm, and it's limited to just 1 in your equipment. 
  2. Gheed's Fortune - The secret to Gheed's wealth and prosperity. Pretty much a must-have if you're after the best available charms. It adds 80-160% extra gold from monsters, reduces vendor prices by up to 15%, and gives up to 40% better magic find. 
  3. Hellfire Torch - The BiS Unique Large Charm that increases your Vitality, Skills, and more. 
  4. Grand Charms - These should have +Martial Arts or +Traps.  
  5. Small Charms - With these, you should get your desired Resistances, bonuses to Life, or bonuses to Magic Find - whatever suits your needs, basically. 

MERCENARY

We recommend picking up Act 2 Defiance Mercenary for extra damage mitigation bonuses. He should be equipped with: 

  1. Infinity Rune Word in Ethereal Spear - This provides Conviction Aura, which reduces the defenses and resistances of nearby enemies and offers very high bonus damage. A top (and expensive) choice for any Act2 merc build. It will greatly increase your own Damage, as lowering enemy resistances is very beneficial for DPS. 
  2. Fortitude Rune Word in Armor - This will ensure that your merc doesn't die (it will make him almost immortal). 
  3. Andariel's Visage - An extremely solid and versatile headgear that will make your merc better in all respects. 

 

END NOTE

This is the initial version of our Diablo 2 Resurrected Dragon Talon/Blade Fury Assassin Build, where we tried to include all of the important information on how to set up this character while keeping the guide as compact as possible. If we've missed something of importance, please let us know! 

If you have any Build requests, please post them in the Comments section below. We will be happy to cover your most requested builds in the future! Also, we hope that you have found this guide useful and informative. Also, we will be happy to receive constructive criticism that will help us improve our future work, so don't hesitate to give us your feedback. 

 

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Blizzard Entertainment