Baldur's Gate 3: Best Assassin Rogue Build

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• Assassin Rogue Subclass Features Overview

• Best Assassin Rogue Race: Wood Elf

• Best Assassin Rogue Background:

• Best Assassin Rogue Abilities

• Best Assassin Rogue Feats

• Best Assassin Rogue Level By Level Build

• Best Assassin Rogue Equipment

• Best Assassin Rogue Weapons

The rogue class in Baldur's Gate 3 is perfect for those who prefer a stealthy play style. Their heightened Dexterity allows them to perform well in Stealth, Sleight of Hand, and Acrobatics. This also gives them an advantage in terms of Initiative, which works perfectly when dealing Sneak Attacks on unsuspecting foes. Of the three subclasses under rogue, the assassin does this best.

Baldur's Gate 3: Complete Guide To Rogues

The Rogue is BG3's sneakiest class and offers some fantastic ways to control the battlefield. Here's everything you need to know.

The assassin subclass is your pick if you want a rogue primarily for DPS. Their burst damage potential is massive with the ideal setup. A great assassin may even allow you to end a battle with a single attack before it’s even begun.

Assassin Rogue Subclass Features Overview

The assassin subclass offers a DPS playstyle unlike any other in the game. To maximise the damage output of an assassin, you need to strike at your enemies while they're unaware or at least before they've taken a turn. One tactic you should employ is to have your assassin rogue split up from the party to sneak into the best position for a Sneak Attack on your chosen target.

Different features specific to assassins come into play in this fighting style.

Level

Features

3

• Assassinate: Initiative
  • You are deadliest against unprepared enemies. In combat, you have Advantage on Attack Rolls against creatures that haven't taken a turn yet.
• Assassinate: Ambush
  • Any successful Attack Roll against a Surprised creature is a Critical Hit.
• Assassin's Alacrity
  • Quick as an alley cat in a rain-dark city, you immediately restore your action and bonus action at the start of combat.

9

• Infiltration Expertise (Action - Ritual Spell):
  • Adopt a new identity, changing your appearance.
  • Condition: Disguise Self
  • Until Long Rest

Best Assassin Rogue Race: Wood Elf

Wood Elf

A wood elf makes for a perfect assassin because of Proficiency in Stealth, increased movement speed, and ability to see in the dark. The edge this race has over the half-elf is Proficiency in Shortbows and Longbows. This is important because range is useful in maintaining stealth, which this subclass depends on.

Race/Subrace

Features

Elf

• Base Racial Speed: You can move 9m per turn.
• Elven Weapon Training: You have Proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
• Darkvision: Can see in the dark up to 12m.
• Fey Ancestry: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
• Proficiency in Perception

Wood-Elf

• Fleet of Foot: Your Movement Speed is increased by 1.5m.
• Proficiency in Stealth

Best Assassin Rogue Background:

The criminal and urchin backgrounds fit the assassin rogue's play style best. Both of these backgrounds reward stealthiness with their Stealth Proficiency.

Criminal

If you plan on using your assassin rogue as the speaker for your party, you'll want to pick the criminal background for the Deception Proficiency. This will give you a unit that does well in Stealth and story dialogues.

Skills: Deception, Stealth

Urchin

Pick the urchin background if you want an assassin rogue that will pick locks, disarm traps, and pick pockets. This works well if you plan to use your assassin rogue as a unit for both battle and exploration.

Skills: Sleight of Hand, Stealth

Best Assassin Rogue Abilities

Assassin rogues work best with a high investment of Ability Points in Dexterity and Constitution. Depending on what type of assassin you want, you'll also need to decide between Wisdom and Charisma when it comes to investing a number of your points.

Ability

About

Dexterity (at least 16)

Dexterity is important for scaling your damage as an assassin rogue. You'll also need it for the increase it gives to Armour Class because you're most likely only proficient in light armour.

Constitution (at least 14)

Rogues tend to be squishy because they use light armour, so Constitution is a priority when it comes to Ability Point investment.

Wisdom

You'll want to invest in Wisdom if you're using your assassin rogue for exploration. Wisdom affects your Perception Checks, which is important for detecting traps and hiding creatures.

Charisma

If you're using your assassin rogue for Deception, invest your Ability Points into Charisma.

Best Assassin Rogue Feats

You get to choose Feats for your assassin rogue at levels four, eight, ten, and 12. The recommended Feats for the best damage on an assassin rogue are sharpshooter, ability improvement, alert, and moderately armoured.

Feat

About

Sharpshooter

An assassin rogue works well as a ranged unit, so you'll want this feat to make sure using bows won't be at a disadvantage when your target is on higher ground.

Ability Improvement

You can use this feat to increase your Dexterity by 2 points.

Alert

An assassin rogue​​​​​​​'s attack works best before an opponent takes a turn, so alert is essential to put you in that position.

Moderately Armoured

In addition to using this feat to gain Proficiency in medium armour, you should use this to further increase your Dexterity by 1.

Best Assassin Rogue Level By Level Build

You'll be able to introduce new features and skills to your unit at certain levels. You need to make sure you're investing in features that will primarily increase Dexterity.

Level

Build

1

Skills: Acrobatics, Stealth, Investigation, Perception

Expertise: Stealth, Acrobatics

3

Subclass: Assassin

4

Feat: Sharpshooter

6

Skills: Sleight of Hand, Perception (if exploration is your priority), Deception (if dialogue is your priority)

8

Feat: Ability Improvement (Dex +2)

10

Feat: Alert

12

Feat: Moderately Armoured (Dex +1)

Best Assassin Rogue Equipment

Different sets of equipment can give you the biggest damage output as well as the most advantageous setups as an assassin rogue​​​​​​​. You'll need ones that give you increases in Initiative, Dexterity, and Stealth.

Recommended Assassin Rogue Equipment Found In Act 1

Clothing: The Graceful Cloth

• Armour Class: 10
• Cat’s Grace: You gain Cat’s Grace and increase your Dexterity score by 2, to a maximum of 20.
• Nimble As a Cat: You gain a +1 bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws and also increase your Jump distance by 1.5m.

Location

You can purchase this from Lady Esther at the Rosymorn Monastery Trail.

Light Armour: Spidersilk Armour

• Armour Class: 12
• Stealthy: Gain a +1 bonus to Stealth Checks.

Location

Dropped by Minthara in the Shattered Sanctum.

Headgear: Shadow Of Menzoberranzan

• Shrouded in Shadow (Action):
  • Become Invisible for 2 turns
  • Invisibility ends early if you attack, cast another spell, take an action, or take damage.
  • Concentration
  • Replenishes after a Short Rest

Location

You get this as a reward for completing the Defeat the Duergar Intruders quest.

Gloves: Gloves of Archery

Corellon's Guiding Hand: You gain Proficiency with Longbows and Shortbows. In addition, your ranged weapon attacks deal an additional 2 damage.

Location

You can purchase this from Grat the Trader in the Goblin Camp

Footwear: Disintegrating Night Walkers

Night Walker: Can't be Enwebbed, Entangled, or Ensnared and can't slip on Grease or Ice.

Can cast Misty Step: Replenishes after a Short Rest

Location

Can be looted from Nere's body in the Grymforge.

Ring: Caustic Band

Malefic Excretion: Your weapon attacks also deal 2 Acid damage.

Location

You can purchase this from Derryth Bonecloack in the Myconid Colony.

Ring: Crusher's Ring

Movement Speed increased by 3m.

Location

You can loot this from Crusher in the Goblin Camp.

Recommended Assassin Rogue Equipment Upgrades In Act 2

Gloves: Gloves of the Balanced Hands

Two-Weapon Fighting: When you make an attack with your off-hand weapon, you can add your Ability Modifier to the damage of the attack.

Location

You can purchase this from Quartermaster Talli in the Last Light Inn.

Amulet: Surgeon's Subjugation Amulet

Paralysing Critical: Once per Long Rest, when scoring a Critical Hit on a humanoid, the wearer can Paralyse the target for 2 turns.

Location

Can be looted from Malus Thorm's body in the House of Healing.

Ring: Killer's Sweetheart

Executioner: When you kill a creature, your next Attack roll will be a Critical Hit. Once spent, this effect refreshes after a Long Rest.

Location

Can be found on the ground in the Self-Same Trial in the Gauntlet of Shar.

Ring: Shifting Corpus Ring

Cast Invisibility: Replenishes after a Long Rest.

Cast Blur: Replenishes after a Long Rest.

Location

Can be looted from the body of Flaming Fist Marcus in the Last Light Inn.

Recommended Assassin Rogue Equipment Upgrades In Act 3

Headgear: Mask of Soul Perception

Soul Perception: Gain a +2 bonus to Attack rolls, Initiative Rolls, and Perception Checks.

Cast Detect Thoughts: Replenishes after a Short Rest.

Location

Can be looted from a chest in the Devil's Fee.

Gloves: Stalker Gloves

Seldom Caught Unaware: You gain a +1 bonus to Initiative Rolls.

Skullduggery Attack: Your Sneak Attack deals an additional 1d4 Force damage.

Location

Can be purchased from Exxvikyap in Rivington General.

Cloak: Shade-Slayer Cloak

Stealthy Critical: While Hiding, the number you need to roll a Critical Hit while attacking is reduced by 1. This effect can stack.

Location

Can be purchased from Sticky Dondo in the Guildhall.

Best Assassin Rogue Weapons

Whether you find yourself next to an unsuspecting target or hidden from their view from a distance, there are weapons you can equip to maximise your damage output as an assassin rogue. The idea is to equip weapons that will give you the highest damage on your first strike on your target.

Recommended Assassin Rogue Weapons Found In Act 1

Shortsword: Shortsword Of First Blood

1d6 (1~6) + Strength or Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

Break the Unbroken: Deal an additional 1d8 Piercing damage to targets that still have all their hitpoints.

Location

You can loot this from a Deep Gnome's corpse in the Decrepit Village.

Shortbow: Bow of Awareness

1d6 + 1 (2~7) + Strength or Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

Seldom Caught Unaware: You gain a +1 bonus to Initiative Rolls.

Location

You can purchase this from Roah Moonglow in the Shattered Sanctum.

Recommended Assassin Rogue Weapons Found In Act 2

Shortsword: Knife of the Undermountain King

1d6 + 2 (3~8) + Strength or Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

• Organ Rearranger: Reduce the number you need to roll a Critical Hit while attacking by 1. This effect can stack. When you roll 2 damage or less, reroll the dice, taking the highest result.
• Shadow Blade: You have Advantage on Attack Rolls against Lightly or Heavily Obscured targets when using this blade.

Location

You can purchase this from A'jak'nir Jeera in Créche Y'llek.

Shortsword: Sword of Life Stealing

1d6 + 2 (3~8) + Strength or Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

Life Stealing Critical: On a Critical Hit, the target takes an extra 10 Necrotic damage as long as it isn't a construct or an undead. You also gain 10 temporary hit points.

Location

You can purchase this from Dammon in the Last Light Inn.

Shortbow: Least Expected

1d6 + 2 (3~8) + Strength or Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

Darkveil Precision: While obscured in shadow, the wielder has a +1d4 bonus to their ranged weapon attacks.

Location

You can loot this item from a chest in the Gauntlet of Shar.

Once you enter Act 3, you can start looking for better weapons to increase your damage output.

Recommended Assassin Rogue Weapons Found In Act 3

Longbow: The Dead Shot

1d8 + 2 (3~10) + Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

• Improved Critical: The number you need to roll a Critical Hit while attacking is reduced by 1. This effect can stack.
• Keen Attack: The wielder doubles their Proficiency Bonus when rolling ranged attacks with this weapon, unless they have Disadvantage.

Location

You can purchase this from Fytz the Firecracker at the Stormshore Armoury in Baldur's Gate Lower City.

Shortsword: Ambusher

1d6 + 1 (2~7) + Strength or Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

• Sentinel Weapon: Gain a +1 bonus to Initiative rolls and Advantage on Perception Ability Checks
• Ambusher's Streak: In combat, you deal an additional 1d6 Necrotic damage against creatures that haven't taken a turn yet.

Location

You can purchase this from Exxvikyap in The Rivington General.

Dagger: Rhapsody

1d4 + 3 (4~12) + Strength or Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

• Scarlet Remittance: Gain a +1 bonus to Attack Rolls, damage, and Spell Save DV for every foe you slay, up to a maximum of +3.
• Sweet Bloodletting: Possibly inflict Bleeding when hitting a creature with this weapon while Hiding or Invisible.

Location

Dropped by Cazador Szarr in Cazador's Dungeon.

The Scarlet Remittance counts reducing anything's HP to 0 as slaying a foe. That means you can get the bonus by destroying inanimate objects!

Dagger: Crimson Mischief

1d6 + 2 (3~8) + Strength or Dexterity modifier (Piercing damage)

• Prey Upon the Weak: This weapon deals an additional 1d4 Piercing damage against targets with 50% of their hit points or fewer.
• Redvein Savagery: When you make an attack with Advantage, the target takes an additional 7 Piercing damage.
• When Off-hand: When you make an attack with your off-hand weapon, you can add your Ability Modifier to the damage of the attack.

Location

Dropped by Orin in the Temple of Bhaal.

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