Phoenix Strike Assassin Build for Diablo 2 Resurrected

The Phoenix Strike Assasssin is a refreshed older build that now S tier thanks to the new runeword Mosaic. This build takes advantage of Phoenix Strike and all the elements to create a versatile Assassin capable of metling every area in Diablo 2: Resurrected!

You can check the viability of this build in PvM by consulting our PvM Tier List.

The following section shows the default skill build for the Phoenix Strike Assassin. For a detailed breakdown of all core and optional skills as well as the recommended order for allocating skill points, refer to the Skills page of this guide.

1. 1 point to all prerequisites
2. 20 points to Phoenix Strike — Main Damage Skill, required
3. 20 points to Fists of Fire — Synergy/Charge Up Skill, required
4. 20 points to Claws of Thunder — Synergy/Charge Up Skill, required
5. 20 points to Blades of Ice — Synergy/Charge Up Skill, required
6. Remaining points to Dragon Talon — Not losing charges makes this finisher the strongest as every kick will launch a full wave of each charge
7. 1 point to Dragon Flight — Useful for teleporting and repositioning Mercenary, required
8. 1 point to Cloak of Shadows — Useful for crowd control, required
9. 1 point to Mind Blast — Useful for crowd control, required
10. 1 point to Burst of Speed — Buffs movement and attack speed, required
11. 1 point to Fade — Buffs damage reduction and Resistances, required
12. 1 point to Venom — Adds some Poison Damage to the Build, required
13. 1 point to Weapon Block — If running two claws, make sure to place a single point into this skill, optional

You can read more details about the Stats and Attribute requirements for this build on our Skills page.

The following section shows some of the most important Items for the Phoenix Strike Assassin . For a detailed per-slot breakdown of all items and alternative builds, refer to the Gear page of this guide.

• Weapons: 2x +3 Phoenix Strike Mosaic Claws. Any base will work as both 3 frame and 4 frame attacks have their own advantages due to how Next Hit Delay works in the game.
• Weapon Swap: Call to Arms and Spirit
• Body Armor: Enigma
• Helm: Griffon's Eye
• Gloves: +3 Martial Arts Skiller Gloves
• Boots: Natalya's Soul
• Belt: Arachnid Mesh
• Ring 1: Raven Frost
• Ring 2: The Stone of Jordan or Bul-Kathos' Wedding Band
• Amulet: Mara's Kaleidoscope
• Charm 1: Assassin Hellfire Torch
• Charm 2: Annihilus
• Charm 3: 9x Martial Arts Skiller Grand Charms with Life or enough % Faster Hit Recovery to hit 86%
• Charm 4: 10 Small Charms with Life, Resistances, Mana, or Faster Hit Recovery, depending on needs

In Diablo 2, stats that affect action speed (known as frames) for attacking, casting, blocking, and recovering from a hit can almost never be taken literally. For example, gaining 10% Increased Attack Speed from an item will not necessarily translate into 10% faster attacks. To achieve faster actions, certain breakpoints must be reached, which vary for every class. The tables below list how much of a given stat is required to actually improve the action speed of the class for the stated action.

You can either hire a Defensive ( Holy Freeze) or Offensive ( Might) Desert Guard Mercenary in Act 2, Nightmare difficulty, depending on whether you want to slow monsters for added safety or improve the overall damage of your Mercenary.

• Weapon: Ethereal Infinity
• Body Armor: Ethereal Fortitude
• Helm: Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ral Rune

The following section features a generic Phoenix Strike Assassin early leveling guide.

1. 1 Point to Dragon Talon
2. 1 Point to Claw Mastery
3. Save next 3 points (including Den Point)
4. 3 Points to Burst of Speed at Level 6-8
5. 3 Points to Fists of Fire at Level 6-8
6. All Remaining Points to Fists of Fire until Level 30. If you want to also put some points into Claws of Thunder and Blades of Ice you can do that here as well.
7. All points into Phoenix Strike at Level 30 and beyond. Then Synergies.

For more comprehensive leveling advice, please refer to our Assassin Fastest Leveling Build.