5-8 Bleed Stacks on Critical Hit.
12-24% Rending on Enemy Weak Spot Hit for 3.5s. Stacks 5 times.
30-60% Rending on Critical Hit.
10% Critical Chance for every 0.3-0.45 second while aiming. Stacks 10 times. Discharges all stacks upon firing.
The Death Cult Assassin is your go-to build for juking out entire hordes of enemies while dealing massive damage. While playing this build, you'll have all the tools you need to quickly defeat any enemy and get yourself out of tough situations unscathed.
Weapons
Combat Blade - The fastest weapon in the game by far, this knife can deal huge heavy attack damage to individuals and inflict a ton of Bleed on groups of enemies thanks to your Blessings and Talents. It also has the best Dodge Distance out of any weapon, keeping you mobile throughout the fight. The Catachan MK III is preferred here, as you will be relying on Bleed to deal with Hordes, so the extra Assassin attacks are desired to kill mixed-in Elites faster. Alternatively, Duelling Swords are a higher-damage option with less survivability, but plenty of interplay with your Crit Talents.
Perks
Blessings
Quickdraw Stub Revolver - High damage at any range. With its associated Blessings, this weapon can one-shot any Special enemy, and rapidly kills Crushers to boot. Bolt Pistols are an excellent alternative here, or Bolters if you're looking for more boss killing potential at the expense of accuracy at range.
The Death Cult Assassin is built entirely around using your Knife to quickly engage, apply Crits and Bleed to your enemies, and dodge away before anything can hit you. Fury of the Faithful allows you to get wherever you're needed as well as restoring Toughness in a pinch, while the combination of Lacerate, Scourge, and Blazing Piety gives you a steady supply of Critical Strikes. Invocation of Death will keep Fury of the Faithful available whenever you need it, so with careful Ability and Toughness management, you should always have a way to stay alive and out of danger.
You will be constantly dodging in combat - side to side, or around enemies - so Backstabber and Uncanny Strike will further increase the damage you cause, punching through any armour as if it weren't there. Duellist, Good Balance, and Second Wind will reward your dodges with survivability and further damage, synergizing with Benediction, your Operative Modifiers, and your Crit Strikes and Enduring Faith to grant you a huge Toughness Damage Reduction score in case you get hit. When you finally take damage, Until Death will be there to keep your momentum up, preventing you from getting downed, and Holy Revenant will stop enemies from whittling you down once Until Death wears off.
When wielding your Combat Blade, your best plan of attack is to dodge side-to-side while attacking and pushing enemies, keeping them corralled into a small area to maximise your damage and the damage of your Team. Light Attacks will apply stacks of Bleed to swathes of enemies at a time, giving decent horde clear potential, while Heavy Attacks quickly eliminate tougher foes, and should be focused on Elites as often as you are able. Support your Team by cleaning up dangerous enemies, using Fury of the Faithful to come to the rescue of threatened Teammates, and using your Revolver to eliminate ranged Specials and Ogryns before they can become a problem. A few well-placed shots should be enough to put even a Crusher down.
Blades of Faith is an additional layer of protection, quickly removing Trappers, Pox Hounds, and various other Specials before they can throw off your rhythm and without having to switch weapons, and the sheer attack speed of the Combat Blade will keep Pox Hounds a minor threat at best. With some practice, you will be able to weave your Light Attacks, Heavy Attacks, Push/Attacks, and Blades of Faith into a natural, undisturbed flow, turning any mix of enemies into a bleeding mess within seconds.
Always keep your back clear and have an escape route planned if you can - Becoming completely surrounded will quickly leave you open to attacks, and while you will usually survive, you'll do so licking your wounds. Shoving and dodging backwards, before breaking out into a sprint, will give you some distance when you need it, allowing you to plan a better fighting position.
The Death Cult Assassin, as its name implies, is excellent for eliminating enemies on the battlefield in a flurry of sanguine blades. With some practice, nothing - not even a Daemonhost - can best you in a one-on-one fight.
The only limit to your power in combat is your own reaction time. Get practicing, reject.
