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Lightning Sentry Assassin Guide

Season 8

Last Updated:August 10, 2024|Change Log

Are you looking for relaxing gameplay, massive damage output and no danger to your Character? Look no further than this beginner-friendly Lightning Sentry Assassin guide!
The Lightning Sentry / Death Sentry Assassin, aka Trapsin is THE staple build for starting an Assassin. Lay down Traps from a distance, and watch them attack enemies even while off-screen. It doesn't get much easier than that! With 3 damage types in total (Lightning, Fire, Physical) she can handle anything.
The Trapsin can quickly plow through massive monster groups using 2 different sentries. Create a domino effect by killing the first few monsters with Lightning Sentry, then Death Sentry’s Corpse Explosion deals with the rest.
Her high mobility through Burst of Speed and Teleport make the Trapsin a real joy to play.

Path 2.6: Traps now apply -x% Enemy Resistances, which finally elevates the Lightning Sentry Assassin to the next level.

Ideal Standard Variant
Ideal Standard Variant

Lightning Sentry

Death Sentry

Teleport

Fade

This build guide assumes you have a Character at Level 75 before transitioning to it. It follows the progression of our Assassin Leveling Guide and our General Leveling Strategies to reach Level 75.

Very Tanky ✔
High Mobility ✔
Low Complexity ✔

Beginner Friendly ✔
Low Entry Budget Option ✔

❌ Lightning Immunities
Best in Slot is expensive
Build Up Time For Damage
Bad Act Boss Farmer Early On
Requires Infinity For High Damage

Sunder Charm Setup

Patch 2.5 introduces a new way of breaking Immunities: Sunder Charms. Any enemy that would be Immune to your damage type is instead reduced to 95% Resistance, before any other Resistance reductions apply. (e.g. Conviction, Lower Resist) The Charm also reduces YOUR Resistance against the sundered damage type! Check out our post on Sunder Charms to learn more about these new Charms. The following setup uses Crack of the Heavens, allowing you to farm anywhere you want.

Sunder Charm Setup
Sunder Charm Setup

Gear Changes

With Patch 2.6, Traps finally apply -x% Enemy Lightning Resistances from your gear. Using Infinity, Griffon's Eye, Crescent Moon, and a Monarch with 4 Facets brings enemy Lightning Resistance down to -2. This is a massive upgrade from the +78% Lightning Resist before!

Counteract the Resistance penalty from Crack of the Heavens by equipping Shimmering Small Charm of Vita, and a pair of high Resistance Rare Boots cap out your Resistances. Use Fade to cover the rest.

Terror Zones

The new Terror Zone mechanic combined with Sunder Charms open up a wide range of farmable areas. The following list highlights the best and worst Terror Zones for this build on the Starter or Budget setup. With the Sunder Charm Setup, more Terror Zones become accessible. Learn more about Terror Zones here and see how they stack up in our Terror Zone Tier List.

Best

The Secret Cow Level - High Density, No Immunities
The Tower Cellar - High Density, Easy Mobility, Bosses
Arcane Sanctuary - High Density, No Immunities, Quick Access
Frigid Highlands - Quick Access, Only kill Eldritch the Rectifier
Worldstone Keep + Throne of Destruction - High Density, Easy Mobility, Quick Access, Bosses

Worst

City of the Damned - Immunities, Tanky enemies
Spider Forest - Immunities, Tanky enemies
Burial Grounds + Crypt + Mausoleum - Immunities, Slow Access
Arreat Plateau - Widespread Area, Low Density
Stony Field - Immunities

Skill Tree

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed
2. Fade
3. Cloak of Shadows
4. Mindblast
5. death sentry
6. Weapon Block

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Sentry
2. Shock Web
3. Charged Bolt Sentry
4. Death Sentry
5. fire blast

Remaining Skill Points are put into Weapon Block, wake of fire, or the optional Shadow Master.

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Damage Skills

Utility Skills

Attributes

Note: This section provides you with the standard Stat Point allocation. Build Variants can require a different allocation!

Strength

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Strength your gear provides when equipped.

Dexterity

Allocate enough Stat Points into Dexterity to equip all of your gear. Take into account how much Dexterity your gear provides when equipped.

Vitality

Allocate any remaining Stat Points into Vitality after meeting Strength, Dexterity and Energy requirements.

Energy

Don't allocate any Stat Points into Energy. This build gets enough Mana from gear, buffs, Charms, and Mana Potions.

Essentials

Gear Options

Farming Spots

Mercenary

Playstyle

Breakpoints

Hardcore

Build Variants

Starter
Standard
Mobility
Magic Find
Damage
Hardcore

Setup

Not much is needed to start off the Lightning Sentry Assassin. You are pretty much set with a Bone Wand of Lower Resistance (obtainable from Drognan in Act 2 Nightmare) to break Lightning Immunes. Apart from this, look for items that give you additional Skill Points, Increased Attack Speed and Stats like Life and Resistances. The gear setup on the right represents realistic gear obtained and used in the Assassin Leveling Guide. Temper, Ground, and hearth are great helmet options to improve either your Cold, Fire or Lightning resistances. hearth even provides Cannot Be Frozen which is important to maintain our Trap-laying speed.

Mercenary

The Mercenary deals with enemies Immune to your damage sources. Equip him with Resistances, Life, and an Insight Partizan to make him fairly durable and increase your Mana Regeneration.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mindblast

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Sentry
2. Death Sentry
3. Shock Web
4. Charged Bolt Sentry

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put remaining points into Vitality.

Setup

We sacrifice a single Cast Rate Breakpoint, to dual wield Claws with +6 to Lightning Sentry for a significant damage increase. These Claws are shoppable at Anya in Nightmare or Hell, Act 5. You'll have a 50/50 chance to get 2 Sockets at Larzuk using his Quest reward.
With Patch 2.6, -x% Enemy Lightning Resistance applies to your Trap attacks. Use Griffon's Eye and place as many Rainbow Facets as possible in your gear's sockets. Balance your Resistances with Fade, Rare Boots, and Charms. With Griffon's Eye, Arachnid Mesh, and Magefist we easily reach the 65% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint.

Mercenary

The Lightning Sentry Assassin requires a Mercenary with Infinity Thresher to be fully functional. With Fortitude Sacred Armor and Andariel's Visage he is capable of killing anything Immune to your Traps.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed
2. Fade
3. Cloak of Shadows
4. Mindblast
5. death sentry
6. Weapon Block

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Sentry
2. Shock Web
3. Charged Bolt Sentry
4. Death Sentry
5. fire blast

Remaining Skill Points are put into Weapon Block, wake of fire, or the optional Shadow Master.

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put remaining points into Vitality.

Setup

This variant is built around maximum mobility while sacrificing as little damage as possible. Enigma Mage Plate is a staple part of all variants, providing us with Teleport. To hit the Breakpoint at 102% Faster Cast Rate, use the combination of a Griffon's Eye, a Caster Crafted Amulet with at least 5% FCR, a Spirit Monarch with at least +32% Faster Cast Rate, Magefist, and Arachnid Mesh. Capping out your Resistances might is difficult here. Balance them out with Resistance Charms, the Doom Touch Ring, Mara's Kaleidoscope and Rare Boots.

Mercenary

The Lightning Sentry Assassin requires a Mercenary with Infinity Thresher to be fully functional. With Fortitude Sacred Armor and Andariel's Visage he is capable of killing anything Immune to your Traps.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed
2. Fade
3. Cloak of Shadows
4. Mindblast
5. death sentry

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Sentry
2. Shock Web
3. Charged Bolt Sentry
4. Death Sentry
5. fire blast

Remaining Skill Points are put into wake of fire, or the optional Shadow Master.

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put remaining points into Vitality.

Setup

This variant combines the mobility of +102% Faster Cast Rate, decent damage, and as much Magic Find as possible to farm recommended areas. Use Entrapping Grand Charm of Vita over Magic Find Small Charms in high player count scenarios.
Use Heart of the Oak Flail, Spirit Monarch, an Amulet with +10% Faster Cast Rate, and Arachnid Mesh to reach the Breakpoint at 102% Faster Cast Rate. Equip War Traveler, Fortuitous Ring of Fortune, Chance Guards, and Harlequin Crest for optimal Magic Find. If you lack damage with it, stick with Griffon's Eye.

Mercenary

The Lightning Sentry Assassin requires a Mercenary with Infinity Thresher to be fully functional. With Fortitude Sacred Armor and Andariel's Visage he is capable of killing anything Immune to your Traps.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed
2. Fade
3. Cloak of Shadows
4. Mindblast
5. death sentry

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Sentry
2. Shock Web
3. Charged Bolt Sentry
4. Death Sentry
5. fire blast

Remaining Skill Points are put into wake of fire, or the optional Shadow Master.

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put remaining points into Vitality.

Setup

The Damage variant of the Lightning Sentry Assassin sacrifices the survivability of battle orders for the ultimate min-max damage against Immune to Lightning monsters. Replace the call to arms setup with Crescent Moon + 4 Rainbow Facet Monarch setup. Lay your traps on the main Weapon Swap (dual Claws) and switch to your secondary Weapon Swap when all 5 lightning sentry traps are active. This setup requires you to use fade for Resistances, so make sure you have enough Attack Speed Jewels in your Claws to reach the highest possible Attack Speed Breakpoint!

Mercenary

The Lightning Sentry Assassin requires a Mercenary with Infinity Thresher to be fully functional. With Fortitude Sacred Armor and Andariel's Visage he is capable of killing anything Immune to your Traps.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mindblast
4. death sentry

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Sentry
2. Shock Web
3. Charged Bolt Sentry
4. Fireblast
5. wake of fire
6. wake of inferno

Remaining Skill Points are put into Weapon Block or the optional Shadow Master.

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength and Dexterity to wear your gear. Put remaining points into Vitality.

Setup

This variant provides the maximum survivability while sacrificing as little damage as possible. It is based on the Standard variant and simply uses a Stormshield with an Eld Rune to give easy access to the maximum Chance to Block and Damage Reduced by 43%.
If you want to reach the Breakpoint at +102% Faster Cast Rate, or don't have access to the +6 to Traps Claws, you can exchange them for Heart of the Oak Flail.

Mercenary

The Lightning Sentry Assassin requires a Mercenary with Infinity Thresher to be fully functional. With Fortitude Sacred Armor and Andariel's Visage he is capable of killing anything Immune to your Traps.

Skills

Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mindblast
4. death sentry

Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Lightning Sentry
2. Shock Web
3. Charged Bolt Sentry
4. Fireblast
5. wake of fire
6. wake of inferno

Remaining Skill Points are put into Weapon Block or the optional Shadow Master.

Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression
Use the Scroll Bar to see Skill Point Progression

Attributes

Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and Dexterity to reach 75% Chance to Block. Put remaining points into Vitality.

Mechanics

Lightning Sentry

Death Sentry

Burst of Speed

Teleport

Summary

  • Place 5x Lightning Sentry on a single spot to focus fire on a target. After the target dies, place 1-2 Death Sentrys to blow up the surrounding monsters with the corpse.
  • Attacks from Traps now benefit from -x% Enemy Lightning Resistance on your gear! Use Crescent Moon, and Griffon's Eye!
  • Position your Mercenary close to enemies for the Conviction Aura.
  • Use Fire Blast for Lightning and Physical Immune monsters.
  • Keep up Burst of Speed at all times.
  • Use Fade instead of Burst of Speed if you want to cap Resistances and Physical Damage Reduction.
  • Cloak of Shadows and Mindblast are great sources of Crowd Control.

We hope you enjoy this build! A mix of extremely high safety and Crowd Control awaits you. With a total of 3 damage types you can deal with almost everything the game throws at you!

Good luck!

Credits

Written by Teo1904
Reviewed by MacroBioBoi and Lexyu

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