Rift Assassin Guide
Last Updated:August 10, 2024|Change Log
The Rift Assassin (aka Riftsin) is a build defined by the Rift Runeword. This Assassin makes use of Dragon Talon to proc as many Frozen Orbs as possible. Combined with the Physical Damage of Dragon Talon, Death Sentry's Physical and Fire Damage combo, and the extra Poison Damage granted by Venom, the Riftsin uses 4 Damage Types to destroy her enemies.
Her gear options are very flexible, as she only requires Rift (or its cheaper substitute, Voice of Reason) and Elite-Base Boots to function. Teleport mobility and the reliable Life Sustain provided by Dracul's Grasp are also nice on this build.
The Riftsin is best at stacking Magic Find and Elite sniping in virtually every Farming Spot, including Terror Zones. The main drawback of the Standard Rift Assassin is that it is only effective in Low Player Count games (/Players1-3 in Single Player). This is because she has limited means of scaling the Frozen Orb Damage.
This build guide assumes you have a Character at Level 75 before transitioning to it. Check out our Assassin Leveling Guide and our General Leveling Strategies to reach Level 75.
Solid Elite Hunter ✔
Multiple Damage Types ✔
Effective In Any Farming Spot ✔
Unique And Exciting Playstyle ✔
❌ Somewhat Clunky
❌ Dangerous Playstyle
❌ Limited To Low Player Count
❌ Requires GG Gear For Full Potential
Sunder Charm Setup
Patch 2.5 introduced 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 either uses Cold Rupture, Flame Rift or both, depending on your Farming Spot:
- Only Cold Rupture in areas that primarily has Immune to Cold monsters.
- Only Flame Rift in areas that primarily has Immune to Fire monsters.
- Cold Rupture and Flame Rift in areas with monsters both Immune to Cold and Immune to Fire.
Gear Changes
The Rift Assassin can utilize both Cold Rupture and Flame Rift, but the only places to further optimize them are your Helmet and Shield. Prioritize -x% Enemy Cold Resistance by socketing 5/5 Cold Facets into whatever gear you can. This approach nets you the most damage.
Your inventory has a lot of space for Resistance Charms. Use this space to counteract the negative effects of Cold Rupture and Flame Rift.
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
✔ Ancient Tunnels - Many Elite Groups, High Density, Easy Mobility, No Immunities
✔ Rocky Waste + Stony Tomb - High Density, Easy Mobility Many Elite Groups, Few Immunities
✔ Tristram - High Density, Easy Mobility, Many Elite Groups, Few Immunities
✔ Cathedral + Catacombs - Many Elite Groups, Few Immunities
✔ The Tower Cellar - Many Elite Groups, Few Immunities
Worst
❌ Ancients' Way + Icy Cellar - High Physical Damage, Immunities
❌ Glacial Trail + Drifter Cavern - High Physical Damage, Tanky Enemies, Immunities
❌ Lost City + Valley of Snakes + Claw Viper Temple - High Physical Damage, Tanky Enemies, Immunities
❌ Blood Moor + Den of Evil - Low Density, Few Elite Groups, Immunities
❌ Arreat Plateau + Pit of Acheron - Low Density, Few Elite Groups, Trash Mobility, Immunities
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Dragon Flight
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mind Blast
4. Blade Shield
5. Fade
6. Shadow Warrior (Max Last)
Put 9 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed (Max Attack Speed)
2. Fire Blast (3, 6, 9, or 12 Skill Points)
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Dragon Talon
2. Venom
3. Death Sentry
4. Shadow Warrior
Damage
Utility
Attributes
Note: This section provides you with the standard Stat Point allocation. Build Variants may require different allocations!
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
Do not allocate any Stat Points into Energy. Mana costs are covered by the “x% Mana stolen per hit” stat, Charms, buffs, and Mana Potions.
Essentials
Gear Options
Farming Spots
Mercenary
Playstyle
Breakpoints
Hardcore
Build Variants
Setup
The Starter variant of the Rift Assassin meets the minimum gear requirements for farming the Starter ✔ tagged areas in the "Farming Spots" section above. These areas can be Solo-farmed by this setup (/Players1 on Single Player) in both Nightmare and Hell difficulty. Prioritize Kick Damage, Attack Speed, Crushing Blow, Resistances, Attack Rating, Cannot Be Frozen, and Life/Attributes on your gear. Voice of Reason is a cheaper alternative to Rift that provides reliable Frozen Orb procs. Double Upgraded Goblin Toe provides you with high Kick Damage. A % Mana Stolen Per Hit Ring helps this setup sustain. A Staff of Teleportation on Weapon-Swap allows you to travel short distances (Dragon Flight allows you to use monsters to reposition). Follow the Assassin Leveling Guide to get your Assassin to Level 75.
Mercenary
An Act 5 Frenzy Mercenary using Lawbringers is ideal for a Starter Rift Assassin. Sanctuary and Decrepify provide added safety and damage. Mercenaries require Resistances, Life Leech, and/or Damage Reduction to stay alive. Smoke is a cheap Body Armor option for much needed Resistances.
Skills
Use Shadow Master instead of Shadow Warrior for its superior tankiness. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Dragon Flight
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mind Blast
4. Blade Shield
5. Fade
6. Shadow Master (Max Last)
Put 9 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed (Max Attack Speed)
2. Fire Blast (3, 6, 9, or 12 Skill Points)
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Dragon Talon
2. Venom
3. Death Sentry
4. Shadow Master
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough Stat Points into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
The Budget Rift Assassin achieves solid results with gear that is much easier to acquire than the gear on the Standard Build. This setup can comfortably farm Ancient Tunnels, Arachnid Lair, Stony Tomb, and other areas with few or no Cold Immunes. This build makes use of several lower-end gear options that still provide solid Damage, Attack Rating, Resistances, Damage Reduction, Magic Find, and the Cannot Be Frozen stat. Items such as Duress, Rockstopper, and Moser's Blessed Circle help accomplish this. Naj's Puzzler provides you with extra mobility. If you can acquire Cold Rupture you can kill Immune to Cold mobs.
Mercenary
The Budget Rift Assassin Mercenary is an Act 2 Might Mercenary with Insight for the Mana Regeneration it provides. Treachery and Tal Rasha's Horadric Crest provide additional DPS and survivability.
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Dragon Flight
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mind Blast
4. Blade Shield
5. Fade
6. Shadow Warrior (Max Last)
Put 9 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed (Max Attack Speed)
2. Fire Blast (3, 6, 9, or 12 Skill Points)
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Dragon Talon
2. Venom
3. Death Sentry
4. Shadow Warrior
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough Stat Points into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
This is the Standard Best in Slot (BiS) Rift Assassin featured in the beginning of the guide. It is the balanced "jack-of-all-trades" version, capable of performing the most tasks well. This variant is the point of comparison for all other variants. It carefully balances Damage, Magic Find, Resistances, Life Sustain, and Teleport mobility. Cold Rupture allows this build to smash Immune to Cold mobs. This setup reaches the 65% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on its main weapon loadout.
Mercenary
Skills
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Dragon Flight
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mind Blast
4. Blade Shield
5. Fade
6. Shadow Warrior (Max Last)
Put 9 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed (Max Attack Speed)
2. Fire Blast (3, 6, 9, or 12 Skill Points)
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Dragon Talon
2. Venom
3. Death Sentry
4. Shadow Warrior
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
The Hybrid Rift Assassin uses a fully Synergized Lightning Sentry in addition to the Frozen Orb from Rift to more easily deal with High Player Count (/Players5-8 in Single Player). With 5 Damage Types (Cold, Fire, Physical, Poison, Lightning) from several Damage Skills, there is nothing this variant cannot kill. Griffon's Eye and Entrapping Grand Charms are essential for high Lightning Sentry damage. This Riftsin reaches the 102% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on its main weapon loadout.
Mercenary
Just like the Standard Build, the Hybrid Rift Assassin Mercenary is an Act 2 Might Mercenary with Infinity, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
The Hybrid Rift Assassin maxes out Lightning Sentry and all of its Synergies. This is at the expense of Skill Points into Venom, Fire Blast, Death Sentry, and Shadow Warrior.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Dragon Flight
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mind Blast
4. Blade Shield
5. Fade
6. Venom
7. Shadow Warrior
8. Death Sentry (Max Last)
Put 9 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed (Max Attack Speed)
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Dragon Talon
2. Lightning Sentry
3. Shock Web
4. Charged Bolt Sentry
5. Death Sentry
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear. Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Setup
For the Hardcore mode variant, aim for 50% Damage Reduction and maximum Chance to Block (75%) to guard against taking extreme amounts of Physical Damage. Additionally, overcap Resistances beyond the natural cap of 75% if possible to counteract hostile Conviction or Lower Resist (Fade can help achieve this). If you choose to use Cold Rupture, stack additional Cold Resistance to counteract its negative effect. This setup reaches the 65% Faster Cast Rate Breakpoint on Weapon-Swap. Consult the "Hardcore" section for more detailed information.
Mercenary
Just like the Standard Build, the Hardcore Rift Assassin Mercenary is an Act 2 Might Mercenary with Infinity, Fortitude, and Andariel's Visage socketed with a Ruby Jewel of Fervor.
Skills
Max Shadow Master instead of Shadow Warrior for its superior tankiness. You can also choose to use and invest additional Skill Points into Fade on a Hardcore Dragon Tail Assassin. The rest is the same as the Standard Build.
Put 1 Skill Point into each of the following Skills:
1. Dragon Flight
2. Cloak of Shadows
3. Mind Blast
4. Blade Shield
5. Fade
6. Shadow Master (Max Last)
Put 7-9 Skill Points into the following Skills:
1. Burst of Speed (Max Attack Speed)
2. Fire Blast (3, 6, 9, or 12 Skill Points)
Max out the following Skills in this order:
1. Dragon Talon
2. Venom
3. Death Sentry
4. Shadow Master
Attributes
Allocate enough Stat Points into Strength to wear your gear and enough Stat Points into Dexterity to achieve maximum Chance to Block (75%). Put all remaining Stat Points into Vitality.
Summary
- Lay down Death Sentry Traps before "Telestomping" Elites with Dragon Flight and using Dragon Talon to proc Frozen Orbs.
- Buff yourself with Burst of Speed, Venom, Battle Command, and Battle Orders.
- The Shadow Warrior only uses the Skills that you have selected in your Skill Bar. Make sure they buff themselves with Burst of Speed, then keep Death Sentry on right click while engaging mobs.
- The Riftsin is limited to low Player Count. It is not very effective with more than 3 Players in a game (/Players 3 in Single Player)!
- Immunities are not a problem. The Rift Assassin deals 4 Damage Types! Farm anywhere you want!
The Rift Assassin sports a fun and unique playstyle that feels rewarding when executed properly. Fell your enemies with a flurry of Orbs! "Assassin Sorceress" OP!
Good luck!
Credits
Written by DarkHumility
Original Post by Teo1904
Reviewed by MacroBioBoi