Best class for backstabbing?

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Which class is the best for backstabbing? Assassin? Fighter/Thief? Stalker?

 

Assassin gets the best multiplier (eventually x7). If you dual class him to Fighter, you'll hit with those backstabs more often, but that's a long turnaround.

 

Absolute best would be an SK'ed Fighter/Assassin, but if you're looking for a legal best, the x7 backstab is much better than any bonuses you could get with the others. Assassin (with girdle of * giant strength) all the way.

 

Either an Assassin or a high-level Kensai/Thief. If you're talking about finding the absolute top backstabber (in terms of max damage/hit) then it would probably be something like a Kensai(21)/Thief(x); +7 damage from Kensai bonus with Grandmastery in Staves and the Staff of Striking should chunk just about anything vulnerable to backstabs. Assassin may still top this, though, as the jump from x5 damage to x7 is significant.

It's also possible that Sarevok's Deathbringer Assault could be factored into backstabs were you to dual-class him to thief. I doubt this would be so, but if it did, then this would make him top banana by quite some distance, with an awesome +1000 points of damage with a x5 backstab modifier. Of course, I've never tested it, so I suggest you might not want to count on it. You'll have to make do with just the occasional +200 points of damage!

 

I've seen screenshots of Sarevok's Deathbringer Assault in a Backstab.

It ain't pretty.

 

Yeah, I saw that thing on the Ironworks forum. Sarevok was dual-classed, level 32 as a thief, used the Critical Strike feat and backstabbed. It did about 850 damage.

 

How about dualing and then SK'ing Sarevok to a fighter/assassin? Now that's a backstab!
Although it won't be much of a backstab, more like a "back-cut-in-half"

 

Using SK to make a Fighter/Assassin mc leads to a powerful backstabber, but a Kensai/Thief mc (with XP cap remover) the same way is better. The numbers may be a bit off but I think...

F/assassin - If using a katana with one prof point and 15 str (no bonuses or penalties) were to b.stab it would have 115 potential damage (obtainable trough kai):

Thats 10 Katana, 13 damage from kensai = 23 x 5 = 115

A fighter/assassin would have 10 katana x7 = 70 damage maximum.

By level 21 when the assassin gets his final multiplier increase, the kensai side already would have roughlt +5 or 6 damage which would still be better than than the assassins multi by about 5 or 10.

So making Sarevok a Kensai/Thief would be more powerful... although doesnt really fit with his descriptio of 'Armoured Man'

 

But that's cheating, Thor.

 

Cheating? Well, i guess, but it's alot of fun!
*Wanders off dreaming of Sarevok, the Kensai/Assassin*

 

High STR isn't essential for a backstab.
I'd say that Assassin is probably the best legit option: x7 is really nice.
Stalker isn't so bad but it takes a lot of XP before it pays off (the same goes for MC and DC).

 

Can a thief backstab with the Paladin sword? I can't remember the name of it for the life of me.

 

No - you can only backstab with weapons that a thief can normally use.

 

Assasin with assasination+good weapon (Celestial Fury(+girdle of *giant strenght=death machine

 

STR is the frosting, not the cake: when you have a x7 multiplier Gauntlets of Expertise are much better than any girdle of STR.

 

Thx for the suggestions.

I imported a halfling thief from BG1+ToS and turned him into an assasin. The poison is also fun because it works most of the time, even on golems and you can poison ranged weapons.

This dual classing stuff sounds boring.
I would need to play the entire SOA game as a Kensai(I'm no fan of fighters).

 

Got the Tuigan's Bow yet Luzifer? Give it a go...I think you'll like what you get!

Also...Assassin's are by far the BEST backstabbers in the game from get go.

Just give them a cool weapon like Short Sword of the Mask +5 or heck, even Stiletto of the Demarchess +2 and you're good to go.

 

What about a F/T MC using critical strike in combination with backstab? Another advantage of taking a F/T MC is that you get to specialize in weapons, meaning (if you are dual wielding) you can use the assassinate thief skill, and effectively get three backstab damage hits in one round (all hits that round do backstab damage). Since all the other combinations only get the single backstab attack, on a per round basis, I think a F/T + assassinate skill would top everything (except possibly a Sarevok backstab + deathbringer.

 

@Aldeth: That would be by the end of the game (unless if you solo), interesting option nevertheless... The Assassin's poison ability is fun in SoA (especially with the bow Faraaz mentioned).

 

True, seeing as how you can't get assassinate until you hit 3 million XP - so late SoA at the earliest.