Darkness Sith Assassin 5.x Tank Class Guide

Details: Category: Discipline Guides; Last Updated: Saturday, June 10th, 2017; Published: Sunday, January 1st, 2017; Written by Bant & Hayward

Change Discipline:

Gearing & Stats

The tables on this page were generated using optimizer scripts created by Bant aka Goblin_Lackey. The stats were calculated to give the maximum theoretical DPS/HPS/DTPS for each discipline, however you may wish to alter the builds depending on your play style or what content you are facing in SWTOR. Each table assumes you have a full set of the specified gear.

Suggested Best-in-Slot Stats

Name	GEMINI MK-5 Tier 4: Legendary (248)	GEMINI MK-3 Tier 4: Artifact (246)	Iokath MK-5 Tier 3: Legendary (242)	Iokath MK-2 Tier 3: Artifact (240)	Eternal Commander MK-15 Tier 2: Legendary (236)	Eternal Commander MK-13 Tier 2: Artifact (234)
Mastery	7127	6850	6714	6714	6451	6315
Power	910	910	910	910	910	910
Critical	0	0	0	0	0	0
Alacrity	0	0	0	0	0	0
Accuracy	0	0	0	0	0	0
Absorb	1749 (3xE, 11xA)	1648 (4xE, 8xA)	1628 (4xE, 8xA)	1628 (4xE, 8xA)	1723 (7xE, 3xA)	1696 (8xE, 1xA)
Defense	4063	3875	3793	3793	3605	3523
Shield	2037 (7xE, 3xA)	2020 (6xE, 6xA)	1986 (6xE, 6xA)	1986 (6xE, 6xA)	1785 (3xE, 11xA)	1758 (2xE, 13xA)

"E" = Enhancement or Implant or Earpiece
"A" = Advanced _ Augment 45
"C" = Advanced _ _ Color Crystal (+41 ones)

Discipline Statistics

Name	GEMINI MK-5 Tier 4: Legendary (248)	GEMINI MK-3 Tier 4: Artifact (246)	Iokath MK-5 Tier 3: Legendary (242)	Iokath MK-2 Tier 3: Artifact (240)	Eternal Commander MK-15 Tier 2: Legendary (236)	Eternal Commander MK-13 Tier 2: Artifact (234)
DTPS	2,414	2,445	2,464	2,469	2,500	2,524
% Reduction	75.86 %	75.55 %	75.36 %	75.31 %	75 %	74.76 %

DPS Rankings

Current Rank	Previous Rank	Rank Change	DPS	Standard Error	vs Average DPS (9,991)	Imperial Class	Republic Class
5	5	-	10,336	+/- 284	+3.46%	Annihilation Marauder	Watchman Sentinel
8	8	-	10,150	+/- 299	+1.6%	Carnage Marauder	Combat Sentinel
12	8	4	9,828	+/- 351	-1.63%	Fury Marauder	Concentration Sentinel
10	10	-	10,027	+/- 372	+0.36%	Vengeance Juggernaut	Vigilance Guardian
11	15	4	9,857	+/- 488	-1.34%	Rage Juggernaut	Focus Guardian
7	7	-	10,157	+/- 582	+1.67%	Deception Assassin	Infiltration Shadow
14	13	1	9,640	+/- 346	-3.51%	Hatred Assassin	Serenity Shadow
18	18	-	9,327	+/- 304	-6.64%	Lightning Sorcerer	Telekinetics Sage
16	16	-	9,520	+/- 268	-4.71%	Madness Sorcerer	Balance Sage
9	9	-	10,054	+/- 516	+0.64%	Arsenal Mercenary	Gunnery Commando
4	4	-	10,432	+/- 414	+4.42%	Innovative Ordnance Mercenary	Assault Specialist Commando
13	12	1	9,679	+/- 505	-3.12%	Advanced Prototype Powertech	Tactics Vanguard
15	14	1	9,556	+/- 383	-4.35%	Pyrotech Powertech	Plasmatech Vanguard
17	17	-	9,448	+/- 461	-5.43%	Marksmanship Sniper	Sharpshooter Gunslinger
3	3	-	10,441	+/- 270	+4.51%	Engineering Sniper	Saboteur Gunslinger
2	2	-	10,467	+/- 161	+4.77%	Virulence Sniper	Dirty Fighting Gunslinger
6	6	-	10,157	+/- 526	+1.67%	Concealment Operative	Scrapper Scoundrel
1	1	-	10,754	+/- 322	+7.64%	Lethality Operative	Ruffian Scoundrel

Note: DPS rankings assume best-in-slot 242-rating gear.

Suggested Best-in-Slot Gear & Items

Type	Quantity	Name
Augment	3	Advanced Shield Augment 45 (228)
Augment	11	Advanced Absorb Augment 45 (228)
Enhancement Earpiece Implant	3	Sturdiness Enhancement 52 or GEMINI MK-5 Bulwark Device or GEMINI MK-5 Bulwark Package (248)
Enhancement Earpiece Implant	7	Immunity Enhancement 52 or GEMINI MK-5 Bastion Device or GEMINI MK-5 Bastion Package (248)
Color Crystal	2	Advanced _ Indestructible Crystal (136)
Mod	9	Warding Mod 52 (248)
Relic	1	GEMINI MK-5 Relic of Reactive Warding (248)
Relic	1	GEMINI MK-5 Relic of Shield Amplification (248)
Armoring	8	Resistive Armoring 52 (248)
Hilt	1	Resistive Hilt 52 (248)
Stim	1	Advanced Polybiotic Fortitude Stim
Medpac	N/A	Advanced Polybiotic Medpac
Adrenals	N/A	Advanced Polybiotic Shield Adrenal

Note: Tank B mods are to our knowledge currently unavailable, however if you find one you can swap Warding Mod 52 for Warding Mod 52B with minmal impact on mitigation.

Set Bonuses

Pieces	Set Bonus
2	Wither or Slow Time increases damage reduction by 2% for 3 seconds.
4	Wither or Slow Time reduces the cooldown of Mind Control and Mass Mind Control by 2 seconds per activation.
6	Dark Ward's or Kinetic Ward's duration is increased by 3 seconds and charges are increased by 3.

Suggested Utility Skills

PvE

Suggested PvE Utility Build

Unknown - please email us one at admin@torcommunity.com!

Suggested PvE Utilities

Unknown - please email us one at admin@torcommunity.com!

Abilities

Darkness Discipline Abilities

Name	Description	Type
Wither	Causes up to 8 targets to wither under the weight of the Force, dealing <<1>> kinetic damage, slowing the movement speed of all affected targets by 30% for 10 seconds, and weakening all affected targets for 45 seconds. Weakened targets deal 5% less melee and ranged damage. Does not damage sleeping, lifted, or incapacitated enemies. This ability generates a high amount of threat.	Instant
Discharge	Strike up to 8 nearby enemies with dark energy, dealing <<1>> internal damage and generating a high amount of threat.	Instant
Depredating Volts	Deals <<1>> energy damage to the target and consumes 40 Force over the duration of the channel. Slows the movement speed of the target by 50% and stuns weak or standard enemies while channeled. This ability can be channeled while moving.	Channeled
Dark Ward	Surrounds you in a dark ward with 15 charges that increases your shield chance by 15% for 20 seconds. Each time you successfully shield, Dark Ward loses 1 charge. Does not break Stealth.	Instant
Force Pull	Uses the Force to draw the target in, instantly pulling it to your location and generating a high amount of threat. Does not work against targets in cover.	Instant

Sith Assassin Advanced Class Abilities

Name	Description	Type
Stealth	Enters stealth mode, increasing your stealth level by 15 and making your movements difficult to detect, but slowing movement speed to 85% of normal. Your companion will not react to enemy attacks while in stealth. Most hostile actions prematurely end the effect. Cannot be used in combat.	Instant
Mass Mind Control	Forces all enemies within 15 meters to attack you for 6 seconds if Dark Charge is active. If Dark Charge is not active, threat towards all current enemies is immediately reduced. Player targets deal 30% less damage for 6 seconds when attacking anyone other than you.	Instant
Spike	Spikes the target upon an overloaded lightsaber, dealing <<1>> energy damage and stunning the target for 2 seconds. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff. Only usable in stealth mode.	Instant
Lacerate	Deals <<1>> weapon damage to up to 8 targets within 5 meters. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff.	Instant
Assassin's Training	Increases your total Endurance by 3%. In addition, Saber Strike restores 1 Force each time it damages an enemy.	Passive
Maul	Deals <<1>> weapon damage to a single target. Only usable from behind the target. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff.	Instant
Assassinate	Attempts to assassinate the target, dealing <<1>> weapon damage. Only usable on targets at or below 30% max health.	Instant
Mind Control	Controls the mind of the target, forcing it to attack you for 6 seconds. Player targets deal 30% less damage for 6 seconds when attacking anyone other than you.	Instant
Lightning Charge	Lightning pulses through your double-bladed lightsaber, giving your melee attacks a 50% chance to deal <<1>> energy damage.	Passive
Guard	While active, the guarded player takes 5% less damage and generates 25% less threat. In addition, so long as you remain within 15 meters of the guarded player, 50% of all incoming damage from enemy players is transferred back to you.	Instant
Force Shroud	Purges all hostile removable effects and increases your chance to resist Force and tech attacks by 200% for 3 seconds. Does not break Stealth.	Instant
Thrash	Strikes the target twice. Each hit deals <<1>> weapon damage.	Instant
Discharge	Unleashes your current lightsaber charge upon the target, applying an effect based on your current charge. Only usable with a charged double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff. Dark Charge: Strikes up to 8 nearby enemies, dealing <<1>> internal damage and generating a high amount of threat. Puts Discharge on cooldown for 10 seconds. Lightning Charge: Deals <<2>> energy damage over 18 seconds. Surging Charge: Releases your Static Charge to deal <<4>> internal damage. This damage scales up with each stack of Static Charge.	Instant
Mind Trap	Traps the target's mind, leaving it bewildered and unable to act for 60 seconds. Damage will break the effect prematurely. This ability is only usable in stealth mode and cannot be used against a target in combat. Only one target can be incapacitated at any given time. Cannot be used on droids.	Instant
Deflection	Increases your ranged and melee defenses by 50% for 12 seconds. Requires a melee weapon.	Instant
Phantom Stride	Use the Force to move through time and space, appearing at your enemy target and increasing your movement speed by 75% for 3 seconds. Does not break stealth. Cannot be used against targets in cover. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff.	Instant
Exploitive Strikes	Critical hits with Force attacks increase your melee critical chance by 5% for 10 seconds.	Passive
Overcharge Saber	Overcharges your lightsaber charge for 15 seconds, immediately restoring 15% of your max health, increasing the damage of all Charges by 50%, increasing the chance to trigger their effects by 25%, and healing you for <<2>> when their effects are triggered. The triggered healing cannot occur more than once per second. Requires a double-bladed lightsaber or electrostaff.	Instant
Force Cloak	Uses the Force to vanish from sight, immediately exiting combat and entering stealth mode. For 10 seconds, you become virtually undetectable.	Instant

Sith Inquisitor Class Abilities

Name	Description	Type
Overload	Deals <<1>> energy damage and knocks back up to 8 enemies within a 15-meter cone in front of you. Standard and weak enemies are additionally knocked down for 3 seconds.	Instant
Recklessness	Grants 2 charges of Recklessness, which increases the Force critical chance of your direct attacks and heals by 60%. Each time a direct Force ability critically hits or each time a channeled Force ability is activated, 1 charge is consumed. Lasts 20 seconds.	Instant
Shock	Shocks the target for <<1>> energy damage. Standard and weak targets are additionally stunned for 3 seconds.	Instant
Force Slow	Deals <<1>> kinetic damage and slows the target's movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds.	Instant
Whirlwind	Traps the target in a whirlwind for 8 seconds. Non-player, non-standard, and non-weak targets heal rapidly while trapped. Damage causes this effect to end prematurely.	Casted
Force Speed	Increases movement speed by 150% for 2 seconds. Does not break Stealth.	Instant
Jolt	Interrupts the target's current action and prevents that ability from being used for 4 seconds.	Instant
Electrocute	Electrocutes the target, dealing <<1>> energy damage and stunning it for 4 seconds.	Instant
Unbreakable Will	Summons the unbreakable will of the Sith, immediately purging incapacitating and movement-impairing effects.	Instant
Saber Strike	Deals <<1>> weapon damage spread across a flurry of 3 melee attacks.	Instant
Mark of Power	Increases the target's Mastery by 5% and internal and elemental damage reduction by 10% for 60 minutes. If the target is a group member, all other group members are also affected.	Instant
Heroic Moment	Seize the moment, restoring 2% of your maximum health every 3 seconds. Requires an active companion. Lasts 60 seconds.	Instant

Rotation

Shock > Filler > Wither > Filler > Shock > Filler > Depredating Volts > Depredating Volts*

Filler: Discharge (6%) / Thrash (0%) / Mault (16%/0%) / Assassinate (0%/16%) / Saber Strike (44%)

Minor Rotation:
Major Rotation: 8 GCDs

Comments: Tank Classes are handled differently and the dps rotation changes based on the resource proc bonuses of a boss hitting you. Time averaged Absorb is calculated based on the boss attack rate and attack type and the current defense and shield chances. All rotations for tanks are for Energy Balanced DPS.

References: KeyboardNinja, Aelanis, Dipstik, Methoxa

About the Author

Author: Hayward

Hayward founded TORCommunity in 2008 the day after SWTOR was announced. Engineer by day, software dev by night, he does his best to keep the site up to date.

Darkness Sith Assassin 5.x Tank Class Guide

Gearing & Stats

Suggested Best-in-Slot Stats

Discipline Statistics

DPS Rankings

Suggested Best-in-Slot Gear & Items

Set Bonuses

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