Assassin Guide: Sable
Sable the Assassin joins in Stage 4 of Endless Curse and is the fastest of the seven heroes. Her HP is on the low side, but she has the widest mix of elements, so there's a skill that counters almost any enemy.
01Overview
| Name | Sable (Assassin) |
|---|---|
| How to get | Clear Stage 4, Forgotten Ruins, on Normal |
| Role | Melee · The fastest hero: martial arts, traps and shadows |
| HP | 92 |
| Move speed | 116 |
| Attack multiplier | ×1.10 |
| Starting skill |  Stab |
| Damage elements | Physical Fire Lightning Shadow |
| Ultimate | Death Dance |
| Own legendaries | 16 items |
02How to get the Assassin
Sable the Assassin joins your town once you clear Stage 4, "Forgotten Ruins", on Normal for the first time: beat the stage boss, Mirror King, and walk through the portal to clear it. Stage 4 opens after you clear Stage 3.
The first time you enter this stage on Normal and solo, you play chapter 4 of the main story, "Shadows in the Ruins", and Sable shows up in the story and fights by your side. In a party, once you've done the story, or on Nightmare or Hell, it's a regular stage. For how the chapter plays out, see the main story walkthrough.
Once Sable has joined, go back to town, walk to the Campfire, open the hero screen and choose "Play this hero" to switch to the Assassin.
03Playstyle
The Assassin deals four kinds of damage: Physical, Fire, Lightning and Shadow. The Traps school has fire and lightning, and the Shadows school is all Shadow. Fire hits undead for ×1.6, lightning hits insects and dragons for ×1.6, and Shadow hits humans and beasts for ×1.6.
Her starting skill, Stab, is a quick close-range thrust that makes enemies bleed. With only 92 HP, use your speed to dart in, hit, and get out.
04The Assassin's 12 skills
The Assassin's skills come in three schools of four. When you level up, cards from the same school as skills you already know show up more often. Once a skill is maxed (Lv5), if you've taken the required stat upgrade card this run and its partner skill is at Lv2, a golden evolution card appears.
Martial Arts
Quick stabs that make enemies bleed.
Evolves at max level → Thousand Cuts: take the "Sprint" upgrade card and get Blade Fury to Lv2
A brutal kick that sends enemies flying and stuns them, and unleashes three dragon claw slashes forward.
Evolves at max level → Dragon Kick: take the "Power" upgrade card and get Stab to Lv2
Throw blades nonstop at the nearest enemy.
Evolves at max level → Knife Storm: take the "Reflexes" upgrade card and get Blade Shield to Lv2
Blades spinning very fast close to you.
Evolves at max level → Steel Gale: take the "Armor" upgrade card and get Dragon Talon to Lv2Traps
A trap that shoots lightning at nearby enemies.
Evolves at max level → Death Sentry: take the "Reflexes" upgrade card and get Caltrops to Lv2
An iron plate packed with gunpowder that explodes hard when stepped on and burns.
Evolves at max level → Hellfire Trap: take the "Synthesis" upgrade card and get Fire Bomb to Lv2
A gunpowder bomb that bursts on impact and burns.
Evolves at max level → Napalm Bomb: take the "Power" upgrade card and get Explosive Trap to Lv2
Scatter caltrops that burst when stepped on.
Evolves at max level → Minefield: take the "Power" upgrade card and get Lightning Sentry to Lv2Shadows
Pass through the shadows, cutting everything you cross.
Evolves at max level → Shadow Dance: take the "Sprint" upgrade card and get Smoke Bomb to Lv2
Waves of the mind burst on several enemies and stun them.
Evolves at max level → Mind Storm: take the "Reflexes" upgrade card and get Shadow Step to Lv2
A cloud of smoke that slows everyone around you.
Evolves at max level → Shadow Veil: take the "Sprint" upgrade card and get Mind Blast to Lv2
A shadow dagger leaps from enemy to enemy and makes them bleed.
Evolves at max level → Phantom Dance: take the "Sprint" upgrade card and get Mind Blast to Lv205Ultimate: Death Dance
Death Dance Physical
Unleash a whirl of blades in every direction that make enemies bleed, then finish with a huge cross slash.
Once the Fury orb at the bottom right is full, you can unleash it. Fury builds like this: defeating a normal enemy +1, an elite +6, a boss +30; taking damage gives about +7 for every 10% of HP you lose; and hitting enemies slowly adds more (capped per second). If you go more than 5 seconds without hitting an enemy or getting hit, Fury that isn't full slowly drains away.
Press R or Space to unleash it, or tap the Fury orb on mobile. The higher your level in the run, the harder your ultimate hits (+6% per level).
06Talent tree
After every run, Sable earns hero experience (more for surviving longer, killing more, and beating more bosses). Each hero level gives 1 talent point, up to level 31, for 30 points in total: exactly enough to fill the whole tree. You learn talents from the Mentor in town and can reset them for free.
The three branches match the three skill schools, and each talent needs the one before it. The third talent in a branch directly boosts the damage of that school. Whichever school your main skills come from, fill that branch first.
Martial Arts
- Claw Mastery max 3 pts
+6% Physical damage (per point) - Tiger Strike max 3 pts
+3% crit chance (per point) - Martial Mastery max 3 pts
+8% Martial Arts skill damage (per point) - Phoenix Strike max 1 pts
+6% crit chance, +8% all damage
Traps
- Tripwire max 3 pts
+8% Lightning damage (per point) - Gunpowder max 3 pts
+8% Fire damage (per point) - Trap Mastery max 3 pts
+8% Traps skill damage (per point) - Trap Master max 1 pts
+12% Lightning damage, +12% Fire damage
Shadows
- Shadow Discipline max 3 pts
+8% Shadow damage (per point) - Burst of Speed max 3 pts
+3% move speed (per point) - Shadow Mastery max 3 pts
+8% Shadows skill damage (per point) - Cloak of Shadows max 1 pts
+6% move speed, −6% damage taken
07Elemental matchups: who to hit hardest
- Physical, 5 skills: no race it's especially strong against; only ×0.6 against Dragon
- Fire, 2 skills: ×1.6 against Undead, Beast, Insect; only ×0.6 against Dragon
- Lightning, 1 skill: ×1.6 against Insect, Dragon
- Shadow, 4 skills: ×1.6 against Human, Beast; only ×0.6 against Undead
The table below shows how much damage this hero's elements deal to each stage boss (×1.6 strong, ×0.6 resisted, and two types multiply together). For the full chart, see elemental matchups.
| Boss | Race | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Butcher Shady Forest | Human | Shadow ×1.6 | Physical ×1 |
| Plague Lich Deep Cavern | Undead | Fire ×1.6 | Shadow ×0.6 |
| Frost Lord Frozen Plains | Undead, Ice type | Fire ×1.6 | Shadow ×0.6 |
| Mirror King Forgotten Ruins | Human | Shadow ×1.6 | Physical ×1 |
| Abyss Lord Burning Crypt | Dragon, Fire type | Lightning ×1.6 | Fire ×0.36 |
| The Cow King Secret Cow Level | Beast | Fire ×1.6 | Physical ×1 |
08Beginner builds
Your starting skill always comes along; pick the other four slots from the builds below. When you level up, take the build's skills first, then fill in the stat cards their evolutions need.
Martial Arts melee
StabStarting skill · PhysicalDragon TalonSkill slot · PhysicalBlade FurySkill slot · PhysicalBlade ShieldSkill slot · PhysicalSmoke BombSkill slot · ShadowStab pairs with Blade Fury, and Dragon Talon with Blade Shield. Dragon Talon stuns and Smoke Bomb slows enemies around you, giving you room to breathe.
Evolutions this build can reach: Stab (Sprint), Dragon Talon (Power), Blade Fury (Reflexes), Blade Shield (Armor)
Traps (recommended)
StabStarting skill · PhysicalLightning SentrySkill slot · LightningExplosive TrapSkill slot · FireFire BombSkill slot · FireCaltropsSkill slot · PhysicalLightning Sentry pairs with Caltrops, and Explosive Trap with Fire Bomb. Fire counters undead, beasts and insects, and lightning counters insects and dragons, so you hit most enemies hard. Traps fight on their own once placed, no need to get close.
Evolutions this build can reach: Lightning Sentry (Reflexes), Explosive Trap (Synthesis), Fire Bomb (Power), Caltrops (Power)
Beginner tips
- 116 speed is the fastest of any hero. When surrounded, run out first, then fight.
- The Traps school's fire hits undead hard, which is especially handy on later stages.
- The final cross slash of Death Dance hits very hard. Line it up on the boss before you use it.
09The Assassin's own legendary gear
The Assassin has 16 legendaries of their own. They only drop while you play the Assassin, and each one changes how a skill plays. For effects, numbers and combos, see the full Assassin legendary list.
Every third Dragon Talon is a guaranteed critical hit and deals 10% more damage.
Traps and sentries: 2 more at a time, and they last 50% longer.
After Shadow Step: invulnerable for 1 s and 50% more damage for 3 s.
Smoke Bomb: 4 more clouds, and they stun for 0.4 s.
10FAQ
How do I get the Assassin?
Clear Stage 4, Forgotten Ruins, on Normal for the first time (beat Mirror King and walk through the portal). Sable joins your town, and you can then switch to the Assassin at the Campfire.
Can I play the Assassin as a man?
Yes. Open the hero screen at the Campfire in town and choose Male or Female. It only changes the look; abilities are identical.
How do I use the Assassin's ultimate?
Defeating enemies, taking damage and hitting enemies all build Fury. When the Fury orb is full, press R or Space (or tap the Fury orb on mobile) to unleash Death Dance.
How does the Assassin survive with so little HP?
Speed and crowd control: Dragon Talon stuns, Smoke Bomb slows, or just go for a Traps build and let traps and sentries fight up front.
Want to see the other heroes? Go back to the hero overview to compare all seven, or head to the Endless Curse home page to learn about the game.
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