| New Rune Word | Rune Order | Allowed Items | Character Level Required | Final Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosaic |
Mal + Gul + Amn |
Claw |
53 |
|
Mosaic: We went all-in on increasing the strength of the Mosaic Rune Word. We wanted to add extra flexibility by increasing the chance to not consume charges from 25% percent to 50% so you can either wield one to get that 50% chance or dual wield for that 100% chance of not consuming charges. We also added an extra effect to how not consuming charges interacts with charge maintenance.
The Mosaic Rune Word is designed to buff Martial Arts Assassin builds. It grants a brand-new effect that allows for a chance to not consume the charge when using a finisher move. Note that the effect still occurs but the charge is not removed.
Finishing Moves are attacks that add a powerful extra affect while discharging the amount of "charges" currently accumulated through a Charge-up Skill.
Assassins and Druids have Charge-up Skills, but only the Assassin also has Finishing Moves which can significantly enhance the effect.
A Finishing Move doesn't just trigger the release of the accumulated charges - it also adds a powerful effect of its own. Furthermore, by building up a succession of different Charge-up Skills, Assassins can generate a potent combination of effects. Each finishing attack consumes one charge from every accumulated charge-up skill.
You gain all the benefits listed in the Finishing Move plus any bonus you may have from Charge-up Skills. These bonuses are dependent on the amount of charges you have, and from what skill each of those charges came from. You can mix and match charges, for example:
You attack a target twice with a level 13 Tiger Strike gaining two charges, using a Finishing Move now will give you +680% Damage. If you instead attack an enemy with a level 11 Cobra Strike gaining 1 more charge for the maximum of three, then attack with a Finishing Move you will now gain +680% damage and 90% life stealing.
Note that Bonus Damage % is additive. If you use the above example and a level 5 Dragon Claw for a Finishing Move you will gain +750% (70% + 680%) Damage.
Intrinsic to the Assassin's arsenal of abilities is her incredible prowess in the mysterious Martial Arts style of the Viz-Jaq'taar. Martial Arts skills come in two forms, Charge-up Skills and Finishing Moves. A Charge-up Skill is an attack that adds a "charge" for each successive hit within a short time frame. While each Charge-up attack deals normal damage, the charges continue to accumulate until triggered or until the time limit runs out. To trigger the accumulated charges, strike a monster with either a normal attack or one of the Finishing Moves. A Finishing Move doesn't just trigger the release of the accumulated charges-it also adds a powerful effect of its own. Furthermore, by building up a succession of different Charge-up Skills, Assassins can generate a potent combination of effects. Assassins are specially trained in the use of exotic Claw-class weaponry, and some of their skills can be used only when armed with these weapons.
You can use any one or two-handed weapon with Tiger Strike, Cobra Strike, and Phoenix Strike which means you can combine those skills with a Shield and a good one-handed weapon if you choose. They do not use two weapons at once, however, only the damage of the first weapon is used.
Increased Attack Speed (IAS) is a coefficient in Diablo II that increases the speed of any melee attack and the Assassin's Martial Arts and Traps abilities. Most Increased Attack Speed caps off around 120-130%. Cast Rate is not affected.
Attack speed mechanics are closely related to frames; the better the increased attack speed, the fewer frames are required to perform an attack. The amount of increased attack speed required to remove one frame from an attack (commonly called "breakpoints) is integral to calculating attack speed; without reaching break points, nominal increases in attack speed do not actually improve attack speed in any way.
Enhanced Damage is a magical property in Diablo II that is found on weapons. It grants a percentage-based boost to both the low-end and high-end damage amounts of a weapon. For example a weapon that did 10-20 damage that had +200% Enhanced Damage on it would effectively triple the damage of the weapon, boosting it to a 30-60 damage weapon. This modifier is found on many of the higher end weapons found in Diablo II.
Attack Rating is displayed on the Character Screen. It shows the percentage chance that you will hit the targeted monster. If your Attack Rating is too low, you will notice that your attacks often miss. The chance to hit increases if you are at a higher character level than the monster you're attacking. Your Attack Rating can be improved by increasing your Dexterity, and by equipping magic items that provide bonuses to it.
Life Steal is a frequently encountered trait on items (generally weapons). It allows the user to replenish their Life with damage dealt against the enemy.
The steal comes from how much damage you do to the monster. So 5% Life Stolen will return 5% of the damage that you do to a monster to your health as life, adjusted by the amount of Drain Effectiveness the monster has.
+% Cold Skill Damage applies a percentage increase to any cold skill damage (after any synergy bonus), or integer or percentage cold damage added to any melee attacks of the user (so it applies to the percentage added by Vengeance, but it does not apply to physical attack damage converted to cold by Cold Arrow).
+% Lightning Skill Damage applies a percentage increase to any lightning skill damage (after any synergy bonus), or integer or percentage lightning damage added to any melee attacks of the user (so it applies to the percentage added by Vengeance, but it does not apply to physical attack damage converted to lightning by Lightning Bolt).
+% Fire Skill Damage applies a percentage increase to any fire skill damage (after any synergy bonus), or integer or percentage fire damage added to any melee attacks of the user (so it applies to the percentages added by Dragon Talon or Vengeance, but it does not apply to physical attack damage converted to fire by Fire Arrow or Fists of Fire).
Prevent Monster Heal stops unit damage regeneration for 120,000 frames (80 minutes) when applied.