✔ Updated 2026-10-17Verified against Enshrouded 1.0 (hotfix 1.0.0.2). Skill costs and effects come from the 1.0 game data (build 1267041).
Overview
The Assassin is the high-risk, high-reward melee build. In 1.0, Keen Games moved the dagger skills from the Warrior area into the Assassin area, so this whole build now sits on one side of the tree next to the Ranger, sharing Dexterity with bows.
The damage comes from openers and crits. A Sneak Attack deals +900% damage, Cutthroat adds up to +300% more, and Backstab Mastery boosts hits from behind. In longer fights, dagger crits trigger Expose Weakness (+25% physical damage taken) and the Venomous Blades skills add stacking poison.
How to play the Assassin
- Open every fight with a Sneak Attack while the enemy is unaware.
- Circle behind targets. Strategic Maneuver turns your dodge into a sideways roll while locked on.
- Dagger crits apply Expose Weakness, so follow up fast while it lasts.
- Swap to a bow after a dagger crit. Slice and Dice gives your next bow shot +50% base damage.
Core skills
These are the skills the build depends on. Values are the in-game numbers at max level.
| Skill | Cost | Effect at max level |
|---|---|---|
| Dagger MasteryAssassin | 1 pt × 3 | Damage with Daggers is increased by 15%. |
| Dagger SpecializationAssassin | 3 pts | Unlocks Special Abilities of Daggers. Press [Special Ability] to unleash a powerful Special Ability after generating enough Focus. Focus Generate Focus by attacking. Focus can be built up with any weapon type and is used to trigger Special Abilities of weapons. |
| Backstab MasteryAssassin | 1 pt × 3 | Backstab damage is increased by 60%. |
| Expose WeaknessAssassin | 4 pts | Critical Strikes with Daggers break the armor of enemies, applying a debuff which lets them take 25% increased physical damage for 5 seconds. |
| Venomous BladesAssassin | 2 pts | Increases the chance to poison enemies to 30% when using Daggers with the Venomous Blades perk. |
| Venom MasteryAssassin | 3 pts | Increases the damage dealt with the Venomous Blades Dagger perk by 100%. |
| Sneak AttackCore | 3 pts | Perform a Sneak Attack by sneaking up to an unaware enemy and pressing [Contextual Action]. Sneak Attack deals +900% increased damage. Wands, Staves and Bows cannot perform Sneak Attacks. |
| CutthroatRanger | 1 pt × 3 | Sneak Attack Damage is increased by 300%. |
| Veiled VigorAssassin | 1 pt × 3 | Increases your maximum Health by 9 times your Dexterity attribute. |
| Graceful StrideAssassin | 5 pts | Gain one point of Dexterity for every two levels of the Flame. |
Skill order: level 1 to 50
Each stage builds on the one before it, and every skill is connected to the tree. The point totals are exact. "Points available" assumes you have collected the Shroud Roots (1 point) and Elixir Wells (3 points) in the biomes you have finished at that level, on top of the 2 points you get per level.
Levels 1–15: openers
44 / 65 pointsSneak Attack, dagger damage and Dexterity.
- Sneak AttackCore · 3 pt
- Dagger MasteryAssassinLv 2 · 2 pt
- DexteritySurvivor×7 · 7 pt
- Backstab MasteryAssassinLv 2 · 2 pt
- Silent StrideRangerLv 1 · 1 pt
- Veiled VigorAssassinLv 1 · 1 pt
- EnduranceSurvivor×8 · 8 pt
- RunnerSurvivorLv 1 · 1 pt
- Swiftshot SustenanceSurvivorLv 1 · 1 pt
- Strategic ManeuverSurvivor · 1 pt
- MithridatistBeastmaster · 2 pt
- Vukah LanguageBeastmaster · 3 pt
- MarksmanRangerLv 1 · 1 pt
- Counter BatteryRangerLv 1 · 1 pt
- Skill ShotRangerLv 1 · 1 pt
- Bow SpecializationRanger · 3 pt
- RangerRangerLv 1 · 2 pt
- Expose WeaknessAssassin · 4 pt
Levels 16–35: crits & poison
129 / 140 pointsSpecial Ability, armor break and the poison pair.
- Dagger MasteryAssassinLv 2→3 · 1 pt
- Dagger SpecializationAssassin · 3 pt
- Venomous BladesAssassin · 2 pt
- Venom MasteryAssassin · 3 pt
- ThrustAssassinLv 3 · 6 pt
- Backstab MasteryAssassinLv 2→3 · 1 pt
- RunnerSurvivorLv 1→3 · 2 pt
- ArachnoidSurvivorLv 3 · 3 pt
- Good MetabolismSurvivor · 3 pt
- ReboundSurvivorLv 3 · 6 pt
- Swiftshot SustenanceSurvivorLv 1→3 · 2 pt
- Dessert StomachSurvivor · 4 pt
- Snake EaterBeastmasterLv 3 · 6 pt
- Endurance of the FlameBeastmaster · 5 pt
- MarksmanRangerLv 1→3 · 2 pt
- SniperRangerLv 3 · 6 pt
- Skill ShotRangerLv 1→3 · 2 pt
- Blessed ArrowsRangerLv 3 · 3 pt
- AirborneAssassinLv 3 · 3 pt
- UpdraftAssassin · 4 pt
- Shell ShockAssassin · 3 pt
- Vile ConcoctionAssassinLv 3 · 3 pt
- BarrageRangerLv 3 · 3 pt
- Survival InstinctSurvivorLv 3 · 3 pt
- PunctureRangerLv 3 · 6 pt
Levels 36–50: 1.0 endgame
159 / 212 pointsDexterity from the Flame, sneak multipliers and survivability.
- Graceful StrideAssassin · 5 pt
- CutthroatRangerLv 3 · 3 pt
- Veiled VigorAssassinLv 1→3 · 2 pt
- VeteranTankLv 3 · 6 pt
- Slice And DiceAssassin · 3 pt
- Quick Reflex BlockAssassin · 3 pt
- Vitality SurgeRangerLv 3 · 3 pt
- Fatal PrecisionRangerLv 3 · 3 pt
- ConstitutionTank · 1 pt
- Heavy PlatesTankLv 1 · 1 pt
The level 50 plan spends 159 of 212 points. That leaves 53 flexible points for quality-of-life skills such as Double Jump, Dessert Stomach or the gathering nodes, or for a second weapon style. Attribute nodes give a flat +1 each.
Best gear & weapons
Item facts below come from the wiki pages updated for 1.0. Set bonuses for the new level 45 sets are not documented yet, so check them in game before you commit materials.
Weapons
Breaching Bow
Bow · Celestium tier
Crafted by the Hunter with Celestium Bars, String, Conifer Logs and Ectoplasm Aggregate.
Wiki source ↗Armor & off-hand
Sky Specter Chest
Ranged armor · Lv 45
Chest: +98 physical / +98 magical armor. Crafted by the Hunter.
Wiki source ↗Ashwind Strider Chest
Ranged armor · Lv 45
Chest: +168 physical / +168 magical armor. Crafted by the Hunter with Gold Bars, Celestium Bars, Red Fabric, Archaic Infusion and an Archaic Core.
Wiki source ↗Vorgoth's Soulbound Chest
Ranged armor · Legendary · Lv 45
+98 physical / +98 magical armor. Needs Vorgoth's Bound Essence and a Bursting Fell Heart.
Wiki source ↗Backup arrows
Celestium Arrow
Arrow · Lv 47
Crafted by the Hunter in stacks of 50 (Twigs, Celestium Bars, Feathers, Gold Dust).
Wiki source ↗Eternal Giant Bone Arrow II
Eternal arrow · Legendary · Lv 45
Never runs out. Crafted by the Collector (Ectoplasm Aggregate, Icy Giant Bones, Archaic Cores).
Wiki source ↗Food & buffs
You start with 3 food slots and can only have one food of each type active. The Survivor skill Dessert Stomach adds a 4th slot. Ranged and Dagger damage foods boost daggers too, and Stamina keeps your dodges going.
| Food | Buff |
|---|---|
| Taro Root Curry | +60 Mana, +21% Ranged and Dagger damage (55 min) |
| Pumpkin Soup | +12 Stamina regen, +18% Ranged and Dagger damage (50 min) |
| Sweet Mokka | +30 Stamina, +6% Ranged and Dagger damage (55 min) |
| Coconut Milk | +60 Stamina, +27 Stamina regen (50 min) |
These values come from the wiki's food tables, which were last edited before 1.0 and may have been rebalanced. New 1.0 foods such as Grandleaf Cabbage Rolls, Prickle Pearl Tart, Exotic Fruit Salad, Pearlbloom Nectar don't have documented buff values yet.
Pros & cons
Strengths
- +The biggest burst opener in the game (Sneak Attack +900%)
- +All dagger skills are in one area after the 1.0 move
- +Shares Dexterity with the Ranger for an easy bow backup
- +Poison and armor break help against tough single targets
Weaknesses
- −Hard to play. Low armor means mistakes are punished
- −Openers are much weaker once a fight has started
- −No dedicated 1.0 dagger is documented on the wiki yet, so use the best dagger you loot
FAQ
Where did the dagger skills go in 1.0?
The 1.0 changelog says dagger-related skills were moved from the warrior area of the skill tree to the assassin tree.
Does Venomous Blades need a special dagger?
Yes. The skill says it raises the chance to poison 'when using Daggers with the Venomous Blades perk', so look for that perk on your daggers.
Assassin or Ranger?
Both scale with Dexterity, so many players mix them. Pick Assassin if you like getting close and sneaking, and Ranger if you prefer staying at range.
Sources
- Keen Games – 1.0 release changelog (Steam, Oct 14 2026)
- Keen Games – “1.0 Combat: changes and additions” (Steam, Sep 23 2026)
- Enshrouded 1.0 skill tree export, game build 1267041 (rossicler/enshrouded-skill-tree, GPL-3.0)
- Enshrouded Wiki (wiki.gg, CC BY-SA 4.0) – item, spell and food pages
Found something wrong after a patch? See contact. We update builds when Keen Games changes the numbers.
