The martial arts come in two flavors: charge-up skills and finishing moves. They work best when paired, one on each mouse button. Each hit an assassin scores while attacking with a charge-up skill creates an orbiting white globe (up to a total of three). When a charged-up assassin then attacks with a finishing move (or a normal attack), the charge-up and finishing move together release an enhanced amount of damage and some sort of elemental spell. Check each finishing move to see what kinds of damage these combo attacks provide.
The white globes will fade simultaneously after a short while, so use them if at all possible before they do. If you can, charge up your attack on a peripheral creature, and then perform your area-effect finishing move on a creature in a crowd.
If you are battling a single opponent with a charge-up skill that provides both single-opponent and area-effect results, be sure to use mana efficiently by selecting the charge-up that harms only a single opponent. Read the info in the skill tree, or simply watch the effects of your attacks, to determine whether or not a charge-up is affecting more monsters than just your target.
Finishing moves can be used as a normal attack, although this is a poor use of mana.
Tiger Strike[edit]
- Description: A special attack that adds damage to a finishing move or normal attack
- Level prerequisite: 1
- Skill prerequisite: None
- Mouse button: Left or right
This low-level skill is powerful indeed, even with just one skill point devoted to it. Your damage can be quadrupled right off the bat, with a very low commitment of mana. This skill actually becomes more valuable as you progress through the game's difficulty levels because of its very high damage multiplier and the increased resistances among the monsters to elemental damage.
Dragon Talon[edit]
- Description: A finishing kick that knocks back enemies
- Level prerequisite: 1
- Skill prerequisite: None
- Mouse button: Left or right
This finishing move is all right for low-level characters, but its damage modifier is weak enough to make more advanced skills far more useful in the long run.
Fists of Fire[edit]
- Description: A special attack that adds fire damage to a finishing move or normal attack
- Level prerequisite: 6
- Skill prerequisite: None
- Mouse button: Left or right
Charged up to two or three globes, this attack, coupled with a finishing move, does fire damage not only to your target, but to enemies in close proximity to the target as well. This skill is best suited for dual claw class weapons as you do 2 charges at the same time. Against just one enemy, one charge-up is the most efficient use of mana, because you have no need to cause area damage.
Dragon Claw[edit]
- Description: A finishing move that requires dual claw-class weapons, which increases the damage of the attack
- Level prerequisite: 6
- Skill prerequisite: Dragon Talon
- Mouse button: Left or right
Players who like using two claw-class weapons should sink some extra skill points into this attack. Others should use it simply as a stepping-stone to more advanced skills.
Cobra Strike[edit]
- Description: A finishing weapon attack that leeches the victim's life and mana
- Level prerequisite: 12
- Skill prerequisite: Tiger Strike
- Mouse button: Left or right
A great charge-up skill that steals life, or life and mana, from the enemy you attack with a finishing move. Hitting the most powerful monster available with your finishing move will steal the most life and mana.
Claws of Thunder[edit]
- Description: A special attack (for claw-class weapons) that adds lightning damage to a finishing move or normal attack
- Level prerequisite: 18
- Skill prerequisite: Fists of Fire
- Mouse button: Left or right
While not as effective as cold damage, lightning damage can harm just about any creature in the game, making this a good midlevel charge-up. Be sure to use just one charge-up if you are facing a single opponent, or you will waste the mana that goes into creating the area-effect damage.
Dragon Tail[edit]
- Description: A finishing kick that knocks enemies back explosively
- Level prerequisite: 18
- Skill prerequisite: Dragon Claw
- Mouse button: Left or right
This move knocks the target backward but does not do area damage unless coupled with a charge-up skill like fists of fire or phoenix strike.
Blades of Ice[edit]
- Description: A special attack (for claw-class weapons) that adds cold effects to a finishing move or normal attack
- Level prerequisite: 24
- Skill prerequisite: Claws of Thunder
- Mouse button: Left or right
Aside from phoenix strike, this skill is the only charge-up that allows for freezing enemies--and as anyone who has benefited from cold damage knows, freezing enemies is a great way to fight in crowded conditions.
Dragon Flight[edit]
- Description: A finishing kick that allows for teleportation
- Level prerequisite: 24
- Skill prerequisite: Dragon Tail
- Mouse button: Left or right
This skill is not only useful for attacking but also for fleeing tight situations. Use it on an enemy at the outskirts of a fight to escape the clutches of a monster crowd.
Phoenix Strike[edit]
- Description: A special attack (which does not require a claw-class weapon) that adds your choice of fire, lightning, or cold damage to a finishing move or normal attack
- Level prerequisite: 30
- Skill prerequisite: Blades of Ice, Cobra Strike
- Mouse button: Left or right
This is the only charge-up that uses three distinct types of elemental damage. As such, you should keep an eye out for creatures that do not seem very affected by certain kinds of damage, and charge your attacks up accordingly.