The Dagger has always been able to get to a target. Getting back out is the harder half. The Orb answers that: place a sphere on your escape route before you commit, dive with the Dagger's stealth and crit burst, and trigger the barrier on the way out. It's a slower, more deliberate assassin than the Dagger's usual pairings, and considerably harder to punish.
Most assassin builds live or die on the escape. This one plans it in advance. Here's how.
What the build is
The Dagger is Throne and Liberty's assassin weapon — Shadow Strike to appear on a target, Camouflage Cloak and Phantom Smokescreen for stealth and escape, Brutal Incision and Frenzied Sword Dance for damage — and its passives, Wrathful Edge, Assassin's Instincts and Destructive Fang, are the strongest crit package available. The Orb places up to three spheres at range that can barrier, deny ground, or detonate on command. On this pairing the Orb is primarily defensive infrastructure: it turns a one-way dive into a round trip, which is what separates assassins who trade evenly from assassins who profit.
Why players run it
- The escape is pre-planned — a barrier waiting on your exit route changes the maths of every dive.
- Full Dagger crit package — the burst is unchanged from any other Dagger build.
- Stealth plus zoning — you can cut off a target's retreat before they know you're there.
- Group utility — the barriers work for allies too, which no other assassin build offers.
How to play it
The order matters more than the execution: the sphere goes down before the cloak, every time. That single habit is what makes this build different from every other Dagger pairing, because it means a dive that goes wrong still has an answer waiting. Dexterity leads for crit rate — the Dagger's damage is entirely crit-driven — with Perception second for hit chance and crit damage. Take Wisdom third and don't skip it; it sets how often your spheres return, and a Lunarch on sphere cooldown is an ordinary, fragile assassin. The honest trade against Dagger + Crossbow or Dagger + Spear is that you do less damage; what you buy with it is the ability to attempt dives those builds can't afford.
The honest trade-off
✓ Why to run it
- The only assassin build with a genuine pre-planned escape.
- Full Dagger crit burst, undiluted.
- Barriers help the group, which no other assassin pairing does.
- Lets you attempt engagements other Dagger builds have to decline.
△ Honest caveats
- Lower damage than other Dagger pairings — the Orb contributes little offence here.
- Three stats matter: Dexterity, Perception and Wisdom.
- Requires pre-planning; reactive players get nothing from the Orb.
- Still fragile — a barrier delays a focus, it doesn't stop one.
Kit for a planned assassin
Placing an escape, opening from stealth and executing a burst rotation is three precise things in sequence. Reachable bindings do the work here.
Quick answers
Is the Lunarch good in Throne and Liberty?
It's a strong, more forgiving assassin. It trades some damage for a pre-planned escape via Orb barriers, which lets it attempt dives that other Dagger builds can't survive.
What stats should a Lunarch prioritize?
Dexterity first for crit rate, Perception second for hit chance and crit damage, then Wisdom for Orb cooldown speed. Strength only to a survivable floor.
When do I place the Orb sphere?
Before you enter stealth, on your exit route. Placing it after the dive has begun defeats the point of the pairing.
How does it compare to Scorpion (Crossbow + Dagger)?
Scorpion does more damage and has better mobility. Lunarch survives failed engagements and contributes barriers to the group. Pick based on whether you want output or resilience.