The two branches at a glance
Assassin RANGED CRIT
Claw + throwing stars. Ranged. Lucky Seven throws 2 stars per cast for high crit- friendly damage. Critical Throw guarantees a % crit rate. Positioning matters - you're squishy but you can kite anything. Becomes Hermit at 70, Night Lord at 120.
Bandit MELEE MULTI-HIT
Dagger. Melee. Savage Blow is a 6-hit dagger flurry with strong per-hit damage. Steal is a chance to snatch drops from mobs. Higher survivability than Assassin (has to be - you're in melee range). Becomes Chief Bandit at 70, Shadower at 120.
The decision, in one paragraph
Assassin if you like being untouchable. Range + Haste + Dark Sight (from 1st job) = you never get hit. Highest single-target burst potential. Star cost is real but cheap. Bandit if you like flurry damage AND drop farming. Savage Blow's 6 hits stack ridiculous damage numbers, especially with Steal's bonus drops turning your grinding into a mesos machine. Bandit also gets the meta-defining 3rd-job skill (Meso Explosion), but that's Chief Bandit's problem - at 2nd job both are strong.
Branch 1: Assassin
The ranged branch. Claw + stars. Lucky Seven is your main button, Critical Throw is your damage multiplier. Nobody catches you.
Assassin skill kit (traditional MapleStory baseline, 6 skills)
| Skill | Type | Max Lv | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claw Mastery | Passive | 20 | +Claw mastery %, +accuracy. Priority max - Lucky Seven damage variance shrinks massively. |
| Claw Booster | Buff | 20 | +2 attack speed for Claws. Consumes MP. |
| Critical Throw | Passive | 30 | Guaranteed % chance for throwing-star attacks to crit (with a bonus crit damage multiplier). Signature Assassin damage boost. |
| Drain | Attack (life steal) | 30 | Single-hit Claw attack that steals HP equal to a % of damage dealt. Solo survivability + damage in one skill. |
| Endure | Passive | 20 | Boosts HP/MP regen while sitting on the ground. Marginal but cheap. |
| Haste | Party buff | 20 | +movement speed +jump to self AND party for a duration. Best Thief party contribution. Everyone wants Haste. |
Assassin recommended build order
- Levels 30-35: 1 point in Claw Booster + 1 point in Haste (immediate party value). Dump into Claw Mastery.
- Levels 35-45: Max Claw Mastery (20 points). This is where Lucky Seven becomes reliable.
- Levels 45-55: Max Critical Throw (30 points). Damage doubles once this is high.
- Levels 55-60: Max Haste (20 points). Full party utility.
- Levels 60-65: Max Claw Booster (20 points).
- Levels 65-70: Drain (30) or Endure (20) filler. Drain is optional in party settings; Endure is optional in general.
Star management: at 30 you're still on Steely Throwing Knives or Ilbi (endgame stars are 3rd-job problem). Buy in bulk - a full stack of Steelies lasts hours.
Branch 2: Bandit
The melee branch. Dagger. Savage Blow is your grinding button and Steal is your income accelerant. Higher HP than Assassin, closer to targets, tanks better.
Bandit skill kit (traditional MapleStory baseline, 6 skills)
| Skill | Type | Max Lv | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger Mastery | Passive | 20 | +Dagger mastery %, +accuracy. Same math as Claw Mastery. |
| Dagger Booster | Buff | 20 | +2 attack speed for Daggers. |
| Steal | Attack (utility) | 20 | Single-target dagger attack with a % chance to STEAL an item from the mob's drop table on hit. Bandit's signature income skill. Turns grinding into farming. |
| Savage Blow | Attack (multi-hit) | 30 | 6-hit dagger flurry on a single target. Each hit rolls damage independently. Huge crit potential + sustained DPS. Core grinding button. |
| Endure | Passive | 20 | Same as Assassin. Marginal, cheap. |
| Haste | Party buff | 20 | Same as Assassin. Universal Thief party utility. |
Bandit recommended build order
- Levels 30-35: 1 point in Dagger Booster + 1 point in Haste. Dump into Dagger Mastery.
- Levels 35-45: Max Dagger Mastery (20 points).
- Levels 45-55: Max Savage Blow (30 points). This is your grinding identity.
- Levels 55-60: Max Haste (20 points).
- Levels 60-65: Max Dagger Booster (20 points).
- Levels 65-70: Max Steal (20 points) if you love farming; otherwise Endure filler. Steal shines against specific-drop mobs (etc quest items, rare potion drops).
Steal ROI: Steal's proc chance is modest but the DROPPED item is duplicate-yield - you get the normal drop roll AND the stolen item. Great vs mobs that drop crafting mats, quest items, or scrolls.
Common 2nd-job progression (30 to 70)
Where to grind
- Lv 30-40: Ligators + Cursed Eyes at Kerning Swamp (Assassin star heaven). Zombie Mushrooms + Wild Boars for Bandit Savage Blow single-target practice.
- Lv 40-55: Copper Drakes at Sleepywood. Wraiths (both branches). Ludi PQ full window.
- Lv 55-70: Fire Boars at Burning Land (Assassin), Coolie Zombies (Bandit Savage Blow + Steal). Death Teddies at Ludi. Ludi Maze PQ (55-70).
Gear buys at Lv 30
Assassin claws: Steel Chakramas (Lv 30, cheap starter), Kandayo (Lv 40, upgrade target), Serpent's Coil (Lv 50, endgame 2nd-job claw). Bandit daggers: Fruit Knife (Lv 30 starter), Dragon Kanzir (Lv 43, high per-hit damage), Ganges Dagger (Lv 50).
Armor priority: LUK overall or top+bottom with 10% LUK scrolls. LUK is Thief's primary damage stat. DEX only matters for accuracy (which mastery already covers). Ignore anything without LUK on it.
What to expect at 3rd job (70)
- Assassin -> Hermit: Avenger (piercing 3-hit star shot), Shadow Web (AoE stun web), Meso Up (bonus mesos from mobs), Shadow Partner (clone that copies your attacks). This is where Assassins go feral.
- Bandit -> Chief Bandit: Meso Explosion (drop mesos + detonate them for insane AoE damage - defining skill of the class), Assaulter (dash-attack), Pickpocket (mobs drop mesos when hit), Band of Thieves (summon). Chief Bandit is a top-3 grinding class from 70 to 200.
Related reading
- Thief 1st Job Guide
- Skill Changes: traditional MapleStory vs CoT 2 - Thief 1st job confirmed unchanged
- Party EXP & Grinding
- EXP: Then vs Now