Assassin

The **Assassin** is an NPC and playable character. They wear a black martial arts outfit with a face mask and a red headband - a stereotypical ninja uniform. They have the special ability Camouflage, giving them 10 seconds of invisibility which grants 10x backstabbing damage and is broken by most interactions, but can be re-applied 15 seconds after usage. Camouflage can be upgraded, increasing the amount of time the Assassin can remain invisible.

The Assassin is unlocked by beating a level without killing anyone and without alerting anyone.

## NPC

The Assassin, unlike most NPCs, only appears under very specific conditions - if players have not repaid their debt before finishing the third level, they will attract 1 Assassin for every $45 of debt on each level after.

Assassins that intend to kill you are always considered guilty and are always Camouflaged until they spot you and attack.

Assassins can also appear if the Mutator Assassination Nation is turned on.

## Drops

* Sword
* Money

## Tips and Strategies

### Playable

* **How to unlock:** Playing the Thief is the fastest way to unlock the Assassin, thanks to the tools the thief has for discreet entry, such as Wall Bypassers and by having high speed. Just remember to not kill anyone or get caught. Since you only have to complete your missions to move on to the next level, do not take any other risks if your goal is to unlock the Assassin.

* **How to fight:** Assassins have low health and standard attack damage, and so can't do much against groups of Hostile NPCs when fighting in the open, but this is compensated for by their ability to Camouflage and their Backstabber trait which should be used as much as possible. Avoid fair fights when possible.
	+ Backstabber is best used with Camouflage for x10 damage, and with fists to not waste durability on melee weapons. Camouflage is removed when performing an attack that isn't a successful backstab.

* **How to finish a mission:** Assassins can easily finish missions without alerting anyone for +100 XP thanks to Camouflage, and often get extra XP by completing missions without killing anyone, although you will still probably want to kill mission-related NPCs afterward for their kill XP. If unable to reach a button or in need of a distraction, use Shurikens.
	+ A useful technique to pass through Steel Doors is to knock on the door and then use Camouflage. When the owner opens the door, they'll see no one and turn back inside. Carefully follow them without touching them, and they won't close the door behind them, allowing them to be safely backstabbed.
	+ Use EarWarp Whistles to break things without alerting the owner (Cameras, Doors or Laser Emitters)

* Items like the Blindenizer and traits like Blends In Nicely are very useful with the Camouflage ability as they reduce NPC vision.

* Upon making a terrible mistake, the Quick Escape Teleporter may save the player, teleporting them to a safe zone, albeit at low health.

### NPC

* While Assassins have a weak endurance of 1, they are very fast, and despite their low melee attribute can still hit decently hard with their Swords - Backstabber allows them to deal 22 damage if the player's back is exposed, so try not to get backstabbed. Like any Hostile NPC, they are more dangerous in groups - especially so since one Assassin may be able to sneak behind you as you fight another.
	+ Because of their low endurance and tendency to spawn in groups, explosives such as Land Mines and weapons like the Flamethrower make quick work of them.

* Since assassins always have swords equipped, players can intentionally not repay their debts and purposely let Assassins come to farm them for their swords and XP, if they are feeling confident.

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