Niss, also known as the “Shadow Dancer”, is the assassin archetype ofWayfinderwho dashes and darts around her enemies before striking them down with herdeadly Night’s Edgesaber. While she may struggle taking on large hordes of monsters by herself, she is far more useful when she is able to get up close and personal with her foes while they are distracted by other members of the team, and her abilities most certainly complement this play style.
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A lot of Niss' abilities work in tangent with one another which does mean that she can be a little tricky to get the hang of at first, but once players get a good grasp of how she works, they will have an utterly devastating character on their hands. While all of her abilities are useful in one way or another, there are some that are considered more situational than others, which is why anyone looking to learn this character should be aware of which of her techniques will prove to be the most useful during an encounter.
5Vengeful Shade
Vengeful Shade is one of multiple abilities that allows Niss to dodge attacks, and while this is a core part of her play style, it’s also her hardest ability to pull off which can go wrong very easily if players aren’tprecise enough with their inputs. With that said, it can be an absolute lifesaver when going one-on-one with regular monsters who can deal a lot of damage with quick and sudden strikes, but it’s a lot less useful for bigger enemies and bosses like the Night’s Maw for example who are a lot more random with their attacks.
The damage dealt from the spikes that Niss throws out is also fairly low, and considering the ability doesn’t link up with many of the others in her kit, it’s primarily just used as a last-minute option to evade a life-threatening attack while on low HP more than anything else.
4Umbral Aura
While it may be fairly unpredictable, Umbral Aura can still be a very useful ability for both avoiding enemy attacks, and dealing a substantial amount of damage at the same time. The startup animation for the ability will leave Niss vulnerable for a few seconds, so it’s best to use it before engaging in combat so that she can inflict the extra damage without having to worry about activating it while surrounded.
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The enemy who becomesdamaged by shadowwill be whoever is closest to her when she dodges, but since most monsters in the game love bunching up in groups, it can often feel a lot more random. With that being said though, because it will count for 3 of Niss' dodges, it can output a tremendous amount of damage in quick succession, especially when it’s all focused on a single enemy with a large health pool or a boss. It should also be noted that Umbral Aura will still be able to work with Shadow Step which will elevate the total damage by a staggering amount.
3Lingering Shadow
Since Niss' whole kit is centered aroundsudden movements and evasive maneuvers, it makes Lingering Shadow an extremely powerful passive ability, especially considering how fast she attacks when using her Night’s Edge. Additionally, because it’s a passive ability, there’s no need to worry about activating it in the middle of battle, simply dodge an attack with an ability and Niss will immediately be empowered for a handful of seconds.
Lingering Shadow will work for all of Niss' abilities, but it really shines when combined with Umbral Aura. After dodging an enemy and dealing some extra damage with her shadow, Niss will then be able to take down an enemy with a few strikes, or in the case of early game monsters, a single hit thanks to the attack power buff.
2Gloom Shroud
Gloom Shroud isn’t exactly an ability in its own right, but more of an enhancement to Shadow Step which makes it completely free to use for a handful of seconds. Still though, while Shadow Step is already a devastating technique, Gloom Shroud makes it capable of wiping outswarms of enemiessingle-handedly, allowing Niss to come out from the shadows to take on multiple enemies at once without having to worry about getting hit.
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Because the effect will only stay active for a brief few seconds, this can still be a very tricky ability to use correctly. It’s very easy to see a few enemies and activate Gloom Shroud ready to strike them down, only for the rest of the team to deal with them by the time the ability’s lengthy animation is over with. It’s therefore most useful for bosses, solo runs, and taking out big groups when everyone is low on HP and struggling to hold their own in a fight.
1Shadow Step
Niss' entire kit revolves around her Shadow Step ability, and while its damage and speed can be enhanced by her other abilities, it’s still extremely powerful on its own and should always be her go-to option for dealing with enemies. Alongside how powerful it is, Shadow Step is also Niss' best evasive maneuver which is very simple to use and will place her a good distance away from an enemy once she executes it, making it a lot less risky than some of her other techniques.
On top of its effectiveness, Shadow Step isalso just a lot of fun to use, especially when trying to line up multiple enemies with a dash and placing the Gloom Clone in a position where it can finish off any monsters who are somehow still standing. The lightning speed, ease of use, and sheer strength of Shadow Step make it by far Niss' best ability, and the one that players should prioritize the most when exploring the world of Evenor.
Wayfinderis currently available for early access on PC and PlayStation 5. A full release for Xbox Series S and X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and 5, and PC is set for late 2023.
