Introduction
Niss is kin to the shadows, and darkness serves as her weapon and her cloak. She is one of the Deep Eldren, an ancient people who now serve the malevolent Precursors. When Niss and her clan challenged the Precursors, her family was wiped out and Niss escaped into exile. Deadly and swift, Niss cares little for humanity. But she has sworn to destroy the Precursors, and the Seekers can help her take her revenge.
In our Niss Guide, we’ll walk you through her Abilities, Signature Weapon, and Back Story.
Niss Abilities
Niss is a rogue-like character that uses the shadows to deal damage to unexpecting victims. She has 4 active abilities and 1 passive ability that are centered around Mobility and Dealing Damage. Niss is one of the more difficult Wayfinders to play but can deal massive amounts of damage. Below are her abilities:
Shadow Step
Dash in a line, dealing damage along the way. After a short delay a gloom clone will dash from your initial position to you, dealing damage to enemies it passes through.
- Level 1 – Using Shadow Step increases Ability Power by 10% for 6 seconds. Dashing through an ally will grant them this effect as well.
- Level 2 – The followup clone has 50% piercing.
- Level 3 – Increases the damage of the follow-up attack by 15%.
Umbral Aura
Niss is empowered by Umbral magic, causing her next three dodges to pierce a nearby enemy with shadow. Nearby allies are also empowered for one dodge.
- Level 1 – Refreshes 1 charge of Shadow Step.
- Level 2 – Umbral Aura damage gains 50% piercing.
- Level 3 – Grants an additional stack of Umbral Aura to Niss and to allies. Increases the maximum number of Umbral Aura stacks to 4.
Vengeful Shade
Briefly become immune to attacks while damaging enemies around Niss. Following up with a Light or Heavy Attack causes Niss to slam back down, further damaging enemies. Following up with a Dodge causes Niss to backflip away.
- Level 1 – Performing a follow up reduces incoming damage by 30% for 8 seconds.
- Level 2 – Increases damage by 10%.
- Level 3 – Backflip follow-up refreshes half of Vengeful Shade cooldown and slam follow-up grants a charge of Shadow Step.
Gloom Shadow (Ultimate)
For 10 seconds, Shadow Step can be used at no cost.
- Level 1 – While in Gloom Shroud you have 100% piercing.
- Level 2 – Dashing while in Gloom Shroud causes a nearby enemy to be pierced by shadow as if Niss had Umbral Aura. This does not consume Umbral Aura stacks.
- Level 3 – After Gloom Shroud ends, all nearby allies gain 3 stacks of Umbral Aura and Niss gains max stacks.
Lingering Shadow (Passive)
After dodging, gain AP for 5 seconds. Stacks up to 3 times.
Signature Weapon
Night’s Edge
The ancestral blades of the Duskal Eldren. The spirits of the fallen Duskal are bound to these daggers, and strike out at the enemies of a worthy wielder.
Weapon Ability – Dagger Fall
Forms multiple magical daggers that float around the player and fire towards enemies as attacks when enemies come within range.
Niss Guide: Attributes & Echo Slots
Niss Stats at level 1 are as follows:
| Max Health | Attack Power | Ability Power | Crit Rating | Crit Power | Break Power | Physical Defense | Magical Defense | Resilience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 180 | 270 | 203 | 203 | 68 | 131 | 150 | 50 |
The max stats of Niss below derived from level 30 with 0% Affinity.
| Max Health | Attack Power | Ability Power | Crit Rating | Crit Power | Break Power | Physical Defense | Magical Defense | Resilience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 482 | 963 | 1445 | 1083 | 1083 | 361 | 702 | 803 | 530 |
Echo Slots
Below are the available echo slots for Niss:
| Level | Echo Icon | Echo Slot |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Guard |
| 1 |  | Balance |
| 8 |  | Cross |
| 16 |  | Rush |
| 24 |  | Balance |
Suggested Skill Progression
Below is the progress in which to apply your skill points as you level up. For this build you will be relying heavily on mobility for your survivability. Most of your abilities will give you some mobility and additional I-Frames.
Attribute Priority
We’re shooting for maximum DPS output with Niss. You will be using your weapon attacks for tons of damage. This pairs well with your weapon passives if you’re utilizing daggers. You will be using light attack combos quite a lot to build up your damage multiplier as well as earn flourish points.
Weapon Power -> Ability Power -> Crit Rating -> Crit Power -> Health
Affinity Perks
Below are Niss’s Affinity perks and their associated level needed to upgrade
| Affinity | Affinity Level | Passive Name | Icon | Passive Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instinct | 5 | Improved Lingering Shadows |  | Increases the Ability Power gained from Lingering Shadows by an additional 2% per stack. |
| Instinct | 15 | Recurring Shadows |  | Performing an ability in combat has a 10% chance to grant a stack of Lingering Shadows |
| Discipline | 5 | Empowering Shadows |  | Lingering Shadows now grants 2% Weapon Power per stack. |
| Discipline | 15 | Piercing Shadows |  | 10% of your Weapon and Ability Damage pierces enemy armor. |
| Focus | 5 | Orb of the Shadows |  | Dodging while in combat has a 5% chance to spawn an Innervation orb. |
| Focus | 15 | Innervating Shadows |  | Innervation Orbs grant a stack of Lingering Shadows. |
Backstory / Lore
This information is from the Wayfinders Official Site:
The Eldren are the first children of the broken world, formed from the blood of Infinites spilled in the Aegis War. There are Eldren of the woods and water, but Niss is one of the Deep Eldren, born in an abyss of stone and soil untouched by the sun. Her people shape shadows like clay; Niss mastered the shadow-dance as a child, learning to sculpt shielding shrouds and deadly blades from insubstantial darkness. For all their many gifts, the Eldren are a dying people, whose essence fades with each generation. When the ancient Mother of Shadows came to them, promising renewed strength in exchange for absolute loyalty, most swore themselves to her service. When Niss and her clan refused to bow to the Precursors, most were slain; Niss escaped into exile. She has sworn to destroy the immortal beings who have corrupted her people, whatever the cost.
Niss is a grim and deadly warrior, a silent assassin who strikes from the shadows. But as an echo returned from the Gloom, there’s much she cannot remember. She knows she endured countless hardships in her time of exile, but the details escape her. She remembers challenging the Mother of Shadows, but not how she survived. But these memories may yet return to her…
Niss Guide Conclusion
That concludes our Niss Wayfinder Guide! For more information on Wayfinder, make sure to check out our Wayfinders Guide. You can also check out the builds section for more Niss Guide.