Honestly, if you've spent any time idling around Mondstadt in Genshin Impact, you've probably walked right past the most dangerous spot in the city without even blinking. It’s a tavern. It’s called Cat’s Tail. You know it because of Diona, the pint-sized bartender who hates alcohol but somehow makes the best drinks in Teyvat.
But there’s a weird layer to this place. People keep searching for "Dead Cat Tail Assassins" like it’s some secret DLC or a leaked lore drop from HoYoverse.
Let’s get one thing straight: there isn't a secret guild of killers literally named the "Dead Cat Tail Assassins" hiding in the basement. It’s a bit more complicated than that. Most of the confusion stems from a mix of mistranslations, niche fan theories, and the very real, very lethal lore surrounding the characters associated with the Cat’s Tail tavern.
The Cat's Tail and the Art of the Kill
The Cat’s Tail isn't just a place to play Genius Invokation TCG. In the lore of Mondstadt, it’s the rival to Diluc’s Angel’s Share. While Diluc’s place is where the "important" people go to brood, Cat’s Tail is where the flavor is. And by flavor, I mean the weirdest residents of the city.
The "assassin" connection usually starts with Diona. No, she’s not a hitman. She’s a kid with a vendetta against the wine industry. But her father, Draff, is a leader of the hunters in Springvale. These people are tracksmen. They are lethal with a bow. When fans talk about "Cat Tail Assassins," they’re often conflating the deadly accuracy of the hunters who frequent the bar with the secretive nature of Mondstadt’s underground.
Then you have the Genius Invokation TCG. This is where the "assassin" vibe gets real.
If you’ve played the high-level TCG challenges inside the tavern, you know that some of those NPC decks are built to absolutely murder your team in two turns. It’s a different kind of "assassin." It’s meta-gaming. Players have dubbed certain high-burst decks—like those using Xingqiu and Ayaka—as "assassin builds" that you test out specifically at the Cat’s Tail.
Why the "Dead" Part Keeps Popping Up
The "Dead" prefix in the search term is the real kicker. It’s likely a linguistic drift. In some fan circles, "Dead" refers to "Deadly," or it’s a remnant of early beta leaks where certain character backstories were much darker.
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Remember the early theories about Margaret, the owner of Cat's Tail?
There was a persistent rumor that she was more than just a wealthy socialite. Because she seems to know everyone's business and employs a literal magical cat-girl, fans theorized she was part of an intelligence network. In Mondstadt, intelligence work is basically a polite word for "people who make problems go away."
Think about Rosaria. She’s the closest thing Mondstadt has to a sanctioned assassin. While she’s officially a sister of the Church of Favonius, she spends her nights "cleaning up" threats to the city. Does she hang out at the Cat’s Tail? Sometimes. Does she fit the vibe? Absolutely.
The Genius Invokation Connection
If you are looking for the "Dead Cat Tail Assassins" because you want to win at the TCG, you’re looking for "OTK" (One Turn Kill) decks. This is the "assassin" playstyle.
Basically, you spend two rounds setting up energy and support cards. You look like you're doing nothing. Your opponent gets comfortable. Then, in round three, you drop a massive elemental burst combo that wipes their entire active roster before they can swap.
Some of the most "lethal" cards found in the Cat's Tail meta include:
- The Dice-Fixers: Cards like Liben or Paimon that ensure you have the "ammo" to strike.
- The Burst Queens: Characters like Raiden Shogun or Eula who deal massive, un-blockable physical or elemental damage.
- The Stealth Buffs: Using "Adeptus' Temptation" to add +3 damage to a burst out of nowhere.
This is the "assassination" people are actually doing in that tavern. It's not about daggers in the dark; it's about cards on the table.
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Misconceptions about the "Secret" Quests
I've seen some forum posts claiming there’s a hidden achievement called "Dead Cat Tail" for killing a certain number of enemies near the tavern.
That is fake.
Don't spend four hours kiting a Ruin Guard into the city gates just to try and trigger a secret achievement. The game’s engine usually leashes enemies long before they get to the fountain, let alone the tavern door.
What is real is the "Cat's Tail" series of world interactions. If you talk to the cats around the tavern—specifically Prince—you get a glimpse into a very strange, almost sentient world of animals that seem to be monitoring the city. It’s quirky. It’s a bit creepy. It’s very HoYoverse.
How to Actually "Play" the Assassin Role
If you want to lean into this vibe, you’re looking at specific character builds. You want high "Front-Loaded Damage."
In the current 2026 meta, "Assassins" are characters who don't need long setups. We're talking about the likes of Navia or even the classic Hu Tao. You swap in, you delete a health bar, you swap out.
The Cat's Tail tavern serves as the unofficial hub for testing these "nuke" builds. Why? Because the TCG NPCs there have some of the most frustratingly tanky decks in the game. If you can beat the Prince’s hardest challenges, your "assassin" deck is verified.
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The Lore Truth: Mondstadt’s Shadow Side
We have to talk about the Fatui.
The Goth Grand Hotel is right down the street from the Cat's Tail. The Fatui are actual assassins. They are stationed in Mondstadt, and they definitely keep tabs on the tavern. There’s a theory that "Dead Cat Tail Assassins" refers to a specific encounter where Fatui agents tried to infiltrate the tavern to kidnap Diona (to study her "magic" touch with drinks) and were "taken care of" by the city's unofficial protectors.
Again, this is mostly environmental storytelling. You find notes, you hear NPC dialogue about "strange men in masks" lurking near the back entrance.
Diluc, the "Darknight Hero," is essentially an assassin of the night. He doesn't like the Cat’s Tail because it’s a competitor, but he’s been known to operate in the shadows nearby. The overlap between "people who hang out at the tavern" and "people who kill monsters for a living" is basically a circle.
Real Actions You Can Take Right Now
If you want to master the "Deadly" side of the Cat's Tail, stop looking for a hidden quest and start optimizing your tactical play.
- Master the TCG "Nuke" Meta: Go to the Cat's Tail, talk to Prince, and invite characters like Fatui Pyro Agent or Maguu Kenki. These are the "assassin" cards. Learn their swap mechanics.
- Check the Notice Board: The board outside the tavern often changes based on your progress in the Archon quests. It contains flavor text that hints at the "shady" dealings of the patrons.
- Optimize Front-Loaded Damage: If you're building a team for the Abyss, look for "Assassin" traits—characters that don't rely on 15-second setups. Look for high scalings on Elemental Skills, not just Bursts.
- Explore the Back Alley: There is a literal back alley behind the Cat's Tail. It’s where several world quests trigger and where you can find some of the "shadier" NPCs at night.
The "Dead Cat Tail Assassins" might not be a formal group with a logo and a secret handshake, but the concept represents the darker, more tactical side of Mondstadt that hides behind a cute cat-themed facade. Whether you're hunting for high-damage TCG combos or trying to piece together the city's hidden power dynamics, the tavern is the center of it all.
Stop looking for a ghost story. Start looking at the cards and the shadows. The real "assassins" are the ones you build yourself through artifacts and strategy.
Check your deck. Check your crit ratios. The Cat's Tail is waiting.
Next Steps for Players:
- Analyze your TCG deck for "One Turn Kill" potential by calculating the maximum possible damage output using only 8 elemental dice.
- Visit the Cat's Tail during the "Night" cycle (20:00 - 06:00) to see if specific NPCs like Rosaria or the Fatui diplomats are stationed nearby.
- Verify your "Assassination" potential in the Spiral Abyss by timing how quickly your primary DPS can clear the first wave of Floor 12 without using a setup that exceeds 5 seconds.