The Rogue is a leather-wearing melee class that lives on Energy and combo points and opens the fight from stealth. The basic rotation is simple, but the ceiling is high: positioning, keeping your DoTs up and spending your cooldowns well decide everything.
Specializations
| Spec | Role | Artifact | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassination | Melee, damage | The Kingslayers | Agility → mastery → versatility ≈ crit → haste |
| Outlaw | Melee, damage | The Dreadblades | Agility → versatility → crit ≈ haste → mastery |
| Subtlety | Melee, damage | Fangs of the Devourer | Agility → mastery → versatility → crit → haste |
The stat priority is a guideline for 7.3.5. The exact order depends on your talents and legendaries, so check the final result with a sim.
Assassination
- A spec about poisons and bleeds: the damage drips out constantly and the burst is soft and drawn out.
- Key buttons: Garrote and Rupture for your DoTs, Mutilate as your main combo point builder, Envenom as your finisher.
- Watch your DoT timers: a dropped Rupture costs more than any missed finisher.
- Vendetta is your main cooldown — pool Energy ahead of it.
Outlaw
- The most "casino-like" spec: part of its power comes from the random buffs of Roll the Bones.
- Key buttons: Roll the Bones, Adrenaline Rush, Between the Eyes and Blade Flurry in AoE.
- Watch exactly which buffs the dice gave you: that is what decides whether you reroll them or play them out.
- The only Rogue spec with no positional requirements — convenient for beginners and in Mythic+.
Subtlety
- A game of windows: almost all of your damage goes out in stealth and under Shadow Dance.
- Key buttons: Shadowstrike (only from behind), Symbols of Death, Nightblade.
- Watch your Shadow Dance charges: they stack up, and wasting them is the classic beginner's mistake.
- The most demanding spec when it comes to positioning, but it has the best single burst window.
Legendary items
- Mantle of the Master Assassin — shoulders, +100% critical strike chance while stealthed and for 5 seconds after you leave stealth. The best legendary for all three specs.
- Zoldyck Family Training Shackles — wrists for Assassination: poisons and bleeds hit 40% harder on targets below 30% health.
- Dreadlord's Deceit — a cloak for Assassination and Subtlety, it builds up stacks that empower your AoE ability.
- Greenskin's Waterlogged Wristcuffs — wrists for Outlaw: Between the Eyes can empower your next Pistol Shot by 400%.
- Shadow Satyr's Walk — boots for Subtlety: Shadowstrike restores more Energy the farther you leapt.
Until your spec legendaries drop, feel free to wear the all-purpose Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus and Sephuz's Secret.
Class Order Hall
The Rogue order hall is the Hall of Shadows, hidden away in the Underbelly beneath Dalaran; the order itself is called the Uncrowned. It has the artifact forge, the champion mission table, Artifact Power turn-in and vendors — and best of all, it is two steps from the center of Dalaran, so getting around is more convenient than for almost any other class.
Tips for beginners
- Start with Outlaw: it forgives positioning mistakes and is the easiest to pick up in dungeons.
- Keep Kick and Cloak of Shadows on convenient keys: in Mythic+, interrupts and removing magic from yourself are valued higher than a few extra percent of damage.
- Level a single artifact all the way — on 7.3.5 Artifact Knowledge is so high that a second spec catches up in one evening.