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Rogue - skidude - 06-28-2005
I've played side-by-side with higher level sword rogues and kill the same level MOBs faster. Forget Blade Flurry for PVE. You can't get it until levle 30, but you're gimp with no power until you get leathality at 45. Dagger crit just needs ambush at 22 which takes off half their health around that level. As you get higher level tho your crits start taking off less of a chunk, but then at 37 you get leathality which puts you back in business.
So here is my PVE solo leveling build, it doesn't take you to 60 since it really doesn't matter what you take after getting the minimum below.
Solo PVE Build:
The build order I'd suggest is sini, Subtlety to ambush, Assassination to leathality, then finish Combat. This build also flows perfectly into my stealther or dagger crit build. Just ignore the pts into dodge and parry under combat and you're set.
Key Points:
-Ambushes crit 65% of the time and deal 50% more dmg, it should be your main opener. After each kill remorseless will proc giving you 100% chance to crit with ambush.
-10% harder to hit by melee (parry/dodge)
-Sini talent - solo PVE this is bread and butter.
Code:
Assassination Talents (20 points)
# Malice - 5/5 points
Increases your critical strike chance by 5%.
# Remorseless Attacks - 5/5 points
After killing an opponent that yields experience, gives you a 40% increased critical strike chance on your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Ghostly Strike.
# Improved Eviscerate - 3/3 points
Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 15%.
# Murder - 2/2 points
Increases your chance to hit while using your Sap, Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot abilities by 5%.
# Lethality - 5/5 points
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Ambush, Ghostly Strike, or Hemorrhage ability by 30%.
Combat Talents (12 points)
# Lightning Reflexes - 5/5 points
Increases your Dodge chance by 5%.
# Improved Sinister Strike - 2/2 points
Reduces the Energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 5 Energy.
# Deflection - 5/5 points
Increases your Parry chance by 5%.
Subtlety Talents (13 points)
# Camouflage - 5/5 points
Increases your speed while stealthed by 15%.
# Opportunity - 5/5 points
Increases the damage dealt when striking from behind with your Backstab, Garrote, or Ambush abilities by 20%.
# Improved Ambush - 3/3 points
Increases the critical strike chance of your Ambush ability by 40%.
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Update 12/07/04:
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Been experimenting with a new type of build. Guess I'd call it the hybrid build. It's basically the sword combat build below, but uses daggers. Right now I'm really leaning towards using this build.
Hybrid Build
This build attempts to use the best points of all the builds, but sacrifices stealth getting no sublety talents.
Key Points:
-10% harder to hit by melee (parry/dodge) - No matter what the rogue is geared towards, hands down he WILL be getting hit, and this is nice for making up the armor deficiency.
-Blade Flurry
-Seal Fate
-Riposte
-Coldblood
-No Sinister strike talent, you rely purely on Backstab crit (55%)
-0 Stealth talents - Stealth is huge in PVP, but in the higher skilled PVP fights you'll find that stealth is only used at the start of the fight since anyone with half a brain will DoT the sec they see you. All rogues innately have a mini-sap talent anyways (sap + vanish). And the coldblood can be used for ambushes for the quick cloth kills.
Code:
Assassination Talents (30 points)
# Malice - 5/5 points
Increases your critical strike chance by 5%.
# Improved Eviscerate - 3/3 points
Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 15%.
# Remorseless Attacks - 5/5 points
After killing an opponent that yields experience, gives you a 40% increased critical strike chance on your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Ghostly Strike.
# Murder - 2/2 points
Increases your chance to hit while using your Sap, Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot abilities by 5%.
# Ruthlessness - 3/3 points
Gives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a combo point to your target.
# Lethality - 5/5 points
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Ambush, Ghostly Strike, or Hemorrhage ability by 30%.
# Relentless Strikes - 1/1 point
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.
# Cold Blood - 1/1 point
When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Eviscerate by 100%.
# Seal Fate - 5/5 points
Your critical strikes from abilities that add combo points have a 100% chance to add an additional combo point.
Combat Talents (21 points)
# Lightning Reflexes - 5/5 points
Increases your Dodge chance by 5%.
# Improved Backstab - 3/3 points
Increases the critical strike chance of your Backstab ability by 30%.
# Deflection - 5/5 points
Increases your Parry chance by 5%.
# Precision - 1/5 point
Increases your chance to hit with melee weapons by 1%.
# Riposte - 1/1 point
A strike that becomes active after parrying an opponent's attack. This attack deals 150% weapon damage and disarms the target for 6 seconds.
# Dagger Specialization - 5/5 points
Increases your chance to get a critical strike with Daggers by 5%.
# Blade Flurry - 1/1 point
Increases your attack speed by 20%. In addition, attacks strike an additional nearby opponent. Lasts 15 seconds.
Subtlety Talents (0 points)
# None
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I always said once they finalize rogue talents I'd post in-depth explanations for rogue builds. so here they're, my 3 basic builds.
Some General Info:
-All builds are meant for level 60 characters and assume your RAW chance to crit is around 20%. Daggers used are 100 top end dmg and sword is 150 top end dmg.
-It is very easy to get a 20% crit chance while also making a stam build with a rogue. Stam is extremely important for a rogue and their DPS will be very high no matter what.
-The majority of rogues DPS comes from skills, NOT normal hits. This is doubly important for combo points.
-Evis deals less on armored targets, whereas rupture deals full damage to anyone - evis on cloth, early rupture on armored.
-The higher the top end dmg of a weapon, the better it is no matter the DPS - most skills are either % based (% of a higher top end dmg is best) or instant use (free dmg added to weapon dmg, thus higher is better).
-Master of deception cuts the distance in half for being detected, whereas camo increases your speed. For PVE MoD is needed. In PVP speed is needed. The client checks every 5s for a stealth check. Therefor the shorter time you spend in their vision, the better - so speed is it's own form of helping not being detected. Also the faster you can move into position, the faster you can join the fight or scout.
-There are two types of rogues: stealthers and frontlines. Frontlines can take some hits from melee, have great defensive talents (combat tree) and still deal the wicked rogue dmg. These types usually assist the tanks and use swords with sini strike. Stealthers cannot take hits from melee, deal the best burst dmg in the game, and usually are behind enemy lines sapping/killing support units.
-Sap is THE best PVP CC in the game. It is a physical CC which cannot be dispelled. As of currently the only skill which can break sap is a frost mages ice block (bug?).
-The following rogue skills are affected by diminishing returns: gouge, sap, cheapshot, mace talent stun, kidney shot. None of these skills are linked for diminishing returns, so a kidney shot right after a gouge will not suffer from diminishing returns. Diminishing returns has a 15s window which starts after the target is released from the skill. Anytime during that window if you use the same skill it will be affected by diminishing returns. 1st: 100%, 2nd: 50%, 3rd: 25%, 4th: immune.
-Kidney Shot talent is not as good as people think. Kidney Shot lasts 6 secs max, cooldown is 20s, diminshing returns has a 15s window which starts when the target comes out of the stun. 20s cooldown - 6s stun = 14s, wait 1 more sec and your Kidney Shots never get affected by diminishing returns. With the talent the cooldown is less, making multiple Kidney Shots prone to diminishing returns unless you wait 15s (making the talent pointless).
-Vanish - If timed right and done fast enough, even with a DoT on you can vanish and ambush/cheap shot/sap a target. If you have multiple DoTs on however this cannot be done.
-Contrary to what someone may tell you, the rogue cannot take damage well, no matter the talents. Rogues have the best burst DPS in the game starting with stealth. This is why they're best suited for taking out cloth targets at the backlines. Rogues can get there easiest, and kill non-buffed cloth in under 5s if done right.
Dagger using crit build:
This build takes the heart of the rogue and enhances everything about it. The rogue is meant to be pure DPS and this is the HIGEST DPS talent build that the rogue can achieve.
Key Points:
-Highest DPS build
-Ambushes crit 65% of the time and deal 50% more dmg, it should be your main opener
-Backstabs crit 50% of the time and deal 50% more dmg, this is your main damage dealer
-Ambushes deal ~1400 on a crit to cloth
-Backstabs deal ~1000 on a crit to cloth
-All crits give you an extra combo point (seal fate)
-Sacrifice defense talents for higher DPS - rogue no matter what cannot take hits
-Guarenteed crit (coldblood)
Code:
Subtlety Mastery
Camouflage - Rank 5/5
Increases your speed while stealthed by 15%.
Opportunity - Rank 5/5
Increases the damage dealt when striking from behind with your Backstab, Garrote, or Ambush abilities by 20%.
Improved Ambush - Rank 3/3
Increases the critical strike chance of your Ambush ability by 45%.
Subtlety Total: 13
Combat Mastery
Improved Gouge - Rank 3/3
Increases the effect duration of your Gouge ability by 1.5 secs.
Improved Sinister Strike - Rank 2/2
Reduces the Energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 5.
Improved Backstab - Rank 3/3
Increases the critical strike chance of your Backstab ability by 30%.
Combat Total: 8
Assassination Mastery
Improved Eviscerate - Rank 3/3
Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 15%.
Remorseless Attacks - Rank 5/5
After killing an opponent that yields experience, gives you a 40% increased critical strike chance on your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Ghostly Strike.
Malice - Rank 5/5
Increases your critical strike chance by 5%.
Ruthlessness - Rank 3/3
Gives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a combo point to your target.
Murder - Rank 2/2
Increases your chance to hit while using your Sap, Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot abilities by 5%.
Relentless Strikes - Rank 1/1
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.
Lethality - Rank 5/5
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Ambush, Ghostly Strike, or Hemorrhage ability by 30%.
Cold Blood - Rank 1/1
Instant cast 3 min cooldown
When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Eviscerate by 100%.
Seal Fate - Rank 5/5
Your critical strikes from abilities that add combo points have a 100% chance to add an additional combo point.
Assassination Total: 30
Sword using frontlines build:
This build usually assists the tank at the frontlines helping to focus fire with great DPS.
Key Points:
-Easier to play, don't have to worry about positioning (backstab)
-8% harder to hit by melee (parry/dodge)
-Reduced damage compared to other builds
-Blade Flurry for increased atk spd and good AE dmg
-All crits give you an extra combo point (seal fate)
-Riposte - Sacrifice 10% offhand dmg for riposte. You can spam this (duration is longer than cooldown!) on any melee attacking you making their hits worthless, important for fighting other frontlines units. Disarming any melee class turns their DPS to 0, think of it as a free 6 sec stun everytime you parry which is 10% of the time you get hit.
-Guarenteed crit (coldblood)
-Can backlines stealth and sap a target then run to assist frontlines, or opener sap/cheapshot someone at frontlines
Code:
Combat Mastery
Improved Sinister Strike - Rank 2/2
Reduces the Energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 5.
Lightning Reflexes - Rank 3/5
Increases your Dodge chance by 3%.
Deflection - Rank 5/5
Increases your Parry chance by 5%.
Precision - Rank 5/5
Increases your chance to hit with melee weapons by 5%.
Riposte - Rank 1/1
10 Energy
Instant cast 5 sec cooldown
5 yd range
A strike that becomes active after parrying an opponent's attack. This attack deals 150% weapon damage and disarms the target for 6 sec.
Dual Wield Specialization - Rank 4/5
Increases the damage done by your offhand weapon by 40%.
Blade Flurry - Rank 1/1
25 Energy
Instant cast 2 min cooldown
Requires Melee Weapon
Increases your attack speed by 20%. In addition, attacks strike an additional nearby opponent. Lasts 15 sec.
Combat Total: 21
Assassination Mastery
Improved Eviscerate - Rank 3/3
Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 15%.
Remorseless Attacks - Rank 5/5
After killing an opponent that yields experience, gives you a 40% increased critical strike chance on your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Ghostly Strike.
Malice - Rank 5/5
Increases your critical strike chance by 5%.
Ruthlessness - Rank 3/3
Gives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a combo point to your target.
Murder - Rank 2/2
Increases your chance to hit while using your Sap, Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot abilities by 5%.
Relentless Strikes - Rank 1/1
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.
Lethality - Rank 5/5
Increases the damage done by your critical strikes by 50% when using the Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Ambush, Ghostly Strike, or Hemorrhage ability.
Cold Blood - Rank 1/1
Instant cast 3 min cooldown
When activated, your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Eviscerate is guaranteed a critical strike.
Seal Fate - Rank 5/5
Your critical strikes from abilities that add combo points have a 100% chance to add an additional combo point.
Assassination Total: 30
Stealther rogue:
This build is great for 1v1, but still has high utility for group PVP. This build is identical to the dagger crit build but sacrifices the Seal Fate talent for 9 points in the Subtley Tree - less damage in most situations, but far more utility. This build takes the most skill to play.
Key Points:
-You can sap a target and stay in stealth to ambush another target
-Guarenteed crit (coldblood)
-Preparation resets all timer skills (vanish, blind, coldblood, evasion, sprint, kidney shot, oh my!). If timed right to avoid wasted vanishes, in the ideal group PVP fight you can sap 3 times AND ambush 3 times (stealth, vanish, prep, vanish), coldblood twice, sprint twice, blind twice, and use evasion twice.
-Ambushes crit 65% of the time and deal 50% more dmg, it should be your main opener
-Backstabs crit 50% of the time and deal 50% more dmg, this is your main damage dealer
-Ambushes deal ~1400 on a crit to cloth
-Backstabs deal ~1000 on a crit to cloth
-Rupture - Combo point generation is slower than dagger crit build but you have +30% dmg on rupture. A 5 point rupture deals 1300 to any class reguardless of armor. Spamming low combo point ruptures is key with this build. 3 point ruptures are easy, quick, and deal 800 damage over 14s.
Code:
Subtlety Mastery
Camouflage - Rank 5/5
Increases your speed while stealthed by 15%.
Opportunity - Rank 5/5
Increases the damage dealt when striking from behind with your Backstab, Garrote, or Ambush abilities by 20%.
Initiative - Rank 2/5
Gives you a 30% chance to add an additional combo point to your target when using your Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot ability.
Improved Ambush - Rank 3/3
Increases the critical strike chance of your Ambush ability by 45%.
Improved Rupture - Rank 3/3
Increases the damage dealt by your Rupture ability by 30%.
Improved Sap - Rank 3/3
Gives you a 90% chance to return to stealth mode after using your Sap ability.
Preparation - Rank 1/1
Instant cast 10 min cooldown
When activated, this ability immediately finishes the cooldown on your other Rogue abilities.
Subtlety Total: 22
Combat Mastery
Improved Gouge - Rank 3/3
Increases the effect duration of your Gouge ability by 1.5 secs.
Improved Sinister Strike - Rank 2/2
Reduces the Energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 5.
Improved Backstab - Rank 3/3
Increases the critical strike chance of your Backstab ability by 30%.
Combat Total: 8
Assassination Mastery
Improved Eviscerate - Rank 3/3
Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 15%.
Remorseless Attacks - Rank 1/5
After killing an opponent that yields experience, gives you a 8% increased critical strike chance on your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Ghostly Strike.
Malice - Rank 5/5
Increases your critical strike chance by 5%.
Ruthlessness - Rank 3/3
Gives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a combo point to your target.
Murder - Rank 2/2
Increases your chance to hit while using your Sap, Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot abilities by 5%.
Relentless Strike
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Ambush, Ghostly Strike, or Hemorrhage ability by 30%.
Cold Blood - Rank 1/1
Instant cast 3 min cooldown
When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, os - Rank 1/1
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.
Lethality - Rank 5/5r Eviscerate by 100%.
Assassination Total: 21
Rogue - skidude - 06-28-2005
===============================================================================
1. Introduction
===============================================================================
Eh...while waiting for auctions to run out and various other inactive activities
in Ironforge, I have thus created this FAQ to help along aspiring rogues in
their journey to make something of themselves. Let me start off by saying that
I'm far too addicted to World of Warcraft right now, so even though this FAQ is
about said evil MMORPG, updates will likely be sporadic at best. With that
said, read on, and enjoy.
Two notes: One, a lot of what's written in this guide is my opinion about
rogues. Bear in mind not all rogues should be the same, and since it's an RPG,
you're certainly free to play yours however you like. That said, don't bug me
if you disagree with anything that's an opinion. And secondly...
If there is any information that is fraudulent, incorrect or slightly off, or
if I've forgotten to credit anyone for their work, please send me an e-mail and
I'll make the proper corrections where applicable.
===============================================================================
2. Updates
===============================================================================
1.00 - Just started. This guide is complete in terms of the content I wanted
to put out when I started, but odds are I'll be adding to it over time. I'm
hoping to find some ASCII art I can use.
1.02 - Added a section on poisons, fixed up some stuff. What I'd like to do
is put in PVP strategies to use against each particular class, but I'll need
to get in more duels for that.
1.03 - Some quick updates. Still working on PVP data.
1.04 - More quick updates. Added a proper FAQ. I want to go through the
talents and write up some data on them, but that's for later.
1.06 - Corrections, changes, all manner of things. Still want to do the
talents, but later.
1.07 - More manner of changes and corrections.
1.08 - Slight correction. I'm working on Baten Kaitos, so this FAQ will have
to wait for the talent data.
1.10 - Updated some stuff in light of the recent 1.4 patch.
1.12 - Wrote up a Seal Fate build and modified my assassination/subtlety build.
===============================================================================
3. Why a Rogue?
===============================================================================
Many reasons. I chose my rogue because I don't like straight-up melee fighters
(warriors and paladins), hunters remind me too much of the D&D-style rangers,
whom I hate, and spellcaster classes have always been more complicated than I
care to deal with. Besides, I'm a sneaky guy by nature. Ask anyone. They'll
say they never saw me.
Let me just say up front that if your typical playing style is to rush up and
beat on the enemy until he/she/it is dead, a rogue is not for you. Sorry, but
it'll be more trouble than it's worth. You want a warrior or paladin, but not
a stealthy rogue. A rogue is more subtle, more diverse. A rogue can sneak up
to an enemy, stun him/her/it for several seconds, deal lots of damage, then
fade into the shadows as if he/she/it were never there.
A rogue is the shadows. Keep that in mind.
Anyway, there are many different types of rogues, but they all have similar
traits.
Advantages
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* Can sneak into areas others can't.
* Has the highest DPS of any melee class, rivaling only the mage class.
* High dodge and critical strike chances.
* Can handle melee much better than spellcasting classes.
* Exemplory 1v1 capabilities.
* Uses Energy instead of Mana, which powers combo points.
* Open your own lockboxes!
* Mage killers. You show a rogue a mage in PVP, that mage is an example of
impending death.
* They are l33t ninja. 'nuff said.
Disadvantages
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* Fragile. Rogues wear leather armor throughout the game. Hunters get mail
armor at level 40, warriors and paladins receive plate, but you're stuck with
leather.
* Somewhat limited weapon selection. Two-handed weapons are out of your range.
* Can't handle groups very well. A rogue is meant for 1v1 combat, not tanking
a bunch of monsters. Leave that to the warrior or paladin.
* You'll deal less damage per strike than other classes. However, a high DPS
makes up for this.
* Too many rogues. Hard to get in end-game instance groups because of this.
===============================================================================
4. Which Race?
===============================================================================
This is something of a silly question. It really doesn't matter which race you
choose for any class (unless you want to be a paladin or shaman...) The only
race that cannot be a rogue are the Taurens, and if you've heard what they say
when you try looting a corpse that isn't yours ("That would be stealing!")
you'll understand why. Lousy do-gooders.
While it doesn't matter which race in particular, there are two with some
advantages. Night Elves get a 1% dodge bonus (greater than you think) along
with the Shadowmeld racial trait. Undead have a racial trait that makes
warlocks crap their robes: Will of the Forsaken. More on that later.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Human
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Perception (Active) - Activate to increase stealth detection radius by 10 yards.
Lasts 20 seconds. 3 minute cooldown.
The Human Spirit (Passive) - Increase Spirit by 5%.
Diplomacy (Passive) - 10% bonus to faction point gain.
Sword Specialization (Passive - Humans get +5 to Sword skill.
Mace Specialization (Passive) - Humans get +5 to Mace skill.
Night Elf
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Shadowmeld (Active) - Activate while immobile and out of combat to enter stealth
mode. Lasts until canceled. No cooldown.
Quickness (Passive) - Dodge chance increased by 1%
Wisp Spirit (Passive) - Become a wisp when dead with movement speed increase of
50% (25% faster than a normal ghost).
Nature Resistance (Passive) - All Night Elves get +10 Nature Resistance
Dwarf
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Stoneform (Active) - Activate to gain immunity to poison, disease, and bleed
plus 5% AC bonus. Lasts 20 seconds. 3 minute cooldown.
Gun Specialization (Passive) - Dwarves get +5 to Gun Skill
Frost Resistance (Passive) - All Dwarves get +10 Cold Resistance
Treasure Finding (Passive) - Activate to see treasure chests on mini map. Lasts
until canceled. No cooldown.
Gnome
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Escape Artist (Active) - Activate to break out of a Root or Snare effect.
1.5 second cast. 1 minute cooldown.
Expansive Mind (Passive) - Increase Intelligence by 5%.
Arcane Resistance (Passive) - All Gnomes get +10 Arcane Resistance.
Technologist (Passive) - 15 skill bonus to Engineering.
Orc
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Blood Fury (Active) - Activate to increase Strength by 25% but take 5% health
loss every 3 seconds. Lasts 20 seconds. 2 min cooldown.
Hardiness (Passive) - 25% resistance to stun and knockout effects.
Command (Passive) - Pet melee damage increased by 5%.
Axe Specialization (Passive) - Orcs get +5 to Axe skill.
Undead
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Will of the Forsaken (Active) - Activate to become immune to fear, sleep, and
charm effects. Lasts 20 sec. 3 min cooldown.
Cannibalize (Active) - Increase health regeneration by 200% while consuming a
corpse. Lasts 15 seconds. 3 minute cooldown.
Underwater Breathing (Passive) - Underwater breath increased by 4x.
Shadow Resistance (Passive) - All Undead get +10 Shadow Resistance.
Troll
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Berserking (Active) - Activate when "Wounded" to increase melee and spellcasting
speed by 25%. Lasts 20 seconds. 2 minute cooldown.
Regeneration (Passive) - 10% health regen bonus, 10% active in combat.
Beast Slaying (Passive) - 5% damage bonus to Beasts.
Throwing Weapon Specialization (Passive) - +5 to Throwing Weapon skill.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now then, this is why you should ignore racial traits and just pick the race you
like best. I know I spent a lot of time sorting out those traits just to tell
you that, but it's true. Most of the racial traits in general don't compliment
a rogue. About the only truly useful traits are the undead's Will of the
Forsaken, which will make you immune to Fear (a warlock's best defense against
a rogue) and their increased underwater breathing, especially for some quests.
Gnomes are more suited to being mages, but they do have one advantage: their
size. Their small stature makes them difficult for other players to target
manually, giving you an advantage in PVP. Of course, if you just plan on doing
PVE (player versus enemy, or in other words, just killing normal monsters) then
this won't matter one bit.
In short, pick the race you like the most, and don't let anyone tell you it was
a bad choice.
===============================================================================
5. What About Weapons?
===============================================================================
For a rogue, your dagger is your friend. There are other options, but for the
first ten (or twenty) levels, daggers will help you along more than you know.
Throwing knives give you an edge over paladins, who have to rush in to attack
an enemy, and spellcasters, who have to exhaust mana to pull enemies. You can
later train in bows, but don't bother till level 36, when bows start giving
off stat bonuses. Before then, throwing knives are cheaper to maintain and
produce the same effect.
However, once you hit 36 you should start shopping for a bow. Throwing knives
are cheap, yes, but your ranged attack with a bow is increased depending on
your agility. Since any good rogue will have lots of agility by level 36, your
ranged attack will likely be somewhere in the neighborhood of 125+ depending
on your bow and agility. Much better than throwing knives, which tend to top
out at around 30-40 damage per shot.
At level 10, rogues can buy a skill called Dual Wield. This lets them equip a
melee weapon in each hand, increasing the damage they deal. There are certain
and significant disadvantages to this. For one, the damage you deal with your
off-hand weapon will be reduced by 50%. For another, you will take a knock to
your to-hit percentage for your weapons, meaning you'll miss more often.
However, these are greatly outweighed by the long-term advantages. No matter
what kind of rogue you plan on becoming, you will want and need Dual Wield.
Simple as that.
As for melee weapons, you can later train in one-handed swords and maces which,
depending on your preference, can open up certain possibilities. Some people
like to use dual swords or maces (or a mix of the two) but they're only hurting
themselves. As I said before, the point of the rogue is not to rush up and
beat on people, but to be a little more subtle, have a little more style.
Having anything but a dagger equipped in your main hand disables a number of
rogue skills that would otherwise be useful.
Now, there are macros out there that let you keep a dagger equipped in the main
hand while in stealth, then switch to a sword/mace after using ambush, but I'm
a fan of dual daggers myself. Personal preference. Matter of opinion. Stop
bugging me about this.
There is a significant advantage to dual-wielding daggers, and that is poisons.
Instant Poison, for example, has a 20% base chance of being inflicted on an
enemy, and when it's inflicted, it deals a certain amount of damage in addition
to your weapon damage. Now imagine a rogue with twin daggers, both coated with
Instant Poison, swinging away at you with the speed of a dervish. Now imagine
you're the rogue. Fun, huh?
If you're wondering on what to equip yourself with, the real answer is to just
use what you like. If you're looking for the best setup, a dagger and sword
early in the game will help. Later on, you'll be able to find rare (blue)
daggers that deal nearly as much (or in some cases, more) damage than swords
of the same level, and that's when you should focus on either finding or buying
those daggers so you can more effectively deal out poisons.
If you're intent on doing both PVP and PVE, simply keep a pair of daggers in
your inventory along with whatever other weapon(s) you use. Equip the daggers
for PVP and equip whatever else for normal monsters. Simple, effective.
A quick word on poisons. There are many different types, for certain
situations. Crippling poison reduces an enemy's movement speed and is killer
in duels. Stop that ugly shaman or hunter from running and pelting you with
arrows/spells from afar, and let your blades do the talking. Fighting a
spellcaster? Use Mind-numbing poison and wait just before his spell activates,
then use Kick and watch him cry. Remember, you're a rogue, and that means
never having to say you're sorry.
Now then, you can train in bows in Darnassus, and swords, maces and crossbows in
Stormwind City if you're on the side of the Alliance. If you're of the Horde,
you'll want to hit Orgrimmar or the Undercity for your training needs. The
quest for poisons first begins at level 20, but I would recommend not doing it
for a few levels due to what's involved with it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5a. Damage vs. DPS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Decided to stick this section in after receiving an e-mail with a rather
detailed (and long) bit on weapon choices.
Quite often throughout the game you'll be presented with weapon choices. Some
are strong, some are fast, and some are just plain weird. One question I'm
asked with some frequency is whether base damage or DPS (damage per second) is
a better route to take, and which type of weapon should go in which hand. Well,
here's the answer.
Before going into specifics, if you're trying to determine which weapon goes in
your main hand and which goes in the off-hand, the weapon with the highest base
damage always goes in the main hand. This weapon is the one that will be used
for Sinister Strike, Ambush, and all your other damage-dealing moves. The
weapon in your off-hand should have either high damage to make up for the 50%
hit, or high speed and DPS.
High-damage weapons are often slower. If you're using daggers, they can have
speeds up to and greater than 2.00, and if you're using swords, expect the speed
to be much higher. Why would you use such a cumbersome weapon, you may ask?
Higher damage on Sinister Strike, Ambush and other moves. If you're not going
to be using poisons, sacrificing a little speed for damage will help.
For ranged weapons like bows, the higher the damage, the better. Forget DPS,
ranged weapons are pulling tools, not your main armament. You want to bring
the enemy out of the pack and give him a reason to not like you rather than
pelt him with arrows and/or bullets.
Other than that, just make sure your main hand is equipped with a high damage-
dealer and the off-hand has something nice as well.
===============================================================================
6. Skills
===============================================================================
A word on skills. Certain skills are essential. Some can be replaced for
others. Some are just plain worthless. For example, Sinister Strike is
essential for any and every rogue. It will be your main damage-dealer all
throughout your rogue career. Backstab is later replaced by Ambush in PVE,
then replaces Ambush for PVP purposes. Expose Armor is worthless. Don't
bother with it. I'll try to give an accurate assessment of each skill's
usefulness, though I've since developed certain feelings for particular skills
and I'm loathe to change my mind on them.
Skill Type Requirement(s) Usefulness
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Sinister Strike Combat N/A Essential!
Eviscerate Assassination N/A Essential!
Backstab Combat Level 4 Early-level, PVP
Pick Pocket Subtlety Level 4 Limited
Gouge Combat Level 6 Varies
Evasion Combat Level 8 Essential!
Sap Subtlety Level 10 Limited
Dual Wield Dual Wield Level 10 Essential!
Sprint Combat Level 10 Escape method
Slice and Dice Assassination Level 10 Limited
Kick Combat Level 12 **** off mages!
Expose Armor Assassination Level 14 Useless
Garrote Assassination Level 14 Limited
Pick Lock Lockpicking Level 16 Essential!
Feint Combat Level 16 Limited
Ambush Assassination Level 18 Stealthy damage
Parry Defense Level 18 Just take it.
Poisons Poison Level 20 Varies
Rupture Assassination Level 20 Limited
Distract Subtlety Level 22 Limited
Vanish Subtlety Level 22 Essential!
Detect Traps Subtlety Level 24 Varies
Cheap Shot Assassination Level 26 Essential!
Kidney Shot Assassination Level 30 Limited
Disarm Trap Subtlety Level 30 Varies
Blind Subtlety Level 34 PVP
Safe Fall Subtlety Level 40 Very useful
And now, into the details of the abilities. Not all, but most.
Backstab - As I said, this is replaced by Ambush later, and usable in PVP in
higher levels. You have to be behind your opponent, so it doesn't work on
regular monsters unless you're in a group or you've stealthed up to one. In
PVP, you can actually circle-strafe another person and be presented with their
backside several times if you're good. However, Backstab is not a better move
than Sinister Strike in terms of the damage/energy ratio. For every two
Backstabs you can toss out three Sinister Strikes (with the proper talents)
and they can be done from anywhere. However, should you have an opportunity to
Backstab an opponent, feel free to do so.
Blind - This is a funny ability. Try it in PVP and watch your opponent stumble
around trying to find you in the dark. Also a good escape move, it will make
the enemy wander and give you time to get away. Can also help with crowd
control in both PVP and PVE, but against monsters, they tend to wander into
another group and pull even more aggro, so don't get used to it.
Cheap Shot - The replacement for Ambush and Backstab. It does no damage, but
it stuns the target for four seconds, giving you time to beat on them freely.
Not only that, but it gives you two combo points instead of the usual one,
which can be increased to three points with talents. A very useful ability.
However, if you're in a group with another rogue, keep in mind that the effects
of Cheap Shot DO NOT STACK! Meaning, if your buddy rogue has used Cheap Shot
and you're moving in, you'll have to use Ambush. Even if you wait till his
Cheap Shot wears off, yours will only momentarily stun the enemy rather than
for the full four seconds. If you're in a group with another rogue, determine
early on who will use Cheap Shot and who uses Ambush.
Detect/Disarm Traps - Very, very situational, but the group will thank you for
it later on. This is primarily applicable later in the game when some chests
are trapped and you'll have to remove them in order to get the treasure without
being killed. Also useful for disarming traps set by Hunters.
Distract - This is a very situational move, but it can help. This will turn an
enemy's attention elsewhere, thereby presenting to you their welcoming backs
for pickpocketing, ambushing, or whatever else you'd like to do to them. It
freezes them in place momentarily as well, giving you an opportunity to rob or
attack any wandering enemies.
Evasion - This thing adds 50% to your dodge rating. Even a low-level rogue can
suddenly have a 60-70% dodge rating with this. Higher-level rogues can hit
80%. That's an 80% chance of dodging hits for fifteen seconds, which should
be plenty of time to lay in some hits of your own.
Feint - Only useful in groups. No real point if you're fighting by your
lonesome, and has zero use in PVP. It's mostly only effective at higher levels,
and it can still be ineffective depending on how much damage the rest of your
group is laying down. Still, it's the best way to take yourself out of the
enemy's sights.
Garrote - This is an alternative to Backstab or Ambush, but not always the best
option. It deals greater damage than either of the two, but it does so over
time. In mid- to end-game instances you'll come across bosses that can't be
stunned by Cheap Shot and other moves, in which case Garrote will do its job
nicely.
Gouge - Used for a variety of purposes, both as an escape move and to allow you
to get in a quick backstab after you've engaged the enemy. In the end-game,
its primary use is in duels. In group PVP, very few people actually stop and
check to see whether or not someone is stunned (those who do get creamed anyway)
so it's pointless to gouge someone when there's half a dozen mages running
around nuking the crap out of everything. In group PVE, there are better
stunning methods than this, and better ways to get away from aggro.
Kick - Against any and all spellcasters, this is a godsend. This nifty ability
lets you disrupt any spell being cast for several seconds, and it deals a little
bit of damage to boot. You don't really need to buy higher levels of this skill
right away, since the damage it does is negligible.
Parry - The only thing this does is give you a better chance at blocking an
enemy's attacks. However, it's a one-time cost, so it's worth the relatively
small amount of money.
Pick Lock - Essential. Not only can you pick the locks on doors in the Scarlet
Monestary (thereby negating the need to find the proper key) you'll always be
in demand to open other people's lockboxes. A rogue with 300 lockpicking can
also open the doors to Stratholme, Scholomance, Dire Maul and the doors in
Blackrock Depths (however, some parts in that instance require the key), not
to mention being able to open any given chest.
Pickpocket - You can't pick the pockets of other players, but this skill is
needed for some rogue quests, and you can make a lot of money by picking the
pockets of humanoid NPCs, not to mention pick up lockboxes of various sizes.
Plus if you're in a group, the money and items you snatch from pickpocketing is
yours to keep. It isn't shared with the rest of the group.
Poisons - You have to buy ranks in the various poisons as your skill increases,
but I'm lumping the whole thing together here. Poisons can be a great help in
PVE and PVP, but the chance of them activating is low, so keep that in mind.
The cost of ingredients is actually very low, though you have to buy a ton of
them early on to get your skill up to respectable levels. You can survive
without poisons, but for the rogue who likes to take chances, they're quite
handy.
Safe Fall - As the description says, this reduces the damage taken by falling.
Useful, yes, but don't expect to survive a skydive off Teldrassil.
Sap - This move's usefulness is limited, yes, but very effective in the right
situation. This is a stealth version of Gouge and works for a lot longer.
It can only be used on humanoids, limiting its effectiveness, but it's very
helpful in places where said humanoids like to walk around in gangs. Remember
that a rogue is a 1v1 fighter, not a class that can tank groups. Sap one, then
pull the other away. By the time the sap (ha) regains consciousness, his buddy
is already dead, and you've put a knife in his back.
Sprint - This is a rogue's primary method of escaping a bad situation. Also
nice for catching up to fleeing enemies, or reducing chilling or slowing
effects.
Vanish - This is another essential skill, and it's multi-talented as well. It
works as an escape skill, letting you go straight into stealth mode while in
combat. Once the Vanish runs down, you remain in regular stealth, so you can
just sneak away safely. Not only that, but this skill breaks movement-impairing
effects like Frost Nova, which means those mages in PVP need to think of another
way of dealing with you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6a. Finish Them in Style!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I decided to put this section in after playing around with a few of the
finishing moves and imagining a few situations in PVP where they might be
useful. So, here's a rundown of why Blizzard put anything besides Eviscerate
in the game.
Expose Armor - Not worth it. If you're fighting a warrior or other high-armor
opponent, Rupture will simply deal damage rather than lowering their 5000+
armor rating by what they would consider a paltry amount. Not useful in groups
either, warriors should be the ones reducing armor so they hold the aggro, not
you.
Kidney Punch - Quite simply, a stun move. There are certain advantages to this
move, the first and foremost being that it lets you beat on monsters while they
have to sit there and take it for 5-6 seconds. It has a rather high cooldown
rate compared to other finishing moves, but that can be reduced with talents.
More effective in groups than Gouge, since the stun from Kidney Punch isn't
broken by damage. Also exceedingly useful against spellcasters. Takes the
magic right out of them.
Rupture - This particular move can't compare to a Cold Blood/Eviscerate combo
in terms of damage, but it's rather handy outside of PVP against instance bosses
and other tough elites. It tends to hold its own in damage with Eviscerate, but
once you get Cold Blood, it's not as useful. In PVP, it can be used against
warriors or anyone else to disrupt the use of bandages if they get away from you
for a moment. For end-game raids, most bosses will take more damage over time
from a full combo-ed Rupture than Eviscerate due to their armor value. Best to
lay down a Rupture, then work back up to an Eviscerate.
Slice and Dice - Put simply, this finishing move is meant for the rogue who
uses poisons. If you don't use poisons, an increase in your attack speed
means nothing compared to the damage you could do with other moves. However,
in PVP, more attacks means more chances to apply poison to your victims, and
thus Slice and Dice helps quite a bit in that aspect. Otherwise, it's a waste
of your combo points.
===============================================================================
7. The Art of Combat
===============================================================================
This section is here to give you a general idea of how combat should work as a
rogue. Bear in mind this is not a section for PVP strategies, but rather PVE.
In other words, it's here for the beginner rogue who's wondering why he keeps
dying. This bit's for you, little buddy.
First of all, throwing daggers will help you a lot early in the game. As I
said earlier, bows aren't worth the training price (and subsequent costs) until
level 36, when they start giving agility bonuses simply by being equipped.
Early on, your low level will draw aggro (make monsters aggressive) more easily,
thereby forcing you into combat in unintended situations. Throwing daggers
brings the monster to you, with the distinct exception of any and all
spellcasters. These are the ones you should watch out for early on, because
Blizzard gave them seemingly infinite range, and their spells hurt. The blue
mana bar that appears under their health when you click on them (or lack
thereof) will tell you who's a spellcaster and who's a plodhopper.
Before you go all gung-ho on a monster, take a moment and look around. Check
and see if there are any wandering critters nearby who might join in on your
little rumble before drawing the initial aggro. Because of stealth, you have
more time and opportunity than other classes to assess the situation and
determine whether or not you're about to be ambushed.
Early on stealth will likely be your only method of getting through some
situations and quests without a group, but don't get overconfident. Whether or
not you're found out is determined by several factors: first and foremost, your
level versus the level of the monster. Secondly, how close you are to them.
Third, whether or not you're behind them. Regardless of your level, you won't
be found out if you sneak up behind an enemy, but circle around to the front
and you take your life in your hands.
Be very aware of what drops you out of stealth. Searching a corpse, examining
an item, opening a chest and more will all drop you out of stealth and give any
nearby monsters an opportunity to attack you. Knowing when you are and are not
vulnerable will keep you alive.
Remember that you are a rogue. Keep that first and foremost in your mind. To
that effect, never charge into a group of enemies, or have some grandiose notion
that you can win should two or three other monsters suddenly decide to join your
current battle. The warrior or paladin can do such things, but you have stealth
and Sprint for a reason. He who fights and runs away lives to fight another
day, and whatnot.
Good luck.
===============================================================================
8. Sample Talent Builds
===============================================================================
First and foremost, you should go here:
http://wowvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Talents.View
This is IGN's talent builder. There are others out there, but I like this one.
It will let you customize your rogue talents and basically plan for the future.
Believe me when I say you want to be sure what you want early on, because it's
very, very expensive to reset your talents. If you make a mistake or decide
you don't like your current build, it costs 1g to reset everything the first
time, 5g the next, then an additional 5g (10g, 15g, 20g, etc.) up to 50g, where
the price sits...stealing your money.
Anyway, I have a couple sample talent builds you can try, and they're mostly
based off of other people's builds. This first one, the standard 23/2/26, was
originally constructed by someone else, but I don't remember his/her name (so
if anyone knows, tell me so I can give credit!)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assassination Talents (23 points)
Improved Eviscerate - 3/3 points
Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 15%.
Malice - 5/5 points
Increases your critical strike chance by 5%.
Ruthlessness - 3/3 points
Gives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a combo point to your target.
Murder - 1/2 point
Increases your chance to hit while using your Sap, Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap
Shot abilities by 3%.
Relentless Strikes - 1/1 point
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.
Lethality - 5/5 points
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge,
Backstab, Ambush, Ghostly Strike, or Hemorrhage ability by 30%.
Improved Instant Poison - 4/5 points
Increases the chance to apply Instant Poison to your target by 8%.
Cold Blood - 1/1 point
When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister
Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Eviscerate by 100%.
Combat Talents (2 points)
Improved Sinister Strike - 2/2 points
Reduces the Energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 5 Energy.
Subtlety Talents (26 points)
Camouflage - 5/5 points
Increases your speed while stealthed by 15%.
Master of Deception - 4/5 points
Reduces the chance enemies have to detect you while in Stealth mode. More
effective than Master of Deception (Rank 3)
Elusiveness - 5/5 points
Reduces the cooldown of your Evasion, Vanish, and Blind abilities by 1.3
minutes.
Ghostly Strike - 1/1 point
A strike that deals 125% weapon damage and increases your chance to dodge by
15% for 7 seconds. Awards 1 combo point.
Initiative - 5/5 points
Gives you a 75% chance to add an additional combo point to your target when
using your Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot ability.
Improved Sap - 3/3 points
Adds a 90% chance to return to stealth mode after using your Sap ability.
Improved Cheap Shot - 1/2 points
Reduces the Energy cost of your Cheap Shot ability by 10.
Preparation - 1/1 point
When activated, this ability immediately finishes the cooldown on your other
Rogue abilities.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This next build is my own modification of the above, and it trims away certain
talents such as Murder and Ghostly Strike, though Ghostly Strike may make a
comeback depending on how many people e-mail me telling me I'm missing out on
something spectacular. Or it might not.
Anyway, this build is meant as a sort of hybrid. It's quite good in PVE, and
works very well in PVP, even without the points in Seal Fate everyone seems to
love. To be frank, I can see the appeal, but I don't like losing so many points
from the Subtlety tree. Too many rogues underestimate the talents in that tree.
My opinion entirely.
For PVP purposes this can be used in group PVP, but it excels mostly in duels
thanks to Preparation. It helps immensely to be able to vanish twice in quick
succession, especially against mages and other casters.
Assassination Talents (23 points)
Improved Eviscerate - 3/3 points
Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 15%.
Malice - 5/5 points
Increases your critical strike chance by 5%.
Ruthlessness - 3/3 points
Gives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a combo point to your target.
Murder - 1/2 point
Increases your chance to hit while using your Sap, Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap
Shot abilities by 3%.
Relentless Strikes - 1/1 point
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.
Lethality - 5/5 points
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge,
Backstab, Ambush, Ghostly Strike, or Hemorrhage ability by 30%.
Improved Instant Poison - 2/5 points
Increases the chance to apply Instant Poison to your target by 4%.
Cold Blood - 1/1 point
When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister
Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Eviscerate by 100%.
Combat Talents (5 points)
Improved Gouge - 3/3 points
Increases the effect duration of your Gouge ability by 1.5 seconds.
Improved Sinister Strike - 2/2 points
Reduces the Energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 5 Energy.
Subtlety Talents (25 points)
Camouflage - 5/5 points
Increases your speed while stealthed by 15%.
Elusiveness - 4/5 points
Reduces the cooldown of your Evasion, Vanish, and Blind abilities by 1 minute.
Opportunity - 5/5 points
Increases the damage dealt when striking from behind with your Backstab,
Garrote, or Ambush abilities by 20%.
Initiative - 5/5 points
Gives you a 75% chance to add an additional combo point to your target when
using your Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot ability.
Improved Sap - 3/3 points
Adds a 90% chance to return to stealth mode after using your Sap ability.
Improved Cheap Shot - 2/2 points
Reduces the Energy cost of your Cheap Shot ability by 20.
Preparation - 1/1 point
When activated, this ability immediately finishes the cooldown on your other
Rogue abilities.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a Seal Fate build with my preferred Subtlety talents. Adjust as needed
for what you like in the Assassination tree. It's more of a PVP build due to
the lack of Improved Sap for the end-game instances, but also useable in PVE,
just less crowd control. The lack of Preparation is offset somewhat by the
extra point in Elusiveness. Not as good in duels since Preparation is
sacrificed, but useful in group PVP thanks to the extra combo points provided
by Seal Fate. Requires a high critical chance to be fully effective.
To be frank, I don't like this build. I'm of the opinion that Seal Fate is an
overrated talent that isn't worth the points it takes to get it, and was made
popular initially by the fact that it was bugged in earlier versions of the
game, causing it to give two extra combo points instead of one. But, that's
just my opinion.
Assassination Talents (31 points)
Improved Eviscerate - 3/3 points
Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 15%.
Malice - 5/5 points
Increases your critical strike chance by 5%.
Ruthlessness - 3/3 points
Gives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a combo point to your target.
Murder - 2/2 points
Increases your chance to hit while using your Sap, Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap
Shot abilities by 5%.
Relentless Strikes - 1/1 point
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.
Lethality - 5/5 points
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge,
Backstab, Ghostly Strike, or Hemorrhage abilities by 30%.
Improved Instant Poison - 2/5 points
Increases the chance to apply Instant Poison to your target by 4%.
Cold Blood - 1/1 point
When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister
Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Eviscerate by 100%.
Improved Kidney Shot - 3/3 points
Reduces the cooldown of your Kidney Shot ability by 5 seconds.
Seal Fate - 5/5 points
Your critical strikes from abilities that add combo points have a 100% chance
to add an additional combo point.
Vigor - 1/1 point
Increases your maximum Energy by 10.
Combat Talents (5 points)
Improved Sinister Strike - 2/2 points
Reduces the Energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 5 Energy.
Improved Gouge - 3/3 points
Increases the effect duration of your Gouge ability by 1.5 seconds.
Subtlety Talents (15 points)
Camouflage - 5/5 points
Increases your speed while stealthed by 15%.
Elusiveness - 5/5 points
Reduces the cooldown of your Evasion, Vanish, and Blind abilities by 1.3
minutes.
Initiative - 5/5 points
Gives you a 75% chance to add an additional combo point to your target when
using your Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot ability.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, there are builds for the combat rogue. Some people prefer a rogue that's
more 'in-your-face,' even though it basically flies in the face of what a rogue
is. But if that's your preferred method of playing, more power to you. It's
not that the combat tree is filled with bad talents, it's just that there are
much more useful ones in the other two trees. My opinion entirely, naturally.
I can't really list any combat builds, since they're dependent on your preferred
weapon. A rogue specializing in daggers will have a different build than one
who likes swords or maces. However, all builds should include Dual Wield
Specialization, which improves the damage output of your offhand weapon. Blade
Flurry is another talent you'll want to have, as it'll actually make you useful
when fighting groups. As for Assassination and Subtlety talents, you'll want
to have Camouflage maxed out, even if all you do is rush in and attack the
enemy, along with Improved Eviscerate and Malice. The more criticals, the
better.
===============================================================================
9. Where to Quest
===============================================================================
This particular section draws both on my own experience and the fine folks at
the World of Warcraft forums on Blizzard's site. The Alliance side varies
depending on your race. Horde side does as well, but not as sharply, since
their capital cities are linked. Eventually, though, the areas in which you
can quest and train become intertwined.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9a. Alliance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For humans, move to Westfall after Elwynn Forest, then when you reach level
18-20, go to the Redridge Mountains. For dwarves, go to Loch Modan after you're
done hanging around Ironforge. That'll last you till about level 20, then you
can go off to the Redridge Mountains and join the humans. Gnomes start with
the dwarves, so they have the same training path. Night elves start in
Teldrassil and move to Darkshore, which should hold you till about level 20.
South of Darkshore is Ashenvale, which is the next logical step, except
Ashenvale quite simply sucks for quests. Most of them require you to be level
24-25, so you'll have a bunch of quests that are above your level. Instead,
take the boat from Darkshore to the Wetlands. You can either quest around
there, or make the very long walk from Menethil Harbor to Ironforge, then go
to Stormwind and walk to the Redridge Mountains.
After Redridge, you should finish up any quests in the Wetlands. That will
likely take you up to level 26-28. After that, head to Duskwood. The quests
there can easily be grouped together, allowing you to finish several of them
at once. The downside? Darkshire and Raven Hill Cemetary are on opposite
sides of the map, so be prepared for a lot of walking back and forth.
Once you reach level 30-31, go south from Duskwood to Stranglethorn Vale.
This place is fantastic for quests, and it's heaven on Azeroth for skinners
and/or leatherworkers. After gaining a few levels, head to Southshore in the
Hillsbrad Foothills, along with the Refuge Camp in the Arathi Highlands. Both
places have good quests, but you can take them on several levels lower than
it takes to actually accomplish them, so you need Stranglethorn as a buffer.
Alternate between Southshore/Arathi and Stranglethorn, as often you'll come
across quests you can't complete yet in one area or the other.
An alternative to Stranglethorn is Desolace, but it's packed full of high-level
wandering monsters in various parts of the region, so it's tough. Plus it's
too damn depressing. Stranglethorn and Arathi should hold you till level 38,
at which time you should start doing runs at the Scarlet Monestary instance.
It's a source of great XP and terrific treasure. Once you get bored of it,
head off to the Badlands. The quests there will keep you busy till your low
40's. Don't stay there too long, it's not the best spot for grinding. The
wildlife tends to wander close together, so you end up fighting too many
beasts at once.
Stranglethorn Vale has quests for you up to level 45. Afterwards, alternate
questing in both Tanaris and Feralas, they provide a good bunch of quests and
some good monsters to grind on. In the latter half of the 40's, start going
to Zul'Farrak, it's got a ton of quests you can complete, plus tons of good
loot. Maraudon is a great instance to farm once you're 47+. At about that
level you can do Princess runs and expect to deal a reasonable amount of damage
to the final boss (although most groups won't take you along till you're 48-49,
or thereabouts). Also, a very nice place to quest and grind at 46-50 is
Azshara, which is east of Ashenvale. The undead shades there are probably the
best source of mageweave cloth you'll find.
Starting at the 50's, move into Felwood, the Searing Gorge, the Blasted Lands,
all those high-end areas. Start in the Blasted Lands and work your way up.
Go to the Un'goro Crater when you get tired of questing there. Un'goro is a
nice place for quests because you pick up about ten all at once at Marshall's
Refuge and can just wander around completing them. Wait till 53-54 till going
to Felwood, it's got more high-level mobs than not. The latter half of the
50's should be done in the Plaguelands (either one) and Blackrock Stronghold
once you get up to maybe 57-58. After that, just concentrate on hitting 60 and
enjoy your absolute power.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9b. Horde
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Depending on your race, you'll either start in the Undercity or in Durotar.
Either way, you can go to the Barrens once you're about level 12-13 and quest
around there. Hang around in the Barrens and kill the various wildlife till
you're at 19-20, then move to the Tarren Mill in Hillsbrad. Bear in mind Tarren
Mill is raided a hell of a lot, what with being in such close proximity to
Southshore (and by extension, Ironforge and a whole mess of Alliance players)
so if you're on a PVP server...I pity you. Otherwise, turn PVP off and just
hunt the local wildlife. Alternatively, you can go to the Stonetalon Mountains
after the Barrens, which are west of the Crossroads. It's got a few quests
dealing with the Venture Co., and it's much easier on a PVP server since hardly
anyone goes there, usually. At least, on my server it's mostly empty. It also
has many more quests than the Alliance side, most of which stack enough so that
you can finish two or three at once.
The great thing about Hillsbrad is the wildlife is segregated depending on their
level, so you can hang around a particular area and just kill stuff, then move
to another area and find higher-level critters to stab. The many creatures in
Hillsbrad should hold you well into level 30, at which point you should make
like the Alliance and go to Stranglethorn Vale. Rather than going south from
Duskwood, take the ship from Ratchet straight to Booty Bay. Alternatively, you
can go to Thousand Needles, which is a nice place to fight, but I still prefer
Stranglethorn due to its insane amount of creatures that provide leather.
Anyway, you can head to the Badlands after level 35, but it's a long and
dangerous walk to do alone. Skip it if you're not up to invading Alliance
territory. In the late 30's you should be doing quests in Arathi, along with
runs through the Scarlet Monestary. When you hit 40 you can start trying out
Uldaman and Razorfen Downs, both instances with a lot of good stuff in them.
Once you reach the mid-40's (maybe 43-44) do like the Alliance and go to
Tanaris, the Searing Gorge, and the Hinterlands. In the late 40's, drop
yourself off at the Blasted Lands and Un'goro Crater for questage and killing.
Like the Alliance, hit the Plaguelands when you're high enough, along with
the Burning Steppes and the two Blackrock instances (Spire and Depths). Enjoy.
===============================================================================
10. Professions
===============================================================================
Many professions are open to you, but you can only take on two at a time. Which
ones to take is a very important decision, and can shape the entire game for
you. However, you can always take on the three secondary professions: Cooking,
Fishing and First Aid and still be able to accept your two primary professions
with no penalty. With that said, let's run through them real quick.
Alchemy - Sister profession to Herbalism. Never take this without it, unless
you like paying exorbitant rates for reagents at the auction house.
Blacksmithing - Unless you're planning on crafting armor and weapons and then
selling them to people, you'd be better off with another profession.
Enchanting - Only take this if you enjoy slowly building up a skill, then
spending hours (or tons of gold) to get the necessary reagents, then screaming
at people in capital cities and hoping someone buys something. I'm not a big
fan of this profession, as you can probably tell...
Engineering - This is an interesting profession, but don't expect to make any
money off of it until much later in the game. Lots of engineering equipment
can't be used by anyone but other engineers, but you can create stuff that you
can then install on other people's equipment (and charge them for it!)
Herbalism - This is a decent profession, but doesn't bring in quite as much
money as leatherworking and mining until later in the game. Best when paired
with Alchemy, obviously.
Leatherworking - Best when paired with Skinning so you have materials to work
with. It's much less expensive than other crafting professions, although later
in the game you'll run across recipes that call for some fairly rare items.
Mining - Only take this if you intend on using it for money, or if you really
want to be a Blacksmith. Mining is rather competitive, so be prepared to fight
for an ore deposit on higher-populated servers.
Skinning - Best when paired with Leatherworking, obviously. You can take it up
and just sell all the leather you get for money, but as a rogue I prefer to
craft my own armor.
Tailoring - Obviously you won't be wearing anything you make, seeing as it's
all cloth and has very few agility bonuses. However, when paired with
enchanting, it gives you a good source of green and blue items to disenchant.
Plus, later on you'll be able to purify mooncloth, which is a terrific source
of money.
Now then, which is the best? Well, Alchemy/Herbalism lets you create your own
potions, a very handy ability since you have no other methods of healing
yourself. Skinning/Leatherworking lets you create your own armor, and while
it may seem bad at first, at about level 35 you can create and equip Nightshade
equipment, which gives amazing agility and stamina bonuses. Engineering and
Enchanting shouldn't be taken unless you have a gathering skill to support the
amount of money you'll have to invest. Mining and Blacksmithing just seem
pointless to me, since with the time you spend making equipment for other
people, you could be making items for yourself.
That's my two cents, anyway. You're certainly free to choose whatever
profession combination you wish.
===============================================================================
11. Lockpicking
===============================================================================
Lockpicking can be a difficult skill to maintain. Rather than professions,
which have periodic boosts in the maximum skill number that you can buy from
trainers, the maximum skill value for lockpicking increases by 5 for every
level. So, when you first buy the skill at level 16, the max skill you'll be
able to attain will be 80. At level 35, it'll be 175. At 60, it'll top out
at 300.
Lockpicking can also be a difficult skill to improve. Both the Alliance and
Horde side have a quest that sends you to several practice locks you can pick
which will raise your skill up to 100, at which point the boxes become gray and
you no longer gain skill. At this point you can pick up to iron lockboxes,
which people will undoubtedly have and will ask for a rogue (like you) to open
for them.
Currently rogues can gain lockpicking skill from picking boxes in the do not
trade window (finally) and Blizzard has added footlockers to the various areas
in the game to practice skill. Basically, these footlockers coorespond to the
level of the region in terms of the lockpicking skill needed to open them. So
footlockers in a level 20 area would take around 100 or so lockpicking skill
to open.
With that said, the first place you can go as Alliance is the lumber mill
where the lockpicking quest takes place. You can use the above-mentioned and
all-in-caps technique to open the strongbox over and over again for skill
points. You can also open the chest in the tower where the poison quest takes
place, but unless you're of a very high level, you'll end up aggro-ing the
elite that wanders around there. Also, bear in mind the chest in Redridge is
set on a timer. You cannot (I repeat, CANNOT) just pick it over and over and
gain skill points. You have to wait a few minutes after picking it at first,
then try again to get another skill point.
However, the absolute best place to level up your skill is south of Ratchet.
There's a pirate ship there, and in the back of the ship, on the very bottom
level, is a chest that's quest-related for the Horde (though not for Alliance).
It's this chest that you can open over and over for skill points all the way
up to 175. Not only that, but it isn't on a timer like the chest in Redridge,
making it the perfect leveling tool. This is the chest you should go after
once you hit level 35.
After this, you'll want to go to the Scarlet Monestary. There are two doors
outside the instance you can pick, and two doors inside (in the Armory and
Cathedral). Don't bother going inside the instance if you're not in a group.
The doors outside will reset eventually, allowing you to gain skill points
over and over again. You can use these up until level 45 when your skill maxes
out at 225. From there, you can open literally anything. Congrats, you're now
a well-sought-after rogue.
But first, a word on lockpicking for profit. On many servers, you'll see
rogues offering their lockbox picking services for money. There will also be
non-rogues offering to pay rogues to open their lockboxes. However, there will
also be the nuts, like me, who open other people's lockboxes for free, simply
because we can.
In short, don't expect to make money from opening other people's lockboxes.
Work for free. Work for tips if you want, but never insist on being paid,
and always be courteous to the nice little non-rogues. While you may be
offering a service unavailable to others, there will always be those like me
who will do it for nothing. Do it because you can, not because you want money.
There are instances for that sort of thing.
===============================================================================
12. Poisons
===============================================================================
I decided to slap in this section since I've recently started playing around
with poisons and determined their proper value to a rogue on the go. For the
most part what you'll want to use is Instant Poison. It's fast, simple,
effective. Deals damage instantly, as opposed to damage over time, and the
20% application rate is higher than you may think. In a 30-minute period of
grinding, I've run out of charges far sooner than the time limit would have
ended.
For PVP, Instant Poison is also a help, but Crippling Poison is your bread and
butter. Crippling Poison has the rather helpful effect of cutting your
opponent's movement speed when it's activated. At rank 2, it will slice your
poor victim's speed by a full 70%. This ensures an opponent who likes to keep
his/her distance will fight on your level and on your terms. This is the power
of a rogue.
Against any and all spellcasters, you'll want to toss out Mind-Numbing Poison.
This will increase their casting time and give you more time to stop them with
a well-placed Kick or Gouge. Have Mind-Numbing Poison on one dagger and
Crippling Poison on the other and you'll make sport of those magic-tossers.
Wounding and Deadly Poisons aren't that useful except against high-armor
enemies, though if you're dueling a paladin, don't bother, they can cure the
poison if they're at all intelligent. Wounding Poison isn't worth the trouble.
In the time you took lowering their healing ability, you could be using Mind-
Numbing Poison and Kick to simply eliminate that healing spell entirely.
Poisons can first be acquired at level 20, and it takes quite a bit of poison-
brewing to get your skill up enough to be able to use the good stuff. I would
recommend holding off on mixing poisons till perhaps level 30-40, since the
sheer volume of materials can cost you a gold or two that would be otherwise
better spent. Plus you don't have access to the good poisons till your late
30's anyway.
One thing to bear in mind: poisons are not like your other rogue skills. New
recipes aren't dependent on previous ones. Put simply, if you get your poison
skill high enough to buy Instant Poison III and you have yet to buy Instant
Poison II, you can buy rank 3 without ever having purchased rank 2. Very
useful, since you won't generally have need of Mind-Numbing Poison till later
in the game when you're in PVP against spellcasters.
===============================================================================
13. Frequently Asked Questions
===============================================================================
While I ordinarily put this section near the top of the guide, that would
involve me renumbering the entire thing a third time, and I simply don't want
to do that.
Q. Monsters keep detecting me while stealthed! Why?
A. Remember that monsters have a better chance of detecting you based on
your level and whether or not you're behind them, as well as your proximity to
them. If you can't stay behind them, keep your distance. If you're still
being detected, either invest in the Master of Deception talent or level up.
Q. What talents should I invest in?
A. It's really up to you. If you don't particularly care about PVP and just
want to enjoy yourself fighting monsters, literally any build will suffice.
However, if you're going into PVP, I recommend either of the two builds I've
listed here. They're mostly the same except for a few points here and there.
Q. Why should I use poisons? I've done fine without them so far!
A. I once thought this way, primarily because I never did the poison quest
until level 30 (kept putting it off) and never started using poisons till
level 38 (also procrastinated, go me!) However, poisons give you that special
edge no one else has. It lets you deal extra damage, gives you an ability to
slow people's movements and spellcasting. Plus it's fairly cheap to do. Once
you start seeing how fast enemies die with just a few applications of Instant
Poison, you won't want to fight without it.
Q. Is there a permanent poison? I don't like running out of time/charges!
A. No. Just invest in a bigger bag and keep a few stacks of your favorite
poison on hand.
Q. Where do I get reagents for poisons/Vanish/Blind?
A. A particular vendor called the Shady Dealer has all that you need. You can
usually find one in capital cities near the rogue trainer, and there are a few
in other cities like Booty Bay.
Q. How do I beat [insert class here] in PVP?
A. Sorry, but I haven't written up PVP strategies yet, and I might not be able
to get to them for a while since I have a Tauren shaman I need to level up.