Rogue Builds Guide

Level 70
Dagger Builds
Mutilate - 41/0/20 - PvP

Mutilate replaces backstab since they both cost 60 energy so an IMP Backstab wouldn't be necessary at all when choosing Assassination (unless of course you go Sealfate/Premed). With the combination of Subtlety, you also have the high burst damage combined with stunlock for PvP and such. Having 3/3 Initiative, and 5/5 Sealfate makes it very simple to stock up on combo points when opening with a CS; Ambush. This comes very handy in PvP when you have the upper hand on another player.

Mutilate - 41/20/0 - PvE

This build is a more pve friendly spin on the mutilate build. DW Spec improves Mutilate damage and precision helps to lower your hit cap as you work toward that to ensure you minimzie your white misses.

Combat Daggers - 15/41/5

This build is a natural evolution of the classic Combat Daggers build. Major new inclusions are Combat Potency and Surprise Attacks. Like the combat daggers builds of the past, it will likely claim the #1 spot for DPS on raid bosses.

Seal Fate / Premed - 30/0/31

This build takes burst damage and combo point generation from Seal Fate and adds cooldown management with Prep. Dirty Deeds, Premed and Iniative offer the ability to open with 5 CP for huge opening and CB for high finishing damage. Imp Ambush with CB for big openers, and Elusivness for shorter CDs.

Shadowstep Build - 20/0/41

This build allows for extremely high burst damage, allowing the use of all of the good subtlety talents and just enough of the assassination ones to give you the extra power you need. It also provides +10% Attack Power and +15% agility.

Combat Shiv - 21/40/0

A build that bases its strengths off of high crit rates, fast energy regen, low energy CP, constant applications of daze and amazing stunlocking, Combat Shiv is for players who like to let off a flurry of hits capped by one big finisher. The new talent Shiv takes advantage of Dual Wield Specialization and Combat Potency like never before. With a fast OH (1.3), allows 3 shivs per 100 energy. Combat Potency effectively takes 3 additional energy off Shiv (20% proc = 15 energy in 5 Shivs = 3 less energy per Shiv). In practice, the energy gained from Combat Potency (from both Shiv and white swings) allow for near nonstop Shiv spamming. The flurry of Shivs ensure Blade Twisting procs and free up a Crippling Poison slot (Daze effect is preferred as it dismounts and is virtually undispellable). Assassination tree can be twiddled with depending on your preference of Eviscerate or Envenom. The current build allows for max Eviscerate and Envenom damage, depending on situation.

Sword/Fist/Mace Builds

Combat Swords - 20/41/0

A pretty typical upgrade to combat swords that includes combat potency. Make sure you find yourself a quick offhand, Latro's Shifting Sword from Black Morass for instance, and hold on to it until you get an epic upgrade.

You can easily switch out swords for either mace or fist spec. For fists you'll want to grab the Reflex Blades from Arcatraz and Warp Splinter's Thorn from Botanica. The 1.3s offhand dagger will work out much better for you than any offhand fist currently in the game, other than the Gladiator's Left Ripper.

This is generally a pure PvE build due to the high DPS at the cost of defense/stuns. However; the consistently high DPS can burn things down quite well in the arenas as long as you're getting some heals.

Seal Fate / Hemo Swords - 31/0/30

This build takes the hemo build up to lvl 70 with the addition of Seal Fate for even faster combo point generation and Vigor for the extra 10 energy. The points in Master of Subtlety and Deadliness help bring up the damage output of the spec. Typically, this build is avoided as there tends not to be high enough critical strike percentage to make Seal Fate shine without dagger talents.

Seal Fate / Combat Fists 30/31/0

The sword/fist/mace version of seal fate / combat. A great build for mixed PvE/PvP viability. It will lag behind a full combat build in PvE, but the +20% healing from quick recovery makes it much easier to survive a boss fight. In PvP you'll have plenty of combo points for stuns and eviscerates along with high damage output, and in arenas it will be easier to heal you with quick recovery. You still would be better off using a full combat fist build, but this offers something different for those that wish it.

A high crit chance makes all the difference in stacking combo points on a target quickly, so this is best suited for a fist build. Unfortunately, you are still not going to be able to take full advantage of SF without the higher crit rates of dagger skills like Improved Backstab and Improved Ambush, or even Mutilate.

Hemo - 27/3/31

A standard PvP hemo build for your best stunlock efficiency. You can achieve near perfect stunlocks with hemo. While this build is lackluster at best versus what it was at level 60 with proper weapons and high AP, some people still enjoy the stunlock. For PvE purposes this build is awful and cannot compete with a combat variant because of the lack of 2.8 and most importantly, 2.9 speed weapons at 70.

This should be used as a pvp build only. You can also use sleight of hand in this build for an extra 2% resilience instead of something else in the sub tree.

Old level 60 builds

Please see Rogue builds/Level 60

Leveling to 60

For soloing, grinding, and leveling, you will want to focus on swords and put a majority of your points into the Assassination and Combat trees. Leveling with daggers is possible, especially with a group, but is less efficient soloing than leveling with swords. Until you start partying regularly, and doing instances, you will want to stick with swords as your primary weapons. Sword/Dagger is perfectly fine until you take sword specialization, after which time you will want to get yourself a speedy, high DPS sword for your offhand.

Levels 10-39

* Improved Sinister Strike [2/2]
* Remorseless Attacks [2/2]
* Malice [3/5]
* Ruthlessness [3/3]
* Malice [5/5]
* Relentless Strikes [1/1]
* Lethality [5/5]
* Murder [2/2]
* Improved Eviscerate [2/3]
* Cold Blood [1/1]
* Improved Kidney Shot [3/3]
* Improved Eviscerate [3/3]
* Seal Fate [3/5]

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=fGebox0scZM

Level 40 (Respec)

* Improved Sinister Strike [2/2]
* Improved Gouge [3/3]
* Deflection [5/5]
* Riposte [1/1]
* Endurance [2/2]
* Precision [5/5]
* Dual Wield Specialization [5/5]
* Blade Flurry [1/1]
* Sword Specialization [5/5]
* Aggression [1/3]
* Adrenaline Rush [1/1]

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=wZG0Ed0Vzx0oo

Levels 41-60

* Aggression [3/3]
* Improved Eviscerate [3/3]
* Malice [3/5]
* Murder [2/2]
* Malice [5/5]
* Relentless Strikes [1/1]
* Lethality [5/5]
* Ruthlessness [2/3]

http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=whgboxZG0Ed0Vzx0ho