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Top Rogue builds

Rogue talents

Points left 0Required level 6020/31/0 split

Assassination tree iconAssassination20 / 51
IGImproved Gouge0/3C
RARemorseless Attacks0/2C
MalMalice5/5C
RutRuthlessness3/3
MurMurder2/2C
ISaImproved Slice and Dice0/3
RSRelentless Strikes1/1
IEAImproved Expose Armor0/2C
LetLethality5/5C
VPVile Poisons4/5
CBCold Blood0/1C
IPImproved Poisons0/5C
VigVigor0/2C
MutMutilate0/1N
IKSImproved Kidney Shot0/2C
SFSeal Fate0/5
VenVenom0/1N
Combat tree iconCombat31 / 51
IEImproved Eviscerate0/3C
ISSImproved Sinister Strike2/2
LRLightning Reflexes3/5
PWPuncturing Wounds0/3C
DefDeflection3/3C
PrePrecision3/3C
EndEndurance1/2C
RipRiposte1/1
ISImproved Sprint2/2
IKImproved Kick0/2
RBRestless Blades0/1N
DWSDual Wield Specialization5/5C
BFBlade Flurry1/1C
HaSHack and Slash5/5N
WEWeapon Expertise2/2C
AggAggression2/3C
ARAdrenaline Rush1/1
Cut from this treeDagger SpecializationMace SpecializationSword SpecializationFist Weapon Specialization
Subtlety tree iconSubtlety0 / 51
CamCamouflage0/5C
MoDMaster of Deception0/3C
OppOpportunity0/2C
SetSetup0/3C
EluElusiveness0/2
DTDirty Tricks0/2N
IAImproved Ambush0/3M
IniInitiative0/3C
GSGhostly Strike0/1C
IDImproved Distract0/2N
HSHeightened Senses0/2C
PrePremeditation0/1C
SBSerrated Blades0/3C
DDDirty Deeds0/2C
PrePreparation0/1
HemHemorrhage0/1C
QuiQuietus0/5N
CutCutthroat0/5N
TCThousand Cuts0/1N
Cut from this treeSleight of HandImproved SapDeadliness

1–10

11–20

21–30

31–40

41–50

51–51

Added in ForeverReworked (text, ranks or position)Relocated, same effectFaded icons are unchanged from Classic.Each tooltip shows the Classic text; talents cut from a tree are listed beneath it.
  • Add a point with a click. Take one back with a right-click or Shift+click.
  • Tap a talent to read it, tap again to add a point, press and hold to take one back.
  • Each row opens after 5 more points in that tree. An arrow means the talent it points from must be maxed first.
  • Where the demo only showed one rank, the other ranks are estimated and say so in the tooltip.
  • Press C to toggle the Classic diff.

Found a wrong number, arrow or rank? Report it with the class and talent name and it gets corrected.

Rogue in WoW Forever — What Changed from Classic

53 talents9 new30 reworked1 relocated13 unchanged7 gone from the trees

Rogue is the class WoW Forever touched most lightly in count and most heavily in feel. Of 53 talents, nine are new and thirteen are word-for-word Classic, but two of the three 31-point talents, Venom and Thousand Cuts, did not exist before, and the seven talents that left are exactly the ones that dictated weapon choice. Dagger, Mace, Sword and Fist Weapon Specialization are gone from Combat, replaced by a single five-rank Hack and Slash with a different benefit per weapon type. Sleight of Hand, Improved Sap and Deadliness left Subtlety. Axes are a new baseline weapon skill.

Mutilate arrives as a row-five Assassination talent rather than a Burning Crusade capstone, and several Classic talents were widened to include it: Cold Blood, Lethality, Opportunity and Puncturing Wounds (the renamed Improved Backstab) all list Mutilate now. Blade Flurry and Adrenaline Rush are still Combat talents; the demo Rogue had them, which is why they appear in its spellbook.

Assassination tree iconAssassinationnew 31-point talent

Assassination is a poison tree with a real finisher. Mutilate hits with both weapons for 75% weapon damage each, more against poisoned targets. Venom, the 31-point talent, is a finishing move that raises poison damage by 30% and poison application by 10%, lasting longer per combo point. Improved Poisons adds a chance for an application not to consume a charge, Improved Kidney Shot makes stunned targets take 5% more damage from your attacks and poisons, and Improved Expose Armor refunds a combo point on a five-point cast. Seal Fate, Relentless Strikes and Vile Poisons are unchanged.

Combat tree iconCombat

Combat keeps Adrenaline Rush unchanged at the top and adds two talents. Restless Blades, one point in row four, lets damaging finishers shave time off Adrenaline Rush, Blade Flurry, Evasion and Sprint. Hack and Slash, five ranks in row five, replaces the four weapon specializations with a per-weapon-type proc and is required for Aggression. Blade Flurry itself is 20% attack speed now. Endurance covers both Sprint and Evasion cooldowns, and Weapon Expertise reduces dodge and parry against you.

Subtlety tree iconSubtletynew 31-point talent

Subtlety got five new talents and a new capstone built around Hemorrhage. Dirty Tricks cuts Sap and Blind costs. Improved Distract widens Distract. Quietus adds damage to Sinister Strike, Ghostly Strike and Hemorrhage below 35% health. Cutthroat gives Backstab a chance to let your next Ambush skip Stealth. Thousand Cuts, the 31-point talent, makes Rupture ticks reduce the cost of the next Hemorrhage or Backstab. Ghostly Strike and Hemorrhage both deal more with a dagger in the main hand, Dirty Deeds removes Garrote's positional requirement, and Preparation is untouched.

Popular Rogue builds

Three starting points at level 60. The link carries the placement order, so the leveling build doubles as a pickup order; open one, then change what you like.

Beyond the trees

9 of the 10 races can be a Rogue; their racials are on the WoW Forever racials page. The baseline spells that changed, and the demo spellbook, are under class abilities, and the account-wide Legacy perks apply to every character. For the picture across all nine classes, read the guide to every talent change in WoW Forever.

Rogue FAQ

What's new for Rogue in WoW Forever?
Nine new talents: Mutilate and Venom in Assassination, Restless Blades and Hack and Slash in Combat, and Dirty Tricks, Improved Distract, Quietus, Cutthroat and Thousand Cuts in Subtlety. Rogues can also use axes.
Are weapon specializations gone for Rogues?
Yes. Dagger, Mace, Sword and Fist Weapon Specialization were removed from Combat. Hack and Slash gives a benefit that depends on the weapon type you swing, so one talent covers every weapon.
What's the best Rogue leveling spec?
Combat. Improved Sinister Strike, Dual Wield Specialization, Blade Flurry and Hack and Slash carry the levels and Adrenaline Rush comes at 40. The leveling build above is in pickup order.
Is Mutilate in WoW Forever?
Yes, as a one-point Assassination talent in row five (20 points in the tree), not a capstone. Venom is the Assassination capstone.
How many Rogue talents are there?
53: 17 in Assassination, 17 in Combat and 19 in Subtlety.
Did any Rogue talents get removed?
Seven: the four Combat weapon specializations plus Sleight of Hand, Improved Sap and Deadliness from Subtlety. See the Rogue's demo spellbook.