Rogue leveling guide for WoW Forever

The Rogue was never the easiest class to level, but WoW Forever helps. Poisons can crit, single target damage is higher and each spec has its own identity. At level 30 you choose between Assassination, Combat and two kinds of Subtlety. This guide covers the four builds, the rotation, the key levels, the poison quests, weapons and professions.

Easiest spec for leveling	Combat
Key talents	Remorseless Attacks, Deflection, Riposte, Mutilate, Improved Ambush
Strength	Single target damage, crowd control, Stealth
Weakness	Low health, depends on gear, little utility
Talent order per level	Rogue level build
Builds to level 60	After the launch on 4 November

Which spec to level with

Combat is the most forgiving start. Deflection and Riposte keep you alive, and you walk from monster to monster without pauses. Combat can also use every weapon type, thanks to Hack and Slash. Subtlety with Ambush opens from Stealth with a huge critical strike and kills fast, but is weaker in dungeons. Subtlety with bleeds builds on Garrote, Hemorrhage and Rupture. Assassination only gets strong once Mutilate arrives at level 30, so it is not a starter build.

The builds below are made for the beta, which stops at level 30. Every build has a version with five extra points for Talented from the Legacy system. The talent calculator shows those versions as level 35, because it counts every point as a level. Builds for level 60 follow after the launch.

Levels 1 to 10

You have no talents yet, only Sinister Strike and Eviscerate. Stealth, Backstab and Evasion follow quickly.

1. Build Combo Points with Sinister Strike.
2. Spend them with Eviscerate.
3. With a dagger: open from Stealth with Backstab for a fast kill.
4. Use Evasion against a dangerous monster.
5. Use Gouge to interrupt a cast or to get away.

An opener from Stealth on every monster slows you down at these levels. Save it for strong monsters and simply walk up to the rest.

Stats at these levels: Agility, then Attack Power, Strength, Stamina and armor.

Level 30 Assassination build

Grows stronger the closer you get to Mutilate. Ruthlessness and Relentless Strikes give more Combo Points and Energy, but you lack the survival of Combat and the burst of Subtlety. Open the build in the talent calculator.

Talent	Points
Remorseless Attacks	2/2
Malice	5/5
Ruthlessness	3/3
Improved Slice and Dice	3/3
Relentless Strikes	1/1
Lethality	1/5
Cold Blood	1/1
Improved Poisons	4/5
Mutilate	1/1

With Talented: Lethality 4/5 and Opportunity 2/2 in Subtlety. Open the Talented version.

1. Open from Stealth with Ambush.
2. Build Combo Points with Mutilate.
3. Keep Slice and Dice up.
4. Finish with Eviscerate.
5. Use Expose Armor before Eviscerate, and keep it up on a boss.
6. Interrupt with Kick or Gouge, and escape with Vanish.
7. On a dangerous monster: Cheap Shot, then Kidney Shot.
8. Attack the next monster before Remorseless Attacks runs out.

Stats from here for every build: critical strike chance, then Agility, Attack Power, Strength, Stamina and armor.

Level 30 Combat build

Defensive and offensive at once: more damage on Eviscerate and your auto attacks, and Deflection and Riposte against pauses. Blade Flurry and Flawless Execution come later. Open the build in the talent calculator.

Talent	Points
Improved Eviscerate	3/3
Improved Sinister Strike	2/2
Deflection	3/3
Precision	3/3
Endurance	2/2
Riposte	1/1
Improved Sprint	1/2
Flawless Execution	1/1
Dual Wield Specialization	4/5
Blade Flurry	1/1

With Talented: Hack and Slash 5/5. Open the Talented version.

Do you die too often because your gear is weak? Take Lightning Reflexes instead of Improved Eviscerate, Improved Sprint and Flawless Execution. You then rely more on auto attacks and Poisons than on finishers.

1. Open from Stealth with Cheap Shot, or simply walk up and attack. With daggers, open with Ambush.
2. Use Blade Flurry at the start of every fight, against one monster or more.
3. Build Combo Points with Sinister Strike.
4. Keep Slice and Dice up.
5. Use Eviscerate at 3 to 5 Combo Points.
6. Use Expose Armor before Eviscerate, and keep it up on a boss.
7. Interrupt with Kick or Gouge, and escape with Vanish.

Level 30 Subtlety Ambush build

Kills as fast as possible with critical Ambushes. You go into Stealth often and use every Remorseless Attacks. Most monsters are nearly dead after the opener. In dungeons the build is weaker, because Ambush needs Stealth until you reach Cutthroat at a higher level. Open the build in the talent calculator.

Talent	Points
Remorseless Attacks	2/2
Improved Sinister Strike	2/2
Master of Deception	3/3
Opportunity	2/2
Setup	3/3
Elusiveness	2/2
Improved Ambush	3/3
Initiative	3/3
Ghostly Strike	1/1

With Talented: Malice 5/5 in Assassination. Open the Talented version.

1. Open from Stealth with Ambush.
2. Build Combo Points with Sinister Strike.
3. Finish a weakened monster with Eviscerate. Against a monster with a lot of health, use Slice and Dice instead.
4. To kill a target fast: Gouge, Vanish and another Ambush.
5. Interrupt with Kick.
6. On a dungeon boss: Slice and Dice and Expose Armor before Eviscerate.
7. Attack the next monster before Remorseless Attacks runs out.

Level 30 Subtlety bleed build

Builds on Garrote, Hemorrhage and Rupture, and on Serrated Blades, which makes Rupture hit harder. Open the build in the talent calculator.

Talent	Points
Master of Deception	3/3
Opportunity	2/2
Setup	3/3
Elusiveness	2/2
Dirty Tricks	2/2
Initiative	3/3
Ghostly Strike	1/1
Premeditation	1/1
Serrated Blades	3/3
Hemorrhage	1/1

With Talented: Dirty Deeds 2/2, Preparation 1/1 and Malice 2/5 in Assassination. Open the Talented version.

1. Open from Stealth with Garrote.
2. Build Combo Points with Hemorrhage.
3. Keep Slice and Dice up.
4. Use Rupture at 3 to 5 Combo Points on a boss or a monster with a lot of health.
5. Finish a weakened monster with Eviscerate.
6. On a boss: Vanish and a new Garrote once the first one runs out.
7. Interrupt with Kick.
8. Use Expose Armor on a dungeon boss if your group has several physical damage dealers.

With points in Talented from the Legacy system, you reach every talent up to five levels sooner.

Key levels

Level	What you get	From
10	Sap, Slice and Dice, Sprint, Dual Wield	Class trainer
10	Remorseless Attacks, Malice, Improved Sinister Strike, Improved Eviscerate, Opportunity, Master of Deception	Talent tree
14	Expose Armor, Garrote	Class trainer
15	Ruthlessness, Improved Slice and Dice, Precision, Setup, Improved Ambush	Talent tree
16	Feint, Pick Lock	Class trainer
18	Ambush	Class trainer
20	Poisons	Class quest
20	Rupture	Class trainer
20	Riposte, Ghostly Strike, Lethality, Relentless Strikes	Talent tree
22	Distract, Vanish	Class trainer
25	Cold Blood, Flawless Execution, Premeditation	Talent tree
26	Cheap Shot	Class trainer
30	Kidney Shot, Disarm Trap	Class trainer
30	Mutilate, Blade Flurry, Hemorrhage, Preparation	Talent tree
34	Blind	Class trainer
35	Seal Fate, Aggression, Cutthroat, Quietus	Talent tree
40	Safe Fall, riding, Dual Specialization	Trainers
40	Venom, Adrenaline Rush, Thousand Cuts	Talent tree

Earlier spells come from the class trainer: Stealth at 1, Backstab and Pick Pocket at 4, Gouge at 6, Evasion at 8, Kick and Parry at 12.

The poison quests

At level 20 a chain of class quests teaches you Poisons.

Step	Alliance	Horde
1	Mathias and the Defias	The Shattered Salute
2	Klaven’s Tower	Deep Cover
3	The Touch of Zanzil	Mission: Possible But Not Probable
4	The Touch of Zanzil	Hinott’s Assistance
5	The Touch of Zanzil	Hinott’s Assistance

More class quests with item rewards follow at launch.

Weapons

Weapon damage is the base of almost every Rogue ability and of your auto attacks, so a good weapon makes the biggest difference. Assassination and Subtlety prefer daggers. Combat can use every weapon type with Hack and Slash: an extra attack for axes and swords, crit for daggers and fist weapons, and armor penetration for maces. One-handed axes are new for the Rogue in Forever.

Weapon	Alliance	Horde
Daggers, one-handed axes, thrown	Known from the start	Known from the start
Swords	Woo Ping (Stormwind)	Archibald (Undercity)
Maces	Buliwyf Stonehand (Ironforge)	Ansekhwa (Thunder Bluff)
Fist weapons	Ilyenia Moonfire (Darnassus), Buliwyf Stonehand (Ironforge)	Sayoc (Orgrimmar)
Bows	Ilyenia Moonfire (Darnassus)	Hanashi (Orgrimmar)
Crossbows	Bixi Wobblebonk (Ironforge), Woo Ping (Stormwind)	Archibald (Undercity)
Guns	Buliwyf Stonehand (Ironforge)	Ansekhwa (Thunder Bluff)

Weapons that stand out on the way to 30:

Weapon	Type	Level
Thief’s Blade	Sword	17
Buzz Saw	Sword	18
Cruel Barb	Sword	19
Shadowfang	Sword, main hand	19
Assassin’s Blade	Dagger	19
Torturing Poker	Dagger	29

Gear

The strongest leveling gear comes from Leatherworking and dungeons. Forever reworked many early leather recipes, so you craft good pieces from the start, such as Dark Leather Boots at level 10 and Brawler’s Leather Belt at level 12. In dungeons and their quests you find pieces such as Tunic of Westfall and Nightskulker Ring.

Look for Agility, Attack Power, Strength and Stamina. A second set with Spirit helps you recover faster between fights. In Forever you can save item sets on the character screen and swap between them.

Professions

A few professions make a big difference in how fast you kill and how well you survive. Level them alongside your Rogue, so you do not miss bonuses. Camps give buffs to every profession.

• Skinning pays well, because you kill many beasts.
• Leatherworking is the natural pair with Skinning and one of the best professions for a Rogue, with many new and reworked recipes and strong gear later on.
• Herbalism delivers everything for Alchemy, but single herbs sell for little.
• Alchemy gives potions and elixirs, and becomes more profitable later on.
• Cooking is a must: buff food gives extra experience, and you need it for a campfire.
• Fishing goes well with Cooking and catches crates and chests.
• First Aid saves you in a tight spot and now also makes healing potions.

Consumables

• Food. Rogues use Energy, so they do not need water, but they eat a lot. Stay Well Fed for the extra experience, ideally with food for Attack Power, Agility or Stamina. Carry vendor food too, so you only eat the buff food when Well Fed runs out.
• Potions. Healing potions from chests, monsters or First Aid. The First Aid cures for diseases and bleeds are worth it, because a Rogue cannot remove those any other way.
• Elixirs. Battle elixirs such as Elixir of Agility, Distilled Firewater, Elixir of Strength, Elixir of Ferocity and Elixir of the Grizzly. Guardian elixirs such as Elixir of Minor Defense and Troll’s Blood Elixir.
• Protection potions. Nature Protection Potion and Holy Protection Potion help you solo a hard monster or boss. Minor Frenzy Potion gives more damage during a fight.
• Thistle Tea. A Rogue drink that gives a lot of Energy at once, for burst or to escape.

Poisons and Sharpening Stones

Poisons are the trademark of the Rogue. Instant Poison and Deadly Poison deal damage, Crippling Poison and Mind-numbing Poison slow a target, and Wound Poison reduces healing. In Forever they get more charges, can crit and stay on the weapon next to a Sharpening Stone such as Rough Sharpening Stone or Coarse Sharpening Stone. According to the source, both also stack with Windfury Totem.

You make Poisons from reagents such as Deathweed, Essence of Pain, Dust of Deterioration and Essence of Agony. Vanish needs Flash Powder and Blind needs Blinding Powder.

Energy and Combo Points

Energy is your resource for almost every ability, Stealth included. Abilities come in three kinds: utility and crowd control, abilities that build Combo Points, and finishers that spend them. Combo Points stay on one target. If you build them on another monster, the old ones are gone. So spend them before you switch targets. Kick and Blind do not touch them.

Stealth and openers

Stealth makes you invisible at the cost of movement speed. Your action bar switches to the openers. Cheap Shot, Garrote and Ambush give Combo Points; Pick Pocket, Distract and Sap do not. Sap no longer breaks Stealth in Forever, so you can take an extra monster out of a pull. More about that is in the class deep dive.

Crowd control and cooldowns

Crowd control makes up for the little utility. Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot stun, Blind disorients, Sap and Gouge incapacitate. Use a stun while you keep attacking. Blind, Sap and Gouge last longer but break on damage, so use them to take a monster out of the fight.

Each spec has its own cooldowns. Assassination has Cold Blood for a certain critical strike. Combat has Blade Flurry for speed and a second target, and Adrenaline Rush for Energy. Subtlety has Preparation, which finishes the cooldown of your other abilities, and Premeditation for Combo Points before the fight. Every Rogue has Evasion, Sprint and Vanish to survive or to get away. Distract and Pick Lock are your utility; with Pick Lock you open shortcuts in some dungeons.

More about food, camps and rested XP is in the experience guide.