Combat Rogue guide

Melee DPSRogue · WoW Forever

Beta guide, level 30. The WoW Forever beta stops at level 30, so this guide and its build cover levels 1 to 30. We update it for level 60 after launch on November 4.

Combat is the swords and fists Rogue and the easiest Rogue to level. Its weapon bonuses now live in one talent, Hack and Slash, and Blade Flurry gives it the only Rogue cleave. Forever adds Flawless Execution for cheaper Eviscerates. Forever change: Rogue poisons can crit and scale with Attack Power, and Energy now refills smoothly (10 per second).

Strengths

Steady damage that's easy to keep up
Blade Flurry: the only Rogue cleave
Riposte and Deflection make it sturdier in the open world

Weaknesses

Very weapon dependent
Little area damage beyond Blade Flurry
Fewer burst tricks than Subtlety

Talent build (level 30) 0/21/0

Combat 21 points

Improved Eviscerate3/3
Improved Sinister Strike2/2
Deflection3/3
Precision3/3
Endurance2/2
Riposte1/1
Improved Sprint1/2
Dual Wield Specialization5/5
Blade Flurry1/1

21 points in Combat: cheaper Sinister Strikes and stronger Eviscerates, Precision for hit, Deflection and Riposte, Dual Wield Specialization and Blade Flurry at 30. Hack and Slash, Aggression and Adrenaline Rush come after launch.

Open this build in the talent calculator

Key talents

Blade Flurry: +20% attack speed and every hit also strikes a nearby enemy for 15 sec.
Dual Wield Specialization: +25% off-hand damage.
Precision: +3% hit.
Riposte: After a parry: a big strike that disarms the enemy.
Improved Eviscerate: +20% Eviscerate damage.

New in Forever: Combat talents

Puncturing WoundsIncreases the critical strike chance of your Backstab by 30% and your Mutilate by 15%, and gives Backstab a 45% chance to add an additional Combo Point.
Flawless ExecutionReduces the Energy cost of your Eviscerate ability by 10.

Rotation

Open from Stealth with Cheap Shot or Garrote.
Sinister Strike to build combo points.
Keep Slice and Dice up.
Eviscerate at 5 combo points.
Blade Flurry on cooldown when two enemies are close.
Riposte whenever it lights up.

Several enemies

Blade Flurry is your only cleave: pop it and keep your normal rotation going.

Cooldowns

Blade Flurry: Cleave plus attack speed.
Adrenaline Rush (after launch): Double Energy regeneration for 15 sec.
Evasion: Huge dodge boost when you're in trouble.

Stats

Agility first, then hit, Attack Power and crit. A fast off-hand and a slower main hand work best.

Best races

Alliance

Human: Ruthless: +1% crit with all attacks, and Will to Survive breaks stuns.
Night Elf: Elune's Light: +10% crit for 15 sec, and you're harder to spot in Stealth.
Gnome: Eureka! (cheaper, stronger abilities for 8 sec) and +5% Energy.

Horde

Orc: Blood Fury: +10% Attack Power for 15 sec, and Hardiness shortens stuns by 20%.
Troll: Berserking (+10% attack speed) and Rapid Regeneration to recover between fights.
Undead: Will of the Forsaken breaks fear: the PvP pick.

Professions

Skinning and Leatherworking pair perfectly (gold while leveling, leather gear and armor kits). Engineering is the damage pick for raids.

Leveling

The comfortable Rogue leveling spec. Use a sword or fist weapon, pull one or two mobs, and keep Slice and Dice rolling.