World of Warcraft Classic: Overview on Rogues

From pros and cons to the best specs!

Rogues sit near the top of the best damage dealers whether on PvP or PvE. For the former, their ability to use Stealth gives them an edge when used tactically. For the latter, the class excels at dealing burst damage as well as being nimble and mobile enough to dart back and forth the fray. This overview will be going over the pros, cons, and the best races and specs for Rogues. Also, it’ll go over some recommended WoW Classic items for the class.

Pros and Cons

Again, it bears repeating that Rogues are good at being a DPS. They’re the second-best DPS class in PvE and the best in 1v1 PvP. Adding in the ability to Stealth as a tool to control engagements, they can be hard to pin down. Plus, it can be used to get around mobs when questing. Other classes have to wrestle with them as they try to get to the quest NPC, while the Rogue just waltzes through while in stealth. All three of its specializations are different from each other yet none feels weaker or stronger.

In contrast, they can be squishy, so to speak. A single mistake or opening and the enemy can defeat Rogues in as little as one hit. As a really popular class, you’ll always be fighting for gear and raid groups. Then, the class itself is hard to master. It’ll take hours of practice to optimize your use of skills in tandem with trinkets and other abilities.

Best Races

Human: Good for PvE Rogues for the Sword Specialization racial ability. Plus they can have Perception, which is good against enemy Rogues.

Gnome: Escape Artist is a versatile skill for a variety of uses.

Orc: Blood Fury boosts a Rogue’s burst damage, and Hardiness increases their survivability.

Undead: Will of the Forsaken gives the immunity to certain debilitating debuffs. Cannibalize gives a recovery option that isn’t potions or food.

Best Specialization

The most recommended spec for Rogues is the Sword Combat/Assassination spec. It’s a balanced specialization that’s good for both PvP and PvE.

First max out Improved Sinister Strike, Improved Gouge, and Deflection. Take Riposte, and then Precision followed by four levels of Dual Wield Specialization. Get Blade Flurry and then max out Dual Wield. Level up Sword Specialization to 4 so you can max out Weapon Expertise, then get that last level for Sword Spec. Take a level of Aggression so you can also get Adrenaline Rush. In total, you should have 31 points allotted for the Combat Tree.

Next, you should move on to Assassination. Take Remorseless Attacks, Malice, Murder, Improved Slice and Dice, Lethality, and Improved Poisons. All should be maxed out except Improved Slice and Dice, which you should get only to unlock the next tier of skills. That’s 20 points invested in Assassination.

That’s just a suggestion though, and you can totally build your own Rogue according to your preferences.

Equipment Priority

The stats you should prioritize are:

• Agility
• Strength and Stamina (both are of equal importance)
• Spirit
• Intellect

Agility increases both melee and ranged attack power by 1 for every point you have. It also increases Critical Hit chance (1% every 29 points), as well as your Armor and Chance to Dodge. Strength boosts melee attack power (which is important unless you’re going for a ranged build). Stamina ties into your character’s health. Spirit and Intellect are secondary attributes you may want. The former increases your health regen when out of combat, and the latter makes leveling up weapon skills faster.

Suggested Best in Slot Gear

While this really depends on what build you want for your Rogue, the Darkmantle Set is a good pre-raiding set. You can get it from the Dungeon Set 2 questline. The Shadowcraft Set may be a good substitute, though a little harder to collect.

• For the rest of the slots:
• Neck: Mark of Fordring
• Back: Cape of the Black Baron
• Rings: Tarnished Elven Ring, Blackstone Ring
• Trinkets: Hand of Justice, Blackhand’s Breadth
• Main Hand: Dal’Rend’s Sacred Charge, Felstriker
• Off-Hand: Dal’Rend’s Tribal Guardian, Alcor’s Sunrazor
• Ranged: Satyr’s Bow

Remember that these are suggestions only and may not work for the build you’re planning. Be sure to research your build thoroughly. You might need to spend your WoW Classic gold to get better equipment, as you have many competitors during raids. 

Conclusions

Rogue is a popular DPS class due to its mechanics and versatility. While difficult to gear and master, it’s a fun class to play when needing a challenge. That’s all for this guide on Rogues, from advantages to best in slot WoW Classic items. Have fun and enjoy your Rogue!