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Rogue (WoW)  

See also: Rogue ability list, Rogue talent trees, useful Rogue macros
For a more detailed set of information about the class, see Rogue FAQ.

Contents [hide]

Theme

Rogues are the shady and the under-handed of Azeroth. Always looking out for themselves, rogues will employ whatever dirty tricks they can to win a fight, often ambushing or gouging their opponents. Capable as thieves, agents, assassins, and thugs, rogues represent a large group of characters, none of whom is completely on the up-and-up.

Available Races

Every class can play rogue except for Tauren and Draenei. Perhaps the best-known rogue was Garona, the half-orc assassin that murdered King Llane during the first war.

Class capabilities

Weapon proficiencies:

  • Dagger (starting weapon)
  • Sword
  • Mace
  • Fist Weapon
  • Bow
  • Crossbow
  • Gun
  • Thrown

Armor proficiencies:

  • Cloth
  • Leather

Rogues use stealth to avoid detection by opponents so they can get the drop on them. Through the course of fighting, certain attacks will grant combo points to the rogue, which allows him to perform a finishing move that becomes stronger with an increasing number of combo points available.

It should also be noted that rogues activate their abilities using energy rather than mana. The rogue's energy bar always has a maximum of 100 points (excluding any bonuses,) and they recover 10 energy every second. Abilities cost anywhere from 10 to 60 energy, meaning the rogue will never be left helpless for long, but they may have to wait a moment to catch a second wind.

Rogues primarily fight by dual wielding one-handed weapons.

The three areas of focus for rogues are Combat, Assassination, and Subtlety. Combat is the preferred talent tree for rogues who like a (sort of) fair fight, and use brute force to get the job done. Assassination is for brutally slaughtering opponents, using whatever techniques you are able to, often through the use of stealth and finishing moves. Subtlety is the aspect of the rogue class that avoids detection and does not actively attempt to engage in battle, much like a thief would.

Rogues also have the unique ability of being able to utilise poisons. There are a wide range of poisons available to rogues to use in a variety of situations. Deadly, Instant and Anesthetic poisons are used to add to the Rogue's damage output. Deadly poison is a DoT effect whereas Instant and Anesthetic poisons are instant effect. Crippling poison can slow the enemy down by 70% which makes it very useful for PvP. Mind numbing Poison increases the enemy's casting time and Wound poison reduces the effect that heals have on the target.

Attacks

Rogues have a variety of unique attacks that set them apart from other DPS. Some attacks a rogue can perform may require stealth or a particular type of weapon. For example, backstab can only be used when the rogue has a dagger equipped in the main hand.

Ambush Opening move from stealth. Requires dagger. Damage is mitigated by armor so best used on targets with a lower armor value eg. casters. Can be improves with combat talents.

Backstab Main attack used by dagger wielding rogues. Uses more energy than Sinister Strike but overall has a higher damage output.

Cheap Shot Another stealth opening move that stuns the target for 4 seconds.

Deadly Throw Requires thrown weapon. Finishing move that causes slowed movement speed by 50% as well as increased thrown weapon damage. Damage depends on amount of combo points. Very useful in controlling fleeing enemies in PvP or PvE.

Envenom Finishing move that consumes doses of Deadly poison on the target. Damage caused depends on combo points on the target. Can be improved by Vile Poisons talent in Assasination.

Eviscerate Finishing move that causes damage per combo point. Can also be improves in the Assasination tree.

Garrote Stealth move that bleeds the target for 18 seconds. Also silences the target for 3 seconds. Is not affected by armor so is a good opening move on high armor targets.

Rupture (WoW Finishing move that causes damage over time dependant on combo points. Useful in keeping sustained damage over a long fight.

Slice and Dice Finishing move that increses the attack speed by 20%. Time it lasts for is dependant on combo points. Although causes no damage it increases the rate of white damage. Is considered critical on high end content. Can be inproved by talents as well as Tier four set bonus.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Rogues are capable of dealing large amounts of damage over long periods of time. Because they don't run out of mana, length of battle is rarely an issue so long as they haven't died. Obviously, stealth plays a big part in the strength of a rogue, and they gain the ability to Vanish from combat if they are in trouble.

However, rogues are primarily a short-range class. If they are detected from a distance, they may have difficulty dealing with a ranged attacker such as a hunter or mage. Additionally, many rogue abilities are on a cooldown of 5 minutes, making it difficult to use all advantages at once on a routine basis.

Group roles and expectations

Rogues are expected to deal damage, plain and simple. It is possible the group may ask the rogue to be the main assist or to sap a target at the beginning of combat, but the primary purpose for bringing a rogue to a party is to hurt things. Rogues can also pick locks on chests and doors. Rogues play an important and often vital role in fights where the enemy has healing abilitys. Kick, Gouge and Kidney Shot are vital to prevent heals and spells going off possibly saving your party from an untimely death!

Class Quests

Every rogue is offered a few early quests from their trainers. At level 10, rogues have the ability to learn lockpicking. At level 16, there's the ability to learn about the use of poisons. After that, there is virtually nothing.

For a complete list of Rogue quests, look here.

This page last modified 2008-06-07 17:51:46.