Unofficial World of Warcraft Rogue Guide

Transcription

Killer Guides
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The Unofficial World of Warcraft Rogue Guide
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-2© www.killerguides.com
All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Important..........................................................................2
The short version:........................................................2
The long version:.........................................................2
Introduction....................................................................7
Glossary.............................................................................8
Skill Listing..................................................................29
Skill Details.................................................................33
Assassination............................................................33
Combat........................................................................36
Subtlety.......................................................................39
Miscellaneous..........................................................42
Rogue Basics.................................................................10
The Good....................................................................10Poisons............................................................................44
The Bad.......................................................................10 Poison Quests.............................................................44
Alliance.......................................................................44
Races and Racial Abilities......................................11
Horde...........................................................................44
Blood Elf.....................................................................12
Dwarf..........................................................................12 Poison Listing..............................................................46
Gnome.........................................................................12 Poison Details.............................................................49
Goblin..........................................................................12Talents.............................................................................50
Human........................................................................12 Talent Overview........................................................50
Assassination Tree..................................................51
Night Elf.....................................................................12
Combat Tree.............................................................58
Orc................................................................................13
Subtlety Tree.............................................................65
Trolls............................................................................13
Undead........................................................................13
Worgen.......................................................................13
Energy...........................................................................14
Openers, Finishers and Combo Points............15
Weapons......................................................................16
Talent Strategies........................................................73
Assassination Tree..................................................73
Combat Tree.............................................................76
Subtlety Tree.............................................................79
Talent Build Overview............................................83
Assassination Build................................................83
Combat Build............................................................84
Subtlety Build - PvE...............................................86
Subtlety Build - PvP...............................................88
Combat Mechanics....................................................17
Understanding Statistics........................................17
Statistic Formulas......................................................18
Agility Equivalent Points (AEP)............................20
Combat calculations................................................21Items................................................................................90
To Hit and Expertise................................................24 Daggers vs. Other Weapon Types......................90
Haste, the Rogue's Best Friend...........................27 What To Look For and Where.............................91
Raid Builds.................................................................28
Rogue Skills...................................................................29
Auction House..........................................................93
Levels 1 to 20...........................................................93
Levels 20-30.............................................................93
Levels 30-40.............................................................94
Haste.........................................................................128
Levels 40-50.............................................................95
Attack Power..........................................................128
Levels 50-60.............................................................95
Attack Speed...........................................................128
Levels 60-70.............................................................96
Critical Strike.........................................................128
Tiered Rogue Armor Sets.....................................96
Experience Areas for Groups............................129
Levels 1-20.............................................................129
Levels 21-40..........................................................129
Levels 41-60..........................................................130
Levels 60-70..........................................................131
60-64.......................................................................131
65-69.......................................................................131
70...............................................................................131
Levels 70-80..........................................................131
Levels 80-85..........................................................132
Level 70-80..............................................................97
Level 80-85..............................................................97
Dungeon Tier...........................................................98
Raid Tier..................................................................100
Faction Tier.............................................................104
PvP Tier....................................................................106
Best Weapons........................................................107
Getting Raid Ready..............................................109
Resists vs Stamina................................................112
Resilience.................................................................112Solo ...............................................................................133
Enchants and You................................................113
Gems.........................................................................114
Glyphs......................................................................115
Professions..................................................................119
Profession Details.................................................119
Suggested Professions...........................................122
Groups..........................................................................123
Mastering the Pull.................................................123
Using Distract Properly.....................................123
Targeting and Group Skills..............................124
Using Sap................................................................124
Group Strategies.....................................................125
Pure Melee Groups..............................................125
Pure Caster Groups.............................................126
Balanced Groups..................................................126
Good Group Buffs................................................127
Agility + Stamina..................................................128
Stamina....................................................................128
Agility + Strength.................................................128
Solo Strategies..........................................................133
Ambush/Poison/Mutilate..................................133
Cheap Shot..............................................................134
DoTs..........................................................................134
Making Money........................................................135
Professions..............................................................135
Auction House.......................................................136
Looting.....................................................................137
Questing..................................................................139
Daily Quests...........................................................140
Older Dungeons...................................................140
Experience Areas....................................................141
Heirlooms................................................................142
Levels 1-20.............................................................142
Levels 20-30..........................................................143
Levels 30-40..........................................................143
Levels 40-50..........................................................145
Levels 50-60..........................................................146
Levels 60-70..........................................................148
Levels 70-80..........................................................150
Levels 80-85..........................................................152
Warlock...................................................................213
Grinding Overview...............................................153
Character Towing................................................153
Warrior....................................................................214
Instances and Elites.................................................155
Overview...................................................................155
Instance List..............................................................156
Instance Strategies...............................................161
Outlands..................................................................168
Death Knight.........................................................215
Twinking for PvP....................................................215
Level 19...................................................................216
Level 29...................................................................216
Level 39...................................................................217
Enchants..................................................................217
Dealing with Elites................................................200Theorycraft.................................................................218
PvP..................................................................................202 Introduction.............................................................218
General PvP Information....................................202
Preparation.............................................................202
Battlegrounds........................................................203
Warsong Gulch....................................................203
Arathi Basin............................................................204
Alterac Valley........................................................204
Eye of the Storm....................................................205
Lake Wintergrasp................................................205
Strand of the Ancients........................................205
Tol Barad.................................................................205
Battle for Gilneas..................................................206
Twin Peaks..............................................................206
Arenas.......................................................................206
Pick your fights.....................................................207
PvP Skills..................................................................207
Stun Lock.................................................................209
Notes...........................................................................218
AEP...............................................................................219
Gear.............................................................................220
Armor.......................................................................220
Weapons..................................................................220
Reforging.................................................................221
Enchants, Buffs and Gems................................221
Cycling.......................................................................223
Mutilate ..................................................................224
Combat.....................................................................224
Hemorrhage...........................................................225
How Much Damage Should I Do?..................225
Rogue Optimization..............................................226
Survival and Target Management................227
Cooldowns..............................................................227
Energy Management..........................................228
Managing Your Stats..........................................229
Practice Makes Perfect.......................................231
Class Details.............................................................210
Rogue........................................................................210
Druid........................................................................210Tricks of the Trade..................................................233
Hunter......................................................................211 Interface Mods & Customization.....................233
Mage.........................................................................211
External Tools........................................................234
Paladin......................................................................212
Macros.....................................................................234
Priest.........................................................................212 Raising Lockpicking..............................................235
Shaman....................................................................213 Taking on Bosses Solo...........................................236
Poison Quests (All Races, level 20)...............238
Rogue Only Quests................................................237
Ravenholdt Quests (All Races, level 24+)...239
Dagger of Cunning (All Races, level 10)....237
Lock Picking Quest (All Races, level 16).....237About this Guide......................................................241
S
INTRODUCTION
o you want to better understand the intricacies of the rogue? Perhaps get a better
understanding of what powers we truly have? You’re at the right place then. This
guide is meant to show you how to best exploit the strong points of the rogue and
minimize its weaker side. A rogue is melee oriented and you’ll find a fair chunk of your money
going into acquiring better gear and weapons. Since the rogue has so many play styles, there
are a wide variety of gear combinations possible, which will be discussed later on. There are
tactics and talent guides that will fit your play style and help you become much more powerful
than other rogues. You’ll also find information on which your prime targets should be in
combat and the best tactics against other classes. My personal play-style is to play 3-4 hour
sessions and nearly all information in this guide is taken with that into account.
Now,
depending on the length of your play sessions you will reach level 85 faster or slower than me.
Overall though, it’s reasonable to assume you can reach level 85 within 20 played days (type
/played in-game). With really intense sessions and when leaving out instances, raids and
crafting, you can do it in about 8 days. Welcome to the most entertaining and powerful class
in World of Warcraft!
T
GLOSSARY
hroughout this guide you will find a lot of terms that might not be all that familiar to
you. Though I try to avoid abbreviations where possible, sometimes it's just simpler.
This glossary will contain nearly all of the terms I use and will be updated as requests
are taken.
AC: Armor class
AE or AoE: Area of Effect
Aggro: When you get too much hate and the enemy targets you
AGI: Agility
AH: Auction House
AP: Attack Power
BC: Burning Crusade expansion pack
BG: Battleground - PvP area
Blue or B: Blue Gem used to slot in an item
BoE: Bind of Equip – can be found anywhere and sold to other players
BoP: Bind on Pickup – once you pick it up you can no longer trade it
Buff: A spell/effect that increases a player's capabilities
Cata: Cataclysm expansion pack
Crit: Critical Hit - Double the damage of a regular hit
CP: Combo Points
CS: Cheap Shot
Cycle: A sequence of skills that are repeated. Typically used to maximize your DPS.
DoT: Damage over time
Debuff:A player's ability/spell/effect that can disable their target for a time
DPS: Damage per Second
DW: Dual Wield – using two weapons at once
Exa: Exalted reputation
G or GP: Gold – main currency in WoW
Hate: The amount of hate the enemy has towards you
Hit: Chance to Hit
HP: Hit points – a measure of your life
INT:Intelligence
Instance: a zone that exists outside of the normal game world that can only contain a limited
amount of players. Usually contains a dungeon or raid.
UI: User Interface. A modification you can install to change the way the game displays
information.
LK: Lich King expansion pack
LP: Lockpick
Meta: Meta gem used in Jewelcrafting or to slot in an item
Mins: Minutes
Pooling: The act of controlling the amount of Energy available at a given time.
Port: Portal
Proc: Some items have an effect that can trigger upon certain conditions.
PvE: Player versus Environment – against the computer
PvP: Player versus Player – against other humans
Raid: 10 to 25 player PvE environment
Red or R: Red Gem used to slot in an item
Rep: Reputation
Res: Resurrection
Rev: Revered Reputation
Secs: Seconds
Set: Some items when used together provide a set bonus to the player
Spec: Specialization
SS: Sinister Strike
STA: Stamina
STR:Strength
Taunt: Ability to gain instantly gain aggro from an enemy
Yel or Y: Yellow Gem used to slot in an item
WIS: Wisdom
R
ROGUE BASICS
ogues are one of the most complicated classes in World of Warcraft (WoW). This is
due mainly to the fact that they have skills that work in nearly every imaginable
situation. The most important thing to remember when playing a rogue is that you
are meant to deal insane amounts of damage while taking as little as possible. Rogues wear
leather items and even if you were to concentrate on increasing your defensive values, it would
only be about 1/5 as effective as the designated tank classes (Warriors, Druids, Death Knights
and Paladins). You need to understand what the class can and cannot do to stay alive. So, what
is it that’s good and bad about a rogue?
The Good
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
The highest damage dealing class in game
Able to explore better than any other class
Poisons are rogue only
Can unlock nearly any lock in game, removing the need for almost every key
Pick pocketing can double your cash income
Great at initial crowd control
Multiple Get-Out-Of-Death skills
The Bad
 High dependency on gear
 Requires precise timing for various skills
 Medium hit points and armor
 Some skills are weapon-type dependent
 Lack of effective range attacks
- 10 © www.killerguides.com
Races And Racial Abilities
When you first step into WoW and decide to create a rogue, there are a few things you need
to take into account. The racial selection doesn’t matter as much as faction. If you select Horde
then you will not be able to interact with any Alliance members and vice versa. In fact, if
you’re on the PvP server you’re going to be a target for the opposing faction your whole life.
On the Alliance side you can choose between Dwarves, Gnomes, Humans, Night Elves and
Worgen. For the Horde, potential races include Orcs, Trolls, Undead and Goblin can all choose
to become rogues. Each race has a set of racial abilities that make them different than others.
These differences are noticeable but do not make or break the class. All classes start with basic
stats in the teens but once you hit 85 and have literally thousands of skill points, it has zero
impact on play.
I'll briefly go over the racial abilities for each race, since they do add flavor to the game.
Blood Elf
➢Arcane
within 8yrds for 2 seconds. Gives 15
Energy. 2 min cool down
➢Magic
Resistance: Reduce chance to be
hit by spells by 2%
➢+10
Goblin
Torrent: Silence all enemies
Rocket Jump: Jump forward – 2 min
cooldown
Rocket Barrage: Launch rockets from
your belt for about 2000 damage – 2
Enchanting
min cooldown
Time is Money: 1% increase in casting
and attack speed
Dwarf
Stoneform: Activate to gain immunity
to poisons, disease and bleed +10%
AC bonus – Lasts 8 sec – 2 min cool
down
Gun Specialization: 1% increase to
chance to hit with guns
Best Deals: Always receive best faction
discount
Pack Hobgoblin: Call servants to access
bank for 1 minute – 30 min
cooldown
+15 Alchemy
Frost Resistance: Reduce change to be
hit by frost spells by 2%
Treasure
Finding:
Activate
to
see
treasure chests on mini map – lasts
until cancelled
Human
➢Perception:
radius by 10 yards
➢+3%
Spirit
➢Diplomacy:
gain
Gnome
Increasea stealth detection
➢+3
10% bonus to faction point
Sword & Mace Expertise
Escape Artist: Activate to break out of a
Root or Snare effect – 1.75 min cool
down
+5% Intelligence
Night Elf
➢Shadowmeld:
Arcane Resistance: Reduce chance to be
hit by Arcane spells by 2%
and out of combat to enter stealth
mode – lasts until canceled – 2 min
cooldown
+15 Engineering
Activate while immobile
➢
by melee or ranged attacks by 2%
➢
Undead
Quickness: Reduce change to be hit
Wisp Spirit: Become a wisp when
➢
sleep and charm effects – 2 min cool
dead with movement speed increase
of 75% (25% faster than normal
ghost)
➢
Nature Resistance: Reduce chance to
be hit by Nature spells by 2%
down
➢
Cannibalize: Regenerate 35% health
over 10 seconds – 2 min cool down
➢
Underwater Breathing: Underwater
breath increased to 10 minutes
➢
Orc
➢
Will of the Forsaken: Removes all fear,
Shadow Resistance: Reduce chance to
be hit by Shadow spells by 2%
Blood Fury:Activate to increase base
Worgen
melee attack power by 342 – lasts 15
sec – 2 min cool down
➢
Hardiness: Stun effects reduced by
➢
by 70% for 10 seconds – 3 min
15%
➢
Darkflight: Increase movement speed
cooldown
+5 Axe & Fist Expertise
➢
Viciousness: Increase critical chance
by 1%
➢
Trolls
➢
Beserking: Activate to increase melee
and spell casting speed by 20% - lasts
10 sec – 3 min cool down
➢
Regeneration:
10%
health
regeneration bonus, 10% active in
combat
➢
➢
Reduce
duration
Curses and Diseases by 15%
➢
of
+15 Skinning
Now to clear up a few of the questionable
racial abilities. Shadowmeld, though listed as
an active skill, works as a passive ability as
+5% damage bonus to Beasts
+1% critical chance for Thrown
Weapons and Bows
➢
Aberration:
Voodoo Shuffle: 15% reduced effects
of all movement impairing effects
well.
It works both while stationary and
while moving. In fact, it works just 1 level
higher of stealth (ie the difference between a
84 and 85 rogue).
A more complete
description would be if a Dwarf and Night
Elf with the same skills, levels and talent
selection were in front of each other, enabled
that can also recharge Energy. It’s only on a
stealth and walked backwards, the Dwarf
2 minute timer as well, so it makes rogues a
opposite would occur. With this example,
racial abilities are not worth mentioning
powerful racial ability. It gives Night Elves 1
serious way.
would lose sight of the Night Elf before the
you can see that Shadowmeld is a very
level of Stealth above all other races, which is
very deadly adversary in PvP. The rest of the
again and do not impact the rogue in any
very important in PvP and a useful in PvE.
There’s at most a 7pt difference between
Since so many Rogue skills need Stealth, the
starting statistics of all the races and they
better.
you were to select the Alliance race with the
more improvements you can make, the
Berserking is very powerful since it's a
percentage upgrade to damage. 20% haste is
very poweful at 85 and has uses throughout
leveling.
Blood Fury was originally a pain to use. In
its current form, it's a straight upgrade to
attack power, which affects every skill. At
85, you're looking at 342AP, which is more
make no difference once you’re at level 85. If
highest advantages though, it would be Night
Elf since they have the highest starting
Agility and the Shadowmeld ability.
bonus that Humans receive to weapons can
be gained from items in-game but their 10%
bonus to faction gain is something you might
want to consider. The best Horde race would
be the Trolls since haste is such a powerful
damage increase at higher levels.
than you would find on a piece of
Energy
equipment.
PvP wise, Gnomes and Undead have very
The
Rogues have their own version of mana,
nice racial skills that can get you out of a
called Energy. At any point in a rogue’s life,
stops bleeding. These traits are also available
Well, some items allow you to get a 10 point
jam. Dwarves also have a decent skill that
through certain trinkets in the game, so they
should only bear fruit until you actively
starting doing PvP and gaining honor points.
Blood Elves have a nice instant silence attack
they will have 100 Energy at maximum.
increase, but that will be seen later. As a
general rule though, you can only have 100
Energy max at one time. As you use skills,
they each have their own Energy cost to
perform and your balance will adjust
combo points that were on the original target
accordingly. If you miss an attack, you will
are lost. The same goes for when a target
There are talents that decrease the Energy
lost as well.
spend less Energy than if you succeeded.
cost of certain skills as well.
Energy
management is very important. You don’t
dies; if you have combo points on it, they are
You
accumulate
combo
points
by
want to set a target up for an attack only to
performing Openers.
move.
These skills are Cheap Shot, Ambush, Garotte,
not have enough Energy to perform the
Energy regenerates are a 10 points per
second. There are multiple talents that can
increase this rate . Haste increases the rate at
which you regain Energy, so more is better.
You can purchase/create an item with
cooking called Thistle Tea that will fill your
These give you 1-2
combo points per skill use that connects.
Backstab, Sinister Strike, Gouge, Mutilate,
Shiv and Hemorrhage. Some talents allow
you to get more combo points per attack.
With these talents, you have a chance of
getting 3 combo points from a single attack.
You
spend
your
combo
points
by
Energy by 100points and it has a 5 minute
performing Finishers.
can fill your Energy level.
have available. You cannot use a finisher
cool down. There are also some items that
scaled on the amount of combo points you
unless you have at least 1 combo point.
Openers, Finishers and Combo Points
Similar to the Assassin character in Diablo
II, the rogue in WoW uses combo points on
their targets to unleash more devastating
attacks. You can only have a maximum of 5
combo points at a time.
These attacks are
Any attempt to
acquire more will simply be wasted.
The
main difference is that combo points are
“stored” on a target and not on the rogue.
These skills are what the rogue is all about.
Having a 5point eviscerate crit at level 85
can get do well over 10,000 damage. The
skills are Eviscerate, Expose Armor, Slice and
Dice, Kidney Shot, Envenom and Rupture.
Knowing when to time a finisher can make
the difference between a dead target and a
target that wanders into a group of his
friends.
This means that if you change targets, all
Weapons
Rogues have access to many weapons.
They can use all single handed weapons:
Daggers, Maces, Swords and recently, Axes.
They can also use any ranged weapon: Bows,
Crossbows, Guns and Thrown Weapons.
There is a lot of debate about which
weapons a rogue should use.
Bows,
Crossbows and Guns are all more damaging
than thrown weapons but they in turn
require ammo. Plus, you have a skill called
Fan of Knives that requires thrown weapons.
Fist weapons are semi-based on the unarmed
skill but there are about 20 fist weapons in
the game before 60 and only a few dozen
past that point. An important fact is that if
you do not use daggers in the main hand,
you cannot use Ambush or Backstab, very
powerful skills. Similarly, if you don’t have a
dagger in your main hand and one in your
off hand, you cannot use Mutilate. You will
find a greater breakdown of item usage later
in the guide, in the Tricks of the Trade
section.
3.Stamina gives you more hit points. For
COMBAT
each point of stamina, you receive 10
MECHANICS
hit points (hp). It might not seem like
Understanding Statistics
common enough and that’s a 600hp
S
much but in the end area of the game,
items that have 60 Stamina are
tatistics play a large role in WoW.
As a rogue, it’s important to know
boost. Very nice indeed!
4.Intellect increases the rate at which you
learn weapon skills.
what statistics affect you.
attacking so much that this isn’t even
1. Strength used to work by increasing
your attack power rating. Power is
the amount of damage you can do
with a weapon. More power, more
a factor. There is no reason to ever
put points here.
5.Spirit
health
There isn’t a
since the regeneration rate is already
and you will never find it on a useful
very high in WoW.
item past level 50.
your dodge rate.
your
reason to really put points in here
case, it has no real use for a Rogue
your critical chance, your armor and
increases
regeneration rate.
damage. Since this is no longer the
2. Agility increases your power rating,
You’ll be
Yet another
statistic you need not worry about.
As of yet, there seems to be no cap on
Agility gives the
statistics. Collect as many as you can. That
does. At level 85, ~320 Agility will
of about 60% Agility to 40% Stamina while
exact same boost to power as strength
give you a 1% boost to critical chance.
Critical hits give you a 100% boost in
damage (e.g. from 100 to 200
damage). Agility affects rogues more
than any other class except the
hunter. This is a good thing.
being said, you want to try to keep a balance
you’re leveling. If you go solely Agility, you
will have a very high chance of critical hits
but not be able to take any damage. Going
all Stamina means you will practically never
get a critical hit and fights will take longer,
therefore needing those extra hit points.
Certain talent builds go for certain statistics
more than others and those will be discussed
later on in the guide.
80.
An item that was available in the
Burning Crusade expansion at level 69 will
Statistic Formulas
look like a toothpick when compared to a
There are a fair amount of formulas
Lich King item attained at level 71.
involved in calculating rogue statistics. Here
➢Armor
are but a few. Some of the terms might seem
➢Hit
new and complicated, so you’ll want to come
Points = Sta*10.
➢Critical
back to this point after you’ve read the guide.
findings. As you’ll see, Agility affects nearly
every statistic, followed by Stamina and
Strength.
There is no need at all for any
Intelligence or Spirit gear.
Again, don’t
worry if this entire section is way over your
head, by the time you complete reading the
guide and get a few levels in-game, you’ll
understand it very easily and be applying
them to your playstyle and choices. Due to
the fact that as you level, the amount of stats
chance
o1 point = Agi/324.72
I’m laying out the details now though so that
it can shed some light onto some of my
Class = Agi*2 + AC from armor
o1 point = 179.28 Critical Rating
➢Dodge
o1 point = Agi/243.5
o1 point = 176 Dodge Rating
➢Attack
Power
oMelee = Agi*2 + 150
➢DPS
➢DPS
oRanged = Agi + 150
= AP/14
for skills = (min weap dmg/2 + max
weap dmg/2) / 1.7 (daggers) or 2.4
(others)
necessary to get a gain increase, some times
➢To
level approach.
➢Expertise
by very large amounts, I won't take a level by
I will list the top level
statistics, since that's likely where you will
Hit
o1 point = 120 Hit Rating
o1 point = 30 Expertise Rating
end up after reading this guide. Also of note,
➢Haste
numbers were calculated, you will see drastic
➢Resilience
since each expansion pack modified the way
changes in gear options at levels 60, 70 and
o1 point = 128
o1 point = 276.1
➢Mastery
o1 point = 179.3
Also of note, when you are adding
With the same formula, let’s say you
percentage values together, you need to add
Backstab (150%+210dmg) with a Keris of
real world.
a +3 weapon enchantment, with 450 Attack
them and not multiply as we would in the
An example would be your
critical rate. Let’s say you have a base value
of 20% and a talent that increases your
critical rate by 5%. In regular math, you
would think you have 21% critical rate
(20*1.05).
Instead, you would have 25%
critical chance (20+5).
When calculating damage, you calculate
the weapon damage (including attack power
bonus), the skill bonus, the talent bonus, the
crit bonus (if applicable) and finally the crit
talent bonus.
In simpler (ok maybe not
simpler) terms it’s
➢
Weapon
((Attack
Damage
+
Enchants
+
Power/14)*Normalized
Weapon Speed) + Skill Damage +
Talents + Crit Bonus + Crit Talent
Bonus
Example is a Sinister Strike (+68dmg) with
a Thrash Blade (66-124dmg/2.7sec delay)
with an attack bonus of 450 and the Lethality
talent.
Max
damage
is
124+
((450/14)*2.4)+68=269dmg. If it crits, then
you have 269*2.3=618dmg.
Zul’Serak (49-93dmg/1.8sec delay) that has
Power, the Lethality and Opportunity talents.
So
we
have
(((93+3+
((450/14)*1.7))*1.5)+210)*1.2
=
with a crit of 523*2.3=1203dmg.
523dmg,
Also of note, Attack Power scales with
“capped”
skills
Eviscerate.
➢
as
Garrote
and
Eviscerate Modifier =
AP*0.03*#of Combo Points
➢
➢
such
Garrote Modifier = AP*0.13
For example, Eviscerate10 at 1200AP with
5 Combo Points on average does 1062 +
(1200*0.15) = 1242dmg.
You can’t lose
damage if your AP isn’t high enough. That
being said, most items past level 60 have +AP
to them for a reason. It’s a very important
statistic
to
equipment.
consider
when
choosing
All of these numbers seem complicated,
and they are, but they are essential to making
the optimum selections for your character.
Don’t worry if you’re confused now, when
you finish the guide and get a few levels
under your belt, all of this will start to make
sense. To be honest, from levels 1 to 30, none
of this makes a whole lot of difference
Stat
Weight
Agility
1
Stamina
0,6
Hit
0,5
Expertise
0,55
Crit
0,5
Haste
0,5
Mastery
0,5
Resilience
1,1
because you’ll be switching armor and
weapons at such a fast pace. Concentrate on
Agility and Stamina while trying to keep both
your dagger and sword skills maxed and
you’ll be set later on.
Agility Equivalent Points (AEP)
Once you reach about level 50, or even
before that point, you will find that you are
forced to select one item over another.
Would you take a Buzzard Blade or a
Steelbender Masterpiece, is the increase
worth it? This is where Agility Equivalent
Points (or AEP as brought into jargon by
Ming) come into play. It’s a simple enough
formula that lets you gauge the value of
As you can see, Agility, Resilience and
Stamina have the highest values.
rogue does no damage after all.
A dead
Stamina is worth much less in PvE since
statistics on a given item. It works like this.
you shouldn't be getting attacked, this means
bigger focus on increasing your Hit Points
higher values.
PvP AEP and raid AEP. Given that PvP has a
and Resilience when compared to Raiding (or
that Agility, Hit, Expertise and Haste have
just normal PvE), values are different.
AEP
also
specialization.
depends
on
your
Raid – AEP - Assassination
talent
For example, Haste matters
Stat
Weight
Agility
2,6
Stamina
0,01
Special Attacks
1,75
more to Combat than Assassination.
PvP - AEP
Stat
Weight
Hit
There are subtle but noticeable differences
between Assassination and Combat.
This
means that some items are better for one spec
Poisons Hit
1,4
Melee Hit
0,75
Expertise
1,1
Crit
0,9
Haste
1,2
Mastery
1,3
than another.
Now, AEP is all fine and dandy within
reason. You should still be setting baselines
for your stats. If all your items were Agility
and you had nothing that had Stamina, you’d
be dead in a flash. Once you hit 85, you
should aim for getting to 80,000HP above all
else, it’s easy to achieve.
If you plan on
raiding or PvPing a lot, then I would put the
mark up to 100,000HP (with enchants and
Raid – AEP - Combat
jewels) and then use AEP to plan your items.
Stat
Weight
Agility
2,7
Stamina
0,01
Special Attacks
1,8
Hit
Poisons Hit
1,3
Melee Hit
1
Expertise
1,5
Crit
0,95
Haste
1,5
Mastery
0,95
I use a UI mod to assist with AEP because
sometimes the math is too complex. See the
section near the bottom for more details on
Uis.
Combat Calculations
Since you live and breathe combat, it’s
important to understand the mechanics. We
saw a bit of it in the Statistic Formulas section
but this part will more clearly define certain
“features” of combat.
Damage mitigation is based on your
Combat is not an “if then else” system, it’s a
opponent’s armor. A warrior with 5000 AC
table system. This means that when the game
with 2500. The hard cap on mitigation is
dodge, parry or block.
that you get more bang for you buck
giving a total amount of options in combat as
will take less damage per hit than a mage
75% and is a logarithmic curve. This means
rolls your combat move, it’s a hit, miss, crit,
You can’t miss a
critical hit. This has an additional effect of
increasing from 1000(15%) - 3000(35%)
all the options must come to 100%. If you
5000(47%).
At level 85, you would need
5% dodge/parry/block and you have a 40%
happen for a very long time. You probably
miss (25+5+5+5+40=80, therefore the last 20
than you do going from 3000(35%) about 95,000AC to reach the cap, that won’t
won’t even see 40,000AC at 85 but since
you’re not generally getting hit, it’s not a big
deal.
have a 25% critical chance, the mob has a
chance to hit, then there’s a 20% chance to
comes from miss). Modifying one affects the
others.
Attacking from behind an opponent denies
Creatures that are 2 or more levels above
you present a chance to have a glancing
blow. This type of attack only deals 70%
normal damage and cannot be a critical hit.
Currently, there is no known way to decrease
them the chance to block or parry, they can
still dodge. The % of their chance to dodge is
the same as the front, so you gain ability to
hit and critically hit from behind.
Stuns decrease impact with use on the
the damage lost from Glancing Blows.
same target.
happening. This only affects melee. This is
Shot (6 seconds), Gouge (4 seconds), Vanish
Glancing blows have a 24% chance of
the primary reason why you should not be
attacking creatures that are above you in
levels until you’re level 85; you decrease
your ability to do damage by a fair amount.
If you were to open with a
Cheap Shot (4seconds), throw in a Kidney
and Cheap Shot again, the second Cheap Shot
would be just under 3 seconds long. After 3
stuns (from any attacker on a target) the
effects diminish to the point where the 5th
stun
has
no
real
effect
other
than
interrupting an attack. Sap and Gouge share
the same timer for diminishing returns
which Kidney Shot and Cheap Shot each
have their own.
Dual wielding increases your miss rate by
27% for melee attacks.
Your offhand
weapon only does 50% of its normal damage.
Expertise increases you chance to strike as
it decreases the enemy's chance to dodge and
parry.
If attacking from the front, each
Expertise increases your critical chance cap
by 0.5%.
Weapon attack speed does not factor into
skill damage formulas for rogues, when
talking about skills. All daggers have a 1.7
speed and other weapons have a 2.4 timer.
This doesn’t affect regular attacks, only
special attacks, such as Sinister Strike and
Ambush. You will generally want to get a
higher damage weapon compared to a faster
weapon. This does NOT affect Hemorrhage,
so use the slowest, heaviest hitting weapon
you can find if you take the talent. It is a
waste to use daggers and hemorrhage for
this exact reason.
To Hit And Expertise
A lot of people are confused as to how these work. To Hit is a misnomer, it actually reduces
your chance to miss. Expertise in turn decreases the chance that an enemy can parry or dodge.
There are “caps” of a sort, a point where adding more does not add any value. Please don’t
confuse this with the previous section, these calculations are meant solely for raiding on
creatures 3+ levels above you, which in nearly all cases means raiding. That being said, here
goes.
We'll start with the simple stuff, what happens when you attack. There are seven (7) results
that can happen when you swing your weapon, Miss, Dodge, Parry, Glancing Blow, Critical
Strike and Hit. I have listed those in the order they can occur. Combat is not an If/Then/Else
situation, a number is rolled and one of the results will occur, in the priority listed. At max
level, attacking an enemy has an inherent 27% miss chance for regular attacks (white damage)
and 8% miss chance for special attacks. Glancing Blows can ONLY occur on regular attacks
and not special attacks. Let's keep that in mind when looking at caps...
For example, let's say you're attacking a boss enemy (from behind, which avoids possible
parries) who is 3 levels above you. You have 0 Hit Chance and 0 Expertise and a 60% Critical
Strike Chance. The table resembles the following:
➢27%
Miss
➢6.5%
Dodge (approx for an enemy 3+ levels)
➢24%
Glancing Blows
➢42.5%
➢0%Hit
Critical Strike
Notice how you lose 20% Crit Chance and everytime you do have a hit, it won't be a normal
one, only a glancing or critical strike? That means that every attacks that lands will either
Glance (do 70% damage) or a critical strike, no normal attacks will ever land.
Let's try another example, same enemy but we have a 20% Hit Chance and 50% Crit Chance
(10% less than before).
➢
7% Miss
➢
6.5% Dodge
➢
24% Glancing Blows
➢
50% Critical Strike
➢
12.5% Hit
Ahh, now we are using all of our Crit Chance and we have a 10% chance to land normal
blows. We're actually higher on critical strikes (10% more) than before and will land more
attacks. It's this delicate balance that we're trying to achieve.
Given that it takes 120.1 Hit Rating to get a 1% increase, you need 3242/961 to reduce your
inherent 27%/8 % miss chances to 0% for Regular Attacks/Special Attacks. Most builds will
include the Precision talent, which reduces this by 6% - or 721 Hit Rating - a very big
difference. Even the best Rogues in the game only come to a reducing miss to 11%/0% so don't
break your back over the numbers. I haven't spoken about it yet but there is another max miss
rate for poisons, as they are considered spells. Actually, it's not a strange number, it's 13%, so a
bit more than your special attacks. Since both Assassination does a lot of damage with poisons,
you want to get that 13% and then move to another stat. Combat deals a lot with regular hits,
so To Hit is always a good thing as you won't likely ever hit the 27%. Subtlety uses special
attacks for the most part, so aim for the 9%.
Next, we move on to Expertise. This reduces the chance of your enemy dodging or parrying
your attacks. Given that you should be behind your target, parries can be removed from the
equation. In the examples above, I rounded out the Dodge number to 7% when in fact it's
6.5%. Each point of Expertise gives us a 0.25% reduction in Dodge/Parry, so the cap is 26
Expertise. Let's go back to the first example but this time we'll add a 10 Expertise to the
equation (0% Hit Chance and 60% Crit Chance).
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
27% Miss
4% Dodge
24% Glancing Blow
45% Critical Strike
0% Hit
Given that Expertise lowers Dodge, it has a side effect of increasing your Crit Chance
(because it happens with a higher priority than normal strikes). That being said, you can see
that you're losing out on some of your Crit Chance (17% to be exact) just not as much as before.
If you were to raise your Expertise to the cap, you'd see a 6.5% increase in Crit Chance, still
14% lower than your cap.
Let's say you have the perfect stats for To Hit and Expertise(currently impossible) with a 40%
Crit Chance what would it look like?
➢
0% Miss
➢
0% Dodge
➢
➢
➢
24% Glancing Blow
40% Critical Strike
46% Hit
Now those are some numbers! You can clearly see the massive increase in damage dished
out compared to a Rogue with 20% more Crit Chance and no investment in To Hit or Expertise.
To sum all these numbers up, here’s what you need to know when raiding a 3+ level
monster.
➢
With 0 To Hit and 0 Expertise, Crit Chance is capped at 40% for melee strikes and 84%
for Special Attacks
➢
➢
➢
120.1 Hit Rating decreases your miss chance by 1%
The cap for Hit Rating is 3242/961 for regular attacks/special attacks, respectively
30 Expertise Rating provides 1 Expertise, which decreases Dodge/Parry by 0.25% and
thereby increases your critical chance cap by the same amount
➢
26 Expertise is required from behind to avoid Dodges, so the cap for Expertise Rating is
780.
➢
Of note, on bosses 3+ levels on you, you lose 4.8% Critical Chance currently. If your
listed chance is 50%, you will actually only have 45.2%
Haste, the Rogue's Best Friend
To Hit, Expertise, Agility, Stamina... all of these stats are passive. Meaning that as soon as you
equip an item or select a talent, you have those stats helping you all the time. Haste is (for the
most part) an active skill, meaning you need to click on something, have a spell cast on you or
proc an item to gain it's effect.
For 128 Haste Rating gives you a 1% increase in melee speed and most interestingly, Energy
recovery rate. You'll find many items that give a Haste Rating of 100, 200 or even 400. Also of
note, is that Haste source (Talents/Spells, Items, Haste Rating) increases are multiplicative. Let's
say you have Slice and Dice and Blade Furry activated at the same time, you would have
130%*120%=156% increase in weapon speed. Haste Rating are their own source, so you
would add those, then multiply them by other sources.
Example:
Sword with 1.8 Attack Speed, Slice and Dice (30%), Blade Furry (20%,
Bloodlust/Heroism (30%), Crushing Weight (2178HR), HElixir of Mighty Speed(225HR).
Hasted Speed = Weapon Speed / (Haste Source 1 * Haste Source 2 * Haste Rating Source.)
Haste from Haste Rating = (2178+225)/128 = 18.7%
Hasted Speed = 1.8/ (180%*118.7%)
= 1.8 / 2.13
= 0.85
All of your regular melee attacks (auto-attack) will now swing every 0.85 seconds, nearly 3
times as fast. Combined with items that proc on hit, Combat Potency and Poisons, you can see a
drastic increase in potential damage.
As mentioned before, Haste also affects energy recovery rates, on a 1 to 1 ratio. Using the
example above with 213% increase in speed, you would see a 213% increase in Energy
recovery. So from 10 per second to 21.3 per second.
You can see how Haste affects not only the damage that you do with regular melee attacks
but how it also increases Energy rate, which in turn increases your ability to use special attacks.
It has such a profound effect on damage output that I consider it the number two statistic
under Agility.
Raid Builds
In raids, the current two top builds focus on Assassination or Combat. The former focuses on
poisons, movement fights and bursts of damage under 35% of target health. Combat deals with
regular attacks, speed, stable combat with more damage at the start of the fight. Assassination
deals with poisons, so you need to get to the spell hit cap (13%) and then focus on other stats.
Combat deals mostly regular damage, so even when you hit the spell cap, you can keep putting
more points for even more damage.
With Cataclysm, talent builds have been completely restructured. You now only have 41
points to spend and you must spend 31 in a single tree before you can spend points in another.
Though there are less talents, this doesn't necessarily mean there are less options out there.
Many passive DPS talents have been removed and more flavor talents have been added,
allowing players to select any number of combinations. Once you have selected your main
tree, that leaves 10 points to spend in another (or maybe the same one). That means you can
only get into the 2nd level of another tree, so we'll look at the talents that address the stats in the
top 2 levels of each tree.
•Precision:
Increases Hit Chance for Melee and Spells by 6%
Yes, that's it. In Lich King you had 6+ talents you could pick from to help with stats and now
you're down to one and it's at the top level. That leaves a LOT of options on the table for flavor.
ROGUE SKILLS
R
Skill Listing
ogues have a huge variety of skills. They are in 3 main classes, Assassination,
Combat and Subtlety. In your rogue life, you will be using all the skills at your
disposal, some more than others. It’s essential to know what you have available to
you, below you will find a listing of skills and their effects. As a rogue, you will be limited to
certain attacks at certain times due to equipment, your combat state and if you’re in stealth or
not.
In Cataclysm, there are no ranks for skills anymore. Once you train a skill, it automatically
upgrades as you level. This means you get less skills per level but also means that you don't
need to travel back to town all the time to train. This is great once you hit 60 and towns with
trainers are a pain to find. I will list the Combo Point (CP) gained (#) or reset (R) during use.
Rogue Skills Per Level
Level
Name
Effect
Energ
CP
1
Sinister Strike
Strike that causes extra damage in addition to weapon damage
45
1
3
Eviscerate
Causes damage per combo point, increased by Attack Power.
35
R
4
Pick Pocket
Allows you to pick a humanoid’s pockets. Must be in stealth.
0
5
Stealth
Brings you into the shadows, at reduced movement speed. Not
0
0
60
1
0
0
y
useable in combat. 10 sec cooldown.
8
Ambush
Causes weapon damage plus extra damage. Must be in stealth
and behind target.
9
Evasion
Increased your dodge rate by 50% for 15 sec. Increased
ranged attack dodge rate by 25%. 5 min cool down.
Level
Name
Effect
Energ
CP
y
10
Poisons
Allows you to apply poisons to your weapons
0
0
10
Sap
Incapacitates the target for a time. Must be stealthed. Only
65
0
60
2
0
0
0
0
works on Humanoids, Beasts, Demons and Dragonkin. Damage
will revive the target.
10
Mutilate
Talent – Attack with both daggers for weapon damage and extra
damage. Damage increased 20% on poisoned targets.
10
Blade Furry
Talent – Causes the rogues attacks to strike an additional nearby
target for 15 seconds. Energy regeneration is reduced 20%. 30
sec cooldown
10
Shadowstep
Talent - Step through shadows behind your target. The next
Ambush or Garrote within 10 seconds will deal 10% more
damage and movement speed is increased for 3 seconds. 20 sec
cooldown
12
Parry
Gives a chance to parry melee attacks
0
0
12
Recuperate
Restores 3% of maximum health every 3 sec. Total duration
30
R
increases per combo point.
14
Kick
Interrupts spell being cast for 6 seconds. 10 sec cool down.
25
0
16
Gouge
Causes damage based on attack power and disorients the target
45
0
16
Pick Lock
Lets a rogue pick locks
0
0
16
Sprint
Increases movement speed for 15 sec. 5 min cool down
0
0
18
Backstab
Causes weapon damage plus extra damage. Must be behind
60
1
22
Slice and Dice
Increases melee speed by 40%, duration increases per combo
25
R
for 4 sec. Need to face target. 10 sec cool down
target.
point.
Level
Name
Effect
Energ
CP
y
24
Vanish
Enter stealth for 10 sec. Breaks movement impairing effects. 5
0
0
min cool down.
26
Cheap Shot
Stuns target for 4 sec. Must be stealthed.
60
2
28
Distract
Throw a distraction, causing affected targets to turn towards the
30
0
specified area for 10 seconds. Does not break stealth. 30 sec
cooldown.
30
Kidney Shot
Stuns target, duration per combo point. 20 sec cool down
25
R
32
Detect Traps
Increases chance to detect traps
0
0
34
Blind
Causes target to wander at 40% movement speed for 10 sec. Any
0
0
25
R
25
0
50
1
20
0
damage breaks effect. 5 min cool down
36
Expose Armor
Decreases target’s armor by 12% and increases duration per
combo point.
38
Dismantle
Disarm the enemy, removing all weapons, shield or other
equipment carried for 10sec. 1min cooldown
40
Garrote
Silences for 3 seconds and causes damage over 18 seconds,
increased by Attack Power.
42
Feint
Lowers threat by a small amount and reduces area of effect
damage by 50% for 6 seconds. 10 sec cool down
44
Disarm Trap
Disarm a trap
0
0
46
Rupture
Causes damage over time per combo points, increases with
25
R
48
Safe Fall
Reduces damage from falling.
0
0
50
Leather
Grants 5% Agility for wearing Leather in all armor slots.
0
0
Attack Power.
Specialization
Level
Name
Effect
Energ
CP
y
54
Envenom
Finishing move that consumed your Deadly Poison charges on
35
R
0
0
35
R
Performs an instant off-hand weapon attack that automatically
Depen
1
applies the poison from your off-hand weapon to the target.
ds
the target and deals instant poison damage. 1 dose is consumed
per combo point and increases your chance to apply poisons by
25% for 2-6s (based on combo points). Uses Attack Power
58
Cloak of Shadows
Instantly removes all existing harmful spell effects and increases
your chance to resist all spells by 90% for 5 sec. Does not
remove effects that prevent you from using Cloak of Shadows.
1.5 min cooldown
62
Deadly Throw
Finishing move that reduces the movement of the target by 50%
for 5s and causes increased thrown weapon damage.
70
Shiv
Neither the skill nor the poison applied can be a critical strike.
Slower weapons require more Energy.
75
Tricks of the Trade
The current party or raid member becomes the target of your
15
0
Tricks of the Trade. The threat caused by your next attack and
all actions taken for 6 sec afterwards will be transferred to the
target. In addition, all damage caused by the target is increased
by 15% during this time. 30 sec cooldown.
80
Fan of Knives
Instantly throw your thrown weapon at all targets within 8
35
0
80
Mastery
Allows you to benefit from your Mastery rating from your talent
0
0
81
Combat Readiness
Enter into a state of heightened awareness, deflecting enemy
0
0
yards, causing 150% damage. Can apply poisons.
tree.
weapon strikes with increasing effectiveness. Successive attacks
will deal 10% less damage per application, stacking 5 times.
Lasts for 30 sec, but if 6 sec elapse without any incoming
weapon strikes, this state will end. 2 minute cooldown
Level
Name
Effect
Energ
CP
y
83
Redirect
Transfers combo points to the current target. 1 min cooldown
0
0
85
Smoke Bomb
Creates a cloud of smoke in an 8yd radius around the rogue for
0
0
10 sec. Enemies are unable to target into or out of the smoke. 3
min cooldown
Skill Details
Seeing as how the rogue has such a large amount of skills available to them it is best to
explain how they work in actual combat situations. Some skills are more effective than others
and some only really become truly effective with talents. Let’s go through the skill trees as they
are shown in game.
Assassination
Ambush – This is an Opener that can only be used in stealth and from behind. It can only be
used with daggers. This means you’re only going to use it once per fight. With the proper
talent allocation and an Agility character, this skill can have a critical chance near 75%. It can
also give 3 combo points if luck and talents are with you. At level 85, you’re looking at over
5000 damage, critical to 10,000. The problem is that this skill can only be used once per fight.
In a group that constantly fights, you can’t get back into stealth during combat so this skill
might not be used all that much. You’ll find the most use out of this skill when you’re in your
20s, then again post 60. The main problem is that there are so few daggers with high damage
available pre-BC expansion that other skills like Sinister Strike are more effective.
Cheap Shot (CS) – This is an Opener that can only be used from stealth. Again, it faces the
same limitations of use as Ambush. Once you acquire this skill you will be using it religiously
in combat. There is rarely going to be a reason not to use this skill as it stuns the opponent for
4 seconds. Why stun instead of get a crit with Ambush? Well, in the 4 seconds you have the
stun, you’re more than likely going to do that 5000 damage with Sinister Strike and auto-
attack. Best part is that you won’t get hit at all during that time, increasing your effectiveness.
With this skill you can be soloing creatures 1 level over you with ease and only healing every 5
fights or so. This is also the bread and butter of many PvP fights.
Dismantle – If the enemy is susceptible to disarm, use it. This drastically reduces the damage
an enemy will do and will remove any damage mitigation from shields. This works well
against sword and board paladins and warriors in PvP and can make a world of difference.
Envenom – Uses up existing Deadly Poison charges on a target to do Instant Poison damage.
At first glance, this is greatly overshadowed by Eviscerate. You will rarely use Deadly Poison in
a solo build so not much use there either. Where this skill truly shines however is on elites
with high armor – like you find in dungeons and raids. Nearly every boss is susceptible to
Deadly Poison and this skill really puts a dent in their hit points. Over a long fight where you
notice Eviscerate is really doing low numbers, switch to this skill and get back on top. This skill
really only starts to shine in long fights for Rogues that specialize deep into the Assassination
tree with Daggers. Glyphed, this skill no longer consumes Deadly Poison charges.
Eviscerate (Evis) – Your standard Finisher. A 5 point Eviscerate at level 85 with the proper
talents will be hitting for well over 500 damage, criticals approaching 10,000. There really
isn’t any point in using this skill with less than 3 combo points as the damage below that
investment is the same as Sinister Strike. When solo, you’ll be using this finisher 90% of the
time. In groups, you’ll use it when you don’t need to worry about runners. Unfortunately (or
not depending on your view set) this skill does not scale with weapons. You’re going to be
going the same damage with a level 5 dagger as you would with a lvl 85 dagger. However,
the more Attack Power you have, the more damage you do.
Expose Armor – A Finisher that you won’t see much use of. Sure, it sounds good and when
you first get it you really will see a difference when using it. First issue is that it doesn't stack
with Sunder Armor (Warrior) so that if you have a warrior in your group, you can't use this
skill. The second problem is that armor scales very differently than this skill allows. 12%
seems a lot but it actually gets applied AFTER every other type of armor reduction. On top of it
all, you're not using a special finisher for damage, so your DPS is actually going to go down.
Rule of thumb is simple here. If there's a Warrior, don't bother at all. If there's no warrior and
it's a DPS fight, meaning you are timed to kill it, then use it. Otherwise, just use any other
finisher.
Garrote – A great Opener. When you first get this skill you’ll be using it all the time. The
way damage over time (DoT) skills work is that they ignore armor. What you see listed as
damage is the actual damage inflicted. To top it off, it also silences the target for 3 seconds. For
a long time there really isn’t a better opening move than this one. Even when you acquire
Cheap Shot, some elites will be completely immune to stun effects. If you encounter one, throw
on a Garotte. Guaranteed to be more effective than any other move you can open with. This
skill is great for DoT builds.
Kidney Shot – One of the most powerful grouped and PvP Finishers you have. This one stuns
an enemy for at least 5 seconds with a 5 combo point investment. It can break early and in my
experience it happens more often when DoTs are applied. You won’t use this skill much while
solo, unless you need to stop to use a bandage. 6 seconds means you’re getting 75% of the use
of your bandage, and at 85, that can be 26,000hp healed. A group setting is where this skill
shines. Most instances have creatures that like to run around. Problem is that they usually
start running before the group can get those last hits in. The solution is simple. Kidney Shot. 6
seconds where the enemy cannot attack you and the other people in your group can attack
without worry of a counter-attack. You can see how this is better than Expose Armor, which
simply reduces armor but still allows your group to get hit. Combine with Cheap Shot; you’re
looking at a total of 10 seconds of stun in combat. In large group settings, a rogue that does
nothing but stun makes combat nearly foolproof.
Mutilate – Requiring 2 daggers, this is a skill that not a lot of people put a lot of thought into.
Pre-BC, daggers were fairly rare and Maces/Swords were just the best option available. Post-
BC, daggers are plentiful and a Mutilate build truly shines. Lich King made this skill truly
shine as you no longer needed to be behind your target. A critical strike will give 3 combo
points, which is great. 2 Mutilates will give you at worst 4 combo points, meaning in 2 strikes,
you’re ready for a finisher, 100% of the time. No other skill can boast this. As for damage, it
depends highly on your weapons and if the target is poisoned or not (99.9% of the time, it
should be). It’s not uncommon to see criticals well above 5000 per dagger. You just need to
watch the Hate generation.
Slice and Dice(SnD) – A Finisher than increases melee speed. Due to game changes, odds are
if you're not in PvP this skill will always be active.. It can take too long to move from one
opponent to the next and you lose those seconds of haste. In a group however, where the
enemy hit points are low and they will not wander with extra enemies waiting to be killed, it is
a very good choice. Many a time you’ll get an enemy to a sliver of health and rather than waste
5 combo points on an Eviscerate that will only do 100 of it’s 2000 possible damage, slip on SnD
and get ready for the next fight. Quite useful in groups, especially if you use poisons and
you’re attacking non-stop. Once you reach 85 and start doing group work and high level
raids, this skill becomes the best thing since sliced toast. Bosses have enormous amounts of
armor, making Eviscerate do pitiful damage. A 40% haste is 40% more white damage (this
means regular attacks) and more poisons that can hit the target. Good thing. It is the core skill
of a Combat rogue as melee skill can be up to 50% of all damage output. Point of fact, in a raid
setting you must have this skill up at all times when in combat.
Combat
Blade Furry – A skill designed for single play or PvP where you will see multiple targets at
once. In group work and raids, rarely will you want to use this skill as it will break any crowd
control others have used and can gain enemy aggro. It is useful if your group is Aeing though.
This skill is missing a serious benefit as group combat is not as important as it once was.
Backstab (BS) – A decent opening move that dual dagger rogues prefer. Can only be used
with a dagger in the mainhand. You can do a fair chunk of damage with this skill with the
proper talents. You won’t be using this skill much in solo play since you need to be behind
your target to get it to work, meaning you need to get a stun off first. You’re either going to
need Cheap Shot, Gouge or Kidney Shot to get this attack off. In a group this is a very
damaging attack that can easily remove the hate off a cloth wearer (priest, mage, warlock). I
personally don’t use this attack since swords are a lot more common and combined with
Sinister Strike; it is a lot more efficient than Backstab. It can do devastating damage (10,000
crit) with the proper talents. On a Damage/Energy scale, this is more effective than Sinister
Strike since it uses a % increase while SS uses a +damage. Percentages, as a general rule, are
better than static increases. If you decide to use a dagger with a Combat build, then you will
likely be using this skill.
Combat Readiness – Another off-tank skill with PvP uses. Taking a beating means you take
50% less damage for 30 seconds. I can think of quite a few places where I take consistent
damage from an enemy where this skill can save my hide. In raids, it's less likely that you will
use this but in nearly every PvP fight, this should be active if it's available.
Evasion – Increases your dodge rate by 50%. This skill was often debated in its use in game.
What Evasion does is increase your numerical dodge rate by 50. Let’s say you have a base
Dodge value of 15%. By enabling Evasion, you are adding 50 to that number, bringing you to
65%. I tend to only use it when I have a boss that targets me or in solo work where things are
going poorly. Doesn’t hurt and doesn’t cost anything other than the cooldown timer. Essential
for Off-Tanking, explained further on. Also reduces chance the ranged attacks hit by 25%, so
that's good too.
Fan of Knives – This is essentially an AE attack. The damage might not be great but it's better
than nothing. Two rogues using this skill can kill nearly all non-elite trash. A great use for this
is to use Tricks of the Trade then this skill on AE enemies. You can pull 10 or more onto the
tank. Works wonders on bosses that summon a lot of friends. There was a point in the Lich
King expansion where rogues were the top AE damage dealers because of this skill.
Feint – This move lowers the aggro you have against you. Useless solo but in groups can save
your life. I choose to use it after Evasion. If you have a good warrior, it will work very quickly.
If you have a bad warrior in the group, even turning off auto attack will not save you. If you
wanted to, you could create a macro that enabled Evasion, waited 1.5 seconds, then enabled
Feint. This would save the hassle of having to keep it on the skill bar taking up a slot. Until you
learn to manage hate and even afterwards, this skill will be the difference between looting a
corpse and getting a res. It's important to note that this skill also reduces area effect damage by
50% for 6 seconds. There are many bosses that require this skill to be active to survive their
attack. Some people spam this skill in combat to ensure they don’t get hit but I would advise
against it. Learning when to use this skill is part and parcel of being a good rogue.
Gouge – This is one of your tools to kill mages. A 4 second stun might not sound like much,
but it does allow you to move behind for a BS if you want to. Personally I don’t use this skill
unless I want to stop a caster. Your kick missed or perhaps the mage is casting another spell
line? Gouge will stop them. In PvP this can make your opponent freak out if you just move
behind them so they can’t see you. Not terribly useful in a group unless you want to take on
the extra mage that wanders in to your group. With Kick and Gouge you can take out elite
casters at your level, but it won’t be easy. Worst case, you have 4 seconds to bandage up.
Kick – A spell stopping boot to the gut. This is an essential skill for solo work. You will be
fighting casters and kick will put a stop to 80% of their potential damage. Casters usually have
very weak physical attacks so stopping their casting is essential, especially for those annoying
ones who can heal themselves. Kicking a Paladin or Priest while they are healing is always fun
as some plan their combat around that spell. Use Gouge if this move fails. Some people would
prefer to simply use Gouge as it stuns them for 4 seconds. I prefer kick because once Gouge
breaks, they start casting right away, while with Kick you can beat them while they hit you
with their weak attack.
devastating some casters.
Talents can impose a silence trait on your target, completely
Recuperate – A skill that restores hit points (and Energy when talented) over time. You're
thinking, what use does this have if I'm not getting hit? Well, with Deadly Momentum, you can
keep this skill active 100% of the time while levelin, in solo play or if you're lucky, PvP. A very
useful survival skill.
Shiv – Applies off-hand poison instantly. It’s a quick way to get a combo point, can be more
effective than Hemorrhage by a fair chunk and does more damage if you consider the poison
applied. Slow weapons benefit the most as a fast weapon (ie dagger) can potentially use
~35energy. A slow mace would use closer to 50energy. Less useful in PvE than in PvP, where
you really need to manage every ounce of energy. This skill also removes enrage effects,
thereby replacing the old Anaesthetic Poison skill.
Sinister Strike(SS) – The skill you will be spamming for your entire career. This move is
based off your weapon damage, regardless of the weapon. It is the bread and butter of a
Combat build and scales really well with gear. There's not much to say about this other than if
you're not using daggers, you're using this skill.
Sprint – Use this skill to get out of a tight spot. Until you get the Vanish ability, I would not
use this skill unless you’re in a low level zone or in town as its main use is to save your hide.
It’s one of your only “get out of death free” skills, so keep it available.
Subtlety
Blind – An interesting attack. Using it during solo/group PvE doesn’t make much sense since
any attack will awake the opponent. Using it in PvP however can turn a fight as it gives you
time to acquire more energy and perhaps get a Vanish off. Vanish will make NPCs get full
health; so don’t use it when in PvE combat.
Cloak of Shadows – Your “get out of spell damage” skill. This skill makes you practically
immune to spell damage for 5 seconds.
In PvP it’s great when you know a potentially
devastating attack is coming, very deadly against mages who can chain cast. They’ll blow all
their mana, you’ll resist it all. In PvE, I use this for pulling casters or against bosses. You learn
when to use this best, such as when you’re about to get feared or an AE blast is coming. With a
1.5 minute timer and some fights lasting 5-10 minutes with blasts that go for 8000dmg, you
can imagine the usefulness of this skill. Consider it the same as evasion but for spells.
Detect Traps and Disarm Traps – Not much use for these skills. Blackwing Lair has a
suppression room where you will use it though. It's been years since I've used it though.
Distract – You’ll use this skill 95% of the time you’re in stealth mode. It keeps an enemy
from moving around, giving you the chance to get positioned for a Pick Pocket, Ambush or
Garotte. It costs 30 Energy but with its range, by the time you get to the opponent, your Energy
will have regenerated. This is useful when trying to get through a heavily trafficked area. Pop
a Distract on the ground away from your path and you can walk behind the enemies with ease.
Use it to break a spawn or stop an opponent in their tracks. This also works great in PvP to stop
someone who is running and not in combat.
Hemorrhage(Talent) – An instant attack that costs 35 energy and gives 1 combo point as well
as inflicts a nice debuff on the target. 30% bleed effect over one minute isn't too bad but since
it stays up, there's no real reason to re-use this skill until that minute is up. Unless I'm
mistaken, the only rogue bleed skills are Rupture and Garotte. This skill used to be quite the
powerhouse but has been relegated to the backlines for a while now.
Pick Pocket (PP) – Pick Pocketing humanoids has a 10% chance of giving you a lockbox. This
is a good way to train lockpicking and not become bored. You can get gems, food and potions
from this skill as well. It can double your cash income easily. This is the one of the reason
you’ll be hunting humanoids.
Redirect – Simple skill that Rogues have been asking for years to acquire. It lets you transfer
your combo points to another target. I can think of hundreds of fights where I needed to swap
targets at a time when I had 5 CP on my main target. Being able to transfer them saves 4-6
seconds of CP buildup and allows you to keep chains going.
Rupture – A finishing move that provides a DoT on your target, based on your attack power
and the amount of combo points you have. At 5 points, it lasts 16 seconds. This is a skill that
works wonders in raids, because the damage is not mitigated by armour. Where Rupture
might only do 4000 damage and Eviscerate does 8000 to a low AC enemy, on the tanks of the
game, Rupture still does 1200 and Eviscerate can drop down to 500. This is a staple finisher
attack for raids.
Safe Fall – Unless you plan on falling in Darnassus, there’s yet to be a whole lot of use to this
skill. Still, as a passive skill you can’t go wrong.
Sap – Amazing skill. The perfect tool for splitting a spawn when solo. It gives you 25-45
seconds to kill one target, get a bandage on and get ready for the second target - with a 100%
chance of returning to Stealth. Main issue is that it does not work on non-humanoids or on
creatures already in combat. It basically makes you the “puller” for a group if you do use it. If
it fails, you’re hitting Evasion and hoping your priest is quick on their heals. In 5 man groups
at 70, proper use of this skill makes or breaks a fight. From 70 to 80, you won't be using this in
groups at all. 80-85 though, this skill comes back with a vengeance.
Shadowstep – A neat skill that allows you to move across a decent distance and end up
behind your target, gaining extra damage on the opener and increasing movement speed.
Great for levelling and amazing in PvP combat. It takes a bit to figure out the range and the
instant movement but once you get the hang of it, you wonder how you played without it.
Smoke Bomb – An interesting skill that lays an area where enemies cannot cast into or out of.
This sort of makes dead zones of sorts. They can still AE cast around the zone, just not target
directly. In PvE this is useful with some bosses that like to target players with spells and can
save your healer from damage. In PvE, this can save your butt from those ranged casters or can
destroy the enemies ability to heal their teammates if they are in the area themselves. Very
situational and it will take a bit for rogues to get a hang on how to use this skill.
Stealth – Live it, love it. So many powerful skills are based off Stealth. It lets you get
incredibly close to opponents without danger. Makes leaving some instances VERY easy instead
of using your Hearth Stone. Learn quickly where you can and cannot move to while Stealth
based on your target’s level. Know the telltale signs when someone almost detects you and take
a step back when that occurs. I highly suggest mapping this skill to your mouse.
Tricks of the Trade – A rogue misdirect, plain and simple. In a raid, when the fight starts and
you've yet to begin attacking, throw this on the main tank and unload high hell for 6s. Rogues
are the masters of burst damage and in that 6s you'll most likely send out about 10K damage,
more than enough to cement hate on the tank. In the worst case, if you do get hate from an
enemy, turn on Tricks of the Trade and attack as much as you can. After 3s or so, the enemy
should be running to the tank. Two rogues using it on each other makes for some pretty major
damage. Learn to use this skill properly and you'll be the top on the damage charts in no time.
Vanish – Your second “get out of death” skill. Unless creatures 5 levels above you are
attacking you, using this skill while you’re running away will work 99% of the time. It will
break ALL attacks against you, including spells being cast. Essential for PvP.
Miscellaneous
Parry – Any chance to avoid damage is great. The chance isn’t terribly high, 5-10% most of
the time, but it’s still good to have.
Dual Wield – It increases your miss chance to about 19% from 5%. It does however give you
the ability to nearly double your poisoning chances and you are doing 50% of the stated
weapon damage with the off-hand. What you plan on using in either hand is different. If you
have 2 daggers you have access to all your skills and are attacking at a very fast rate. If your
main hand is not a dagger (Sword, Fist, Mace) then you cannot use Ambush or Backstab. The
offset here is that Sinister Strike can double in potential damage. There are talents that help
give different bonuses based on your weapon as well. Maces allow a chance to stun, Swords
give a chance of an extra attack while Fists and Daggers increase your critical strike chance.
Leather Specialization – 5% agility in exchange for only wearing leather. An added incentive
to only use Leather armor. Honestly, there is zero reason to not use leather since the only other
option is cloth. Actually, scratch that. You might be using cloth heirloom items in order to
level. In that case, it's more than worth to keep the heirloom item instead of this increase in
power.
Mastery – Each talent tree comes with a Mastery on it, as described later in the guide. You
only start gaining the benefits from this once you hit 80 though. That's not such a big deal as
though the benefits are great (for the most part), it only makes a gigantic difference once at
max level.
Pick Lock (LP) – Raise this skill. Rogues are the only class that can open locked items. Some
trade skills can allow you to, but they require money and items on you. In the higher end
instances you will find a lot of locked chests. Locked chests nearly always have a rare item.
Sometimes they have better. Having to leave a chest behind because you don’t have the skill to
open it is very annoying. See the Tips section for information on raising this skill. See the
section 10 for information on maxing this skill with relative ease.
O
POISONS
nce your reach level 10, you acquire the Poisoning skill. Poisons can only be put on
melee weapons and are self-only.
You cannot share poisons.
Poisoning can
drastically increase your damage potential. They also do not stack; they overwrite
each other.
Poison Quests
These quests used to be required to get the poison skill. Now they are just flavor quests but
fun all the same.
Alliance
You can do this easily at level 20.
Head to Stormwind and visit Mathias Shaw in the rogue headquarters. He’ll send you to see
Agent Kearnen in Westfall. Problem is, he’s stealth and a pain to find if you don’t know where
to look. Head to Westfall and go to the lower right corner, until you reach a tower like
structure. It’s just south of the road to Duskwood. Against a tree near the riverbank, you’ll find
Kearnen. Talking to him starts the next step. Outside the tower you’ll find a Malformed Drone.
Go into Stealth and Pick Pocket him for the Defias Tower Key. If you mess up, kill him and he’ll
spawn again in a minute or so. Once you have the key, head into the tower in Stealth mode,
avoiding the guards. At the top is Klaven himself, a 26 Elite. Head behind him and Sap him.
Use your Lock Pick ability on the chest next to him and collect the book. You need a fair
amount of skill to open it, but if you spent anytime in Redridge you should be at 80 skill and
that’ll be fine. Return to Mathias to get the Poisoning skill.
Horde
You can do the first 2 parts alone at 20, the last part you will need some friends.
Head to Ogrimmar and talk to Shenthul in the Cleft of Shadow. Once you talk to him, target
him again and type “/salute” (minus the quotations) to move onto the next step. He’ll send you
out to the Barrens to meet Taskmaster Fizzule. Get to the Barrens and head north to the Sludge
Fen. Find Fizzule and target him. Get close enough and fire the Flare Gun twice and then type
“/salute” (minus the quotations). He’ll acknowledge you and start you on the next part. Head
over to the tower and start killing the Venture Co. creatures the quest lists. Find Gallwix and
get some friends to help you kill him, as he’s a 26 elite. Then find Silixiz and Pick Pocket him
for the tower key. The chances of him detecting you are very high so have a group ready to
help you out. Enter the tower and kill everything on the way up until you reach the chest. At
the top is another 25 elite. Kill it and open the chest to collect the Cache. Return to Shenthul in
Ogrimmar to get your poison skill.
Poison Listing
Numbers in () are ranks of a given poison.
Reqs
Name
Description
Level 10
Instant Poison (1)
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 20% chance of 19-25 Nature damage.
Level 20
Crippling Poison
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 30% chance of slowing movement to
Level 24
Mind Numbing Poison
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 20% chance of increasing casting time
Level 28
Instant Poison (2)
Level 30
Deadly Poison (1)
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 30% chance of 36 Nature damage over
Level 32
Wound Poison (1)
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 30% chance of causing 17 damage and
Level 36
Instant Poison (3)
Level 38
Deadly Poison (2)
Level 40
Wound Poison (2)
Level 44
Instant Poison (4)
Level 46
Deadly Poison (3)
Level 48
Wound Poison (3)
70% for 12 sec.
by 60% for 10 sec.
12 sec. Can stack up to 5 times.
reducing healing effects by 550%for 15 sec.
reducing healing effects by 50% for 15 sec.
reducing healing effects by 10% for 15 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.
Reqs
Name
Description
Level 48
Deadly Poison (4)
Level 52
Instant Poison (5)
Level 56
Wound Poison (4)
Level 60
Instant Poison (6)
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 20% chance of 112-148 Nature
damage.
Level 60
Deadly Poison (5)
Level 62
Deadly Poison (6)
Level 64
Wound Poison (5)
Level 68
Anesthetic Poison
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 20% chance of 134-172 Nature damage
but generates no threat and removes 1 enrage effect.
Level 68
Instant Poison (7)
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 20% chance of 146-194 Nature
damage.
Level 70
Deadly Poison (7)
Level 72
Wound Poison (6)
Level 73
Instant Poison (8)
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 20% chance of 445 Nature damage.
Level 76
Deadly Poison (8)
Level 77
Anesthetic Poison (2)
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 20% chance of 218-280 Nature damage
but generates no threat and removes 1 enrage effect.
Reqs
Name
Description
Level 78
Wound Poison (7)
Level 79
Instant Poison (9)
Coats weapon for 1 hour. 20% chance of 645 Nature damage.
Level 80
Deadly Poison (9)
Instant Poison – The most basic poison,
Poison Details
applying it allows you to periodically do
nature damage. No additional effects, just
Crippling Poison – Use this in instances.
Targets seem to love to run around when low
on life and if your Kidney Shot misses, this
will help tremendously. You can also use it
plain
DPS.
Depending on your talent build, this may or
may not be the poison you want to use.
in PvP to slow people from running away.
Mind Numbing Poison – I have yet to find
This poison is listed at 30% chance of hitting
a really solid use for this poison in PvE. Solo,
have it on, you’ll nearly always see it
the first place. The same goes for when I’m
but it feels more like 99% chance. When you
affecting your target.
Point of fact, you
shouldn’t use any poison but this one in PvP
on the main hand and Mind Numbing on the
other.
Deadly Poison – If you don’t use stuns,
then this is a great poison. It has some uses
solo but again; you want the creature dead
before it really has a chance to come into
effect.
Instant Poison would be a better
choice; especially when you consider this can
I don’t let casters get their spells to work in
in a group. Perhaps there’d be a use for the
higher end instance caster types where
Kick/Gouge/Kidney
Shot
have
trouble
landing and you’re fighting them non-stop.
All in all though, it’s not that useful. It does
however make fear a 9 second cast, a spell
that I loathe. In PvP, this should be on your
off-hand weapon most of the time. It really
plays havoc with casters.
Wound Poison – Think of this like Instant
easily break stuns. It has very limited uses
Poison with a lasting effect. Sure, 25% less
have this poison applied in order to use
but what it really does is triggers the “does
such as long boss encounters. You need to
Envenom and is the core poison of an
Assassination build.
healing is a great effect to keep on an enemy,
the enemy have a poison” flag allowing some
talents to work better.
Every rogue trainer has the ability to wipe
TALENTS
out your talent selection for a fee. Select this
if you wish to re-select all your talents. The
cost starts at 1gold, increases to 2, 3, 4, 5, 10,
Talent Overview
O
ne of the interesting features
about WoW is that all classes get
talents.
If you’re familiar with
Diablo II and its skill trees then you already
have a good understanding of talents.
Basically, talents improve your character
with either passive or active skills.
Some
areas deal with increased damage, others
with increased chanced to strike or even an
added bonus to a skill. You receive a talent
point every other time you level up, starting
from level 10.
That gives you 41 talent
points at level 85. There are 3 talent trees
(Assassination, Combat and Subtlety), which
have 7 tiers, each progressively demanding
more investment in its tree. There is no way
to acquire more than 1 tier 7 talent as you
would need at least 62 talent points (31 for
the first, 31 for the second).
You are required to specialize in a tree
from the start and spend 31 points before
15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and finally caps at
50gold. 50 gold might sound like a lot but at
level 85 it really isn’t that much, that and the
fact that you more than likely will not
“respec” your talents a whole bunch of times.
Even if you do, 50g is a half hour's worth of
work – if you're not trying.
At level 40, for 100gold, you can train to
have a 2nd talent build, which includes a
second set of glyphs. This way, you can have
your main build and an alternate one and it
doesn't cost you time retraining or money
respecing. Yay!
I’ll repeat again, you can’t mess up your
character when selecting talents. You can
always see a Rogue trainer and restart your
talent choices.
Feel free to experiment to
what best fits your playstyle and worst case,
it costs you a few gold to change your mind.
you can put a point into another tree. This
gives you tree specific skills and triggers a
Mastery for that tree. You can increase the
effect of Mastery through items, thereby
making the bonuses greater.
Assassination Tree
This tree is all about poison damage and special skills. You must use two daggers to
effectively use this talent tree, so that will limit your item selection. The focus is on single
targets that can move around and is mostly designed around PvE.
If you specialize in this tree, you gain:
•Mutilate:
Attack with both daggers. Gain 20% if the target is poisoned. Awards 2 CP.
•Improved
•Assassin's
15%
•Mastery:
Poisons: +20% chance to apply Deadly Poison. +50% chance to apply Instant Poison
Resolve: +20 Energy when dual wielding daggers and melee damage is increased
+28% damage from poisons. +3.5% more per Mastery point
Deadly Momentum
After killing an opponent that yields experience, gives you a critical strike chance on your next attack and
refresh Recuperate and Slice and Dice. Lasts for 10 seconds
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 50%.
2
Increase by 100%.
Coup de Grace
Increases the damage of Eviscerate and Envenom
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 7%
2
Increase by 14%.
3
Increase by 20%.
Lethality
Increases your critical strike damage bonus for Sinister Strike, Backstab, Mutilate and Hemorrhage.
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 10%.
2
Increase by 20%.
3
Increase by 30%.
Ruthlessness
Gives your finishing moves a chance to add a combo point to your target.
Requirements: 5pts in Assassination Mastery
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 20%.
2
Increase by 40%.
3
Increase by 60%.
Quickening
Increases healing to self and movement speed
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 10% and 8%
2
Puncturing Wounds
Increases the critical strike chance of your Backstab and Mutilate
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 10% for Backstab and 5% for Mutilate
2
3
Blackjack
After Sap wears off, reduces the damage of the enemy for 8 seconds.
Rank
Effect
1
Reduce by 35%
2
Reduce by 70%
Deadly Brew
When you apply Instant, Wound or Mind Numbing Poison, there's a chance to apply Crippling Poison
Rank
Effect
1
50% chance
2
100% chance
Cold Blood
When activated, generates 25 Energy and increases the critical strike chance of your next offensive ability by
100%.
2 min cool down
Vile Poisons
Increases the damage dealt by your poisons and increases the chance of applying poison through Fan of Knives.
Rank
Effect
1
2
3
Deadened Nerves
Reduces all damage taken
Rank
Effect
1
Reduce by 3%
2
Reduce by 6%
3
Reduce by 10%
Seal Fate
Critical strikes from combo point generating skills have a chance to add an extra combo point
Requirements: 15pts in Assassination Mastery, 1pt in Cold Blood
Rank
Effect
1
50% chance
2
100% chance
Murderous Intent
When you backstab an enemy under 35% life, you gain energy
Rank
Effect
1
Gain 15 energy
2
Gain 30 energy
Overkill
Abilities used while stealthed and for 20 seconds after breaking stealth you regain 30% more energy
Master Poisoner
Increases spell damage taken by a poisoned target by 8%, Envenom no longer uses Deadly Poison charges and
reduces duration of poison effects on you by 50%.
Requirements: 20pts in Assassination Mastery, 3 pts in Vile Poisons
Improved Expose Armor
Gives a chance to return your combo points when using Expose Armor.
Rank
Effect
1
50% chance
2
100% chance
Cut to the Chase
Eviscerate and Envenom have a chance to refresh Slice and Dice
Rank
Effect
1
33% chance
2
66% chance
3
100% chance
Venomous Wounds
When Rupture or Garrote does damage, you have a chance to deal extra damage and regain 10 energy. If the
enemy dies under the effect, you will regain energy proportional to the remainder of the time effect on the
enemy.
Rank
Effect
1
30% chance
2
60% chance
Vendetta
Marks a target for death, increasing damage by 20% and lets you see them regardless of stealth or invisibility.
2 minute cooldown.
Combat Tree
The combat tree, as you would expect, focuses on basic combat – melee strikes. There are
many utility talents available and the core of the build focuses on static combat on one or more
enemies. Primarily a PvE tree, it does have PvE uses due to it's very high survival.
Skills attained while selecting Combat include:
•Blade
Furry: All attacks hit an adjacent enemy but Energy regeneration drops 20%. Lasts 15
secs. 30 second cooldown.
•Vitality:
Increase Energy recovery by 25% and Attack Power by 20%
•Ambidexterity:
•Mastery
Increase damage by offhand and thrown weapons by 75%
- Main Gauche: Main hand attacks have a 16% chance to grant an extra offhand
attack. Increases 2% per Mastery point.
Improved Recuperate
Recuperate gains more health and reduces damage taken while active
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 1% and decrease by 3%
2
Increase by 2% and decrease by 6%
Improved Sinister Strike
Increases damage by Sinister Strike and reduces energy cost
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 10% and reduce by 2
2
Increase by 20% and reduce by 4.
3
Increase by 30% and reduce by 6.
Precision
Increases chance to hit with weapons and poisons
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 2%
2
Increase by 4%.
3
Increase by 6%.
Improved Slice and Dice
Increases the duration of your Slice and Dice ability
Requirements: 5pts in Combat Mastery
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 25%.
2
Increase by 50%.
Improved Sprint
Gives a chance to remove all movement impairing effects when using Sprint
Rank
Effect
1
50% chance
2
100% chance
Aggression
Increases damage of Sinister Strike, Backstab and Eviscerate
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 7%.
2
Increase by 14%.
3
Increase by 20%
Improved Kick
Causes Kick to Silence your target
Rank
Effect
1
1 second silence
2
3 second silence
Lightning Reflexes
Increases chance to dodge and increases melee speed
Rank
Effect
1
2
Increase by 6% and 4%.
4
Revealing Strike
Deal 125% weapon damage and the next offensive finishing move gains 20% effectiveness. Lasts 15seconds.
Awards 1 combo point. Costs 40 Energy.
Requirements: 10 points in Combat
Reinforced Leather
Increases armor contribution from Cloth and Leather Armor
Rank
Effect
1
25% increase
2
50% increase
Improved Gouge
Increases duration of Gouge and reduces energy cost
Rank
Effect
1
1 second duration increase and reduces energy cost by 15
2
2 second duration increase and reduces energy cost by 30
Combat Potency
Successful offhand attacks give a 20% chance to award energy
Rank
Effect
1
Award 5 energy
2
Award 10 energy.
3
Award 15 energy
Blade Twisting
Attacks have a chance to daze the target, reducing their movement speed
Rank
Effect
1
20% chance to daze for 4 seconds
2
40% chance to daze for 8 seconds
Throwing Specialization
Increases the range of Throw and Deadly Throw and gives a chance for Deadly Throw to interrupt the target
for 3 seconds
Rank
Effect
1
5 yard range increase and 50% chance
2
10 yard range increase and 100% chance
Adrenaline Rush
Increases Energy regeneration by 100% and melee attack speed by 20% for 15 seconds. 3 minute cooldown.
Savage Combat
Increases total attack power and damage against poisoned enemies
Rank
Effect
1
2
Bandit's Guile
Sinister Strike and Revealing Strike have a chance to grant insight that increases damage by 30%. This fades
overtime and selecting a new target allows this skill to reset.
Rank
Effect
1
33% chance
2
67% chance
3
100% chance
Restless Blades
Damaging finishing moves reduce the cooldown for Adrenaline Rush, Killing Spree and Sprint
Requirements: 25pts in Combat Mastery,
Rank
Effect
1
Reduce by 1 second per combo point
2
Reduce by 2 seconds per combo point
Killing Spree
Step through the shadows from enemy to enemy within 10 yards, attacking an enemy every 0.5 seconds with
both weapons until 5 assaults are made, increasing damage by 20%. Can hit the same target multiple times. 2
min cooldown.
Subtlety Tree
The Subtlety tree focuses on special attacks and trickery. It assumes you are in stealth as
often as possible and tries to disable or surprise your enemies so that they have difficulty
attacking you. The main goal of this tree is PvP combat but there are some minor uses in PvE.
Selecting Subtlety as the primary tree unlocks the following skills:
•Shadowstep:
Step in the shadows behind your target and the next Ambush or Garrote deals
30% more damage and your movement speed is increased by 70% for 3 seconds. 20 second
cooldown
•Master
of Subtlety: Attacks while stealthed and for 6 seconds afterwards deal 10% more
•Sinister
Calling: Increases total Agility by 25% and the percentage bonus on Backstab and
•Mastery
– Executioner: Increases damage done by all finishing moves and effectiveness of Slice
damage.
Hemorrhage by 25%.
and Dice and Recuperate by 16%. Increases by 2% per Mastery point.
Nightstalker
Increases speed while stealthed and reduces the cooldown of stealth
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 7% and reduce by 3 seconds
2
Increase by 15% and reduce by 6 seconds
3
Reduces the chance enemies have to detect you while in stealth mode. More effective than Master of
Deception Rank2
Improved Ambush
Increases the critical strike chance of Ambush and its damage
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
2
3
Relentless Strikes
Your finishing moves have a chance per combo point of regenerating 25 Energy
Requirements: None
Rank
Effect
1
7% chance
2
14% chance
3
20% chance
Elusiveness
Reduces cooldown of Blind and Vanish as well as the cooldown on Cloak of Shadows
Requirements: 5pts in Subtlety Mastery
Rank
Effect
1
Reduce by 30 seconds and 15 seconds
2
Reduce by 60 seconds and 30 seconds
Waylay
Ambush and Backstab have a chance to unbalance the target, reducing melee and ranged attack speed by 20%
and reducing movement speed by 50% for 8 seconds.
Requirements: 5pts in Subtlety Mastery, 3pts in Improved Ambush
Rank
Effect
1
50% chance
2
100% chance
Opportunity
Increase damage of Backstab, Mutilate, Garrote and Ambush
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 10%
2
Increase by 20%
3
Increase by 30%
Initiative
Gives a chance to add an additional combo point after an Ambush, Garrote or Cheap Shop
Rank
Effect
1
50% chance
2
100% chance
Energetic Recovery
Recuperate will now regenerate Energy
Rank
Effect
1
Regenerate 4 Energy per 3 seconds
2
3
Find Weakness
Ambush, Garrote and Cheap Shot apply a debuff on the target that causes your attacks to bypass its armor for
10 seconds
Rank
Effect
1
Bypass 25% armor
2
Bypass 50% armor
Hemorrhage
A strike that deals 110% weapon damage (160% if a dagger) and causes the target to take 30% more bleed
damage for 1 minutes. Awards 1 combo point. Costs 35 energy.
Honor Among Thieves
Increases party and raid members chances of a critical strike by 5%. When any member performs a critical hit,
you have a chance to gain a combo point on your target. This effect can only happen every few seconds.
Rank
Effect
1
33% chance, once per 4 seconds
2
3
Premeditation
When used, adds 2 combo points to your target. The target must become engaged in combat within 20 sec or
the combo points are lost. 20 second cooldown
Enveloping Shadows
Reduces damage taken from area effect attacks and increases the duration of Feint
Rank
Effect
1
Reduce by 10% and increase by 1 second
2
Reduce by 20% and increase by 2 seconds
3
Reduce by 30% and increase by 3 secons
Cheat Death
A chance that any attack that would kill you instead brings you to 10% health. Any attack against you for the
next 3 seconds will be reduced by 90%. Can only happen once every minute.
Rank
Effect
1
33% chance
2
66% chance
3
100% chance
Preparation
Immediately finished the cooldown on Evasion, Sprint, Vanish and Shadowstep. 5 minute cooldown.
Sanguinary Vein
Increase damage dealt to targets that are bleeding
Requirements: 20pts in Subtlety Mastery, 1 point in Hemorrhage
Rank
Effect
1
Increase by 5%
2
Increase by 10%
Slaughter From the Shadows
Reduces energy cost of Backstab and Ambush, as well as Hemorrhage and Fan of Knives.
Rank
Effect
1
Reduce by 7 and reduce by 2
2
3
Serrated Blades
Eviscerate has a chance to refresh the Rupture effect on your target
Rank
Effect
1
10% chance
2
20% chance
Shadow Dance
Enter a Shadow Dance for 6 seconds where you can use Sap, Garrote, Ambush, Cheap Shot, Premeditation,
Pickpocket, Disarm Trap and Distract without being in Stealth. 1 minute cooldown.
Deadly Momentum (3/5)
Talent Strategies
A survival talent for the most part, where
Slice and Dice as well as Recuperate reset
With 57 talents available it can be quite
daunting to find the ones that best fit your
rogue.
The strategies you will use with
their duration. While you're levelling, this
pretty much ensures both are up 100% of the
time without much effort on your part. Once
talents depend largely on the type of rogue
you get into dungeons, this still gains its
Are you planning on a lot of PvP? Do you
you need to get the killing blow.
decide on the utility of talents to your play
has zero use then. Quite nice in PvP if you're
you play as. Are you using daggers only?
use poisons? All these questions and more
style. We’ll go over the talents once more
with more detail to see how they affect the
rogue. Some are quite apparent, others less
so. I will list my personal rating, out of 5, for
each talent.
usefulness while clearing the trash out but
Against
bosses, you won't be killing anything, so it
able to keep your kill streak up though.
Coup de Grace (5/5)
More power to Eviscerate and Envenom is
great. They are the two finishers you're likely
to use the most, in PvE as well as PvP.
Assassination Tree
This tree deals with increased poison
damage and special strikes.
This gets better as your critical chance
It gets very
goes up but in the big picture, these skills
The Mastery skill is very
output. Useful for sure just would be more
powerful against enemies under 35% health,
like bosses.
Lethality (4/5)
powerful as you will likely have poisons up
100% of the time on enemies. Downside is
that you need two daggers, which reduces
your weapon selection. This is the worst tree
when it comes to PvP.
don't account for a large part of your damage
powerful if it increased the base damage
instead.
Ruthlessness (4/5)
60% chance of getting a free combo point
after a finisher.
Sounds great, as combo
points are really useful. Now, depending on
what build you use, this extra point can be
great or ok. If you have Seal Fate, it's crazy
have serious impact on an opponent since
powerful since you can get to 4 CP in one
they won't be doing nearly as much damage
better choices.
much easier.
move. If you don't, it's still good but there are
to you. Taking 2 enemies at once becomes
Quickening (4/5)
Deadly Brew (1/5)
More healing is good. Faster movement is
way better.
A pure PvP talent that allows you to use an
It saves enchants, items and
instant poison spell to apply a snare. In PvE,
whotnot that make you move faster and let's
there is really no reason to apply Crippling
the faster you can stab them in the face.
runners. If assassination was a better PvP
face it, enemies move. The faster you move,
on an enemy unless you're worried about
tree, this would score higher.
Puncturing Wounds (4/5)
If you use Backstab or Mutilate, this talent
is essential. This increases your chance of a
Cold Blood (4/5)
A guaranteed crit is nice but there will be
critical strike by 30%/15%, so you’re looking
a time where the skill would have crit
where you use these skills, this translates into
crit, then the skill is only useful 40% of the
at 50-60% chance of a critical hit. In groups
a ton of damage.
If you don’t use them
obviously this talent is useless. And really, if
you’re in this tree and have daggers, you’ll be
getting Mutilate. There is crazy synergy with
Seal Fate as you will be gaining CP at an
increased rate.
Blackjack (2/5)
There are times where you will Sap an
anyhow. If you have a base 60% chance to
time. What gives it more points is the 25
Energy it hands out. Might not seem like
much but it can give you that extra bit to
burst out a move. It's a prerequisite for Seal
Fate, so if you're down at this level, you
should take it.
Vile Poisons (5/5)
Honestly, poison damage is one of the most
enemy in PvE and the damage reduction is
important
before that happens. In PvP though, this can
100% of the time and this is a straight DPS
nice. Odds are though, you will kill them
parts
of
assassination rogue.
boost.
your
DPS
as
an
You will use poisons
Deadened Nerves (1/5)
Overkill(4/5)
I say it often but a rogue should not be
getting hit if they can avoid it.
9% less
20
seconds
of
increased
Energy
regeneration is super powerful in solo PvE
damage taken is nice but you have better
and trash clearing.
survive. Even in PvP, it's not a lot.
there as well. Allows PvP bursts if you want
choices to increase your damage rather than
Well times Vanish
during boss fights will ensure this has use
to as well. Would be nicer if the Energy
Seal Fate (5/5)
boost was higher though.
One of the core talents of an assassination
rogue as you're all about critical chance and
combo points. Combined with Ruthlessness,
Master Poisoner (5/5)
You can't really use Envenom without this
you're looking at a possible 4 CP after a
talent as it prevents the skill from using
have had 3-4 cycles in a row where I cast
poisoned targets is icing on the cake. Very
finisher and then a Mutilate. Many times I
Mutilate then Envenom and only that. Huge
DPS boost.
Deadly Poison charges. Increased damage to
very powerful talent.
Improved Expose Armor (2/5)
Murderous Intent (4/5)
Expose armor is essentially free to use. If
This would score a 5 if you could use it on
only we used this skill in the first place. Still,
as you can't backstab from the front. PvP is
there to reduce enemy armor. Using it is a
anything else but a boss. Next to useless solo
almost as bad since enemies rarely last at
35% health in the first place.
On a boss
though, backtab all of a sudden costs half as
much to use. Hello double DPS.
gives you a choice in PvE if there's no one
DPS loss though and a significant one since
Ruthlessness won't trigger.
Cut to the Chase(5/5)
Not having to refresh Slice and Dice is a
DPS boost since you won't waste energy or
time clicking on the skill. Combat Rogues
wish they had this talent.
Venomous Wounds (3/5)
I find this one interesting.
Sure, you
Combat Tree
should have Rupture on an enemy if possible
This tree deals with straight melee damage.
but other than bosses, it's rare that you'll use
The cycle is rather easy to maintain and
being said, it is a straight DPS boost to
When a cooldown is available, you use it and
it. There are better finishers to use. That
Rupture while fighting bosses, so it gets some
points – just remember that it's situational.
it increases your DPS.
Where it gets
interesting is the weapon options. You can
use anything you want in this tree, though
Vendetta (4/5)
30 seconds of increased damage on a
target. I will tell you that this goes by really
fast and then you have to wait 90 seconds to
use it again. If you math it out, this means a
straight 5% increase on DPS in a fight, which
is nothing to sneeze at. Just remember to
time it so that you are in melee range for
those 30 seconds to not waste any time fo the
buff.
doesn't require a whole pile of thought.
you want a slow main hand weapon for
more damage with Sinister Strike as well as a
fast off hand weapon to get the most out of
Combat Potency. Sadly, the Mastery stat asks
you to do the opposite.
This makes the
Mastery for Combat next to useless when
looking at gear options.
Improved Recuperate (2/5)
A PvP talent and a levelling talent. With
proper planning, this means that you take
less damage and heal while you're fighting.
Nothing wrong with that but once you get
into dungeons and raids, there are other
talents that will add to your DPS output.
Improved Sinister Strike (5/5)
Power talent for Combat since you'll be
using Sinister Strike all the time.
damage and less energy is great!
More
Precision (5/5)
Improved Kick (2/5)
6% increased chance of hitting with melee
Only useful if you put 2 points into it and
weapons and poisons. This is a talent every
then just barely.
rogue needs to acquire, no matter the talent
only looking at a 2 second silence it really is
tree they are using.
Considering that you’re
only useful in PvP. PvE casters tend to stick
to 1-2 spells and kicking them once is
Improved Slice and Dice (3/5)
enough to stop them from casting again for
won't have to worry about refreshing it every
against mages that use a ton of spells. It can
A longer lasting Slice and Dice means you
other cycle. Considering that melee damage
is a significant part of your overall DPS, Slice
and Dice needs to be up all the time. Wish it
lasted longer though.
at least 5 seconds. PvP however, it’s great
really mess up a player’s tempo.
Lightning Reflexes (4/5)
Increased dodge is useful for PvP but the
increase to melee speed is where the gold is.
Improved Sprint (3/5)
This used to have a lot less usefulness but
with the amount of movement impairing
effects out there and combined with attacks
Combined
Straight DPS increase to two skills you will
be using all the time and a significant one at
One of the few ways to increase
Eviscerate in the game, outside of attack
power.
Potency,
this
Very nice to have a passive 6% haste.
Revealing Strike (4/5)
The typical cycle looks like Sinister Strike
Aggression (5/5)
that.
Combat
increases your energy regeneration rate.
that nail you while you can't move, this is
quite useful. Great PvP uses too.
with
until 4 CP, then Eviscerate. Well, with this
you add the skill just before you get to 4 CP,
then Eviscerate.
It is a DPS decrease on
Sinister Strike but a boost to the finisher.
There will eventually be a point where you
won't want to use this skill and that's when
the loss to Sinister Strike is higher than the
boost to the finisher but we're not there yet.
Reinforced Leather (3/5)
Blade Twisting (2/5)
I'm a little torn here. I do like taking less
A strong PvP talent to keep people in
damage and this talent will have a drastic
range. In PvE though, this is really just a
impact on that front – we're talking about
filler talent as many enemies are immune to
sneeze at. Sadly, for PvE you really should
would be better if it had a chance to reduce
10-20% physical damage here, nothing to
not be getting hit. In PvP, this will have a
huge impact on survivability. If it was more
powerful in PvE it would be an essential
talent but considering physical damage is the
last type we should be taking, it's not very
strong.
100% PvP talent. Fully boosted, increases
the duration and decreases the cost by 75%.
Very attractive choice when mage hunting.
Sadly, it has zero PvE uses, so I don't score it
very high.
This is all about increasing your available
Fast off hands near 1.5s will
generate a significant amount of energy and
combined with Slice and Dice as well as
Reflexes
you'll
be
pleasantly
surprised. I've yet to see the point where you
generate too much energy (barring using
Adrenaline Rush), so it's powerful for a long
long time. If you get really lucky, you can get
nice bursts of damage from this.
Throwing Specialization (1/5)
Another PvP talent but not very powerful.
More range is rarely useful and if you have
the CP to use Deadly Throw, odds are that
on the target.
There are other skills to
interrupt players that don't cost CP.
Adrenaline Rush (5/5)
This talent makes it so that you have
difficulty spending the energy you have. For
15 seconds, you double your special skill
Combat Potency(5/5)
Lightning
attack speed or some such effect.
Blade Twisting or Crippling Poison is already
Improved Gouge (3/5)
energy.
the effect or won't be running around. This
output. Blade flurry + AR means I can take
on an even level elite without breaking a
sweat. Use this talent with caution as you
will generate 2-3x the hate you normally do.
Many a rogue has killed themselves by using
this talent at the wrong time.
Savage Combat (5/5)
As I mention frequently, enemies should
always be poisoned so this is a straight DPS
boost. More attack power is icing on the
cake.
anything. Your DPS will drop about 50%
Bandit's Guile (3/5)
during this time. Third, if you DO manage to
There are 3 levels to this talent, 5%, 10% and
breaking stuns/polymorph or getting 4-5
seconds. It has a 20% chance to proc, which
them. On a single target, this is ok to use
Doesn't currently match it's description.
15% damage increase. The buff lasts 6-15
attack other creatures you risk either
things to attack you after you've beat on
will refresh the buff and increase the level,
when it comes up as it synergizes with
damage buff, then use your cooldowns,
targets around you, keep it in your pocket.
up to 3. If you can wait until you're at 15%
there's great potential for damage. The effect
Combat Potency.
does break if you change targets though.
Either this talent changes or the tooltip
changes. I hope it's the latter honestly.
Subtlety Tree
The defacto PvP tree.
Nearly all of the
skills found in this tree deal with Stealth
Restless Blades(4/5)
Wow. A skill that actively reduces the
cooldown on a powerful skill.
When you have a few
A regular
cycle takes about 20 seconds. So 3 cycles per
minute and that drops the cooldowns by 30
seconds. Combine it with Adrenaline Rush
and you can get 5 cycles in a minute, which
cuts the cooldowns by nearly a minute. The
faster you get your cycles down, the better
this skill gets. I like it.
attacks in some form or another. Daggers
are
the
preferred
weapon here
Hemorrhage, Ambush and Backstab are the
bread and butter skills. Many of the talents
work in combination with other talents, so
it's hard to judge the value of a single talent
without taking that into consideration. The
Mastery stat here is an interesting one since
it does increase the damage of all finishers.
What is a little different is how it deals with
Slice and Dice and Recuperate.
Killing Spree (3/5)
You'll see a lot of rogues claim this to be an
amazing skill. Combined with Blade Furry
and 4-5 mobs, you are definitely looking at a
heck of a lot of damage. The first problem,
since
Mastery
seems to give no further benefits. Very odd
as it would be great if you could gain on
those skills. Due to this, Mastery isn't all that
useful compared to other stats.
you can only use it every 2 minutes. Second,
during the 2.5s it's active, you can't do
Nightstalker (4/5)
Waylay (3/5)
This is a pure PvP talent since speed in
Another pure PvP talent. Depending on
stealth means nothing in PvE. With that out
your play style, this could allow you to
possible in PvP, so any increase in movement
Very powerful but has zero use in PvE sadly.
of the way, you will be in Stealth as often as
completely avoid using Crippling Poison.
is amazing.
Opportunity(4/5)
Improved Ambush (3/5)
Very powerful bonus to Ambush. You'll be
in Stealth a lot in PvP, so you'll be likely using
this skill a lot as well. In PvE, this loses it's
value since you won't have the chance to
Ambush that many enemies.
A pure damage increase to skills you use
often is always a good thing. The only talent
that's useful in PvP and PvE at this level of the
tree.
Initiative (3/5)
In PvE, you won't get much use of it. In
Relentless Strikes (5/5)
PvP, an extra combo point to start a fight (or
not seem like much but any extra energy is
killing process. You either get used to having
25 Energy if you use a 5pt finisher. Might
very welcome. Get a lucky break on a single
point finisher and it can turn the tide of
battle. It is one of the few talents all rogues
should look into.
midway after a Vanish) can speed up the
it or make due without.
Energetic Recovery (3/5)
Recuperate gives 12 energy per 3 seconds,
which is a 40% improvement on natural
Elusiveness (4/5)
Lower cooldowns are always a mixed bag.
If you don't regularly use the skills, then
lower cooldowns don't help much. In PvP, I
find that I use Vanish and Blind nearly every
rates. That sounds great but it's rare to have
this skill up in the first place in PvP.
If
Mastery affected this talent, it would change
the way rogues itemize.
time I can, so there's great benefit to me. In
PvE, a faster Vanish or Cloak of Shadows will
increase your damage and decrease the
damage you take, respectively.
Find Weakness(4/5)
Enveloping Shadows (1/5)
From a PvP perspective, 50% armor bypass
is huge.
Less AE damage is good but this is really
In Cataclysm everyone seems to
just a filler talent. It's hard to think of a
have high armor numbers, so it benefits
reason to use this in PvP or PvE unless you
against all classes.
Since you're switching
between targets a lot and using Stealth skills
frequently, most targets will be affected by
this talent.
like to stand in the fire.
Cheat Death (3/5)
This talent depends on if you like
frustrating other players.
Hemorrhage (3/5)
I wish this did more damage. Right now,
it's just used to keep the debuff on the target,
which has marginal benefits in PvP and
significant ones in PvE.
Now, I die
frequently in PvP battlegrounds and this little
gem will keep you alive once more per
minute. What you do during those 9 seconds
of near invulnerability is the real question. If
that's enough time to turn the tide of battle,
then get the talent, otherwise skip it until you
Honor Among Thieves (4/5)
Such an odd talent. It's completely useless
solo and seems to work best in raids. More of
a PvE benefit for static damage but in a
get stronger.
Preparation (2/5)
This used to be a lot more powerful as it
battleground, you can see some good returns.
reset all your cooldowns. Now it essentially
means you get more CP than if you fought
Shadowstep. Too bad, if it at least gave you
Fighting in groups, near to other players
alone. Keep that in mind and you'll be seeing
the CP meter fill up quickly.
Premeditation (5/5)
Great talent with a short cooldown.
only resets two useful skills, Vanish and
Blind, then we'd be talking!
A 5 minute
cooldown doesn't help matters either.
Sanguinary Vein (3/5)
Seeing as how you can't get this without
Basically, before starting any fight, you have
Hemorrhage, then you can see how they
about at all here. Get it, map it to a key and
bleeds, Garrotte and Rupture. In PvP, I rarely
2CP on your target. Nothing to complain
get to killing.
work together. As a Rogue, you have two
use either and in PvE, you'll only use Rupture.
There are a few bleed effects from other
classes, such as Warriors and Druids but not
enough to my tastes. Good for raids though.
Slaughter from the Shadows (4/5)
Reduced energy costs are always nice to
have as they have a significant impact on
your combos. Adding it to skills you will use
frequently is good too. Has both PvE and PvP
uses.
Serrated Blades(3/5)
No real benefits for PvP since it expects
Rupture to be up and enough time to get an
Eviscerate afterward. Not in any combat I've
seen! Quite nice in PvE though, since you
only need to set Rupture up once and then
focus on Eviscerate to keep it up.
Shadowdance (5/5)
Let's say Vanish is on cooldown and you're
attacked. Pop Shadow Dance, hit with an
Ambush, then a Cheap Shot, then a Garrote.
Heck, if you're really in trouble, Sap them
and run away to re-stealth. A very nice way
to finish this tree.
Nice in PvE to chain
Ambush. Definitely one of my favorite
talents.
Assassination Build
Talent Build Overview
Assassination Talents (31 points)
Now that we’ve gone over every single
skill and talent available to the rogue, it’s
time to select which talents will best fit your
➢Coup
de Grace
➢Lethality
➢Ruthlessness
style. This part depends largely on your play
➢Quickening
don’t want to keep a talent build, you can
➢Deadly
talent choices over again for a certain cost, as
➢Vile
style and weapon choice. If by chance, you
always visit a rogue trainer and start your
listed earlier in the guide. There are plenty
of good talent tools out on the web that allow
you to try out different layouts. A good rule
of thumb is that if you select a talent, max
out that talent.
Partial points in multiple
talents makes you a jack-of-all-trades,
master of none.
If you want to play two different trees, feel
free to do so! Visit your trainer at 40 and
pay 100 gold to get the dual talent
specialization.
Again, none of this is set in stone. If at any
time you want to try something else or you
don’t think the talent selection you have
already is fitting your playstyle, visit a Rogue
trainer to start your talent selection over.
➢Puncturing
➢Cold
➢Seal
Brew - 1/2
Blood
Poisons
Fate
➢Murderous
➢Overkill
➢Master
➢Cut
Wounds
Intent
Poisoner
to the Chase
➢Venomous
➢Vendetta
Wounds
Combat Talents (3 points)
➢Precision
Subtlety Talents (7 points)
➢Nightstalker
➢Relentless
Strikes
➢Opportunity
- 2/3 pointst
PvP: Average, PvE: High, Raid: High
http://www.wowarmory.com/talent-
Because you're using Poisons as a major
calc.xml?
damage source, be sure you hit the 13% spell
00000000000002030020000000000000
the stats are fairly equal, even Mastery.
cid=4&tal=0333230113022110321003000
This
is
more
or
less
the
typical
hit cap so that they always hit. The rest of
Deadly Brew is a filler talent, so feel free to
Assassination build. As always, you need two
take something else.
level with this build without too much
be the best choice for DPS increases.
daggers to make this build work. You can
trouble, though I would add in Deadly
Opportunity can be swapped but appear to
Momentum to ensure that Recuperate and
Combat Build
Slice and Dice are always active. The main
dagger should have Instant Poison and the
off-hand should have Deadly Poison.
Most battles will start with a Cheap Shot
or an Ambush, depending on if the target is
stunnable. You will use Mutilate to generate
Nightstalker and
➢Coup
de Grace
➢Lethality
➢Ruthlessness
– 1/3 points
4+ combo points, then use a finisher. The
➢Improved
Sinister Strike
Slice and Dice is up. If Rupture is down, re-
➢Improved
Slice and Dice
priority order is simple enough, make sure
apply it. If both are up, use Envenom. Once
the enemy gets below 35%, use Backstab
instead of Mutilate. Use Vendetta when it's
available, hopefully just after a Tricks of the
Trade.
Glyph choices are rather limited. You can
select from Mutilate, Backstab, Rupture and
Vendetta. I prefer the first three myself.
➢Precision
➢Improved
Sprint
➢Aggression
➢Lightning
➢Revealing
➢Combat
➢Blade
Reflexes
Strike
Potency
Twisting
➢Adrenaline
➢Savage
Combat
➢Bandit's
➢Restless
➢Killing
Rush
Guile
Blades
Spree
This build is probably the best levelling
Subtlety Talents (3 points)
➢
build in the game, if you include Deadly
Relentless Strikes
Momentum as well.
You'll be killing
multiple enemies at a time all the while
PvP: Good, PvE: High, Raid: High
healing through it. Very nice.
Combat is simple enough, start with Cheap
calc.xml?
Shot or Garrote and use Sinister Strike to
cid=4&tal=0331000000000000000033223
build combo points.
03100320123210030000000000000000
Combat is in a weird spot right now.
There are many filler talents when compared
to other trees and that means you have more
choices moving down.
What's really
confusing is how Combat Potency and the
Mastery stat conflict with each other.
Combat Potency seems to want a fast off
hand, so you get more energy from those
attacks. Mastery wants a slow hard hitting
offhand, so that those hits are more
damaging.
Maybe if they just flip them
Here it gets a bit more complicated. Make
sure Slice and Dice is up and full for the next
cycle. If it is up, use Revealing Strike at 4CP.
If Rupture is down, use that skill. Otherwise,
use Eviscerate to finish. There's no point in
using Revealing Strike to refresh Slice and
Dice, so that's the choice point.
Possible glyphs include Adrenaline Rush,
Sinister Strike, Revealing Strike, Rupture and
Killing Spree, in that order.
Stat selection is fairly even. Since you do a
around or increase the damage from the
lot of normal melee damage, Hit Rating is
oddly.
with Mastery, it has next to no value for a
offhand somehow. For the time being, it acts
You can use any weapons you want but
always nice to have. Because of the issues
Combat rogue currently.
ignoring Mastery, you want a slow hard
hitting main hand and a fast hitting off hand.
Both hands will use Wound Poison.
As is probably evident now, Improved
Subtlety Build - PvE
Sprint and Blade Twisting are filler talents.
Feel free to move them around – keep them if
you want to PvP though, since they are quite
nice in that field.
You can also select
something other than Coup de Grace and
➢
➢
➢
Coup de Grace
Lethality
Puncturing Wounds – 1/3 points
Ruthlessness.
➢
Precision
Subtlety (31 points)
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
Improved Ambush
Relentless Strikes
Elusiveness
Opportunity
Energetic Recovery
Find Weakness
Hemorrhage
Honor Among Thieves
Premeditation
Enveloping Shadows
Preparation
Sanguinary Veins
Slaughter from the Shadows
Serrated Blades
➢
Shadow Dance
➢
PvP: Low, PvE: Average, Raid: Average
http://www.wowarmory.com/talentcalc.xml?
Possible glyphs include Backstab, Slice and
cid=4&tal=0330010000000000000003000
Dice, Hemorrhage and Shadow Dance, in
00000000000000332030321311012321
that order. Taking the Hemorrhage glyph
Subtlety is far from the best PvE build but
since people ask about it all the time, I
wanted to include it in the guide. You will
surely be unique and most people won't
could change your cycle in that you use
Hemorrhage when the damage over time
effect drops.
Stat choices are a bit easier in this case.
recognize the Honor Among Thieves buff you
Since most damage is from special attacks,
attacks are Backstab, you will want a
are worth more as you will be attacking less
bring to the table. Since the majority of the
mainhand dagger. The offhand is best suited
to any fast weapon, which is likely to be a
dagger too. Both hands should have Instant
Poison.
This is not an idea leveling build but you
will surely have fun doing it. I really like
jumping in and out of stealth, it would seem
you can stop at 9% hit rating. Critical strikes
often.
More damage is good.
fairly useful as well.
There are filler talents for sure, such as
Enveloping Shadows.
moved around as well.
The combat cycle is simple enough here.
Hemorrhage to keep the debuff active,
otherwise Backstab. Ensure Slice and Dice is
up as well Recuperate. Get Rupture up once
and then use Eviscerate to keep it active. It
looks like more juggling of skills, and it is,
the
choices
straightforward
than
are
you
a
lot
may
Coup de Grace,
Lethality and Puncturing Wounds can be
that's what makes a rogue right?
but
Mastery is
more
think.
Especially if Honor Among Thieves is giving
you tons of CP.
Subtlety Build - PvP
This build assumes you are using daggers,
so Hemorrhage is in. If you're going to use
another weapon, then talent selection gets
 Deadly Momentum
really ugly, where you need to select filler
 Lethality
talents in the first 4 levels. I am hoping that
 Ruthlessness
this changes in the future to add a bit of
 Blackjack - 1/2 points
variety to PvP builds.
Subtlety (32 points)
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
Since you're only using daggers, speed
Nightstalker
doesn't matter much but the stronger one
Relentless Strikes
on both hands.
Improved Ambush
should be in the main hand. Instant Poison
Elusiveness
Waylay
The combat cycle is going to be odd and
Opportunity
complicated. Start with Premeditation to get
Find Weakness
or Cheap Shot, preferably the former.
Initiative
2 CP. You want to open with either Ambush
Hemorrhage
Use
Backstab if you can for CP, otherwise it's
Honor Among Thieves
Hemorrhage. Eviscerate to finish. If you're
Premeditation
able to squeeze it in, get a Slice and Dice up
Cheat Death
or perhaps a Recuperate to help with healing
Preparation
between fights. This won't work in 1 on 1
Slaughter from the Shadows
fights but in groups it should be ok. Because
Shadow Dance
of the way Honor Among Thieves works, you
should always be around teammates to get
PvP: High PvE: Average, Raid: Low
the most CP possible. Shadow Dance should
be used if you need to get a Cheap Shot off
and Vanish is on cooldown.
calc.xml?
cid=4&tal=2033001000000000000000000
00000000000002332232021310310301
If things go really bad, Blind, Vanish,
Shadow Dance and Sprint are all useful. If
the enemy is moving a lot, use Shadowstep to
set up a Backstab and disorient them.
The goal of Subtlety is to confuse your
opponent with non stop attacks and stuns.
The longer you stay toe to toe with them, the
higher your odds of dying.
Glyph
choices
are
harder
here.
Hemorrhage and Backstab are for sure but
the next one is your guess.
Stat choices are fairly simple. 9% hit rate,
then focus more on Agility and critical
chance rates. Mastery has little use for PvP so
I would ignore it.
There are filler talents a plenty in PvP,
since it's all about utility.
Enveloping
Shadows can be moved elsewhere.
Cheat
Death is a flavor talent that I rather enjoy.
All the talents in Assassination can be moved
around and maybe put into Combat to get
Improved Sprint or Kick. If you really want
to go the non-dagger route, get ready to
spend a good 20 points on fillers.
B
ITEMS
Daggers Vs. Other Weapon
Types
eing a melee character, a rogue is
heavily dependant on items for
maximum effectiveness. If you’re
naked (not that you should be) you can’t use
any offensive skill, so you’re pretty much
stuck to auto attack with your fists. A mage
could get by, but melees are toast. Obviously
the most important item you will have is
your weapon. Throughout your life as a solo
rogue you will be taking damage but in
groups you shouldn’t be. So armor, even
though important, is second to weapons.
The first and most important thing to
consider when selecting your weapon is that
Ambush, Backstab and Mutilate are only
available if you have a dagger in the main
hand (Mutilate requires 2 daggers). If you
don’t have a dagger in the main hand, those
skills become unusable. There used to be a
larger difference between swords, maces,
axes and fists but as the game stands today,
they all work the same way. Daggers are
used primarily for special attacks and their
That being said, World of Warcraft is a
game where rogue usable weapons are few
and far between. We are the only class that
quick speed. All other items are used for big
hits and slow swing speeds.
uses quick melee weapons and the only one
Simple rule, if you need to Backstab, Ambush
That means that Rogue itemization is both
appropriately for those skills. Otherwise, for
that really cares about Agility on those items.
obvious and not terribly common.
Each
expansion pack has addressed this issue
somewhat, reducing the complexity of
statistics between class, so that more items
can be used by more people. Still, you need
or Mutilate – then you use daggers
offensive skills, you want the weapon that
does the most damage per swing in the main
hand and hopefully a fast weapon of any
type in the offf-hand.
to move through those expansion packs in
order to reach maximum level and this
section should help you with that.W.
What To Look For And Where
power and armor value. There are sets out
This section is designed to help you look
critical hit but you are sacrificing elsewhere.
for items throughout your career as a rogue.
Obviously, WoW changes all the time and
there where you can collect tons of +% for a
I will list such special items below.
the items are highly subject to change.
Though this is a general guide to what you
Basic understanding of weapons in WoW
might want to pick up, check out item sites
is important.
such as www.thottbot.com, www.wowhead
sub-standard and should only be picked up
item that you’re looking for and the general
regular items and should only be used from
and wow.allakhazam.com and search for an
area it’s found.
I
should
also
point
out
www.shadowpanther.net as a great resource
for optimizing what items you should gear
up with. It has a built in AEP listing and
gives a good idea of what’s available to you.
As stated in the beginning of this guide,
you need to know what stats to look for. You
will want a balanced of agility and stamina
near the 60/40 ratio.
If you find you’re
taking too much damage, then perhaps
increase your stamina ratio. As for deciding
if you want to sacrifice a stat for an effect,
remember that at level 85, 1% increase
chance of a critical hit is equal to about 90
agility.
Agility also affects dodge, attack
to be sold.
Items with gray names are
Items with white names are
level 20 and below.
They do not appear as
loot, or at least I have not experienced it.
Items with green names are considered rare
and will be what you will be equipping from
levels 20-60, the bare minimum will be fully
equipped in rare items. These items drop
from any type of creature, though more often
from humanoids. Items with blue names are
considered unique and are very uncommon
as drops from regular creatures.
items
are
find
them
extremely
rare
on
Unique
regular
opponents and you will really only start to
in
instances
against
elite
opponents or in high level quests. Items with
purple names are epic items and you will
perhaps find 1 by the time you reach level
60. They only drop from the most difficult
creatures in WoW.
Items colored red or
orange are considered legendary and artifact
and to this point in the game, only a scarce
amount have appeared.
headgear. There are currently very few of
these gems available however.
I got into
more detail about gems later on, below the
Similar to Diablo II, there are also item
sets. If you collect the whole set, you will get
Echants section.
added benefits. Make no effort to collect the
Items listed below are in a short format.
sets until you’re in your 50s as you will
Weapons are listed with the name followed
That being said, there are item sets for each
these items are Bind on Pickup so you need to
outgrow all of your gear until that point.
class in the highest instances and making an
effort to collect these is a good idea. As a
rogue, you’re looking for Shadowcraft armor
by (damage / speed in seconds). Nearly all
be there to loot it.
It’s common to see Rogues at 85 with over
initially and the top tier sets will be found in
3000 Agility and 3000 Stamina.
hunting these sets down, but unless you want
dodge chance, 800AC boost and 3500 hit
raids at maximum level.
It can be fun
to stay at the lower levels on purpose,
waiting until you're at level cap is a better
time to start collecting.
Also making an appearance from Diablo II
are socketed items.
These currently only
seem to appear from level 60 on and have
various colored gems that can be used. Red,
Yellow or Blue are the main colors. You will
find Purple, Green and Orange gems
however,
that
will
meet
their
That in
turns equates to 10% critical chance, 20%
point boost. That’s a fair chunk. At 70, you
should be aiming to get 7000HP above all
else, then get to 1200AP. From that point,
you’re going to be very difficult to kill and be
dealing out a large amount of damage.
Remember that enchants can help greatly
with improving your stats as explained later
on.
A final note, when hunting for items to
basic
drop from humanoids, is to focus on trolls.
Blue or Red. Additionally, there are Meta
leather and agility items, at least from my
counterparts. For example, Purple works as
gems, which require a combination of
colored gems to activate their bonus. These
They seem to have the highest chance to drop
experience.
are colorless and generally appear in
If you are hunting in an
instance, they take 15 minutes after you exit
to reset.
Remember to right click your
portrait and reset the instance when you're
done!
From 60+, odds are the items you get in the
Auction House will be weaker than what you
can find in a quest or in a dungeon.
However, at 85 you will find Leatherworking
items that can benefit you greatly. They are
quite expensive but will likely be better than
Auction House
A good spot to find items is in the Auction
you can attain on your own. I'll detail those a
bit more in this section.
House within every major city. From 1-60,
it's probably going to be your best bet to find
decent gear but from 60-85, you will get
enough items from questing that it really isn't
Levels 1 to 20
It really doesn’t matter what gear you use
used for much else than enchanting, gems or
at this point. I do suggest doing the rogue
items that you will want to look out for while
though as it’s easy for all races to do. You’ll
making money. Regardless, there are certain
leveling to fill in that item slot that you might
have neglected for too long.
Since you're
primarily aiming for items with Agility and
Stamina on them, there are item names that
quest at level 10 for the Blade of Cunning
more than likely be replacing it in a day or 2.
You’ll start collecting the odd green item, but
it’ll mostly be white gear.
come up frequently with what you need.
Levels 20-30
From levels 1-58, you want to search for
items that contain “of the Monkey”. They will
have Agility and Stamina.
From 58-85 you want items with the “of
the Bandit” name. They will contain Agility,
Stamina and Attack Power.
Dagger
 Blackfang (17-35/1.5) – This is a
random drop and easy to pick up in
the Auction House for cheap.
might even have it drop for you.
You
 Prison Shank (21-39/1.8) – Drops in
the Stockades instance off Bruegal.
The instance is good for levels 25-30.
BoP
 Meteor Shard (23-43/1.8) – Drops in
 Black
Shadowfang Keep off Arugal. Easier
Oddly enough, for this level gap, there are
(31-58/1.5)
–
Complete the Scarlet Monastery quest
for Horde to find. BoP
Sword
Menace
In the Name of the Light.
Sword
 Black Knight (26-49/1.9) – Bazil
no good swords that are easily acquirable
Thredd in Stockades.
and kill humanoids.
to the amount of people around him.
from a specific creature. Just visit the AH
likely to solo this guy in your 30s due
 Electrocutioner Leg (26-49/1.7) -
Leather
Electrocutioner 6000 drops this in
Not much here either from specific
Gnomeregan. This is a good instance
creatures. Find a tailor and get some Dark
Leather items.
to do and killing this boss should be
Again, hunting humanoids
works well.
You’re not
part of it. If you don’t get it, don’t
worry though.
 Sword of Serenity (46-86/2.2) Complete the Scarlet Monastery quest
Levels 30-40
In the Name of the Light.
Dagger
 Toxic
Viscious
Revenger
Fallout
(27-51/1.9)
(30+)
–
in
Gnomeregan. You can solo this guy
Leather
 Dusky leather set.
make these for you, they carry a nice
pretty easy at level 35. Just run in
agility bonus and can last you
with stealth, drop from the first floor
to the ooze floor and find him. Reset
the instance until you get it. Best bet
is to pair with another Rogue and get
Get a tailor to
through the 30s until Nightscape
items
 Triprunner Dungarees – Get for
one each.
 Tigerbane (27-51/1.9) – Random
drop in Scarlet Monastery.
completing
quest
to
kill
Thermaplugg in Gnomeregan. These
will last you a long time. BoP
the
 Best bet though, is to do multiple runs
Albino Crocscale Boots (AC: 105, Agi:
of Scarlet Monastery. This is by far
20, Sta: 5) – Drops off Rotgrip in
the best place to get gear for the 30s
and low 40s
Mauradon
Fleshhide Shoulders (AC: 95, Agi: 6, Sta:
15, Str: 5) – Drops in Razorfen Downs
off Glutton, who is only 40+
Levels 40-50
Fungus Shroud Armor (chest AC: 148,
Dagger
Agi: 25, Sta: 10) - Meshlok the
 Coldrage Dagger (31-58/1.5) – Drops
off Amnennar the Coldbringer in
Razorfen Downs.
I suggest getting
the quest Bring the Light from the
cathedral in Stormwind as it rewards
a decent sword listed below
 Gahz'rilla Fang (35-66/1.8) – Drops
off Gahz’rilla in Zul’Farrak.
 Satyr’s Lash (39-74/1.7) – Drops Lord
Vyletongue in Mauradon. One of the
Harvester in Mauradon.
tunic for a while.
Sandstalker Ankleguards(feet AC: 95,
Agi: 17, Str: 6) – Drops off Zerillis in
Zul’Farrak.
Get a leatherworker to create a Helm of
Fire (AC: 118, Agi: 17, Sta: 10).
Awesome helm.
Get the same leatherworker to create
the Gauntlets of the Sea (AC: 85, Agi:
better daggers you’ll find for a while.
7 heal for 300-500 – 30mins)
Sword
 Phantom Blade (59-111/2.6) – Get a
Weapon specialized blacksmith to
make this for you.
 Thrash
Blade
(66-124/2.7)
–
Complete the Corruption of Earth and
Seed
quest
in
Desolace,
requires a trip to Mauradon.
Leather
which
The best
Levels 50-60
Pre BC expansion, level 60 items were all
about running instances. You can still do
this if you want but I highly suggest you treat
this section as you did 40-50. Once you hit
level 58 or so, the first quests available in the
Outlands will make any 5 man item (and
some 40 man items to be honest) look like a
(I’ll list the important stats since you’ll be
twig.
using some for a while)
Though I generally don’t advise
spending a large amount of time buying
Strathholme has a chance of dropping
things from the Auction House from 57 on
the Assassination Blade (71-132/2.7),
yourself.
chance by 1%.
up, it’s a good idea to completely refit
which is pretty good. Increases crit
Farming the Rend event in UBRS can
Dagger
give the Dal Rend’s Set, which is a
Hunt Black Rock Depths(BRD) or Black
good set of swords
Rock Spire (BRS). If you don’t have
Satyr’s Lash, get it now, as it really is
the best dagger until you find
something in BRD.
Mace
Buy a Mass of McGowan from the AH.
It’s a very good weapon for a long
Scholomance has a Demon Blade (46-
time.
87/1.8) that adds to agility that you
might want to swap in
The Keris of Zul’Serak that drops in
LBRS is a very nice dagger for a long
time.
Leather
Try searching for the Cadaverous
leather set(chest, belt,gloves,legs,feet),
which drops through Scholomance
Felstriker drops off of Rend in UBRS,
Other than the set above, you really
procs for 3 seconds of crits, be
for gear and hunt humanoids in
though it’s a rare drop.
When it
should just check the Auction House
mindful that you will most likely
Winterspring/Eastern Plaguelands
draw aggro.
Bonescrapper drops from the Baron on
Levels 60-70
the live side of Stratholme. You’ll be
running
this
zone
almost
Tiered Rogue Armor Sets
as
frequently as UBRS as it can be done
in less than 1 hour.
I am going to preface this with a very
Sword
Again, BRD/BRS for a new sword as the
Thrash Blade is still really good.
important note.
Despite what 1-60 has
given you gear wise, 60-70 is a completely
different world. You will replace nearly all
of your gear from quests. That being said, if
you see some good items on the Auction
I would suggest you aim for a single set
House, look specifically for of the Bandit. I
combo. Sure, it’s nice to mix and match but
weapons and a new chest piece. You might
bonuses.
suggest you take a look at 57-58 for new
be replacing it at 61 but it will be at the very
when you complete a set, you gain some nice
least 50% better than what you had before.
Level 80-85
The jump in the Cataclysm expansion pack
Level 70-80
Similar to the massive increase in available
stats when Burning Crusade launched,
Wrath of the Lich King brings the same
power to the first items you find. The first
quest you complete that provides a green
dagger has over 80DPS, which would require
raiding in BC content to acquire.
That being said, if you're coming up the
ranks in the mid 60s and see some nice drops
resembles those of the past. Unless you were
raiding fiercly or running heroic dungeons
non-stop, odds are you will find upgrades
within the first few quest rewards. Since the
way stats work have been modified – such as
the removal of armor penetration, weapon
skill and others – items have different stat
allocations and will naturally be stronger
than the older gear you have.
As with all new expansions, I heavily
from 5 man quests or instances, I suggest you
suggest you do as many quests as you can as
up.
get you through the zones, not to mention
simply visit the Auction house from 68 on
You will easily find gear that
outperforms what you currently have and for
a decent price as well.
You’re not going to find this in a week. It
requires a lot of work to complete and get all
you will likely find some pretty good gear to
amazing experience. Dungeons are harder
in this level zone, so the non-stop runs of
Lich King are a bit of a thing of the past.
Tradeskills and enchants are great sources
the items listed. There are 4 set combinations,
of power, as usual. If you come across the
(10+ man instances), Faction (Get Revered or
the Leatherworking options. A simple option
Dungeon (acquired in 5 man instances), Raid
Exalted) and PvP (Get a lot of Honor Points).
Auction House, I suggest you take a look at
at 85 looks like the following.
 Assassin's Chestplate: AC: 1669, Agi:
 Bracers
341, Sta: 512, Hit: 183Hit, Crit: 253
anything
found
in the
expansion, including raids.
Shadow
Hunter - BRS ); 52 AC: 71 Agi: 15, Sta:
7
That simple chest is a good 100% better
than
(Smolderthorn
previous
 Belt (Blackhand Assassin - BRS); 53
AC: 93 Agi: 14, Str: 9, Sta: 10,
Total stats: AC: 978 Agi: 157, Str: 43, Str: 87
 2 pieces: +200 AC
Dungeon Tier
Notes: Nearly all of Tier 1 and 2 can be
replaced at 60 from items in the Auction
House. Tier 3a is statistically better than 3b
and is miles easier to acquire.
Shadowcraft Armor set (8 pieces) Tier 1
 Tunic (General Drakkisath - BRS); 58
AC: 176, Agi: 26, Sta: 13
 Pants
(Baron
Rivendare
-
Strathholme) ; 56 AC: 150, Agi: 25,
Str: 12, Sta: 12
 Shoulders (Cannon Master Willey Strathholme); 55 AC: 127, Agi: 22,
Sta: 9
 Head
(Darkmaster
Gandling
-
Scholomance); 57 AC: 141, Agi: 20,
Str: 13, Sta: 18
 Gloves (Shadow Hunter Vosh'gajin BRS); 54 AC: 105, Agi: 14, Str: 9, Sta:
 4 pieces: +40AP
 6 pieces: Chance on hit to restore 35
energy
 8 pieces: +8 all resists
Darkmantle Armor set (8 pieces) Tier 2
This gear can only be had once you
acquire the Tier 1 gear and then you need to
quest for these pieces. All told, it costs about
400g to get the entire set. Quests listed here.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Dungeon_Set_2
 Tunic : AC: 185, Agi: 31, Sta: 15, To
Hit:2%
 Pants : AC: 160, Agi: 25, Str: 15, Sta:
15
 Shoulders : AC: 136, Agi: 24, Sta: 10
 Head : AC: 150, Agi: 26, Str: 18, Sta:
13, Crit: 1%
9
 Gloves : AC: 108, Agi: 22, Str:12, Sta:
AC: 115, Agi: 21, Sta: 9
 Boots : AC: 127, Int: 24, Sta: 10
 Boots (Rattlegore - Scholomance); 54
9
 Bracers : AC: 79 Agi: 15, Str: 7, Sta: 7
 Belt : AC: 102 Agi: 17, Str: 10, Sta: 13
Wastewalker (5 pieces) – Tier 3b
Total stats: AC: 1047 Agi: 184, Str: 57, Sta:
97, Crit: 1%, To Hit: 2%
 Shoulder; AC:219, Agj: 25, Sta: 13, AP:
 2 pieces: +8 all resists
34, Hit: 16, 1 Red, 1 Blue - Warlord
 4 pieces: Chance on hit to restore 35
Energy
Kalithresh, Steamvault (H)
 Legs; AC: 256, Agi: 31, Sta: 27, AP: 28,
 6 pieces: +40AP
Hit: 19, Resilience: 4, 2 Red, 1 Blue –
 8 pieces: +200 AC
Aeonus, Black Morass (H)
 Hands; AC: 183, Agi: 32, Sta: 33, AP:
Assassination (5 pieces) – Tier 3a
 Shoulder; AC:219, Agj: 25, Sta: 24, AP:
42, 2 Yellow – Talon King Ikiss,
Sethekk Halls
 Legs; AC: 256, Agi: 40, Sta: 33, AP: 44,
Hit: 22 – Murmur , Shadow Labyrinth
 Hands; AC: 183, Agi: 25, Sta: 24, AP:
50, Hit: 17 – Aeonus, Black Morass
 Chest; AC: 292, Agi: 28, Sta: 21, AP:
54, 2 Red, 1 Blue – Pathaleon the
Calculator, Mechanar
 Head: AC: 237, Sta: 25, AP: 66, Crit:
25, 1 Yellow, 1 Meta – Harbringer
16, Hit: 17, Dodge: 3, 1 Red, 1 Yellow
– Kargath Bladefist, Hellfire Citadel
 Chest; AC: 292, Agi: 28, Sta: 36, AP:
56, 3 Yellow – Keli’dan the Breaker,
Blood Furnace(H)
 Head: AC: 237, Sta: 30, AP: 56, Crit:
22, Hit: 18, 1 Blue, 1 Meta – Epic
Hunter, Escape from Durnholde (H)
Total Stats: AC: 1305, Agi: 120, Sta: 139, AP:
198, Crit: 25, Hit: 39
 2 pieces: Increase Hit Rating by 35
 4 pieces: Attacks have a chance to
Skyriss, Arcatraz
grant 160 AP for 6 secs
Total Stats: AC: 1305, Agi: 118, Sta: 132, AP:
256, Crit: 25, Hit: 39
 2 pieces: Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot
gives 160 Haste for 6 sec
 4 pieces: Eviscerate and Envenom cost
10 less Energy
Nightslayer Leather(8 pieces ) Molten Core
Raid Tier
Tier 1
Notes: Tier 1 and 2 can be fairly easily
 Belt; AC: 113, Agi: 17, Str: 9, Sta: 18,
replaced during the leveling from 60-70 and
Fire: 7, Crit: 1%
are located in 40 man zones. Tier 3 is still
 Gloves; AC: 125, Agi: 18, Str: 12, Sta:
replaced. Tier 4 is statistically better than
 Bracelets; AC: 88, Agi: 20, Sta: 15
useful at 70, though certain parts will be
17, Fire: 7, To Hit: 1%
Tier 5 and easier to acquire. Actually, not
 Boots; AC: 138, Agi: 26, Sta: 18,
considering the gem slots, Dungeon Tier 3a is
comparable to the Raid Tier.
Shadow: 7
1-3 were
 Shoulder Pads; AC: 150, Agi: 26, Str:
designed for the game at 60, 4, 5 and 6 are
3, Sta: 12, Shadow: 7 To Hit: 1%
designed for the game at 70.
 Pants; AC: 175, Agi: 33, Str: 10, Sta:
15, Shadow: 10 Crit: 1%
 Cover; AC: 163, Agi: 20, Str: 6, Sta: 19,
Fire: 10, Crit: 2%
 Chestpiece; AC: 200, Agi: 29, Str: 10,
Sta: 10, Fire: 10, Crit: 1%
Total Stats: AC: 1152, Agi: 189, Str: 50, Sta:
134, Fire: 34, Shadow: 24, Crit: 5%, To Hit:
2%
 3 pieces: Reduces the cooldown of
your Vanish ability by -30.0 sec.
 5 pieces: Increases your maximum
Energy by 10.
 8 pieces: Heals the rogue for 500hp
when they use Vanish
Bloodfang Leather(8 pieces ) Blackwing
Bonescythe Leather(8 pieces ) Naxxramas
Lair/Onyxia Tier 2
Tier 3
 Belt; AC: 126, Agi: 20, Str: 13, Sta: 15,
Shadow: 10, Crit: 1%
Belt; AC: 142, Agi: 24, Str: 23, Sta: 20,
Crit: 1%
 Gloves; AC: 140, Agi: 20, Str: 19, Sta:
Gloves; AC: 158, Sta: 20, Crit: 1%, AP :
 Bracelets; AC: 98, Agi: 23, Sta: 13, To
Bracelets; AC: 111, Agi: 26, Sta: 14, Crit:
 Boots; AC: 154, Agi: 25, Str: 6, Sta: 17,
Boots; AC: 171, Sta: 18, Crit: 1%, AP :
 Shoulder Pads; AC: 169, Agi: 25, Str:
Shoulder Pads; AC: 186, Agi: 22, Str: 22
 Pants; AC: 197, Agi: 37, Str: 11, Sta:
Pants; AC: 221, Agi: 32 Str: 31, Sta: 25,
 Cover; AC: 183, Agi: 27, Str: 19, Sta:
Cover; AC: 205, Agi: 30, Str: 18, Sta: 29,
 Chestpiece; AC: 225, Agi: 26, Str: 12,
Chestpiece; AC: 262, Agi: 26, Sta: 13,
20, Fire: 10, Shadow: 10, To Hit: 1%
Hit: 1%
Fire: 10, Dodge: 1%
6, Sta: 17, Fire: 10, Dodge: 1%
17, Fire: 10, Arcane: 10, Crit: 1%
25, Frost: 10, Shadow: 10, Crit: 1%
Sta: 17, Fire: 10, Nature: 10, Crit: 1%,
To Hit: 2%
141, Fire: 40, Frost: 10, Nature: 10, Arcane:
66, To Hit: 1
1%
64, To Hit: 1%
Sta: 15,Crit: 1%, To Hit: 1%
Crit: 1% , To Hit: 1%
Crit: 2%, To Hit: 1%
Crit: 1%, AP: 80
170, Crit: 10%, AP: 210, To Hit: 6%
10, Shadow: 30, Crit: 4%, Dodge: 2%, To Hit:
2 pieces: Chance on hit of healing you
 3 pieces: Increases chance to apply
4 pieces: Backstab, Sinister Strike and
 5 pieces: Improved threat reduction
6 pieces: Reduces threat form Backstab,
3%
poisons by 5%
of Feint by 25%
 8 pieces: Chance on hit to strike for
283-317dmg and heal rogue for
50hp/s for 6s
for 90-100hp
Hemorrhage criticals give 5 Energy
Sinister
Eviscerate
Strike,
Hemorrhage
and
8 pieces: Eviscerate has a chance per
combo point to give a 100% crit
chance
on
your
next
Backstab,
Sinister Strike or Hemorrhage.
Netherblade (5 pieces) – Tier 4
Magtheridon's Lair, Karazhan, Gruul's Lair
Shoulder; AC: 201, Sta: 24, Crit: 21, AP:
44, 2 Red – High King Mulgaur,
Gruul’s Lair
Legs; AC: 234, Agi: 38, Sta: 34, Hit: 22,
AP: 76 – Gruul the Dragonkiller,
Gruul’s Lair
Hands; AC: 167, Sta: 30, Hit: 14, Crit:
21, AP: 64 - Curator, Karazhan
Chest; AC: 268, Agi: 28, Sta: 25, AP: 86,
1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Blue – Magtherion,
Magtherion’s Lair
Head; AC: 271, Sta: 36, Hit: 18, Crit: 29,
AP: 74, 1 Red, 1 Meta – Prince
Malchezaar, Karazhan

Totals Stats: AC: 1141, Agi: 66, Sta: 149, Hit:
54, Crit: 71, AP: 344
2 pieces: increases the duration of Slice
and Dice by 3sec
4 pieces: your finishing moves have a
15% chance of generating a combo
point
Deathmantle (5 pieces) – Tier 5
Slayer's Armor (5 pieces) – Tier 6
Serpentshrine Cavern, Eye-Tempest Keep
 Shoulder; AC: 284, Agi: 29, Sta: 13,
AP: 40, Dodge: 20, 1 Red, 1 Blue
 Legs; AC: 332, Sta: 34, Hit: 15, Crit:
Battle for Mount Hyjal, Black Temple,
Sunwell Plateau
 Shoulder; AC: 344, Agi: 34, Sta: 37,
AP: 68, Ignore 175 armor, 1 Yellow, 1
24, AP: 110
Blue
 Hands; AC: 237, Agi: 30, Sta: 28, Hit:
 Legs; AC: 401, Agi: 46, Sta: 54, Crit:
 Chest; AC: 379, Sta: 16, Hit: 10, Crit:
 Hands; AC: 287, Agi: 34, Sta: 36, Hit:
 Head; AC: 308, Agi: 30, Sta: 28, AP:
 Chest; AC: 459, Agi: 45, Sta: 55, Hit:
20, AP: 58
25, AP: 100, 1 Yellow, 2 Blue
72, 1 Red, 1 Meta
Total Stats: AC: 1540, Agi: 89, Sta: 119, Hit:
45, Crit: 49, AP: 280, Dodge: 20
 2 pieces: Eviscerate and Envenom
cause 40 more damage per combo
point
 4 pieces: Your attacks have a chance
of causing your next finishing move
to cost no energy
45, AP: 92, 1 Blue
18, AP: 68, Ignore 175 Armor, 1 Blue
15, Crit: 28, AP: 92, 2 Yellow, 1 Blue
 Head; AC: 373, Agi: 45, Sta: 55, Hit:
15, Crit: 28, AP: 92, 1 Yellow, 1 Meta
Total Stats: AC: 1864, Agi: 204, Sta: 237, Hit:
48, Crit: 101, AP: 414, Ignore 350 Armor
 2 pieces: Increase Haste from Slice
and Dice by 5%
 4 pieces: Increase damage dealt by
Backstab, Sinister Strike and Mutilate
by 6%
Wind Dancer's Regalia (5 pieces) – Tier 11
 Shoulder; AC: 1252, Agi: 233+10, Sta:
380, Crit: 149, Haste: 169 1 Blue
 Legs; AC: 1460, Agi: 301+20, Sta: 512,
Crit: 188, Mastery: 228, 1 Yellow, 1
Blue
Faction Tier
There are multiple new factions available
with the Cataclysm expansion.
You will
automatically encounter each one as you
level up with the exception of the last group,
 Hands; AC: 1043, Agi: 233, Sta: 380,
which is the PvP faction.
 Chest; AC: 1669, Agi: 301+20, Sta:
will complete all of the given faction's world
Hit: 149, Haste: 169+10, 1 Red
512, Haste: 228, Expertise: 188, 1
Red, 1 Blue
 Head; AC: 1356, Agi: 281+30, Sta:
512, Hit: 168, Crit: 228, 1 Blue, 1
Meta
Since questing
provides such good experience, odds are you
quests while playing normally. Those alone
should put you into the Honored reputation
group, at the very least, with some hitting
Revered.
As expected, the best items are reserved for
Total Stats: AC: 6780,
Exalted reputation, which will require you to
Haste: 576, Expertise: 188, Mastery: 228, 4
run heroic dungeons in order to gain more
Agi: 1429, Sta: 2296, Hit: 317, Crit: 565,
Blue, 2 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Meta
 2 pieces: Increase Crit Chance on
Backstab, Mutilate and Sinister Strike
by 5%
 4 pieces: Each melee strike has a 1%
chance to increase critical chance of
Eviscerate or Envenom by 100%.
equip that faction's tabard and repeatedly
faction. Baradin's Wardens and Hellscream's
Reach can only gain faction through PvP and
not tabards.
This is a time consuming
process and in the end, it's up to you to
decide if you even want to bother as the
items will likely get replaced later on in the
expansion. What won't be replaced are the
enchants, specifically the Arcanum of the
Ramhaken
and
the
Shattered
Crystal
enchants available from the Ramhaken and
Therazane, respectively. They will both be
used as long as you play the Cataclysm
expansion. What's interesting is that if you
have an alternate character on your account
that has access to the Ramhaken enchant,
Signet of the Elder Council(Ring - Exalted)
they can buy it and send it to your Rogue.
– Agi: 190, Sta: 286, Haste: 127, Mastery:
The same cannot be said of the Therazane
127
enchants. I would highly suggest you get to
Revered with the Ramhaken first, then focus
Therazane
on getting to exalted with Therazane. After
Terrath's Signet of Balance (Finger -
you have both enchants available, the next
Revered) – Agi: 168, Sta: 252, Hit: 112,
faction is up to you.
Mastery: 112
Shattered Crystal (Shoulder
The PvP faction rewards are nice but will
Exalted) Agi: 50, Matery: 25
dungeon running. The trinket is quite nice
Ramkahen
take longer to accrue than just plain
though, if you're willing to try for Exalted.
Guardians of Hyjal
Sly Fox Jerkin (Chest - Honored) – Agi:
228, Sta: 401, Crit: 178, Mastery: 138,
1R+1B+20 Mastery.
Nighterend Choker (Neck-Revered) – Agi:
149, Sta: 224, Crit:100, Haste: 100
Acorn of the Daughter Tree (Neck Revered) – AgI: 168, Sta: 258, Crit: 112,
Haste: 112
Treads of Malorne (Feet – Exalted) – Agi:
233, Sta: 380, Hit: 149, Mastery: 169, 1Y+10
Agi
Quicksand Belt (Waist - Revered) – Agi:
205, Sta: 337, Hit: 150, Crit: 130, 1B+10 Agi
Arcarnum
of
the
Ramhaken
(Head
Enchant- Revered) – Agi: 60, Haste: 35haste
Wildhammer/Dragonmaw Clan
Swiftflight
Leggings/Leggins
of
the
Impenitent (Leg - Honored) – Agi: 228, Sta:
401, Crit: 168, Haste: 148, 1R+1Y+20 Crit
Stormbolt Gloves/Liar's Handwraps (Hands
- Exalted) – Agi: 233, Sta: 380, Haste: 169,
Crit: 149, 1Y+10 Haste
Baradin's Wardens/Hellscream's Reach
Sky Piercer (Crossbow - Revered) – DPS:
Earthen Ring
Softwind Cape (Back - Revered) – Agi:
168, Sta: 252, Haste: 112, Hit: 112
Enchant -
552, Agi: 95, Sta:143, Crit: 63, Mastery: 63
Dagger of Restless Nights (Dagger -
Revered) – DPS: 409, Speed: 1.8, Agi: 129,
Sta: 194, Crit: 86, Hit: 86
Ravening Slices (Axe - Revered) – DPS:
409dps, Speed: 2.6sp, Agi: 129, Sta: 194,
Mastery: 86, Haste: 86
Unsolvable Riddle (Trinket – Exalted) –
Mastery: 321, Use +1605 Agi for 20sec/2
minute cooldown -
PvP Tier
Notes: There are really 2 sections here.
Regular
PvP,
ie
Battlegrounds
and
Arena/Rated Battlegrounds PvP. The former
you can participate at any time, the second
you need to be in a group to do (2, 3, 5, 10 or
15).
Arenas max out at 5 players, Rated
Battlegrounds at 15.
In order to purchase PvP items, you need
to spend Honor (acquired from PvP kills and
wins in Battlegrounds) and Conquest Points
(acquired from participating in Arenas and
Rated Battlegrounds). You receive 100-200
honor for participating in a Battleground.
Every weekend focuses on a different
Battleground,
where
more
people
will
participate. Honor gains are much higher.
You can expect to get about 2000 honor per
hour or so on those weekends. The best place
to “farm” honor is Alterac Valley, regardless
of the weekend. I've personally had 4 hour
sessions where I accumulated 15K in honor,
especially if you use a premade group.
In order to acquire Conquest Points, you
need to participate in Arena battles or Rated
Battlegrounds (RBG). These are pre-defined
groups of 2vs2, 3vs3 or 5vs5 for Arena
battles and 5v5, 10v10 or 15v15 in Rated
Battlegrounds. You gain conquest points at
the end of the week for Arenas and end of
the battle for the RBGs.
Best Weapons
Note: Nearly all PvP weapons have OffHand corresponding items (Maces do not).
The cost is about 50% of the cost of the main
hand item.
Bloodthirsty Gladiator's Vestments ( 5 pieces)
Some items can be purchased with Justice
Total Stats: Agi: 1506, Sta: 2154, Crit: 173,
Points – acquired through Heroic dungeons-
1355, 2, 3R, 2B, 1Meta, +10Energy
If you played Lich King before the expansion
Exp:138, Haste: 173, Hit: 138 Resilience:
Though there is currently only 1 set
available, expect to see more added through
regular patches. Typically a new set comes
out every 2-3 months.
and Valor Points – acquired through Raids.
to Cataclysm, odds are you have a good pile
of Justice Points already.
Listed below are the items you can acquire
from PvP, PvE tier 1 (non-heroic + faction +
trades + world drop), PvE tier 2 (heroic ) and
Raids (10+25 man raids).
Dagger
Bloodthirsty Gladiator’s Shanker (PvP)
DPS: 437, Speed: 1.80, Agi: 138, Sta: 207,
Crit: 92, Resi: 92
➢Dagger
of
Restless
(Hellscream/Baradin - Revered)
Nights
DPS: 409, Speed: 1.80, Agi: 129, Sta: 194,
Hit: 86, Crit: 86
➢Toxidunk
Heroic)
Dagger (Throne of Tides -
DPS: 409, Speed: 1.80, Agi: 129, Sta: 194,
Hit: 86, Exp: 86
➢Organic
Hit: 86, Exp: 86
Lifeform Inverter()
110,
Mastery:
110
(PvP)
Gladiator’s
Quickblade
Crit: 92, Resi: 92
DPS: 462, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 146, Sta: 219,
Hit: 86, Haste: 105
Barb (Helix – Deadmines -
Heroic)
DPS: 409, Speed: 2.70, Agi: 129, Sta: 294,
Hit: 86, Crit: 86
➢Fang
DPS: 521, Speed: 2.6, Agi: 165, Sta: 249,
Crit: 110, Mastery: 110
Bloodthirsty
(PvP)
Gladiator’s
➢Bloodthirsty
Fist
Gladiator’s Right Ripper
DPS: 4378, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 138, Sta: 207,
Crit: 92, Resi: 92
➢Perforator
(Jewelcrafting)
DPS: 362, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 95, Sta: 172,
Crit: 87, Mastery: 38, 1R+10 Mastery
➢Fist
of Pained Senses (Corborus –
DPS: 409, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 129, Sta: 194,
Crit: 86, Haste: 86
➢–Claws
Pummeler
DPS: 4378, Speed: 2.60, AgI: 138, Sta: 207,
Crit: 92, Resi: 92
➢
Stonecore - Heroic)
of Twilight
Mace
Heroic)
(PvP)
Decapitor (BoE)
➢Cruel
of Sparks (Siamat – Lost City –
Hit: 86, Crit: 86
DPS: 437, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 138, Sta: 207,
➢–Krol
➢Hammer
DPS: 409, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 129, Sta: 194,
Sword
Bloodthirsty
Geode Mace (Stonecore BoE)
DPS: 409, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 129, Sta:294,
DPS: 521, Speed: 1.80, Agi:165, Sta:248,
Exp:
➢Heavy
of Tormet ()
DPS: 521, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 165, Sta: 248,
Crit: 110, Haste: 110
➢Viscious
Axes
Gladiator's Cleaver
DPS: 521, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 165, Sta: 248.
Getting Raid Ready
Crit: 110, Resi: 110
➢
Elementium
(Blacksmithing)
Gutsclicer
DPS: 409, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 129, Sta: 194,
Hit: 86, Mastery: 86
➢
in 10 man and 25 man in order to increase
number of bosses, regardless of difficulty. If
Lightning Welk Axe (Lady Naz'jar –
DPS: 409, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 129, Sta: 194,
Hit: 86, Crit: 86
you want to take on boss #2, you can do so
in 10 man, 25 man or heroic modes.
Lich King mentality of “bring the player
and not the class” is still present and has been
Maimgor's Bite
DPS: 521, Speed: 2.60, Agi: 165, Sta: 249,
World of Warcraft. Instead of having to raid
in power, you are now locked into a certain
Throne of Tides – Heroic)
➢
Cataclysm modifies the way raids work in
expanded upon. There are next to no skills
that are raid useful that are limited to a
single class.
Perhaps a buff will be a
percentage or so better for one class over
another, but the buff is available all the same.
Of more important note is that you may
have a limited amount of personal buffs at
any given time.
Potions have temporary
benefits for short periods of time.
Elixirs
have a 1 hour effect but are gone upon
death. Flasks have a 1 hour effect but are not
lost upon death. You can't have a Flask effect
and an Elixir effect at the same time. In most
circumstances, you will use a Flask, food
every time you die and potions as needed in
order to get the most bang for your buck.
As you are preparing for the first 10 man
➢
raid (Bastion of Twilight), you want to keep
Grace quest – Twilight Highlands):
an eye out for the following items, which will
make your life a whole lot easier.
Agi: 173, Sta: 260, Hit: 101, Crit: 124
These
items come from multiple sources including
professions, BoE drops and 5 man heroic
Head
➢
dungeons.
➢
Assassin's
454,
Chest
Chestplate
➢
➢
Boots of the Predator (Ashbury –
➢
quest
–
Twilight
Beauty's
Legs
Chew
Toy
(Beauty
–
(VanCleef
– Honored): Agi: 228, Sta: 401, Crit:
168, Haste: 148, 1R, 1Y+20 Crit
–
Deadmines – Heroic): Agi: 205, Sta:
337, Haste: 150, Mastery: 130, 1Y+10
Leggings of the Impenitent/Swiftflight
Leggings (Dragonclaw/Windhammer
Sta: 337, Hit: 130, Crit: 150, 1Y+10
Shoulder
➢
Agi
Caridean Epaulettes (Ulthok – Throne
of Tides – Heroic): Agi: 205, Sta: 337,
Haste: 130, Exp: 150, 1R+10 Haste
Hands
➢
Dunwald
262, Sta: 454, Hit: 162, Haste: 202
Shadowfang Keep – Heroic): Agi: 205,
Boots
1B,
Blackrock Caverns – Heroic): Agi:
Feet
VanCleef's
162,
Haste: 178, Mastery: 178
454 Haste: 182, Mastery: 182, 1R,
➢
Crit:
Highlands): Agi: 264, Sta: 4002,
Crit
182,
Dunwald Winged Helm (Doing it like
a
Defias Brotherhood Vest (Glubtok –
1Y+20 Mastery
Hit:
1Meta+30 Agi
Hit: 183, Crit: 253
➢
Helm of Numberless Shadows (Azil –
Stonecore – Heroic): Agi: 242, Sta:
(Leatherworking): Agi: 341, Sta: 512,
➢
Throat Slitter Handguards (Coup de
➢
Gloves of Haze (Asaad – Vortex
Pinnacle – Heroic): Agi: 205, Sta: 337,
Crit: 150, Mastery: 130, 1B+10 Crit
Thieving
(Sprinvale
–
Sta: 337, Crit: 130, Haste: 150, 1Y+20
Haste
Spaulders
Waist
➢
Belt
of
Ring
Nefarious
Whispers
➢
(Leatherworking): Agi: 253, Sta: 280,
➢
Quicksand
Belt
(Ramkahen
–
➢
Poison Fang Bracers (Anhuur – Halls
1Y+10 Hit
Sta: 252, Hit: 112, Haste: 112
Double Dealing Bracers (Walden –
Trinket
➢
6250 damage
➢
Back
10 sec
➢
Ring
–
(Corla
–
Key
to
the
Endless
Chamber
Agility by 1710 for 10 sec
Though you don’t specifically need these
Mouth of the Earth (Ptah – Halls of
exact items but they are relatively easy to
252, Hit: 112, Exp: 112
going for some time
Origination – Heroic): Agi: 168, Sta:
➢
Herald
Heroic): Hit: 285, Chance to increase
Haste: 112
➢
the
(Corborus – Throne of Tides –
Revered): Agi: 168, Sta: 252, Hit: 112,
Neck
of
285, Chance to grant 1710 Crit for
(Earthen
Grace
Blackrock Caverns – Heroic): Agi:
Cape of the Brotherhood (Cookie –
Cape
Darkmoon Card: Hurricane: Agi: 321,
Chance to strike enemy for 3750-
Sta: 252, Crit: 112, Mastery: 112
Softwind
Band of Blades (Jewelcrafting): Agi:
138, Sta: 252, Hit: 97, Crit: 116,
of Origination – Heroic): Agi: 168,
➢
Signet of the Elder Council (Earthen
Haste: 127, Mastery: 127
Wrist
252, Hit: 112, Haste: 112
Balance
Ring – Exalted): Agi: 190, Sta: 286,
➢
➢
of
252, Hit: 112, Mastery: 112
Crit: 130, 1B+10 Agi
➢
Signet
(Therazane – Revered): Agi: 168, Sta:
Revered): Agi: 205, Sta: 337, Hit: 150,
➢
Terrath's
Barnacle Pendant (Throne of Tides –
BoE drop): Agi: 168, Sta: 252, Haste:
98, Exp: 120
acquire in 5 man groups and will keep you
Using a combination of the items listed
above, reaching over 2000 Agility, 30,000
bonus hp and lots of Hit, Crit and Haste.
•2.2%
less critical damage against you
If you are aiming for a PvP build
(especially Arenas) you should be aiming for
Resists vs Stamina
Some people say rogues need a certain
amount of resist to do certain encounters. As
at least 1000 Resilience. All PvP gear has
resilience. Note that the resilience rating is
capped at 6900 (25%).
the game stands, this simply isn’t true. If you
were to get 250 resist, you would still only
have a 25% chance to completely resist a
spell, 80% to resist 50% or more dmg.
Stamina on the other hand will simply
absorb the damage. Cloak of Shadows gives
you a 90% chance to resist all spells every
60sec.
Pre-expansion, resists were essential to
complete certain fights.
This made some
content impossible to attend if you didn't
spend hours and 100s of gold getting the
right gear.
Resilience
Resilience is a very interesting stat.
It
reduces the chance of being critically struck
in combat and the damage from DoT spells.
Good in PvE but essential in PvP. At 85, every
276 Resilience rating gives you the following
benefits:
•1%
•1%
less damage taken
less crits against you
Chest
Peerless Stats (Enchanting): +22 All
Enchants and You
Stats
Enchanting is a very powerful profession.
Wrist
It takes a lot of money to master and a lot of
Greater Speed (Enchanting): Haste: 65
time to get the very rare recipes. Usually if
Greater Critical Strike (Enchanting):
help you out though if you supply the
Precision (Enchanting): Hit: 50
you’re in a guild there is someone who can
materials. There are also enchants that you
Crit: 65
Greater
can purchase or quest for. I will explain
types. The order I list them in is the order I
think that provides the best bonus.
Head
 Arcanum
of
the
Ramhaken
(Ramhaken – Revered): Agi: 60, Haste:
35
 Greater
Shoulder
Inscription
Waist
Ebonsteel Belt Buckle (Blacksmithing):
Adds a gem slot
Hands
Haste (Enchanting): Haste: 50
Greater Mastery (Enchanting): Mastery:
50
Greater
of
Shattered
Crystal (Therazane – Exalted): Agi: 50,
Expertise
Expertise: 50
Gnome
Mastery 25
Matic
(Enchanting):
Phase
Fingers
(Engineered) - +340 Haste for 12s,
1min cooldown
Back
 Greater Critical Strike (Enchanting):
Crit: 65
(Enchanting):
Expertise: 50
those here as well. Enchants only work on
certain armor slots and certain weapon
Expertise
Legs
Dragonscale
Leg
Armor
(Leatherworking): AP: 190, Crit: 55
Charscale Leg Armor (Leatherworking):
Agi: 55, Sta: 145
Some wonder when is a good time to
enchant gear, as you are likely to replace that
Feet
piece in short order. My answer is once you
Major Agility (Enchanting): Agi: 50
hit 85, enchant all your gear that you can, as
Mastery (Enchanting): Mastery: 50
enchanted player is looking at a good 500-
Haste (Enchanting): Haste: 50
long as you have the money to do so. A fully
Precision (Enchanting): Hit: 50
1000 increase in ratings, or a 5-10%
movement speed increase
seem like much but in my experience, every
Assassin's Step (Enchanting): Agi: 25,
Lavawalker (Enchanting): Mastery: 35,
movement speed increase
increase in damage potential. It might not
little bit helps keep you alive and successful.
Gems
Weapons
➢Hurricane:
Chance to increase Haste by
➢Landslide:
Chance to increase Attack
➢Avalanche:
Chance to deal 460-530
As noted earlier, many items contain gem
450 for 12 seconds.
slots,
Power by 1000 for 10 seconds.
Red, Blue and Yellow.
Nature damage on hit
which
when
combined
provide
additional bonuses. There are 3 basic colors,
There are 3
combination colors made up of the 3 basic
ones that can also take their place, Purple
(Blue+Red), Orange (Red+Yellow) and Green
➢
(Blue+Yellow).
Some enchants cost a fair bit more than
others, so don't be afraid to take a weaker
variant (say +50 instead of +65) if cash is an
issue, especially if it's on a piece of
equipment you will be replacing soon.
Finally, Meta gems, which
can only fit into Meta slots and require other
colored gems to be present on your character
in order to get the bonus.
Gem slots require a certain color, either
Blue, Red or Yellow. Some gems work in
multiple colors, so the register as successfully
filling in the color requirement. Inserting
the appropriate colored gem unlocks the slot
bonus.
 Accurate Demonseye: 20 Hit, 20
Gems and slot bonuses are interesting
Expertise
beasts. I use AEP to figure out if it's even
worth getting the slot bonus. For example, if
a slot required a Blue gem for 10 Agility, I
know that is worth 22.8AEP. The best gem I
Blue
 Rigid Ocean Sapphire: 40 Hit
 Glinting Demonsye: 20 Agi, 20 Hit
can put into a slot is a Delicate Chimera's
Eye (JC only) but that is a red-only gem. It
Yellow
has 190AEP. The best blue-type gem is a
 Lightning Dream Emerald: 20 Hit, 20
will give me 113+22.8=135.8 AEP, which is
 Deft Ember Topaz: 20 Agi, 20 Haste
me. In this particular case, it's not worth
Meta
Glinting Demonseye at 113 AEP. That gem
still less than the 190 the Chimera's Eye gives
using the blue gem but the red one instead.
If the slot bonus had been 30 Agility, then it
Haste
 Chaotic
+54CRIT, 3% Crit Damage
would have been worth it (197 total AEP).
Try to take a look at the bonus, see if it's
worth it for you to sacrifice a better gem for
a slot bonus. Sometimes it is, sometimes it
isn't.
Even though there appears to be a large
selection, once you reach 360 To Hit (since
with Precision, you need an extra 3% to Hit
to successfully hit all special attacks), the
gem selection options are reduced. Please see
the optimizing section below for details as to
which gems you should be using.
Diamond:
Glyphs
Glyphs were added in the Lich King
expansion and allowed players to add
customization to their players.
They act
similar to talents, in that you have more
choices than points to spend and they affect
skills.
They are different in that you can
easily swap them out while out in the world
if you fee like it.
There are 3 types of glyphs in WoW.
Prime
Red
Shadowspirit
glyphs affect skills and talents,
typically adding damage or effects and are
 Delicate Inferno Topaz: 40 Agi
 Glinting Demonseye: 20 Agi, 20 Hit
usually linked to the talent tree you select.
Major glyphs are similar in that they affect
skills but in a smaller fashion, such as
➢
duration and range. Minor glyphs are nearly
all cosmetic or flavorful; running on water
the damage of finishers by 10%
➢
or removing the cooldown on Lockpick. At
➢
and 3 at level 75.
➢
Minor glyph slot. You get two at level 50
two talent builds, the glyphs would change as
➢
talent builds, so if you were to swap between
a
glyph
requires
be done anywhere in the world but you must
be out of combat. Finally, once you learn a
glyph, you have access to it forever.
Major Glyphs:
➢
Glyph of Adrenaline Rush – Increase
➢
➢
Glyph of Blade Flurry - Reduces the
energy penalty in Blade Flurry by
Glyph of Backstab – Backstab criticals
50%.
grant 5 energy
➢
chance of eviscerate by 10%
➢
to bleed for 40% of the damage of the
➢
Glyph of Eviscerate – Increase critical
Glyph of Blind – Removes all damage
over time effects on target
Glyph of Hemorrhage – Causes target
Glyph of Cloak of Shadows – When
active, take 40% less damage
strike over 24 seconds
➢
Glyph of Ambush - Increases the
range on Ambush by 5 yards.
duration by 5 seconds
➢
Glyph of Vendetta – Increase duration
by 20%
➢
Prime Glyphs:
➢
Glyph of Slice and Dice – Increase
duration by 6 secs
a
component (Dust of Disappearance) and can
➢
Glyph of Sinister Strike – Skill has a
20% chance to grant an extra CP
➢
➢
Glyph of Shadow Dance – Increase
the duration by 2 secs
Glyph setups are locked in with your
Changing
Glyph of Rupture – Increase the
duration by 4 secs
level 25 you get 1 Prime, 1 Major and 1
well.
Glyph of Revealing Strike – Increase
Glyph of Crippling Poison - Increases
the chance to trigger Crippling Poison
Glyph of Killing Spree – Increases the
by 20%.
damage of the skill by 10%
➢
the skill by 5
➢
Glyph of Mutilate – Reduce the cost of
Glyph of Deadly Throw - Increases
the slowing effect by 20%.
Glyph of Evasion - Increases the
duration of Evasion by 5 sec.
➢
Glyph of Expose Armor - Increases
➢
the duration of Expose Armor by 12
to walk on water while your Sprint
sec.
➢
Glyph of Fan of Knives – Increase
range by 50%
➢
➢
➢
Glyph of Feint
ability is active.
➢
Major - Reduces
yards.
the energy cost of Feint by 20.
➢
silence effect of Garrote by 2sec.
➢
Glyph of Garrote - Increases the
yards.
Glyph of Kick – Increases the
➢
the cooldown by 6 seconds if you
➢
Glyph
of
Preparation
-
Your
resets
the
cooldown
of
Kick,
Preparation
ability
also
Dismantle, and Smoke Bomb.
➢
instantly
Glyph of Sap - Increases the duration
of Sap on non players by 80 secs.
➢
Glyph of Sprint - Increases speed
bonus by 30%
➢
Glyph of Poisons – Reduces the time
to apply poisons by 50%
Glyph of Safe Fall - Increases the
distance your safe fall ability allows
you to fall without damage.
From the list above, there are some that
have more benefit than others. Obviously,
focus on the skills that you use. If you're a
sword rogue, no need for Backstab.
Prime Glyphs typically are self-evident
Glyph of Tricks of the Trade -
depending on your talent spec.
target's damage bonus by 5%
Rush, Rupture and Killing Spree are your
Removes energy cost but reduces
➢
Glyph of Pick Pocket - Increases the
range of your Pick Pocket skill by 5
cooldown by 4 seconds but reduces
➢
Glyph of Pick Lock - Reduces the cast
time of your Pick Lock ability by 75%.
Glyph of Gouge - No longer requires
interrupt a spell
Glyph of Distract - Increases the
range of your Distract ability by 5
target to be facing you
➢
Glyph of Blurred Speed - Enables you
Glyph of Vanish - Increases the
duration by 2 secs.
If you're
Combat, then Sinister Strike, Adrenaline
main choices.
Minor Glyphs
Major glyphs get a bit more interesting as
they affect your normal skills. Sap, Tricks of
the Trade and Gouge will probably see the
most use in dungeon runs and raids. Fan of
Knives will see more use as you get into AE
situations.
For Minor Glyphs, it depends on what
skills you use and where you use them. If
you PvP a lot, then Safe Fall, Blurred Speed
and Vanish would be the most useful.
If
you're chaining kills while leveling, maybe
Pick Pocket would be useful.
Lockpick glyph.
I love the
T
your
you’ll need to spend a lot of time in the
PROFESSIONS
Auction House selling and buying to keep
hroughout your travels you’ll come
across a ton of trade skill items
equipped and perhaps spend some time pick
pocketing humanoids for junkboxes.
available to you, either through
guild,
friends
or
your
manufacture. It’s important to understand
how professions affect you as a rogue and
what best fits.
There are professions and
secondary schools of trade. You can only
select 2 professions and as many secondaries
as you want. The professions are: Alchemy,
Blacksmithing,
Enchanting,
Engineering,
Herbalism, Jewelcrafting, Leatherworking,
Mining, Skinning, and Tailoring.
Profession Details
own
The
secondary schools are First Aid, Cooking,
Fishing and new in Cataclysm - Archeology.
Aside from Fishing, Cooking, First Aid and
Archeology,
combination
you
of
can
2
of
only
the
select
a
following
professions. Every rogue should get First Aid.
Cooking and Fishing can be raised together
at a later date and can provide some
significant boosts at level 60 and above.
Archeology doesn't provide any real benefits
than a nice way to waste time and learn the
lore of the game.
Alchemy – Used to make potions. Requires
For a power leveling rogue, you will select
Herbalism to actually be useful though.
as they generate the most money by far.
but you’ll find the most use from the Agility
Skinning and Mining as your two professions
Herbalism can be good too but few items
require low level herbs. AT maximum level,
herbs can bring in a ton of cash though,
since people burn through them making
potions. The only problem with skinning is
that you need to hunt beasts, and they do not
drop money or items.
This simply means
Many potions are used in different trade skill
potions and healing potions. If your Rogue
isn't an alchemist, you should have one of
your alternates be one. This skill will save
you thousands of gold. I personally have 9
alchemists on my account, solely to do
Transmutes, which generate 100+ gold each,
per day, for about 30 seconds of work.
Blacksmithing – You can use about 4 items
Herbalism – Used to collect herbs. They
total in this profession. Requires Mining as
can be sold to others or used with the
well. Not suggested at all.
Enchanting – Enchant your equipment and
others with some pretty amazing bonuses.
Requires green or better items to disenchant
Alchemy skill or Inscription.
The hardest
skill to raise as herbs are difficult to find.
There is money to be made though.
Inscription – This allows you an enchant
to increase skill though and therefore the
your shoulders. This used to be the biggest
most expensive and difficult skill to raise. I
money maker in the game but now that
but if you have the cash and time (lots of
remains to be seen if it stays on top. Early in
would not suggest taking this path to start
time) to spare, then this can turn a profit at
level 85.
Engineering – The only skill where 90% of
the items can only be used by fellow
engineers with enough skill.
Can make
bombs and a large variety of unique items.
Jumper Cables can resurrect someone, shoot
Glyphs aren't destroyed when changed, it
the expansion, making Cards for Darkmoon
Faire
(Hurricane
Deck
certainly)
will
probably make you 2000-5000 per card.
Worth considering but requires a LOT of
time and UI addons to not go insane
managing all the items.
Jewelcrafting – The art of cutting gems.
rockets out of your finger, deploy a
Nearly every decent item at 85 has gem slots
whole pile of other cool things. Can also
don’t need the skill to put them in your gear
parachute to stop damage on falling and a
create pets to help you out in battle. Requires
Mining to increase the skill.
The major
reason for being an engineer is that you can
buy 99% of all the craftable items from every
other tradeskill BUT engineering. You need
to be an engineer to use engineering items.
Oh, did I mention that you can build a
motorcycle and a helicopter?
friggin' cool!
Ya, pretty
and you need the skill to make them. You
though and none are bind on pickup.
Having 1 or 2 Jewelcrafters in a guild is
sufficient for most. If you’re interested in
starting the skill, it costs about 500g to get to
300 skill, the point where you actually start
to cut gems. Still a while to go after that
though.
If you have an Alchemist to
transmute the Epic gems for you, there is an
First Aid – Take this skill. Live it, love it.
insane amount of profit to be had here. I
Since you will be killing humanoids, they
skill.
This
made 100,000 gold in a month with this
Leatherworking
amazing gear.
–
Can
make
some
will drop the items required to raise this skill.
nearly
eliminates
any
downtime.
Hunting Humanoids gives all the items
necessary to use this skill.
If you are
If you were not to take
skinning, you won’t find any First Aid items
your own gear from level 35 on up. There
This skill is actually a requirement to enter
mining, you should take this skill and make
are some pretty good pieces of gear you can
make but next to none of it is limited to
Leatherworkers. The main consumable is leg
patches, where there is some profit but
nothing compared to other professions.
Mining – Great to make cash. Used with
Blacksmithing and Engineering as well. Can
be a pain to raise at certain points, but
finding ore is not a big issue.
Skinning – The best skill to make money
from. Leather is used in a lot of professions
and sells for a ton of cash. Best used with
Leatherworking, though with Mining you
make even more money. Maxing this skill
increases your critical chance by 1%.
Tailoring – Used mainly by mages because
the gear is cloth only.
Can make bags
however, which everyone needs.
suggested for a rogue though.
Not
and would switch over to Cooking instead.
some guilds.
Cooking – Get this skill to 60 at least. You
can make Thistle Tea (+100 Energy, 5 min
cool down) at that skill level which is a great
rogue item.
Going past this skill level
requires the hunting of beasts (which you
would be doing if a skinner) and can save
some downtime later on. Can also give stat
boosts to stamina and spirit. The easiest way
to raise this skill to 60 is simply to take
Fishing and cool all the fish you catch. The
reason I don’t expect you to put a whole lot
of thought into raising this skill is for the fact
that you will be hunting Humanoids and
getting bandages that are much more
effective than food. As you level however,
keep all the recipes you acquire.
At max
level, you can make some pretty amazing
items, one such gives 90 stamina and agility.
You can always buy the food as it is a
At 85, you have a few options. I don’t
requirement for raiding – either through
suggest Enchanting if you’re in a guild.
makes levelling easier.
Leatherworking has some amazing patterns
group feasts or individual meals. Food also
Fishing – A time sink if there ever was one
Someone
else
will
have
it
already.
that you can make a few gold with or equip,
but once someone buys something, they
but my favorites nonetheless. If you’ve got
won’t necessarily come back. Engineering is
fishing. Combined with cooking, this is a
trinkets can do some cool tricks and you
combat as you can simply cook the fish you
amazing head pieces). Alchemy is just an
nothing to do, just plop your line in and start
good way to keep a buff on you during
catch. Because it takes about 15 hours of
non-stop fishing to reach max level, there
are very few fishermen. Selling the fish at
high level is a good way to make a nice
profit. My Rogue has always kept this skill at
maximum, I find it quite relaxing.
Personally, I enjoy
herbalism and mining as I don’t hunt beasts
with my rogue. I say gathering because you
want to get as much cash as possible for your
All other professions cost
money to increase.
amazing thing to have.
Everyone uses
potions and uses them a lot and will always
bring money in. Having herbalism just
increases profits by a ridiculous amount. My
rogue is a Miner and Engineer, with maxed
cooking, fishing and first aid. I have 9 other
and another skill.
From 1-40 I highly suggest you get 2
mount at 20.
NEED the skill to use the items (such as some
characters on the same server, all Alchemists
Suggested Professions
gathering professions.
a great profession to have as the high end
The tradeskills that have brought me the
most amount of money are, in order:
Inscription (glyphs), Alchemy (transmutes),
Jewelcrafting
(gems)
and
Enchanting
(enchants). In a single month I made over
100,000 gold with about 1 hour a day of
work.
W
you otherwise.
GROUPS
It is a great tool in an
instance where there are large groups of
oW is unique in that you can
get to level 85 completely solo
without a terrible amount of
trouble. However, groups are where it’s at
for instances with the best loot.
It’s
important to know your role in a group and
to stick to it. Also very important, is knowing
what you can do and can’t do. This section
deals with the aspects of grouping, what to
look for and the pros and cons of it.
moving targets. There are times while you
will be in combat and you’ll notice
wanderers coming around that will jump in
and make things complicated. You can buy
15 seconds to the fight with a well placed
Distract. Anything not in the green circle
will not be affected.
Here’s the general idea behind Distract
Pulling. Follow near the group while in
Stealth and drop the Distract so only a few
turn around to look and the others will walk
Mastering The Pull
The most important part of a group is
pulling, which is the ability to draw enemies
to a safe place to kill them. Make no mistake
about it, pulling is an art and it will take you
time to truly understand the intricacies.
Learning when and how to use your skills
can make the difference between life and
death. In most cases, your job will be simple.
Sap something.
away. Use this time to Sap one opponent and
draw the others to the group of casters. At
this point, I suggest having the tank attack
with a ranged weapon to draw the opponent
that is not sapped and once they start
running, turn on auto-attack.
Make sure
you have crippling poison here as it will
make the target run slower to the group and
allow for more ranged damage. More than
likely, the target will slowly run towards the
group giving ample time for ranged damage
and allow the main tank to get ready to take
Using Distract Properly
The first step is something that not a lot of
rogues use properly; the Distract skill. Sure,
you use it solo when you want to get a
Pickpocket or an Ambush off but rogues
rarely use this in a group. I’m here to show
the aggro off you if you have any. If they are
a caster, they might just stand there and cast.
In that case, use Kick on them and they will
run towards the group. Remember to use the
Feint skill after the tank hits the enemy a few
times. Rinse and repeat.
Using Sap
In PvP, you can use distract to stop
someone in their tracks, as long as they are
not in combat. This can really cause havoc in
Warsong Gulch.
Sap is one of the rogue’s greatest tools. It is
used nearly solely to pull groups of multiple
enemies.
Targeting and Group Skills
Selecting the proper target is important.
If you’re going to be pulling it’s also a
Make sure you sap the pure melees first.
good idea to be group leader. This way you
They have the most hit points and take the
this, select your target and right-click their
there are no pure melees then sap the least
can assign symbols to your targets. To do
profile.
You can assign a few different
symbols so the rest of the group can have an
idea of who to target and in what sequence.
Explain your symbols at the start and it will
make a run go smooth.
You also need to know your groups skills.
Do you have a warlock to banish? A mage to
polymorph? A secondary tank? Sap only
works on Humanoids. Polymorph only on
Beasts and Humanoids.
Mind Control
(Priests) only works on Humanoids. Shackle
longest to kill and should be left for last. If
annoying target. An example of this is the
hunters in Zul’Farrak. They can cast Hex,
which turns you into a frog and you can’t do
anything. Many times you will be faced with
a choice of a caster or a hunter. Sap the
caster even though they would easily die. If
you miss the sap then you’re attacking the
caster and your group will kill it before the
hunter. If you succeed, then pull the hunter
to the group and destroy it asap.
In high level instances, Rogues pulling is
Undead (Priests) only works on Undead.
common place. You would Stealth behind an
Elementals.
another to pull to the group. Normally, you
Banish (Warlock) works on Demons and
Take all of that into consideration when
assigning targets.
No use is assigning a
Polymorph to a demon or a Banish to a beast.
opponent, Sap them and let someone hit
will simply sap the opponent that takes the
longest to kill and kill the opponent with the
least hit points first. Sap melees, kill casters.
Of course, sometimes this will be invested,
depending on your group
group, let them do all the damage while you
Group Strategies
Let’s face it. You’re eventually going to
have to group to get that item you’re craving.
After level 40, there are very few items you
concentrate on stunning. It’s better to each
have a specific role then to just do whatever
you feel like.
can acquire alone that are really great. The
If you have a paladin, things change a tad.
rogue is one of the most diverse classes in the
You can opt to have the paladin use their
best against what enemy and what you can
or have them use their attack-increasing
game. You need to know exactly what works
do in a group to make things go by smoother.
aggro reducing aura and go for full damage
aura and go all out for damage. The problem
with the 2nd option is that you will be getting
hit. There is no class that can stop a rogue
Pure Melee Groups
This usually happens when you’re in a
quick group to finish a quest. You don’t have
a full-time healer or caster to help. Pure
melee groups do not work in an instance.
You have to decide based on your group
mates, what tactic is best.
from getting aggro when that aura is in
effect. Since a paladin can heal, it’s best to
take down the enemy as fast as possible and
get healed after the fight. Vanish to get out
of a tight spot. Tricks of the Trade on the
tanks will save your hide!
If you’re with a hunter and no paladin,
If you don’t have a paladin things are a
make sure their pet has the growl skill
abilities and are still considered melee.
pet will be the tank). If they don’t, you’re
little different, since they have mild healing
Basically, you have a great damage group but
you need to take the least amount of damage
possible. Have the warrior pull and open
with Cheap Shot(CS) and use Kidney
Shot(KS) once you get to 5 points. Only use
KS once though, as it has diminishing returns
and will not work twice on the same
opponent. If you have another rogue in the
(growl is a hate generating skill, meaning the
going to get hit a lot so prepare for that.
Opening with Ambush is a good idea here
simply because the hunter can do a ton of
damage with their ranged weapon and you
want the target to die as fast as possible. I
prefer to use Kidney Shot here because the
damage from Eviscerate is easily offset with
the hunter’s damage.
Matter of fact,
grouping solely with a hunter is a good thing
if the pet can hold aggro for long enough. A
hunter’s
DPS(damage
per
second)
is
amazingly high and is second only to the
rogue.
In this case, you want to open with CS and
then KS once the target moves towards the
casters. You’ll usually have a 3-4 second
stun after opening which is more than
If you’re in a group with a fellow rogue, I
highly suggest you both use CS but not at the
same time. One of you opens with CS and
starts attacking normally. When the first CS
wears off, the second rogue opens with CS
enough time for the casters to kill the
opponent. Try stunning in a group of casters
and I near guarantee you will make their
friend’s list after an enemy drops.
Since most caster groups are AE groups
and then you both attack. You’re looking at
(Area Efffect spells), the want the targets to
with some really high damage against the
Learn to use Fan of Knives properly and you
near 10 seconds of no damage against you
target.
stick close together and not move around.
will far exceed any other class in AE damage.
Generally though, in a pure melee group
you’re going to want to use stuns as much as
possible. It’s great because the group can
Balanced Groups
This is generally what you’re looking for
tear through creatures without too much
in an instance.
group is greatly reduced.
(warrior/druid/paladin) and a DPS unit
trouble and the damage inflicted on the
(priest/shaman/paladin/druid),
a
tank
(rogue/hunter/mage/warlock) with 2 others.
Sometimes you’ll be in a group with a priest,
Pure Caster Groups
These groups are more common in the
higher levels as AE (Area Effect) killing
becomes more effective.
It consists of a healer
Basically, pure
paladin and 3 rogues. This can be a great
thing.
Ideally in a group, you will be the only
caster groups are all about instant damage
rogue. You will also be the designated puller
excessive damage.
you ask to become the puller and get some
and do not have the hit points to take
They are all ranged
attackers. Regardless if you have a priest or
not, it’s all about the offensive spells.
in most cases. If you’re not, I highly suggest
practice in. As a puller, follow the steps I
described in section above.
In higher level encounters, where targets
If you don’t pull or you are a secondary
have very high hit points and armor you
choice that depends on the group dynamic.
If you find you are doing very small amounts
other and decide which works best. I suggest
finishing with Rupture.
rogue then you will have an interesting
Try one style for a few kills then swap to the
starting with stuns, that is, opening with CS
might want to completely swap off to DoTs.
of damage, try opening with Garrote and
and letting a 5pt KS off for 10 seconds of
If you are grouped with another rogue, ask
stun total per kill. Very effective and gives
them what poisons they are using and what
all the time. This tactic is especially lethal
than one rogue using crippling poison is a
priests the ability to do other things than heal
against casters, more so when combine with
Kick.
The second style is to Ambush and
Backstab then finish with Eviscerate, so a
pure damage rogue.
You’ll want instant
poisons on your daggers in this style as well.
If you are fighting a caster, remember to use
Kick.
It has a very low energy cost and
works just like a 6 second stun as casters do
very little melee damage. If there are a lot of
fighting style they are going to use. More
waste, as is more than one rogue who’s using
stuns. That is, unless you plan out your stuns
and one of you always open with CS first
while the other waits 5 seconds to open with
another CS and you both ignore KS (which
after 2 CS would be severely weak) allowing
you to still have nearly 10 seconds of stun
and 5 point Eviscerates each. Talk to the
other Rogue so that your attacks don’t
overwrite each other.
targets attacking your group and you know
your Eviscerate will be waster on a target, opt
instead for Slice and Dice. It will allow you
to increase your DPS against the next target.
Good Group Buffs
If you’re in a group, might as well take
advantage of the buffs other classes can give
you. Here’s a listing per type of buff you
should try to have on as much as possible, in
the order of use. As you'll see, many classes
Attack Power
bring the same buff to the game, so odds are
really good that you'll have most of these in a
5 man group and near 99% chance of having
Death Knight: Abomination's Might (10%)
them all in a 10 man group.
Hunter: Trueshot Aura (10%)
Paladin: Blessing of Might (10%)
Shaman: Unleashed Rage (10%)
Agility + Stamina
Druid: Mark of the Wild (5%)
Attack Speed
Hunter:Shale Spider (5%)
Paladin: Blessing of Kings (5%)
Hunter: Hunting Party (10%)
Death Knight: Improved Frosty Talons
(10%)
Stamina
Shaman: Windfury Totem (10%)
Priest: Power Word Fortitude (584)
Hunter: Silithid (584)
Critical Strike
Warlock: Blood Pact (584)
Warrior: Commading Shout (584)
Druid: Leader of the Pack (5%)
Hunter: Devilsaur/Wolf (5%)
Rogue: Honor Among Thieves (5%)
Shaman: Elemental Oath (5%)
Agility + Strength
Warrior: Rampage (5%)
Death Knight: Horn of Winter (549)
Hunter: Cat/Spirit Beast (549)
Shaman: Strength of Earth (549)
Experience Areas For Groups
Warrior: Battle Shout (549)
There’s no question here, instances are
Haste
where you want to be when in a full group
Hunter: Core Hound (30%/40s)
Mage: Time Warp (30%/40s)
for maximum experience gain.
Shaman: Bloodlust/Heroism (30%/40s)
Elites
opponents give you a ton more experience
than regular opponents and in a group are
just as easy.
More than likely, you’ll be level 20 in less
than a week. If you start on a Friday night
Levels 1-20
and play through the entire weekend you
I highly advise against grouping with
can hit 20 by Sunday if you know what
this point of the game, very few people know
tear through everything with ease and no
anyone until you’re well into your teens. At
how to use their class and skills properly and
honestly, you’re going to die a lot because of
you’re doing. Grouped with a healer you’ll
downtime.
it. That being said, there are a few times you
will want to group to get chain quests out of
the way, Defense of the Lands in Loch Modan
is one example.
If you’re Alliance, I suggest heading to
Loch Modan or Westfall in the teens, then
head to Redridge until you’re level 20. Yes, if
you’re a night elf, you need to travel far but
there are no non-night elves in Teldrassil or
Darkshore and you’re missing out on
Levels 21-40
At this point you will have a good grasp of
what you can and can’t do as a rogue. You
will acquire the last of your rogue skills and
get to try out different combinations. You
will also get to actually see some use from
your talents as you’ll be deep enough into the
trees to access some of the stronger talents.
As an Alliance you’re looking at Duskwood
grouping with mages, warlocks and paladins.
and the Wetlands for 20-30, Stranglethorn
If you’re Horde, the Barrens are where it’s
quests in STV require groups and give some
at. You don’t need to group much at all here
but you can head into the Wailing Caverns
instance for some decent experience.
Vale(STV) for nearly all of your 30s. The
excellent rogue items.
As Horde, you’re more than likely still in
the Barrens for a few levels. Head out to
Stonetalon Mountains and 1000 Needles for
the rest of your 20s, in that order. For the
30s, I also suggest STV through Gromgol as
there are some very nice quests to complete
for some good gear.
Near the end of your 30s, I highly suggest
You should head to Badlands for the early
heading to the Scarlet Monastery(SM) as
40s and knock off Uldaman by level 45.
good dagger(Black Menace) or sword(Blade
quests then up to Mauradon. Make sure you
There’s nothing wrong with simply doing SM
instance and go through it multiple times.
there is a quest that will give you either a
of Harmony). The Tigerbane also drops here.
until you hit 40.
Head off to Feralas to complete some easy
collect as many quests as you can for this
There is some very good rogue loot here so
kill all the named opponents a few times.
Before you hit SM, hit Gnomeregan and
get to the end to kill Thermaplugg to
After you’ve done your run of Mauradon,
complete the quest to get Triprunner
head to Tanaris and knock of Zul’Farrak.
your 40s. You can also pick up the Toxic
and you can probably do 7 of them in 1 run
Dungarees. You’ll keep these pants well into
Revenger.
I won’t go into super big details for these
levels as they are very fast to get through,
20-30 will be a week’s worth and 30-40
There are about 9 quests for this zone alone
that lasts 2 hours. It’s best done at level 48+
and you will have a great chance to practice
your Distract Pulls here.
Later on, you can head to the Sunken
about the same. Playing 4 hours a night you
Temple to run off a few quests, which is by
not more. Just do as many quests as you can.
not much going on group wise but you can
should easily get at least 1 level per session if
now an easy instance. From 50-55 there’s
head to Ungoro Crater and both the East and
West Plaguelands.
Levels 41-60
This is when the rogue truly stands out.
There is very little difference between Horde
and Alliance either as they usually each have
their own outpost in most zones. I won’t go
Blackrock
Depths,
From 55 on up, its
Black
Rock
Spire,
Stratholme and then Scholomance, in that
order of difficulty.
These instances used to be the cream of the
into too much detail here because this is the
crop. Remember, since the expansion pack
grouped for the end of the 50s.
finding groups as they require a fair amount
Groups section and you really will only be
these instances now have a lot of difficult
Levels 70-80
of skill and gear to complete. Feel free to visit
them but be aware that nearly every single
item you acquire here can be replaced by the
Auction House at 60.
WotLK brings even more instances to the
fold. Similar to the Burning Crusade, you
can enter the LFG system to find teammates
for the appropriate levels.
Levels 60-70
In the Burning Crusade there are a lot of
Blizzard has gone to great lengths to
additional 5 man instances to do, 13 to be
ensure that all classes are viable in a group
Group) and keep questing alone rather than
really needed a warrior, a priest/druid and a
exact.
You can join a LFG (Looking for
sit around waiting for a group. Press the “I”
button to enter this screen. I’ll describe the
instances in more detail later on in the guide
but a quick look follows:
for a given role.
Before Patch 3.01, you
mage to do any instance. This left 2 spots
open.
Since the patch, you can have a
warrior, paladin, death knight or a druid as a
tank in any instance. Paladins, druids and
priests are all viable healers. Many classes
have similar skills to polymorph as well. This
60-64
Hellfire Ramparts, Blood Furnace, Slave
Pens
means that in any group, you have a lot more
selection in who to bring along, based on
skill instead of class.
All that to say that
grouping since the patch has been a whole
lot easier.
65-69
The Underbog, Mana Tombs, Auchenai
Crypts, Sethekk Halls
That being said, I do not suggest actively
grouping for dungeons from 70-80.
By
doing all or most of the quests in a zone, you
will reach 80 with 2 zones left to do. Quests
70
Hellfire Ramparts, Steamvault, Shadow
Labyrinth, Mechanar, Botanica, Arcatraz
are really the most amazing source of
experience, so if you do group, do so for the
sole purpose of questing.
Levels 80-85
progress in both experience and gear.
Playing alone, just doing quests, you can
expect to hit 85 in about 24 hours played, or
Cataclysm expands on Lich King changes,
especially towards grouping. The LFG tool
2 weeks of playing 2 hours a day.
will allow players from across all servers in a
zone (US, Europe, Oceanic) to play together,
so getting into a group should be a lot easier.
Since so many classes bring so much to the
table, players are more valuable than classes.
This means that it's a lot easier to fill in an
empty slot with pretty much anyone, so
making friends and grouping with them
again in the future is simpler.
Blizzard
has
opted
to
increase
the
difficulty of instances when compared to
Lich King dungeons but not as drastic as it
was in Burning Crusade. Players will need to
use crowd control skills (Sap, Polymorph,
Hex, stuns, etc...) to ensure success in a
group.
Some players will have to remap
skills that they haven't used in 2 years.
While leveling in dungeons is incredibly
simple in Cataclysm due to the LFG tool, the
increased difficulty will hinder experience
growth. If you can get a good group going
and keep playing with them (or perhaps your
guild), then you can make some great
W
Ambush/Poison/Mutilate
SOLO
ell played, the rogue is the
most effective solo player in
World of Warcraft. You can
play and have virtually no down time
whatsoever making experience gain very
fast. Let me state here that questing in WoW
is were a lot of the best items and experience
is gained but that questing is not necessarily
the best way to level up. In fact, it more often
than not slows down your leveling ability
with all the running around you need to do.
After about level 35 you will still have quests
to do, but it will be more effective to grind as
they tend to send you across zones to talk to
people.
Once you have access to the
Outlands, questing becomes a viable way to
level up again as there is an abundance of
quests along the way.
very effective killing up all through your
levels.
The basic idea is to get to the
opponents back and open with an Ambush,
using Sinister Strike until you get 5 combo
points and unleashing an Eviscerate (with
Cold Blood if you have it).
With proper
talents, you can get 3 combo points off the
opener. Instant Poison should be on both
weapons.
Once you have access to Mutilate (level
10) the combo changes a bit. Ambush, wait,
Gouge, wait, Kidney Shot, Mutilate, Mutilate,
Eviscerate. You need to use Instant Poison on
the main hand and Deadly Poison on the offhand. This is a very effective way of not
numbers. You won’t kill as fast as a Combat
There are a lot of ways to play the rogue
others.
This follows the Mutilate talent build and is
getting hit and dealing out some big
Solo Strategies
character.
Obviously, this is a dual dagger setup.
Some are more effective than
Just randomly using skills is not
build but you won’t need to heal anywhere
close to as much.
This build works very well when you’re
effective. There should be a pattern to your
hunting creatures even or lower than you.
fighting. This way, everything is instinctive
Ambush, that’s a huge chunk out of your
combat so that you can get a “groove” when
rather that you having to think to use a skill.
Always a good thing when your reflexes
make you select the right skill in a flash.
When you deal out over 5000dmg in an
target’s hit points. It does not work very well
creatures above your level or on elites due to
high armor resisting the damage from
This build works well into the 80s as you
Ambush/Mutilate. It is my favorite build to
are offsetting the damage given to you with
the most attention.
armor opponents, the 4 second stun gives
level with but it is also the one that requires
the 4 second stun to start.
Against high
you more than enough time to get more
damage than if you used Ambush. This build
Cheap Shot
This build works with any type of weapon,
is also very effective in instances with
groups. Eventually you reach a point where
though I would highly suggest a sword/mace
the enemies hit points are so high that your
and therefore a Combat talent build. This
the stun wears off and you’re going to take a
for the increased damage from Sinister Strike
build works great all the way to 85. You will
open with Cheap Shot.During these 4
seconds of stun, get as many combo points as
you can so that you can get an Eviscerate off
as soon as stun breaks.
Applying Wound Poison on both weapons
is a good idea as well, looking at 10-15%
damage isn’t going to get them to 50% before
minor beating.
If you're able to get a Slice and Dice and
Recuperate going, combined with Deadly
Momentum you shouldn't ever need to heal.
Make sure to use Adrenaline Rush and
Killing Spree when they are available!
damage increase. Even with the best poisons,
you will be re-applying before the timer runs
out
on
grind
(killing
for
maximum
DoTs
This is a very situational way of fighting.
experience gain) runs. The general idea is to
Against casters it’s not all that effective as
get the mob’s hit points to near 50%. You
can
take no damage for 4 seconds while trying to
can take creatures on your level and take no
damage with this build. Works exceptionally
well against casters who will more than
likely be dead by the time you Eviscerate.
they’ll be dead before the DoTs wear off. It
work
better
against
high
armor
opponents as you regular attacks won’t do a
ton of damage. However, the higher you get,
the more hit points targets have. If you’re
doing 400 DPS with DoTs and the target has
8000 hit points and stuns aren’t an option,
well you have 20 seconds of being hit to
work through.
on the list. Ungoro Crater is great once you
hit 50 as well. Remember to fight along the
Making Money
mountain side (usually the zone borders) and
You want to get a better mount at 40 but
50gold seems like a kingly sum.
Well, if
you’ll be set. It also makes fighting safer,
since you don’t have to watch your back as
much. Mines are heavily spread out in the
you’re just playing normally and grinding,
Outlands but Hellfire, Nagrand and Blade’s
If you make an effort to collect certain items
Northrend, Cobalt Ore is found the two
odds are you will be lacking the cash at 30.
however, you will be richly rewarded.
Edge Mountain are your best bets. Once in
starting zones and pulls in the most amount
of money now.
Saronite and Titanium
should be mined from Sholazar Basin once
Professions
I highly suggest taking mining and
herbalism. You really don’t need trade skills
you have a flying mount.
Leathworking is always fun since odds are
if you’re in a guild and if by chance you
you will be killing animals anyhow. Just skin
drop one collection skill for a fabricating one
Makes it really easy.
want to pick one up later, you can always
(engineering or leatherworking for example
Going the mining route you will want to
them after killing them as you level up.
Herbalism is my
3rd
choice because of the
hunt near mountains and hills. You won’t
amount of herbs consumed making potions.
fields. Best bet is to hunt in caves. 90% of
85s, potions are used all the time. Collecting
find too many mineral deposits in the open
the time you will be fighting humanoids, the
spawn is easy to read and there’s ton of
minerals to collect. Just collecting it through
you leveling should be enough. The Alterac
Mountains in your 30s is a good place to
mine, or mining the southern wall of
Since most server have a high population of
herbs can make a tidy sum of money and
you’re not going out of your way to collect
anything. It’s usually exactly where you’re
hunting.
Some suggest that Enchanting is a good
Duskwood. In the 40s the Badlands are great
trade to make money from. Now, since the
available mine on your map. Tanaris is next
assure you that Enchanting will not do that.
to mine as you’ll nearly always have an
goal is to get to 45gold before level 30, I can
The costs are quite high to increase skill gain
and you’re required to disenchant “green or
better” items for parts.
Instead of selling
those items for cash, you break them down.
From personal experience, I would avoid
Once you reach 85, Enchanting, Alchemy
and Jewelcrafting currently make the most
money. Expect to spend upwards of 3000g
on each to train them however.
trying to make money from any skill that
Auction House
makes final products before you get to 85. It
takes time and money to make an item and
Let's be honest, the easiest way to get rich
usually for only a few silver more than you
is with other people's money. Daily quests
skinning and herbalism) are what people
no effort. There are thousands of players on
made it for.
Collection skills (mining,
need to keep supplied. People don’t replace
their items all the time but crafters
continuously need supplies to create new
items.
Engineers can collect motes with a special
tool
award well over 500g per day with next to
each server, so on any given day, there is an
increase of 500,000 at the very least into the
pockets of players, just from playing the
game. Your job is to get that money!
I won't kid about it, if you really want to
(http://www.wowhead.com/?
make tons of money, learning how to use the
clouds in various zones. These typically have
ways to make money, buying cheap and
item=23888).
This allows you to harvest
4-5 crystals in them and can potentially
provide comparable income to mining and
herbalism. However, these clouds are less
common than herbs or mines, so it should be
used in conjunction with those two, rather
than alone.
If you are going to harvest anything, first
off get the Gatherer UI to keep track of what
spawns where.
Also, harvest during non-
peak hours so there's less competition.
Auction House is where it's at. There are two
selling high.
If you are a crafter with
professions, you can buy many things and
make them into something else to sell.
Leatherworkers sell leg enchants, Alchemists
sell
potions
Blacksmiths
and
sell
transmuted
buckles
and
gems,
items,
Enchanters sell their enchants, Inscribers sell
glyphs, vellum and dusts, Engineers sell
scopes, pets and motes from clouds. If you're
not a crafter, you need to find items that are
very under priced and them resell them.
The trick isn't in posting the items, it's in
selling the items.
Though Inscription was
Looting
Humanoids have the best chance of
one of the best money makers in Lich King,
dropping items bar none.
auction house at any given time. The people
are a lot lower.
there were literally millions of glyphs on the
who made the most money were those you
planned it out.
You need to know the average price of
items, who is selling for the cheapest, when
there are too many items to bother posting,
Sure, we’ve all
found cool items on beasts but the chances
If you’re grinding off
humanoid casters you will find a lot of green
items drop. Rule of thumb, if you see an item
with a white name drop and it’s stackable,
keep it. Stacks of 20 can really help out.
Any rare item that you come across that is
what items have the best profit rate and the
Bind on Equip should be sold. You will be
a piece of paper is not going to work. You
replaced in a day or two, where each rare
best time to post. Keeping track of all this on
need to get an Interface Mod. The best one to
start is Auctioneer. After a few scans, you'll
have all the information you need to start
posting. Using this tool I've found plenty of
items that were posted at 10% of their value.
I bought them out, then resold them for
leveling fast enough that the items will be
item will fetch, at a bare minimum, 30 gold.
With a little luck, you'll be at 400-500 gold
by level 40 if you sell all the blues you
collect.
In Stranglethorn Vale (STV) there are trolls
thousands in profits. It doesn't happen every
that drop Flasks of Mojo. Keep these and sell
enough to make me happy.
about 1gold for 4. Also, you will be fighting
day, granted, but it happens more than
I won't go into the details of how to use
this tool as there are other guides that are
dedicated to it and do a much better job.
them on the Auction House. They sell for
goblins in the Venture Co. Basecamp. Keep
the Wildvine that drops!!
Once in the 40s, there are some interesting
Suffice it to say that there are piles of money
areas to fight. In Tanaris, there are bandits
you're already setting yourself up for success.
Leather patterns as well as Mageweave. They
out there and by just installing Auctioneer,
that have a high chance to drop Scorpid
also have a perpetual quest to collect water
skins, which you should be doing to get extra
elite, they have a high chance of dropping
experience.
green/blues compared to other creatures.
In the mid 40s, head to The
Hinterlands and the Altar of Zul. Killing only
the Soothsayers is really easy experience and
similar to the bandits, there is a troll necklace
quest that gives 390xp per 5 collected.
There’s a very good chance of greens
dropping and a rare troll pops from time to
time, Retherokk the Berserker, who always
drops a green item. Some people will say the
Tanaris ogres are better. Ignore them and do
The downside is that there are a lot of people
here getting cash too.
From 70 on there are a few general rules
to abide.
➢By/make/get
➢Keep
18 slot bags
all “Volatile”. Shadow, Water, Fire,
Earth and Air. They usually sell for
5-20g each. Nothing to sneeze at.
the trolls. To me, this is the best place to
➢Stacks
of 20 grey items sell for about 2g
drops from this location and can sell for 15g
➢White
Items (ie Netherweb Silk) can sell
make money in the entire game. Wildvine
for stacks of 20 with little effort.
If you
per stack.
for
grind from 45-50 here, you can leave with a
in from everything you kill. Grey items sell
for above 1gold to a vendor, so keep every
weapon you loot. Again, humanoids tend to
have the highest drop rates for weapons in
➢If
suggest killing level 55 humanoids for their
items. They are easy kills and you won’t need
to heal much as you will overpower them. At
60, you can hunt in Tyr’s Hand.
prices
drop rate.
you have an enchanter, it's often
better to have the item disenchanted
instead of selling it
➢When
selecting a Quest Reward and
you can’t use any, take the Plate
option or the 2-hand weapon option.
items but no where close (in my experience)
Once you hit 60, I
crazy
on mine sells for 10g and has a 20%
the game. Sure, Demons/Undead can drop
to true humanoids.
pretty
depending on your server. The Silk
few hundred gold from items and wildvine.
In the 50s, money just seems to be rolling
some
Both tend to sell for more.
General rules for maximizing gold gain.
Keep your bags organized and with
The
humanoids are elite but rather weak. They
regularly drop 20s per kill and since they are
very few items. Some people claim to
greatly increase drop rates when their
bags are low.
 Hunt Humanoids that drop items. By
this, I mean they regularly drop
something as well as cash. It could be
Hunter – Leather/Mail with Agi + Sta
Druid – Leather with Sta + Agi/Str/Int (this
depends on their talent selection)
food, grey items, what not. These are
Mage – Cloth with Int + Sta/Wis
Personally, I aim for creatures that
Priest – Cloth with Int + Sta/Wis
usually placeholders for other items.
drop at least 1 item every other kill.
 Stay out of instances.
Most of the
time, you need to group to get
anything decent. If you feel able to
stealth into an instance and kill
Warlock – Cloth with Int + Sta/Wis
Shaman – Mail with Int + Sta/Str/Wis
Keep all stackable “white” items.
They
generally sell for a lot of cash.
If you spend a play session (3-4 hours)
something solo, by all means try it
simply hunting for items, you can expect to
intake because you have to split it 5
suggest checking out www.wowhead.com
out.
Grouping reduces your cash
ways.
 Using the AH, use the suggested
starting price as a gauge to set the
buy-out. If the item starts at 1g, then
have a 5g buyout. Install Auctioneer
if you want to really make cash here.
get 10-30 green items drop. I also highly
for certain items and see where items that
are world drops are more commonly found.
I highly suggest focusing on elementals for
their drops as the Volatile Elements sell for
good cash.
That being said, know what is actually
useful. A cloth item with agility and strength
is completely useless to cloth wearers. You
should not be selling any items that are level
Questing
Quests give cash and item rewards. From
85 required as most people will have much
1-40 questing can be a good way to
AH, unless they are BLUE or PURPLE. Pay
Stranglethorn Valley are a good example.
better items in line and will not buy on the
attention to the stats. Here’s a quick list of
what classes look for.
Warrior – Plate with Str + Sta
Paladin – Plate with Str + Sta
supplement your income; the quest in
Once you reach the Outlands however,
things change a bit. If you do the solo quests
as you can from 60-70, you are guaranteed
to amass at least 1000 gold. Once you hit 70,
Older Dungeons
any quests left over will give you more cash
as you can’t gain experience anymore. So a
quest that would give 8g at 69 would give
20g at 80.
If you have enchanting or have a
rogue/druid friend who does, then running
Without much effort I have made over
older instances in an option as well. At 70, I
was running Stratholme solo and with a
3500 gold from 60-70 combining quests,
friend to see if we could get the Baron's
70-80 I made about 10,000gold. 80-85 will
make
dropped loot and random world drops. From
bring you another easy 10,000 gold.
Mount. Well, I never got the mount but I did
huge
piles
of
money
from
disenchanting all the loot and selling the
cloth. Obviously, my gear was pretty good to
be able to do it alone, don't try it out with
Daily Quests
You may complete up to 25 daily quests
each day (clock starts at 1AM PST). There
are currently about 45 quests available, so
you need to pick and choose which ones are
best for you. Completing a daily quest earns
about 15-30g and can take 1 minute like it
can take 30. Doing the math, you can earn
400g a day from the quests and that's not
greens. That being said, once you hit 85 and
you are in full blues or have a few purples,
you can give some of the older BC dungeons
a try as well. Remember, you're not going to
sell any of the weapons/armor, you want to
disenchant everything and sell the stuff you
can't.
My rogue is a miner/engineer and from
counting the cash/cloth/item drops you get
70-80, without really trying, made about
Sons of Hodir in Storm Peaks, the Kalu'ak
My Death Knight made 5000 without any
along the way.
quest line, Oracles/Frenzyheart in Sholazar
Basin and the Icecrown quests are all fairly
simple to complete and provide a nice cash
10,000 gold from quests, loot and harvesting.
harvesting, if that gives you an idea of the
potential you could have.
return.
Pocket as much as possible. Not only can you
Experience Areas
This is mainly taken from an Alliance
get some good cash from it, the skill gain is
near essential as the only other way to
perspective but still works for Horde
increase Lock picking is expensive and very
pretty much the same quests. Cataclysm has
Pockets before creatures level 42+ though, as
characters. Past level 40, both factions share
long to do. There is really no need to Pick
redone the levelling experience, when it
the cash gained really isn’t a whole lot. It’s
worthless up until Outlands.
really notice any real money coming from
comes to speed. Quests used to be a pain and
This is no
longer the case. Questing is definitely the
way to go all the way to 85.
If you do want to spend time grinding,
then the main targets you’re looking for are
low hit point and low armor humanoids.
These are generally casters. Goblins, trolls,
undead are good targets. Ogres, naga and
such large variety are not as good since they
tend to hit harder even if they do have low
hit points and armor. If they take too long to
die, change targets. If you have to heal after
every fight, change targets.
If they don’t
drop money and you can’t skin them, change
targets.
A final note on this, the Pick Pocket skill.
Humanoids in levels 42-52 have a chance of
having a Sturdy Junkbox and levels 52-60
have Heavy Junkboxes, 61-70 have Strong
Junkboxes,
70-80
have
Reinforced
Junkboxes. You need these to increase your
Lock picking skill, so remember to use Pick
really only from the Alterac Ogres that you
Pick Pocket.
As for experience rate per level, it can vary
greatly.
What I’ve personally experienced
however is the following:
20-30: ~18K/hour
30-40: ~25K/hour
40-50: ~30K/hour
50-60: ~40K/hour
60-70: ~100k/hour
70-80: ~200k/hour
80-85: ~750K/hour
Once you get an Epic Flying Mount,
experience gains quadruple.
Obviously, this can vary depending on
your playstyle and the amount of rested
experience you use. Personally, I did 1-60 in
under 7 days /played, 60-70 in just over 2
days /played and 70-80 in under 2 days
/played. 80-85 is well under 1 day /played.
This was before the reduced experience
requirement which now makes leveling to
80 nearly 20% faster.
In the most extreme cases, you could get to
Heirlooms
level 80 in about 2 days played and 85 with
If you have another max level character,
they can acquire Heirloom items. These can
less than an extra day. How's that for speed!
be shared across an account instead of only
on a single player.
Some of these items
increase experience, though some only until
level 80. If you can get them, they will speed
up leveling by an insane amount.
Did I
mention that they are additive bonuses, take
into account rested status and affect quest
experience?
•Head:
Increase by 10% up to level 85 –
•Back:
Increase by 5% up to level 85 – Guild
Guild Level Reward
Level Reward
•Shoulder:
Increase by 10% up to level 80 –
buy in Dalaran
•Chest:
Increase by 10% up to level 80 – buy
•Ring:
Increase by 5% up to 80 – Win in
in Dalaran
Northrend Fishing Derby
Yes, you're reading that right. If you had
all of them, from 1-80 you would have a
40% increase in all experience gain. If your
Levels 1-20
Levels 1 through 10, stay in your home
zone. There are tons of quests to do and you
are close to town when you die. Don’t leave
until you’re level 10 as there’s simply an
abundance of things to kill up to that point
and grinding is great. At level 10, go to the
main city and the rogue trainer. They will
give you a quest to get the Blade of Cunning.
Do this quest now, as the dagger is quite
effective. You can also start using different
weapons at this point by training in certain
cities. If you have mining or skinning, start it
now. You will see your first gold by level 8 if
you do either profession by selling on the
auction house in Ironforge/Ogrimmar. You
can get to level 10 inside 1 day.
From 11-20, it’s pretty much the same
guild has the Fast Track 2 guild perk, that's
thing.
experience.
Alliance is in Loch Modan and Westfall.
an extra 10% so you would see 50% gain on
Horde are in the Barrens and
Silverpine Forest, doing quests while the
Again, the professions can make a good buck
here, so keep at it. Near the end of the 20s
times.
you will be able to do your first instance. I
all the named in there and the experience is
better gear. There’s always a chance some
small it will take about 30 minutes per run.
suggest you do it simply for the chance to get
stuff will drop by doing the instance but odds
are the reward for killing the end boss is
There are a half dozen quests to kill
really good from 25-29. The instance is so
Horde can do Stonetalon on the Goblins
what you really want. Getting to 20 can take
and Kobolds.
grind, you can finish all of this in 2 days.
head to Hillsbrad Hills (on a non-PvP server.
a few days if you quest a lot. If you simply
You can get to level 20 in a weekend if you
don’t mess around.
Then move onto Thousand
Needles and killing Centaurs. You can also
PvP servers, this is a zone you will be killed in
non-stop) and kill some Farmers and Gnolls.
Not much instance wise, nor gear wise. I
suggest just grinding for 2 levels and going
Levels 20-30
Get your Poison quest done now. Alliance,
it’s easy to solo. Horde, get some friends.
Make Instant Poison and see the difference in
your damage output.
back to town only to train and dump your
items on the Auction House. Also look for
upgrades to your weapons. There’s a fair
amount of leather gear available at these
levels as well.
Alliance, you will be hunting in Redridge
Mountains and Duskwood. The undead in
Raven Cemetary are quite good to kill as they
Levels 30-40
NOTE: If you are on a PvP server, this is
are humanoid and easy prey. Can always
where you will start to get ganked (killed by
later 20s. Finishing off the Ogres (West of
this so you should do your best to stay off the
move on to the Nightbanes (SE corner) in the
the road to STV) is easy in the high 20s. All
humanoid with a few casters thrown in. If
you’re in Stormwind, do the Stockades a few
level 60-70s). Some areas are really bad for
beaten path.
Point of fact, 30-40 is the
absolute worst for ganking. Once you get a
few more levels in your belt, you'll notice
people generally leave you alone.
This is
trolls in the low 30s, you would notice some
especially true from 60-70, where you can
are shamans and that damage shield would
should always be ready.
use it for some reason. They can get you to
kill anyone that attacks you. Blind + Vanish
First, go to the Auction House and buy all
the pages to the Green Hills of Stranglethorn
just destroy you. The higher level ones don’t
level 40. They drop Flasks of Mojo that sell
well in the Auction House.
quest. Once you have them all, head to STV
In the late 30s, you can head to the Alterac
and the Hunter’s Camp to turn it all in for
Mountains and kill the Ogres. They have
serves) and a decent enough reward.
die with ease. There are a few quests you can
some great experience (10K if memory
STV is really where it’s at for the 30s.
There is just simply an abundance of quests
here that all stack and give good rogue
rewards. The animal mastery series is really
good and you can knock off the first 2-3
really low hit points and armor and therefore
knock off in Hillsbrad that bring you here as
well. If you’re a skinner, the Yetis are great.
They are humanoids that you can skin.
Great!
To note, STV has a rogue trainer, so you
quests in each series alone. The bosses at the
don’t have to go back to the main town to
worth it. Head to Booty Bay and get some
come back near 38.
end require a group but the rewards are well
more quests there.
Grind-wise,
there’s
the
NE
Kurzen
train. You might want to leave STV at 35 and
easier quest-wise.
It will make things
Gnomeregan has a very beautiful pair of
Compound that has relatively easy opponents
leather
Basecamp and kill goblins. They are casters,
an upgrade in Mauradon.
from 30-33. After that, head to Venture Co.
so really easy kills if you can catch them
before they start casting on you. They are
good from 33-36. After that, head to the
middle of the zone and the east side of the
pants
for
killing
Thermaplugg
(Quest). You’ll be using them until you get
Doing Scarlet
Monastery(SM) and killing the bosses gives
you either a good sword or dagger (Quest).
Heck, just doing SM runs is a good way to get
road. There are trolls here to kill that don’t
have a damage shield. If you were hunting
some new gear as the drops rates are quite
high and the areas pretty small.
The
Kill the Wastewater Bandits. They have
experience is decent enough but you’re here
really low hit points for melee types and
mainly for the gear.
occasionally drop water satchels. There’s a
quest in Gadgetzan (the main town in
Tanaris) where 5 of these give ~300xp and
Levels 40-50
If there was a “hell level” this entire block
the quest is repeatable. Kill these guys until
you’re 45. They spawn all over the east side
would be it. It just seems hard to find any
of the zone and have chests that pop with
experience gain. There are a lot of quests
are in stealth but you should be ok if you pay
good gear for this area and it hinders your
you can polish off here and some easy
collection ones as well.
Badlands have a fair amount of collection
quests to do and the Ogres in the SW corner
offer good cash.
Also the first Sturdy
Junkboxes will drop here. You can do all of
the quests solo except Tremors of Earth. Do
this quest with at least 3 other people, it gives
them. There are some “rogue” bandits that
attention to your combat indicator (where
your level is indicated, it turns to a X of
swords when in combat). Very easy to kill,
have a chance to drop Scorpid patterns,
mageweave out the wazoo (good for first aid,
or sell a stack for 1g on the AH) and decent
item drops.
Once you hit 45 or 46, head to
you the Blazewind Breastplate which will be
Hinterlands. You probably have a fair chunk
can shoot through to 42.
Aerie Peak and start the quests available. At
your BP until the 50s. Just doing quests, you
Head to Feralas and do a few quests there.
There are some gnolls to kill in the south
area as well as some ogres west of that. Get
the simple quests done and then head to
Tanaris, where the real gains are. Yetis are
decent enough. I would not stay too long
though, as mobs wander a lot here and you
of quests for this zone anyways.
Head to
45 you should be able to complete every
quest here. Make sure you start the Saving
Sharpbeak quest line, as well as the Ancient
Egg quest, both requiring groups to complete.
The Saving Sharpbeak quest gives the
Gryphon Rider’s Stormhammer; a great
weapon to have.
get adds frequently.
Grinding though, there is no better place
Ghosts in Azshara are reportedly silver
in all of the game. From 45 to 50 you head
mines and there are a lot of casters. They
to the Altar of Zul and kill Soothsayers(10 of
them).
They are casters with really low
hitpoints and long cast times.
tend to be camped by higher levels though.
Instance-wise, do Uldaman for the quests
They
once you hit 43. There’s not much item-wise
should keep as it sells for nearly 1gp each.
experience isn’t too good. Do Zul’Farrak for
when turned in, in groups of 5, gives 390xp.
There are about 9 quests that deal with this
for Troll Necklaces that stack up to 20. They
Sharpbeak quests.
occasionally drop Wildvine, which you
They usually drop Troll Necklaces which
With 4 empty 12 slot bags, I kept one solely
have a good chance of dropping items as
well, including the rare pop of a named troll.
The biggest hurdles here are the 3 roaming
wolves. When they attack you, just Vanish.
It isn’t worth the time killing them until 49
as they spawn quickly. In an hour you’ll
have memorized the wolves’ movement
pattern and where the Soothsayers are. You
will likely finish levels 45-50 faster than you
did 43 and 44.
I was getting near
and the creatures spawn so close the
some decent leather loots (Scorpashi items).
area, including the Ancient Egg and Saving
pretty good here too, with decent gear but it’s
a low 40s zone. Mauradon should only be
done near the end of the 40s as they bosses
can be really hard and the “orange” side of
the zone is deadly to anyone under 50. In
fact, if you can, avoid the “orange” side of the
zone completely.
It causes a very large
amount of lag, everything seems to poison
you or have a damage shield.
40,000xp/h here once I understood the
patterns.
Razorfen Downs are
Levels 50-60
Ah, you can feel the end! The 50s are
Dunemaul Compound in Tanaris isn’t too
really all about that last push so you can do
of having Junkboxes on them. They do hit
final super powerful skills. Eviscerate now
bad either as the ogres have a better chance
hard however. I would only consider this if
the trolls are camped.
Blackrock instance runs. You also get the
does at base damage what you were hitting
for in criticals in the 40s.
At 50, head to Ungoro as it has a ton of
become almost trivial, killing non-stop
collection quests available. It is entirely a
without the need to heal. I highly suggest
drops but there is still a chance of items
the Timbermaw. It saves a big hassle getting
Marshall’s Refuge (that are non-elite) can get
Azshara is also a good area to run though
beast zone however and there is no cash that
dropping.
Doing all the quests from
killing the furbolgs to get to unfriendly with
to Winterspring.
you 2 levels in a day. It really is ridiculous
at this point with dual Demonslay weapons.
this zone with no effort.
kill which are pretty easy to keep clear,
the amount of experience you can gain from
Bring a Mithril
Casing, you need it for a certain quest.
The Blasted Lands have 5 quests that stack
for a temporary stat buff to each stat.
Personally, the quests that need stuff from
The west side of the zone has some satyrs to
though they tend to have imp minions. The
northern part of the zone has more Satyrs
near level 51 if you find the west camp slow.
The mid 50s allow you to move to
Basilisks and Vultures are not worth the
Winterspring. In the SW corner, there’s a
are also repeatable for the experience. The
walking from one end of the zone to the
effort as the drops are way too slow. They
Ogres are also decent experience and start to
drop the Heavy Junkboxes. Level 51-53 is a
good spot on these. Again, they can hit hard
compared to other humanoids.
Felwood has some good kills at Jaedenar,
on the demons.
At this point you should
Dwarf lady who gives a decent cloak just for
other. The town also has a fair chunk of
quests to complete, which aren’t too bad.
The really good spot though is Lake
Kel’Therill.
It has more ghosts which are
easy kills until about level 58.
The Plaguelands are the final area to hunt
have your set weapons until you do high
in. The West from 52-55 and the East from
This gives a chance of stun and 100dmg hit
Mainly though, you’re here for the Argent
level instances, so put Demonslay on both.
on all demons, which Felwood is full of.
With the enchantment, it’s incredible the
amount of kills you can rack up. Decent for
the lower 50s.
Actually some people stay
here longer with demonslay because the kills
55 to 60. They are just full of undead to kill.
Dawn faction, which can only be gained
when you’re under level 60. Might as well
get it done before that final level up.
If
you’re looking for demons to kill, the East has
a lot of hounds but that’s pretty much it.
The end of your travels will be in
Levels 60-70
Blackrock Stronghold. Getting the basics of
Actually, you can start here at 58 and I
the spawn will kill you a few times but once
suggest you do. The experience gain is abou
golden.
abundance of quests. First thing I suggest
you get the hang of it, the experience is
Half of it is casters, which are
perfect for killing. You will more than likely
hit 60 here.
Instances next.
You want to finish off
everything in Mauradon before 55.
The
Trash Blade (from killing the princess) is an
excellent sword, only being beat by a rare
world drop or killing Rend in Blackrock
Spire.
Finish up any quests left for the
30% higher in the Outlands and there’s an
you do is get the FP in your homebase in
Hellfire, then ride to Shattrah in Terokkar
Forest (SW from Hellfire). There are zero
class trainers in Outland and Shattrah has a
portal to all major cities making transport
back to Azeroth a lot easier. Just make sure
you bind in the Outlands.
From 60-62 you’ll be in the Hellfire
Sunken Temple as well, there are a few that
Peninsula. It’s an ok zone overall. You’ll
for this instance all over the world, so don’t
permanent damage shield. There are plenty
give some decent rewards. There are quests
be surprised when you find a new one.
Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire are
where you will spend your upper 50s. The
drops here are ridiculously good and require
you to have a skilled group. Mess up just a
little bit and you wipe.
You will want to finish the 50s so bad that
you’re more than likely to just plow through
in a week.
want to avoid the boars though; they have a
of quests here that you should pick up in
your home base. I suggest you pick them all
up, even the group quests. There are always
groups trying to knock something down and
if you can join in, that’s usually 10,000xp
per turn in, plus a few of them have some
very nice rewards (Overlord and Drillmaster
are good). Grinding the Orc camps strewn
about or the Void Demons in the South is a
good way to get to 62 if you run out of quests
early.
From 62-64 you’ll be in Zangarmarsh. I
66-68 you’ll be in Nagrand. Even more
really like this zone for some reason,
quests and a lot of running around. Very
amount of quests to complete here, very few
and probably where you’ll collect the largest
bog lords in the South caves can be killed
do the Ring of Blood group quest. Some nice
everything looks good.
Again, a large
of them are group necessary though. The
similar to Stranglethorn Vale to be honest
amount of elemental motes. Make sure you
with next to no damage for some amazingly
weapons come from that and there seems to
every enemy is an animal type.
the Ogres in the East and North. Maybe it's
fast experience. Other than the Nagas, most
64-66 is Terokkar Forest.
Lots of
humanoid quests here and the choice
between Scryer and Aldor faction.
From
always be a group running that quest. Grind
just my luck but I had a lot of blues drop in
this zone and made over 500g in 2 levels.
68-69 is for Blade’s Edge Mountain. Can
personal experience I have found it a lot
be difficult to traverse and not as many
rewards, neither have really good rogue
nice Star Wars reference here, hah! Lots of
easier to raise Aldor than Scryer.
As for
items (Aldor have a Sword, Scryer a Belt),
minus their shoulder glyphs, which are
similar.
However, you might have a
tradeskill you want to get a recipe for, so
check out this link for the listing of rewards
http://www.wowwiki.com/Comparison_of_Al
dor_and_Scryer_rewards. As for the zone,
keep all the feathers you collect from the
Arokkar you kill. Faction turn-in. There are
also some truly cool group quests here for
some nice weapons and armour (Bone Wyrm
is one).
Grind the Aldor/Scryers or the
Arokkar until 64 if you need to.
quests as previous zones. However you get a
creatures to kill on the east side and ogres
through the middle.
Quests in the NW
section can be painful if you die as the
graveyard run is the longest I have ever seen.
Only a very small amount of group quests
here, all dealing with Ogres in the northern
section. I would suggest avoiding quests that
bring you to the Northwest due to the insane
death runs if things turn ugly. Feel free to
skip the zone entirely.
68-70 is Netherstorm. I love this zone.
Lots of humanoids to kill and a ridiculous
amount of quests. Lots of group quests as
well, which I would seriously avoid doing
until you’ve been 70 for a while. If you’ve
Levels 70-80
been regularly doing quests, you will hit 70
here and still have a good 20-30 quests left
over.
You have a lot of options to grind
Note: You can start in Northrend at 68 if
here, either the Ethereals or the Scryer/Aldor
you wish. The experience isn't a whole lot
factions. Two choices here, either you grind
to 70 which will take a few hours more
(quests here are worth 20K+) and turn in
better but the quest rewards are.
Starting at 70 in Northrend, you have two
your quests at 70 for 20g each or you hit 70
choices and both are good. Howling Fjord
and move on to other things. I opted for
and Borean Tundra. Both areas will give you
money for my Epic Mount but it's hard to say
expansion, where you won't find as many
choice number 2 as I already had enough
no to nearly 1000 gold.
69-70 is Shadowmoon Valley.
Even
though Netherstorm and Shadowmoon are
supposed to be the same level, Netherstorm is
miles easier, hence Shadowmoon for last. A
fair amount of quests, most against the
legion.
Killing the Blood Elves here is not
worth the effort involved. Lots of deaths for
no good reason. The quests here are a fair bit
more difficult than Netherstorm (most
requiring 3-5 members) but the rewards are
very nice.
Aldor/Scryer
Again, you can grind the
camps
for
some
good
experience. I personally suggest hitting 70
in Netherstorm however and then coming
here to complete the quests.
a good introduction to the mechanics of the
single quests as you will find long quest
chains.
For example, you might have 5
quests in your book and no more available to
pick up, while turning in those 5 will unlock
an extra 8. Completing quests in either zone
should get you to 72. If you want to, you can
visit the other zone to get an extra level,
maybe two. Quest-wise, Howling Fjord has
some 84DPS weapons you can pick up,
which are easy enough to do. Borean Tundra
has some similar ones but also a 3man quest
with a 91DPS fist/dagger selection. It also
has a decent shoulder through a Nexus
instance quest.
If you need to train your skills, I would
suggest taking a boat back to the old world.
Heading to Dalaran should only be done
near level 74 through a quest.
71-74 is Dragonblight and you should be
76-79 you'll head to Sholazar Basin.
getting here once you're into level 72. This is
Welcome to Ungoro Crater part 2!
some very cool quests. You should be able to
You'll encounter the Gorloc and Wolvar
near 74. At this point, Azjol-Nerub becomes
here. Starting the Lifewarden's Wrath quest,
a very lore-rich zone and you will notice
complete most of the quests and leave here
available as an instance.
I would avoid
Ahn'kahet until 75-76. Quest-wise, there is
a decent bracer and belt that don't require
Well,
throw in some STV quests while you're at it.
tribes here as well. You should hit level 77
eventually gives you a very good helmet.
Once you hit 77, find Pilot Vic in Sholazar.
too much work. Some boots are available
For 1000g, he'll teach you how to use your
undertake.
important to get as it easily doubles your
after the most amazing quest you will every
Beginning.
It starts with
An End and A
73-75 is Grizzly Hlls. Reminds me of STV
and Nagrand a bit. Many furbolgs, lots of
flying mount in Northrend.
This is VERY
experience per hour because travel is a
whole lot easier. Finally!
In point of fact, I don't suggest coming to
hunting quests. I wouldn't stay here overly
Sholazar before you hit 77 and can fly as
group quests to get some nice shoulders.
I came here at 78 and hit 80 with more than
long, just enough to hit 75.
A few more
Another Ring of Blood type quest line to
acquire some good gloves.
Weapon wise,
you'll start finding some 91DPS gear.
74-77 is Zul'Drak. Essentially a frost troll
zone, somewhat like the Hinterlands, filled
with ziggurats. You'll find it rather large
compared to the other zones, in terms of size
and scope. Stay here until 76. Another Ring
of Blood questline gives access to a pretty
amazing mace/dagger (110DPS) that will last
a long while. A 3man quest to get a decent
certain quests can be impossible without one.
half the quests left to do.
77-80 will most likely be Storm Peaks. A
zone of Titans, with some very interesting
game lore. Things here hit harder than any
area you've been in thus far. Though you
could stay here until level 80, I would
suggest moving to Icecrown at 79. You're
getting into 100dps green quality weapons
now. At 79, you can do The Reckoning to get
a final pair of gloves.
chest upgrade (Convocation at Zol'Heb).
78-80 Icrecrown. The final zone, where
compared to later zones. Like in the past
both factions are at war with the Lich King.
expansion, I suggest you do both zones to
this zone, so if you have yet to acquire one or
zones and enough experience to hit about
avoid this zone. Keep up with the quests and
raiding in Burning Crusade, Mount Hyjal
You'll need a flying mount to do anything in
the Cold Weather Flying upgrade, you should
you should easily reach 80
acquire both enough gear to survive later
level 83. If you played Warcraft III or did
should be familiar to you. It is located next
to Winterspring and Felwood, in northeast
Kalimdor. Vashj'ir is an underwater zones,
Levels 80-85
where you'll gain the ability to breathe
In contrast to past expansions, you can't
start the new content until you are level 80
as the quests only become available at that
level. You can access the zones just fine, you
simply can<t quest in them, which will put
you at a significant disadvantage.
underwater and acquire the services of a
water mount.
It is located west of Khaz
Modan, in the Great Sea. Easiest access is
from Ironforge or Undercity.
83-84 should be done in Deepholm
Since
without too much trouble. You need to head
less zones to traverse and the path is much
in order to unlock the quests in the zone.
we're only going through 5 levels, there are
simpler.
visit
Important to note that you must
your
capital
city
(Stormwind
or
Ogrimmar) to start questing in a given zone.
Without that step, you won't have access to
back to your capital city to the Earthen Ring
You'll be heading through a portal to access
this area. You can only use the portal at 82.
Uldum opens up at 83 and resembles
any of the zone quests. The capitals also have
Un'goro Crater and Sholazar Basin combined
acts as a sort of leveling gate so that you can't
South of Tanaris in southern Kalimdor.
portals to nearly all the new zones. This also
really skip content.
There are two main zones to start off with,
Mount Hyjal and Vashj'ir. I find that these
zones
provide
more
than
adequate
with Tanaris Desert. You can find this area
At
84,
Twilight
Highlands
becomes
available and will get you to 85. This zone is
located next to the Wetlands in East Azeroth.
experience given their relative ease when
 Quest
Grinding Overview
good idea to use that method to level.
Grinding is still an option if you like, though
kill
the
Princess
in
Mauradon(48-52). The Thrash Blade
Cataclysm has modified the way questing
works from 1-60 and as such, it's now a
to
is one of the best swords in the entire
game before 60.
 All quests in Ungoro(50-52).
All
collection quests and you can get 2
the rewards will be less than if you were to
levels from these quests alone. Just
10,000 and 20,000 experience. Considering
Casing.
you can see the advantages here. Quests in
you a boomerang (trinket) that can
quest.Quests in the Outlands give between
remember to bring in a Mithril
a single kill without rested is about 500xp,
important Linken’s Quest.
Northrend provide at least 20,000xp and
should all be completed.
by far greater than what you could get from
grinding.
experience, you can get around
60,000xp/h in Ungoro.
 All single player quests in Outlands
 All single player quests in Northrend
 All
Quests I do suggest doing are.
You get good leather
armor rewards from these.
 Scarlet Monastery quest to kill the 4
single
Cataclysm
 All the animal mastery quests in
STV(30-35).
It gives
unarm/stun opponents. With rested
Same goes for
Cataclysm, the experience from questing is
Also, start the long but
player
quests
from
Character Towing
Towing is having a high level friend clear
leaders(35-40). You get a choice of a
instances for you. Any class will do but some
 Quest to kill the Thermaplugg in
being the best. Get a full group of similar
superb sword or dagger.
Gnomeregan(33-36).
The
Triprunner Dungarees are pants that
you’ll be using for at least 15 levels
after you acquire them
are more effective than others, with a Mage
leveled people for the full benefit. This is
more effective than grinding up until level
40 or so as you start requiring healers for the
fights. Suggested areas:
Level 8 – Deadmines or Ragefire Chasm
Level 20 – Scarlet Monestary
Level 40 – Zul Farrak
Level 50 – Lower Blackrock Spire
Level 55 – Ramparts
I
Groups in these zones usually need to be
INSTANCES AND
very balanced to succeed and in the higher
ELITES
what they are doing as even a small error
can wipe the group out.
Overview
nstances are a big part of World of
Warcraft.
You won’t experience one
until your late teens but once you do,
you will see what WoW really has to offer.
These areas are designed to allow groups to
complete stories in the game. Each area has
it’s own theme and opponents, who are
nearly completely elite monsters, most of
whom attack in groups.
There are also Raid Instances that are for
groups of 10-25 level 85s. There are some
details below about those instances but as a
rule of thumb you want to go in with as
much
stamina
as
possible
disposables to increase DPS.
and
some
For boss fights, ALWAYS use maximum
camera distance.
There are many many
fights that require you to look at the
Instances are where you find some of the
best items in the entire game. As a matter of
fact, odds are you will have all of your
equipment at level 85 that come from
instances.
level instances, players really need to know
The last enemy is usually very
large and has a wide set of attacks that you
would not find on normal creatures. They
tend to take between 30 mins and 4 hours to
landscape for incoming attacks and you don't
want to be staring at the boss' backside while
you could be avoiding damage.
Cloak of Shadows is the core raiding skill.
It breaks a LOT of spells against you and you
should learn what it does and when to use it
to save damage.
completely clear one, with the average being
about 45 minutes.
Instance List
Name
Max Players
Level
Zone
Ragefire Chasm
10
13-15
Orgrimmar (Horde only)
Deadmines
10
18-22
Westfall
Wailing Caverns
10
15-21
The Barrens
Shadowfang Keep
10
18-25
Silverpine Forest
Blackfathom Deeps
10
20-27
Ashenvale
The Stockades
10
23-28
Stormwind (Alliance only)
Gnomeregan
10
29-35
Dun Morogh
Razorfen Kraul
10
25-31
The Barrens
Scarlet Monastery
10
35-40
Tirisfal Glades
Razorfen Downs
10
35-40
The Barrens
Uldaman
10
40-47
Badlands
Maraudon
10
48-52
Desolace
Zul'Farrak
10
44-50
Tanaris
The Sunken Temple
10
52-57
Swamp of Sorrows
Blackrock Depths
10
52-60
Searing Gorge/Burning Steppes
Dire Maul
5
56-60
Ferelas
Blackrock Spire
15
58-60
Searing Gorge/Burning Steppes
Stratholme
10
60
Eastern Plaguelands
Scholomance
10
60
Western Plaguelands
Name
Max Players
Level
Zone
Molten Core
40
60
Blackrock Mountain
Onyxia’s Lair
40
60
Dustwallow Marsh
Blackwing Lair
40
60
Blackrock Mountain
Hellfire Ramparts
5
60-61
Hellfire Peninsula
Blood Furnace
5
62-64
Hellfire Peninsula
Shattered Halls
5
70
Hellfire Peninsula
Slave Pens
5
62-64
Zangarmarsh
Underbog
5
63-65
Zangarmarsh
Steamvault
5
70
Zangarmarsh
Mana Tombs
5
64-66
Terokkar Forest
Auchenai Crypts
5
65-67
Terokkar Forest
Sethekk Halls
5
66-68
Terokkar Forest
Shadow Labyrinth
5
70
Terokkar Forest
Mechanar
5
70
Netherstorm
Botanica
5
70
Netherstorm
Arcatraz
5
70
Netherstorm
Karazhan
10
70
Deadwind Pass
Old Hillsbrad
5
66
Tanaris
Black Morass
5
70
Tanaris
Hyjal Summit
25
70
Tanaris
Gruul's Lair
25
70
Blade's Edge
Name
Max Players
Level
Zone
Magtheridon's Lair
25
70
Hellfire Peninsula
Eye
25
70
Netherstorm
Serpentshrine Cavern
25
70
Zangarmarsh
Black Temple
25
70
Shadowmoon Valley
Magister's Terrace
5
70
Isle of Quel'Danas
Sunwell Plateau
25
70
Isle of Quel'Danas
Utgarde Keep
5
70-72
Howling Fjord
The Nexus
5
71-73
Borean Tundra
Azjol-Nerub
5
71-73
Dragonblight
Ahn'Kahet
5
80
Dragonblight
Drak'Tharon Keep
5
74-76
Grizzly Hills
Gundrak
5
80
Grizzly Hills
Halls of Stone
5
77-80
Storm Peaks (Flying Mount)
Halls of Lightning
5
80
Storm Peaks (Flying Mount)
Utgarde Pinnacle
5
80
Howling Fjord
The Occulus
5
80
Borean Tundra
Old Stratholme
5
80
Caverns of Time
Violet Hold
5
80
Dalaran
Naxxramas
10 / 25
80
Dragonblight
Sartharion
10 / 25
80
Dragonblight
Eye of Eternity
10 / 25
80
Borean Tundra
Name
Max Players
Level
Zone
Ulduar
10 / 25
80
Storm Peaks
Icecrown Citadel
10/25
80
Icecrown
Throne of Tides
5
80-81
Vashj'ir
Blackrock Caverns
5
80-81
Blackrock Spire
Stonecore
5
82-84
Deepholm
Vortex Pinnacle
5
82-84
Uldum
Lost City of Tol'vir
5
85
Uldum
Grim Batol
5
85
Twilight Highlands
Halls of Origination
5
85
Uldum
Deadmines (Heroic)
5
85
Westfall
Shadowfang Keep (Heroic)
5
85
Silverpine Forest
Baradin Hold
10/25
85
Tol Barad (PvP)
Bastion of Twilight
10/25
85
Twilight Highlands
Throne of Four Winds
10/25
85
Uldum
Blackwing Descent
10/25
85
Blackwing Lair
Though I do suggest visiting as many instances as possible, it’s best to stick to the ones closest to
the zones you are in and not making too much of an effort to spread out until your 60s. That
means Alliance will do the Deadmines, Stockades, Gnomeregan and Scarlet Monestary. The
Horde will visit Ragefire, Wailing Caverns, Shadowfang, Razorfen Kraul and Downs as well as
Scarlet Monastery.
The Stockades should be done multiple times as it’s a really small instance.
Scarlet
Monastery follows the same rule. All others should only be done once, if at all. Uldaman is an
optional instance that I personally don’t care much for. Zul’Farrak is a relatively small instance
with good drops that should be done once. Mauradon should be repeated until you kill the
Princess and get the Satyr’s Lash dagger. Once you get access to the shortcut, use it to do item
runs as you can hit Landslide, Princess, Rotgrip and Tinkerer (in that order) all in one run
that’ll last an hour. Sunken Temple should be done simply for the quests as the drops aren’t
super for the level and it’s rather out of the way.
You can acquire a tabard from any of the main factions. If you run instances with this
tabard equipped, you'll gain faction with that group. This is good in that you no longer need to
run the same instance a hundred times for that last little bit of faction. This is also bad in that
you'll find that some instances will have no one running them because of ease/fun factors.
➢Take
Instance Strategies
a peek for the Toxic Revenger and
finish the quest to get the Triprunner
This section is meant simply to point out
Dungarees.
certain facts that you need to be aware of for
certain instances. Generally the concept is
simply.
Break
the
spawns
with
➢Unless
Scarlet Monestary
you are at 175 Lockpicking you
Sap/Polymorph, take down casters/healers
need to enter the right wing of Scarlet
spend your time not getting aggro. Every 5-
Scarlet Key. You need to do this wing
applied. Here we go.
acquire the Black Menace/Sword of
first. Bosses have a tank on them and you
Monestary to kill Doan to acquire the
man instance should have crippling poison
Serenity
Deadmines
➢
if you are working on the quest to
Completely redone in Cataclysm. See
the Heroic section later in the guide.
VanCleef isn't available in Normal
➢Herod
after he dies. Use AE to kill them.
➢The
➢
Kill the Alarm Bots before everything
pulling skills to clear out the actual
➢In
else, they will summon help
➢
Stay behind all the mechs as they
usually have a front breath attack that
does a ton of damage
➢
for the bomb dispensers.
If they
sconce (torch on the wall) that you
➢Clear
out everything before attempting
Mograine.
Killing him results in
Whitemane to appear who will heal
Mograine and attack you.
See one drop, run back out of range.
the ranged attackers also looking out
the right wing of the Cathedral is a
drops greens.
When you reach the saboteurs, they
Final boss is a pain. You should have
Cathedral.
need to twist to find another mob that
drop bombs that do a lot of damage.
➢
last one to enter is the Cathedral
where you will need some good
mode.
Gnomeregan
summons about 30 non-elites
➢There
activate, have them hit the buttons to
shut it off and save a lot of damage.
are a lot of quests for this zone,
meaning that you’ll be here for a
while. There is a backdoor in the NE
corner of the Badlands.
Uldaman
➢Everything
is pretty straightforward if
➢Orange
not for the need of running around a
the maggots spew and the horrid
lot.
➢Last
video lag. The only reason to go to
boss summons a lot of junk.
Disregard it and kill him and the
spawns will go away
orange side is for a quest and to kill
Noxxion for the staff
➢Celebras
him then the trees.
in this zone will cast Hex, a 20
second spell that turns you into a
frog.
➢The
Divino-matic Rod quest can be
done simply by going PvP and killing
the NPCs at the top then waiting for
the ones at the bottom to come to you.
➢Tinkerer
has a deadly flamethrowing
➢Landslide
summons rock allies. Ignore
attack from the front only.
them and kill him, they will despawn
when he dies
➢Princess
away and save the damage. Ideally
will aggro all of them and wipe
you want a pet to tank her while the
witch doctor will summon all
rogue adds more damage, everyone
corpses in the graves to attack you
➢Antusul
will summon a lot of basilisks,
need to keep him away from the
group and handle the additional
else is ranged damage
➢Rotgrip
➢You
need to kill Lord Vyletongue and
Noxxion to get the parts needed to
create the staff for the shortcut into
the falls
➢Vyletongue
drops Albino Crocscale boots
and should be killed after the Princess
spawns
Mauradon
casts fear and an AE knockback
spell. If you see her cast the AE, run
If you are too close to the stairs you
➢The
has a lot of tree friends. Ignore
them as he summons more and kill
Zul’Farrak
➢Hunters
side is deadly with the poison
by dropping down into the water
➢The
➢The
drops Satyr’s Lash and has 4
stealthed guards
dogs here ALL see through stealth
Shadowforge Key quest starts in
Molten Span, the NPC can only be
seen while dead.
The architect is
beyond the Ring of Law.
Blackrock Depths
➢
General Angerforge needs to be
➢
tanked while everyone else kills his
have a pet offtank the Princess and
so that the rest of the guards walking
only place where Wound Poison is
guards. He then needs to die quickly
pull the Emperor away. This is the
in don’t kill you. When they appear,
effective.
AE them and have the rogue kill the
healers/ranged attackers
➢
Golem Lord room needs to be entirely
Scholomance
➢
cleared before engagine. Order goes
➢
Embassador Flamelash means NO AE
move on.
➢
Don’t talk to anyone in the bar, unless
➢
To get Phalanx to open the door, buy
➢
6 ales and give them to Rocknot
➢
room. Leave the last one alone, have
➢
spawns one at a time
➢
Do not open all the vaults in the vault
The Ravenian can be pulled without
usually
➢
Bonewarders will AE cleave for
800dmg. Do not fight more than 1 at
You have 3 minutes to do this from
➢
The top left room with Lorekeeper
aggroing the water next to him,
to light the torches to open the doors.
the first looting
In the multi stage area with 6 rooms,
Pokelt needs to be completed with AE
Find the 2
Flamekeeper, loot the torches and run
In Vectus’ room, do not talk to anyone
pull everything outside
The Lyceum spawns ultra fast and
needs AE to clear.
Ghouls make a poison cloud when
and you’ll be dead
the tank open it and die, then pull the
➢
Need to kill Rattlegore to
they die. Stand in it for the duration
they have ! above their heads
➢
The bone golems need to be chain
stunned.
Red Golem, Blue Golem, Golem Lord
➢
If doing Princess quest on Emperor,
a time.
➢
Stay out of the flames when fighting
Magmus, they do more damage than
him
Darkmaster Gandling appears when
Lucia is dead. He will randomly port
someone into one of the 6 rooms
(that’s why you clear them) along
with 4 non-elites. Kill them and head
back to the fight. He drops the class
head items
Stratholme
➢
Left side is Scarlet Side (humans),
right side is Undead
➢
Lower BRS
➢
Kill the Courrier on left side to get the
first bridge. Stick to left wall, climb
Postmaster spawns
to do multiple runs killing Voone,
postbox keys. If you open enough, the
➢
When
on
the
Ommok and Wyrmthalak
➢
Cannonmaster,
➢
attackers
➢
to
kill
the
additional
There are certain areas in the Scarlet
➢
they spawn more little ones once they
die
➢
they are at 40% health then leave.
When killing Abominations, heal up
of skulls (the pikes are near Ommok,
looks like they are brimming with
Ater his deaths, a bunch of non-elite
electricity)
➢
open again and some large undead
guards will attack. He drops the class
leggings.
➢
Make sure you are
prepared before clicking on the pile
summon Ramstein.
rush in, 4 minutes after that the doors
The Ogre event after the spiders can
kill any group.
before the last pull as this will
➢
The Crystal Spiders need AE. Kill the
little ones before the large ones as
and Timmy the Cruel spawns outside
➢
Bijou’s Belongings are in the tent area
in a raid.
Scarlet Side becomes full of undead
Baroness will possess someone until
Shadowhunter Vosh'gajin drops the
You cannot solo to it and cannot see it
the room. When he dies, the entire
➢
drop
before the spiders on the ground.
undead who rush in behind you
When killing Balnazaar, everyone in
can
Shadowcraft Gloves
Side that when cleared will spawn
➢
Shadowhunters
Shadowcraft Belts and Gloves
designate people to operate the
cannons
➢
up rubble and talk to the NPC. Need
Kill the conjurers first, above all else.
Then the Battle Mages.
➢
Key to Upper BRS quest starts before
The Baron’s room is safe on the left
side if you’re 58+, when you engage
Wyrmthalak throws people in the air,
so pull him underneath the rock
bridge he stands on, that way you hit
the top of the rock and don’t get
damage
he closes his doors
Upper BRS
➢
➢
You need to complete the key quest
apply as with the room before the
access this area, or have someone that
patrol will come by.
from Lower BRS first to be able to
Beast.
already has the key
➢
➢
Kill the summoners first. Kill all the
➢
have everyone in the room as the
accident.
Try your best to avoid all the eggs.
General drops the class chest items.
When you start the Pyroseer Event,
no one gets the General’s DoT by
Generally, a tank takes the general, a
hunter pulls one guard away into the
If everyone is 55+ you can just move
Beast’s room and the raid takes the
first guard. Hunter comes back, kill
the arena. When you jump, stick to
the 2nd then everyone on Drakk.
the right wall and drop all pets
The room before the Beast needs some
good offtanking as there are 6
creatures to pull.
Tongues first
Dire Maul
➢
Kill the Fire
The Beast casts knockback on his
are joined together once inside.
➢
➢
group attacks.
➢
and have paladins heal him until the
stays on tanks during fear.
of the Beast and spawn a gnome NPC
that starts the Bloodthirst BP quest
Lethendris can be farmed with 2
There are class books that drop here
for a trinket. The rogue one has 10FR
drops Finkle’s Skinner give it to a
the Beast. Has a chance to drop Skin
All dogs see through Stealth
rogues.
If he
skinner with 300 skill and then skin
There are 3 entrances to this instance.
East, North and West. North and West
target and AE fear. Start with a tank
This way the aggro
Kills both adds then the
General. Only 1 blood drops per raid.
East and jump off the platform into
➢
General needs to be off-tanked and
the guards need to be pulled away so
spawn
➢
Same after
prison cells to open the next way.
Touch one and about 8 dragonlings
➢
After the first group kill, a
second group pull.
doors close. AE the orcs
➢
In the General’s room, same rules
and 2% to hit.
➢
Librams also drop in this zone
Zul’Gurub
➢
Designed for 20 players.
➢
Need to kill 5 hight-priests to be able
➢
to effectively kill Hakkar. You can do
instance
Nature resist is recommended as
area with 4000hp unbuffed and with
Hakkar life-siphons very 30 seconds
from behind even if you use swords.
it in any order.
➢
poisoned and Hakkar with siphon
first few bosses can be competed with
To acquire items from ZG, you need
equipped. Success depends largely on
faction.
➢
they will respawn. So it takes 5 tanks
Hero Medallion.
and a lot of target switching to do this
If you have 300 fishing, there’s a
event.
➢
You’ll need a
Majordomo needs some good timing.
Kill 1 elite, then 4 guards, then the
rest of the elites. As you are killing,
This zone is meant as a step up from
each member left over gets more
UBRS and into Molten Core.
powerful. Once the guards are gone,
Majordomo gives up.
Molten Core
➢
The attunement quests starts near the
entrance to BRD. You need to enter
Molten Core and get a fragment at
the entrance.
Ancient Core Hounds must be killed
within 10 seconds of each other or
Preseved Heads and the Zandalarian
➢
Most bosses need to be offtanked
while their guards are killed.
You should try and acquire the Belt of
mudsunk lure.
change
guild communication.
➢
in the waters.
randomly
a balanced group of 30 that are well
them in for rewards(5 pieces per
quest to summon an additional boss
targets
targets, it’s not anyone’s fault. The
class), which is also based on your
➢
rogue’s
Some
to loot the various drops and turn
➢
a
or so. Easiest way to kill him is to pull
that away and lose 10% of his life.
➢
from
a lot of bandages. Attack everything
a Son of Hakker, everyone gets
➢
but
perspective you want to enter the
there are a lot of poisons
➢
There is a lot to be said about this
A rogue can do this
Ragnaros has a very strong fire attack,
so put on the fire resist gear(200
unbuffed).
summons 8 guards and submerges.
solo, with some hard work.
Every 3 minutes, he
After 90 seconds, he comes back
regardless if they are dead or not.
The goal is to kill him before he
Blackwing Lair
➢The
enough. Kill the Quartermaster just
submerges twice.
outside of the entrance to BRS, then
head to the opposite side of the
Onyxia’s Lair
➢
entrance and talk to the Orc. You’ll
There is a LONG chain of quests to
need to kill Drakk inside UBRS and
http://www.wowwiki.com/Drakefire_
Very easy.
complete before this.
It starts here
Amulet
➢
Same rules for a rogue as with Molten
Core.
Fire Resist is actually more
useful here. Expect to die a few times
while killing her.
➢
➢
attunement for this quest is simple
touch the crystal orb behind him.
➢The
place in the game where you’ll use
Detect/Remove Traps.
➢Never
melee, with some fire breath on the
front. Use autoattack & slice and dice
starts to fly.
Only ranged attacks
work and she can cast a huge AE
back end.
➢When
everyone
stands
minutes to kill him or the raid wipes.
➢The
starts at 25% back to pure melee. The
ground erupts lava in the cracks,
instance can have 2 or 5 possible
types of dragonkin.
Black, Blue,
Bronze, Green and Red. They affect
equal
distance from each other. Stage three
attacking Vael, you need to pull
out all the stops. You basically have 3
fireball in the middle of the room.
Basically,
Nearly every
boss has some massive attack for their
only. Keep the DPS fairly low. The
second comes at about 65% and she
stand behind an opponent,
always on their side.
Avoid the hatcheries!!!!
She has 3 stages. The first is pure
Suppression Room is about the only
Chromaggus
AE fear.
Nefarian
debuffs
everyone
encounters heavily.
➢Chromaggus
which you can avoid and she can cast
and
according to the following: Black=Fire
Damage
+
100%,
Blue
=
70%
movement, 50% casting and 50 mana
drained/s, Bronze = random 4 second
stun (hourglass sand is the only cure),
Green = 50% healing, 250dmg/5s,
Hellfire Ramparts
Red = 50dmg/3s, heals Chromaggus
➢First
and should once you have 3 on you.
➢Second
on death. 4 of the 5 can be debuffed
➢Nefarian
is a 3 stage event. First one, he
summons
42
elite
Drop them, then the boss
then kill the Orc. Once he’s dead,
according to the 2 types of the
stay away from the front end of the
instance. Black = Fire/Shadow Resist,
speed, Frost/Arcane Resist, Bronze =
Reduce attack speed, Arcand resist,
dragon. Fire resist comes in useful
➢Third
random
Rogues
quick.
get
If you get affected by his
Curse, back away until it’s gone. It
summoned in front of him for 30
does about 400dmg/tick to nearby
seconds, immobilized. Stage 3, all the
players.
elites repop as normal undead. Once
they are dead, back to stage 2.
Kill them when the
spawn and the boss should go down
Stage 2 he’ll summon
players.
boss summons felhounds from
time to time.
Green = Stun and Nature resist, Red =
Fire resist.
boss, the one on the drake. Kill
the 2 guards around the circle first,
dragonkin,
Blue = Drains mana, lowers attack
boss is easy, comes with two adds.
➢First
Blood Furnace
boss is a pretty straightforward
DPS fight. He can Mind Control a
party member, has a melee AE
knockup attack, an AE poison attack
Outlands
and a nature spell that knocks you up
Instant Poison should be on your offhand
in the air.
at all times, unless indicated otherwise. If
you’re using Mutilate, I would suggest
Deadly Poison on your main hand weapon,
Instant otherwise. Both hit 95% of all targets
in instances, including bosses.
His hit points are low
enough for this to be only a small
factor.
➢Spawns
Crippling
does not and should only be used if you have
concerns about runners.
after 4 consecutively more
difficult spawns of orcs. Last wave
has 3 elites and 2 non elites, so good
crowd control is essential. Can’t use
sap because you’re already in combat.
The boss himself isn’t all that hard.
He drops a poison ring on the ground,
➢
which the tank needs to pull away
should stand in their own corner,
well.
arrive, knock them out and then get
warlocks in the room. Fear is a good
Whirlwind attack which you need to
from. A minor AE poison attack as
➢
tank in the middle. When the spawns
You first need to deal with the 5
back on the Orc.
choice as well as shadow resistance. If
some AE, that’s good too. Once they
are gone, the boss comes out. He has
Slave Pens
➢
a front cast shadowbolt spell, so
attack his Fire Totem, simply move
become immune to damage and start
out of range. He has a direct attack
an AE blast. Run out of that quickly.
spell but that should only hit the tank.
➢
warlocks are gone.
you die. Also has a frost spit AE attack
You need 350 LP to get in here or the
for about 1600dmg.
key that drops in Blood Furnace
simple for a rogue.
➢
ground that hit for 1K per second.
You can more around them. At 20%,
he does a Whirlwind attack, which
you need to move out of the area,
wait, then go back in.
➢
Second boss has a nasty bleed buff
that will last until it is dispelled or
Shattered Halls
First boss spawns little pools on the
Kill them in this order:
Healing, Stoneskin, Earthgrab. Don’t
certain intervals, he’ll stop attacking,
➢
First boss is a shaman and will drop
totems.
everyone but the tank behind him. At
Should be a relatively easy fight after
He does a
avoid.
you can group them together for
➢
Third boss is a lot of fun. Everyone
Second boss
Rest is rather
Last boss has a geyser attack when he
goes on all fours and an AE poison
bolt
attack that
hits for about
2500dmg. If you free the Naturalist
Bite before the boss, he gives a good
buff (110 Nature Resist, 5% all stats)
that will help with the poison attack.
Underbog
➢
boss in Hellfire Ramparts. Keep range
First boss spawns mushrooms from
and it will lessen the effect. Casts a
they explode and leave a cloud for
and out of combat. Keep spread out
Just pull him around up until 20%.
should be good here.
time to time. After about 5 seconds,
float type spell that lifts you in the air
about 2s, which contains a nasty DoT.
to avoid the various attacks and you
At that point, he roots himself and
casts an AE spell that heals him for 4x
the damage done. Move out of range,
Steamvault
➢
let him cast and burn him down. At
They should be dealt with first. Boss
10%, he breaks root and resume
casts Lightning Cloud, which you can
avoiding the mushrooms.
➢
mitigate with Cloak of Shadows or
Second boss has some nasty front end
attacks, stay behind him. Even behind
run away.
➢
him, you’ll get hit for abojut 500dmg
gnomes that heal him but they have
Third boss is a hunter type. If no one
low HP. Hit them to stop the casting
is in melee range, he casts Aimed Shot
and then when disposed of, back on
for about 1500dmg. He has a multishot attack that does about 1500dmg.
the boss.
➢
He has an AE shout that reduces
nearby opponents AC by 75%.
When he starts, you need to kill the
also randomly places a freeze trap
tank ASAP or he goes into a frenzy
that freezes everyone, then runs to
and will kill everyone. It takes about
range and uses Aimed Shot. Let the
4 tanks to kill him.
tank build aggro for the first shout,
and then go in for the kill. Kill his pet
➢
Third boss summons energy for 12s
from a nearby tank, every 30-45s.
He
bear after the fight.
Second boss is a mechanical one.
Every 25% hp, he spawns little
but it’s much better than the front.
➢
First boss comes with 2 elementals.
Mana Tombs
➢
Final boss casts Chain Lightning for
2000dmg, then hits 2 additional
targets for 50% less each time. Cast a
static attack, similar to the Eredar
The first boss has an AE pulse shadow
attack (1500dmg per sec) that will
last 5 seconds over 30yrds, which
Cloak of Shadows can eat. When he
glows green, stop attacking as he will
ASAP. The “shadowed” player during
have a damage shield up. Avoid the
this time does 50% dmg and healing.
be ok.
target for 1100dmg and has an AE
your standard Earthquake attack with
copy of himself with a Mortal Strike
blast and the shield and you should
➢
He randomly casts a shadow spell to a
As an Earth Giant, the second boss has
stun
(800dmg).
He
can
Fear ability. At 15%, he summons a
also
ability. It’s best to just off-tank the
randomly imprison a target for 5s,
double and continue on the boss.
dealing 50% of your total HP damage.
If your priest can heal through the
prisons, you should do fine.
➢
Sethekk Halls
➢
The last boss starts with 3 beacons
elementals.
These beacons cast an
wave is completely gone. He also has
a caster if they aren’t destroyed
a few direct damage spells for about
The trick here is to take
800dmg and has a chain lightning
down all 3 original beacons or you
spell that does more damage the more
will wipe.
people it hits.
➢
Auchenai Crypts
➢
The first boss can “pull” you towards
him, which will apply a bleed debuff
on you (Dwarves can negate this with
their racial).
He can also place a
beacon under a melee attacker that
after 5s will explode in blast waves
for about 1500dmg.
➢
Get them together and
use AE. Don’t attack the boss until the
arcane missile attack and will spawn
quickly.
He
summons 3 waves of 4 random
and summons an additional one every
10-15s.
First boss is easy enough.
Final boss can create a shadow copy
of a random player. This shadow has
Last boss can be a pain if you are not
positioned properly. The easiest way
is to have him tanked next to a pillar
with casters beside the next pillar.
When he blinks and starts casting
(6000 if it hits you), get behind a
pillar to break Line of Sight. He also
casts polymorph. If you can avoid the
cast after blink, this boss is easy
enough.
all the abilities and hit points of the
player and needs to be taken down
Shadow Labyrinth
➢
First boss is a Felguard.
and casts Hellfire, which you simply
Once the
need to run out of. It gives the rogue
room in front of him is cleared, he
a good 10s to take care of some
starts walking around. He casts fear
wandering Voidwalkers.
poison front-cone attack. Stay on his
boss to the south hall along one of the
every 30 seconds or so and has a
➢
first teleport, you need to draw the
back and you should be fine.
walls to avoid the Voidwalkers. All
to the Cathedral in Scarlet Monestary.
ignore the adds.
Before second boss is a room similar
There are 10 pulls total of 4-6
creatures.
DPS should focus on the boss and
➢
Sap + sheep + fear is
a debuff (Touch of Murmur) which
also 5 orc assassins running around
after 10 seconds will blow you up for
that can attack without warning.
4000 and the people around you.
Don’t engage the boss without all of
When you have it, run away from the
them dead.
group.
Second boss is a long fight. He will
do about 6000 damage, so run to a
He has an area effect
wall to get out of the way.
knockback and charges everyone.
Sprint will get you out the second
cooldowns ASAP (Cold Blood, Trinkets
time. Be quick on the draw.
etc..) because when you’re mind
WILL
use
them.
Mechanar
Remove poisons from your blades to
➢
teammates.
➢
save
➢
you
some
damage
on
Cloak of
Shadows will absorb it the first time.
Basically, you want to use all your
controlled
He also casts Sonic Boom.
Takes about 4 seconds to cast and will
mind control the entire party for 15s
every 40s.
Fourth boss (Murmur) can’t move,
which works in your favor. He casts
essential for this to work. There are
➢
After the
your
Gryo-Kill has a front-cone attack.
Rest of it is rather simple.
Third boss spawns Voidwalkers that
slowly run to him. Once they get to
him, they heal him for 2000 and
damage you for 4000. Every 30s or
so, he teleports back to his start area
Iron-Hand has a front-cone attack
and a Jackhammer attack (his legs
have purple rings around them).
That attack will kill you if you stay
within melee range.
➢
Third boss is entirely optional.
He
continuously spawns bombs that will
do 2000dmg to everyone around.
➢First
about 20%, she spawns 4 elves to
assist, one of which is an elite healer.
slowly pull him back to the entrance
the caster and take care of the others.
The trick is to
and turn off attacks while he has the
red shield up.
If you have a mage, have them sheep
Back on the boss, then kill the mage.
➢Second
boss can be a major pain. Every
Fourth boss spawns with 2 fire
30s or so, he will transform into a
When the fight starts, the fire eles will
chanel from thos flowers and heal
elementals at either side of the room.
tree and spawn 3 flowers. He will
randomly select a target and slowly
walks towards them.
himself for about 20% of total life.
If you know
The trick is to keep him on the bridge
that you are the target, keep the
and when he turns into a tree, cut
elemental away from the group as it
back behind the bridge to the left.
leaves a flame trail on the ground.
That will break line of sight and pull
Ever 30s or so, the elemental switch
the flowers to you, breaking the heal
targets, so you need to keep paying
as well. Take care of them and back
attention.
➢
boss is rather simple. Once she’s at
When his shield turns red, he reflects
all melee damage.
➢
Botanica
on the boss. You have about 4-5 tree
Last boss spawns after 6 waves of
creatures are killed.
transforms to kill him or you’ll run
Blood elves,
Robot, Blood elves, repeat. Once you
engage him, you he will spawn little
elementals every 45s or so, who need
out of mana on the casters.
Poison is useful here.
➢Third
to be killed asap. He can also mind
control people randomly. As long as
the elementals get killed, he will go
down quickly enough.
boss is a demon.
Wound
He casts a
Hellfire AE pulse spell that you can
absorb with Cloak of Shadows. If you
can’t use it, run back a bit, the range
is smaller than the graphic. He also
will sacrifice the second most hated
target, which is either you or the
priest. This will drain your life and
move away from them when you
heal his. Avoid the Hellfire and drop
have this. He also has a shadow nova
here.
Shadows
his life. Wound Poison is also useful
➢Fourth
boss is interesting.
Tank him
where he is and do as much damage
spell that you can eat with Cloak of
➢I
suggest Dalliah as the second boss.
She has a whirlwind attack that you
as you can quickly. He will teleport
should avoid.
spawn 2 flowers.
interrupt with a kick.
back to his starting area and that will
back on the boss.
heal right after, which you can
Kill those and get
Nothing terribly
when you do. Make sure your healer
lot of running.
boss is a real pain. He summons 6
treants that after 20s will heal him
for about 25% health. He also has an
knows about it.
relatively easy.
➢Soccothrates
charges people and leaves a flame
can, keep him halfway to the bridge
trail behind him which will kill you
and deal with the treants away from
in 3 seconds. Avoid the fire trail and
warstomp. Let the ranged attackers
get as much damage in as possible.
deal with this boss and you deal with
➢The
You need to kill him very quickly to
save on healing.
➢Last
first boss spawn void circles on the
ground that deal about 1000dmg/sec,
avoid them.
is the next boss. He has a
1000dmg every 3 seconds. He also
2000 damage and stuns for 5s. If you
Arcatraz
Long fight but
permanent fire aura, wich does about
AE warstomp attack that does about
the adds.
She casts a
debuff that causes her to be healed
complicated but you will be doing a
➢Last
She starts casting a
He casts Seed of
Corruption, which will do about
4000dmg to you and your group, so
boss is on the 4th wave. 1st is a
Warp Stalker/Imp, 2nd is a friendly
NPC, 3rd is a dragonkin. He can mind
control people randomly, as well as
mind rend (stun + 5000dmg over 3
seconds). At 66% and 33% he spawns
a clone with about 10,000hitpoints.
Kill those quickly then get back on the
boss.
Old Hillsbrad
➢
Black Morass
Notes: Get the quest for this area first,
➢
you need it to move onto the next
area, Black Morass.
This entire
deals
with
purposes a non-stop fight for about
30m.
You must complete Escape
reset. After his third death, you fail.
from Durnholde before being able to
Whirlwind, Intimidating Shout (Fear)
quest and have a Chrono Beacon on
Whirlwind and you should be good.
beacons on the mini-bosses 13-17 to
The first boss is a standard warrior.
and
Mortal
Strike.
Avoid
enter.
the
➢
channels to keep the portal open.
which you should Kick through. He
You have about 2 minutes between
can also cast a 6s stun on his main
portal openings before the next one
target. The fight can be long if you
appears, usually more than enough
can’t break his heal castings.
time. At portals 6, 12 and 18 a boss
The last boss is a drake and comes
will show instead of a mini-boss.
with your standard from AE cone
After a boss you have between 20s-
breath attack. He has a DoT that can
1m to rest up and drink.
➢
an AE knockback and an aura that
The first boss is relatively simple. He
has an arcane blast that you can resist
removes all of the player buffs over
with Cloak of Shadows as well as an
time, so any buffs you do have will be
AE
gone within 10s or so. You first need
to deal with 3 waves of dragonkin,
There will be 18 portals that open;
each one has a mini-boss that
He can cast Heal,
be removed with Cloak of Shadows,
Use these chrono
speed up the kills.
healer first. Warrior next then take
down the boss.
Make sure you pick up the
your hotbar.
Second boss comes with 2 adds.
Offtank the warrior and kill the
➢
instance
the Outlands and is for all intents and
Trall. Thrall can die 2 times and will
➢
This
Medivh opening the Dark Portal to
instance deals with the escape of
➢
Notes:
attack
that
reduces
combat/movement speed by 60%.
➢
then the boss drops down to start the
fight.
The second boss is where most people
have trouble. He has a debuff that
reduces healing by 10% and can stack
up to 10x on the target. If the tank
has too many of these on him, you
➢
will be forced to off-tank (just turn
range of the fire trail but in range of
also self-haste.
tear before fighting. When you are
front cone sand attack (Cloak of
you hit the ground. Wrong timing
on Evasion) for a few seconds. He can
➢
the decursers in the raid. Collect a
The third boss is a pain. He has an AE
shot in the air, use the tear just before
Shadows can eat it) for about
and you die.
4000dmg. He will freeze time for 4s
every 30s or so. As long as your tank
is kept topped up on health at all
times, you should be good.
Guul's Lair
➢
Poorly
timed heals will kill you.
will come back.
Mount Hyjal
This is a 4 phase battle, similar to
When he puts his shield up, go all out
on DPS to bring it down and stop his
minutes long, 8 waves to a boss.
casting.
First boss has an AE Frost Nova and
➢
Must be DPSed quickly.
➢
Poison on him at all times. Ignore the
➢
Third boss has an AE warstomp that
➢
AE Life Tap that are difficult to avoid.
➢
Second boss should have Wound
Kiggler is next. DPS him down. With
Maulgar. Wait for first Whirlwind,
then you have 25s of damage before
getting out again.
Fourth boss should be distracted by
resistance is good here.
Krosh should be range DPSed down,
the raid on him, it'll be quick.
his frontal cleave.
the rogues until the raid is ready. Fire
Nothing big
stay away from him.
can avoid at max melee range. Avoid
➢
Olm should be next.
here for a rogue.
adds and DPS him down.
➢
Blindeye should be the first to go,
with Mind Numbing poison on him.
Black Morass. Each wave is about 2
➢
The first boss (or boss set really) have
to be killed within 1 hour or the trash
➢
➢
Fifth boss is Archimonde! Stay out of
Phase 2
➢
If you get
Doomed, move to the NPC warriors
and hope for a soulstone.
He can fear in
Gruul. Cloak of Shadows will remove
the debuff here, very useful. You
should not be shattered during this
fight. DPS like mad and stay at the
#3 spot on the hate list.
Magtheridon's Lair
➢
➢
should move out of the way. Kill the
their DPS is very high.
an elemental spawns, DPS like mad.
Elites that spawn during Phase 2. If
In Phase 3 the ceiling collapses. Keep
Phase 3 is pure DPS.
an eye out on the ground for an
animation. You must be 7yds from
impact or you will be killed.
The Eye
➢
of Shadows to keep healthy. When he
Hyrdoss is the first boss. When the
goes to the center, drop down a level
main tank dies, stop attacking and let
to avoid the quills. Avoid the Meteor's
someone else take aggro.
➢
in Phase 3 and DPS Al'ar while
Lurker. Move out of Whirl range
when you see it coming then go back
ignoring the adds.
➢
in right after. In Phase 2, take out the
Morogrim. Avoid the murloc spawns,
➢
Fathom Lord.
run away from the group. Phase 2
should AE the adds in the middle and
Kill order: Tidalvess,
rogues should stunlock the priests.
Sharkkis, Caribdis, Karathress. If you
are on Caribdis duty, use Mind
Phase 3 is tank and spank.
➢
Numbing poison to slow the heals.
➢
Leotheras the Blind.
Solarian. Cloak of Shadows works on
the debuff. If you don't have it up,
completely avoid the globules in
➢
Cloak of Shadows negates
Pounding. He's immune to poisons.
they should be AoEd. You can
Phase 2.
Void Reaver. Run away from the
Orbs.
adds before getting back on the boss.
➢
Al'ar. Rogues should be on add duty
as you can chain stun and use Cloak
Serpentshrine Cavern
➢
Static charged people
Fairly simple encounter. Rogues are
generally not on cube rotation as
➢
Lady Vashj.
When he
shapeshifts, he wipes his hate list. Run
away from his Whirlwind. Inner
Deamons need to be killed quickly
and can be stunned.
Kael'Thalas. Thaladred should go
down first (run away if he gazes you).
Sanguinar is a tank and spank.
Carpernican should be ranged DPSed.
Telinocus is a straight DPS. Phase 2
you should pick up your appropriate
weapon (sword or dagger) or take
both if you want.
Phase 1.
Phase 3 is like
Phase 4 should interrupt
Fireball and avoid the Flamestrikes
nd
and interrupt the 2
➢
Pyroblast. Kill
lower at all times. If you get Fel Rage
the Phoenixes between Phase 4 and 5.
do not move. Turn on all your get-
When floating, try to keep close to the
out-of-death
ground but not ON the ground.
Black Temple
Naj'entus.
You need 9000hp and
potions,
Essence of
Rogues will tank the
some frost resistance potions. Loot the
Enrages. Essence of Desire should be
ensure others loot from you.
of Anger needs a delicate balance of
on a rotational interruption. Essence
Supremus. Phase 1 is tank and spank,
avoid the gazes. He can hit for 7K to
high DPS with low threat. Feint and
Vanish should be used a lot.
➢
the person in melee range with the
rogue.
Shade
Akama.
Nothing
Illidari Council.
You need 11K hp
buffed for this fight. Malande should
complicated, take out the adds first.
have Blessing of Spell Warding
Kill the Shade before he kills Akama,
interrupted. Stay at least 10yds away
as it's a DPS contest.
from Zerevor to avoid the Arcane
Teron. Attack from behind to avoid
Blasts.
Parry. If you get the Shadow debuff,
wait til about 15s left and move to
If you get the
for 30s until it fades.
➢
of
Mother Shahraz.
debuff, move away from your party
highest HP. Normally won't be a
➢
Reliquary of the Lost.
melee range.
avoiding the flames. Phase 2 should
➢
pop
Suffering should be killed at max
spines from affected members and
➢
skills,
whatever it takes.
➢
➢
Gurtogg. Keep your threat at #3 or
Very similar to High King
Mulgaur fight.
➢
south end. Once constructs spawn,
use skill 5, then 4, then spam 3 until
5 and 4 are ready again. You have
60s to kill them all.
Illidan Stormrage. Alternates forms.
Human Form- When he jumps, move
out of melee range until the flames
are gone (10 yds). When you get hit
with a Parasite, move to the Mages for
Aeing. If you get hit for Agonizing
Flames, move out of range of group.
Demon Form – When deamons
spawn, they need to be killed asap or
they will kill their targets on touch -
➢Kael'thas
Rogues will be the damage dealers
the Fireball when you can. 10s into
stay well out of range. Flying Form –
phoenix will add. Kill it away from
straight line and very obvious. Move
it dies, it leaves an egg that will hatch
here. Has an AE aura for 15yds, so
the fight and every 1min after, a
Avoid the eye blast, which moves in a
out of the way.
group as it explodes on death. When
Cloak of Shadows
if not destroyed. Make sure all eggs
breaks Dark Barrage.
and
around.
will run to a crystal and attain more
Vexallus: Spawns adds every 15%,
Killing an add will give you a debuff
Phase 3: After 30s you
50% more damage. 10s later, return
Destroy the gems when
which need to be taken down ASAP,
to Phase 2
➢Kalecgos:
that does 300dps to you and gives
you a 50% increase in damage.
Spread out the debuff. Cloak of
Shadows removes the debuff. Arcane
Resistance potions are a good bet
here.
➢
before
return to the ground and Kael takes
power/mana until it is drained or
➢
dead
want to avoid the orbs floating
Kalithresh in the Steamvaults, Seline
needed.
are
you in the air, swimming around you
Selin Fireheart: Similar to Warlord
destroyed.
phoenixes
reaching 50%. Phase 2: Will AE flux
Magister's Terrace
➢
Sunstrider: Phase 1: Interrupt
Priestess Delrissa: Spawns with 4
random NPCS, which need to be
crowd controlled. You want to avoid
the melee NPCs (Shaman, Naga, Blood
Elf). Kill them in any order though
Phase 1: Every 20-25s a
portal spawns, taking a random
members.
The rest of that group
should click on the portal to join
them. Rest of the time, stay on his
back and spread out. Phase 2: When
you see the Human fighting the
Demon, draw the demon to the tank.
You have 60s before going back out
the portal. Note: Both the dragon and
demon need to be killed at the same
time
the healers should generally die first.
Sunwell Plateau
➢Brutallus:
you have 6 mins before
➢Kil'jaden:
Phase 1: spread out the hands
Engrage triggers and he has 10.5
to avoid potential shadowbolt volleys.
out all the DPS you can.
Phase 2: focus on Kil'j and ignore the
good. Ground Phase: You will be in a
Summons 4 reflections of a random
million HP. Stand behind and bring
➢Felmyst:
Arcane Protection Potions are
When all 3 are dead, next phase.
orbs. At 85%, next phase. Phase 3:
DPS group behind her. Flight Phase:
raid members, same class and do a lot
behind 1 person that kills on touch
interrupt. You need to move out of
from the group.
coming towards you.
Casts Demonic Vapor, creating a trail
and summons skeletons, move it away
Casts Fog of
Corruption after 2 Venoms, turning
1/3 of the field into a Mind Control
death trap, so tank on the edge to
avoid it. After 3 Venoms, she lands.
➢Eredar
Twins – Sacrolash and Alythess:
Starts with both and after you kill 1, it
moves
to
Phase
2
where
the
remaining sister gains some of the
other's abilities. Kill Alythess first. 6
minutes
before
enrage
timer.
Alythess: avoid the burning patches.
Sacrolash: Spread out to avoid the
Shadow Nova though it does clear out
the Flame Touched debuff.
➢M'uru:
Need a lot of DPS here. Phase 1:
Rogues should be in the Humanoid
control groups (2 beserkers and 1
mage). Once M'uru is dead, phase 2
starts. Phase 2: Entropius is a straight
DPS fight before Negative Energy
of damage.
Shadow Spike range when you see it
When the
spikes are finished, 1 of the 4 orbs
will activate. You need to be affected
by the Shield of the Blue to avoid the
Darkness of a Thousand Souls spell,
so move towards the dragon when he
hides behind his wings.
phase 4 starts. Phase 4:
At 55%,
Same as
phase 3 but now summons meteors as
well.
If you see it on the ground,
move out of the way or get hit for
10K. At 25%, phase 5 starts. Phase 5:
Same as 4 except up to 5 meteors at
once. Uses Darkness every 25s or so,
and you need to kill him withing 8
casts or there will be no more shields.
ORBS: Each orb can will transform
you into a dragon, each orb usable
only once per phase. Can cast Haste
with increases attack speed by 25% in
wipes the raid.
Can't stun but can
a frontal cone. Can cast Shield of the
Blue,
the
only
defense
against
The Nexus
➢
Darkness attack. Self casting, 10 yard
at max range and run out when you
see it.
Prince Keleseth: Pull the four Vykrul
➢
together first. When the last one dies,
They
will
be
ressed
damage.
➢
periodically but should still be DPSed
Both
pulls you in closer and does damage.
come
Cloak of Shadows through it if you
together. Skar will randomly charge
can.
people, Dalronn will randomly drop
aggro and shadowbolt.
When you
targetable
the
with
Arcane, Frost, Fire should be killed in
that order to avoid the stuns/CC/slow.
same
abilities, so ti's best to drop both near
When they are dead, Phase 1 restarts.
➢
the same time.
Anomalus: At 75%, 50%, 25% spawns
rights that spew wraiths that need to
Ingvar: He can self-enrage up to 50
be DPSed quickly. He is invulnerable
times, so Anesthetic Poison is good
here. He has frontal cone abilities, so
At 50%, Phase 2: 3 clones
appear, 1 for each magic tree.
kill one, it will appear as an unghost
Telestra: Phase 1: Will AE Frost stun
for 60yrds and has a gravity well that
down then concentrate on Prince.
Skarvald/Dalronn:
You'll
Crystal Spikes which can do serious
skeletons, who should be killed in a
group.
Ormorok: Tank and Spank.
need to move around to avoid the
the Prince engages. Will summon 4
➢
only):
first. The boss can Whirlwind, so stay
Utgarde Keep
➢
(Heroic
Comes with 2 clerics, so kill those
radius.
➢
Kolurg/Stoutbeard
during this time.
➢
stay on his back. If the tanks backs
away from a Cleave/Smash, ensure
you don't generate too much hate and
get aggro..
Keristrasza:
dragon tail
attack, so stay at the legs. Can enrage,
so Anesthetic Poison is good here.
Her debuff can do damage but as long
as you're jumping the movement
cancels it.
Standard
player. You need to do 30k-40k
Azjol-Nerub
➢
Krik'Thir:
Mind
Flay
should
damage to the boss to break this
be
effect. On Heroic you can't heal the
interrupted. Need to AE the waves of
bugs. The hard part is pulling what
stunned target, so burn him down.
➢
comes before him, the Skirmishers
the ground you must move out of.
need to die first, then the casters to
When she floats to the top and
Hadronox:
before it reaches her and heals her.
avoid web wraps.
➢
Attacking
summons a minion, DPS it down
Nerubians
attack him, once he dies, they attack
➢
you. If he kills someone, he regains
when the tank gets affected by mini to
second for 4 seconds, take those down
remove the affect and boost damage
Burrows at 66%. 33% and
15%, becomes invul.
At this point,
by 100%.
➢
will spawn more mobs and can shoot
by killing the healer, DPS and finally
to avoid.
the tank.
If you want, swap to
unarmed weapons while he's casting
Ahn'kahet
to reduce DPS from the Clones.
Elder Nadox: There will be small adds
that spawn from time to time, the
Drak'Tharon Keep
➢
ranged DPS should take care of them.
Can cannibalize them
for damage buff or blow them up to
should take it down as it makes the
boss immune to damage.
Trollgore: Is continually attacked by
other mobs.
When a Guardian spawns, everyone
➢
Volazj: Casts insanity which creates
clones of the group. DPS them down
spikes from the ground that you need
➢
AE kill the poisonous
ones (green) and kill the healthy ones
Anub'arak: Summons 2 beetles, every
quick.
Amanitar (Heroic Only): Mushrooms
all around!
HP. Can AoE poison.
➢
Jegoda: She summons red ciricles on
do AE damage.
➢
Taladram: Spread out to avoid the
fireball attack damage. When he
reappears after a Vanish, he'll do 2k
damage per second on a stunned
Novos: Starts in a shield that you need
to break. During this time, spawns
non-elites and the occasional elite.
Caster NPCs have keys that you loot to
break a layer of shield.
Once the
shield is down, he casts random
➢
frostbolts, an AE blizzard and can
you get charged, you don't fly too far.
decurser.
on the rhino will get you speared and
curse for 10K over 10s, so needs a
➢
➢
Being out of melee range when he's
King Dred: Tank and spank.
killed.
Prophet Thron'ja: Starts are bone
wyrm.
His nature damage spell
dispels after 50% hp drained on
Halls of Stone
➢
be avoided.
they get some nifty skills. When you
Casts a shock that stuns for 10s. Can
jump into a void zone before it lands
Rinse and repeat.
to break the stun.
➢
Gundrak
➢
yourself with Cloak of Shadows on.
summon a water elemental that
Channels a self centered AE lightning
should be kited to avoid the poison
spell that you need to step out of.
spots on the floor. Kill it and get back
Later in fight, summons troggs for
support. You get help at 10%.
➢
transformation into a mammoth.
➢
Sjonnir: Has a lightning shield that
should try to only take 2-4 of these
Colossus: At 50% and 30% will
Try to interrupt the
can
does 1000dmg per hit for 10 hits, you
they can wrap a healer.
Moorabi:
knockback,
to avoid damage.
the small snakes he summons too as
➢
Will
the group apart when turned to stone
and when you see him cast Poison
on the boss.
Krystallus:
petrify and break you. Need to keep
Slad'ran: Tank him near the doorway
Nova move out of line of sight. Kill
Similar to Maiden in
Kara with the Consecration aura.
do enough damage, it reverts back.
➢
Maiden: Casts Void Zones that need to
target. At certain times, will turn to
flesh and turn party to skeletons and
➢
Gal'Drah: Fight in a corner so that if
Eck (Heroic only): Attack from the
back to avoid the spit. Will randomly
jump to people during the fight.
Tribunal
/
Protect
Waves of mobs.
Bronzebeard:
On first wave, a
statue hits a random player for
500dmg every 3s.
waves.
45s between
After a few waves, second
face activates sending void zones that
increase damage by 50%. Waves are
30s now. A few more minutes and
➢
the third face activates, channeling
damage the farther you are from him,
10yards. About 15s per wave now.
lightning emote, run out of range (20
the floor for 500dmg per second for
not too bad for you. When he has his
Survive about 3 more minutes and
yrds).
the faces will turn on all remaining
mobs and destroy them.
Utgarde Pinnacle
➢
Halls of Lightning
➢
Gjarngrin: Nothing too fancy. He can
when you see that start. Keep spaced
free them. If the blade drops, they
die.
➢
out to avoid the chain lightning from
Worm faced away and watch the
Avoid the lightning balls he
Rhino's AE stomp.
throws to the ground, standing in
max hp every 30 seconds.
summon little elementals that you
➢
Volkhan: Few things. As a giant, he
has an AE stomp, just watch for the
Second, he summons little
statues.
On the next stomp, he'll
A DPS
check really, so burn him down ASAP.
➢
emote.
He has a good
bleed DoT and an aura that reduces
them will kill you. Every 20%, he'll
need to run away from.
Gortok: You'll have to fight 2-4 sub
bosses before the main one. Have the
doing too much damage.
Ionar:
Svala: When she summons someone
in the Blade Ritual, kill the 3 adds to
whirlwind, so stay out of melee range
➢
Loken: Has an AE aura that does more
elementals that when killed, turn to
break the statues that will AE for
about 5K damage each. So, Move him
to the side, and kill the statues, then
move him to the other side.
Skadi: 2 parts here.
mounted and summons continually.
Sometimes they drop harpoons which
you need to use on the guns to bring
him down (takes about 6 shots).
Once he's down, he can whirlwind
and 1 shot anything but the tank but
not much else of note, so stay at max
range and run away when you see
him start the WW
He starts off
➢
King Ymiron: Not much to worry
➢Eregos:
about for you. He can buff himself
The ruby dragon should AE these and
Cloak of Shadows when he summons
Stop to reduce the damage taken.
cast.
like mode. He'll summon orbs that
with an AE damage bubble.
Use
the amber ones should cycle Time
it and stop DPS when you see Bane
Second phase, he goes into a ghost
follow everyone around and when too
Oculus
close, will do big AE damage. Since all
This dungeon allows players to select a
5 are moving, it can be complicated
drake to combat with, so you could enter
to
here with 5 rogues if you wish (only the last
avoid
avoid.
He can also pull you into
melee range and AE stomp/stun you.
Urom: More movement here. Every
30s, he ports to the center ring and
will AE you for 9K if you're in Line of
Sight, so stand behind a pillar. You
they
Old Stratholme
➢Meathook:
avoiding the Frostbombs.
Varos: He will summon a drake
which targets a single person. This
person
needs
to
be
stun for 5K Try to avoid the belches.
➢Salramm:
channel the orbs and this causes an
front cone cleave effect, so stand
You need to kill the ghouls or
else they will explode for some
serious damage. As long as they are
dead, nothing too big here.
➢Epoch:
Make sure the area is clear
before engaging. Not much you can
continually
moving to avoid damage. He will also
Tank and spank mostly. He
will randomly chain someone for a 5s
need to move from pillar to pillar
➢
After
Drakos: Continually summons bombs
that you need to move around to
➢
everyone.
disappear, phase 1 starts again.
boss though).
➢
First part, he'll summon whelps.
do
about
Blade
Dance
though,
everyone else should be separated.
➢Mal'Ganis:
behind him while he channels.
Stay behind him to avoid the
cone AE. He has a Vampiric Touch
attack, so Wound Poison is useful
here. He leaves at 10%.
Violet Hold
➢Xevozz:
Vault of Archavon
You need to kite him around
Only one boss in here, Archavon. Three
the room. If he gets within 5 yards of
things to look for, he Shards attack which
the orbs he summons, he will 1-2
targets someone and does damage to people
shot the tank.
➢Erekem:
DPS the boss down and then
the 2 adds. Killing them first enrages
him.
➢Moragg:
➢Ichoron:
Tank and spank
Huge pain in the butt . When
he splits into small versions and they
die, they do a big knockback. Keep
your back on a wall if you can.
➢Lavanthor:
Has a front breath attack, so
➢Zuramat:
Stop DPS when he casts
face him away from the group.
Shroud of Darkness or you won't be
within 5 yards and his Leap/Cloud attack
which you should stay out of and his Lunge,
which is really an aggro wipe. For the first
two, spread out from the other melee. If you
get his with the Shard attack don't move. For
the Lunge, get ready to use Tricks of the
Trade on the off-tank as soon as you see the
emote. Your DPS is key to this encounter.
➢Shadron:
Sartharion
Enter the summoned portal,
kill the the spawn, then return to the
boss and DPS them down.
able to get healed. If you get the Void
➢Vesperon:
Same as Shadron, enter the
summons. They have little HP but can
➢Tenebron:
On this one, go all out on the
time.
➢Sartharion:
Shift debuff, target the sentries he
eat through a group with 10+ up at a
➢Cyanigosa:
Typical dragon fight, attack
portal, kill the add, then kill the boss.
boss, ignoring any spawns.
her from the side. Will periodically
summon everyone into the middle,
move out to the side and start DPS
again.
As with all dragons, avoid
the tail and the mouth. When you see
a “churning” emote, look for a set of
waves from the left or right. You'll
see an opening between the waves
that you should move to in order to
avoid the damage from the wave.
Ignore everything else and DPS the
boss down.
Naxxramas
➢
the Guardians as they have a nasty AE
Anub'Rekhan: Melee should spread
arcane explosion attack.
boss. When the Locust Swarm starts,
Rinse and repeat.
out the avoid the Impales from the
let the tank take care of it and focus
adds are dead, the boss comes back.
➢
on the Summoned Guard. Tricks of
the Trade on the offtank is a good
split into 4 parts, 3 of which are
Grand Widow: Have the offtank and
to max range and you can see the
everyone on the boss.
zone 1, then 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1 and finally
always exploding. Move the camera
1 DPS burn the 4 adds to 10% then
edges of the zones. You'll start off in
When she
enrages, kill an add then back on the
2.
boss. Repeat until dead.
➢
Maexxna: Tank her near 11 o'clock in
You'll
will start again.
➢
Web Wrap is an 8s stun that you
can't avoid.
Loatheb:
Very easy fight.
Stand
and get a 50% increase to crit rate for
spiderlings spawn, it's very important
90s. Keep the buff up and DPS the
to use Fan of Knives on them as well
boss.
➢
With 3 melee doing AE attacks on the
Razuvious: Use the orbs/Mind Control
the 2 understudies who will swap
spiderlings, they should be dead
tanking roles on the boss. Your job is
within 3 seconds.
simply to DPS and nothing else. Once
Noth the Plaguebringer: DPS the boss
until he teleports out of the room. Kill
from
withing 10 yards when killing a spore
When you see the
as Tricks of the Trade on the off-tank.
go
1,2,3,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,3,2,1 and Phase 1
on the wall in a cocoon, ranged DPS
should break it as soon as possible.
Phase 2 starts and everything
moves faster so don't bother any DPS.
her lair. When she throws someone
➢
Heigan: Phase 1, he's in the room with
you so DPS him down. The room is
thing here.
➢
Once the
the boss drops, kill the understudies.
➢
the Champions that spawn with the
tanks. AE/ranged should take care of
Gothik: 2 sides to the room, so split
the raid in half DPS-wise. Which ever
side you're on, you'll be using Tricks
of the Trade, Vanish and Blind to stay
alive here with the tons of spawns.
After 4.5 minutes, the boss will come
down if you've killed the spawns or
➢
not. DPS him while he's on your side,
you need to do as much damage as
to the other side. At 30% the door
to put out 12KDPS in a 10 man and
you have 10 seconds before he moves
possible within 5 minutes. Raid needs
opens and everyone should DPS him.
If you survive the spawns, the boss
➢
Patchwerk: A gear-check boss where
36K with 25 people.
➢
Grobbulus: The tank will have their
will go down easily.
back to the wall, slowly kiting the
complicated fight to start. DPS group
spawn.
Have everyone stack together to
of a cloud and wait until the effect
Four Horsemen: Very involved and
boss around as the Poison Clouds
in the near left corner, on Kor'Thazz.
Mutating Injection, move to the edge
reduce the damage from Meteor. At 3
ends, then run back to the boss. Keep
stacks, the tank will pull the boss to
your cooldowns for the last 10% of
the other corner and swap with the
other tank. You should stay where
you are.
the fight.
➢
DPS this other boss
the boss uses Decimate, DPS the
debuff and the tank will swap again.
skeletons quickly before they reach
Repeat until one boss is down, the
Gluth
move to the other and ignore the
and
heal
him.
The
real
challenge is keeping the AE tank alive
stacks, just burn him down. Once the
and the skeletons slowed.
➢
easy. Move from one to the other as
you acquire 3 stacks of the debuff.
Avoid the void zones on Blaumeux
and spread out on Zeliek to avoid the
chain holy spell.
Gluth: DPS the boss while an AE tank
picks up the spawned skeles. Once
(Rivendare) until 3 stacks of the
front two are dead the back two are
If you get affected by
Once the first
horseman dies, the rest should fall
easily.
Thaddius:
Starts with 2 bosses on
different platforms. They have to be
killed within 10s of each other, so
DPS both, wait until they are both at
5% then burn them down. Jump off
the platform to the main boss. This
boss will give you a polarity from
time to time. You should keep the
positives on the left and the negatives
on the right. As your charge changes,
move clockwise to the proper side.
Everyone needs to move in the same
direction or two charges will touch
➢
Malygos is the only target here. Ranged
and deal damage to the group.
DPS should take care of the summoned
the front and back. You need to move
Can't do anything while in the Vortex. At
Sapphiron: As with all dragons, avoid
sparks while you DPS the boss from the side.
out of range of Chill, which can be
50% he flies up and adds spawn. You need to
any time. At 45s he flies into the air,
AE damage. Pull and kill the lords and have
and freezes them in place. He will
disks.
hard as multiple ones can be up at
casts 2 frost bolts at random players
emote about taking a deep breath and
everyone
needs
to
hide
behind
someone who is ice blocked to avoid
the breath attack. He'll come back
down the ground and start Phase 1
again. Frost resistance is great here.
➢
Eye of Eternity
Kel'Thuzad: Starts off with everyone
in the middle with adds running
towards you. Rogues should focus on
the
Abominations
and
kill
the
Skeletons if they get too close. Once
the boss engages, melee should spread
out in a box around the boss, 11
yards from each other. Closer and
you could chain Ice Block that does
104% damage to affected players. If
you see a void zone, move backwards
stand in the purple zones to avoid raid-wide
the melee DPS loot them for the floating
If the zone disappears, move into
another one with Cloak of Shadows active.
While on the disks, you are immune from the
AE damage, so kill the Scions that are in the
air. Once everything is dead, the boss drops
back down. DPS like mad for the time you
have. Next part you all fall onto drakes, with
similar powers to Rogues (Energy and Combo
Points). Stack everyone together to help with
healing. Move clockwise slowly to avoid the
void zones that are summoned. Attack with
Flame Spike for 5 stacks, then use Engulf in
Flames. If Malygos targets you for his breath
attack, use Flame Shield with 1 second left in
his cast to avoid the damage. A good rule of
thumb is to always have 25 Energy to be able
to cast Flame Shield at a moment's notice.
out of range, to again avoid a possible
chain Ice Block. Once the Guardians
spawn, use all your cooldowns on the
boss and finish the fight.
Throne of Tides
➢
Blackrock Caverns
Naz'jar: Will summon vortexes and
➢
spores that you need to avoid. At 66%
clear enough to engage.
eventually draw the group in and
leave the vortex.
Move away from boss after so he can
bind you with chains, destroy them.
Ulthok: Move away when he casts
use Skullcracker.
enrage, so use Shiv to remove.
spot.
Dark Fissure.
➢
Will periodically
Erunak: Has a front cone attack and a
replaces him.
➢
them, have 2 players each rotate
random player, who needs to be
beam blocking on a single zealot and
let 3rd evolve and DPS down. Failure
brought to 50% to break the effect.
Keep breaking the mind control and
to rotate during beam will cause you
damage the boss.
to be mind controlled. Corla herself
Ozumat: You must keep Neptulon
is more of a nuisance that you DPS
alive. 3 phases to the fight. Phase 1
while waiting for Zealot 2 to evolve.
➢
kill the Mindlashers and have the
tank kite the Behemoths.
while, Phase 2 starts.
Karsh: Pull boss to middle fire to get a
fire debuff, this allows you to damage
After a
him.
3 Sappers
5-6 stacks is a good starting
point. Once buff wears off, center of
spawn, casting on Neptulon. Need to
area explodes, so move away. The
kill them quickly or they will kill him.
buff also increases boss' damage
Behemoths still spawn as well as
output. Can stack to higher amounts
Blight Beasts that need to be kited.
Also need to avoid the void zones on
Corla: Comes with 3 zealots who
transform due to purple beam. Mark
He will enslave a
has multiple spawns. AE the murlocs,
When Quake is
cast, move away from the tanking
lash attack for 20K. At 50%, Ghursha
➢
He will
and 33% she will enter a vortex and
spawn adds. Kill them and she will
➢
Rom'ogg: First ensure the room is
if you have the healer for it.
➢
the ground. When Sappers are dead,
Phase 3 starts. Neptulon will buff you
500% allowing you to finish the fight
with ease.
Beauty: Kill all the small dogs, except
Runty, before engaging. Will charge
farthest player and casts DoT fireball
that explodes when timer runs out.
Killing
Runty
causes
berserk, so don't kill him.
Beauty
to
➢
Lord Obsidious: Complicated since
spawn area so the spawns die quickly.
the little ones will cast a heal
She will fly upwards and throw rocks
too close to them.
Roots work on
ground and avoid them.
distance. Boss can swap soul to them
Vortex Pinnacle
inhibitor on the lead threat player if
at you. Notice the shadows on the
them, or kiting to keep them out of
and wipes threat table.
Be sure to
remove Twilight Corruption DoT
➢Ertan:
him as a shield, move inside to
either with CoS or another dispell.
Stonecore
➢
Corborus: First part, you need to move
when shards spawn under your feet.
damage him. When he pulls them
inside towards him, run out through
them, with CoS active hopefully.
➢Altarius:
in the Upwind area to get the increase
you need to move to avoid his burrow
in melee speed and swap when the
effect.
Slabhide: Simple enough dragon fight,
fight from the side and avoid the fire
spawns on ground.
He will fly
wind changes. Obviously, avoid the
whirlwinds.
➢Asaad:
as close as possible to boss to avoid
ground where stalactites will fall.
the large storm attack. Otherwise,
Ozruk: Fight him with tank back on
wall to avoid knockback.
tank and spank.
Stop
attacking when he has his Shield up.
Both of his charged moves cause a lot
of damage, so run at least 15yds away
➢General
specific areas, you should move so
that you are between a portal and a
Husam: Move around to avoid
Once he casts shockwave, avoid the 4
Priestess Azil: Interrupt Force Grip if
you can. She will spawn adds from
Lost City of Tol'Vir
the glowing traps on the ground.
when he starts casting.
➢
Straightforward fight. When he
starts casting Grounding Field, move
upwards and shadows appear on the
➢
Avoid the front so that you
don't get Frost Breath. Otherwise, stay
He'll eventually dig underground and
➢
Summons whirlwinds around
trails of dust. Stay at maximum melee
range to avoid the Shockwave attack.
➢Augh:
off. Using TotT on any other spawned
adds is a good idea.
When he casts Whirlwind, back
➢Lockmaw:
Will cast a Mark on a
➢Throngus:
Depends on what he uses.
random player and 4 crocs will race
Mace means you need to kite him
take them and AE them down.
behind him to avoid arrow barrage.
kill the Phoenix and void the fire
boss. Also need to avoid cave ins.
towards the target. Get the tank to
➢Barim:
around. Shield, everyone needs to be
Two phases. In first part, range
spots left on ground as well as the
beam. Once at 50%, phase 2 starts.
Swords should just burn through the
➢Drahga:
Kill the spawned spirits before
they reach their targets or take 50K
Kill the shadows and avoid the
damage. At about 30% health, he
phoenix dies again, Phase 1 starts
side, like a normal dragon. Avoid
ground around the boss.
When
summons Valiona.
once more.
➢Siamat:
ground purple patches. Once at 5%
Takes a bit to get started. Avoid
the clouds that randomly spawn. He
will shield himself and summon
servants and minions, ignore minions
she leaves and take down the boss as
before.
➢Erudax:
as they die after a period of time.
Once enough are dead, he'll shoot
everyone in the air for some damage.
Once that's over, unload everything
on the boss. Ignore all adds from this
point and burn him down.
➢Umbriss:
corruptor spawns that needs to be
killed before it reaches the eggs.
Interrupt Umbral Mending if you see
it being cast.
When the tank is
knocked back, he should let the boss
come to him.
Need to burn through the 4
Trogg adds he summons throughout.
Kill them away from the boss though,
Avoid Ground
Siege when you see it cast and stay
spread to avoid too much damage
from Blitz/Charge.
When Shadow Gale is cast,
move into the spiral. When it fades, a
Grim Batol
to avoid a frenzy.
Fight from the
Halls of Origination
➢
Anhuur:
Spread
out
that person's skill but others are
to
avoid
stronger.
Recknoning from chain healing boss.
repeat.
Avoid the moving beam of light. He
will eventually shield himself, two dps
➢
reduces the boss' damage buff. Lots of
the spawned vipers up to boss an they
AE damage in this fight.
➢
to interrupt Hymn when the shield
spawns, 10sec later a Seeker spawns
Ptah: Stay away from the tank to
and 10sec later, 2 worms spawn. DPS
avoid the Smash effect. At 50%,
kill the Seekers and focus on boss
spawns adds. AE them down and the
otherwise. Interrupt the Anti-Magic
tank should hold onto the elites.
Prison cast by the Seekers.
➢
to avoid the quicksand on the ground.
➢
Anraphet: Avoid the beam when you
summon
otherwise
avoid
it's
starts, move to center and burn all
Keeping the DoT on you will break
cooldowns.
the daze though, so that's an option to
get through this.
Deadmines - Heroic
➢
away or be dazed. At 60%, splits into
3 forms. Rain casts AE damage, Sky
casts shield and heal and Call casts
single target damage.
Try to interrupt Sun Orb
movement. When Blessing of the Sun
group and do 8k damage/second.
Isiset: When casting Supernova, turn
Rajh: Avoid moving whirlwinds in the
room.
see it. Every minute, he will stun the
➢
Setesh: Boss can't be tanked, so focus
on the portals he summons. 1 Sentinel
drops.
Once dead, boss comes back. Be sure
Ammunae: Kill the Spores in order to
kill the Bloodpetals. Killing the Pods
left to bring down shield. They bring
➢
I suggest order of Sky and
Rain.
go down to flip switches on right and
get AE down. You should stay up top
At 30%, two appear and
Killing one
brings boss back and she won't use
Glubtok: Two phases here. Phase 1
has him swap between fire (AE fire
damage) and frost (slow). He blinks
between swaps.
At 50%, phase 2
starts. He'll freeze everyone and move
to center.
He'll then start shooting
fire and frost on the ground, so avoid
those areas and DPS down.
➢
Helix: Annoying bugger. He'll be on
➢
the Oaf for the first part, throwing
instance on her. Pretty neat fight if I
randomly jump to people and plant
The group needs to free themselves
Oaf will randomly grab someone and
nightmare starts. Room fills with fire
bombs that you should avoid. He'll
do say so. Starts in a gauntlet attack.
bombs on them, so spread out some.
with
and
then
the
throwing ways.
Next part is moving while avoiding
which does AE damage while moving
you need to save the Harrington
exit, you need to kill some spiders.
Reaper 5000: Will cast Overdrive,
way.
walls and killing red sparks.
He also casts Harvest, which
to the boss. Simple enough fight, kill
the boss and kill the adds she
Once he starts running move out of
the way.
summons.
At 30% he enrages. Shiv
to the front of the boat and use the
Ripsnarl: Casts Thirst for Blood on
ropes to climb the gate.
successful melee attacks, gives 10%
blows up the charges. Fight ends at
duration if he doesn't attack. At every
1%.
25%, deck gets foggy an adds spawn,
kill them. When he comes back, he
Shadowfang Keep – Heroic
➢
seconds.
Ashbury: This fight depends on the
ability to interrupt Mend Rotten Flesh
Cookie: An funny fight. He'll run into
and Stay of Execution to stop him
a pot and throw food on the ground.
Some is rotten and will give you a
You then
need to DPS burn her before she
10 second
will stun a random player for 5
At 50%, she leaves and
blows up the ship – you need to head
should break that though.
haste, stacks 20 times.
Then
Family from Worgen. Finally, you get
acts as a charge towards a player.
➢
vents
and ice, that you need to avoid. At the
to a random spot, move out of the
➢
the
crash into the wall for damage. Once
Oaf is dead, Helix continues his bomb
➢
VanCleef: You have once chance per
from healing.
➢
DoT if eaten. The good ones give you
a power buff. Not really a challenge,
more of a fun boss.
Silverlaine: Optional boss, nothing
fancy.
damage spell that reduces healing by
75% and summons a Worgen to his
aid.
Does have a nasty Shadow
➢
Springvale:
Skills
charge
Unholy
Power, up to 3 charges. That allows
him to use some other skills, namely a
front cone attack.
Baradin Hold
➢
Word of Shame
are DPS. Split raid in half, each on a
seconds until the fight is over or the
slash. After each slash, tanks swap
causes 5% max health damage per 3
side to share the damage from meteor
player is dead, so heals will be needed
aggro. At 66% and 33%, casts
Walden: Split up if possible to avoid
ground that should be avoided. You
you see the poison patches, kite the
DPS for 10 man and 215K DPS for 25
to keep people up.
➢
Argaloth: Two tanks, 2 Healers, rest
the Frost and Poison vials thrown. If
boss around so as not to stand in it.
Other than the vials and spots on the
firestorm leaving fire patches on the
have 5 minutes to kill him, so 72K
man.
ground, simple fight.
➢
Godfrey: Has a front cone attack that
you should avoid.
Will chain
summon ghouls over 3 seconds, DPS
them down.
Casts a nasty shadow
damage spell (Cursed Bullets) that
also curses the target. This should be
interrupted.
Stay on his back,
interrupt that single spell and kill the
adds.
Bastion of Twilight
➢
cycles of this and they swap places.
Halfus: Throughout the fight, a drake
Split into two groups in order to eat
fireballs on the ground, which you
the Flames.
the ground puts a debuff on the boss
simply
in the air will continually cast
the damage from Meteorite and avoid
should avoid. Activating a drake on
Magic should move out of range or
stop
attacking
for
the
but the drake is then mind controlled
duration. After two Magic casts,
puts a 50% damage debuff on the
fire, after which they swap again. 10
and must be killed. Killing a drakes
Valiona fills one third the room with
boss. Two tanks on the boss allows
them
to
split
the
Mortal
minute timer.
➢
Wound debuff. At 30% he will start
to Whirlwind across the room, doing
damage and applying the healing
debuff.
As a rogue, you can't do
much during this phase. Killing the
drakes
should
be
done
in
the
following order: Time Warden to
slow down the fireballs, Nether Scion
to remove boss' frenzy, Slate Dragon
to randomly stun the boss.
➢
Players with Engulfing
Valiona & Theralion: Bosses share
threat and HP pool. They alternate
one in the air and one on the ground.
With Valonia on the ground people
should be close to her in order to
avoid the Devouring Flames and to
eat
the
damage
from
Blackout.
Spread out when Theralion casts
Twilight Blast though.
After 2
Blackouts, Theralion casts ground
swirls that need to be avoided.
3
Ascendant
Melee
on
Ignacious and Ranged on Feludius.
When you are waterlogged, run
through the flames on the ground to
avoid getting Frozen. Try to do equal
DPS as they will despawn when the
first reaches 25%. Split DPS evenly
between Arion - ranged and Terrastra
- melee. Run into the Twister Arion
summons in order to avoid the
damage from Quake later on. If you
get the Lightning Rod effect, move
away from the group to eat the
Lightning effect alone. You need to
interrupt the Harden Skin spell if
possible. Stay out of range of Arian's
Thundershock.
At 25%, all 4 will
combine together into final Phase
boss. Need to kite the boss around the
room to avoid the slime puddles.
Group needs to keep spread out to
reduce
Council:
chain
lightning
damage.
Damage increases as fight drags on,
hence why it's important to get all of
them down to 25% during the earlier
➢
Throne of Four Winds
➢Conclave
of Winds: 3 djinni together
who must die within 1 minute of
phases.
each other. They each stay on their
mechanic, with a max of 100. At 25,
a healer is on Rohash platform, a tank
Cho'Gall: Uses a Corrupted Blood
own platform. Split group up so that
rate of corruption gain doubles but
and healer are on Anshal platform
you have a cone effect that sprays
will need to move through air
you will start shooting shadow bolts
they charge their energy to 90, the
that effect can be dispelled. At 50%
other players for damage.
At 75%
from your back. At 100% you become
a faceless one. During the first phase,
be sure to interrupt the Worshipping
channeling to keep his damage down.
Avoid the fire spots. Will summon
Adherents that will cause corruption
if you are hit by their abilities. Once
dead, they leave blood pools that
spawn little slimes that need to be
killed or they cause corruption. The
whole fight is basically hitting the
adds without getting hit. The more
you do, the more damage the raid
takes. At 25%, Phase 2 starts. He'll
summon tentacles that need to be
killed before his damage gets too
excessive. Once they are dead, burn
the boss down.
and everyone else is on Nezir. DPS
conduits across the platforms. When
use an ability that blocks transport
between platforms. If no one is on a
given platform, the raid wipes. Nezir
casts a Blizzard attack that splits
damage between the group, so that's
why everyone is on that platform for
the attack.
Anshal will summon
plants at 30 energy that need to be AE
DPS down quickly.
You start on
Nezir, DPS him until Anshal gets to
30 energy. They move to Anshal and
kill the plants and move back to Nezir
to take the damage from Blizzard.
Repeat until Nezir is down to about
20%. Split raid DPS between Anshal
and Rohash to bring them down to
20% as well, remembering to move to
Anshal at 30 Energy and Nezir at 90.
Now you only need to make sure they
all die within 1 minute of each other.
➢Al'Akir:
A three phase fight. Phase 1 is
simple enough.
A blizzard moves
around him, so avoid the ice patches.
When
he
charges
Wind
Blackwing Descent
➢Magmaw:
Need to avoid the front of the
the worm.
Burst,
When he spawns the
Parasites, they need to be off-tanked
everyone in melee range to avoid
and killed quickly, or they will mass
getting knocked off platform. At 80%
spawn.
When he falls forward, 3
he summons a wall of tornadoes that
players need to jump on his back and
avoid and Phase 2 starts. Acin Rain
spike in the ceiling, which will do a
phase. Stormlings spawn and when
the raid damages the body for 100%
move around him that you must
use the skills to hook him onto the
falls for constant damage during this
killed, stack a
massive amount of damage. Rest of
buff that increases
damage on the boss by 10% for 20
increased damage. As always, avoid
the flames on the ground.
seconds, so try to kill one asap and
➢Omnitron:
4 Golems with a shared HP
keep the buff active long enough.
time.
Each one starts with 100
then stagger the kills by 15 seconds to
Wall of tornadoes will also constantly
move around boss. At 30% Phase 3
starts. He breaks the platform and the
raid is now airborn. Split raid in half,
one above and one below. As clouds
spawn, the group moves 5 yards away
(up/down) from it and continues
attacking.
Same thing with a
Lightning Rod, except the person
affected doesn't move until the effect
is gone. Need to burn through fast in
order to kill him before you run out
of space.
pool. Only two will be moving at any
energy and drains slowly.
At 50,
off and a new one spawns.
At 45
another golem spawns. At 0, it shuts
energy, raises a damage shield that
lasts to 25 energy. Do not hit the boss
during the shield. Avoid the poison
pools and pull boss from whirlpool
but close enough that melee can stand
in it for damage buff.
spawning slimes. If you get targeted
by the Magmatron, take the hit and
let the rest of the group move away.
If the tank gets Lightning Conductor,
Kill the
move away ASAP. Keep the DPS on
gets into the air, hit the gong again.
the golem that is above 45 Energy
He will shoot a laser at people while
sailing.
rest of the fight is simply about
and it should be relatively smooth
➢
in the air, so run and avoid that. The
Maloriak: Bosses used vials to imbue
himself with abilities.
avoiding the fire shot at you and on
He also
summons adds that must be off-
the ground.
➢
tanked. Interrupt his Arcane Storm if
you can. Order is one of two things:
further.
Blue gives Ice Block ability, so raid
important.
takes the damage from the slime since
damage. Green puts a debuff on
it can't kill you with the buff. If it's
everyone that increases damage by
off, the group stacks together to
100%. Everyone needs to burn the
spread the damage of the slime. At
adds during this phase. At 20% he
20%, Phase 2 starts. Bile-O-Tron is
releases remaining spawn (total of 18
still on but healing is reduced by 99%.
Aberrations and 2 Primes for the
He takes more damage and you
simply need to burn through what's
has a sound
mechanic. When it reaches 100 on a
left.
➢
player, he will kill them outright.
Gongs are around the area that drop
sound to 0 and stun the boss for 3
seconds.
He will destroy the gong
after use though.
Boss alternates
between ground (80secs) and air
(40secs).
Avoid the ground flames
and when he casts Searing Flames,
use a gong to interrupt.
If
it's on, then the group splits up and
that the raid needs to take to split
Boss
Phase 1 has two parts,
depending on the Bilo-O-Matic.
Ice Block. Red has a meteor breath
Atramedes:
Talk to Finkle before the
fight to get the Mixture buff. Very
should split up and need to break the
entire fight).
Pretty much a gear
check to ensure you can progress
Blue, Red, Green or Red, Blue, Green.
➢
Chimearon:
When he
Nefarian: Fun stuff here!Onyxia starts
the fight and the next phase starts
when she dies. As with all dragons,
avoid the front and back. Not hitting
her causes her to stack electric
charges. When she discharges, you
can avoid it through Line of Sight on
the pillars. At 30secs into the fight,
Nefarian shows up. Keep him away
from Onyxia and just burn her down.
Kite/offtank the spawned skeletons,
difficulty you’d find in an instance.
they can't be killed. Phase 2 starts
exception to this is the very high level elites
into 3 teams, each on a platform to
almost all dragonkin). They are meant to
casts from the Prototypes. This phase
zones.
with Ony's death and the group splits
avoid the lava damage. Interrupt the
ends when all three are dead or 3
minutes is up.
The
you find guarding certain areas (such as
keep you away from certain unfinished
As a rule of thumb, a rogue can solo an
Phase 3 should be
elite that is 2 levels under them. Of course,
tanked along outer wall so that the
this can change depending on the type of
it's trail. As Skeletons come back up,
will trample you easily but a caster will fall
raid can avoid the Shadowspark and
Shackle/Fear/Block
concentrate on boss.
them
and
creature you’re fighting. A giant for example
as quick prey. It’s usually best to attempt an
elite with a friend as 2 people can easily take
on a similar level elite creature. Always use
evasion when tanking an elite.
Dealing With Elites
Stun is usually a very good tool to use
There’s a reason they call them elites, they
hit hard, and have high hit points and armor
along with some nifty moves you won’t find
elsewhere. Every instance is populated by
elite creatures and more often than not, they
are in groups. Having a firm understanding
of how a rogue works in a group is
important to be successful.
Elites that you find out in the wild (noninstance) are usually just named versions of
some regular variety creature. They tend to
against elites since they have such very high
armor that most of your skills do little
damage. If you’re stunning them, then the
rest of the group can get their damage skills
to attack and they are not getting hit. This is
a very good thing. Some people think Expose
Armor would be useful here but it really
isn’t.
Creatures have such a high armor
value that Expose Armor has very little effect
and it prevents Warriors from using Sunder
Armor, a tool they need to gain aggro. So
stun attacks are key.
be a bit more difficult than a normal version,
harder to find yet are not close to the
That being said, the bosses of most
instances cannot be stunned. In those cases,
it’s best to start with Garrote and throw on a
Rupture as your other attacks will not do
nearly as much damage.
In later stages,
bosses will survive 2 or more Rupture attacks
due to their high hit point values.
To go over elites again: A rogue can solo
them outside of instances with relative ease if
they are 2 levels below them. In an instance,
it’s best to stun elites due to their very high
armor rates as special attacks will and can
get highly resisted. If stun is not an option,
then use DoT attacks. Finally, do not ever use
Expose Armor – not only does it have very
little effect but it prevents Warriors from
doing their job properly.
P
PVP
General PvP Information
Preparation
vP is a big part of World of
Warcraft. About 50% of the servers
are PvP in fact.
There is an
important factor to consider compared to
regular combat; your opponents do not
follow set patterns. 90% of the time it will be
skill and luck that decide combat, not just
overwhelming numbers. Every class has its
advantages and disadvantages in combat and
your job is to exploit them. I will go over the
other classes in the game and see what you
can do to counter.
You need to be well equipped if you want
to do some serious PvP. Ensure that you have
enough ingredients for Vanish and your
Thistle Tea.
Carrying around Tubers and
Healing potions is vital as well. Keep some
good bandages on hand for when you have
the chance to breathe. Make sure that you
have the proper gear on as well. Since PvP
and PvE are so different, many rogues have
different sets of gear depending on what they
want to do.
In all cases, I suggest only having
Have lots of crippling poison. I put this in
Crippling Poison on your main hand and
its own paragraph because so many rogues
from Instant Poison is nice but PC opponents
weapon at all times in PvP. Some people like
Mind Numbing on the off. The added bonus
love to run away, especially casters. The only
classes that will stand toe to toe with you are
Warriors,
Paladins
and
other
Rogues.
Everyone else wants to get far away from
you, don’t let them. Delaying casting is a
good thing.
forget about it. You must have this on your
using Mind Numbing in the other hand,
makes fear take 9 seconds to cast.
There are trinkets that allow you to escape
charm/fear/polymorph
Alliance/Horde)
(Insignia
available
Battlegrounds vendors.
from
© www.killerguides.com
the
the
Useful tools that
require very little time to acquire.
- 202 -
of
Battlegrounds
You generally want to be in a team with
If you’re doing any battleground combat,
another rogue. One of you will always be on
the opponent’s backside, tearing through.
you can only start at level 10 and then, you
It’s common to see groups of 4-5 rogues in
Each 'bracket' is grouped into 5 levels, so 10-
opponents and cause some heavy surprise
are limited in which you can participate.
the larger BGs as they can sneak around the
14, 15,19, all the way to 80-84 and finally
damage.
level to enter, as follows:
The less people see you, the more damage to
85 alone. Each battleground has a minimum
Zone
Min
Level
You will find yourself generally
right behind the enemy’s main attack force.
the casters in the back.
# of players
Warsong Gulch
10
10
Arathi Basin
10
10
Eye of the Storm
35
15
Alterac Valley
45
40
Strand of the
65
15
Isle of Conquest
75
40
Battle for Gilneas
85
10
Twin Peaks
85
10
server I’ve played on, Horde has the
advantage in PvP. Their racial abilities are
PvP focused and the shaman is better in PvP
than a paladin.
Warsong Gulch
Designed for 10 people per side, it’s your
classic Capture the Flag event. This BG is
Ancients
available starting at level 10. It’s considered
courteous to hold the opponent’s flag at your
base until you are able to recover yours. The
average battle lasts 30 minutes though I’ve
seen some over an hour.
Battlegrounds are a great way to level up
your characters but the rate of experience
takes a sharp decline after level 70.
As a general rule, on pretty much every
As a rogue, you don’t want to be carrying
the flag. You can’t stealth with it equipped
and don’t have the hitpoints to get very far.
Leave that to the Paladins and Druids. Your
role here is to get the casters in the middle of
the field for the most part. You are the best
10 players. I find most fights here are 3vs3,
class to retrieve a flag from an opponent due
though if you’re part of a defensive team, you
2vs2, so it’s a great place to practice combat
tremendously due to player skill. I’ve seen
to stealth attacks. You’ll often be 1vs1 or
techniques.
The battles lengths vary
some last 10 minutes as I’ve seen some last 2
hours. Most though tend to be over in 30
If you see a flag runner, use distract if you
can. Most times they will stop in their tracks,
giving you time to catch up.
minutes.
This zone
requires Crippling Poison for that exact
reason.
might be 2vs10.
If you find yourself chasing a flag
Alterac Valley
It’s pretty much a raid zone in itself as it
runner, remember that you can stun and
takes up to 40 players starting at level 50. I
catch up and just past them.
this BG. The goal is to kill the opponent’s
snare them. Use your mount or Sprint to
Stealth and
Cheap Shot. If you can’t use Stealth, Gouge
by quickly jumping and turning in the air.
Having Crippling Poison will have a large
effect on their speed. Worst case, you can try
for a SS/Hemo and then Kidney Shot for a 2
second stun.
leader, slowing moving your way across the
field capturing spawn points and destroying
towers. It’s very similar to RISK. Battles last
at a minimum an hour and some last days (I
actually saw one last over a week). Most are
complete in 2 hours.
Generally, I like grouping with 2 other
Arathi Basin
It’s designed for 15 people per side and
starts at level 20.
highly suggest waiting until you’re 60 to do
The goal is to control
specific locations on the field and acquire
2000 resources from them. You can play
one of two roles. Either you’re a guard with
another member or you’re part of the
advanced fighting force. I personally prefer
the advanced attack as you tend to die less
rogues and a druid. You can be an advanced
force and take out every single other spot on
the map if no one from the other side shows
up. An alternative is to stand in the back
lines of the opponent and take out the
casters.
This doesn’t work really well
though, since you basically have to go
through 20+ opponents to get back to your
often than defending against an onrush of 8-
main force. You’ll find that there are many
have on certain servers. For example, on my
bottlenecks and that you can have fighting at
server the Horde have never had a zone
coordination to win this BG.
never captured the towers in Terrokar.
one location for hours. You need excellent
Given that this is a PvP zone, there really
Eye of the Storm
There are 4 towers and a flag in the
middle.
bonus for longer than 5 minutes and have
isn't a whole lot of strategy to it. Whoever
has the larger team will win.
Controlling more towers awards
more points per tick. If you have less than 2
towers you should be avoiding the flag in the
middle.
Most fights here are in a pack mentality,
5-10 people moving as a mass.
If you are
defending you will be swamped so your task
is simply to live as long as possible.
Strand of the Ancients
Similar to the Beach attack in Normandy
from all those WW2 games. Each faction
takes
a
turn
attacking
or
defending.
Attackers try to breach 3 walls within a given
time frame, then they switch sides.
Each
faction has 2 walls to break and the last is a
common wall. If your time is about to run
out, don't attack the third wall as it would
Lake Wintergrasp
This is a PvP zone inside Northrend, so you
technically help your opponents.
can jump into and out of PvP as you wish.
This zone also contains spirit shards.
Tol Barad
This zone plays near identical to Lake
The main goal is to capture Wintergrasp
Wintergrasp, where it's massive open world
Shards to turn in for rewards, similar to the
every 2.5 hours. The faction that wins has
Keep, which then allows bosses to drop Spirit
towers in Terrokar. If your side fails to win
on your rotation, the next time you'll have
more support. This is in place to avoid the
PvP. The battle lasts 30 minutes and restarts
access to a special dungeon with a single boss
that drops pretty good loot.
seemingly permanent bonuses some factions
When the battle starts, the defenders have
There are 3 points to capture, so odds are
3 towers to defend and 3 keeps. For each
that the battles will be concentrated in
on the timer.
Basin.
tower destroyed, the attackers gain 5 minutes
The attackers win if they
capture all 3 towers before time runs out,
else the defenders win.
When players die near a keep, a slider
specific areas and last longer than Arathi
There are a few chokepoints along the
road but there are also alternate routes
available, so you're going to see one of 2
moves, depending on what faction the player
things happen. Massive battles in the middle
players impact control but also the number
players aiming to take out the back forces.
represents. So not only does the number of
of casualties.
Tol attack the towers, you will need to use
for control of the bridge or roaming packs of
Expect kill counts to be rather excessive,
especially for AE classes.
siege engines, of which there are 6 across the
field.
Twin Peaks
A 10v10 capture the flag battleground,
Similar to how Wintergrasp works, the
very similar to Warsong Gulch. There's not
attacks a given keep and capture it, leaving a
Warsong, except that the terrain seems
main strategy will likely be to send massive
skeleton crew to try and maintain control
once the group moves on. When the groups
much to say here since it plays identical to
smaller and more congested.
are evenly matched, attacking the towers will
Arenas
have added benefits.
Arenas are 2v2, 3v3 or 5v5 combats
Battle for Gilneas
Similar to Arathi Basin, this is a 10v10
battleground based on resource gathering.
The first team to 2000 wins.
where when someone dies, they are out of
the match. Last man standing wins. Combat
can take as little as 30seconds or as long as 5
minutes.
The best
2v2 groups typically have a
like to hide near shrubbery or just around a
Rogue and Druid. Rogues have been near or
corner. Even if they detect you in stealth,
time due to our ability to be near invincible
move into a better position.
at the top of the Arena ladder for a very long
for 30s while still unloading tons of damage.
You're goal is to incapacitate someone as
quickly as possible with Sap, then Stunlock
the main target.
Rule of thumb, don't enter an Arena
without your cooldowns being up. If that
means you need to wait a few more minutes
to start, then so be it. Always enter with
potions ready, reapply poisons and be
focused.
they can’t see you, giving you the chance to
Do not let someone fear you.
recognize the casting (get a UI mod if you
want) and stop it. Fear will destroy rogues as
it takes you out of melee range for a long
time.
If something goes wrong, Gouge and
Vanish away.
A split second decision is often
enough to turn a match around.
one in particular stounds out as designed for
PvP, Subtlety. What about rogues who aren't
If you just go
around and attack anything that moves
you’re in trouble.
PvP Skills
When you look at the Rogue talent trees,
Pick your fights
This is very important.
Learn to
You want to aim for
Subtlety and want to PvP?
They certainly
have options, and we'll go over them.
Basic rogue PvP skills are versatile, have
people that are already engaged with
relatively quick cooldowns and are less about
currently casting, hunters whose pets are
few options for opening battle. For damage,
someone else. Examples are casters that are
already attacking and so on.
You should also factor in the world
geometry. Since many attacks require line of
sight to succeed, fighting indoors and close
quarters is to your advantage. I personally
damage than confusion. You have quite a
you can Ambush.
For stuns you can use
Cheap Shot. For silence you can use Garrote.
If you need to split up a group, then Sap is
also very useful. Distract can help you get
the target pointed in the right direction in
order to use your skill.
you can plan your attacks. I like to start a
Actual damage skills are the same as PvP
for the most part. Sinister Strike is likely to
be the skill you use the most, unless you can
get to their backside for a backstab with
daggers.
Finishers are varied. Stuns go for Kidney
Shot.
Damage is Eviscerate.
Rupture is
useful in that it can't be removed like poisons
can. Slice and Dice as well as Recuperate are
fight and if I see someone else trying to join
from range, I throw one at my feet to keep
the battle 1vs1.
That makes for a lot of skills to keep
around and for good reason. Rogues seem to
have a card to get out of any type of jam, be it
melee or spells.
Now we get into talent builds. Each one
nice but not terribly useful in PvP from my
has a few PvP items in it so we'll look at each
As for utility, Kick works wonders on
Assassination has a couple nice ones.
experience.
tree.
casters and can cause quite a bit of
Quick Recovery gives you some movement
cooldown or you need to add an extra stun.
Blackjack is really nice as I find Sap is used a
frustration.
Gouge is useful if Kick is on
Realize that damage will break the effect
though! Blind is a get out of jail card for
when you need to regroup or need to a few
seconds to get some energy. Very powerful
skill as you can move away and Stealth to
restart the fight. Damage also breaks blind.
If things go really bad, Sprint will get you out
of a jam. Feint will give you a AE damage
buffer for 6 seconds, so proper timing is
required.
Cloak of Shadows will remove
many effects from you and make you
practically immune to magic for 5 seconds.
Knowing when to use both of these can turn
speed, saving you from having to enchant it.
lot in PvP. Reducing damage output is huge.
Deadly Brew makes a big change in your
poisons, as now you can use Wound Poison
on one dagger and Mind Numbing on
another while ensuring Crippling is always
on your target.
Overkill combined with
Vendetta makes for some great burst damage.
Let's not forget that Mutilate allows you to
attack from the front for damage and gives
some very nice CP.
There are some nice
talents here but the are mostly all passive, so
it's less about decision making and reactions.
a battle around. Smoke Bomb is interesting if
Combat
is
a
bit
more
interesting.
skill off, like Ambush or Sap. Even a Garrote
Improved Kick adds a nice silence effect.
in the middle of a fight can really through a
which is big for a melee class. Improved
a great skill to close the gap between you and
use often.
enemy is running away, you can Vanish then
Improved Sprint breaks movement effects,
Gouge is nothing but benefits for a skill we
Blade Twisting adds a daze,
keeping enemies close.
Killing Spree
essentially makes you immune to melee hits
caster for a loop. Finally, Shadowstep. This is
a target plus you get a damage boost.
use this skill to close the distance. I love it.
for it's duration. Blade Furry is also a great
skill if you find yourself surrounded.
If an
Stun Lock
This
technique
came
around
when
Finally, we find Subtlety, the common PvP
Battlegrounds first came out and is widely
while stealthed allows you to stealth from
principle where your enemy is constantly
tree. Nightstalker is great as extra movement
farther away.
Elusiveness reduces the
cooldown on three essential PvP skills.
Waylay adds a melee debuff and daze effect
on targets, keeping them in melee range for
longer. Find Weakness gives a great bonus to
damage after an opener, usually long enough
to kill the target.
Honor Among Thieves
gives huge benefits when you fight with a
group
as
crits
come
constantly.
Premeditation is a core talent as it gives you a
free 2 CP before every fight, allowing you
versatility after the opener. Cheat Death is
gimmicky but in the right circumstances can
used due to its power. It follows the simple
stunned while you use small moves to
gradually remove their health. This tactics
was extremely cheap in the early days but
with the dimishing returns of stuns, you need
to be reasonably quick in dealing your
damage.
combat.
Here’s the general idea of the
Cheap Shot  SS  Gouge  Kidney Shot
 SS  Thistle Tea  SS  SS  SS 
Gouge  Cold Blood  Eviscerate
Looking at the combo, it seems rather
keep you alive longer than you should.
simple to execute but you need to have exact
every skill and I'm pretty sure it will again
constantly pressing an attack while they are
Preparation used to reduce the cooldown of
soon.
Shadow Dance is awesome in the
middle of a fight where you need to get a key
timing on the stuns as your enemy will be
stunned and the split second delay will break
your combo. You also need to monitor your
Class Details
energy use throughout as you may need to
use a Thistle Tea to regenerate if things go
wrong.
Rogue
The rogue’s biggest advantage in PvP is
A more complicated build resembles the
stealth. It’s also the biggest disadvantage as
following, though it needs a specific talent
many tactics are lost if they get detected. A
get this entire string to work in a
damage in a very small timeframe so it’s best
players around you.
not from the back. The solution? Stun your
build to succeed. Highly unlikely you will
Battleground due to the sheer amount of
Cheap Shot  SS  Gouge  Pause 
Cold Blood  Eviscerate  Blind  Vanish
 Regen ~8 seconds  Cheap Shot  SS 
rogue can unleash a very high amount of
to not let them attack you at all, especially
opponent.
Since most rogues will be stun lock rogues,
Gouge  Preparation  Cold Blood 
you’re basically waiting for them to mess up
seconds  Cheap Shot  SS  Gouge 
Then come back and demonstrate how it
Eviscerate  Blind  Vanish  Regen ~8
Eviscerate
and get in a Gouge and Vanish/Run away.
should be done.
This one takes extreme control in timing
and requires that you not miss a single
attack.
You could exchange waiting for
popping a Thistle Tea to get your Energy
back.
I strongly urge that you get a stun
monitoring UI, such as StunWatch. It will
show a progess bar for the stun duration, not
entirely accurate all the time but much better
than counting in your head.
Druid
Druids are very good in PvP. They have a
very large amount of spells and physical
attacks at their disposal.
Their damage
shields are especially deadly since it’s based
on the number of times they get hit, and no
class hits faster or more often than a Rogue.
They also have the ability to cast regenerate
on themselves, offsetting a very large amount
of damage you can possibly inflict.
If you fight a druid and they turn into an
If you are faced with one, kill the Hunter
animal, you’ve pretty much won the fight as
and not the pet. Sure, you can take a lot of
they won’t be able to cast.
If they are in caster form, remember the
Kick attack. It stops casting of that spell line
for a set amount of time. It will not interrupt
instant cast attacks though. They will most
likely try to kite you with a snare, so you
need to snare them and keep in very close
quarters.
Basically, if they have a damage shield on,
you’re looking at taking a large amount of
damage from the pet but even if you kill it,
the Hunter will have you to no life in a flash.
If they start kiting you, you’re pretty much
up the creek as they do a tremendous
amount of damage from range.
Thankfully, the Hunter is very weak at
close range. Make sure you hit the pet with
Crippling Poison if the opportunity presents
itself. A pet that moves slowly means you
can get away from its damage fairly easily.
damage without them every even hitting you
so try to stun them to offset the increased
damage.
Mage
Mages are the only other class that can
compare to us damage wise. The good thing
is that they have little to no HP and armor.
Hunter
Hunters are a pain simply because they
have a pet. Pets can do a very large amount
of damage to you and hunters can kite you
all over the place with speed decreasing
shots. It’s even more annoying when they
attack with their pet before they shoot you as
it takes time figuring out where they are.
The only telltale sign is perhaps a puff of
smoke from a gun, as bows have no
indication. This makes hunters deadly if they
Mages love to use Polymorph and Frost Nova
so they can move out and attack us from
range. Obviously, Polymorph can be stopped
with a Kick or a Gouge. Frost Nova is an
instant attack though, and the only counter
that I know of is to use a ranged attack.
Bombs are great here as they can stun the
mage for 3 seconds. If you don’t have any,
use your ranged attack that will slow down
their casting time.
stay near foliage. You need to Sprint and
Gouge/Blind and get going on the damage.
When you use Kick, there is a cool down
which gives them 12 seconds to heal
time, same with Gouge. Try to not use the
themselves without taking any damage at all.
attack while you can’t use the skills.
interrupt it.
skill back to back, as you will be open for
Very deadly and it’s Instant Cast, so you can’t
The stun combo works great here as well,
If you don’t finish off a Paladin with the
but Mages can Blink out of a lot of our stuns.
Stun Combo, odds are you’re dead. Point of
Poison as you can catch up to them quickly.
them is a stun combo due to the fact that they
Poison but it really is not as effective as
uncommon to see some with 7000armor,
This can be fairly easily offset with Crippling
You might be tempted to use Mind Numbing
Crippling Poison and mages have a lot of
instant cast spells that aren’t affected by it.
Line of Sight is very important to mages, so
stay on their backs even if you don’t have a
dagger, that way, they can’t hit you.
Even if you’re caught off guard, the odds
are in your favor when 1on1 with a Mage.
Just remember than you can interrupt their
fact, about the only combo that does work on
have such high armor values.
giving them near 50% damage absorption,
practically eliminating the use of Backstab
and Ambush.
Mind-Numbing poison can be useful here
on their healing spells.
fights can take forever.
Priest
With all their healing abilities, you’d think
a Priest would be a deadly opponent,
Paladin
They’re the bane of the Rogue, heck of all
PvP. Paladins have nearly all the benefits of
Warriors and the ability to heal at the touch
of a button.
You’re basically
hoping to drain their mana reserves as these
attacks and you’ll be fine as you can dish out
a lot of damage in a short period of time.
It’s not
They can use Divine Shield,
dragging the combat on for a long time. Fact
is, they are very weak in PvP and do less
damage than Mages.
They do have an
instant heal that heals for about 1400dmg
but with a 30 minute cool down, it’s not
something you need to really worry about.
They are only cloth wearers and 1400
damage is practically the same damage you’d
do with a non-critical Eviscerate.
Their
Regardless if you can get the Stun Combo
deadliest attack has to be their ability to Fear,
to work, you’re still looking at 200dmgx3
can destroy a Rogue, especially in the middle
spell is 550dmg, it also only has a 6 second
making you run away for 8 seconds. Fear
of a combo.
from their damage shield. Their instant cast
cool down. In a 30 second fight, that’s over
3K in damage that you can’t stop. A fire
That being said, a good priest will cast Fear
totem can do 40dmg per 2 seconds, which
trinket as soon as you’re feared. I find that a
the stun or get caught off guard, you’re in for
and are relatively soft targets.
shield up, you have a decent chance of taking
and DoT you, then heal to full. Use your
lot of priests are used to the “heal-only” mode
Those that
know what they are doing however are a
sight to behold.
Mind Numbing Poison could be an option
here since Priests don’t gain anything from
running around.
Also, try to stay behind
them, as Line of Sight is what they need to
cast on you.
would also break a Vanish. If you mess up
a rough ride. If they don’t have a damage
one down. If they are guarding something,
expect 4 totems and no way to reach them
without stealth breaking and being snared.
This is also the main reason you avoid
shaman with damage shield in PvE. They run
through a Rogue in no time.
Warlock
Shaman
Ahh, another pet class. Warlocks should
The deadliest opponent in PvP bar none.
be treated like all other casters. Interrupt
multiple totems (magma and earthbind),
spell which you need to worry about is Death
With their damage shields, instant cast spells,
heals and fairly decent melee ability, a rogue
should just leave them alone. I’ve taken a
few on and died even though I had more
levels.
their casts. Their only instant cast damage
Coil. It hits for 470 damage and heals the
caster for the same amount but has a 10
minute cooldown, so it’s not something you’ll
see very often. You can interrupt nearly all
of their casts with ease, as they tend to take
time to come into effect. Mostly damage over
time spells as well. Their deadliest spell by
Warrior
far, is their Fear spell. It can make combat a
real pain since you can’t control yourself.
Undead have an advantage here, since their
Very similar to Paladins, minus the ability
racial ability makes them immune to the
to heal. This makes them a bit easier but they
effects.
can unload a ton of damage, all instant
strikes. Overpower comes into effect when
As much as you’d think a pet would be a
you dodge and you can’t stop it, not too good
your deadliest foe, being able to nuke from a
reducing it by 450 and it stacks up to 5
really doesn’t hit hard enough to be a
armor if you think about it.
problem, it truly isn’t. The Imp would be
distance. Voidwalker is simply a tank, and
problem. Pets can be sacrificed to have some
uninterruptible spell casting for a short time.
Rarely will you see a Succubus and as long as
they are not on your back, don’t worry.
Felhunters are nothing to fret since you have
for Rogues. They can also Rend your armor,
times.
That’s basically putting you at 0
They have
Thunder Slap that can reduce your attack
speed by 10% and a few skills that increase
their next swing by 100dmg or more.
Did I mention that their armor values are
no spells and that’s about all they’re good at
through the roof, especially with a certain
pets and essentially removes them from the
with 8000armor, which equates to a 60%
taking down. Sap works reliably on Warlock
fight altogether.
Just concentrate on the Warlock and
talent?. Don’t be surprised to see a Warrior
damage reduction.
The problem lays simply in the fact that
they’ll go down eventually. Some Warlocks
they can make a fight last a long time, which
long as they don’t fear you, it’s not so bad.
keep the damage they can inflict on you to a
have ridiculous amounts of health but as
Being a pet class means they have very little
defensive skills. Even if you don’t get a stun
combo to work, just your standard melee will
drop them.
is not good for a Rogue. Open with stuns to
minimum and if after the combo they are still
alive, you might be able to stand toe to toe
with them. You might even want to throw in
a Kidney Shot to finish the combo instead of
an Eviscerate, just to keep them stunned that
much longer. If you don’t kill the Warrior in
the stun lock, you’re likely to die shortly
after.
Twinking For PvP
Twinking is all about keeping your
character at an optimal level for a PvP
bracket. This is means levels 19, 29, 39, 49
and 59.
Death Knight
A new class steps into the fray. Similar
Make no mistake about it, twinking costs a
armor and hit points as a warrior, with the
lot of money but can be very rewarding. The
Knights are a very tricky class to nail down.
don't have people in raid tier gear or arena
damage potential of a warlock, Death
Expect to have 4-5 DoTs on you at all
times as these are required for other DK skills
to take effect. If you try to run away, they'll
bring you back in. The good thing about DKs
is that they are very dependent on Runes and
Runic Power. If they have neither, they won't
be able to kill a kitten. You want them to
playing field is equalized somewhat as you
gear clearing the floor.
Almost all rogue
twinks will be wearing the same gear, with
the same enchants and it's skill that decides
the outcome. Most gear can be found on the
Auction House but since everyone knows it's
for twinks, expect to pay 100-200g per item.
In this section I'll only go over level 19
unload everything they have at first and then
through 39 as past that you'll have a good
be on cooldown and you'll have a good 5-10
past that are really quite diverse.
blow it away with CoS. All their runes will
seconds of semi-free hits. A smart DK will
time their attacks though.
idea what's required and the gear options
Most times you'll be looking for +AGI and
+STA items. Of the Monkey gear is always a
good choice until you find something better.
The weapons are (S)word, (M)aces, (D)aggers
and (OH)off-hands. Take the fastest offhand
you can find, regardless of what weapon spec
you are taking, you need it for poisons.
Level 19
➢Head:
Wailing Caverns as well, including the Mace.
The Neck, Ring and Trinket are all PvP
Lucky Fishing Hat: 15STA
rewards and the reast of the gear can be
➢Neck:
Sentinel/Scout
➢Shoulder:
Serpent's Shoulders: 9AGI
6AGI,2STA
➢Back:
Medallion:
Sentry Cloak: 4AGI, 5STA
➢Chest:
➢Wrist:
➢Hand:
➢Waist:
➢Head:
of the Monkey: 3AGI, 3STA
Gloves of the Fang: 5STR, 6AGI
Belt of the Fang: 5AGI, 6STA
Leggings of the Fang: 5STR, 9AGI,
4STA
➢Feet:
Level 29
Blackened Defias Armor: 4STR,
3AGI, 11STA
➢Legs:
found on the Auction House.
Footpads of the Fang: 6AGI, 6STA
➢Ring:
Legionnaire's/Protector's
➢Trinket:
Insignia of Alliance/Horde
4STR, 4AGI, 2STA
➢Melee:
Shadowfang(S),
Viper(M),
Assassin's
Shadowfang (OH)
➢Ranged:
Band:
Stinging
Blade(D).
Throat Piercers: 2AGI
➢Neck:
mostly Bind on Pickup. In these cases, you
need to zone in with a very high level friend
and pray the drops come in. the higher their
level the better as you'll get less exp that way.
The head requires a fishing quest in STV.
Sentinel/Scout Medallion: 8AGI,
5STA
➢Shoulder:
Watchman Pauldrons: 3STR,
4AGI, 11STA
➢Back:
Tigerstrike Mantle: 8AGI, 7STA
➢Chest:
➢Wrist:
➢Hand:
Barbaric Bracers: 4AGI, 6STA
Wolfclaw Gloves: 5STR< 6AGI,
6STA
➢Waist:
➢Legs:
➢Feet:
PvP Leather Girdle: 4STA, 24AP
Petrospill Leggings: 14AGI, 6STA
PvP Leather Boots: 7AGI, 8STA
➢Ring:
The most difficult section as the gear is
➢Trinket:
+4STA
➢Melee:
Same as 19 + Rune of Duty:
PvP Weapon(S)/Zealot Blade(S),
Looming
Poker(D), Vendetta (OH)
➢Ranged:
Shoulders are from Wailing Caverns off Lady
Anacondra. All the of the Fang gear drops in
Gavel(M),
Torturing
Naga Heartpiercer: 5AGI
Little bit easier here are a lot of it is Bind
on Equip. Waist is a PvP reward. You can try
➢
Ranged: Monolithic Bow: 3AGI, 12AP
finishing the boss quest in Gnomeragan for
Here you have a few more options. Since
some better pants but Petrospill should be
leveling takes longer, you can try your hand
the SM Graveyard. Rest is all on Auction
Ranged and an alternate head piece.
enough. The Torturing Poker is off Vishas in
House.
at running Uldaman for the Shoulder,
Mace drops from Whitemane in SM.
Everything else is on the Auction House.
Level 39
➢
➢
➢
Enchants
Head: of the Monkey: 12AGI, 12STA
➢
11AGI, 7STA
➢
Neck:
Sentinel/Scout
Medallion:
Shoulder: Revelosh's Spaulders of the
➢
Back: Tigerstrike Mantle: 8AGI, 7STA
Chest:
12STA
➢
Wrist:
Warden's
12AGI,
Unearthed
Bands
of
the
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
➢
Waist: Ogron's Sash: 9STR, 9AGI,
Legs: Basilisk Hide Pants: 21AGI, 8STA
Feet: PVP Leather Boots: 8AGI, 10STA
Ring: Assault Band: 7STA, 20AP
Trinket: Same as 29
Melee:
PvP
Reward(S),
Righteousness(M),
PvP
Hand
Chest: Major Health: 100HP
Wrist: Superior Stamina: 9STA
Hands: Agility: +15AGI
Legs: Nethercleft Leg Armor: 12AGI,
40STA (requires a level 60+ character
to use)
➢
9STA
➢
to equip)
Hand: Gloves of Holy Might: 14Crit,
20AP
Back: Greater Defense: 50AC or
Greater Agility 12AGI (item level 35
➢
Monkey: 6AGI, 6STA
➢
Wraps:
Head: Libram of Constitution: 100HP
(requires a level 50+ character to use)
Monkey: 9AGI, 19STA
➢
The
➢
Feet: Speed: 9STA, speed boost
Weapon: Agility: 15AGI, Fiery is good
at lower levels.
Alternatives
Leatherworkers.
of
Dagger(D),
Sacrificial Kris of the Monekey (OH)
are
Armor
Kits
from
THEORYCRAFT
Y
Notes
We've gone over most everything so far, so
this is pretty much a recap. First, let's go over
Introduction
ou've read through the guide. You
some stats.
●
have a good understanding of skills,
Attacks, 17% on Poison and 27% on
talents, stats and items. What's left
to explain then?
Melee Attacks.
Well, the thing about a
you need 961 for Special Attacks,
task, doing very high amounts of damage.
2041 for Poisons and 3243 for Melee
Your goal as a Rogue is to poke and prod
Attacks.
various strategies to find the one that fits
huge.
DPS possible.
●
Theorycraft is the art of taking numbers
Expertise has a cap of 26. It takes 30
Expertise Rating to increase 1 point.
and crunching them together to get even
That leaves you with 780 rating
more numbers that you crunch to be able to
required to cap.
AEP is a good
This can be
increased by racial traits, depending
People were trying to compare
on the weapon. 5 points each gives
various items with 7-8 stats between them
150 rating benefit.
and needed a stick to measure by. People put
their heads together and came up with
Precision reduces that
requirement by 6% or 721, which is
your playstyle the best and provides the best
example.
It takes 120.1 Hit
Rating to increase 1%. That means
Rogue is that it is the only class with only one
compare certain items.
To Hit has a cap of 8% on Special
●
formulas that made it easier to select your
gear.
This section is one that you shouldn't
Never attack from the front , this
triggers parries which gives a haste to
the enemy and can kill a tank, they
can also block from the front.
worry about until you're in your 60s. Up
until that point, there isn't a whole lot of
customizing available and the game doesn't
have a lot of group content to worry about.
●
Never attack a dragon from the front
●
or back. They will cleave/breathe on
that increases your talent bonuses.
from behind. Stand near their back
better than others.
you from the front and tail swipe you
Each tree is different and some are
leg so that you get all the benefits of a
behind them.
●
regardless of speed and your off hand
from the back gives you: 27% miss,
weapon should be very fast.
24% glancing, 42.5%
critical strike+ Hit. 42.5% is your soft
●
critical cap. If you have less, then the
●
Critical Hits deal 200% of normal
than if you stagger them.
on the previous bullet. It takes 179.3
●
1% .
●
Dice and Rupture, in that order. If
they are immune to bleed, swap
and Haste Rating. Each are added
Rupture for Eviscerate or Envenom.
individually in their category, then
Haste
also
directly
increases Energy regeneration rate on
a 1:1 basis. 128 Haste Rating = 1%
haste.
In a group, the best opener is Garrote
and the best finishers are Slice and
Haste is calculated based on Haste %
multiplied.
Use your trinkets and cooldowns at
the same time, you get a better return
damage. You are soft capped based
rating or 324.7 Agility to increase
Do not let your energy reach it's
maximum in combat, it's wasted.
number overflows into Hit.
●
Unless stated elsewhere, your main
hand should be the hardest hitting,
Fighting enemies 3 levels above you
6.5% dodge,
It takes 179.2
rating to increase 1 point.
back attack without being directly
●
Mastery is a new stat in Cataclysm
A
AEP
quick reminder of some AEP values
for raiding.
Gear
Stat
Ass
Com
Sub
Agi
2,6
2,7
3,5
Gear makes a very big difference in a
Special
1,75
1,8
1,4
rogue's life. Skills depend on Energy to be
Poisons
1,4
1,3
1,05
Melee Hit
0,75
1
0,7
Exp
1,1
1,5
1,3
Crit
0,9
0,95
1,15
Haste
1,2
1,5
1,1
Mastery
1,3
0,95
0,8
Attacks Hit
Hit
The quick and dirty of it is that a statistic
available but the actual damage is 100% gear
dependent.
Armor
Use AEP as much as possible when looking
at armor. Understand that you want to stay
near but below the Hit/Expertise caps and
that you don't want to waste Critical Strike
chance if you can't use it. Try to fit in sets
when you can for the bonus available.
that has a higher value should be prioritized
until it reaches its cap. Agility and Haste are
the exceptions, since they don't have a cap.
That means that Assassination Rogues
should focus on Agi > Special Attacks Hit >
Poisons Hit > Mastery
Combat Rogues should focus on Agi >
Special Attacks Hit > Expertise = Haste
Subtlety Rogues are looking at pretty much
Weapons
Main hand weapons should always be the
highest DPS and the slowest (1.7+ for
daggers, 2.6+ for others) you can find, given
your talent spec.
Offhand weapons should be as fast as
possible, especially if you have Combat
Potency. If you don't, it still affects the ability
to apply poisons to your target.
only ever going for Agility and when
reforging, Special Attacks Hit > Crit > Haste
Reforging
Enchants, Buffs and Gems
In Cataclysm, you now have the ability to
customize your gear, to some extent. Each
item has primary stats, Agility and Stamina,
For weapons, bar none, Landslide is your
only choice.
as well as secondary stats, Hit, Crit, Haste,
For the rest of the pieces, I will put a * for
Expertise and Mastery. Through reforging,
slots where there is only one option. Every
stat into another secondary stat, as long as
what works best for you. I will list the one
ignoring gems. That might sound confusing,
tradeskill-only ones, such as Enchanter rings
you can move 40% the value of a secondary
that doesn't already exist on the item so let's use an example.
Sark of the Unwatched - 345 Agi, 578 Sta,
227 Crit, 247 Mastery
other slot should compare with AEP to see
with the highest score.
or Inscription shoulders.
Head *
Arcanum of the Ramhaken (Ramhaken,
Revered): +60 Agi, +35 Haste
Let's say you want to reforge Mastery into
something more useful. You could remove
98 pts from Mastery and put it into any
secondary stat, except for Crit, since it's
already on the item. Let's put it into Hit and
Shoulder *
Greater Inscription Shattered Crystal
(Therazane,
see the result.
Sark of the Unwatched - 345 Agi, 578 Sta,
227 Crit, 149 Mastery, 98 Hit
Mastery
that gives less bang for the buck.
Just
remember that you cannot reforge into a
Exa):
+50
Agi,
+25
Back *
Greater Critical Strike (Enchanting):
+65 Crit
This is the optimal way to reach your Hit
Cap and therefore save on enchants or gems
I won't list the
Chest *
Peerless Stats (Enchanting): +20 All
statistic that already exists.
Stats
Wrist
Precision (Enchanting) +50 Hit
Waist *
Ebonsteel Belt Buckle (Blacksmithing):
Adds a gem slot
Hands
584 Sta
Pri, Hun, Wal, War
549 Agi/Str
DK, Hun, Sha, War
30% Haste
Sha, Mag, Hun
10% AP
DK, Pal, Hun, Sha
10% Haste
Hun, DK, Sha
5% Crit
Dru, Hun, Rog, Sha, War
Mastery (Enchanting) +65 Mastery (if
Assassination) or Greater Expertise
(Enchanting)
Combat)
+50
Expertise
(if
Legs *
Charscale Leg Armor (Leatherworking):
+55 Agi, +145 Sta
Agility and Haste buffs are the more
important ones, when given the choice.
Flask of the Winds (300 Agility) DPS
booster, followed by Elixir of Mighty Speed
(225 Haste) and Elixir of the Naga (225
Expertise). Food-wise, Skewered Eel is great.
Feet
Major Agility (Enchanting): +35 Agi
As mentioned in a previous section, there
are multiple group buffs to look out for.
Here's a quick table to see what class offers
what type of buff.
Each profession has a benefit to your
character in some fashion. Enchanters can
enchant
their
rings
(+40
Agi
each),
Leatherworkers can enchant their bracers
(+130 Agility), Jewelcrafters have more
powerful gems (+67 Agility, 3 times),
Engineers can attach items to their gloves (5K
damage/2m) and put cogs into their special
helms (+208 rating for a secondary stat,
twice), Blacksmiths can socket their gloves
Buff
Classes
5% Agi/Sta
Dru, Hun, Pal
and bracers while Tailors can enchant their
cloaks. Each has about the same amount of
As a final note, Chaotic Shadowspirit Gem
power, so there's no huge advantage.
has an AEP of about 145, Enigmatic is 87,
so customizing is easier.
if it's worth it.
Jewelcrafters do have more options though,
and Fleet is 93 – in case you were wondering
When considering gems, take into account
the needs if you have a meta slot. For the
meta slot, your choice is simply the Chaotic
Shadowspirit Diamond.
The requirements
for this gem have changed a few times but it
Cycling
Cycling is reserved mainly for groups and
would appear that it will require 2 Blue
raids. In solo work, you generally have the
gems count as Blue, in case you don't actually
example is a rogue from 1-20.
gems.
Remember that Purple and Green
have a Blue slot on any of your gear.
For the rest of the slots, aim for increases
in offensive stats such as AGI, Hit, Expertise,
Haste and Crit in that order, which can be
found on pretty much all colored gems.
Obviously, “best gems” is hard to detail, since
it's really dependent on stats.
Still, some
gems seem to be better than others.
target dead within 1-2 finishers.
You are
pretty much pressing 2,2,2,2,2,3 all the time
(5xSinister Strike, 1xEviscerate) until other
skills become available. In a group, some
fights can be 10sec and others can be 15
minutes, where the cycles can become much
longer and you want to find the highest DPS
possible.
Given the speed at which combo points
can
Pure Red: Delicate Inferno Topaz
A good
be
generated
(factor
in
talents,
cooldowns and energy regeneration), optimal
Pure Yellow: Quick Amberjewel
cycles appear.
Pure Blue: None that I would suggest.
From the example in the
previous paragraph, the cycle would be
Hybrid Red: Glinting Demonseye (RB)
Hybrid Yellow: Deft Ember Topaz (RY)
Hybrid Blue: Glinting Demonseye (RB)
written 5e in its abbreviated form, meaning
once you have 5 combo points, you should
use Eviscerate. For future use, S means Slice
and Dice, E means Eviscerate, N means
Envenom, R means Rupture.
Another
You want Instant Poison on the Main
example would be 1s-5r where you use a 1pt
Hand and Deadly Poison on the Off-Hand.
repeat.
Following that cycle is currently the highest
Slice and Dice then a 5pt Rupture, then
The goal is to have Slice and Dice up all
the time and Rupture up as much as possible.
Dagger speed doesn't matter so much here.
DPS class/talent spec in the game.
Glyph selection is fairly straightforward –
Mutilate, Backstab and Rupture with Tricks
of the Trade as well.
Mutilate
Mutilate can give 2-3 CP per strike and
because of this variation, you will not always
have the exact amount of CP listed and you
Combat
This depends on if you have daggers or
will always use a finisher at 4CP or more.
not, both work fairly well though daggers
choice here. The cycle is simple enough, get
use 3s-5s-5r due to the higher energy
Dual daggers make Envenom the optimum
to 4+points from Mutilate, then:
➢
Ensure Slice and Dice as well as
Rupture are up
➢
➢
➢
Envenom if Slice and Dice < 12sec
Envenom if Rupture >2sec left
Rupture
requirements from Backstab.
No matter
what weapons you select, ensure the offhand is a fast weapon, something 1.8s or
faster.
For all other weapons, the cycle is simple
At 35%, you will swap Mutilate for
Backstab as the CP generator. Use Vendetta
once you break stealth and use Vanish
during the fight just before Vendetta, if
possible.
require more energy. Dagger rogues should
enough. Use Sinister Strike to generate 4 CP
and use Revealing Strike for the last CP.
When it comes to finishers:
➢
➢
➢
Ensure Slice and Dice is up
Ensure Rupture is up
Eviscerate
You likely want to separate Adrenaline
Rush and Killing Spree from each other.
Blade Furry has lost a lot of power since it
only attacks another target instead of
granting haste.
How Much Damage Should I
Do?
This is probably the most common
Bandit's Guile is a weird talent that you
question from all Rogues. Since damage is
5%, 10%, 15% damage bonus. It has a 20%
most rogues are measured against their
want to work with. Basically it has 3 levels,
chance to proc per skill use and that will
refresh the duration and increase the level
(up to 3).
Wait until you're at the 15%
damage bonus before using the first run of
your cooldowns.
Glyph
choices
are
Sinister
Strike,
Adrenaline Rush and Slice and Dice with
Tricks of the Trade.
our primary domain (we can't heal or tank),
damage output.
First I would like to ask, are enemies dying
in a reasonable time and is everyone in the
group alive? If that's true, then the damage
you do isn't so important. Keep having fun.
As for actual damage numbers, it's really
dependant on the rogue, their talents, their
gear, their buffs and their combat cycle. A
Subtlety rogue will naturally do less damage
Hemorrhage
First off, Hemo is really under performing
compared to other builds. Daggers are the
only viable option here due to the talents in
than a Combat rogue but the former will
likely kill more in PvP.
If you really want a number to shoot for,
the tree. Your main goal is to keep the Hemo
here are a few.
Backstab to generate 5CP. As for finishers:
DPS. In a 10 person raid, it would likely
debuff active on the target, otherwise use
➢
➢
➢
Ensure Slice and Dice is up
Ensure Recuperate is up
group, you should be around 5000-7000
reach 10,000DPS.
15,000DPS.
Use Eviscerate to keep Rupture active
In a balanced 5 person
In a 25 person raid,
You will far exceed these
numbers as you gain better gear.
When you're first starting, don't worry
I realize that it can be difficult to get the
about the numbers as much as the fun and
most out of your rogue right out of the gate.
something to you, take a systemic approach
top raid damage dealers, or you're having a
combat cycle. Is Slice and Dice up 100% of
wouldn't take that as a negative so much as a
staying alive. When numbers start to mean
to it.
The first thing to do is check your
You might be raiding and fall well below the
tough time getting the cycles down.
I
the time in combat? Do you use Mutilate
driver to try and figure out what parts can be
active? Do you have your poisons? Any of
basic rules to follow while trying to
when you already have 4 CP? Is Rupture
these can have a 5-20% impact on your DPS.
improved upon. In all cases, you have a few
maximize your DPS.
Next, make sure your talents get the most
➢
Don't die. A dead rogue does no DPS.
Get the best enchants, gems, glyphs and food.
➢
Stay on the boss.
bang for the buck (as in the talents section).
These passive items make a big difference,
away from the boss is time you're not
10% or more DPS.
Make sure you have the proper buffs in
doing damage.
➢
combat. Bonus to Intelligence doesn't help
damage.
➢
they play the game. They might have some
Use your cooldowns - hopefully
together. Too often we "save" them
tips for you.
Rogue Optimization
Keep Slice and Dice active at all times.
It accounts for nearly 20% of all your
when you are in melee.
Lastly, talk to other Rogues and see how
Any time spent
for a special time.
➢
Don't
let
your
energy
reach
maximum. Anytime you hit the max
energy, you're wasting energy that
could be filling up the bar.
➢
Manage your stats. Gear makes a big
be on cooldown. It's primary use was to wipe
difference for rogues, where the
threat on a boss but with Tricks of the Trade,
your damage.
used for is getting back into stealth and
proper buffs and enchants can double
It's also important to remember that some
fights are simply not great for Rogues. Any
this should rarely be an issue. What it is
taking advantage of your talents and skills Overkill, Master of Subtlety and Ambush.
fight where you have to switch targets a lot
The most basic thing to remember in order
or require a lot of movement will have a
to stay alive is "stay out of the fire". This
Don't worry about it, they are few and far
see on the ground. 99% of the time, they will
drastic impact on your damage numbers.
between.
applies to any and all spell effects that you
damage or outright kill you. For Rogues, the
next most basic thing is "don't stand in front
or in the back". Nearly all big enemies have
Survival and Target Management
A Rogue has multiple tools available to stay
alive. Sprint, Evasion, Vanish, Feint, Cloak of
Shadows and racial abilities will often get
you out of a jam. Understand how the target
attacks and when to best use your abilities
and you will live to do more damage. Cloak
of Shadows should be used to avoid magic
damage, when possible. It also breaks many
some sort of massive attack from the front.
Many have a damaging attack directly from
the back. Some skills require you to attack
from the back, so how do you get the attacks
off? Think of a boss like a clock, with their
head at 12 o'clock and their tail at 6. you
want to stand at 4 or 8.
This counts as
behind the opponent but not on their back.
This is especially important against dragons!
spell effects. Feint can be used to reduce AE
damage by 50%. Evasion reduces the chance
to be hit by physical attacks, quite useful on
some bosses. Sprint gets you out of a bad
Cooldowns
A common mistake among Rogues is
spot or into a good spot in a hurry. Bosses
saving cooldowns for a special moment.
follow around, Sprint makes it easier. Vanish
better to use them in a pinch but you should
that teleport or charge can be a pain to
is an amazing tool and should nearly always
Granted, there are a few instances were it's
be well aware of those spots and those
enemies. If you know the fight will last 4
Consumable cooldown items should be
minutes, that means you can use your
used in conjunction with skill cooldowns,
Conversely, if you know that the boss chains
Tea, Haste Potions, Potion of the Tol'vir,
move out of the way, that's a bad time to use
modifications.
cooldowns multiple times during a fight.
two moves together and then you need to
them.
where possible.
Examples include Thistle
Deathblood Venom, Bombs and Engineering
If the fight will last under 2-3
minutes, then it's probably best to save the
cooldowns for the last part of the boss' life -
especially if you have someone who will be
casting Heroism/Bloodlust/Time Warp near
the end.
As a general rule, you want to use your
cooldowns together, combined with other
limited time effects. Waiting for a full stack
of Bandit's Guile, during Overkill, Find
Weakness, item procs and other passive
cooldowns is a good idea. The only thing I
would wait 100% of the time on is Slice and
Dice. Once that's up, use Tricks of the Trade,
your longest duration cooldown (Vendetta,
Adrenaline Rush), a trinket, then a single use
cooldown
(Cold
Blood,
Killing
Spree).
Assassination and Subtlety Rogues would
likely want to use Vanish beforehand in
order to get another passive DPS boost.
Energy Management
All your offensive skills depend on Energy.
You will likely never have enough Energy to
simply spam skills - unless you get lucky
with Adrenaline Rush and Combat Potency.
This means that Energy management is
incredibly important so that you have what
you need in order to do what you need to do.
Energy Starved is the term I use for when you
don't have enough Energy to do anything,
typically under 20.
Energy Rich is when
your bar is full. You don't want to be in
either situation.
At a basic rate, you
regenerate 10 Energy per second and after
you use a skill, typically you trigger a Global
Cooldown (GCD) which lasts 1 second. So
pretty much no matter what happens, you'll
never have less than 10 Energy and the need
to use a skill. Since you want to have a good
reserve of Energy but not have too much, you
will likely try Energy Pooling - or the act of
saving Energy for the opportune moment.
For Assassination Rogues, having enough
Energy before using Vanish in a fight means
First, you need to breakdown your stat
you can use more skills during Overkill or
sources. We have basic gear, reforged gear,
just before using Vendetta. Combat Rogues
enchants, tradeskills, gems, food and potions
for when Bandit's Guile is at maximum
buffs are another source but you don't often
will likely want to keep some Energy around
that are directly under your control. Raid
stacks. Subtlety Rogues are looking for Find
have control over that.
Dance) in order to unleash maximum
Currently, Assassination Rogues have the
that Slice and Dice is going to expire before
Hit > Poisons Hit > Mastery > Haste >
Weakness to be up (after a Vanish or Shadow
damage. Other examples include knowing
your next cycle is complete and waiting a
few seconds in order to refresh it. Rupture is
in the same boat. Waiting for a weapon or
Next we prioritize our statistical needs.
following priority: Agility > Special Attacks
Expertise > Crit > Melee Hit.
Combat Rogues have this priority: Agility
trinket proc before using your skills is
> Special Attacks Hit > Expertise > Haste >
From all that, unless you have to refresh
So where possible, you want to buff, gem,
another good example.
Poisons Hit > Melee Hit > Crit > Mastery.
Slice and Dice or Rupture, it's best to save
enchant, reforge or potion from the left side
Energy maximum. Do not let it go over!
stat caps.
your Energy as long as it doesn't go over your
to the right, staying under the appropriate
This does mean that Combat Rogues will
ignore Poisons Hit and max Expertise first
Managing Your Stats
A rogue with 400 Agility will do more
damage than one with 2000, it's really a
numbers game at that point. Will a Rogue
with 3000 Agility and 1000 Hit do more
damage than a Rogue with 5000 Agility and
no Hit?
That's where stat management
comes into play.
and Assassination Rogues will almost entirely
ignore Expertise.
Odds are you will be
reforging every piece of gear into Hit until
Poison
Cap,
Mastery
and
Haste
for
Assassination and everything to Hit until
Special Attack Cap, Expertise and Haste for
Combat.
I'll give a small example, using an
Finally, I have arrived at reforging. With
Assassination Rogue with 3/3 Precision and
the work done so far, I now have 743 Hit –
gear (item level 359) I can see that just the
find the items with Crit first, since it is the
no tradeskills.
Using some very high end
plain gear and weapons gives me 4273 Agi,
5681 Sta, 583 Hit, 327 Exp, 1177 Haste,
1447 Crit and 1278 Mastery. I have yet to
pass the Poisons Hit cap, so that's first.
First, I calculate the guaranteed stat boosts,
namely Enchants that have no alternatives.
That covers the Head, Shoulders, Back, Chest
and Legs for a total of 180 Agi, 65 Crit, 35
Haste and 25 Mastery. That doesn't help my
need to increase Hit, so I look for enchants
that will get me there. Feet and Wrist will
so I need 384 more Hit to cap. I will try and
stat with the lowest value.
Once I hit the Poisons Hit Cap, I can then
use the rest of the points into Mastery where
possible, else in Haste as they are the next
important stats. If an item has both already, I
leave it alone.
All of that complete, I am now completely
set on my stats. I'll put them in a table to
show the progress.
give me 100. All that's left is gloves now and
the best one gives me 50 Mastery.
Next up is gems. In nearly all cases, I will
gem for Agility, unless the slot bonus is
Agility too. Keeping in mind I need 2 Blue
gems to get the Meta gem bonus. Rule of
thumb. If the slot bonus is not Agility, put in
a red Agility gem.
If it is, divide by the
number of non-red/meta gems and if it's 20
or more, then put in the right color –
otherwise, put in a red Agility gem. With 11
gem slots (1 meta and 1 from Blacksmith
enchant), I have 470 Agility, 60 Hit and 54
Stat
Before
After
% Change
Agi
4273
4939
+666 (13%)
Sta
5681
5849
+168 (3%)
Hit
583
1133
+550 (49%)
Exp
327
196
-131 (66%)
Haste
1177
1180
+3 (0%)
Crit
1447
987
-460 (47%)
Mast
1278
1705
+427 (25%)
AEP
16920
19620
+2700 (14%)
Crit. Moving along quite nicely.
It was a lot of work, certainly but the end
At the start, you're just trying to get the
result is a 14% improvement in AEP value
hang of battle. Start your attacks, get Slice
the rogue.
can keep the first up 100% of the time and
Without reforging, we would have been
you get the hang of it, add in some
which is essentially a 14% improvement on
and Dice up, then Rupture and see how you
the second up for as long as possible. Once
short of the Poison Hits Cap and have gained
complexity by setting a benchmark.
just saw.
on the target dummy. Do it a few times to
This has yet to count the extra bonuses from
during those 3 minutes and write it down.
11% in AEP, a fair sight short of the 14% we
raid buffs and debuffs as well as flasks and
food benefits. As it stands, Skewered Eel (+90
Agi/Sta) is your best food option and Flask of
the Winds (+300 Agi) is your best Flask.
Set
yourself a 3 minute timer and go for broke
get an idea of what your baseline DPS is
Next time, try using your cooldowns in a
different fashion, maybe using a Haste Potion
later or Vanish after using Vendetta. Try that
same method 2-3 times and write down the
number and compare it to the baseline DPS
you had first. Is it higher or lower? Keep
Practice Makes Perfect
Each major city has practice dummies that
can be used to try out your moves. I suggest
getting a DPS interface mod, such as Recount,
trying new things until the number either
drops or won't go any higher.
This could take a couple hours and that's
to help you anylyze your work. Obviously,
just fine.
fight-only variables, you won't see the same
damage possible out of your Rogue in basic
without raid buffs, enemy debuffs and other
numbers practicing while raiding. What you
are really trying to do is figure out how the
Rogue works in a fight and see when and
how you can best use your skills.
Once you're done, you'll know
exactly what to do in order to get the most
circumstances. The next step can only occur
while your in a real fight, with real raid
variables affecting the outcome.
I can
guarantee that your performance will have
improved with practice.
➢TitanBar
TRICKS OF THE
T
but an amazing overall mod. Adds a
TRADE
small toolbar at the top of your screen
Interface Mods &
always add more mods to it as well,
that monitors your location (/loc)
essential for all those quests. You can
such as a Poison counter or DPS
Customization
meter.
he standard interface for WoW is
➢MetaHUD
some semi-circles to the middle of
course, it’s also homogenized so that
your screen to display health/energy
and combo points.
customize it a bit. My two favorite locations
finding
Interface
http://wowui.incgamers.com
Mods
http://wow.curse.com/downloads/wowaddons/default.aspx
selection of mods.
currently have active
– This removes your player
frame, the enemy frame and adds
great, one of the best out there. Of
all classes can use it equally, so let’s
for
– Not terribly rogue-specific
I play in
Widescreen and not having to look
are
away from the action to know what’s
and
going on is a great advantage. Also
can
Both offer a large
tell
you
at
a
glance
the
classification of a target (Humanoid,
Here are the ones I
Demon, etc...) to help with Crowd
Control assignments.
I highly suggest keeping mods that clean
➢SpellAlert
target is casting and what it’s casting.
your interface up as much as possible. You
Very important for PvP as you can
need a clear view of what's going on. I keep
decide whether to interrupt or not.
my skills on the bottom, semi-transparent.
Also useful for boss encounters so that
Consumables are on the right side. Target
details, Threat meter and my HP in the top
left. Buffs and debuffs in the top right.
– Advises you when your
you can time your escape/Cloak of
Shadows.
➢Recount
– A simple damage meter.
Good to see how you compare to
other members in your group or to
monitor your DPS.
➢Omen
– Essential in a raid. It monitors
your threat(hate) level against a
Macros
target. On fights that last 3+ minutes,
you want a good control of your hate
Since the expansion the formatting of
so that you don’t get hit. You should
macros has changed drastically. There are
keeping maximum DPS on your
suggest you read about it on the official
rd
aim for 3
spot or lower while
target.
➢Poison
Pouch – Allows you to apply a
poison to a weapon in 2 clicks.
➢Boss
Mods or BigWigs – Gives alerts for
all boss encounters. If you do any
10+
man
required.
➢Pawn:
content,
this
mod
is
A tool that uses AEP to find
possible gear upgrades.
I personally use a Nostromo N52 in
addition to my keyboard. I have a 5 button
mouse as well, with Run Speed, Stealth and
an /assist macro mapped to the extra 3
Having
everything
available
without having to move my hand/wrist
makes combat miles easier. I don’t have to
fiddle to find the right key to use. I have
mapped [TAB] to one button on the Notsromo
to more easily select targets and the other 14
buttons are mapped to skills.
forums
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.ht
ml?forumId=11114&sid=1
Self-Bandage
/use [target=player] Heavy Netherweave
Bandage
Ambush if in stealth, else Mutilate
/cast [stealth] Ambush; Mutilate
External Tools
buttons.
tons of new ways to get macros to work and I
This isn’t a
necessary tool but one that I think is a good
investment if you want to do any serious PvP.
Gouge and then bandage yourself
/cast Gouge
/stopcasting
/cast [target=player] ,Heavy Netherweave
Bandage
Pick Pocket then Cheap Shot (make sure
autoloot is on!)
/cast Pick Pocket
/cast Pick Pocket
/cast Pick Pocket
/cast Pick Pocket
/stopcasting
/cast Cheap Shot
Skills for Doors
Gnomeregan (150-200)
Raising Lockpicking
Scarlet Monastery (175-250)
Well, you used to need to raise it! Now,
you simply gain 5 points every level
automatically. I will list the minimum skill
levels required to open various items
Searing Gorge Gate (225-never)
BRD Prison Cells (225-never)
BRD Shadowforge Gates (280-never)
Scholomance (280-never)
Stratholme (300)
throughout the game though, since that<s
still nice to know.
Creature levels to pickpocket junkboxs
Lvl 22-32 Battered Junkboxes
Others
Engineered Practice Locks (1-75)
Location of Footlockers
Lvl 32-42 Worn Junkboxes
Hillsbrad Foothills - Durnholde Keep
Lvl 52+ Heavy Junkboxes
Ashenvale Forest - Zoram Strand
Lvl 42-52 Sturdy Junkboxes
Redridge Mountains - Lake Everstill
Stonetalon Mountains - Windshear Crag
Skills required to pick boxes
and Associated Mines
Battered Junkboxes(25-100)
Wetlands - Murloc Camps
Worn Junkboxes(100-175)
Desolace - Sar'theris Strand
Sturdy Junkboxes(175-250)
Badlands - Angor Fortress
Heavy Junkboxes(250-?)
Swamp of Sorrows - Pool of Tears
Heavy Bronze Lockbox
Searing Gorge - The Slag Pit
Ornate Bronze Lockbox
Tanaris Desert - Lost Rigger Cove
Iron Lockbox (75-?)
Azshara - Bay of Storms
Strong Iron Lockbox (125-?)
Steel Lockbox (175-?)
Eastern Plaguelands - Tyr's Hand (elite)
Reinforced Steel Lockbox (225-never)
Zangarmash – Twin Spire Ruins
Mithril Lockbox (225-never)
Thorium Lockbox (225-never)
Eternium Lockbox(225-never)
through the target without worries. With
Taking On Bosses Solo
The best part about a rogue is that they
Dirty Tricks this is really easy. Once you hit
60, you can hit some of the higher level
can take on boss characters alone with little
instances because you will not attract as
a named character that can have some pals
becomes a bit harder due to the increased hit
to no trouble. Some quests require you to kill
nearby. Fret not the rogue is prepared!
much attention as you did at lower levels. It
points they have and the damage they can
produce but you can take a few out.
For taking on boss-types with friends
around you have a few options. If they are
Use your skills wisely. Nearly all bosses
humanoid, simply sap one then hit the boss.
can’t be stunned, so there’s no point in
not assaulted with attacks. Nail the boss with
Shot. Get Slice and Dice running, Adrenaline
This works best with Dirty Tricks as you’re
a Garrote and turn on Evasion. Now, start
walking backwards and pull the boss
towards a safer area to fight. If you pull far
enough away (about 2x the distance of
ranged attacks) anything that might have
opening with Cheap Shot or using Kidney
Rush if you have it. Gouge won’t stun but it
will break a casting. Have instant poison on
both weapons.
You can likely solo every boss from a level
started fighting with the boss will run back
60 5 player zone with relative ease. Level 70
you’re going to barely get hit at all while
rewards for doing so and the instances are
to the spawn point. Combined with Evasion,
pulling back and when Sap breaks the boss
will be long dead. Heck, you could even just
stand there, turn on Evasion, kill the boss
then use the Vanish skill.
For instance bosses, the same theory
applies. Stealth up to the boss and Sap if you
bosses can also be done but there are rarely
incredibly long for the most part.
I personally enjoy soloing Stratholme and
the baron for his cool mount. Along the way
you get a bunch of gear that can disenchant
for some decent cash.
need to. Some areas are well guarded and
even trying to stealth through can be hard.
Careful use of the Distract skill to get them to
turn around. Use Sap and then walk right
Night Elf – Head to the crossroads east of
Rogue Only Quests
There are a few Rogue only quests in the
game. Nearly all of them are below level 20
though.
Darnassus, then head North to the Oracle
Glade. You’ll find Sethir. Now, some people
need to simply kill him, while others need to
pickpocket him. I suggest Pick Pocket first;
as if that doesn’t work you can always kill
Dagger of Cunning (All Races, level
him. Return to town to collect the dagger.
10)
This is the first true Rogue quest you’ll
Orc/Troll – Head west out of Durotar into
come across. It varies some depending on
the Barrens. Follow the coast south until you
of your Rogue skills to succeed.
Tazan who needs to be killed. Collect the
your race but requires you to use at least one
Gnome/Dwarf – You need to head to the
area in front of Gnomeregan. To the south of
the entrance, you’ll see what looks like a
reach the Merchant’s Coast. You should see
Satchel and return to town for the dagger.
Undead – This can be a pain since you
tower. Climb to the top, with Stealth on, and
need to kill someone who roams a lot. Head
so and return to town to collect your reward.
Forest. Along the road, you’ll eventually (he’s
you’ll find the dwarf you need to talk to. Do
Human – Head south of Goldshire to the
shoreline, then head east until you reach
some
docks.
You’ll
find
the
Defias
pickpocket the Shipping Schedule.
Return
Dockmaster from whom you need to
with the Schedule to get your dagger.
south out of the Undercity into Silverpine
in the northern part) come across Astor,
whom you need to kill to get the Letter. Head
back to the Undercity and after a being sent
to some more people in town, you’ll get your
dagger.
Lock Picking Quest (All Races, level
16)
This quest starts you on the life long quest
of raising your Lockpicking skill. This quest
is a prerequisite to section 9.1
Alliance – All quests lead to Redridge
Rendez-Vous, which is naturally, in Redridge
Poison Quests (All Races, level 20)
Mountains. After getting your Thief’s Tool
Alliance - Head to Stormwind and visit
(you can find them on a Poison Vendor
Mathias Shaw in the rogue headquarters.
located North of Lakeshire, then east at the
Westfall. Problem is, he’s stealth and a pain
usually) head to Alther’s Mill, which is
He’ll send you to see Agent Kearnen in
crossroads. Inside the mill, you’ll find chests
to find if you don’t know where to look.
freeze on you or turn you into a rat. Don’t
corner, until you reach a tower like
roams this far back. You need at least 70
Duskwood.
to increase your skill on that either cast a
worry about getting attacked as nothing
skill to open the quest chest with the item
inside and I suggest staying until 80 skill,
which won’t take long at all.
structure.
It’s just south of the road to
Against a tree near the
riverbank, you’ll find Kearnen. Talking to
him starts the next step. Outside the tower
you’ll find a Malformed Drone.
Go into
Stealth and Pick Pocket him for the Defias
Horde – This is the Plundering the
Plunderers quest. Head to Ratchet and talk to
the mechanical shredder to get the big
cracker. Walk south along the shore until
you reach a pirate ship. You need to walk
upon the bow to get on the ship.
Once
inside, stay on the top to practice lock
picking. At 70 skill, head below and pick the
chest. A giant bird will spawn and you’ll
need to use the cracker to make the bird
smaller. It’s then a pretty easy kill. Loot it
and return to town for a reward.
Head to Westfall and go to the lower right
Tower Key. If you mess up, kill him and he’ll
spawn again in a minute or so. Once you
have the key, head into the tower in Stealth
mode, avoiding the guards.
At the top is
Klaven himself, a 26 Elite. Head behind him
and Sap him. Use your Lock Pick ability on
the chest next to him and collect the book.
You need a fair amount of skill to open it, but
if you spent anytime in Redridge you should
be at 80 skill and that’ll be fine. Return to
Mathias to get the Poisoning skill.
Horde - Head to Ogrimmar and talk to
Shenthul in the Cleft of Shadow. Once you
talk to him, target him again and type
“/salute” (minus the quotations) to move onto
the next step.
He’ll send you out to the
The first quest involves just finding the
Barrens to meet Taskmaster Fizzule. Get to
place. If you head North along the east side
Fen. Find Fizzule and target him. Get close
a path that heads east up into the mountains.
then type “/salute” (minus the quotations).
Inside the cave is a chest; which you should
the Barrens and head north to the Sludge
enough and fire the Flare Gun twice and
of the river, near the mountains you will see
Walk up and you’ll see a cave entrance.
He’ll acknowledge you and start you on the
not open. Instead, activate your Detect Traps
killing the Venture Co. creatures the quest
associated with this quest. Now head past
help you kill him, as he’s a 26 elite. Then
Fahrad to get your initial faction with this
next part. Head over to the tower and start
lists. Find Gallwix and get some friends to
find Silixiz and Pick Pocket him for the tower
key. The chances of him detecting you are
very high so have a group ready to help you
skill and you will have completed the rite
the cave and into the headquarters to talk to
group.
The second quest really isn’t explained
out. Enter the tower and kill everything on
well but it’s essentially a faction quest. Since
top is another 25 elite. Kill it and open the
increase your faction with Ravenholdt. Head
the way up until you reach the chest. At the
chest to collect the Cache.
Return to
Shenthul in Ogrimmar to get your poison
skill. You will not be able to solo this at level
20, in fact, a group of 5 level 20s might have
problems.
south of the Rogue camp into Durnhold
Keep.
Pickpocket the enemies to find
Syndicate Emblems. Remember to kill them
after, so that they can spawn more emblems.
Once you collect about 30, head back to
Ravenholdt and talk to a guard. Turn in as
many emblems as you can to get to Friendly
Ravenholdt Quests (All Races, level
status. Some people need 30, others need 15.
24+)
Once
you’re on neutral ground, you need to
you reach 24,
you’ll
experience the true Rogue Hideout.
get
to
From
your main race’s capital city, you’ll get send
The next part of this quest line seem to be
currently broken.
to Hillsbrad Hills to visit Ravenholdt Manor.
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
I hope this guide helped you with your travels through World of Warcraft. If you are
interested in more information for World of Warcraft or other MMORPGs, take a look at the
WoW category on our site at http://www.killerguides.com. We would also appreciate in case
you take the time to rate this guide and leave a feedback in the member area of our site at
http://www.killerguides.com/login.php. If you received this guide not from our site, please
contact [email protected].
© Copyright www.killerguides.com 2006. All rights reserved.
World of Warcraft and Blizzard Entertainment are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.

Unofficial World of Warcraft Rogue Guide

Transcription

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