Preliminary Mentions↑top

In this guide, we will offer you some quick and practical information for leveling up your Rogue from level 85 to level 90. We cover rotation, talents and glyphs. We do not, however, cover statistics, gear, or any information about the zones you should be questing in.

This guide requires a basic understanding of how the Rogue class works at level 85. This guide is not meant to reflect how you should play your character at level 90, or in a raid environment or dungeon.

While leveling up, you can complete 4 dungeons:

• Temple of the Jade Serpent;
• Stormstout Brewery;
• Shado-Pan Monastery;
• Mogu'shan Palace.

These dungeons have quests which reward you with vast amounts of experience.

In the next few weeks, we will extend this guide to cover the entire leveling journey, from level 1 to level 90.

1. Assassination Leveling Guide: 85-90↑top

1.1. Level 85

1.1.1. Talents and Glyphs

Before setting out on your leveling journey, you should take these talents and glyphs, for maximum efficiency. Obviously, this is not set in stone, and you have a lot of liberty. Note that Tier 5 talents are practically useless outside of PvP.

1.1.2. Rotation

You have to adapt your raiding rotation slightly, so that it works against targets which, generally, will not live very long. Also, Rogues are not very well equipped for dealing with several targets at a time, so you should try, as much as possible, to pull mobs one by one.

• Build Combo Points with the following abilities (by order of priority).
  1. Use Mutilate, between 100% and 35% of target's health.
  2. Use Dispatch, below 35% of target's health or when Blindside procs.
• Spend Combo Points with Envenom. If Slice and Dice needs refreshing, then you can afford to cast Envenom with fewer Combo Points.

Only apply and maintain Rupture when fighting dungeon bosses or difficult mobs.

Thanks to Glyph of Deadly Momentum, you will be able to easily keep 100% uptime on both Slice and Dice and Recuperate (which is very helpful while leveling up). When you intend to fight several mobs in succession, you only need to apply Slice and Dice and Recuperate on the first mob you engage.

Use Deadly Poison as a Lethal Poison and Leeching Poison as a Non-Lethal Poison.

When you engage a target, you should always be in Stealth, so that you benefit from Subterfuge. Use Redirect to transfer your Combo Point from a dead target to your new target. Open with Cheap Shot (to stun the target), Garrote (to benefit from Venomous Wounds), and Ambush. Then, execute the rotation given above. Apply Slice and Dice and Recuperate if they are not up and you are going to fight several enemies in a row.

1.1.3. DPS Cooldowns

When you want to kill mobs faster, activate Vendetta.

1.1.4. Surviving

Leeching Poison and Recuperate will provide you with plenty of health regeneration.

You also have many abilities that you can use to avoid/mitigate damage: Evasion, Feint (only works for AoE damage), Cloak of Shadows (improved by Glyph of Cloak of Shadows), and Combat Readiness.

You can use Vanish to disappear from your enemies' sight and Preparation to reset Vanish's cooldown. Smoke Bomb can also be used in conjunction with Sprint to run away from a fight.

Remember to use Kick to interrupt harmful spell casts.

1.2. Level 86-90

As you level up, a single change occurs. At level 87, you gain Shadow Blades, a DPS cooldown that you can use, when available, in conjunction with Vendetta when you want to kill mobs faster.

2. Combat Leveling Guide: 85-90↑top

2.1. Level 85

2.1.1. Talents and Glyphs

Before setting out on your leveling journey, you should take these talents and glyphs, for maximum efficiency. Obviously, this is not set in stone, and you have a lot of liberty. Note that Tier 5 talents are practically useless outside of PvP.

2.1.2. Rotation

You have to adapt your raiding rotation slightly, so that it works against targets which, generally, will not live very long. Also, Rogues are not very well equipped for dealing with several targets at a time, so you should try, as much as possible, to pull mobs one by one.

• Build Combo Points with the following abilities (by order of priority).
  1. Cast Revealing Strike only to keep its debuff up.
  2. Cast Sinister Strike.
• Spend Combo Points with Eviscerate.

Only apply and maintain Rupture when fighting dungeon bosses or difficult mobs.

Thanks to Glyph of Deadly Momentum, you will be able to easily keep 100% uptime on both Slice and Dice and Recuperate (which is very helpful while leveling up). When you intend to fight several mobs in succession, you usually only need to apply Slice and Dice and Recuperate on the first mob you engage.

Use Deadly Poison as a Lethal Poison and Leeching Poison as a Non-Lethal Poison.

When you engage a target, you should always be in Stealth, so that you benefit from Shadow Focus. Use Redirect to transfer your Combo Point from a dead target to your new target. Open with Ambush and then execute the rotation given above. Apply Slice and Dice and Recuperate if they are not up and you are going to fight several enemies in a row.

2.1.3. DPS Cooldowns

When you want to kill mobs faster, activate Adrenaline Rush and Killing Spree.

2.1.4. Surviving

Leeching Poison and Recuperate will provide you with plenty of health regeneration.

You also have many abilities that you can use to avoid/mitigate damage: Evasion, Feint (only works for AoE damage), Cloak of Shadows (improved by Glyph of Cloak of Shadows), and Combat Readiness.

You can use Vanish to disappear from your enemies' sight and Preparation to reset Vanish's cooldown. Smoke Bomb can also be used in conjunction with Sprint to run away from a fight.

Remember to use Kick to interrupt harmful spell casts.

2.2. Level 86-90

As you level up, a single change occurs. At level 87, you gain Shadow Blades, a DPS cooldown that you can use in conjunction with Adrenaline Rush when you want to kill mobs faster.

3. Subtlety Leveling Guide: 85-90↑top

3.1. Level 85

3.1.1. Talents and Glyphs

Before setting out on your leveling journey, you should take these talents and glyphs, for maximum efficiency. Obviously, this is not set in stone, and you have a lot of liberty.

3.1.2. Rotation

You have to adapt your raiding rotation slightly, so that it works against targets which, generally, will not live very long. Also, Rogues are not very well equipped for dealing with several targets at a time, so you should try, as much as possible, to pull mobs one by one.

Use this pattern to start your fights:

• get in Stealth and open with Ambush+ Garrote;
• if you did not use Premeditation, use Hemorrhage to build the remaining Combo Points;
• spend your Combo Points with Kidney Shot to stun the target;
• get behind the target and spam Backstab;
• if the enemy is still alive, use Hemorrhage, Gouge, and Backstab again;
• continue with Hemorrhage to build Combo Points and Eviscerate to spend them.

If you are going to fight several mobs in a row, you need to apply Slice and Dice and Recuperate when you engage the first mob. Thanks to Glyph of Deadly Momentum, Slice and Dice and Recuperate will be automatically refreshed every time you kill a mob.

Only use Rupture when fighting powerful enemies or dungeon bosses.

Use Deadly Poison as a Lethal Poison and Leeching Poison as a Non-Lethal Poison.

3.1.3. DPS Cooldowns

When you want to kill mobs faster, activate Shadow Dance after stunning them with Kidney Shot, this will allow you to get behind them and spam Ambush.

3.1.4. Surviving

Leeching Poison and Recuperate will provide you with plenty of health regeneration.

You also have many abilities that you can use to avoid/mitigate damage: Evasion, Feint (only works for AoE damage), Cloak of Shadows (improved by Glyph of Cloak of Shadows), and Combat Readiness.

You can use Vanish to disappear from your enemies' sight and Preparation to reset Vanish's cooldown. Smoke Bomb can also be used in conjunction with Sprint to run away from a fight.

Remember to use Kick to interrupt harmful spell casts.

3.2. Level 86-90

As you level up, a single change occurs. At level 87, you gain Shadow Blades, a DPS cooldown that you can use, when available, in conjunction with Shadow Dance when you want to kill mobs faster.