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Death Trap – Rogue Build Guide for Diablo 4

The Ultimate Trap build for Rogue!

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Lexyu

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Theorycraft Build Maker and Content Creator


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Death TrapTwisting BladesConcealmentShadow ImbuementSmoke GrenadeDark Shroud


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Build Introduction

The Death TrapDeath Trap Rogue is a specialized build focusing on Ultimate Skill damage. Death Trap is rapidly cast through synergies with the Preparation specialization, Beastfall BootsBeastfall Boots, and Cooldown Reduction. The explosive trap damage in this build is perfect for pushing high tiers of The Pit and Inferno Hordes!

This late endgame guide assumes your character is Level 60 and fulfills the Build Requirements. If you are not ready for this build, follow the Rogue Leveling Guide to find a starter build.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths
  • High sustained damage in an Area-of-Effect
  • Good survivability with Barriers and Damage Reduction
  • Multiple crowd controls to render entire groups of enemies helpless
Weaknesses
  • Boss damage dependent on Stagger
  • Strict build requirements
  • Complex mechanics and playstyle

Check the build tier lists to see how this build compares to others on Icy Veins.

Build Requirements

The Death Trap Rogue is an advanced endgame build with strict requirements to function. Obtain the following list of items before attempting the build.

  • Eyes in the DarkEyes in the Dark with a 150% value in its unique effect.
  • Beastfall BootsBeastfall Boots with a high value on the Ultimate Cooldown Reduction affix. The value of the unique effect does not matter in this build.
  • A Death Trap cooldown reduced to 10 seconds by any necessary combination of the following sources:
    • Harlequin CrestHarlequin Crest with a greater affix and/or masterworking bonuses on Cooldown Reduction. A Legendary Helm can also have a Cooldown Reduction affix with a lesser value.
    • Beastfall BootsBeastfall Boots with a greater affix and/or masterworking bonuses on Ultimate Cooldown Reduction.
    • Trap Cooldown Reduction tempers, potentially with masterworking bonuses, available on an Amulet and Rings.
  • A maximum Energy of 150 by any necessary combination of the following sources:

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

Skill Bar Setup for the Death Trap Rogue (order does not matter)
Death TrapDeath TrapTwisting BladesTwisting BladesConcealmentConcealmentShadow ImbuementShadow ImbuementSmoke GrenadeSmoke GrenadeDark ShroudDark Shroud

The Skill Tree above shows the full allocation of 71 Skill Points for the Death Trap Rogue build. Make sure you obtain the 12 Skill Points available from Renown.

Allocate 5 Skill Points into Death TrapDeath Trap (the Skill Tree tool will be updated soon).

Blade ShiftBlade Shift is not equipped on the Skill Bar. 2 Skill Points are allocated into the Basic Skill cluster only as a prerequisite to proceed in the Skill Tree.

Frigid FinesseFrigid Finesse is always activated against Staggered Bosses or activated by an optional Lucky Hit Chance to Freeze temper.

Alchemical AdvantageAlchemical Advantage is activated by a Lucky Hit Chance to Deal Poison Damage temper.

Disciplined Shadow StepDisciplined Shadow Step can replace Smoke GrenadeSmoke Grenade for mobility and Unstoppable status.

Rogue Specialization

Preparation is the required Specialization for the Death Trap Rogue. A maximum Energy of 150 is needed to activate Preparation twice, reducing the Cooldown of Death TrapDeath Trap by 10 seconds.

Paragon

After Character Level 60, experience gains are applied to Paragon up to Level 300. A maximum of 228 Paragon Points can be obtained through Paragon Levels, Renown, and Altars of Lilith. Follow the Paragon setup designed for the Death Trap Rogue to gain a considerable amount of progression for your character.

Glyphs are inserted into sockets on each Paragon board and can be found during various activities in Diablo 4. Level up the Glyphs included in the Paragon setup by completing The Pit. Clearing higher tiers of The Pit allows Glyphs to reach higher levels.

Important Notes:

  • Make sure you select the correct Legendary Boards and rotate them into the proper orientation.
  • Attach Legendary Boards in the order shown, as bonus requirements of Rare Nodes increase with their placement order.
  • Prioritize leveling each of your equipped Glyphs to 15 to gain the increased radius, which can be required to meet additional bonus requirements.

1. Starting Board (Snare)

2. No Witnesses (Versatility)

3. Danse Macabre (Control)

4. Eldritch Bounty (Ambush)

5. Deadly Ambush (Devious)

Paragon boards courtesy of d4builds. Click here for the planner.

Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats

The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character in the endgame of Diablo 4.

Legendary Aspects

Listed below are all the best-in-slot Aspects for the Death Trap Rogue build. Salvage Legendary Items with higher Aspect values to unlock them in the Codex of Power, and then imprint them onto Legendary Items with the preferred affixes.

Gear SlotNameEffect
Ranged Weapon (+100% bonus effect)Aspect of RetributionAspect of RetributionDistant enemies have a 10% chance to be Stunned for 2 seconds when they hit you. You deal x [15 – 35%] increased damage to Stunned and Knocked Down enemies.
Amulet (+50 bonus effect)Conceited AspectConceited AspectDeal x [10 – 30%] increased damage while you have a Barrier active.
Ring Slot #1 (replaced by Ring of Starless SkiesRing of Starless Skies)Accelerating AspectAccelerating AspectCritical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [10 – 30%] for 5 seconds.
Dual-Wielded Weapons or Ring Slot #2Aspect of Inner CalmAspect of Inner CalmDeal x [5 – 13%] increased damage. Triple this bonus after standing still for 3 seconds.
Dual-Wielded Weapons or Ring Slot #2Aspect of ElementsAspect of ElementsGain x [15 – 35%] increased damage to a set of damage types for 7 seconds. This effect alternates between 2 sets:
• Fire, Lightning, and Physical.
• Cold, Poison, and Shadow.
Dual-Wielded Weapons or Ring Slot #2Coldclip AspectColdclip AspectYour Basic Skills are always Cold Imbued. You deal x [5 – 20%] increased damage to enemies who are Chilled or Frozen.
Gloves (replaced by Fists of FateFists of Fate)Frostbitten AspectFrostbitten AspectEnemies hit by your Grenade Skills have a chance equal to your Critical Strike Chance to be Frozen for 2 seconds. You deal x [10 – 25%] increased Critical Strike Damage against Frozen or Stunned enemies.
Helm (replaced by Harlequin CrestHarlequin Crest)Umbrous AspectUmbrous AspectLucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a [45 – 65%] chance to grant a free Dark Shroud shadow.
ChestAspect of Concussive StrikesAspect of Concussive StrikesLucky Hit: Damaging an enemy has up to a 20% chance to Daze them for 2 seconds. You deal x [5 – 20%] increased damage to Dazed enemies.
PantsEyes in the DarkEyes in the DarkDeath Trap deals [50 – 150%] increased damage and will re-arm iteself once after activating.
BootsBeastfall BootsBeastfall BootsWhen you cast an Ultimate Skill, your next Core Skill consumes all of your energy and deals [0.25 – 0.75%] increased damage per Energy consumed. Using a Cooldown restores 25 Energy.

Gems and Runewords

Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.

Weapon GemsArmor GemsJewelry Gems
Grand DiamondGrand Diamond for increased Ultimate Damage to scale No WitnessesNo Witnesses.Grand EmeraldGrand Emerald for Dexterity.Any Resistance Gems needed or Grand SkullGrand Skull for Armor (up to the 1,000 Armor cap).

Insert one of the following Runewords, consisting of a Rune of Offering and a Rune of Invocation, into your equipped Ranged Weapon. The other Runeword can be inserted into any equipped Helm, Chest, or Pants item. Add sockets to your equipment at the Jeweler if necessary.

RunewordsEffects
YulYul
OhmOhm
Gain: 50 Offering — Cast a Skill with a Cooldown.
Requires: 600 Offering, Cooldown: 2 Seconds — Evoke the Barbarian’s Enhanced War Cry, increasing your Movement Speed and damage dealt.
ZanZan
VexVex
Gain: 150 Offering — Cast an Ultimate Skill.
Requires: 1000 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Seconds — Gain +3 to all Skills for 7 seconds.

Elixirs

Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs, or find Elixirs by killing enemies or opening chests during various activities in Diablo 4. Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume for the Death Trap Rogue, ranked by importance.

  1. Elixir of AdvantageElixir of Advantage increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
  2. Elixir of FortitudeElixir of Fortitude is the best general-purpose option for survivability.

Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes

Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear for Death Trap Rogues. Each line of affixes are listed in order of importance. Affixes on the same line are considered to be equally important, but their benefits may vary depending on how much is stacked or other character stats. Attempt to obtain all affixes in each line before moving to the next line. Bolded affixes are the most important targets for Masterworking upgrades.

Daggers are preferred over Swords to cast Twisting BladesTwisting Blades faster. Crossbows are selected for the highest damage per hit for Death TrapDeath Trap.

The priority order of Resistances is Lightning > Poison > Fire > Cold > Shadow. Maximum Resistance is 70% by default for each element and can be increased to 85% by various sources.

Armor is only needed until capped at 1,000.

Check the Tempering Guide for more details on Blacksmith upgrading.

SlotGear AffixesTempering Affixes
Weapons1. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Critical Strike DamageTrap AugmentsTrap Augments (Weapon): Chance for Death Trap to Deal Double Damage (on Ranged Weapon and 1 Dual-Wielded Weapon up to 100% cap) and then Elemental Surge — NightElemental Surge — Night: Lucky Hit Chance to Deal Poison Damage (on Dual-Wielded Weapon #2)
Subterfuge Expertise (Offensive): Damage on Next Attack After Entering Stealth
Helm1. Cooldown Reduction
2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor
3. Maximum Life, Dexterity
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Stun
Rogue PersistenceRogue Persistence (Defensive): Ranks to Second Wind
Chest1. Ranks to Dark Shroud
2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor
3. Maximum Life, Dexterity
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Freeze
Rogue PersistenceRogue Persistence (Defensive): Ranks to Second Wind
Gloves1. Attack Speed
2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor
3. Maximum Life, Dexterity
Subterfuge Expertise (Offensive): Damage on Next Attack After Entering Stealth
Worldly FortuneWorldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Immobilize
PantsEyes in the DarkEyes in the DarkTempering Not Available
Masterworking Priority: Damage Reduction from Enemies Affected by Trap Skills
BootsBeastfall BootsBeastfall BootsTempering Not Available
Masterworking Priority: Ultimate Cooldown Reduction
Amulet1. Ranks to Frigid Finesse, Unstable Elixirs, and Malice
2. Cooldown Reduction
3. Attack Speed
Subterfuge Expertise (Offensive): Damage on Next Attack After Entering Stealth
Subterfuge EfficiencySubterfuge Efficiency (Resource): Trap Cooldown Reduction
Rings1. Attack Speed
2. Any uncapped Resistances
3. Maximum Life, Dexterity
Subterfuge EfficiencySubterfuge Efficiency (Resource): Trap Cooldown Reduction
Subterfuge Expertise (Offensive): Damage on Next Attack After Entering Stealth

Unique and Mythic Items

Listed below are the required, recommended, and optional Unique Items for the Death Trap Rogue build. Each item description includes the most important affix to target for Masterworking upgrades.

  • Eyes in the DarkEyes in the Dark (required) provides a massive 5x damage multiplier in its unique effect.
    • Masterworking Priority: Damage Reduction from Enemies Affected by Trap Skills
  • Beastfall BootsBeastfall Boots (required) consume all of your Energy for multiple activations of the Preparation specialization to reduce the Cooldown of Death TrapDeath Trap.
    • Masterworking Priority: Ultimate Cooldown Reduction
  • Harlequin CrestHarlequin Crest (highly recommended) is a Mythic Unique Item that provides a boosted Cooldown Reduction affix, which is important for reducing the Cooldown of Death TrapDeath Trap.
    • Masterworking Priority: Cooldown Reduction
  • Fists of FateFists of Fate (highly recommended) provides up to a 50% overall damage increase in the unique effect. The Lucky Hit Chance to Apply a Random Crowd Control Effect affix is useful to quickly Stagger Bosses.
    • Masterworking Priority: Attack Speed
  • Shroud of KhandurasShroud of Khanduras (optional) pulls enemies together for optimal clearing. Reallocate 2 Skill Points from Mending ObscurityMending Obscurity to Rapid GambitsRapid Gambits for better results in this setup.
    • Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Dark Shroud
  • Tyrael's MightTyrael’s Might (optional) is the best defensive option for a Chest Armor. The divine barrage does not contribute a significant portion of the total damage in this build.
    • Masterworking Priority: Damage Reduction or Maximum Resistance to All Elements
  • Shroud of False DeathShroud of False Death (optional) provides the highest damage increase in the slot due to the +1 Ranks to All Passives inherent affix.
    • Masterworking Priority: Damage on Next Attack After Entering Stealth
  • Tyrael's MightTyrael’s Might (optional) is the best defensive option for a Chest Armor, although this Mythic Unique Item can be difficult to obtain. The divine barrage does not contribute a significant portion of the total damage in this build.
    • Masterworking Priority: Damage Reduction or Maximum Resistance to All Elements

Mercenaries

Once the Den is unlocked during the main questline in the Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo 4, complete Mercenary key quests to acquire them. Hire a Mercenary and enlist a Reinforcement in the following setup.

Advanced Information

Additional details are provided in the following sections for a more in-depth explanation of the Death Trap Rogue. Read this advanced information after understanding the basic overview of the build in the previous sections.

Build Mechanics

The Death Trap Rogue is a specialized build that requires a high amount of Cooldown Reduction applied to Death TrapDeath Trap to function. The cooldown of Death Trap must be reduced to 10 seconds through Cooldown Reduction affixes and Trap Cooldown Reduction tempers on gear.

The Preparation specialization refreshes the remaining 10-second Cooldown by spending at least 150 Energy in a single cast of a Core Skill with Beastfall BootsBeastfall Boots. A maximum Energy of 150 is obtained through MomentumMomentum, Harlequin CrestHarlequin Crest, and Beastfall BootsBeastfall Boots. Twisting BladesTwisting Blades is selected as the Core Skill due to it being the fastest option with the lowest casting animation frames.

ConcealmentConcealment is cast before every Death TrapDeath Trap in the Damage Rotation to activate The Damage on Next Attack After Entering Stealth temper from the Subterfuge Expertise manual each time.

Subverting ConcealmentSubverting Concealment is applied to each Death TrapDeath Trap to guarantee Critical Strikes, removing the need for Increased Critical Strike Chance in the build. This node also applies Vulnerable status to every enemy.

MomentumMomentum is the recommended key passive in this build due to the Maximum Energy, Damage Reduction, and Damage bonuses that are easily activated and maintained by Twisting BladesTwisting Blades. A highly min-maxed Close Quarters CombatClose Quarters Combat setup that switches Damage on Next Attack After Entering Stealth tempers for Damage to Close Enemies tempers can result in a slightly higher damage output. This trade-off is most likely not worthwhile.

Mixed Shadow ImbuementMixed Shadow Imbuement is applied to tough elites and bosses to increase the damage of Death TrapDeath Trap.

Resource Management

A total of 150 Energy needs to be consumed for each cast of Twisting BladesTwisting Blades through Beastfall BootsBeastfall Boots to activate Preparation twice. Ensure you have the following requirements to generate Energy.

Crowd Controls and Boss Stagger

Damage multipliers activated by a variety of different Crowd Controls contribute to a significant portion of damage output for a Rogue. These damage bonuses can be applied to normal and elite enemies immediately, but they do not apply to bosses unless they are Staggered. Repeated Crowd Controls from the same source in a short duration apply less Stagger to bosses, so separate sources of Crowd Controls are utilized within the build. Stagger Bosses to deal maximum damage!

The In-Game Crowd Control Tooltip

This build applies Crowd Controls from the following sources:

Crowd-Controlled enemies take additional damage through multipliers from the following sources:

Damage Rotation

Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.

  1. Activate Dark ShroudDark Shroud to prepare for battles.
  2. (Optional) Cast Smoke GrenadeSmoke Grenade to apply Enhanced Smoke GrenadeEnhanced Smoke Grenade for more damage.
  3. Activate Shadow ImbuementShadow Imbuement to apply Mixed Shadow ImbuementMixed Shadow Imbuement to the toughest target.
  4. If Shroud of KhandurasShroud of Khanduras is equipped, Evade to group enemies up.
  5. Drink a Potion to activate Unstable ElixirsUnstable Elixirs.
  6. Cast ConcealmentConcealment to guarantee Critical Strikes and apply Vulnerable through Subverting ConcealmentSubverting Concealment.
  7. Cast Death TrapDeath Trap.
  8. Cast Twisting BladesTwisting Blades to consume all your Energy through Beastfall BootsBeastfall Boots, activating Preparation twice to refresh the Cooldowns of Death TrapDeath Trap and ConcealmentConcealment.
  9. Repeat steps 6-8 to continue dealing damage.

Obol Gambling

Obol gambling is a great way to potentially find item upgrades or items missing from your build. Use Obols on your target equipment for a chance to receive Greater Affixes. Check out the tool from Icy Veins for gambling Obols in the link below.

Changelog

  • October 4th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
  • September 21st, 2024: Guide created.
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