Build Introduction
The Penetrating Shot Rogue leveling build blasts through even the toughest foes. 
Penetrating Shot always pierces to deal massive hit damage to any enemies in the way. This is your guide to building a character for leveling in Diablo 4, with the optimal setup for Skills, Rotation, and Gear.
While Penetrating Shot Rogue is not the most optimal build for leveling a new Rogue character, it is an alternative option for players who prefer a ranged playstyle. The Dual Core Rapid Fire Flurry or Twisting Blades Rogue builds are our top recommendations for leveling. Check out the Rogue leveling page for an overview of all our builds and general tips for leveling.
Once your Rogue character reaches Level 50 or enters World Tier 3, switch to the endgame guide for Penetrating Shot to continue this build.
Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar
Penetrating Shot 
Puncture 
Dash 
Smoke Grenade 
Concealment 
Shadow Imbuement The following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points for the Penetrating Rogue leveling build. You gain 48 points at Level 50 and 2 points from completing Renown in each Act zone, for a total of 58.
Penetrating Shot Rogue Specialization
Combo Points is the preferred Rogue Specialization for general farming due to it providing bonus Lucky Hit Chance for Penetrating Shot, in addition to increased damage.
Build Mechanics and Playstyle
The Penetrating Shot Rogue build is fairly simple to play, but has some complex mechanics to learn. Penetrating Shot has a focused Area of Effect (AoE) in a straight line that can be hard to utilize. 
Trickshot Aspect helps overcome this downside by adding more arrows to increase coverage and help clear packs of enemies.
Damage is increased further with 
Concussive, 
Weapon Mastery, 
Exploit 
Malice and 
Impetus.
Smoke Grenade prevents enemies from attacking you, greatly increasing survivability.
Finally, 
Stutter Step, 
Haste, and Dash speed up movement for faster farming.
Shadow Imbuement is used to help clear packs of enemies and generate Energy with 
Consuming Shadows.
Lucky Hit
Penetrating Shot has a high Lucky Hit Chance of 80% when used with 3 Combo Points, and it has a chance of proccing on every enemy hit by the piercing arrows. Therefore, Countering Smoke Grenade and 
Innervation are used for Lucky Hit Effects.
Puncture can also be used to proc Lucky Hits with 35% chance per blade thrown. This works extremely well with increased Basic Attack Speed and 3 blades thrown per cast on Fundamental Puncture.
Status Effects
The Penetrating Shot Rogue utilizes multiple status effects to render enemies helpless. Advanced Penetrating Shot Slows enemies and Knocks Down elites when cast at full Energy.
Fundamental Puncture easily applies Vulnerable to a target with a single Basic attack. In group play, apply this debuff to Elites and Bosses so your teammates deal 20% more damage!
Smoke Grenade is another powerful Crowd Control (CC) in our trapper arsenal. This Skill can be used often to Daze groups of enemies with Countering Smoke Grenade. Dash also drops an automatic Smoke Grenade with 
Aspect of Quickening Fog. Critical Strikes against Dazed enemies knock them down with 
Trick Attacks, activating Concussive for increased Critical Strike Chance.
Advanced Penetrating Shot and Disciplined Dash both apply Slow to restore Energy with 
Aspect of the Umbral.
Stack Damage to Poisoned, Vulnerable, Dazed, Slowed and Controlled Enemies on gear and the Paragon Board to scale your damage further.
Damage Rotation
Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.
- Use Smoke Grenade or Dash with Aspect of Quickening Fog to Daze enemies.
- Against large groups of enemies, activate Shadow Imbuement for AoE explosions and Energy generation.
- Cast Puncture 3 times to build Combo Points. Try to stay close enough to shotgun elites and bosses to apply Vulnerable and proc Lucky Hit.
- Line enemies up to piece through them with Penetrating Shot.
- Repeat the rotation. Try to cast Penetrating Shot while you have full Energy to activate Advanced Penetrating Shot and Edgemaster’s Aspect.
Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats
Season 4 brings an incredible shift in character progression systems. The major rework to itemization and crafting in Patch 1.4.0 changes the core mechanics of Diablo 4, and the changes will remain in effect beyond Season 4. The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character during the leveling process.
Legendary Aspects
Trickshot Aspect can be unlocked in the Codex of Power by completing the Bastion of Faith in Hawezar. Visit the Occultist to imprint this Aspect onto an Amulet for +50% bonus effect.
Higher Tier Aspects with stronger effects can be found on dropped Legendary Items. Salvage unwanted Legendary Items at the Blacksmith to unlock these Aspects in the Codex of Power, and the imprint them onto well-rolled Rare Items. Check the in-depth Aspect and Codex of Power guide for more information.
Listed below are all the Aspects found on Legendary Items that are important for the Penetrating Shot Rogue leveling build. They are listed in order of priority. The best-in-slot Aspects List is in the Endgame Guide for Penetrating Shot Rogue.
| Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trickshot Aspect | Whenever Penetrating Shot damages an enemy, 2 additional arrows split off to either side. These side arrows deal [10 – 25%] of Penetrating Shot’s Base damage and do not split. | Bastion of Faith, Hawezar |
| Edgemaster’s Aspect | Skills deal up to [10 – 20%] increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource. | Oldstones, Scosglen |
| Aspect of the Expectant | Attacking enemies with a Basic Skill increases the damage of your next Core Skill cast by [5 – 10%], up to 30%. | Underroot, Scosglen |
 Aspect of Might | Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2 – 6] seconds | Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes |
| Rapid Aspect | Basic Skills gain [15 – 30%] Attack Speed. | Buried Halls, Dry Steppes |
| Accelerating Aspect | Critical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [15 – 25%] for 3 seconds. | Random Drop Only |
| Aspect of Quickening Fog | You automatically drop a Smoke Grenade at the end of Dash. Dash’s Cooldown is reduced by [0.25 – 0.35] seconds for each enemy Dazed this way, up to [0.75 – 1.05] seconds. | Random Drop Only |
Gems
Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.
| Slot | Gems |
|---|---|
| Weapon |  Royal Emerald for increased Critical Strike Damage. |
| Armor |  Royal Ruby for increased Maximum Life. |
| Jewelry | Any Resistance Gems needed or  Royal Skull for Armor (up to 9,230 Armor cap). |
Elixirs
Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants and pick up the necessary crafting materials during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Elixirs can also drop randomly from enemies and chests during many activities in Diablo 4. Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume, ranked by importance.
Elixir of Resource greatly helps with Energy issues, if you do not already have the appropriate Energy gear. This elixir is highly recommended for starting characters to maintain casting of Core Skills.
Elixir of Precision provides the highest damage output increase, if not already capped at 100% Critical Strike Chance.
Elixir of Advantage increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
Elixir of Fortitude is the best general purpose option for survivability.
Return to the Alchemist again when you reach Level 20, 30, 45, 60, 70, 80 and 90, to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival.
Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes
Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear during early leveling of a Penetrating Shot Rogue. 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.
When comparing weapons with similar item levels, Crossbows are preferred over Bows for the better implicit stat and 
Weapon Mastery bonus. Daggers are beneficial for faster Combo Point generation, while Swords offer a boost to 
Precision with the Critical Strike Damage implicit.
Precision increases the priority of Critical Strike Damage to scale the bonus multiplier, while reducing the need for Critical Strike Chance.
Tempering Manuals are randomly dropped while leveling, and they need to be found to unlock their usage at the Blacksmith. Highlighted affixes are the the most beneficial temper to prioritize while leveling. All other tempers may not be worthwhile during early levels if you are consistently replacing gear with new item upgrades.
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons | 1. Maximum Life, Critical Strike Damage 2. Dexterity, Vulnerable Damage |  Core Augments — Rogue (Weapon): Chance for Penetrating Shot Projectiles to Cast TwiceSpecialist Evolution (Offensive): Damage per Combo Point Spent |
| Helm | 1. Cooldown Reduction, Energy per Second, Ranks to Shadow Imbuement 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Lucky Hit Chance | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Maximum Life |
| Chest | 1. Ranks to Dark Shroud, Energy per Second 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Maximum Life |
| Gloves | 1. Ranks to Penetrating Shot, Attack Speed, Critical Strike Damage 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Resource Cost Reduction, Critical Strike Chance | Specialist Evolution (Offensive): Damage per Combo Point SpentNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Pants | 1. Resistances, Armor 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Maximum Life |
| Boots | Implicit Stat: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown 1. Movement Speed, Energy per Second 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Ranks to Dash, Maximum Life, Dexterity | Natural Motion (Mobility): Movement SpeedNatural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Weapon Mastery, Cooldown Reduction, Attack Speed 2. Movement Speed, Armor, Critical Strike Chance | Imbuement Abundance (Resource): Shadow Imbue Additional CastsSpecialist Evolution (Offensive): Damage per Combo Point Spent |
| Rings | 1. Attack Speed, Critical Strike Damage 2. Resource Cost Reduction, Vulnerable Damage, Resistances, Maximum Life 3. Dexterity, Lucky Hit Chance, Critical Strike Chance | Imbuement Abundance (Resource): Shadow Imbue Additional CastsSpecialist Evolution (Offensive): Damage per Combo Point Spent |
Paragon
Paragon unlocks after reaching Level 50, and the progression system offers a considerable boost to character power. The images below provide a visual of an early Paragon board setup for the Penetrating Shot Rogue.
The Paragon boards in this leveling guide are designed as a temporary setup for characters that have recently reached Level 50. Continue your progress with the fully optimized Paragon setup in the Penetrating Shot endgame guide.
Important Notes:
- Make sure you select the correct Legendary Boards and rotate them into the correct orientation.
- Attach Legendary Boards in the correct order, as bonus requirements of Rare Nodes increase with their placement order.
- Additional bonus requirements on Rare Glyphs may not be obtainable until they gain increased radius range at Level 15.
1. Starting Board (Exploit)
Socket 
Exploit in the starting board. Prioritize leveling Exploit to 15 for increased radius, as it is needed to allocate enough Strength to activate the additional bonus.
2. Tricks of the Trade (Turf)
Rotate the 
Tricks of the Trade board 2 times before attachment. Immediately obtain the Legendary node, and then Socket Turf for some valuable Damage Reduction. Prioritize leveling Turf to 15 for increased radius, as it is needed to allocate enough Strength to activate the additional bonus.
3. Cheap Shot (Combat)
Rotate the 
Cheap Shot board 2 times before attachment. Immediately obtain the Legendary node on this board. Socket 
Combat to gain Critical Strike Damage for an increased damage bonus on Precision.
Paragon Board images courtesy of d4builds.gg. Click this link for the Paragon planner.
Changelog
- May 15th, 2024: Priority Affixes updated with game changes made since the Season 4 PTR.
- May 14th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0).
- January 22nd, 2024: Guide updated for Season 3 (Patch 1.3.0).
- October 17th, 2023: Guide updated for Season 2 (Patch 1.2.0).
- July 18th, 2023: Guide updated for Season 1.
