WotLK Classic Combat Rogue Guide
Welcome to our Combat Rogue guide for WotLK Classic, tailored for PvE content. Here, you will learn how all you need to know to play Combat Rogue proficiently. Click the links below to navigate the guide or read this page for a short introduction.
Introduction
Rogues, for the most part, bring a very useful set of tools to parties and raid groups alike and are desirable for almost all content throughout the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
Combat brings an excellent kit for burst damage and AoE, as well as the
Savage Combat debuff, which increases the Physical damage taken by any enemy
you have poisoned. Alongside this debuff, they also
bring
Tricks of the Trade, which will greatly boost the threat of their target,
as well as increase their damage.
For a better understanding of where Rogues are in regards to other classes and specializations in Wrath Classic, you can check out our PvE DPS rankings below. However, ultimately, you should not let these lists dissuade you from playing what you enjoy.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Brings the
Savage Combat debuff to the raid.
Very high AoE and burst damage.
Brings the
Tricks of the Trade buff to the raid.
Struggles in single-target sustained damage compared to Assassination.
Requires better gear than Assassination.
Best Races for Combat Rogue
For the most part, the choice of race for Combat Rogues depends entirely on the faction you choose, as for Alliance players, it makes little to no difference for PvE.
Alliance
For Alliance players, the choice of race comes down entirely to the utility of
Humans and Gnomes, with Will to Survive and
Escape Artist.
If you wish to choose based on an absolutely minimal DPS increase, you could choose Night Elf, but the different is only in their base stats when compared to other races, and the difference is truly tiny.
Horde
Horde is where the difference between races shines slightly more for Rogues, with Troll and Orc pulling ahead. Unlike with Assassination, Troll does not remain the best choice throughout the entirety of Wrath Classic, as Orc pulls ahead very slightly upon reaching Icecrown gear levels.
Best Professions for Combat Rogue
Engineering grants the most damage-increasing benefits of any profession for Rogues and should definitely be taken as one of your choices. With the glove enchantment granting massive Haste rating, their consumable bombs, and more benefits available, Engineering is simply the top output profession by far.
Jewelcrafting is the best pairing with Engineering due to the gems
you can use, such as Bright Dragon's Eye, but it is worth noting that
Tailoring is very close behind with its Attack Power buff on the cloak.
The two are nearly on par with one another and you can choose which to use based
on your preferences and the economy of your server for gold-making.
Changelog
- 18 Jan. 2023 (pre-raid gear page): Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 18 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 18 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 18 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 18 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 18 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 18 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 18 Jan. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Phase 2 release ahead of Ulduar raid release.
- 18 Oct. 2022 (pre-raid gear page): Page added.
- 27 Sep. 2022 (gear page): Updated multiple sources for items.
- 27 Sep. 2022 (stats page): Updated hit rating requirement for live values.
- 27 Sep. 2022 (rotation page): Added additional Expose Armor information.
- 27 Sep. 2022 (talents page): Added note regarding weapon choice.
- 22 Sep. 2022 (gear page): Page added.
- 22 Sep. 2022 (enchants page): Page added.
- 22 Sep. 2022 (stats page): Page added.
- 22 Sep. 2022 (rotation page): Page added.
- 22 Sep. 2022 (talents page): Page added.
- 22 Sep. 2022 (spells page): Page added.
- 22 Sep. 2022 (this page): Page added.
This guide was written by Valks and reviewed by Simonize.
Simonize is a long time rogue player and WoW Classic enjoyer focused on PvE content. He has developed spreadsheets and gear analysis tools for Vanilla, Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King PvE rogues.
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