Combat Rogue Pre-Patch Guide for WotLK Classic

Last updated on Aug 30, 2022 at 12:15 by Simonize and Sellin 2 comments

The Pre-Patch period of Wrath of the Lich King Classic is a time to allow players to level or gear up characters while experiencing some of the class changes of the coming expansion before its official launch. Here you will find recommended talents, gear, and some rotation tips for a Combat Rogue when you can only reach a maximum level of 70.

1.

Overview

Rogues in general have some amazing changes coming their way in Wrath of the Lich King Classic, but 2 of the 3 most important changes only take effect after the expansion releases. For the pre-patch, all Rogue specs can enjoy the implementation of their poisons now scaling with Attack Power.

Combat brings the Savage Combat IconSavage Combat talent to the party and raid, which grants 4% increased physical damage taken to all enemies you have poisoned. While this is a massively useful debuff, it is shared with Arms Warriors, so if you know that you will be consistently playing with one, you should adjust your talent choices.

Overall, Combat Rogues bring high burst damage, a useful debuff, and are a good addition to most parties.

2.

Talent Build

Combat Rogues would normally like to go deeper into the Assassination tree and get Improved Poisons IconImproved Poisons, but you simply do not have enough points to get both this and Killing Spree IconKilling Spree, so instead, you should use those extra 5 points to grab Relentless Strikes IconRelentless Strikes.

2.1.

Glyphs

At Level 70, you will only have access to 2 of your 3 major glyph slots. Combat Rogues do not have access to any of their preferred glyphs at Level 70, so instead we have the take the "best-worst" options available to us.

You should use the Sinister Strike and Slice and Dice glyphs for your major slots.

3.

Stat Priority

  1. Hit Rating to cap;
  2. Expertise;
  3. Agility.

For Combat Rogues, the majority of secondary stats are fairly similar in their priority, with Hit, Expertise, and Agility taking priority over the others. Point-for-point, these 3 are the strongest stats for Combat in the pre-patch.

4.

Rotation

The rotation as an Combat Rogue is slightly more complicated than that of Assassination, but there is far less reliance on a proper opener. It is almost entirely based on the uptime of your Slice and Dice IconSlice and Dice, Rupture IconRupture, and, if there are no Warriors in your group, Expose Armor IconExpose Armor.

You should aim to only use your finishing moves with 4 or 5 combo points, however there may be instances when you have to refresh a buff with fewer.

4.1.

Rotation without Expose Armor

  1. Maintain Slice and Dice IconSlice and Dice;
  2. Maintain Rupture IconRupture;
  3. If you have spare combo points, you can use these on Eviscerate IconEviscerate.
  4. Generate combo points with Sinister Strike IconSinister Strike.
4.2.

Rotation with Expose Armor

  1. Maintain Expose Armor IconExpose Armor*;
  2. Maintain Slice and Dice IconSlice and Dice;
  3. If you have spare combo points, you can use these on Rupture IconRupture.
  4. Generate combo points with Sinister Strike IconSinister Strike.

*If you have the Expose Armor glyph, you will only need to use Expose Armor IconExpose Armor with 1 or 2 combo points. If you do not, you will need to use it with 4 or 5 combo points.

5.

Gearing in the Wrath of the Lich King Classic Pre-Patch

Slot Item Source
Helm
Neck
Shoulders
Back
Chest
Wrists
Hands
Waist
Legs
Feet
Rings
Trinkets
Ranged
5.1.

Weapons for Combat Rogue

The best weapon for Combat is the legendary Warglaive of Azzinoth Icon Warglaive of Azzinoth, but if you do not have it, your main-hand choice will depend on the race you play.

For your offhand, if you do not have the Warglaive, your options are:

  1. Blade of Savagery Icon Blade of Savagery is the best choice behind the Warglaive. If you cannot get it, then:
6.

Gems for Combat Rogue

The gems you choose to use will depend on the gear you have, but for the most part, you should aim to fill the slots with the following:

The gems you choose to use should never "waste" Hit Rating by overcapping you. You should also only aim to use a minimum of 2 purple gems to activate your meta gem, but beyond that, you should be using red/orange gems for the highest DPS per stat increase.

7.

Enchants

For your enchants, you should use the following:

Slot Enchantment
Head Arcanum of Ferocity Icon Arcanum of Ferocity
Shoulders Might of the Scourge Icon Might of the Scourge
Back Enchant Cloak - Greater Agility Icon Enchant Cloak - Greater Agility
Chest Enchant Chest - Exceptional Stats Icon Enchant Chest - Exceptional Stats
Bracers Enchant Bracer - Assault IconEnchant Bracer - Assault
Gloves Enchant Gloves - Superior Agility IconEnchant Gloves - Superior Agility
Legs Nethercobra Leg Armor Icon Nethercobra Leg Armor
Feet Enchant Boots - Cat's Swiftness Icon Enchant Boots - Cat's Swiftness
Ring Enchant Ring - Striking Icon Enchant Ring - Striking
Melee Weapon Enchant Weapon - Mongoose Icon Enchant Weapon - Mongoose
8.

Consumables

Spicy Hot Talbuk Icon Spicy Hot Talbuk is your best well-fed buff if you are not hit-capped, Grilled Mudfish Icon Grilled Mudfish if you are hit capped, to give you as much Agility as possible.

Flask of Relentless Assault Icon Flask of Relentless Assault is your typical go-to flask of choice.

Elixir of Major Agility Icon Elixir of Major Agility is our best choice for your in-fight potion.

9.

Changelog

  • 30 Aug. 2022: Added glyph notes, as well as changed trinket recommendation to account for Ashtongue not applying to poisons.
  • 29 Aug. 2022: Guide added.
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