Classic Rogue DPS Guide

1. Rogue DPS Overview

2. Viability of Rogues in Groups

Rogues have a lot of CC abilities such as Gouge, Sap, Kidney Shot, and Blind, as well as Crippling Poison and Mind-numbing Poison, which makes them incredibly useful in groups, especially dungeons. Rogues also have an ability called Expose Armor, which is very useful in a group where either your Warrior tank is not using Sunder Armor or your group does not have a Warrior tank at all. If you are talented into Improved Expose Armor, then Expose Armor will reduce more armor than Sunder Armor.

3. Poisons for Rogue

Poisons are incredibly powerful and one of the biggest class-specific things Rogue has available. You will get access to poisons at Level 20, after you complete the quest Mathias and the Defias (for Alliance) or Mission: Possible But Not Probable (for Horde). This quest will also give you access to the consumable recipe Recipe: Thistle Tea. Poison has its own skill rating that starts at Level 100 and increases by 5 for each level, up to a maximum of 300. You can purchase all the reagents for poisons from the Poison Supplies vendor in any capital city, normally near the Rogue trainer.

3.1. List of Poisons

• Instant Poison is the main raiding and PvE poison. As Alliance, you will use this on both your weapons, and as Horde, you will only use it on your Off-Hand to benefit from Windfury Totem, granted by Shamans.
• Deadly Poison provides more DPS than Instant Poison, but takes up a debuff slot, meaning you need to coordinate this with your Raid leader.
• Wound Poison is very effective when you are dealing with a Healer.
• Mind-numbing Poison is a fantastic poison for combat against Mages, Warlocks, and Priests.
• Crippling Poison should be on both your Main Hand and Off-Hand, which will help you slow your target, thereby preventing an escape.

4. Best Alliance Race for Rogues

4.1. For PvE

• Human
• Night Elf
• Gnome
• Dwarf

4.2. For PvP

• Gnome
• Dwarf
• Night Elf
• Human

4.3. Human

Humans are the best race for Alliance PvE and raiding, mainly because of the racial passive Sword Specialization with the Combat Swords build. This will allow you to go over the 300 Weapon Skill cap at Level 60, which will further reduce your chance to miss an attack or get blocked, dodged, or parried. You will also gain the Racial cooldown Perception, which is great against other Rogues that are Stealthed, or Druids that are stealthed with Prowl.

You will also gain Diplomacy, which helps with reputation grinds by increasing your reputation gain substantially. The Human Spirit grants you increased Spirit, which does not increase your damage directly, but instead increases your Health regeneration rate, which will help improve the leveling experience by decreasing the amount of time you have to wait in between pulling mobs. Lastly, you will get the Racial passive Mace Specialization, which does not benefit Rogues, since you will be using either Swords or Daggers.

4.4. Dwarf

Dwarf is not as strong of a choice for Rogue as Human is for PvE content. For PvP, Dwarf has access to Stoneform, which removes all Poison, Bleed, and Disease effects, while also increasing your armor for the duration. This is incredibly powerful, letting you remove Rend from a Warrior, a poison effect from another Rogue, such as Crippling Poison, or removing other DoT effects in order to safely Stealth with Vanish without it getting broken shortly after.

You will also gain the other Racials Find Treasure, Frost Resistance (which will be useful in Naxxramas in later phases), and Gun Specialization.

4.5. Night Elf

Night Elves have the Racial cooldown Shadowmeld, which passively increases your Stealth level. This does not make Night Elves better than the other available Alliance classes.

Nature Resistance is a slight Nature Resistance buff, which is great for the Night Elf starting areas, since there are a lot of Nature magic-based creatures. Wisp Spirit allows for faster leveling, since it is very easy to die as a Rogue when you accidently pull too much, due to Rogue's lack of self-healing. Quickness is a slight Dodge chance increase.

4.6. Gnome

Gnome is the best choice for Alliance PvP, due to their Racial Ability Escape Artist, which helps you get out of any movement impairing effects, such as Entangling Roots or Engineering Net Traps. Rogues also will usually have access to the talent Improved Sprint, which means, as a Gnome, you can run something other than that talent for something that adds more DPS. When it comes to PvE, Gnomes are not nearly as strong of a choice as Humans. Gnomes also have access to Arcane Resistance, Expansive Mind, and Engineering Specialization. Engineering Specialization will allow you to use higher tier Engineering bombs and other items than your level bracket will allow.

5. Best Horde Race for Rogues

Horde groups have access to Shamans, giving you access to Windfury Totem, which is very strong for Rogues. In order to work with Windfury Totem, you do not want to use Instant Poison IV on your Main-hand.

5.1. For PvE

• Orc
• Troll
• Undead

5.2. For PvP

• Orc
• Undead
• Troll

5.3. Orc

Orcs have access to the Racial passive Hardiness, which is unbelievably powerful in PvP, meaning Orcs have a 30% total chance to resist stun effects. This is very strong in mirror matchups against other Rogues, since you will have an increased chance to resist Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot, as well as Engineering bombs. Orcs also have the cooldown Blood Fury, which is an extremely powerful cooldown and one of the best Racials for PvE in general. When using this Racial in PvP, make sure to be mindful of the reduction in your healing effects, which lasts 10 seconds longer than the Attack Power buff. You also get the Racials Command and Axe Specialization, which do not affect Rogues.

5.4. Undead

Undead is another very strong choice for PvP, due to the Racial cooldown Will of the Forsaken, which can not only be used to get out of these status effects, but also to provide an immunity to them. This is not a useful cooldown for PvE.

Undead also have access to Shadow Resistance, which is useful against Warlocks, Underwater Breathing, and Cannibalize.

5.5. Troll

Trolls have access to the Racial cooldown Berserking, which has a niche of being most effective at low health. Getting the full 30% requires you to be fairly low health, which is not something you actively want to do.

Trolls also have Regeneration (which is fantastic for leveling, as you will have to wait less time in between pulling mobs), Bow Specialization, Throwing Specialization, and Beast Slaying, which do not have much impact on Rogue.

6. Rogue Strengths

• Has Lockpicking, which is a fantastic way to make gold without worrying about combat or survivability.
• Very powerful burst in PvP, thanks to Stealth allowing you to open on a target at your own discretion.
• Amazing CC abilities ( Blind, Sap, Kidney Shot).
• High base damage on moves such as Eviscerate makes them strong even when undergeared.
• Stealth allows safer exploration of areas.

7. Rogue Weaknesses

• Can be very difficult to level due to lack of self healing.
• Rogues are not able to do much AoE damage beyond Blade Flurry's cleave effect.
• Rogue abilities have long cooldowns that are very impactful, such as Vanish, Evasion, and Sprint.
• Some abilities require reagents, which also take up inventory slots, such as Blind, Vanish and poisons.

8. Changelog