Assassination Rogue Patch 9.1 Changes Analysis

This page contains information on all the new additions that affect Assassination Rogues for Shadowlands Patch 9.1 and Patch 9.1.5. This is not a comprehensive list of all changes, and instead focuses on changes that directly affect our PvE performance.

For a specific list of changes for the entire patch you can check out the Patch 9.1 and Patch 9.1.5 overview pages below.

• Fan of Knives and Crimson Tempest are no longer maximum target capped and instead deal reduced damage to 9 or more targets.
• The Night Fae Covenant Legendary Toxic Onslaught was changed to now grant Adrenaline Rush and Shadow Blades for 10 seconds after Sepsis expires.
• The Septic Shock Conduit was buffed by 50%.

• Feint duration increased from 5-seconds to 6-seconds.
• Shiv now always removes Enrage effects, even when using Crippling Poison as your non-lethal poison.

No talents have been changed in Patch 9.1, and the remaining changes do not affect our current talent choices.

None of the new covenant-specific legendaries manage to beat Zoldyck Insignia or Doomblade. Obedience, the new Venthyr legendary, might see some play due to it reducing the cooldown on Flagellation to ~60 seconds which might line up well with certain boss-DPS burst requirements.

Serrated Bone Spike bleed effect can now critically strike.

Cloaked in Shadows absorb is now 50% larger, only lasts for 4-seconds but no longer decays while out of Stealth.

All Soulbind Trees for all Covenants will be getting new tiers added with new Soulbind abilities. These can have a significant impact on the best Soulbind, or even the best Covenant overall.

We have listed all of the abilities with a relevant impact below.

• Niya — Bonded Hearts — Causes your constantly-generated Grove Invigoration stacks to grant 50% increased Mastery if you are close to non-Night Fae allies when they are generated.
• Dreamweaver — Dream Delver — This is essentially just a 3% DPS buff to your current target.
• Dreamweaver — Waking Dreams — When you take damage below 80% HP, you gain a shield for 30% of the damage amount, lasting 3 seconds. This is far too powerful currently and will likely be changed before going live.
• Korayn — Wild Hunt Strategem — When you hit a target above 75% health, you gain a 1-minute buff. If you then attack an enemy below 35% health, this buff will be consumed and increase your damage to sub-35% targets by 5% for 10 seconds.
• Forgelite Prime Mikanikos — Soulglow Spectrometer — Causes you to build a damage buff on the target you are hitting which stacks by 1% every 3 seconds, up to 5%. You cannot start another buff on a new target until you have expired one on the previous target.
• Forgelite Prime Mikanikos — Effusive Anima Accelerator — Causes your Kindred Spirits to instantly deal Arcane damage, split between all enemies within 12 yards. For every target hit, the cooldown of Kindred Spirits is reduced by 4 seconds, up to a maximum of 20 seconds at 5 or more targets hit.
• Pelagos — Better Together — Gives you a 52 Mastery buff for 1 minute when you move close to an ally. You can only be affected by one buff at a time. This will pretty much be up all of the time.
• Pelagos — Newfound Resolve — Occasionally spawns a "Doubt" unit near you while in combat. Facing it grants you 12% increased Agility and Stamina for 15 seconds. Depending on proc rate, this could be very strong.
• Kleia — Light the Path — Causes your Valiant Strikes Soulbind Ability buff to also grant 0.25% Critical Strike per stack. It also causes its heal effect to grant you 5% Critical Strike for 12 seconds. Given the 1-minute limit on Valiant Strikes, this is a bit weak.
• Emeni — Pustule Eruption — Causes Fleshcraft to grant you 9 pustule stacks. When you take damage or get healed, they blow up for 48% AP of damage on nearby enemies. This is quite a significant amount of damage making it pretty powerful for us.
• Bonesmith Heirmir — Carver's Eye — Grants you a Mastery buff when you hit a target above 90% health which lasts 5 seconds and stacks to 5, but refreshes its duration when you generate a new stack. There is a 10-second forced gap between initial applications of this buff.
• Bonesmith Heirmir — Mnemonic Equipment — Causes your attacks on targets below 35% health to deal 3% extra damage over 5 seconds.
• Plague Deviser Marileth — Kevin's Oozeling — Causes your Adaptive Swarm to spawn an Oozeling to attack your target. You also deal 2% increased damage to whatever he is targeting. He is up roughly 40-45% of the time.
• Nadjia the Mistblade — Fatal Flaw — Enhances Thrill Seeker by giving you a Critical Strike/Versatility buff when its Haste buff ends.
• Theotar the Mad Duke — Party Favors — Gives you a 3% primary or secondary stat buff for 1 hour each day.
• General Draven — Battlefield Presence — Increases your damage done and reduces damage taken by 1% for every enemy within 5 yards of you, up to 3%.