Assassination Rogue DPS Easy Mode — Dragonflight 10.2

Disclaimer: With the vast amount of changes to Rogue and Assassination talents and abilities in Patch 10.2, we expect more findings and optimizations to surface as the Theorycrafting community continues their efforts to find the best possible way to play the spec. As a result, information on this page might receive frequent updates after Patch 10.2 hits live servers.

If you are new to the class or spec, it is best advised to start slow by starting with a straightforward build to get a better handle on the core mechanics and interactions. This build is only slightly worse and easier to play than the most optimal way to play the spec, so there is no need to worry at all about potentially lacking behind fellow Rogue players while you get to know the foundations of Assassination.

Assassination primarily focuses on maintaining damage-over-time effects for potent sustained damage and cleave. In this section, we will be focusing on a setup that minimizes the number of buttons and reactivity necessary without unduly compromising overall damage output.

If you are completely new to Assassination and need more information on the abilities and talents available to you, you can check out our Spell Summary page.

This build is NOT the highest-performing build for Assassination, but it closely resembles the well-known playstyle of previous patches, while utilizing some of the new or reworked talents and abilities for high single-target damage output. It can also easily swap in Caustic Spatter instead of Internal Bleeding for great cleave potential. It performs about 6-7% worse than the highest-simming build, which you can find on our Talents page.

Be sure to use the 'Copy Export String' button on our calculator below to import our build ingame!:

For a more in-depth analysis of each of the talent choices and the reasoning behind the aforementioned build as the go-to for ease of use, check out the Talent section below.

Currently, you will want to prioritize secondary stats as follows for both Raiding and Mythic+:

1. Agility;
2. Mastery;
3. Critical Strike;
4. Haste;
5. Versatility.

Mastery, Critical Strike, and Haste are all very close in value to one another, and all 3 of these stats are desirable. Agility is by far the most important stat, meaning any item level increase is typically an upgrade, regardless of secondary stats. The secondary stat priorities shift and change as you acquire new gear, and we highly recommend simming yourself in order to find out what stat is best for you specifically. You can learn more about what each stat does for you and which stats are the best for each situation by heading to our stats page.

If you are wondering how to sim yourself and find out about the best upgrades for you, you can learn more about it on our Simulations page as well!

Always make sure to have Deadly Poison, Amplifying Poison and your choice of non-lethal Poisons applied for maximum DPS.

• Use Mutilate as your single-target builder, and Envenom as your single-target spender. Use Ambush instead of Mutilate when available.
• Use Fan of Knives as your AoE builder, and maintain Crimson Tempest as your AoE spender (if talented into it). Use Mutilate or Ambush once every 10 seconds on AoE if talented into Caustic Spatter.
• Maintain Slice and Dice, Rupture, Garrote and Serrated Bone Spike (if talented) at all times.
• Use Shiv, Echoing Reprimand, Sepsis, Kingsbane (if talented) and Deathmark on cooldown.
• Use Serrated Bone Spike (if talented) and Thistle Tea to avoid overcapping charges. Do not overcap Energy when using Thistle Tea.
• Try to sync as many of your cooldowns as possible, so they all benefit from each other.

By following the link, you will be able to find a more detailed version of this priority list for both single-target and AoE, as well as a deeper explanation of some of the core concepts of Assassination gameplay. If you would like to know more about how to pool Energy properly and what your opener should look like, check out the Rotation section of this guide.

• Refresh Rupture and Garrote before activating Deathmark and Shiv, so you do not have to cast these abilities while it is active.
• Always cast finishers at 5+ Combo Points, or when it hits an Animacharged Combo Point from Echoing Reprimand.
• Maintain Slice and Dice by using Envenom. Cut to the Chase will automatically extend your Slice and Dice duration.
• Try to cast Envenom with 5+ Combo Points at least twice during each Shiv.
• Sepsis (if talented) grants you the ability to cast empowered Garrote, once when you use Sepsis and once again after it expires (for up to 10 seconds). You will want to cast one immediately, and then extend it with the second free Garrote cast as late as possible.
• Deathmark duplicates the currently active bleeds. If these are buffed through something like Improved Garrote, the duplicated bleeds will also benefit from these effects.
• When using Rogue Assassination 10.2 Class Set 4pc, make sure to cast Envenom while a previous Envenom is still active, or you lose out on the 4-piece bonus effect.