Assassination Rogue DPS Guide — Shadowlands 9.0.5
Welcome to our Assassination Rogue guide for World of Warcraft — Shadowlands 9.0.5. Here, you will learn how to play as an Assassination Rogue in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons: from the very beginning to maximizing your DPS.
If you were looking for WoW Classic content, please refer to our Classic DPS Rogue guide.
Assassination Rogue Overview
Assassination Rogues deal damage through the application and empowerment of poison and bleed effects. The damage toolkit of Assassination is somewhat limited, mainly focusing on dealing single target damage over a long period. As with the other Rogue specializations, Assassination sports phenomenal defensive abilities that allow them to soak and survive mechanics that most other classes cannot.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Solid sustained DPS in both single-target and multi-target situations that does not rely on cooldowns.
Ability to provide strong execute damage when using
Blindside and
Zoldyck Insignia.
Exceptional survivability thanks to
Feint,
Cloak of Shadows,
Evasion and
Crimson Vial.
Very good group utility for Mythic+ in the form of
Shroud of Concealment,
Sap,
Blind and
Garrote.
Lack of burst damage, since most abilities deal damage over time.
No AoE cooldowns, with
Vendetta only applying to a single target.
Conduit choices force you to decide between AoE and single-target.
Shadowlands Changes for Rogues
We are maintaining a list of changes for Rogues, so you can see what changes with every patch of Shadowlands.
Patch 9.0.5 aims to improve how Assassination Rogues generate Energy and use
their Combo Points. The two major changes are the return of Cut to the Chase
which will completely remove the need to spend excess Combo Points on
Slice and Dice after it has been applied once. The patch also removed Slice
and Dice Rank 2 for Assassination Rogues. The Energy regeneration benefit is
put into
Venomous Wounds instead, which now generates 1 additional Energy
every time one of your bleeding effects deals damage. This is a minor gain on
single-target, and a significant gain on multi-target.
Leveling an Assassination Rogue
If you want to leveling a new Rogue in the Shadowlands you should check out our leveling guide to help you on your journey.
If at any point you feel like you would like to customize your user interface or have been wondering if there are any useful macros or addons that might further your enjoyment and performance on your Rogue, you should check out our Addon section.
Basics of Assassination Rogue Gameplay
Assassination Rogue is a spec that utilizes a Combo Point system and spreads its damage over time effects to generate additional resources, while maintaining a couple of high-impact buffs and debuffs to deal strong sustained DPS.
Generating additional resources is core to the spec, so making sure to
maintain both Garrote and
Rupture at all times is of vital
importance due to
Venomous Vim. Combo Points are generated by using
either
Mutilate on single-target or
Fan of Knives on AoE.
Excess Combo Points that are not used on Rupture can be spent on
Envenom
to increase the passive damage your poisons provide.
Shiv offers some
minor burst-damage potential on a low cooldown.
For more information on the basics of the spec you can check out the Spell Summary to get a good idea of the abilities you will be using while playing Assassination. If you are completely new to playing Assassination Rogue, we suggest taking a look at the Easy Mode page below to get a general idea on how to setup your new character.
If you already have some experience playing a Rogue or have familiarized yourself with the basics of the Spec you can also read up more information on how to optimize your Rotation and the individual strengths of the different Talents.
Assassination Rogue in Shadowlands
Shadowlands allows for extra customization by letting you choose one of four Covenants, craft a specific Legendary and pick from one of three Soulbinds, depending on Covenant.
Once you have chosen your Covenant you will gain access to two new abilities: one Covenant-specific one that improves either your survivability or mobility, as well as an active damaging ability. While this choice can be reverted and changed, doing so will require some catching-up so making an informed decision is highly recommended. You can find out more about the four Covenants and each of their benefits in our comprehensive Covenant section.
Once you have taken your first steps into the Shadowlands, you will also be able to craft multiple Legendary items that provide specific benefits to you. Some of these bonuses are specific to Assassination, while other work in all three specs. To find out more about which Legendaries we recommend for you, head over to our Legendary section of this guide.
How to Gear Up as an Assassination Rogue
With all the different gearing options that are available to you, you might ask yourself what gear is worth chasing after. Since a lot of the decisions and variables depend on the gear that you are already wearing right now we strongly recommend "simming" yourself. You can find more information on how to do that, as well as a list of the current Best in Slot gear for newly-leveled characters on our dedicated gearing page.
After gearing up your character, the next step is to apply the appropriate enchants and gems, as well as preparing the best potions, flasks and buff food. Which consumables are the best for you depends on your stat priority, which might change depending on your gear, talents and the type of content you are about to tackle. The following two sections of the guide address all questions about consumables as well as the shifting stat priorities for Assassination Rogues.
End-Game as an Assassination Rogue
The gameplay of your Assassination Rogue will change drastically once you start getting access to better and higher itemlevel gear. Once you feel that you are ready to tackle some of the most difficult content the game has to offer you should check out the dedicated pages for each type of content below. You will find helpful tips and tricks, recommendations on your talents and equipment as well as general information on mechanics and guidance on what to look out for as you make your way to the top.
Improving as an Assassination Rogue
Once you have your gear in order and are looking to improve not just your character itself but also your gameplay, you can check out these helpful sections as a first step into analyzing your own performance in more detail.
Changelog
- 09 Apr. 2021 (rotation page): Updated Sample Openers.
- 29 Mar. 2021 (mythic+ page): Added Shiv in Utility section.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (Castle Nathria page): Updated recommendation on most bosses to use Subterfuge instead of Master Assassin.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (spells page): Updated Slice and Dice and Venomous Wounds with Patch 9.0.5's changes; added Cut to the Chase.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (mythic+ page): Updated Conduit and Talent suggestions for Patch 9.0.5.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (easy mode page): Updated Covenant recommendation, Mythic+ stat priority, and Legendary recommendations.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (FAQ page): Updated Covenant and stat recommendations.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (Legendaries): Updated single-target Legendary rankings for Patch 9.0.5.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (simulations page): Updated the simulations for Legendaries and Covenants.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 9.0.5.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (Torghast): Updated Anima Power recommendations.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (gear page): Added Valor section and updated Legendary recommendation.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Added Shadowlands Patch 9.0.5 disclaimer; updated Venthyr and Necrolord descriptions.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (enchants page): Updated chest enchant.
- 09 Mar. 2021 (stats page): Updated stat priorities for Mythic+.
- 07 Mar. 2021 (addons page): Page has been reviewed for Shadowlands patch 9.0.5.
- 13 Feb. 2021 (rotation page): Improved Poison section.
- 15 Jan. 2021 (rotation page): Removed outdated disclaimer.
- 15 Jan. 2021 (Castle Nathria page): Added tips and tricks for most of the fights on Mythic Difficulty.
- 15 Jan. 2021 (gear page): Rewrote gear disclaimer.
- 24 Dec. 2020 (easy mode page): Added Poison recommendation.
- 09 Dec. 2020 (rotation page): Updated single-target priority list and sample Subterfuge opener.
- 07 Dec. 2020 (Castle Nathria page): Added Talent and Legendary recommendations, as well as tips and tricks for individual encounters.
- 07 Dec. 2020 (gear page): Added new trinket recommendation.
- 07 Dec. 2020 (mythic+ page): Added Legendary and Covenant sections.
- 02 Dec. 2020 (simulations page): Updated with newest simulations.
- 01 Dec. 2020 (Castle Nathria page): Added placeholder Castle Nathria page.
- 26 Nov. 2020 (gear page): Updated with newest trinket simulation results.
- 25 Nov. 2020 (enchants page): Updated with new Augment Runes.
- 24 Nov. 2020 (Torghast): Page added.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (FAQ page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (how to improve page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (simulations page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (gear page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release, added gear acquisition overview and dungeon BiS list.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (addons page): Page updated for the Shadowlands expansion release.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (enchants page): Updated gem, enchant and consumable recommendations for the Shadowlands release.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (stats page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (mythic+ page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release, added new Mythic+ affixes and opener sequence.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (this page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release, with added links to Covenant, Legendary and Torghast pages.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (talents page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (easy mode page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release, added Covenant, Legendary and Conduit recommendations.
- 23 Nov. 2020 (rotation page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release, added Covenant ability to rotation.
- 20 Nov. 2020 (Legendaries): Page added.
- 20 Nov. 2020 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Guide added.
- 28 Oct. 2020 (enchants page): Updated gem and enchant recommendations.
- 28 Oct. 2020 (easy mode page): Updated stat priority.
- 23 Oct. 2020 (spells page): Page updated for the Shadowlands release; updated descriptions for new and upgraded abilities.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (this page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (how to improve page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (stats page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (rotation page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (easy mode page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (FAQ page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (spells page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (mythic+ page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (talents page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (enchants page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (addons page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (gear page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 12 Oct. 2020 (simulations page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
- 14 Nov. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Removed disclaimer, updated talent and gameplay recommendations, added Mythic Zaqul section.
- 15 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added tips for all bosses.
- 08 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Guide added.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 24 Jun. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 08 May 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Added further boss tips.
- 15 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
- 23 Feb. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Minor updates.
- 21 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Added Assassination Rogue advice for Battle of Dazar'alor.
- 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.1 and no changes are necessary.
- 07 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Added boss spec-specific tips.
- 13 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Page added (placeholder for now).
More Rogue Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written and reviewed by Seliathan, who has been playing Rogue since the first day of Classic. He currently raids in Familiar with Drama, and is one of the foremost Mythic+ Rogue players. You can often find him streaming on Twitch, or follow him on his personal Discord server.
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