Assassination Rogue DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0)

The below builds each come with their own caveats, i.e. playing Trickster in raid might be slightly higher DPS performance, but is more difficult to play. As such, you might end up performing worse than with a build that has a lower theoretical DPS ceiling, but is easier to execute. We recommend reading each of the build's descriptions, so you can find one that best suits your experience and gameplay preferences!

2.

Best Talents for Assassination Rogue

Fatebound Raid ST Talents Fatebound Mythic+ Talents Deathstalker Raid Cleave Talents Deathstalker Mythic+ Talents

2.1.

Raid Talents for Fatebound

This is the current recommended build for Raid, playing Fatebound. It is viable on all encounters, and you can make three small switches for maximizing your raw single-target DPS:

• Remove: Caustic Spatter, Crimson Tempest, Poison Bomb;
• and pick up: Doomblade, Improved Poisons, and the second point in Lethal Dose.

Be sure to use the 'Export Talents' button to import our build ingame!

Assassination Fatebound Raid Build Show Copy

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2.2.

Best Mythic+ Talents for Fatebound

This is the current recommended build for Mythic+ playing Fatebound, sporting high AoE damage while sacrificing some of its single-target potential.

Be sure to use the 'Export Talents' button to import our build ingame!

Assassination Fatebound M+ Build Show Copy

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2.3.

Raid Cleave Talents for Deathstalker

If you would prefer playing Deathstalker, this build offers similar damage, although is a bit rougher to play, especially on encounters with frequent target-switching.

You can make three small switches if you want to fully optimize for single-target DPS:

• Remove: Caustic Spatter, Crimson Tempest, Poison Bomb;
• and pick up: Doomblade, Improved Poisons, and the second point in Lethal Dose.

Be sure to use the 'Export Talents' button to import our build ingame!

Assassination Deathstalker Raid Build Show Copy

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2.4.

Mythic+ Talents for Deathstalker

If you do not yet have the new Tier set, this build is likely going to serve you better on fights with cleave or AoE situations. Once you acquire the current Tier set, Fatebound has a much higher single-target DPS potential, and you will only continue playing Deathstalker on fights with very high cleave or AoE uptime.

Be sure to use the 'Export Talents' button to import our build ingame!

Assassination Deathstalker Mythic+ Build Show Copy

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Assassination gets to pick between two distinct Hero Talent choices: Deathstalker and Fatebound.

Deathstalker is built around the usage and application of Deathstalker's Mark, which will grant you a number of benefits against a singular target, while gaining further priority target damage from any kind of AoE you are doing, whether it be multi-dotting or even just Caustic Spatter. This makes it a good choice if you want to optimize your prio-damage, but managing the Deathstalker's Mark can be cumbersome and if you end up losing it due to a target-switch, you essentially do not have a Hero Talent anymore. This is particularly egregious on bosses that submerge but do not clear their debuffs, or when switching from one boss to another for prolonged periods of time.

Fatebound is the much more forgiving option while still sporting similar or even better damage than Deathstalker. It can keep up in AoE thanks to a buffed Caustic Spatter, and is built around the idea of flipping Fatebound Coins. These can either deal direct damage, or bosst the damage of all your class abilities. You do not have much control over which coin will be stacking up for you. While not the most flashy Hero Talent option, it provides very consistent damage with little to no additional cognitive input required on your end, making it a very beginner-friendly choice.

In The War Within, there will be the option to go into "War Mode." Enabling War Mode provides the following benefits:

• PvP talents enabled in the outdoor world.
• 10% increase in World Quest rewards at maximum level.
• 10% more experience gained while leveling.
• Earn Conquest Points, which can reward gear every week.

With the benefits of enabling War Mode for leveling and PvE content, it is recommended enabling the feature to maximize your leveling and rewards at maximum level. However, you will make yourself available for open-world PvP, and the possibility of being "ganked" while leveling or doing World Quests exists.

In this section, we will rank the PvP talents best for leveling and doing solo / small group PvE content. Below is a ranking of both General PvP Talents and Assassination Rogue-specific PvE talents.

1. System Shock deals nature damage and slows the enemy's movement speed by 90% for 2 seconds when you use a 5 Combo Point Envenom on targets afflicted with your Garrote, Rupture, and Lethal Poison. It is fairly good as it is a passive damage gain and can be useful if you need to run away without having other crowd-control options available.
2. Control is King allows your Cheap Shot to grant Slice and Dice and Kidney Shot will restore Energy when used. Both of these enable you to use these abilities instead of Ambush or Envenom if need be, while still providing DPS benefits.
3. Creeping Venom enables your Envenom to apply Creeping Venom, dealing Nature damage over 4 sec. The duration is refreshed when the target moves. This is another passive damage increase, which can also be easily maintained by side stepping, causing the enemies to move with you.