Assassination Rogue PvP Guide (Dragonflight 10.2)

Assassination Rogues have consistent sustained damage thanks to their Bleeds and Poisons, and are very good at cleaving down several enemies with their damage over time effects. Their healing reduction effect, Wound Poison, can be applied to multiple enemies, making it difficult for enemy healers to heal their entire team. Dragonflight also brought enhanced mobility and CC, making Assassination Rogues an offensive force to be reckoned with. Their access to a silence effect with Garrote has made them known to be great at killing healers. An Assassination Rogue left unchecked will quickly close a PvP match!

Assassination has been reworked with Patch 10.2. Down below are the most important changes:

• Kingsbane can now be picked without dropping Dragon-Tempered Blades. That gives Assassination a very powerful burst cooldown.
• Shadow Dance has become a much more desirable option thanks to the redesign of the class tree. This greatly enhances Assassination CC potential, something it was lacking compared to other Rogue specialization, while providing even more burst damage.
• Improved Shiv now increases Nature damage done by 30% (was 20%). Additionally Arterial Precision now increases Bleed damage done by 30% (was 20%). This makes Shiv a decent, low cooldown burst ability, leading to more lethal kill attempts.
• The damage of Mutilate and Ambush has been significantly buffed with the talent Vicious Venoms. This is a good buff to sustained damage and makes Combo Point builders feel impactful again.
• Vigor and Path of Blood make the specialization feel a lot more smooth energy-wise. With proper use of Thistle Tea, energy won't be as much of a limiting factor as it used to be.

Strengths

• Excellent sustained damage.
• Decent burst.
• Great control.
• Excellent utility.

Weaknesses

• Very prone to dying in stuns.
• Significant cooldown on defensive abilities.
• Often reliant on teammates to stay alive.
• Very predictable burst damage.