Assassination Rogue PvP Rotation and Playstyle — 12.0.7

Discuss with your team to have a game plan. Assassination Rogue is a specialization often played in setup comps, which means you and your team need to agree on who to control and who to kill before the game begins. You need to know who will use their offensive cooldowns first. Wasting an entire opener because you did not plan and broke each other's crowd control can make you lose the game.

Apply Wound Poison and Crippling Poison. Press Stealth and you are good to go!

Assassination Rogues have a lot of crowd control options. In the opener, since you have access to your Stealth-based abilities, you will aim to push in and initiate crowd control chains on the healer with a Sap. You will open on the kill target with Cheap Shot or without a stun and quickly build Combo Points for a Kidney Shot, depending on the situation.

In most cases, it is better to stun immediately to prevent the enemy from using their defensives before your stuns, but Assassination is a spec that likes to have time to set up its damage, so it is okay if you take a few globals to set up a stronger go.

After the opener, you will be able to use your Gouge on the healer and your Kidney Shot on the kill target, enabling your healer to use follow up crowd control after your Gouge while you kill the DPS. In some scenarios, namely, when you play with another DPS with a stun, you may want to use your Kidney Shot on the enemy healer instead, and your teammate stuns the enemy DPS you want to kill.

You can follow it with a Gouge or have your team follow up. You also have the ability Dismantle which is a form of crowd control, albeit a defensive one in most cases. Making good use of it can negate an enemy kill attempt. It can also be used offensively sometimes, for example, against an Arms Warrior, as it prevents them from using Die by the Sword, or against a Death Knight, as it prevents them from using Death Strike to heal.

Once you force a trinket from the enemy healer, you want to do a setup with a Blind on them. This crowd control can end games by itself. Follow this up with a Sap or Kidney Shot and you are easily able to lock down a healer for 10+ seconds straight.

In addition to all of this control, Assassination Rogues are the only Rogue specialization that have a silence. With the talent Iron Wire, Garrote silences the target when using it from stealth. This makes them incredibly strong into casters or to target healers that do not have a trinket. Use this as another interrupt for casts the enemy may be using.

Rogues have two resources to manage. The first, Energy, is relatively straightforward. Using a spell costs Energy, and it regenerates over time. The second resource is Combo Points. Some abilities generate Combo Points, and powerful skills called Finishing Moves consume them. To maximize your damage output and your Energy regeneration, you must use your Combo Points efficiently. You have several ways to generate Combo Points.

• From Stealth or when Subterfuge is active, there are 3 ways to generate Combo Points:
  • Cheap Shot stuns the target and generates 1 Combo Point.
  • Ambush can only be used in Stealth or with a Blindside proc. It deals good damage and generates 2 Combo Points.
  • Garrote silences the target and generates 1 Combo Point (3 if you have the talent Shrouded Suffocation.
  • Using Cheap Shot will stun the enemy and generate 1 combo point.
• When not in Stealth, you generate Combo Points with the following:
  • Mutilate deals moderate damage and generates 2 Combo Points. It can critically strike with only one hand or with both. That means this ability can generate up to 4 Combo Points with Seal Fate, one additional Combo Point per hand that critically strikes.
  • Garrote generates 1 Combo Point.
  • Shiv generates 1 Combo Point. It will also increase your Nature damage done to the target.
  • Fan of Knives is an AoE ability and will generate 1 Combo Point plus 1 Combo Point per critical hit with Seal Fate. It can be used when multiple enemies, including pets, are around you if you want to generate multiple Combo Points. However, it will usually be better to Mutilate your main target if they are in range. Be careful not to break crowd control, such as Polymorph, when using Fan of Knives.
  • Poisoned Knife does very little damage but generates 1 Combo Point and applies all your active poisons to the target. This should be used if you are slowed/rooted and cannot reach your target but are about to overcap Energy or if an enemy at range needs to be slowed.
  • Crimson Tempest hits all enemies within 10 yards and copies your longest Garrote/ Rupture to other enemies. This will also generate 1 Combo Point.

Now that you know how to generate Combo Points, learning how to spend them is even more critical. As an Assassination Rogue, you do not have a passive that makes it better to use your finishers with 5 Combo Points. Still, you should try to do it regardless, as they deal more damage that way. That being said, if you are on 4 Combo Points, you will want to use Rupture or Envenom instead of Mutilate as over-capping Combo Points is a damage loss. Here are the abilities you will be spending Combo Points on and what situations you will use them in:

• Kidney Shot is your stun to set up a kill on your target that you spend Combo Points on.
• Rupture is a bleed that lasts longer based on how many Combo Points you use. Use this ability whenever it is not active or about to fade unless using Envenom would kill the target.
  • Note: After refreshing Rupture and Garrote use Crimson Tempest to spread these bleeds to all enemies in range.
• Slice and Dice increases your attack speed. Slice and Dice should almost have 100% uptime during an arena match if you have the extra Combo Points.
• Envenom is your primary damaging ability. This will deal more damage based on the Combo Points used for it.

The opener refers to your team's opening crowd control chain and damage done as soon as you exit the gates. The main goal in the opener is to force your enemies to use their cooldowns. If the enemy healer or your kill target uses their trinket in the opener, they are in trouble.

The opener is a key part of the game as Rogue. Stealth gives you the advantage as you choose how the fight begins. Because people will not be in combat right after the gates open, you will be able to Sap a target, already providing your team with numerical superiority. If you manage to get stuns or silences on the other enemies, you can create a situation where your kill target is stunned for you and your team to deal damage without any external help.

If you forced a trinket in the opener, you are on the right track to winning the game. If the enemy healer used their trinket, you could go with a Blind on them, followed by a Sap or a Gouge while you kill the enemy DPS. If the enemy DPS uses their trinket, you will be able to go on them with a Kidney Shot followed by a Smoke Bomb to prevent the healer from helping and hopefully kill the DPS in that stun.

There are a few different openers as Assassination Rogue depending on whether the enemy can use spells while silenced. Below is an example of a very basic opener on a target that can use abilities while silenced and thus needs to be stunned with your first GCD.

1. Sap the enemy healer.
2. Use Cheap Shot on your kill target.
3. Use Garrote on your kill target.
   • This will apply Garrote and silence them.
4. Use Shiv.
5. Use Rupture.
6. Use Crimson Tempest to spread your Garrote / Rupture to nearby enemies.
7. Use Garrote on your kill target again, while you still have the Improved Garrote buff.
   • This will silence the target a second time.
8. Use Mutilate (or Ambush if it is available or get a Blindside proc) until 5 Combo Points or more.
   • If multiple enemies are stacked, use Fan of Knives to generate combo points.
9. Use Ambush with a Blindside proc.
10. Use Envenom.
11. Repeat the last two steps if you do not have to refresh any of your bleeds.

Rogues do not have a way to instantly generate 5 Combo Points, so if you need a stun in the opener, it forces you to use Cheap Shot. You will then either keep your Kidney Shot for the next go on your target, or use it on another target that you also want to attack (as a reminder, Assassination is at its best when attacking multiple targets). If you want to use both stuns in the opener, you can use Cheap Shot on the kill target and follow up your Sap on the healer with a Kidney Shot.

Below is an example of an opener on a target that cannot use any ability while silenced, such as a Mage. Such a target allows you to apply bleeds before using a stun.

1. Sap the enemy healer.
2. Use Garrote on your kill target.
   • This will apply Garrote and silence them.
3. Use Rupture with 3 Combo Points.
4. Use Garrote on your kill target again, while you still have the Improved Garrote buff.
   • This will silence the target a second time.
5. Use Cheap Shot.
6. Use Shiv
7. Use Crimson Tempest to spread your Garrote / Rupture to nearby enemies.
8. Use Mutilate (or Ambush if it is available or get a Blindside proc) until 5 Combo Points or more.
   • If multiple enemies are stacked, use Fan of Knives to generate combo points.
9. Use Envenom.
10. Repeat the last two steps if you do not have to refresh any of your bleeds.

Both of these openers are not extremely bursty, and using burst cooldowns during them would be a mistake. Assassination requires a few moments to apply its bleeds on the target before dealing damage. You can open differently to generate more pressure and even create a scenario in which you can burst the enemy down. Below is an example of such an opener.

1. Sap the enemy healer.
2. Use Garrote on your kill target.
   • This will apply Garrote and silence them.
3. Use Rupture with 3 Combo Points.
4. Use Garrote on your kill target again, while you still have the Improved Garrote buff.
   • This will silence the target a second time.
5. Use Mutilate (or Ambush if it is available or get a Blindside proc) until 5 Combo Points or more.
   • If multiple enemies are stacked, use Fan of Knives to generate combo points.
6. Use Kidney Shot.
7. Use Crimson Tempest to spread your Garrote / Rupture to nearby enemies.
8. Use Shiv.
9. Use Mutilate (or Ambush if it is available or get a Blindside proc) until 5 Combo Points or more.
   • If multiple enemies are stacked, use Fan of Knives to generate combo points.
10. Use Envenom.
11. Repeat the last two steps if you do not have to refresh any of your bleeds.

Performing a spell sequence like this one guarantees that your first Kidney Shot will pressure the enemy team, because the target will already have all your bleeds on them. You will be also able to focus on dealing damage with Envenom. Note that it gives someone in the enemy team time to react between the moment you leave stealth, and the moment you secure crowd-control on the last target, so players who are aware and play the right comp will be able to try and break your opener.

When you have the enemy healer in crowd control and are trying to kill an enemy, you use your burst damage. As Assassination, there are a number of requirements you need to meet in order to perform the ideal burst rotation. In the examples below, it is assumed that you already have your Garrote and Rupture active on the target, with a timer long enough that you will not need to waste time reapplying them right in the middle of your burst. Also, ideally, you want Slice and Dice up too, but you shouldn't delay a kill attempt if the situation is good solely because you don't have Slice and Dice.

1. Ensure you have Garrote and Rupture on as many enemies as possible, but especially your kill target.
2. Use Blind on the enemy healer.
   • Ideally, they have no trinket for this.
3. If you do not have 5 Combo Points, use Mutilate (or Ambush if it is available or get a Blindside proc).
   • If multiple enemies are stacked, use Fan of Knives to generate combo points.
4. Use Kidney Shot on your kill target.
5. Use Smoke Bomb if your target has no trinket.
6. Use Deathmark.
7. Use Kingsbane if talented.
8. Use Shiv here. That way your Deathmark and your Kingsbane will be empowered for their entire durations.
9. Use Mutilate (or Ambush if it is available or get a Blindside proc) until 5 Combo Points or more.
   • If multiple enemies are stacked, use Fan of Knives to generate combo points.
10. Use Ambush with a Blindside proc.
11. Use Envenom.
12. From here, you can continue with your sustained damage rotation or you can play more aggressive with a Vanish.
    • Use Vanish. This allows you to use stealth abilities.
    • Use Garrote on your kill target.
      • This will apply Garrote and silence them.
    • Use Cheap Shot on the kill target.
    • Use Garrote on your kill target again, while you still have the Improved Garrote buff.
      • This will silence the target a second time.
13. Use Crimson Tempest to spread your Garrote / Rupture to nearby enemies.
14. Use Mutilate (or Ambush if it is available) until 5 Combo Points or more.
15. Use Envenom.
16. Repeat the last two steps if you do not have to refresh any of your bleeds.

Deathmark and Kingsbane will not always be available, but you can perform the same rotation without these abilities every Kidney Shot.

Vanish is primarily a defensive spell. However, due to Subterfuge lasting for 6 seconds and Assassination, having gained a second charge of Vanish, you can use it offensively if you do not need it to survive. The Subterfuge it triggers will then act as a pseudo-Shadow Dance that allows your Garrote to silence enemies.

There is no set rotation alongside an offensive Vanish, but you want to make sure that during the 6s of Subterfuge you spend most of your globals on silencing multiple enemies for your team with Garrote and on reapplying your empowered Garrote on as many enemies as possible. Maintain Garrote and your Rupture on as many enemies as possible.

Sustained damage is damage you do when your burst cooldowns are not available and when your enemies cannot be crowd-controlled because of diminishing returns. Assassination Rogues have powerful sustained damage, so unless you need to retreat because you are under pressure or because you know the enemy is about to set up a kill of their own, you will want to keep doing damage to ensure the kill target is low on health before your next Kidney Shot. The spells you will use during your sustained damage window must follow the priority list below.

1. Use Rupture if it is about to fade. The Combo Points spent on Rupture only increase its duration, not its damage per tick, so while you should always try to use it with as many Combo Points as possible, you can use it with only 3 or 4 if you badly need to apply it to regain Energy with Venomous Wounds.
2. Use Garrote if it is about to fade.
3. Use Slice and Dice with 5 Combo Points or more.
4. Use Envenom with 5 Combo Points or more.
5. Use Mutilate or Ambush if it is available) to generate Combo Points.
6. Use Ambush if you get a Blindside proc.
7. Use Fan of Knives if multiple enemies are stacked.
8. Use Crimson Tempest to spread your Garrote / Rupture to nearby enemies.

You may wonder, "where does Fan of Knives fit in all of this?" The answer is simple. If there are at least two targets you want to cleave, and you will not break any CC, then Fan of Knives is more valuable than Mutilate. It deals more damage, costs less Energy, and thanks to the passive Seal Fate it can fill your Combo Point bar if you hit enough enemies.

Vanish is one of your main defensive cooldowns. Use Vanish to avoid damage and get away from the enemy team. It can also be used offensively to land crowd control with Sap, Cheap Shot, and Garrote in order to close a game. Note that the talent Without a Trace provides a second charge of Vanish, a solid defensive improvement.

Cloak of Shadows is a strong defensive cooldown when playing against casters. Use this when in trouble against caster teams and run to safety. You can also use it to mitigate incoming magic crowd control abilities, such as Mortal Coil or Hammer of Justice.

Evasion is a strong defensive cooldown when playing against melees and Hunters. Use this when the enemy team is using offensive cooldowns on you. You can also use it to dodge incoming physical crowd-control abilities, such as Kidney Shot or Mighty Bash.

Feint (with the Elusiveness talent) is the trickiest but most useful defensive ability a Rogue has. It grants you a flat 20% damage reduction from everything for 6 seconds on a 15-second cooldown. This is a potent tool to mitigate incoming damage. A Rogue is weak against stuns, so preemptively using Feint when a stun is coming your way greatly increases your chance of surviving heavy damage from the enemy team, especially with the new PvP talent Preemptive Maneuver. Of course, it can be used when the enemy team is using cooldowns on you, even if there is no stun.

Crimson Vial is a minor healing over time effect. It can be used the same way as Feint, either when you are about to get stunned or when the enemy is using cooldowns on you, and your healer needs extra help.