Subtlety Rogue DPS Gear and Best in Slot — 12.1

NEW! Icy Veins News Webhook for Discord Icy Veins news articles directly into a channel on your server! Get Discord Webhook

Upgrading gear in Midnight continues to use the Crest system which lets you increase the item level of gear along tracks that relate to where you obtained the item, with harder content dropping gear that can be upgraded further. For more information, read up on our dedicated page on how the gearing system works and what has changed in the Midnight expansion.

Be Careful With Early Crafts!

Many Embellishments and cantrips on items from the Venomous Abyss were changed less than 24 hrs before the beginning of Season 2, and as such many recommendations are now in flux and have to be re-evaluated. Due to these changes, we highly recommend to hold off on crafting an item on Day 1. Unless you don't mind the recrafting cost or potentially crafting a slightly suboptimal item early on, it might be worth waiting for a few days until things have settled.

Make sure to check back to see if this warning has been removed.

OverallMythic+Raid

This list contains the highest DPS setup from all sources for Subtlety Rogue. Keep in mind that there are many other setups that perform within the margin of error. This list is not the end-all-be-all list where any item that is not listed is far behind this specific selection.

This list is by no means a replacement for simming yourself. Depending on your previous Great Vault choices and the gear you have available, your BiS gear might look different in some spots than the below list.

In some non-Tier slots, a max ilvl Craft will technically be optimal since you can customize the secondary stats to your liking. Your mileage here may vary.

FAQWhich Tier Set Pieces Do I Want?

In Midnight Season 2 catalyzing an item causes it to retain the stats it had beforehand, this means that the best tier pieces depends on what items you can get to put in the catalyst. Here are the best items to catalyze into tier:

• Helmet - Gaze of the Coiled Watcher from Ula'tek
• Shoulders - Frothing Venom Spaulders from Vashnik
• Chest - War Trial Vestments from Den of Nalorakk
• Gloves - Ruthless Slaughtergrips from Sszorak
• Legs - Coiled Hex Legguards from Coiled Altar

FAQCan I use a Non-Dagger as my Off-Hand Weapon?

No, Always use a dagger in off-hand. The reason for this is that Shadow Techniques activates more often with a dagger due to the faster attack speed of daggers. Because of this, using a non-dagger loses out on roughly 10% of all of your energy and combo points.

FAQWhere should I spend my Nebulous Voidcores (Bonus rolls)?

The last boss of the raid, Ula'tek. It drops 4 exceptionally strong items all of which are best in slot. So it is recommended to select the Voidcores (Bonus rolls) from your vault until you have acquired all of these 4 items.

Subtlety Rogue

1.1.

Overall Best in Slot

Chosen Bloodslayer's Spirit Shroud Helm

Catalyst from Ula'tek Empowered Hex of Leeching

Chosen Bloodslayer's Fanged Grips Hands

Catalyst from Sszorak

Aqirbane Reliquary Neck

Ula'tek

Sash of the Forlorn Vessel Waist

Coiled Altar

Chosen Bloodslayer's Voodoo Guards Shoulders

Catalyst from Vashnik Amirdrassil's Grace

Chosen Bloodslayer's Reinforced Pants Legs

Catalyst from Coiled Altar Forest Hunter's

Silken Voodoo Drape Cloak

Coiled Altar

Arctic Explorer's Legwraps Feet

Den of Nalorakk Shaladrassil's Roots

Chosen Bloodslayer's Banded Poncho Chest

Catalyst from King's Rest Mark of the Worldsoul

Lightwarden's Bind Ring

Blinding Vale Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Sickening Signet of Atroxus Ring

Voidscar Arena Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Voracious Heart of Ula'tek Trinket

Ula'tek

Silvermoon Agent's Deflectors Bracers

Crafted by Leatherworking

Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique Trinket

Coiled Altar

Zatha'tek, Breath of Corruption Main Hand

Ula'tek Enchant Weapon - Rite of the Hash'ey

Farstrider's Mercy Off Hand

Crafted by Blacksmithing Enchant Weapon - Rite of the Hash'ey

This list contains the highest DPS setup with farmable gear from Season 2 Mythic+ Dungeons. Keep in mind that there are many other setups that perform within the margin of error.

FAQWhich Tier Set Pieces Do I Want?

In Midnight Season 2 catalyzing an item causes it to retain the stats it had beforehand, this means that the best tier pieces depends on what items you can get to put in the catalyst. Here are the best items to catalyze into tier:

• Helmet - Vilefiend's Guise from Murder Row
• Shoulders - Somber Spaulders from Voidscar Arena
• Chest - War Trial Vestments from Den of Nalorakk
• Gloves - Gauntlets of Fevered Defense from Murder Row
• Legs - Breeches of Deft Deals from Murder Row

TipsWhich Dungeons Should I Farm?

If you have limited time to play the game, we recommend to farm the following dungeons:

• Murder Row: Practically every item from this dungeon is good, and it has the best non-raid on-use: Freightrunner's Flask.
• Blinding Vale: Mostly solid items and the passive trinket Sapling of the Dawnroot is strong.
• Altar of Fangs: It contains a non-unique dagger with an additional damage proc, Sharpened Lightwood Slasher, and a bunch of high haste items for the breakpoint.

Subtlety Rogue

1.2.

Best Gear from Mythic+

Chosen Bloodslayer's Spirit Shroud Helm

Catalyst from Murder Row Empowered Hex of Leeching

Chosen Bloodslayer's Fanged Grips Hands

Catalyst from Murder Row

Pendant of Malefic Fury Neck

Murder Row

Whirling Dervish Sash Waist

Temple of Sethraliss

Chosen Bloodslayer's Voodoo Guards Shoulders

Catalyst from Voidscar Arena Amirdrassil's Grace

Chosen Bloodslayer's Reinforced Pants Legs

Catalyst from Murder Row Forest Hunter's

Bloodthorn Burnous Cloak

Blinding Vale

Arctic Explorer's Legwraps Feet

Den of Nalorakk Shaladrassil's Roots

Chosen Bloodslayer's Banded Poncho Chest

Catalyst from Den of Nalorakk Mark of the Worldsoul

Lightwarden's Bind Ring

Blinding Vale Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Sickening Signet of Atroxus Ring

Voidscar Arena Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Freightrunner's Flask Trinket

Murder Row

Fury-fletched Armlets Bracers

Murder Row

Sapling of the Dawnroot Trinket

Blinding Vale

Sharpened Lightwood Slasher Main Hand

Altar of Fangs Enchant Weapon - Rite of the Hash'ey

Sharpened Lightwood Slasher Off Hand

Altar of Fangs Enchant Weapon - Rite of the Hash'ey

This list contains the highest DPS setup, only using gear from the Venomous Abyss Raid.

FAQWhich Tier Set Pieces Do I Want?

In Midnight Season 2 catalyzing an item causes it to retain the stats it had beforehand, this means that the best tier pieces depends on what items you can get to put in the catalyst. Here are the best items to catalyze into tier:

• Helmet - Gaze of the Coiled Watcher from Ula'tek
• Shoulders - Frothing Venom Spaulders from Vashnik
• Chest - Vestment of the Awakening from Nek'zali
• Gloves - Ruthless Slaughtergrips from Sszorak
• Legs - Coiled Hex Legguards from Coiled Altar

TipsWhich Raid-Items Do I Want Most?

If you need to submit a list of highly-important items to your raidleader, or simply want to focus on the most important bosses and items, we got you covered!

• Zatha'tek, Breath of Corruption: A high ilevel dagger with a solid damage effect. Drops from the last boss Ula'tek
• Voracious Heart of Ula'tek: Our best active trinket. Drops from the last boss Ula'tek
• Aqirbane Reliquary: A neck that a stat proc in addition to also having an extra socket. Drops from Ula'tek

Subtlety Rogue

1.3.

Best Gear from Raid

Chosen Bloodslayer's Spirit Shroud Helm

Catalyst from Ula'tek Empowered Hex of Leeching

Chosen Bloodslayer's Fanged Grips Hands

Catalyst from Sszorak

Aqirbane Reliquary Neck

Ula'tek

Sash of the Forlorn Vessel Waist

Coiled Altar

Chosen Bloodslayer's Voodoo Guards Shoulders

Catalyst from Vashnik Amirdrassil's Grace

Chosen Bloodslayer's Reinforced Pants Legs

Catalyst from Coiled Altar Forest Hunter's

Silken Voodoo Drape Cloak

Coiled Altar

Bespittled Slitherslippers Feet

Twin Fangs Shaladrassil's Roots

Chosen Bloodslayer's Banded Poncho Chest

Catalyst from King's Rest Mark of the Worldsoul

Vile Alchemist's Band Ring

Vashnik Eyes of the Eagle

Shirt

Apex Brute's Claw Ring Ring

Sszorak Eyes of the Eagle

Tabard

Voracious Heart of Ula'tek Trinket

Ula'tek

Restless Spirit Shackles Bracers

Nek'zali

Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique Trinket

Coiled Altar

Zatha'tek, Breath of Corruption Main Hand

Ula'tek Enchant Weapon - Rite of the Hash'ey

Ravenous Feaster's Fang Off Hand

Sszorak Enchant Weapon - Rite of the Hash'ey

Itemization

Enchants and Stat Priority

Looking to optimize your character? Check out our Enchant and Stat Priority guides for more information!

EnchantsStats

There are a great number of Trinkets available for Subtlety, and we will always want to play a combination of a powerful on-use trinket to align with our Shadow Blades, and there are two of those this season: Voracious Heart of Ula'tek and Freightrunner's Flask. Alongside that on-use we want a passive trinket providing potent secondary stat buffs or raw damage procs.

Aim to pick up one trinket from each of these categories as a pair:

Subtlety Rogue Trinkets

On-Use - Voracious Heart of Ula'tek or, alternatively, Freightrunner's Flask
Passive - Keeper's Seething Core or, alternatively, Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique for pure single-target.

There are quite a few other valuable trinkets out there, so make sure to click on our ranking chart to see if they are worth equipping.

Click for Subtlety Rogue Trinket Rankings

Ranking	Subtlety
S Tier	Voracious Heart of Ula'tek Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique - Click for Details This trinket is exceptionally strong in pure single-target but gets worse whenever there are additional targets. Keeper's Seething Core
A Tier	Freightrunner's Flask Gebbo's Bottomless Bag Font of Venomous Rage Effigy of Ula'tek's Faithful Drum of Renewed Bonds - Click for Details By going to the different shrines in Zul'Aman you can adjust what stats the proc gives you. You want it to give you Mastery.
B Tier	Fiber of Living Agony Sapling of the Dawnroot Vashnik's Sanguine Rancor Resonant Bellowstone Lightspire Core Lustrous Golden Plumage - Click for Details An alternative to Voracious Heart of Ula'tek or Freightrunner's Flask if you haven't gotten one of them yet. Vile Vial of Volatile Venom - Click for Details An alternative to Voracious Heart of Ula'tek or Freightrunner's Flask if you haven't gotten one of them yet.
C Tier	Void Execution Mandate Tiny Electromental in a Jar Magister's Alchemist Stone Ruby Whelp Shell
D Tier	Void-Reaper's Libram Lost Idol of the Hash'ey Ophidian Bone Whistle Spirit-Rending Poison Tattered Amani War Banner Darkmoon Dominion: Void Darkmoon Dominion: Hunt Darkmoon Dominion: Blood Darkmoon Dominion: Rot

• Nebulous Voidcore is an item you are able to select instead of picking an item in your vault each week. They are similar to the old "bonus roll" system from way back in the day, effectively allowing you to target items from a specific boss or dungeon. Which item you receive when you use them is random, however once the Voidcore has granted you an item you will not be able to acquire it again. This means that the next time you use one you will get one of the other items available from that loot pool. The items gained from these will be corresponding to the vault ilvl of the content you are doing, so for example if you use one on the last boss of the raid on Heroic you will get a 1/6 Myth track item.
• At the start of the patch the only way to receive the Nebulous Voidcores are to select them from your weekly vault, however later on in the season you will receive one every week from a weekly quest.

Which item you want to chase after depends heavily on the items you already have and whether you are expecting to kill certain bosses on Mythic difficulty, as you do not want to waste your Voidcores on items you may be able to get on a higher difficulty track in a few weeks. The priority is as follows:

Voidcore (Bonus Roll) Priority

1. Ula'tek
   Zatha'tek, Breath of Corruption
   Voracious Heart of Ula'tek
   Aqirbane Reliquary
   Gaze of the Coiled Watcher
   All of these items drop from the last boss of the raid, Ula'Tek.
2. Coiled Altar
   This boss drops a plethora of good items, including Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique.
3. Remaining BiS List items

Professions are a great way to gear up with your optimal secondary stats, as adding special items to the crafting process lets you pick and choose the exact secondary stats you want.

During the early stages of the season your ability to craft items will be severely time-gated. Because of this we highly recommend crafting a Mainhand Weapon as soon as possible, unless you know for sure you can get one elsewhere. When you have acquired a good weapon, start working on your other Embellished Items, and after that focus on crafting whatever piece you currently have at the lowest item-level.

Subtlety Crafted Gear Priority

• Farstrider's Mercy with Hunter's Ritual Stone
• Silvermoon Agent's Deflectors with Arcanoweave Lining
• Any item you do not have on Myth track yet.

For more information about crafting gear you can visit our Professions page.

Up to two of your crafted items can be Embellished. This is a similar concept as Unique-Equipped, as you can only wear two items that have the Embellished status. Some crafted items, many of which have powerful procs or beneficial effects by default, are considered Embellished. You can also add Embellishments from a variety of professions to any crafted item, adding the effect to this item either when creating it or at a later stage.

As there is a lot of competition for Embellishments, you will have to pick and choose the two strongest ones for your overall DPS output. Most of them provide very similar DPS benefits, even if the effects are entirely different. The two best choices for this are:

• For Raid: Hunter's Ritual Stone on a weapon and Arcanoweave Lining on another crafted item like Belt or Wrists.
• For Mythic+: Hunter's Ritual Stone on a weapon and Arcanoweave Lining on another crafted item like Belt or Wrists.

It is recommended to sim yourself to find out what works best, and if you also play the other two Rogue specs, you might want to pick Embellishments that work well for all of them.

You can add sockets to Helmets, Belts, and Bracers with the Miasmic Jewelbinder consumable that you can get if you do not select any of the choices in your Great Vault. Not picking a choice will grant you up to 6 tokens, six of which can be traded in for the Miasmic Jewelbinder item that allows you to add a socket to the above piece of gear, if you acquired them in Season 2.

Early into the season, or if you have just started playing an alt, you will have limited access to upgrading-crests such as Myth Mistcrest. These can be used to upgrade gear to higher itemlevels. Since gaining new crests are capped each week and upgrading different items costs the same amount of crests regardless, you will want to prioritize your usage of them on items you plan on not replacing anytime soon, and/or those that offer the biggest benefits.

Subtlety Rogue Crest Upgrade Priority

Weapon (Mainhand) ➜ Trinkets ➜ Helmet/Chest/Legs ➜ Shoulders/Gloves/Belt/Boots

These are not the only items worth upgrading, of course. They simply offer the highest DPS gain early into the tier when your upgrade currency is limited. Note that exceptions are possible, such as special items that have additional procs attached to them.

Throughout this page and elsewhere in our guide, we regularly refer to the importance of simming yourself on Raidbots. This is because every character is unique, and each gear piece you have access to can change what is best right now for you.

While we do offer recommendations for gear and trinkets, these are not complete replacements for simming yourself. The only way to truly optimize your character to that degree is by making use of the tools available!

Optimization

Simulations and Tools

For further reading on how to truly maximize your character's potential, check out our guide on Raidbots!

Go to Guide

Eleem

Guide Author

Follow Eleem

This guide has been written by Eleem, who has been a rogue player, enjoyer and theorycrafter since Legion. He is currently raiding in a top 100 guild and has been known to dabble in Mythic+ from time to time. You can find him in the Ravenholdt Discord as Eleem.

In The Same Category

Assassination Rogue GearAssassination Rogue GuideOutlaw Rogue GearOutlaw Rogue GuideOutlaw Rogue MacrosAssassination Rogue Rotation