Subtlety Rogue DPS Guide — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated on Jan 15, 2024 at 15:00 by Oxi 63 comments
General Information

Welcome to our Subtlety Rogue guide for World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5. Here, you will learn how to play as a Subtlety Rogue in both raids and Mythic+ dungeons: from the very beginning to maximizing your DPS.

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Subtlety Rogue guide.

1.

Subtlety Rogue Overview

Subtlety Rogues revolve around burst damage windows by combining Shadow Dance Icon Shadow Danceand Symbols of Death Icon Symbols of Death whenever possible for maximum burst; however, this means that damage outside of these cooldowns is okay at best. Like other Rogue specializations, Subtlety has one of the best defenses in the game.

2.

Strengths and Weaknesses

V Strengths
  • +Strong burst damage.
  • +Good single target damage with priority damage focus in AoE situations.
  • +Solid sustained AoE damage.
  • +Fast-paced during cooldowns.
  • +Don't need to sacrifice damage for mobility.
  • +Powerful defensive cooldowns such as Cloak of Shadows Icon Cloak of Shadows, Feint Icon Feint, Evasion Icon Evasion and Crimson Vial Icon Crimson Vial.
  • +Utility such as Shroud of Concealment Icon Shroud of Concealment, Kidney Shot Icon Kidney Shot, Cheap Shot Icon Cheap Shot and Blind Icon Blind can come in handy in some situations, mainly Mythic+.
X Weaknesses
  • -Less forgiving to play than other Rogue Specs.
  • -Weak low target cleave damage (2-3 Targets).
  • -Damage outside of Shadow Dance Icon Shadow Dance and Symbols of Death Icon Symbols of Death windows is low.
  • -Due to Combo Point spenders reducing the cooldown of Shadow Dance Icon Shadow Dance, losing uptime can impact DPS.
3.

Subtlety Rogue and Guide Changes for Patch 10.2

  • Subtlety, along with the entire Rogue class, saw significant changes in 10.2, which included redesigned Talent Trees, new Talents, and more. For a full breakdown of all Class Changes in Patch 10.2, check out our dedicated page below.
4.

Leveling a Subtlety Rogue

If you are planning on leveling a Rogue, make sure to check out our Leveling page below for tips regarding talents and more.

Addons make it easier to track important buffs and debuffs, which is why we recommend that you get used to them while leveling, so check out our addons page below. You can also find a few useful macros there.

5.

Basics of Subtlety Rogue Gameplay

Subtlety Rogue is a spec that deals with multiple different resources and a bunch of cooldowns, which may seem daunting to a new player trying to pick up the spec. Understanding the core concept of the specialization makes it quite a bit simpler, which is that the goal is to stack as many cooldowns as possible to deal massive burst damage.

Cast Shadow Blades Icon Shadow Blades, Symbols of Death Icon Symbols of Death and Vanish Icon Vanish on cooldown.

Maintain Slice and Dice Icon Slice and Dice and Rupture Icon Rupture, cast Backstab Icon Backstab, Shuriken Storm Icon Shuriken Storm or Shadowstrike Icon Shadowstrike to generate Combo Points. Spend Combo Points on Eviscerate Icon Eviscerate unless Slice and Dice or Rupture are about to fall off.

Outside of Shadow Dance, cast Shuriken Storm on 2+ targets. When Shadow Dance is active; cast it on 3+ targets.

If you are an absolute beginner to the spec but would like to learn the basic fundamentals of the class, I recommend looking through the Spell Summary first, as well as the Easy Mode page linked below.

If you have previous experience with Rogues, you can head straight to the Talents and Rotation pages to jump right into the more complicated information regarding rotation and talents.

6.

How to Gear Up as a Subtlety Rogue

Since the game offers so many routes of gearing now, be it through Mythic+, PvP or raiding, it is very difficult to list the exact best-in-slot items, as these often change for every character depending on what gear they are already wearing. Keep in mind that the best way to find out upgrades is by simulating your character. However, we will have Best in Slot items listed below from the current raid tier.

Important part of the gearing process is to make sure that you try to aim for gear that has good stats for Subtlety, along with proper gems, enchants and other consumables, as these provide you with a decent amount of DPS. Check out our dedicated stats page, as well as our enchants and gems page, to find out what to use as Subtlety Rogue.

7.

End-Game as a Subtlety Rogue

Once you feel like you have the basics down and are ready to take the step into end-game content, whether it is PvP, Mythic+, or Raiding, we have pages that are ready to tell you optimal talents, tips and tricks and more below.

8.

Improving as a Subtlety Rogue

If you feel like your performance is subpar but do not really know why, giving the pages below a read might help you or answer some questions you have regarding Subtlety.

9.

Changelog

  • 15 Jan. 2024 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (gear page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (Amirdrassil page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 15 Jan. 2024 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 26 Dec. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated to prepare for including CD usage on bosses.
  • 24 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Updated to add Shadowdust Talent Builds.
  • 07 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed and Updated after Sporecloak Nerf.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (gear page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Updated for Patch 10.2
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.2.
  • 06 Nov. 2023 (this page): Reviewed and Updated for patch 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (gear page): Added BiS item tables and reformatted page.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (enchants page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (talents page): Reformated talent tables and descriptions.
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
  • 04 Sep. 2023 (this page): Page updated and reviewed for Patch 10.1.7.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (gear page): Page updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (enchants page): Page updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (stats page): Page updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Small updates to recommended talent builds.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (mythic+ page): Page updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (talents page): Small recommended talent updates.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (easy mode page): Page updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 10 Jul. 2023 (this page): Page updated for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 11 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Changed recommended talent to Flagellation over Dark Brew.
  • 11 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Changed recommended talent to Flagellation over Dark Brew.
  • 11 May 2023 (talents page): Changed recommended talent to Flagellation over Dark Brew.
  • 11 May 2023 (easy mode page): Changed recommended talent to Flagellation over Dark Brew.
  • 09 May 2023 (gear page): Added notes about how to spend sparks in Season 2 along with few other updates.
  • 09 May 2023 (talents page): Added the new talent build with Aberrus tier set.
  • 07 May 2023 (Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible page): Page added.
  • 07 May 2023 (Amirdrassil page): Page added.
  • 01 May 2023 (FAQ page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (how to improve page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (simulations page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (gear page): Page updated for Patch 10.1 and added notes about Eranog ring and Onyx Annulet.
  • 01 May 2023 (enchants page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (stats page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (mythic+ page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (rotation page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (talents page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (spells page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (easy mode page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 01 May 2023 (this page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 29 Apr. 2023 (addons page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.1.
  • 06 Apr. 2023 (enchants page): Updated recommended Primordial gems.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (Legendaries): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (gear page): Page updated and reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (addons page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (enchants page): Page reviewed and updated for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (stats page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (mythic+ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (rotation page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (talents page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 20 Mar. 2023 (this page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 14 Feb. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated recommended talents for Terros.
  • 14 Feb. 2023 (talents page): Updated recommended single-target talent build.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (simulations page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Page updated for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (addons page): Changed Shadowstep macro conditionals and reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (enchants page): Changed a few recommended enchants and Phial recommendation and reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (stats page): Updated stat recommendations and reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Updated talents and reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (mythic+ page): Updated talents and reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (rotation page): Page updated and reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (talents page): Page updated and reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (spells page): Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (easy mode page): Page updated for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 24 Jan. 2023 (this page): Page updated and reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 13 Jan. 2023 (gear page): Added recommended Embellishments.
  • 13 Jan. 2023 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Page updated with talent recommendations.
  • 17 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Small updates to ability priority list.
  • 17 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Fixed import string for single-target spec.
  • 17 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Added multi-target ability priority list and updated single-target.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Vault of the Incarnates launch.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (enchants page): Small changes to weapon enchants.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (stats page): Small update to recommended single-target stats.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (Vault of the Incarnates page): Page added.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated talent recommendations.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (rotation page): Added mention of Cold Blood usage.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (talents page): Updated recommended talents.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (spells page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (easy mode page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 11 Dec. 2022 (this page): Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (FAQ page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (how to improve page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (simulations page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (addons page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (stats page): Reviewed for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 28 Nov. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 31 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Added Invigorating Shadowdust as recommended Legendary for Venthyr.
  • 31 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Changed recommended raiding Covenant to Venthyr.
  • 31 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Changed recommended build to Venthyr along with Invigorating Shadowdust.
  • 31 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Changed recommended build to Venthyr along with Invigorating Shadowdust.
  • 31 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Changed recommended build to Venthyr along with Invigorating Shadowdust.
  • 31 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Page updated with Venthyr build opener.
  • 31 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Changed recommended Raiding talent build and added comments on possible talent choices on certain rows.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (Legendaries): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (Torghast): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (Covenants and Soulbinds): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (FAQ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (how to improve page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (simulations page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (gear page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (addons page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (enchants page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (stats page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (Castle Nathria page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (Sanctum of Domination page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (Sepulcher of the First Ones page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (mythic+ page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (rotation page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (talents page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (spells page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (easy mode page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022 (this page): Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
  • 15 Jan. 2022 (Patch 9.2 Analysis): Page added with initial thoughts and information.
  • 02 Nov. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page updated for Patch 9.1.5.
  • 13 Jul. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page updated for Patch 9.1's release.
  • 17 Jun. 2021 (Patch 9.1 Analysis): Page Created.
  • 22 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Updated Major Essence recommendation for N'Zoth.
  • 14 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated with new Essence recommendations for bosses.
  • 12 Oct. 2020 (Ny'alotha page): Page updated for the Shadowlands pre-patch.
  • 10 Sep. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Page updated with some tips and talent choices.
  • 12 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Added tips to most of the bosses.
  • 08 Jul. 2019 (The Eternal Palace page): Page added.
  • 24 Jun. 2019 (Uldir 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 (Crucible of Storms page): This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
  • 15 Apr. 2019 (Uldir page): This page has been reviewed for Crucible of Storms and no changes are necessary.
  • 15 Apr. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): This page has been reviewed for Crucible of Storms and no changes are necessary.
  • 15 Apr. 2019 (Crucible of Storms page): Guide added.
  • 21 Jan. 2019 (Battle of Dazar'alor page): Page added.
  • 10 Dec. 2018 (Uldir page): Updated for Patch 8.1.
  • 25 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Added talent recommendations for Mythic.
  • 10 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Small updates because of changes made to the bosses.
  • 04 Sep. 2018 (Uldir page): Changed formatting on the page.
  • 31 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Page updated with short description of bosses and recommended Talents.
  • 11 Aug. 2018 (Uldir page): Page added (empty for now).
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