MoP Classic Combat Rogue — Guide (Phase 5)
viewsAbout the Spec
Combat Rogue is a sword-and-cleave specialization built around spending combo points as fast as possible.
Every combo-point spend through 
Restless Blades reduces the cooldowns of 
Adrenaline Rush, 
Killing Spree and 
Shadow Blades, while 
Bandit's Guile gradually ramps your damage up to 
Deep Insight and +30% damage. Your main resource is energy, with combo points as the secondary one. In a raid, Combat brings 
Master Poisoner and 
Swiftblade's Cunning, and remains the best rogue choice for cleave and multiple targets thanks to 
Blade Flurry.
Strengths
- Incredible scaling with gear, especially with haste — at high item levels it is the best rogue specialization.
- The best AoE and cleave among rogues through Blade Flurry, with no penalty on 2 targets.
- Very flexible on target swaps: the Insight from Bandit's Guile is not lost when switching.
- Strong defensive kit:
Cloak of Shadows, 
Evasion, 
Feint, 
Combat Readiness. - Brings both raid buffs: Master Poisoner and Swiftblade's Cunning.
- Killing Spree was buffed on single target, so its cooldowns are usable on any fight.
Weaknesses
- Noticeably falls behind at low gear levels and early in the phase.
- Until gear catches up, its damage is lower than Assassination and Subtlety.
- Requires constant contact with the target: downtime eats Bandit's Guile stacks and energy.
- Killing Spree can drag you into a dangerous spot during mechanics.
- Very hungry for haste, so early gear feels like an energy shortage.
Stat Priority
- 1Agility
- 2Hit up to the 7.5% cap for special attacks
- 3Expertise up to the 7.5% cap
- 4Haste
- 5Mastery
- 6Critical Strike rating
Hit and Expertise have a soft 7.5% cap: past it, your abilities no longer miss or get dodged. Auto-attacks miss up to 27% Hit, but reaching that cap is far less valuable than stacking Haste and Mastery.
Talents
Rotation (Ability Priority)
The opener is a set sequence of abilities you use as you engage an enemy. Memorising it helps initiate your rotation in the most optimal way possible.
- 1
Deadly Poison - 2
Stealth - 3
Virmen's Bite - 4
Ambush - 5
Slice and Dice - 6
Sinister Strike - 7
Revealing Strike - 8Adrenaline Rush
- 9Shadow Blades
- 10Sinister Strike
- 11
Eviscerate - 12Killing Spree
- Deadly Poison — keep the poison up on the target at all times
- Killing Spree — on cooldown; frequency matters more than perfect alignment
- Adrenaline Rush — on cooldown for energy and attack speed
- Slice and Dice — never let the attack-speed buff drop
- Revealing Strike — keep the debuff up, it empowers your combo-point spenders
Rupture — keep it up at 5 combo points if the fight allows- Eviscerate — main spender at 5 combo points once the DoT is already ticking
Vanish — use it under Deep Insight, followed by Ambush- Ambush — a strong generator from stealth after Vanish
- Sinister Strike — your basic filler generator
Key Abilities
Bandit's GuileDeep Insight and +30%Ambush under Deep Insight
Best in Slot (BiS)
Best in Slot (BiS)Tier 16 Set — Battlegear of the Barbed Assassin
Tier 16 Set — Battlegear of the Barbed AssassinIn the recommended Phase 5 build, Combat keeps the 4-piece bonus of the Tier 15 "Nine-Tailed" set instead of the Tier 16 bonus.
Enchants, Gems, Consumables
Enchants
Gems
ConsumablesRaces
Adrenaline Rush and Killing Spree.
Best Professions
Synapse Springs — the largest damage bonus, lines up with Adrenaline Rush and Killing Spree. Nitro Boosts add mobility.
Swordguard Embroidery on the cloak gives a strong stacking attack-power proc.
Socket Bracer and 
Socket Gloves — two extra agility gems.
Up to three 
Delicate Serpent's Eye give more agility than regular cuts.
Author
Fouren
Fouren has been playing World of Warcraft for over 15 years. He is an active player with 12 Cutting Edge achievements under his belt, and has reached the top 1% and 0.1% multiple times on various classes. His main classes are healers, particularly Holy Paladin.
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