WoW Forever: Subtlety Rogue
About the Class
A Subtlety Rogue relies on Stealth, a strong opener, and bleeds. 
Hemorrhage sets the target up for 
Rupture, and 
Backstab requires you to be behind the target with a dagger in your main hand. Gameplay revolves around managing Energy, timing your damage over time, and safely getting behind the enemy.
Energy limits how many attacks you can make, so don't press everything at once. Combo points are tied to the enemy: switching targets to interrupt lets you return to your previous points, but building a new combo on another target resets the old one. Don't leave a lot of points on an enemy that is about to die.
Strengths
- Strong openers from Stealth.
- Flexible crowd control and the ability to open again.
- Bleeds keep dealing damage between active attacks.
Weaknesses
- High demands on positioning and Energy management.
- Little group damage.
- Bleeds don't have time to pay off on short-lived targets.
Stat Priority
- 1Weapon Damage
- 2Expertise
- 3Hit
- 4Weapon Skill
- 5Agility
Against a raid boss, 8% Hit removes misses on special attacks at a base weapon skill of 300. For dual-wield auto-attacks the cap is higher, at 27%; that's no reason to stack it at any cost. Account for the 
Precision bonus in your chosen tree. Expertise reduces dodge and parry; attacking from behind already rules out parry. For the main hand, the weapon's per-hit damage matters, since many active attacks depend on it.
Talents
Rotation (Ability Priority)
In a short fight, the attack speed buff may not have time to pay off. This early version uses baseline abilities: late talents are not part of it.
- 1
Sinister Strike - 2Sinister Strike
- 3
Slice and Dice - 4
Eviscerate
- Sinister Strike — your main combo point builder until you get the key talents
- Slice and Dice — an early buff at 1–2 points in a long fight
- Eviscerate — a finisher once you have a combo built and the target won't die to the next auto-attack
Kick — interrupt dangerous spells, and save Energy for it
Important Abilities
Ability | When to use |
|---|---|
| Kick | Interrupt a dangerous spell; keep enough Energy for the interrupt |
 Sap | Take a suitable enemy out before the pull |
 Gouge | Buy a short pause to reposition or help out; damage breaks the crowd control |
 Evasion | Survive a flurry of dodgeable attacks when an enemy is hitting you |
 Vanish | Reset a dangerous situation or go back to acting from Stealth |
 Sprint | Quickly change position or get back to the target |
Best in Slot (BiS)
Best in Slot (BiS)Enchants, Gems, Consumables
Enchants and Enhancements
ConsumablesBest Race
Eureka! increases damage and reduces Energy costs for a short time. Pair the racial ability with a window of uninterrupted attacks when you can make use of the resource savings.
Touch of the Grave adds extra damage to your attacks. It's an option for steady single-target damage. In PvP, the value of racial abilities varies depending on the enemy.
Wind Blessed increases speed. When choosing a race, also consider how comfortable it is for solo play and whether the faction you need is available.
Best Professions
Skinning gives you materials from slain beasts, and 
Leatherworking lets you craft leather gear and armor kits. This pair is handy while leveling and helps you prepare some of your gear for dungeons.
Alchemy supplies potions and elixirs, and 
Herbalism supplies the materials to make them. Pick this pair if you regularly use buffs.
Engineering is useful for its extra gadgets and in PvP. 
First Aid is especially valuable for a Rogue: bandages help you recover between fights and while an enemy is safely crowd-controlled.
FAQ
Is this specialization good for beginners?
Subtlety demands more attention to positioning, Energy, and bleeds. If you want easier questing, master the basic Rogue cycle first.
When do poisons become available?
At level 20, through the class quest chain. Once it's done, prepare poisons and check the charges on both weapons before a dungeon.
What weapons can I use?
Rogues can use daggers, one-handed swords, axes and maces, fist weapons, as well as bows, crossbows, guns, and thrown weapons. Missing skills are learned from weapon masters, and a specific rotation may require a certain weapon type.
Should I wait for 5 combo points to refresh the buff?
No. If Slice and Dice is about to expire, refresh it with the points you have. Losing steady auto-attacks and poison procs usually matters more than a weak finisher.
Where to get gear before raids?
From level 60 dungeons, their quests, and professions. Pieces of the upgraded dungeon set require quest chains. Compare actual stats and set bonuses, not just item level.
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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