Rogue

Rotations & Guide · PvE guide · PvP guide · Talent builds · Abilities · Talent Calculator · Macros · Changes vs Classic · Poisons

Other classes: Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Priest, Shaman, Mage, Warlock, Druid

Rogues are energy-based melee assassins built around combo points, finishers and stealth openers. Forever gives them Shank (an off-hand strike from the trainer at 24), Mutilate (the Assassination capstone at level 40) and Venom (an Assassination talent that makes Shank boost your poisons), the Combat talents Coup de Grace for harder Eviscerates, Puncturing Wounds for Backstab crits and Flawless Execution, which makes Eviscerate cheaper, and Death Mark, Subtlety's capstone finisher.

Assassination (Melee DPS)

Assassination is the poison spec in Forever: Mutilate, the level 40 capstone, hits with both weapons for 2 combo points and 20% extra damage against poisoned targets, and Venom makes each Shank raise your poison damage by 30% and your chance to apply poisons by 20% for 6 sec. Seal Fate and Cold Blood feed crits, and Eviscerate is the finisher.

Combat (Melee DPS)

Combat is the steady sustained-damage spec using Sinister Strike or Backstab, Slice and Dice and Eviscerate with swords, axes, maces, fists or daggers. Hack and Slash is a single talent whose bonus follows your weapon (extra attacks for axes and swords, crit for daggers and fists, armor penetration for maces), Adrenaline Rush and Blade Flurry are the burst windows, and Flawless Execution, a tier 4 Combat talent, makes Eviscerate cost 15 less Energy. Dagger Combat builds with Backstab and Puncturing Wounds, a tier 2 Combat talent.

Subtlety (Melee DPS)

Subtlety is an opener and burst spec with Premeditation, Ambush and Preparation, mostly for PvP and short fights. Hemorrhage is the builder and now increases your Rupture damage by 15%, and Serrated Blades adds armor penetration and 30% Rupture damage, making Rupture the main finisher. Death Mark, the level 40 capstone, is a finisher that stores part of your damage and deals it 6 sec later.

Tips & tricks: what ForeverDB learned

Assassination

Updated 8 November 2026 for build 1.60.1.70862 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Learning from players: DPS. Collecting comparable fights before publishing observed cast patterns.

Observed cast patterns, not a proven optimal rotation. Gear, buffs, healing assignments and incoming damage can explain performance differences. HPS is effective healing; overhealing does not increase it. HPS counts effective healing, APS counts recorded shield absorption, and EHPS is their combined rate. Shield application sizes and overhealing do not increase EHPS. Healing assignments and incoming damage still limit healer comparisons. Build groups use the version reported by the log; some logs omit the hotfix build number.

Simulator: Cold Blood has a 3 min cooldown. At level 60, the simulator uses it just before Eviscerate, where it accounts for 3.7% of your DPS. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+2.1% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+1.7%). (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, Battle Shout from a Warrior is your most useful party buff, worth +7.9% DPS in the simulator. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 44%, Sinister Strike 22%, Off hand 22% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (level 60)
Speculation: The simulator uses Classic's rule here (Eviscerate at 5 combo points (Classic: 3% of attack power per combo point)); the Forever client doesn't give the number: Eviscerate is worth 11% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (level 60)
Simulator: Stat values at level 60 (simulator, 1 attack power = 1): Agility 1.46, Strength 1, crit rating 0.98. (level 60)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your best consumable is Flank au Poivre (+5.2% DPS in the simulator). Elixir of Greater Agility comes second (+2.8%). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +5.5% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 49%, Sinister Strike 25%, Off hand 23% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Slice and Dice is worth 4% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Cold Blood has a 3 min cooldown. At levels 30-39, the simulator uses it just before Eviscerate, where it accounts for 1.9% of your DPS. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Best consumable at levels 30-39: Elixir of Greater Agility (+3.4% DPS in the simulator); then Flank au Poivre (+3.4%). (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +5.6% DPS in the simulator. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 45%, Sinister Strike 28%, Off hand 22% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 30–39)
Speculation: The simulator uses Classic's rule here (Eviscerate at 5 combo points (Classic: 3% of attack power per combo point)); the Forever client doesn't give the number: Eviscerate is worth 4.3% of your DPS at levels 30-39: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Slice and Dice is worth 3.2% of your DPS at levels 30-39: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Cold Blood has a 3 min cooldown. At levels 40-49, the simulator uses it just before Eviscerate, where it accounts for 2.8% of your DPS. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+3.8% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+2.3%). (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +5.8% DPS in the simulator. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 45%, Sinister Strike 27%, Off hand 20% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 40–49)
Speculation: The simulator uses Classic's rule here (Eviscerate at 5 combo points (Classic: 3% of attack power per combo point)); the Forever client doesn't give the number: Eviscerate is worth 7.2% of your DPS at levels 40-49: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Cold Blood has a 3 min cooldown. At levels 50-59, the simulator uses it just before Eviscerate, where it accounts for 4.5% of your DPS. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+3.1% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+2.4%). (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +6.7% DPS in the simulator. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 42%, Sinister Strike 25%, Off hand 20% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 50–59)
Speculation: The simulator uses Classic's rule here (Eviscerate at 5 combo points (Classic: 3% of attack power per combo point)); the Forever client doesn't give the number: Eviscerate is worth 11.6% of your DPS at levels 50-59: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 50–59)

How to play it at level 60: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Slice and Dice: When it's missing from you: Keep it up: 90% of the sim's fight; worth 2.1% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Eviscerate: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; worth 11% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Sinister Strike: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 47.8% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client)

Keep up:

Slice and Dice on you, at least 90% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Cooldowns:

Cold Blood: with:Eviscerate (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Before the pull:

Battle Shout (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Might (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Greater Agility (Simulator, Forever client)
Flank au Poivre (Simulator, Forever client)
Scroll of Agility IV (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Greater Strength (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: client build 1.60.1.70790 -> 1.60.1.70862; new Blizzard post (new client build 1.60.1.70862)

Combat

Updated 8 November 2026 for build 1.60.1.70862 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Learning from players: DPS. Collecting comparable fights before publishing observed cast patterns.

Simulator: Blade Flurry has a 2 min cooldown. At level 60, the simulator uses it at the start of the fight, where it accounts for 1.3% of your DPS. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+2.3% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+1.8%). (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, Battle Shout from a Warrior is your most useful party buff, worth +8.1% DPS in the simulator. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 38%, Off hand 28%, Sinister Strike 23% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (level 60)
Speculation: The simulator uses Classic's rule here (Eviscerate at 5 combo points (Classic: 3% of attack power per combo point)); the Forever client doesn't give the number: Eviscerate is worth 10.8% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (level 60)
Simulator: Stat values at level 60 (simulator, 1 attack power = 1): Agility 1.55, crit rating 1.11, Strength 1. (level 60)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your best consumable is Flank au Poivre (+5.3% DPS in the simulator). Elixir of Greater Agility comes second (+2.9%). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +5.6% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 48%, Sinister Strike 27%, Off hand 23% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 20–29)
Speculation: The class guide's rotation card uses Slice and Dice here and the simulator disagrees: check it in game before trusting either: At levels 30-39, the simulator's 60 s single-target fight did 5.4% more damage without Slice and Dice. The class guide disagrees, so treat this as something to test. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Blade Flurry has a 2 min cooldown. At levels 30-39, the simulator uses it at the start of the fight. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Best consumable at levels 30-39: Elixir of Greater Agility (+3.4% DPS in the simulator); then Flank au Poivre (+3.4%). (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +5.8% DPS in the simulator. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 45%, Sinister Strike 32%, Off hand 22% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 30–39)
Speculation: The class guide's rotation card uses Slice and Dice here and the simulator disagrees: check it in game before trusting either: At levels 40-49, the simulator's 60 s single-target fight did 8% more damage without Slice and Dice. The class guide disagrees, so treat this as something to test. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Blade Flurry has a 2 min cooldown. At levels 40-49, the simulator uses it at the start of the fight. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+4.1% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+2.5%). (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +6.1% DPS in the simulator. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 41%, Off hand 29%, Sinister Strike 28% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Blade Flurry has a 2 min cooldown. At levels 50-59, the simulator uses it at the start of the fight. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+3.1% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+2.4%). (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +7% DPS in the simulator. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 38%, Off hand 28%, Sinister Strike 26% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 50–59)
Speculation: The simulator uses Classic's rule here (Eviscerate at 5 combo points (Classic: 3% of attack power per combo point)); the Forever client doesn't give the number: Eviscerate is worth 6.9% of your DPS at levels 50-59: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 50–59)

How to play it at level 60: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Slice and Dice: When it's missing from you: Keep it up: 88% of the sim's fight; worth 2.4% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Eviscerate: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; worth 10.8% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Sinister Strike: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 46.3% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Keep up:

Slice and Dice on you, at least 85% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Cooldowns:

Blade Flurry: On the pull (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Before the pull:

Battle Shout (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Might (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Greater Agility (Simulator, Forever client)
Flank au Poivre (Simulator, Forever client)
Scroll of Agility IV (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Greater Strength (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: client build 1.60.1.70790 -> 1.60.1.70862; new Blizzard post (new client build 1.60.1.70862)

Subtlety

Updated 8 November 2026 for build 1.60.1.70862 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Learning from players: DPS. Collecting comparable fights before publishing observed cast patterns.

Simulator: At level 60, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+2.3% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+1.9%). (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, Battle Shout from a Warrior is your most useful party buff, worth +8.3% DPS in the simulator. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 45%, Off hand 22%, Hemorrhage 18% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (level 60)
Speculation: The simulator uses Classic's rule here (Eviscerate at 5 combo points (Classic: 3% of attack power per combo point)); the Forever client doesn't give the number: Eviscerate is worth 7.2% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (level 60)
Simulator: Stat values at level 60 (simulator, 1 attack power = 1): Agility 1.6, hit rating 1.14, crit rating 1.08. (level 60)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your best consumable is Flank au Poivre (+5.3% DPS in the simulator). Elixir of Greater Agility comes second (+2.8%). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +5.6% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 50%, Sinister Strike 25%, Off hand 24% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Best consumable at levels 30-39: Elixir of Greater Agility (+3.5% DPS in the simulator); then Flank au Poivre (+3.5%). (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +5.9% DPS in the simulator. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 46%, Hemorrhage 24%, Off hand 22% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 30–39)
Speculation: The class guide's rotation card uses Slice and Dice here and the simulator disagrees: check it in game before trusting either: At levels 40-49, the simulator's 60 s single-target fight did 4.4% more damage without Slice and Dice. The class guide disagrees, so treat this as something to test. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+4.2% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+2.5%). (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +6.3% DPS in the simulator. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 47%, Hemorrhage 23%, Off hand 21% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 40–49)
Speculation: The class guide's rotation card uses Slice and Dice here and the simulator disagrees: check it in game before trusting either: At levels 50-59, the simulator's 60 s single-target fight did 7% more damage without Slice and Dice. The class guide disagrees, so treat this as something to test. (levels 50–59)
Speculation: The class guide's rotation card uses Ghostly Strike here and the simulator disagrees: check it in game before trusting either: At levels 50-59, the simulator's 60 s single-target fight did 1.8% more damage without Ghostly Strike. The class guide disagrees, so treat this as something to test. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, your best consumable is Elixir of Greater Agility (+3.5% DPS in the simulator). Flank au Poivre comes second (+2.8%). (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, Blessing of Might from a Paladin is your most useful party buff, worth +7.6% DPS in the simulator. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, your damage breaks down as: auto attacks 47%, Off hand 23%, Hemorrhage 21% (simulator, recommended build, best gear, 60 s single target). (levels 50–59)

How to play it at level 60: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Slice and Dice: When it's missing from you: Keep it up: 87% of the sim's fight; worth 2.4% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Eviscerate: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; worth 7.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Ghostly Strike: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (20 s cooldown); the sim gains little from it (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Hemorrhage: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 3.6% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Keep up:

Slice and Dice on you, at least 85% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Before the pull:

Battle Shout (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Might (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Greater Agility (Simulator, Forever client)
Flank au Poivre (Simulator, Forever client)
Scroll of Agility IV (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Greater Strength (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: client build 1.60.1.70790 -> 1.60.1.70862; new Blizzard post (new client build 1.60.1.70862)

Every spec's latest changes. Re-studied every week and after each new game build.

Best in slot gear at any level: Assassination, Combat, Subtlety

Best professions for Rogues: Leatherworking + Skinning.

Rogue abilities

Vanished
Eviscerate (level 1)
Sinister Strike (level 1)
Stealth (level 1)
Backstab (level 4)
Pick Pocket (level 4)
Gouge (level 6)
Evasion (level 8)
Sap (level 10)
Slice and Dice (level 10)
Sprint (level 10)
Kick (level 12)
Expose Armor (level 14)
Garrote (level 14)
Feint (level 16)
Ambush (level 18)
Poised (level 18)
Rupture (level 20)
Distract (level 22)
Vanish (level 22)
Detect Traps (level 24)
Shank (level 24)
Cheap Shot (level 26)
Disarm Trap (level 30)
Kidney Shot (level 30)
Blind (level 34)
Safe Fall (level 40)

No longer trainer abilities in the live client

Coup de Grace

Common questions

What's the best race for a Rogue in WoW Forever?

It depends on your faction and spec. ForeverDB's best race for each class lists the picks, and every racial is on the races page. Forever reworked most racials, so Classic advice does not carry over.

Alliance:
- Human: Ruthless adds 1% critical strike chance to all spells and attacks, Will to Survive instantly removes all stuns, and Perception sharply raises stealth detection for 20 sec.
- Night Elf: Quickness adds 1% dodge and 2% movement speed and makes you harder to detect in Stealth, Elune's Light adds 10% critical strike chance for 15 sec, and Shadowmeld drops you out of sight.
- Gnome: Eureka! makes your non-periodic damaging abilities cost 10% less Energy and deal 10% more damage for 8 sec, and Escape Artist frees you from snares and roots.

Horde:
- Orc: Blood Fury raises Attack Power and Spell Power by 10% for 15 sec, and Hardiness shortens stuns by 20%.
- Undead: Will of the Forsaken removes Charm, Fear and Sleep, and Touch of the Grave gives your hits a 20% chance to drain Health (up to 5% of your maximum).
- Troll: Berserking raises attack and casting speed by 10%, and Rapid Regeneration restores half your Health over 6 sec out of combat.

No race is uniquely best for a Rogue; pick for your spec and whether you PvP.

Sources: Which race to play: best races for every class · Races and racials · checked on build 1.60.1.70862

Is there a Rogue levelling guide for Forever?

Yes. ForeverDB has a full Rogue levelling guide built from the Forever client: which race to pick, every ability by level, what to press on one or several enemies, class quests, gear and dungeons, and the mistakes new Rogues make.

For talents, the Rogue builds page now has builds at levels 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 for all three trees (Combat, Assassination and Subtlety), with levelling, group and PvP versions, the reason for every point and a talent calculator, all checked against the current client. Combat is the most forgiving to level with: any one-handed weapon works and you don't need to stand behind the mob.

Everything Forever changed for Rogues is on the Rogue changes page.

Sources: Leveling a Rogue · Rogue talent builds and rotations · Rogue changes in Forever · checked on build 1.60.1.70862

How much damage does Mutilate do and when do Rogues get it?

Yes, but at level 40 now, not 30. In the current build Mutilate sits at tier 7 of the Assassination tree and needs Venom at 1/1 first. The cap is 60, so you can reach it.

Rank 1, from the client: instantly attacks with both weapons for 90% weapon damage plus an extra 39 with each weapon, with the damage raised by 20% against poisoned targets, and it awards 2 combo points. It costs 60 Energy. Higher ranks add more flat damage (Rank 2 plus 56, Rank 3 plus 79).

Mutilate needs a dagger in each hand even though the tooltip doesn't say so, and there's no positional requirement, so you don't have to stand behind the target. Everything Forever reworked for Rogues is on the Rogue changes page.

Sources: Mutilate (Forever client) · Rogue changes in Forever · Leveling a Rogue · checked on build 1.60.1.70862

The whole FAQ

Data from the WoW Forever client, build 1.60.1.70862, extracted 2026-11-09.