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Rogue

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Rogues are energy-based melee assassins built around combo points, finishers and stealth openers. Forever gives them Mutilate (an Assassination talent at 30) and the Venom finisher (the Assassination capstone, boosting poison damage and application), Coup de Grace for Deadly Poison Eviscerates, and the Combat talents Puncturing Wounds for Backstab crits and Flawless Execution, which makes Eviscerate cheaper.

Assassination (Melee DPS)

Assassination is the poison spec in Forever: Mutilate hits with both weapons for 2 combo points and extra damage vs poisoned targets, while Venom is a finisher that raises poison damage by 30% and application chance. Coup de Grace makes Eviscerate scale with Deadly Poison stacks, and Seal Fate plus Cold Blood feed crits.

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 10 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.

Tips & tricks: what ForeverDB learned

Assassination

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

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

  1. Ambush: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; worth 1.1% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client)
  2. Slice and Dice: When it's missing from you: Keep it up: 90% of the sim's fight; worth 1.6% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
  3. Eviscerate: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; worth 2.6% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
  4. Backstab: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 36.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client)

Keep up:

Cooldowns:

Before the pull:

Latest changes:

Combat

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

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

  1. Ambush: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; the sim gains little from it (Simulator, Forever client)
  2. Eviscerate: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; worth 1% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
  3. Backstab: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 34.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Cooldowns:

Before the pull:

Avoid:

Latest changes:

Subtlety

Updated 8 October 2026 for build 1.60.1.70205 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

How to play it at level 30: priority, procs and cooldowns

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

  1. Ambush: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready; worth 3.6% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
  2. Slice and Dice: When it's missing from you: Keep it up: 89% of the sim's fight; the sim gains little from it (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
  3. Eviscerate: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
  4. 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)
  5. Hemorrhage: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 3.7% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Keep up:

Before the pull:

Latest changes:

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

Rogue abilities

Common questions

Is there a Rogue levelling guide for Forever?

Yes. ForeverDB has a full Leveling a Rogue to 30 guide built from the Forever beta 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 has level 20 and level 30 levelling builds for all three trees (Combat, Assassination and Subtlety), with the reason for every point and a talent calculator. 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 to 30 · Rogue talent builds and rotations · Rogue changes in Forever · checked on build 1.60.1.70205

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

Yes, Rogues can learn Mutilate at level 30, the current beta cap. It is a new Assassination talent in Forever (tier 5) and was not in Classic Era's Rogue tree.

Rank 1, from the Forever client: instantly attacks with both weapons for 75% weapon damage plus 17 with each weapon, with the damage increased by 20% against poisoned targets, and it awards 2 combo points. It costs 60 Energy. There are higher ranks at levels 40, 50 and 60, but those are above the current cap.

Our Rogue levelling guide notes that in the client Mutilate needs a dagger in each hand, even though its tooltip doesn't say so, so keep your second-best dagger for the off hand if you level Assassination.

Sources: Mutilate (Forever client) · Leveling a Rogue to 30 · Rogue changes in Forever · checked on build 1.60.1.70205

The whole FAQ

Data from the WoW Forever beta client, build 1.60.1.70205, extracted .