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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsEncrypted Text: Leveling a new rogue, character creation
by Chase Christian 
Oct 14th 2009 at 5:00PM
I've heard a lot of statistics from various sources stating that the rogue population has been dwindling since Wrath of the Lich King was released. Whether our decline is due to former assassins deciding to try out the new death knights, or rogues simply moving on to greener pastures, we may never know. I do, however, know that there's also a lot of newly minted rogues, working their way up through the levels and lowbie zones. And if there's not, there should be!
There's a lot of fights that are absolutely amazing for rogues, with Yogg-Saron hard mode (no keeper) and Anub'Arak hard mode being two of the most prevalent and important encounters currently in the game. I have seen guilds beg their inactivate rogues to resubscribe with promises of gold, crafted epics, and endless heroic runs to gear them out. I know of a rogue on my server who went from newly 80 to better geared than myself in about a month with a ton of help from his guild and friends. Many of the world's top guilds are looking for solid rogues to fill the shoes of those who have given up the mantle of shadows in the past year.
We've also got a lot of new rerolls who are working on getting a new class to 80 for Cataclysm's upcoming release. I have been working on a guide for those rogues who are new to the class (and possibly the game) who are looking for tips and tricks for getting the most out of their roguish experience. I would also ask that any veterans or novice rogues alike add their own tips in the comments, if you've got a personal anecdote or bit of info that made your time leveling easier.
What does it mean to play a rogue?
You are DPS. That may sound fairly uncomplicated, but it actually goes far deeper. We are so focused at DPS that we are completely helpless in every role besides pure damage. A rogue cannot off tank an add in a pinch, we can't add support healing, and our raid buffs / debuffs are all purely damage boosts. All other DPS classes have traditionally been balanced (intentionally or unintentionally) around the rogue's DPS capabilities. The more utility or buffs another class brings over the rogue, the further they fall behind on the damage parses.
With Fan of Knives giving us a true AoE and one of the most robust toolkits for dealing damage in every environment, if a raid wants to maximize their DPS, they will always have several rogues on their roster. The downside to being so focused on damage is that you will never be capable of accomplishing anything else. You can't tank for a heroic or heal your raid when your priest is sick. You have no other options than DPS, and for many players this is a deal-breaker. You have to love doing DPS to the point that you can live without being able to even taste any of the other roles. Our 'purity' of DPS is both a blessing and a curse: what you make of it will decide if the rogue is the right class for you.
What's more important than damage?
Rogues in both PvE and PvP environments will always focus on damage output above all other statistics and values. We're not interested in stacking Stamina for more survivability or Dodge gems to give us the edge against random AoE attacks. Our goal is to output as much damage as possible and to annihilate our opponents before they get a chance to return the favor. We're not the type to string our enemies along, to kite them around, or to attempt to outlast them. We're short, dirty, and quick killers with one goal: the destruction of our opponents.
As you level up, this should be one of the key points to remember. If you've got the choice between bracers with Stamina and bracers with Agility, you should take the Agility bracers every time. Your goal is to do as much damage as possible, as quickly as possible, and to win the fight so quickly that the extra Stamina you sacrificed wouldn't have even come into play. While being survivable enough to stay alive can be an issue if you're soloing higher level mobs or group quests, rogues are typically able to simply increase their damage (instead of their life) to compensate for the added difficulty.
Starting a new rogue:
With these thoughts in mind, if the rogue sounds like the class for you, then I suggest you go start one immediately. Patch 3.3 is bringing a very welcome change, in that all rogues will be able to dual wield weapons from level 1. This will make the 1-10 experience much quicker and more painless, though it's already pretty easy and can be handled in one sitting. You'll save more time by starting your rogue now (without all the commotion surrounding Icecrown happening) rather than waiting. But before we even can get to level 1, we have to create our rogue.
On the topic of races, all races are having their starting stats balanced soon. This means that no particular race holds an advantage over another in terms of starting statistics (such as life, agility, etc). The only differentiator becomes the racial abilities and aesthetics. I would suggest focusing on which race you believe you would enjoy playing the most. With the upcoming "Race Change" feature, if you find out down the road that you're not happy with your choice, you'll be able to easily swap to another race at will. This really prevents the issue of choosing the "wrong" race. Whether your focus is PvE or PvP, there will always be the "best" racial based on the situation that you're in. Think about what you plan to use your rogue for, and pick the race that aligns best with your goals.
If you've got a main on the same server, you can send yourself some starting gold and a few bags to make inventory management a breeze. You probably won't reach a mailbox on the rogue until around level 6-10, so if you want it earlier, see if you can find a way to get the gear to your alt such as a portable engineering mailbox or walking to town extra early. If you have some Stone Keeper's Shards or Emblems of Heroism/Valor/Conquest to spend, feel free to send yourself a few heirloom items to make your leveling process even easier than normal. Here's a list of heirloom items for your upcoming rogue:
- Stained Shadowcraft Spaulders or Exceptional Stormshroud Shoulders (10% EXP, stacks with Chest)
- Stained Shadowcraft Tunic (10% EXP, stacks with Shoulders)
- Swift Hand of Justice
- Venerable Dal'Rend's Sacred Charge / Venerable Mass of McGowan or Battleworn Thrash Blade for your main hand. I'd recommend taking Swords as this is a common leveling weapon specialzation.
- Sharpened Scarlet Kris for your off hand
- Charmed Ancient Bone Bow for your ranged weapon
Conclusion:
If you've read all of the pros and cons of playing a rogue (you can only do damage, but you do it the best) and you're still interested, go start your rogue today. Plan out any heirloom or starter gear that you can afford, with bags and a few gold for skills being the top priorities. Next week, I'll be going over the type of gear you'll want to acquire, and what to expect for you first few levels of roguish goodness!
Are you a Rogue looking to up your game? Check back every Wednesday for the latest strategies in Encrypted Text! And for the raiding Rogue, get ready for Trial of the Crusader with Ready Check and our Trial of the Crusader guide for Rogues, part 1, part 2, and part 3. Heard about the Rogue Q&A? Get the highlights from Encrypted Text!Filed under: Rogue, Leveling, Classes, (Rogue) Encrypted Text
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 6)
Yndori Oct 14th 2009 6:26PM
At level 30, you will have both Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot. I personally love the Cheap Shot opener, a couple sinister strikes (or a back stab or two) before the stun wears off, then a Kidney Shot finisher should usually put the mob at least to half health before "regular DPS" ensues.
Even with Gouge and Blind (especially since it is no-component now to blind) are important, and earlier the better. As another commenter said, there's no "last minute heal" option. So the more you can do to keep them from damaging you, and the earlier, the better.
And if there are two mobs, don't be afraid to Sap one to make him watch as you kill his buddy. :)
Dastalis Oct 14th 2009 6:29PM
I leveled mine to 80 with daggers all along the way. I guess I should have read the sword/leveling article. Anyway, I liked subtlety spec for leveling and once you can talent for premeditation I really preferred a dagger in MH so that I could ambush out of stealth. Other subtlety talents almost guaranteed I would have 5 combo points after the ambush and then you are a finishing move from a victory dance. All that started for me around lvl 55 or so. You might try it out to see if it works for you.
weejaco Oct 15th 2009 12:58AM
*sniff* *sniff* A killer after my own heart. and here i was thinking i was the only Sub Dagger rogue left. well met sir, well met.
onetrueping Oct 15th 2009 5:55AM
Yeah, I leveled with daggers and in Subtlety as well. Nothing like being a slippery bugger to get the job done. Of course, an Ambush crit taking off over half the target's health to start is also fun...
Evelinda Oct 15th 2009 8:09AM
thats how i'm levelling my baby rogue now... level 34 and cruising along with massive ambush crits leading the way :) I'm finding that i'm basically just going ambush, hemo, ss, skin mob (if applicable), stealth and repeat... loads of fun :P
Wither Oct 14th 2009 6:41PM
My advice for anyone rolling a rogue:
Spend at least half an hour thinking of a decent name, you'll be stuck with it for hundreds of hours or you'll pay to change it later. Try to avoid anything that contains "Rouge", "Dark". Short names used to be great for hiding behind trees, but since LoS changes for nameplates, this doesn't matter so much. Even so, some argue short names still offer a little stealth advantage. Apt names like "Stabby" are fantastic for creating a bond with your new alter ego, but are almost guaranteed to be gone. You can add accents to get that ideal name, but be aware you'll get less whispers as it makes it harder to people to whisper you directly.
Hmm, there really should be a column on this subject alone.
Atsuko Oct 14th 2009 8:05PM
I agree with the above. Someone should really write an article on choosing a decent name for any class, so we aren't stuck with so many people called "Arthásss" or "Legolaxx" etc..
Fudgie Oct 14th 2009 7:06PM
With the roll out of beta WotLK a lot of the old rogues saw the writing on the wall and rerolled. I rerolled DK to help with the lack of tanks in my old guild. And after this summer slump went out guild farming.. I can not for the life of me get my DK tank into a progressed guild.. Well Im glad this happened, it forced me to revisit my old main my rogue. Im glad to be back on her and lvling her again.
Things for new rogues that I taught to our neebies..
-Macros! Learn how to build them.
-Spec and respec and respec, till you squeek out that last little bit of DPS.
-Pots Potions and flasks always have them.
-thissle tea use it when ya can.
-Pick pocket use it! and macro it to your opener.
-Find the rogue DPS spreadsheet and use it for upgrade ideas gear wise.
-Keep up on lockpicking as you go along leveling
And last.. kill the healer first Stunlocked from 100-0 and laugh as you can here him screem "Fing Rogue".
ash Oct 14th 2009 9:13PM
One of the things I wanted to know was what other people do to keep their thistle supply up, beside buying it? Is there some trick I do not know about because my rogue is a LW and I don't have easy access to the stuff. Buying it just seems like a pain because it tends to be over priced and in short supply on my server. Any tips would be appreciated.
tim Oct 14th 2009 7:11PM
Though Chase has (much?) more experience than I when it comes to end-game rogues, I thought I'd offer something I've learned from leveling 2 rogues to 80.
On "best" leveling spec: As always, the best leveling spec is primarily something that's similar to how you actually want to play your rogue. Combat swords + Blade Flurry + 8 mobs works, but if you enjoy playing your rogue as a single target/take no damage assassin, you should be looking at assassination or subtlety builds. This is so obvious but it needs repeating: if you don't enjoy your leveling spec you'll tend to level slower. It's hard to do something you don't enjoy for 80 levels, believe me, I tried that with my first rogue and ended up putting him aside for weeks at a time.
Second, I'm utterly convinced that there are different "best" leveling specs depending not only on your preference but also on your current level. For example, I went to Riposte immediately because that's an awesome ability. At 30 I specced out of combat and went to subtlety for Hemorrhage because I preferred that to Blade Flurry "gather up a bunch of mobs every 2 minutes" approach. At 50 I went to assassination for Mutilate. After Mutilate I went straight to Initiative.
In the end my favorite end leveling builds are somewhat unorthodox:
1. Mutilate + Initiative (stealth from mob to mob, single target very quick kills)
and
2. Unfair Advantage + Setup (gather up a few mobs, many if blade flurry is up, you'll want to ghostly strike and riposte whenever those are up)
Both of these are odd, but they fit well how I play. There's plenty of time to go PvE cookie-cutter spec when you're 80 (and you'll pretty much have to, at least till Cataclysm).
Hurgan Oct 15th 2009 10:38AM
I'll agree with this. I actually like playing Sub because I love stealth-based sneak games, dropping a good quarter of my mobs with a single Ambush followed by an Eviscerate, and nearly unlimited escapes with vanish. (Yes, vanish is rarely bugged, but I can go hours without hitting it.)
Jafari Oct 15th 2009 2:06PM
everyone is talking about different specs, but I'm really wondering about which heirloom weapons to get. They all will do enough dps for levelling, I am certain; so from that perspective, I can't really go wrong.
Apparently, however, rogue abilities are tied to the weapon type, so is there a weapon type that is the most flexible, or is it really a matter of being "stuck" with, e.g., the sword or dagger or mace abilities all along?
If there's one weapon type that is the most flexible, I'd probably go ahead and dual wield that type, whatever it is. (I am not at all concerned with attack speed, dps or stats, just having the most playstyle options, however gimped -- all heirlooms are OP while levelling, especially with the shoulders, chest, and trinkets).
Gx1080 Oct 14th 2009 7:30PM
Don't make a stupid name is an advice to every class, not just rogues. But is good to mention.
And leveling with Daggers isn't good until you get to 50 and get Mutilate (http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=1329) because a)Is the high damage skill and the cornerstone of the Assassination tree and b)You need all the nice stuff that is in the tree so you have all the tools required. Oh and also until Mutilate you will need to Stealth+Backstab and that's slow and it will suck when a mob gets you for surprise or in the middle of a battle.
The only talent that you should take of the Assassination tree before level 50 is Remorseless Attacks (http://www.wowhead.com/?spell=14148) and you can spec out if it at level 40 if you want to.
Ok, besides that:
1)Don't freak out when mobs turn to you. They are suspecting that something is there, but if they do see you, they will hit you. Until then, just relax.
2)Hit Vanish when you are at half health and the mob isn't going to die yet. Really, the damage can keep coming, so minimize it when it starts to get serious.
3)If you don't have the BoP weapons and don't want to hit the AH for weapons if there's no swords at sight don't put points in the specializations, unless you need to do it for getting to the next tier.
4)Macro your CC and bandage. It won't heal much, but 2 ticks can buy you time for the kill.
Have fun!!
prenden2 Oct 14th 2009 7:47PM
I hope Mr Christian asked Shadowronin's permission before linking his armory page on WoW.com. =D
I can only imagine if this happened to a character on my realm he'd be spammed with "Lolz your a scrub whose guild boosted for epix" whispers all week long.
Chase Christian Oct 14th 2009 7:48PM
He's actually a very talented Rogue, one of the best on our server, which is why his guild was so anxious to get him back in action!
Recked Oct 16th 2009 9:15AM
Just because you've reached level 80 and your guild are gearing you up doesn't mean you're a nab. As one of the better geared rogues in my guild I also help to gear up the decent players ASAP. If they were nabs I wouldn't waste my time.
rahj Oct 14th 2009 7:49PM
As a vanilla wow rogue that rolled a DK I can give my 2 cents.
I rolled a DK because at the inception of wotlk dk's were doing more damage than rogues and their survivability is much better. Not getting 1 shotted on trash when you make a little AOE mistake is a lot more fun than laying face first in the dirt waiting for a rez.
Now that rogues are king again I've geared up my old main (didn't get much help though) and I'm raiding with him again.
I still find it much easier to not be melee though. I am currently leveling a lock which is way more fun than I ever thought it would be.
My main point I guess would be that it's a pain to be melee. You never see groups restricting the amount of ranged they take yet you can't run an all melee raid. There's a reason for that.
I'll be happier standing in the back tab dotting I think.
Jack Spicer Oct 14th 2009 8:02PM
Possible solution - allow rogues to use spellpower plate?
Oni Stardust Oct 14th 2009 8:39PM
This was a good guide, but I think you should have listed some famous rogues like Belt did in the mage column.
Rogue is the class to play if any of these characters appeal to you: James Bond, Yuffie, The Joker, Gambit, Cobra Commander, and many others.
Also, Eddie Guerrero was a rogue. If that isn't reason enough to roll one, I don't know what is.
Lens Oct 14th 2009 8:55PM
Long time reader, first time poster.
My questions rogue-related, but a bit off topic.
I've a lvl 80 rogue, who's just switched from Mut Daggers to Combat (thanks largely to Hunger for Blood being a pain for me to refresh every min!). I had two nice (superior) level daggers, but I took "Hack and Slash" in the combat tree to dual wield swords or axes. I bought the Fang of Truth as an offhand sword, but am seeking an easy to obtain level 80 sword or axe for my main hand (ie: slow speed, high maximum damage). Is there anything that can be easily obtained till I get a dungeon drop? Or am I stuck with my lvl 74 Savage Cobalt Slicer?
For something more on-topic. I levelled all the way to 76 using Subtlety. It's the most fun rogue spec in my opinion -- though clearly when soloing it has issues with sustained DPS.
Thanks in advance -
Lens