WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW Insider. We introduce a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW Insider and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wow.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW Insider -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.Encrypted Text: Five macros every rogue should knowhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/encrypted-text-five-macros-every-rogue-should-know/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/encrypted-text-five-macros-every-rogue-should-know/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/encrypted-text-five-macros-every-rogue-should-know/#commentsFiled under: ,

macros
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Macros are designed to allow a player to combine commands and modifiers (targeting, non-GCD abilities) with regular abilities in a quick and efficient manner. Macros can't make decisions for you. There is no macro that will automatically switch between Mutilate and Dispatch for you on the fly. There is no macro that will use Revealing Strike when it fades and Sinister Strike otherwise. Macros aren't intelligent - they have to be told what to do.

Pure classes tend to have fewer abilities than hybrids, and after the merging of spells like Envenom and Eviscerate, our action bars are sparse. The average raiding rogue might only need a dozen or so abilities per encounter, and that's including defensive cooldowns. A typical assassination rotation consists of Mutilate or Dispatch, Rupture and Envenom, and a few Feints or Cloaks per fight. Rogue macros tend to focus less on day-to-day rotation assistance and more on strategic abilities and cooldowns.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Five macros every rogue should know

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Five macros every rogue should know originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textcombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedgcdguide-to-roguesrogue macrosrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsRogueMacrosshadow-danceshadow-dance-macroshadowstepshadowstep-macrosubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 15 May 2013 12:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Why mobility doesn't matterhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/encrypted-text-why-mobility-doesnt-matter/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/encrypted-text-why-mobility-doesnt-matter/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/encrypted-text-why-mobility-doesnt-matter/#commentsFiled under: ,

sprint
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Brian Holinka, who is quickly becoming the most frequent tweeter on the dev team, recently talked about Shadowstep and rogue mobility in a series of tweets. Mobility is one of those things that gets trotted out every time a melee class starts talking about PvP balance. One melee class has a teleport, another has a snare break, yet another has a speed boost -- no two melee classes are equal. I'm sure we all remember ret paladins complaining about their lack of a "gap closer." The problem with mobility is that mobility doesn't matter. Well, not really.

What really matters to a melee class is uptime. Our goal isn't to have 100% mobility, it's to have 100% uptime. We want to be attacking our target as often as possible, and that usually requires being in melee range. Looking at mobility in a vacuum is missing the forest for the trees. Mobility is just one of the tools that we use to achieve a high melee uptime. All of our other abilities, like CCs, stuns, and slows are critical components to maximizing our uptime. Shuriken Toss is the exact opposite of mobility, but its strength comes from increasing our uptime despite being out of melee range.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Why mobility doesn't matter

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Why mobility doesn't matter originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 08 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textcloak-and-daggercombat-rogue-encrypted-textcrippling-poisonfeaturedguide-to-roguesholinkamelee-uptimemobilitypvp-uptimerogue-arenarogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-moblityrogue-pvprogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsshadow-danceshadowstepshivshuriken-tosssprintsubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textuptimevanishwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 08 May 2013 09:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Stealth, openers, and the 5.3 nerfshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/encrypted-text-stealth-openers-and-the-5-3-nerfs/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/encrypted-text-stealth-openers-and-the-5-3-nerfs/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/encrypted-text-stealth-openers-and-the-5-3-nerfs/#commentsFiled under: ,

stealth
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Rogues have an identity problem. We're a class that's based around Stealth and subterfuge, but WoW's combat mechanics aren't conducive to that design. Our opener abilities are immensely powerful to compensate for their relative unavailability. If you've ever dueled another rogue, you know how critical the element of surprise is to PvP combat. A rogue stuck in the open is hardly a rogue at all.

The flip side of that coin is that a rogue in Stealth is a powerful force. Cheap Shot and Garrote are amazing abilities without any true cooldowns, and Shadow Dance keeps subtlety at the top of the arena charts. Rogues that specialize in PvP are focused on how to sneak as many openers as possible into an encounter. Vanish, an inconsequential PvE ability, is one of the most potent offensive PvP cooldowns available. The divide between a stealthed rogue and an exposed rogue is massive.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Stealth, openers, and the 5.3 nerfs

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Stealth, openers, and the 5.3 nerfs originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 01 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textburst-of-speedcheap-shotcloak-and-daggercndcombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedgarroteglyph-of-cheap-shotglyph-of-garroteguide-to-roguesmarked-for-deathopenerpatch-5.3patch-53rogue-5.3rogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-controlrogue-control-pvprogue-guiderogue-inforogue-nerfsrogue-stunsrogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsshuriken-tosssubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 01 May 2013 09:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: An interview with Pathal, Shadowcraft's unofficial lead devhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/encrypted-text-an-interview-with-pathal-shadowcrafts-unoffici/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/encrypted-text-an-interview-with-pathal-shadowcrafts-unoffici/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/23/encrypted-text-an-interview-with-pathal-shadowcrafts-unoffici/#commentsFiled under: ,

Pathal
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

After Aldriana decided to give up the title of master rogue theorycrafter, nobody knew who would take up his mantle. A handful of rogue champions worked together to develop Shadowcraft's engine for Mists of Pandaria. As time has marched on, many rogues faded away, but one has risen to the top. Pathal has been the lead developer working on the Shadowcraft back-end for several months now, tweaking the numbers as patches and hotfixes drop and working on exposing more options and expanding SC's capabilities.

I had the opportunity to speak with Pathal about his history as a rogue, what he thinks of the class and its mechanics, how he got started in rogue theorycrafting, and what working on Shadowcraft has been like.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: An interview with Pathal, Shadowcraft's unofficial lead dev

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: An interview with Pathal, Shadowcraft's unofficial lead dev originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textcombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedguide-to-roguesrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentssubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianTue, 23 Apr 2013 20:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Swirly Ball and a bag of coinshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/encrypted-text-swirly-ball-and-a-bag-of-coins/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/encrypted-text-swirly-ball-and-a-bag-of-coins/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/16/encrypted-text-swirly-ball-and-a-bag-of-coins/#commentsFiled under: ,

glyph of disguise
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

When Blizzard reintroduced Detection via the Glyph of Detection, I was ecstatic. Trap detection had been baked into the class when Detect Traps was originally removed, but that didn't stop rogues from waxing nostalgic about Swirly Ball. Warlocks wanted their green fire, warriors were trying to use Titan's Grip with polearms, and rogues begged for Swirly Ball back. The Glyph of Detection is the perfect minor glyph because it's fun and it's purely cosmetic. Or is it?

Balarak, who is unfortunately a hunter, discovered a secret rogue event while infiltrating Ravenholdt Manor. Nobody expected what he found there. Ghosts and spirits, a hidden tribute to the Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, a rogue-only item with amazing capabilities, and the implication that maybe, even in this age of data mining, we haven't found everything WoW has to offer.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Swirly Ball and a bag of coins

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Swirly Ball and a bag of coins originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>allomancyassassination-rogue-encrypted-textbag-of-coinsbookscombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedguide-to-rogueskelsiermistbornoresureorsurreislekrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-easter-eggrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentssandersonsubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textsurvivorsurvivors-bag-of-coinswow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianTue, 16 Apr 2013 18:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: The true cost of Feinthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/encrypted-text-the-true-cost-of-feint/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/encrypted-text-the-true-cost-of-feint/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/encrypted-text-the-true-cost-of-feint/#commentsFiled under: ,

feint
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

I used Feint once while leveling up in 2004. I was in Razorfen Kraul, attempting to duo Agathelos the Raging for a shot at a Swinetusk Shank. While fighting Agathelos, the great boar focused on me. With Evasion down, my life was dwindling. My brother of the shadows told me to use Feint, which would lower my threat. It didn't reduce my threat by enough, and I died. I learned then and there that Feint was not my friend. Luckily there was a dagger on the boar's corpse, so my run back was ever so sweet.

After Tricks of the Trade and Misdirection entered the scene, I put Feint on button without a hotkey -- the action bar equivalent of Siberia. For nearly five years, Feint went unused. Rogues already have potent passive threat reduction. Patch 3.0.8 changed all that, and now I'm pressing Feint as often as Mutilate or Envenom. Feint is now a core ability of the rogue class.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: The true cost of Feint

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: The true cost of Feint originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textcombat-rogue-encrypted-textcost-of-feintelusivenessfeaturedfeintfeint-dps-lossglyph-of-feintguide-to-roguesrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentssubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 10 Apr 2013 09:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Learning the rogue calculushttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/encrypted-text-learning-the-rogue-calculus/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/encrypted-text-learning-the-rogue-calculus/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/encrypted-text-learning-the-rogue-calculus/#commentsFiled under: ,

rogue scribbles
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

You don't have to be good at math to play a rogue. Anyone can log into WoW and create a rogue. You can get all the way to level 90 and into raids without ever having to do any addition or long division. You can do dailies and dungeons simply by using the highest ilvl gear available and ignoring everything else. Rogues are played with a keyboard and mouse, not a pen and paper.

However, if you want to wring every last drop of DPS out of the class, you're going to have to get your hands dirty with numbers. I love when a class' design forces the player to make tough choices. The choices that we make as rogues, when you think about it, are really just math problems. The secret to making good choices is to do the math ahead of time. You don't want to be faced with an unexpected set of fractions in the middle of a tough raid encounter.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Learning the rogue calculus

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Learning the rogue calculus originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textCDscombat-rogue-encrypted-textcoolcooldown-classcooldown-pacingcooldown-planningcooldown-spacingcooldown-usagefeaturedguide-to-roguesrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-calculusrogue-CDsrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-cooldownsrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-mathrogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentssubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 03 Apr 2013 13:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Adjusting your rogue to patch 5.2http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/encrypted-text-adjusting-your-rogue-to-patch-5-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/encrypted-text-adjusting-your-rogue-to-patch-5-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/encrypted-text-adjusting-your-rogue-to-patch-5-2/#commentsFiled under: ,

sha on head
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Patch 5.2 only came out three weeks ago, and there's already talk about what's coming in the next patch. While the new PvP gear changes are interesting, we still have to deal with what the last patch dealt us. Rogues typically receive fewer changes than the other classes, for better or worse. When we have a patch like 5.2 that introduces several updates and new additions, there's naturally a period of coping with the changes.

Marked for Death is an amazing talent for chewing through mobs, if you remember to use it. I tend to use it to dispatch a few enemies while doing dailies, forget about it for 5 minutes, and then I remember it, and wonder how I forgot in the first place. With the Glyph of Deadly Momentum, I feel that rogues are the most efficient solo class in the game. We can keep Slice and Dice up permanently, and with Rupture applied immediately, we're dealing full damage right off the bat.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Adjusting your rogue to patch 5.2

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Adjusting your rogue to patch 5.2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassinationassassination-rogue-encrypted-textblade-flurryblade-flurry-rangecombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedglyph-of-smoke-bombguide-to-roguesrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsrppmsmoke-bombsubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 27 Mar 2013 13:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: The incredible, indestructible roguehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/20/encrypted-text-the-incredible-indestructible-rogue/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/20/encrypted-text-the-incredible-indestructible-rogue/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/20/encrypted-text-the-incredible-indestructible-rogue/#commentsFiled under: ,

rogue tank
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

There used to be a saying amongst healers: "It costs less mana to rez a rogue than to heal one." Rogues were the only non-plate melee class (shaman and druids were healers), and our leather armor didn't absorb heavy blows. I remember gearing my first rogue specifically for stamina and fire resistance. I wouldn't be invited to the raid unless I could meet the 4,000 HP minimum health requirement. If I accidentally stole aggro, I would be squashed like a grape.

Times have changed. Rogues are now the most durable melee class, and it's not even close. Enhancement shamans and fury warriors can't toss on a shield without severing all hope of dealing competitive DPS. Rogues are capable of dealing nearly their maximum damage while taking less damage than any other class in the raid.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: The incredible, indestructible rogue

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: The incredible, indestructible rogue originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textcloak-of-shadowscombat-rogue-encrypted-textcoselusivenessfeaturedfeintglyph-of-feintguide-to-roguespreparationrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-survivabilityrogue-talentssubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textsurvivabilitywow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 20 Mar 2013 12:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: How to play a rogue in patch 5.2http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/encrypted-text-how-to-play-a-rogue-in-patch-5-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/encrypted-text-how-to-play-a-rogue-in-patch-5-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/encrypted-text-how-to-play-a-rogue-in-patch-5-2/#commentsFiled under: ,

Encrypted Text How to play a rogue in patch 52 WEDNESDAY
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Now that the patch is live, we know which changes made it and which were cut in development. Vitality's buff was cut in half, but combat rogues are still sitting quite pretty. Assassination had a last-minute 10% boost to its damage via Assassin's Resolve, which should ensure that the spec performs well. Subtlety's Sanguinary Vein buff also stayed put, which should increase the number of subtlety rogues raiding in this tier.

Along with the purely numerical changes, we also have to factor in our new set bonuses, talents, and ability changes that arrived with the patch. Rogues received more changes than usual in this patch cycle, and I am hopeful that we'll continue to excel in PvE while also gaining ground in PvP representation. Patch 5.2 is full of cool new tools for rogues, which has me very excited for this raid tier.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: How to play a rogue in patch 5.2

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: How to play a rogue in patch 5.2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>anticipationassassination-rogue-encrypted-textblade-flurrycloak-and-daggercombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedguide-to-roguesmarked-for-deathpatch-5.2preparationrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsruptureshadow-focusshadowstepsubterfugesubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textvanishwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 13 Mar 2013 12:00:00 ESTGhostcrawler and Daxxarri talk classes in patch 5.2http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/ghostcrawler-and-daxxarri-talk-classes-in-patch-5-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/ghostcrawler-and-daxxarri-talk-classes-in-patch-5-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/08/ghostcrawler-and-daxxarri-talk-classes-in-patch-5-2/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

mage talents screenshot
With the advent of patch 5.2, World of Warcraft Lead Systems Designer Greg Street "Ghostcrawler" and Community Manager Daxxarri have been posting a series of class overviews and changes. Part one went up on Tuesday, covering death knights, druids, and hunters. Part two was posted Wednesday evening and covers mages, paladins, and priests. Part three, on rogues, shaman, and warlocks, went up yesterday evening, and part four, covering warriors and monks, was posted earlier today. For many classes, most of the changes involve PvP balancing as well as trying to improve a number of talents in some way to make them more useful and thus more attractive to players, at least situationally. If you're curious about either the philosophy of class balance design or just want to know what happened to your class this patch, make sure to check it out.

What I love about these posts is that little glimpse of insight they provide into the thought process that goes into balancing the class mechanics in a game like World of Warcraft. I'll be honest, I'm glad I'm not one of the people involved in that job. To me it seems like an endless headache to try and make sure all classes are different enough to feel unique, but similar enough such that a raid or dungeon group isn't punished for lacking one indispensable class, and I wouldn't have the patience for it. But I certainly admire and respect those who do!

WoW InsiderGhostcrawler and Daxxarri talk classes in patch 5.2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>class-balanceclass-changeClass-changesdaxxarrideath-knight-infodeath-knight-talentsdruid-infodruid-talentsGhostcrawlerhunter-infohunter-talentsmage-infomage-talentsmonk-infomonk-talentspaladin-infopaladin-talentspriest-infopriest-talentsrogue-inforogue-talentsshaman-infoshaman-talentswarlock-infowarlock-talentswarrior-infoWarrior-talentsSarah PineFri, 08 Mar 2013 13:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Examining our tier 15 set bonuseshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/encrypted-text-examining-our-tier-15-set-bonuses/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/encrypted-text-examining-our-tier-15-set-bonuses/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/encrypted-text-examining-our-tier-15-set-bonuses/#commentsFiled under: ,

rogue tier 15
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

The Nine-Tail Battlegear is our new tier 15 raid set, and it's beautiful. The nine-tailed fox is a famous Asian mythological creature. The animal is known in many cultures for its trickery and cunning, both of which are famous rogue attributes. They're also known for frequently running from hunters and their pets, which is another one of our pastimes. I think that our opponents are likely to find the sharp-toothed fox snout on our helms to be quite imposing.

Our tier 15 set bonuses are very interesting, and much more exciting than our tier 14 bonuses. I've never been a fan of the simple "Ability X does Y% more damage" set bonuses. Our two-piece bonus is unlike anything I've seen before, and our four-piece bonus has already been the topic of much discussion between the rogue community and the developers. All three rogue specs are receiving sizable buffs going into patch 5.2, and with some fresh new set bonuses to look forward to, exploring the Throne of Thunder should be a good time.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Examining our tier 15 set bonuses

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Examining our tier 15 set bonuses originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>adrenaline-rushassassination-rogue-encrypted-textcombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedfour-piecegcdglobal-cooldownglyph-of-adrenaline-rushguide-to-roguesnine-tailnine-tail-battlegearnine-tailed-foxrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsrogue-tier-15rogue-tier-setshadow-bladessix-combo-pointssubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textt15tier-15tier15two-piecewow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 06 Mar 2013 14:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Blade Flurry math in patch 5.2http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/encrypted-text-blade-flurry-math-in-patch-5-2-wednesday/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/encrypted-text-blade-flurry-math-in-patch-5-2-wednesday/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/encrypted-text-blade-flurry-math-in-patch-5-2-wednesday/#commentsFiled under: ,

blade flurry
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

The new Blade Flurry that's on the PTR is by far the most exciting update for combat rogues in at least a year. The current version, which still isn't finalized, allows 40% of our melee damage to be cleaved onto up to 4 targets at once. It's a significant step up from the old Blade Flurry when we're facing a handful of targets, but what about in a regular cleaving situation?

In order to do the math for Blade Flurry, you have to figure out what you're gaining and what you're giving up by activating it. Blade Flurry increases our melee damage by 40% per target, but not all of our attacks are replicated. Our autoattacks, Shadow Blades, Main Gauche, and most of our other abilities are all affected by Blade Flurry. Notably, BF doesn't apply to Deadly Poison or Rupture. While many combat rogues are ignoring Rupture today, it will likely be worth using once we have our 2-piece tier 15 bonus, which extends its duration.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Blade Flurry math in patch 5.2

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Blade Flurry math in patch 5.2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>blade-flurryblade-furycombat-aoecombat-cleavecombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedguide-to-roguespatch-5.2rogue-aoerogue-cleaverogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-multi-targetrogue-talentswow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 27 Feb 2013 13:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Examining assassination's AoE rotationhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/encrypted-text-examining-assassinations-aoe-rotation/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/encrypted-text-examining-assassinations-aoe-rotation/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/encrypted-text-examining-assassinations-aoe-rotation/#commentsFiled under: ,

crimson tempest
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Deadly Poison is everything to an assassination rogue. It makes up between 35-40% of our single-target DPS. Our mastery bonus, Potent Poisons, increases our poison damage and causes mastery rating to be our best stat by far. Our primary finisher, Envenom, is designed specifically to increase the amount of Deadly Poison procs we see. Mutilate, Dispatch, and assassination's other abilities are all minor players compared to Deadly Poison.

Deadly Poison is also the key to assassination's AoE performance, as it makes up over 50% of our overall damage. All of our AoE decisions have to be seen through the lens of maximizing Deadly Poison's damage. Fan of Knives is the key to applying Deadly Poison to several targets at once. When there are more than two targets around, we replace Mutilate and Dispatch with Fan of Knives as our main combo point builder and work from there.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Examining assassination's AoE rotation

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Examining assassination's AoE rotation originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-aoeassassination-rogue-encrypted-textcrimson-tempestdeadly-poisonfan-of-knivesfeaturedguide-to-roguesmasterypotent-poisonsrogue-aoerogue-assassinationrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-assassionationrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-talentsrupturevenomous-vimvenomous-woundvenomous-woundswow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 20 Feb 2013 19:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: What would make you play a rogue?http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/encrypted-text-what-would-make-you-play-a-rogue/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/encrypted-text-what-would-make-you-play-a-rogue/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/encrypted-text-what-would-make-you-play-a-rogue/#commentsFiled under: ,

visuals
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Everyone has a different idea of what the perfect rogue consists of. I know plenty of rogues that wouldn't play the class without its subterfuge and stealth tactics. Other rogues focus entirely on our combat mechanics and couldn't care less about our burgeoning bag of parlor tricks. There are PvP-focused rogues that will never Pick Pocket their targets, and there are PvE-centric rogues that have no idea that Shadow Walk was ever introduced.

The question is what makes us play rogues? What would make new players try out the rogue class? Every player has their own reasons for picking the rogue over the other classes. What changes could be implemented that would bring in more players? Ghostcrawler has indicated that the relative power isn't correlated with our population stats. If cranking up our damage by 20% wouldn't increase the number of active rogues, what would?

Continue reading Encrypted Text: What would make you play a rogue?

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: What would make you play a rogue? originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textcombat-rogue-encrypted-textcombo-pointsenergy-systemfeaturedguide-to-roguesplay-a-roguerogue-aestheticsrogue-animationsrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-populationrogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsrogue-visualsshadow-bladessubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 13 Feb 2013 15:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Cat and mouse in rogue PvPhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/encrypted-text-cat-and-mouse-in-rogue-pvp/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/encrypted-text-cat-and-mouse-in-rogue-pvp/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/encrypted-text-cat-and-mouse-in-rogue-pvp/#commentsFiled under: ,

rogue pvp
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Rogues deal maximum damage when in melee range of their opponents. The new Shuriken Toss is potent, but it's still no substitute for melee uptime. Ranged classes want to keep rogues at bay, while rogues want to close the gap as soon as possible. Rogues will beat a warlock that stands still, but a slippery mage can defeat us. When it comes to PvP, it's all about location, location, location.

Mobility has become a back-and-forth battle between rogues and ranged classes. We compensate for their slows and snares with our Crippling Poison, while they counter our stuns with their teleports and trinkets. Rogues can use Shadowstep to close the gap, only to be rooted in place and left out in the open. Rogue PvP has become a mobility cooldown dance, as we try to snuggle up to our targets and they try to play hard-to-get.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Cat and mouse in rogue PvP

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Cat and mouse in rogue PvP originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textcloak-of-shadowscombat-rogue-encrypted-textcooldown-classcooldownsfeaturedguide-to-roguespreparationrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-cdsrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-cooldownsrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentssprintsubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textvanishwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 06 Feb 2013 15:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Rogue basics in patch 5.2http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/encrypted-text-rogue-basics-in-patch-5-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/encrypted-text-rogue-basics-in-patch-5-2/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/encrypted-text-rogue-basics-in-patch-5-2/#commentsFiled under: ,

argent
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

With one glance at the notes, you'll see that rogues are obviously the class getting the most updates in the upcoming patch. There's an unusual number of changes coming our way. I'm used to a few terse sentences under the brittle yellow Rogue heading in the patch notes. Currently, we're facing paragraphs of tweaks, a handful of completely new abilities, and even redesigns of old techniques.

None of the changes should affect our core DPS mechanics. Our rotations are going to stay exactly the same, our weapon and poison changes won't be changing, and we'll want the same stats on our gear. Combat and subtlety rogues were both slightly buffed, but all three specs should be competitive in PvE. Many of the changes should significantly increase our stock in PvP, via both offensive and defensive improvements.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Rogue basics in patch 5.2

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Rogue basics in patch 5.2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textbaseline-prepblade-flurrycloak-and-daggercombat-rogue-encrypted-textdeadly-poisonfeaturedguide-to-roguespatch-5.2patch-5.2-ptrrogue-5.2-damagerogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-damagerogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsrogue-transmogshadow-danceshuriken-tosssubtlety-rogue-encrypted-texttransmog-weaponswow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 30 Jan 2013 19:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: Smoke Bomb's new trickhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/23/encrypted-text-smoke-bombs-new-trick/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/23/encrypted-text-smoke-bombs-new-trick/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/23/encrypted-text-smoke-bombs-new-trick/#commentsFiled under: ,

smoke bomb
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

Kick will cost zero energy in patch 5.2, bringing it in line with most of the other melee interrupts in the game. Ghostcrawler indicated that as PvE utility ability, Kick should be free to encourage regular usage. In PvP situations, Kick was already the straggler in the process of becoming free, not the forerunner. Blade Flurry's new 4-way 40% cleave allows us to deal 260% of our normal melee damage to 5 targets. Combat's cleave is still quite potent against two targets, but now excels when facing small groups.

In addition to these improvements, Smoke Bomb is learning a new trick. In patch 5.2, Smoke Bomb will reduce damage taken by our allies inside the Smoke Bomb radius by 20%. While Tricks of the Trade has always been a valuable addition to our arsenal and we have several buffs and debuffs, the new Smoke Bomb is our first true raid cooldown.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: Smoke Bomb's new trick

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: Smoke Bomb's new trick originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 23 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>assassination-rogue-encrypted-textcombat-rogue-encrypted-textexpose-armorfeaturedfeintguide-to-roguesmaster-poisonernew-smoke-bombpatch-5.2preparationraid-utilityrogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsrogue-utilitySBsmoke-bombsubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textswiftblades-cunningvanishwow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 23 Jan 2013 13:00:00 ESTThe mysteries of an old alt's vaulthttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/21/the-mysteries-of-an-old-alts-vault/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/21/the-mysteries-of-an-old-alts-vault/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/21/the-mysteries-of-an-old-alts-vault/#commentsFiled under: , ,

A trip through a long forgotten alt's bag
When I haven't played a character for a long time, the contents of their bank become something akin to the one piece of Tupperware that drifts into the back of the refrigerator. After awhile, you completely forget what's in there -- and you'd really rather not look. It's best for everyone involved if you continue ignoring its existence entirely. However, potentially caused by flu-induced delirium, I decided to crack open the Tupperware that is my rogue's bank to see what lurks within.

I actually do play my rogue quite a bit nowadays. In fact, midway through Cataclysm, she became my main. However, the contents of her bank remained completely off-limits, as I hadn't played her since early Burning Crusade. I simply did not want to chase down that rabbit hole. Until now. The very first item I saw in there? A stack of 42 Minion's Scourgestones from my days of farming the Western Plaguelands' Sorrow Hill back in 2005. This is going to be rough.

Continue reading The mysteries of an old alt's vault

WoW InsiderThe mysteries of an old alt's vault originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>bankblack-blood-of-the-tormentedblood-of-heroeslibram-of-ruminationminions-scourgestonequidsorrow-hilltabard-of-the-argent-dawntwo-handed-swordwestern-plaguelandsAlex ZiebartMon, 21 Jan 2013 19:00:00 ESTEncrypted Text: The rise of the ranged roguehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/encrypted-text-the-rise-of-the-ranged-rogue/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/encrypted-text-the-rise-of-the-ranged-rogue/http://wow.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/encrypted-text-the-rise-of-the-ranged-rogue/#commentsFiled under: ,

shuriken
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

The original Shuriken Toss never made sense. Why would rogues, a purely melee class, want a single ranged attack? We don't have the supporting toolbox to make the transition into a ranged DPS spec. Melee uptime is our top priority. Because of our reliance on our melee attacks, mobility is our most requested feature. Why would a class want Shuriken Toss when they can have Shadowstep?

Patch 5.2 is turning a one-off ranged ability into everything a rogue needs to attack targets from range. If you use Shuriken Toss on a target that is farther than 10 yards away, your auto-attacks gain a 30-yard range for 10 seconds. The auto-attacks turn into tiny shuriken that you throw at your target. These shuriken have several special properties, but the extended range is obviously the most important aspect of the ability. With Shuriken Toss, ranged auto-attacks, and Deadly Throw, rogues suddenly have a ranged repertoire.

Continue reading Encrypted Text: The rise of the ranged rogue

WoW InsiderEncrypted Text: The rise of the ranged rogue originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

]]>anticipationassassination-rogue-encrypted-textcombat-rogue-encrypted-textfeaturedguide-to-roguesranged-attackranged-roguerogue-assassination-encrypted-textrogue-combat-encrypted-textrogue-guiderogue-inforogue-mobilityrogue-rangedrogue-subtlety-encrypted-textrogue-talentsrogue-throwshurikenshuriken-throwshuriken-tossstsubtlety-rogue-encrypted-textthrowversatilitywow-roguewow-rogue-infowow-roguesChase ChristianWed, 16 Jan 2013 12:00:00 EST