Rogues in World of Warcraft Classic have an array of Talent Tree options to choose from. Selecting the correct build is essential for maximizing damage output.
Subtlety is widely considered to be the ideal PvP and Battleground tree, featuring many talents designed for sneaking up on opponents to pile high opening burst damage. However, in 3.0, Assassination and Combat trees have gained popularity as well due to their impressive utility talents.
Adrenaline Rush
Adrenaline Rush is a Rogue talent build that utilizes an impressive ability called Adrenaline Rush, which doubles your energy regeneration for 15 seconds. This was one of the most sought-after rogue specs on Classic TBC due to its god mode burst potential.
Adrenaline Rush stands out among other talents in that it doesn’t cost you any Energy and can be used at any time – provided your base cap doesn’t go over 100 or 110. That said, it may not always be best to spend all of your energy immediately upon receipt – instead, save it for later use.
This glyph will maximize your damage output in both shorter and longer battles, making it a great option. Furthermore, Glyph of Tricks of the Trade is another great choice that will greatly benefit your raid’s DPS output.
Roll The Bones
Roll The Bones is a pseudo-finisher that grants 1-6 random buffs. Each buff lasts anywhere from 12 to 42 seconds, and its duration can be extended if you build Combo Points.
This talent’s advantage is its refreshable cooldown, making it a great alternative to Adrenaline Rush for Mythic+ and Raid dungeons. Additionally, Loaded Dice plays an integral role in this spec.
Roll The Bones is an effective way to increase your damage output. It may seem complex at first, but as you become familiar with the rogue rotation and spend more time building combo points, it will become second nature. The most important thing to remember when rolling is accuracy and refreshing on cooldown.
Between The Eyes
Between The Eyes is an effective Rogue talent build for Mythic+ content. Combining Take Your Cut and Boarding Party, this build increases movement speed for all friendly players within 15 yards – ideal while world-questing.
Between the Eyes also provides you with Shadow Dance as an alternative to your Action Bar, allowing you to quickly replenish your Combo Points. It’s ideal for high-throughput world questing, so don’t hesitate to take advantage of it.
This talent also allows you to reduce the natural armor bonus of creatures hit by your sneak attack attacks. This can be advantageous when trying to sneak up on someone without using a melee weapon, as the extra damage is much less than it would otherwise be.
Dreadblades
Dreadblades are autonomous Chaos Knights who serve no one master or household, making temporary alliances to any warlord or demagogue who offers them opportunities for slaughter. Their disembodied, phantom figures can vanish and reappear at will.
A Dreadblade is an ideal choice for a Rogue due to their impressive damage potential and versatility in both AoE and single target combat. They make excellent additions to Detachments as they unlock lots of Command Points for your army, allowing you to utilize amazing Stratagems like Trail of Destruction even further.
For this build, the talent tree is relatively straightforward; however, you may want to trade off Ghostly Strike and Killing Spree for Blade Rush and Precise Cuts as these two talents are much more useful in general cleave content than Ghostly Strike and Killing Spree.
Blade Flurry
Blade Flurry is a channeled melee attack that repeatedly strikes an enemy in front of the player, damaging other nearby targets as well. While this ability provides burst damage and board clear for Rogue players, there are some drawbacks to consider.
This Rogue build differs in that it doesn’t prioritize single-target damage. Instead, you’ll focus on out-of-stealth damaging abilities and combo point generators.
Sinister Strike and Ambush are your main out-of-stealth damaging abilities, while Pistol Shot can be an effective choice for single target damage. Additionally, you should acquire talents which increase combo point generation such as Hidden Opportunity or Greenskin’s Wickers.