Assassination Rogue guide

Rotation and opener

Apply Instant Poison to your main hand and Deadly Poison to your off hand. Build combo points, establish Slice and Dice, then settle into the poison and finisher cycle.

Combat priority

1. 
   Slice and Dice

   Establish this attack-speed buff early. Refresh before it expires; do not spend the combo points on a damage finisher if that leaves you unable to refresh.

2. 
   Venom

   With the 31-point talent, maintain the poison-enhancing finisher. Watch its remaining duration alongside Slice and Dice. The level-30 build does not have Venom.

3. 
   Mutilate

   The 21-point dagger builder strikes with both weapons and produces combo points. Both weapons must be daggers. Keep poison on the enemy before committing your expensive builders.

4. 
   Eviscerate

   Spend spare combo points when both maintenance finishers have sufficient time left. At level 30 this is the damage finisher between Slice and Dice refreshes.

5. 
   Kick

   Hold enough Energy to stop an important cast. Preventing a heal or dangerous spell takes priority over one more builder.

Multiple targets and dungeon pulls

Assassination has no Blade Flurry in its dedicated deep build. Focus the dangerous enemy rather than repeatedly restarting a poison cycle on every mob.

Use Sap before combat and Kidney Shot or Gouge during a pull. Tell the group which target is controlled; attacking it with a damage-over-time effect prevents a useful reset.

Resources and cooldowns

Spend before reaching the Energy cap, but pool Energy before a maintenance finisher is due. Changing targets wastes unfinished combo points, so agree on a kill target and finish your current target before moving when possible.

• Cold Blood is a burst tool for a high-value strike or finisher. Arrange the combo points and Energy before activating it, rather than activating it while still waiting to attack.
• Use Evasion for a dangerous melee target while it can prevent damage. Vanish can recover a bad threat situation, but avoid relying on it while an ongoing effect will immediately expose you.

Specialization mechanics and group play

Mutilate is a core Combo Point generator for Assassination Rogues. Make sure you have enough Energy available before using it, and avoid unnecessary abilities that would delay your next Mutilate.

Seal Fate adds a combo point when a qualifying builder critically strikes. A Mutilate cast triggers the effect once even if both hands crit; plan finishers around the actual combo-point display.

Venom and Slice and Dice are the sustained cycle. A five-point damaging finisher is not automatically correct when a maintenance buff is about to expire.

On a boss, stay behind it and close enough to resume attacking quickly after a mechanic. On trash, save long-duration effects for an enemy that will survive them.

PvE talent choices

Level 30 (Beta) 21 points · 21 / 0 / 0

Assassination

0/3Improved Gouge0/3 · PassiveIncreases the duration of your Gouge ability by 0.5 sec.0/2Remorseless Attacks0/2 · PassiveAfter killing a non-trivial enemy, gives you a 20% increased critical strike chance on your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, Mutilate, or Ghostly Strike. Lasts 20 sec.5/5Malice5/5 · PassiveIncreases your critical strike chance with all attacks and Poisons by 1%.3/3Ruthlessness3/3 · PassiveGives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a combo point to your target.0/2Murder0/2 · PassiveIncreases all damage dealt by 2% against Humanoid and Giant targets.3/3Improved Slice and Dice3/3 · PassiveIncreases the duration of your Slice and Dice ability by 45%.1/1Relentless Strikes1/1 · PassiveYour finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.0/2Improved Expose Armor0/2 · PassiveReduces the Energy cost of your Expose Armor ability by 5, and refunds 1 Combo Point when cast with 5 Combo Points.5/5Lethality5/5 · PassiveIncreases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities by 6%.Requires Malice3/5Vile Poisons3/5 · PassiveIncreases the damage dealt by your poisons by 12% and gives your poisons an additional 24% chance to resist dispel effects.0/1Cold Blood0/1 · ActiveWhen activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, Eviscerate, or Mutilate by 100%.0/5Improved Poisons0/5 · PassiveIncreases the chance to apply Poisons to your target by 2%, and gives Poison applications a 10% chance to not consume a charge.0/2Vigor0/2 · PassiveIncreases your maximum Energy by 5.1/1Mutilate1/1 · ActiveInstantly attacks with both weapons for 75% weapon damage plus an additional 13 with each weapon. Damage increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 Combo Points.0/2Improved Kidney Shot0/2 · PassiveEnemies Stunned by your Kidney Shot ability take 5% increased damage from your poisons and attacks.0/5Seal Fate0/5 · PassiveYour critical strikes from abilities that add combo points have a 20% chance to add an additional combo point.0/1Venom0/1 · ActiveFinishing move that increases the damage of your Poisons by 30% and your chance to apply Poisons by 10%. Lasts longer per combo point: 1 point: 9 seconds 2 points: 12 seconds 3 points: 15 seconds 4 points: 18 seconds 5 points: 21 secondsRequires Mutilate

Malice 5/5Ruthlessness 3/3Improved Slice and Dice 3/3Relentless Strikes 1/1Lethality 5/5Vile Poisons 3/5Mutilate 1/1

Combat

0/3Improved Eviscerate0/3 · PassiveIncreases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 7%.0/2Improved Sinister Strike0/2 · PassiveReduces the Energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 3.0/5Lightning Reflexes0/5 · PassiveIncreases your Dodge chance by 1%.0/3Puncturing Wounds0/3 · PassiveIncreases the critical strike chance of your Backstab by 10% and your Mutilate by 5%, and gives Backstab a 15% chance to add an additional Combo Point.0/3Deflection0/3 · PassiveIncreases your Parry chance by 2%.0/3Precision0/3 · PassiveIncreases your chance to hit with all attacks and Poisons by 1%.0/2Endurance0/2 · PassiveReduces the cooldown of your Sprint and Evasion abilities by 30%.0/1Riposte0/1 · ActiveA strike that becomes active after parrying an opponent's attack. This attack deals 150% weapon damage and disarms the target for 6 sec.Requires Deflection0/2Improved Sprint0/2 · PassiveGives a 50% chance to remove all movement impairing effects when you activate your Sprint ability.0/2Improved Kick0/2 · PassiveGives your Kick ability a 50% chance to silence the target for 2 sec.0/1Restless Blades0/1 · PassiveYour damaging finishing moves reduce the remaining cooldown of your Adrenaline Rush, Blade Flurry, Evasion, Sprint, and Vanish abilities by 2 sec per combo point.0/5Dual Wield Specialization0/5 · PassiveIncreases the damage done by your off-hand weapon by 5%.Requires Precision0/1Blade Flurry0/1 · ActiveIncreases your melee attack speed by 20% and your melee attacks strike an additional nearby opponent. Lasts 15 sec.0/5Hack and Slash0/5 · PassiveGives your melee weapon attacks a benefit depending on the weapon: Axe/Sword: Your successful melee attacks have a 1% chance to trigger an extra attack on the target. Dagger/Fist: Increases your critical strike chance by 1%. Mace: Your attacks ignore 3% of your target's armor.0/2Weapon Expertise0/2 · PassiveReduces the chance for your attacks to be Dodged or Parried by 1%.Requires Blade Flurry0/3Aggression0/3 · PassiveIncreases the damage of your Sinister Strike, Backstab, and Eviscerate abilities by 2%.Requires Hack and Slash0/1Adrenaline Rush0/1 · ActiveIncreases your Energy regeneration rate by 100% for 15 sec.

Subtlety

0/5Camouflage0/5 · PassiveReduces your speed penalty from your Stealth ability by 3% and reduces its cooldown by 2 sec.0/3Master of Deception0/3 · PassiveReduces the chance enemies have to detect you while in Stealth mode as if you were 1 level higher.0/2Opportunity0/2 · PassiveIncreases the damage dealt by your Backstab, Garrote, Ambush, and Mutilate abilities by 5%.0/3Setup0/3 · PassiveGives you a 33% chance to add a Combo Point to your target after Dodging an attack or fully resisting a spell.0/2Elusiveness0/2 · PassiveReduces the cooldown of your Vanish and Blind abilities by 45 sec.0/2Dirty Tricks0/2 · PassiveReduces the Energy cost of your Sap and Blind abilities by 25%.0/3Improved Ambush0/3 · PassiveIncreases the critical strike chance of your Ambush ability by 15%.0/3Initiative0/3 · PassiveGives you a 33% chance to add an additional combo point to your target when using your Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot ability.0/1Ghostly Strike0/1 · ActiveA strike that deals 125% (180% if a Dagger is equipped in your Main Hand) weapon damage and increases your chance to dodge by 15% for 7 sec. Awards 1 combo point.0/2Improved Distract0/2 · PassiveIncreases the radius of your Distract ability by 3 yds, and further reduces the Stealth detection of distracted enemies as though they were an additional 1 level lower.0/2Heightened Senses0/2 · PassiveIncreases your Stealth detection as if you were 1 level higher and reduces your chance to be hit by spells and ranged attacks by 2%.0/1Premeditation0/1 · ActiveAdds 2 Combo Points to your target. You must add to or use those combo points within 20 sec or the combo points are lost.0/3Serrated Blades0/3 · PassiveCauses your attacks to ignore 3% of your target's Armor and increases the damage dealt by your Rupture ability by 10%.0/2Dirty Deeds0/2 · PassiveReduces the Energy cost of your Cheap Shot and Garrote abilities by 10, and your Garrote ability no longer requires you to be behind your target.0/1Preparation0/1 · ActiveWhen activated, this ability immediately finishes the cooldown on your other Rogue abilities.0/1Hemorrhage0/1 · ActiveAn instant strike that deals 100% weapon damage (145% if a Dagger is equipped) and causes the target to take 15% increased Rupture damage from the Rogue. Lasts 15 sec. Awards 1 Combo Point.Requires Serrated Blades0/5Quietus0/5 · PassiveYour Sinister Strike, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities cause 2% more damage against targets below 35% health.Requires Dirty Deeds0/5Cutthroat0/5 · PassiveYour Backstab has a 3% chance to cause your next Ambush within 10 sec to not require Stealth.0/1Thousand Cuts0/1 · PassiveWhen your Rupture ability deals periodic damage, the Energy cost of your next Hemorrhage or Backstab ability within 10 sec is reduced by 3, stacking up to 5 times.Requires Preparation

Open this exact build in the calculator

Build reference · Level-60 allocations are beta plans, not final launch performance rankings.

Important talent effects

Malice

Increases your critical strike chance with all attacks and Poisons by 1%.

5 ranks

Lethality

Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities by 6%.

5 ranks · Requires Malice

Vile Poisons

Increases the damage dealt by your poisons by 4% and gives your poisons an additional 8% chance to resist dispel effects.

5 ranks

Mutilate

Instantly attacks with both weapons for 75% weapon damage plus an additional 13 with each weapon. Damage increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 Combo Points.

1 rank

Seal Fate

Your critical strikes from abilities that add combo points have a 20% chance to add an additional combo point.

5 ranks

Venom

Finishing move that increases the damage of your Poisons by 30% and your chance to apply Poisons by 10%. Lasts longer per combo point: 1 point: 9 seconds 2 points: 12 seconds 3 points: 15 seconds 4 points: 18 seconds 5 points: 21 seconds

1 rank · Requires Mutilate

PvP talent choices and play

Build around controlled burst: Cold Blood creates a planned critical strike, while Improved Kidney Shot rewards a stun window. Keep enough Energy to interrupt or stun instead of spending everything on damage. Against a target that can escape, establish control before committing your cooldowns.

Recommended gear & upgrades

Forever beta equipment options. Compare level requirements and sources; these are not final launch rankings.

Head

Source / location

Azure Gustwoven Hoodleather · Level 30

LeatherworkingCrafted

Brawler's Leather Helmleather · Level 25

Multiple BossesDungeons

Brawler's Leather Hoodleather · Level 20

LeatherworkingCrafted

Cloudy Gustwoven Hoodleather · Level 30

LeatherworkingCrafted

Defender's Leather Helmleather · Level 25

LeatherworkingCrafted

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Chest

Source / location

Brawler's Leather Armorleather · Level 15

LeatherworkingCrafted

Brawler's Leather Tunicleather · Level 22

LeatherworkingCrafted

Bristlepelt Vestleather

Defender's Leather Tunicleather · Level 22

LeatherworkingCrafted

Dusky Leather Armorleather · Level 30

LeatherworkingCrafted

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Main Hand

Source / location

Claw of the Shadowmancerdagger · Level 27

World drop

Daring Dirkdagger · Level 29

Prison Shankdagger · Level 23

Bruegal IronknuckleThe Stockade

Silent Hunterdagger

Call to ArmsQuest (Horde)

Subdued Dragon's Fangdagger

Stopping the CycleQuest (Alliance)

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Off Hand

Source / location

Claw of the Shadowmancerdagger · Level 27

World drop

Daring Dirkdagger · Level 29

Prison Shankdagger · Level 23

Bruegal IronknuckleThe Stockade

Silent Hunterdagger

Call to ArmsQuest (Horde)

Subdued Dragon's Fangdagger

Stopping the CycleQuest (Alliance)

Show 5 more

View equipment for every slot

Stats and equipment decisions

Enchanting equipment

For inexpensive leveling preparation, Enchant Bracer - Inferior Stamina and Enchant Chest - Inferior Stamina add survival to equipment you expect to keep. Prioritize an important weapon or role-specific item upgrade before spending heavily on temporary armor.

Consumables and preparation

Instant Poison

For short leveling fights, coat both weapons. Reapply when charges run low, not just when the timer expires.

Deadly Poison

Use on the off hand for sustained encounters after it becomes available; short-lived enemies may die before its damage pays off.

Elixir of Agility

An Agility buff for dungeon runs and difficult quest chains. Save a supply for encounters where you expect to stay alive and keep attacking.

Greater Healing Potion

Emergency recovery when a stun or incoming damage prevents a bandage. Use it before the next hit would kill you.

Rough Sharpening Stone

A cheap weapon enhancement which can coexist with poison in Forever. Apply an appropriate stone when restocking.

Wool Bandage

Recover between pulls, or after Gouge when no bleed or poison will break the control. Incoming damage interrupts bandaging; wait until the enemy is controlled or you are safe.

Useful profession pairings

Skinning and Leatherworking suit a self-supplied leveling character: beasts provide leather for crafted armor. Keep useful Agility pieces rather than crafting purely to raise skill.

Mining and Engineering are a control-focused alternative. Bombs and other devices supplement Rogue tools in dangerous pulls and PvP, but crafting costs compete with weapon upgrades.

First Aid is particularly valuable without a healing spell. Cooking supplies recovery food and camping access; neither takes a primary-profession slot.

Skinning · Leatherworking · Engineering · First Aid · Recipe database · Camping buffs

Races and racial abilities

Orc: Blood Fury gives an offensive cooldown to use during a sustained damage window. Hardiness helps against stuns; Shatter Curse adds a response to hostile magic.

Gnome: Eureka! offers an active damage boost, while Escape Artist is useful when a root would keep you away from your target.

Undead: Will of the Forsaken answers fear, sleep and charm. Cannibalize supports recovery between fights; its value is practical downtime reduction.

Human swords and Dwarf maces have revised critical-strike racials in Forever. Compare the weapon you actually use rather than importing Classic weapon-skill rules. Skyborne can also play Rogue; faction tradition changes the racial toolkit.

Leveling and solo play

1. Before Mutilate, build with Sinister Strike when using a non-dagger main hand. Backstab needs a suitable dagger and positioning; in a group the tank makes this easier than solo combat.
2. Train poisons at level 20 and refill supplies before leaving town. Instant Poison suits quick kills. Do not spend a long-duration finisher on an enemy which will die in the next couple of attacks.
3. Around level 30, Mutilate and Blade Flurry become meaningful specialization choices. Follow the displayed point allocation for the build you choose; do not try to obtain both immediately with an ordinary 21-point budget.
4. For a difficult solo pull, Sap an extra enemy, use Evasion against incoming melee attacks and save Sprint for an escape route. A controlled pull followed by a bandage usually costs less time than a corpse run.

Leveling routes and preparation · Dungeon entrances and level ranges

Useful macros

#showtooltip Kick
/cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][] Kick

#showtooltip Gouge
/stopattack
/cast Gouge

Strengths and weaknesses

Common mistakes

• Letting Slice and Dice expire while chasing Eviscerate damage
• Switching targets with unused combo points
• Entering a dungeon without poisons or recovery supplies

Full Assassination talent reference

Exact rank text and prerequisites from the calculator’s existing talent data. Use the interactive tooltip for additional ranks.

View every Assassination talent

Improved Gouge

Passive · Tier 1 · 3 ranks

Increases the duration of your Gouge ability by 0.5 sec.

Remorseless Attacks

Passive · Tier 1 · 2 ranks

After killing a non-trivial enemy, gives you a 20% increased critical strike chance on your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, Mutilate, or Ghostly Strike. Lasts 20 sec.

Malice

Passive · Tier 1 · 5 ranks

Increases your critical strike chance with all attacks and Poisons by 1%.

Ruthlessness

Passive · Tier 2 · 3 ranks

Gives your finishing moves a 20% chance to add a combo point to your target.

Murder

Passive · Tier 2 · 2 ranks

Increases all damage dealt by 2% against Humanoid and Giant targets.

Improved Slice and Dice

Passive · Tier 2 · 3 ranks

Increases the duration of your Slice and Dice ability by 15%.

Relentless Strikes

Passive · Tier 3 · 1 ranks

Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to restore 25 energy.

Improved Expose Armor

Passive · Tier 3 · 2 ranks

Reduces the Energy cost of your Expose Armor ability by 5, and refunds 1 Combo Point when cast with 5 Combo Points.

Lethality

Passive · Tier 3 · 5 ranks

Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities by 6%.

Requires Malice

Vile Poisons

Passive · Tier 4 · 5 ranks

Increases the damage dealt by your poisons by 4% and gives your poisons an additional 8% chance to resist dispel effects.

Cold Blood

Active · Tier 4 · 1 ranks

Instant; 3 min cooldown

When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, Eviscerate, or Mutilate by 100%.

Improved Poisons

Passive · Tier 4 · 5 ranks

Increases the chance to apply Poisons to your target by 2%, and gives Poison applications a 10% chance to not consume a charge.

Vigor

Passive · Tier 5 · 2 ranks

Increases your maximum Energy by 5.

Mutilate

Active · Tier 5 · 1 ranks

60 Energy; Melee Range; Instant

Instantly attacks with both weapons for 75% weapon damage plus an additional 13 with each weapon. Damage increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 Combo Points.

Improved Kidney Shot

Passive · Tier 5 · 2 ranks

Enemies Stunned by your Kidney Shot ability take 5% increased damage from your poisons and attacks.

Seal Fate

Passive · Tier 6 · 5 ranks

Your critical strikes from abilities that add combo points have a 20% chance to add an additional combo point.

Venom

Active · Tier 7 · 1 ranks

25 Energy; 1 to 5 Combo Points; Instant

Finishing move that increases the damage of your Poisons by 30% and your chance to apply Poisons by 10%. Lasts longer per combo point: 1 point: 9 seconds 2 points: 12 seconds 3 points: 15 seconds 4 points: 18 seconds 5 points: 21 seconds

Requires Mutilate

Changes from Classic