Rogue in WoW Forever

Overview

Damage · Energy

Rogues are most successful when their deeds never come to light. Fond of poisons and silent projectile weapons, rogues rely on a blend of stealth and minor mysticism. Usually in the employ of rich nobles or local governments, the rogue redistributes wealth or eliminates designated targets. A rogue's allegiance lasts only as long as the latest contract.

Beta build 1.60.1.69913, compared against Classic Era 1.15.9.69722. Read from the client on September 22, 2026.

Playable races

HumanOrcDwarfNight ElfUndeadGnomeTrollHigh Order SkyborneWindshaper Skyborne

Every race and its racial abilities

Talent trees

• Assassination

  17 talents — 2 new, 10 changed

• Combat

  17 talents — 2 new, 9 changed

• Subtlety

  19 talents — 5 new, 12 changed

What changed from Classic Era

Every Rogue talent and ability the beta altered or added, with the Classic Era wording beside it. Numbers that moved are marked inside the sentence.

Talents

• 

  Improved Gouge

  Assassination, tier 1 · 3 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Increases the duration of your Gouge ability by 0.5 sec.

  In Classic Era

  Increases the effect duration of your Gouge ability by 0.5 sec.

• 

  Remorseless Attacks

  Assassination, tier 1 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  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.

  In Classic Era

  After killing an opponent that yields experience or honor, gives you a 20% increased critical strike chance on your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, or Ghostly Strike. Lasts 20 sec.

• 

  Malice

  Assassination, tier 1 · 5 ranksChanged
  In Forever

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

  In Classic Era

  Increases your critical strike chance by 1%.

• 

  Murder

  Assassination, tier 2 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

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

  In Classic Era

  Increases all damage caused against Humanoid, Giant, Beast and Dragonkin targets by 1%.

• 

  Improved Expose Armor

  Assassination, tier 3 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

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

  In Classic Era

  Increases the armor reduced by your Expose Armor ability by 25%.

• 

  Lethality

  Assassination, tier 3 · 5 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities by 4%.

  In Classic Era

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

• 

  Cold Blood

  Assassination, tier 4 · 1 rankChanged
  In Forever

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

  In Classic Era

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

• 

  Improved Poisons

  Assassination, tier 4 · 5 ranksChanged
  In Forever

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

  In Classic Era

  Increases the chance to apply poisons to your target by 2%.

• 

  Vigor

  Assassination, tier 5 · 2 ranksChanged

  Increases your maximum Energy by 105was 10, now 5.

• 

  Mutilate

  Assassination, tier 5 · 1 rankNew

  Instantly attacks with both weapons for 75% weapon damage plus an additional 17.25 with each weapon. Damage increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 Combo Points.

• 

  Improved Kidney Shot

  Assassination, tier 5 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

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

  In Classic Era

  While affected by your Kidney Shot ability, the target receives an additional 3% damage from all sources.

• 

  Venom

  Assassination, tier 7 · 1 rankNew

  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

• 

  Improved Eviscerate

  Combat, tier 1 · 3 ranksChanged

  Increases the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 57was 5, now 7%.

• 

  Puncturing Wounds

  Combat, tier 2 · 3 ranksNew

  Increases 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.

• 

  Deflection

  Combat, tier 2 · 3 ranksChanged

  Increases your Parry chance by 12was 1, now 2%.

• 

  Precision

  Combat, tier 2 · 3 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Improves your chance to hit by 1%.

  In Classic Era

  Increases your chance to hit with melee weapons by 1%.

• 

  Endurance

  Combat, tier 3 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Reduces the cooldown of your Sprint and Evasion abilities by 30%.

  In Classic Era

  Reduces the cooldown of your Sprint and Evasion abilities by 45 sec.

• 

  Flawless Execution

  Combat, tier 4 · 1 rankNew

  Reduces the Energy cost of your Eviscerate ability by 10.

• 

  Dual Wield Specialization

  Combat, tier 4 · 5 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Increases the damage done by your off-hand weapon by 5%.

  In Classic Era

  Increases the damage done by your offhand weapon by 10%.

• 

  Blade Flurry

  Combat, tier 5 · 1 rankChanged
  In Forever

  Increases your melee attack speed by 20% and your melee attacks strike an additional nearby opponent. Lasts 15 sec.

  In Classic Era

  Increases your attack speed by 20%. In addition, attacks strike an additional nearby opponent. Lasts 15 sec.

• 

  Hack and Slash

  Combat, tier 5 · 5 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Gives your melee weapon attacks a benefit depending on the weapon. |CFFFFFFFFAxe/Sword:|R Your successful melee attacks have a 1% chance to trigger an extra attack on the target. |CFFFFFFFFDagger/Fist:|R Increases your critical strike chance by 1%. |CFFFFFFFFMace:|R Your attacks ignore 3% of your target's armor.

  In Classic Era

  Gives you a 1% chance to get an extra attack on the same target after dealing damage with your Sword.

• 

  Weapon Expertise

  Combat, tier 6 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Reduces the chance for your attacks to be Dodged or Parried by 1%.

  In Classic Era

  Increases your skill with Sword, Fist and Dagger weapons by 3.

• 

  Aggression

  Combat, tier 6 · 3 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Increases the damage of your Sinister Strike, Backstab, and Eviscerate abilities by 2%.

  In Classic Era

  Increases the damage of your Sinister Strike and Eviscerate abilities by 2%.

• 

  Camouflage

  Subtlety, tier 1 · 5 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Reduces your speed penalty from your Stealth ability by 3% and reduces its cooldown by 2 sec.

  In Classic Era

  Increases your speed while stealthed by 3% and reduces the cooldown of your Stealth ability by 1 sec.

• 

  Master of Deception

  Subtlety, tier 1 · 3 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Reduces the chance enemies have to detect you while in Stealth mode as if you were 1 level higher.

  In Classic Era

  Reduces the chance enemies have to detect you while in Stealth mode.

• 

  Opportunity

  Subtlety, tier 1 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Increases the damage dealt by your Backstab, Garrote, Ambush, and Mutilate abilities by 5%.

  In Classic Era

  Increases the damage dealt when striking from behind with your Backstab, Garrote, or Ambush abilities by 4%.

• 

  Setup

  Subtlety, tier 2 · 3 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Gives you a 33% chance to add a Combo Point to your target after Dodging an attack or fully resisting a spell.

  In Classic Era

  Gives you a 15% chance to add a combo point to your target after dodging their attack or fully resisting one of their spells.

• 

  Elusiveness

  Subtlety, tier 2 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Reduces the cooldown of your Vanish and Blind abilities by 45 sec.

  In Classic Era

  Rank 2: Reduces the cooldown of your Vanish and Blind abilities by 1.5 min.

• 

  Dirty Tricks

  Subtlety, tier 2 · 2 ranksNew

  Reduces the Energy cost of your Sap and Blind abilities by 25%.

• 

  Initiative

  Subtlety, tier 3 · 3 ranksChanged

  Gives you a 2533was 25, now 33% chance to add an additional combo point to your target when using your Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot ability.

• 

  Ghostly Strike

  Subtlety, tier 3 · 1 rankChanged
  In Forever

  A 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.

  In Classic Era

  A strike that deals 125% weapon damage and increases your chance to dodge by 15% for 7 sec. Awards 1 combo point.

• 

  Improved Distract

  Subtlety, tier 3 · 2 ranksNew

  Increases 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.

• 

  Heightened Senses

  Subtlety, tier 4 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Increases your Stealth detection as if you were 1 level higher and reduces your chance to be hit by spells and ranged attacks by 2%.

  In Classic Era

  Increases your Stealth detection and reduces the chance you are hit by spells and ranged attacks by 2%.

• 

  Premeditation

  Subtlety, tier 4 · 1 rankChanged
  In Forever

  Adds 2 Combo Points to your target. You must add to or use those combo points within 20 sec or the combo points are lost.

  In Classic Era

  When used, adds 2 combo points to your target. You must add to or use those combo points within 10 sec or the combo points are lost.

• 

  Serrated Blades

  Subtlety, tier 4 · 3 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Causes your attacks to ignore 3% of your target's Armor and increases the damage dealt by your Rupture ability by 10%.

  In Classic Era

  Causes your attacks to ignore 0 of your target's Armor and increases the damage dealt by your Rupture ability by 10%. The amount of Armor reduced increases with your level.

• 

  Dirty Deeds

  Subtlety, tier 5 · 2 ranksChanged
  In Forever

  Reduces 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.

  In Classic Era

  Reduces the Energy cost of your Cheap Shot and Garrote abilities by 10.

• 

  Hemorrhage

  Subtlety, tier 5 · 1 rankChanged
  In Forever

  An 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.

  In Classic Era

  An instant strike that damages the opponent and causes the target to hemorrhage, increasing any Physical damage dealt to the target by up to 3. Lasts 30 charges or 15 sec. Awards 1 combo point.

• 

  Quietus

  Subtlety, tier 6 · 5 ranksNew

  Your Sinister Strike, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities cause 2% more damage against targets below 35% health.

• 

  Cutthroat

  Subtlety, tier 6 · 5 ranksNew

  Your Backstab has a 3% chance to cause your next Ambush within 10 sec to not require Stealth.

• 

  Thousand Cuts

  Subtlety, tier 7 · 1 rankNew

  When 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.

Abilities

• Eviscerate

  Assassination · rank 6 at level 40Changed

  Finishing move that causes damage per combo point, increased by Attack Power: 1 point : 9993was 99, now 93-143-137was -143, now -137 damage 2 points: 176164was 176, now 164-220-208was -220, now -208 damage 3 points: 253235was 253, now 235-297-279was -297, now -279 damage 4 points: 330306was 330, now 306-374-350was -374, now -350 damage 5 points: 407377was 407, now 377-451-421was -451, now -421 damage

• Backstab

  Combat · rank 1 at level 4Changed

  Backstab the target, causing 150% weapon damage plus 1510was 15, now 10 to the target. Must be behind the target. Requires a dagger in the main hand. Awards 1 combo point.

• Gouge

  Combat · rank 1 at level 6Changed
  In Forever

  Causes 10 damage, stops your attack, and incapacitates the target for 4 sec. The target must be facing you. Any damage taken will break the effect. Awards 1 combo point.

  In Classic Era

  Causes 10 damage, incapacitating the opponent for 4 sec, and turns off your attack. Target must be facing you. Any damage caused will revive the target. Awards 1 combo point.

• Sap

  Subtlety · rank 1 at level 10Changed
  In Forever

  Incapacitates the target for up to 25 sec. Only works on Humanoids that are not in combat. Any damage taken will break the effect. Only 1 target may be sapped at a time. Does not break Stealth.

  In Classic Era

  Incapacitates the target for up to 25 sec. Must be stealthed. Only works on Humanoids that are not in combat. Any damage caused will revive the target. Only 1 target may be sapped at a time.

• Expose Armor

  Assassination · rank 1 at level 14Changed

  Finishing move that exposes the target for 30 sec, reducing armor per combo point: 1 point : 8090was 80, now 90 armor 2 points: 160180was 160, now 180 armor 3 points: 240270was 240, now 270 armor 4 points: 320360was 320, now 360 armor 5 points: 400450was 400, now 450 armor

• Rupture

  Assassination · rank 1 at level 20Changed

  Finishing move that causes damage over time, increased by your Attack Power. Lasts longer per combo point: 1 point : 4024was 40, now 24 damage over 8 secs 2 points: 6035was 60, now 35 damage over 10 secs 3 points: 8448was 84, now 48 damage over 12 secs 4 points: 11263was 112, now 63 damage over 14 secs 5 points: 14480was 144, now 80 damage over 16 secs

• Distract

  Subtlety · rank 1 at level 22Changed
  In Forever

  Throws a distraction, attracting the attention of all nearby enemies and reducing their Stealth detection as if they were 1 level lower for 10 seconds. Does not break stealth.

  In Classic Era

  Throws a distraction, attracting the attention of all nearby monsters for 10 seconds. Does not break stealth.

• Mutilate

  Assassination · rank 2 at level 40Changed
  In Forever

  Instantly attacks with both weapons for 75% weapon damage plus an additional 24.75 with each weapon. Damage increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 Combo Points.

  In Classic Era

  Instantly attacks with both weapons for 95% weapon damage plus an additional 45.37 with each weapon. Damage is increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 combo points. Mutilate benefits from all talents and effects that trigger from or modify Backstab unless otherwise specified.

Top of the ability ladder

The last ranks this class trains, highest level first.

• Backstab

  Rank 9 at level 60

• Eviscerate

  Rank 9 at level 60

• Feint

  Rank 5 at level 60

• Gouge

  Rank 5 at level 60

• Mutilate

  Rank 4 at level 60

• Rupture

  Rank 6 at level 60

• Stealth

  Rank 4 at level 60

• Ambush

  Rank 6 at level 58

Every Rogue ability, rank by rank

Known from the start

• 

  Eviscerate

  Finishing move that causes damage per combo point, increased by Attack Power: 1 point : 6-10 damage 2 points: 11-15 damage 3 points: 16-20 damage 4 points: 21-25 damage 5 points: 26-30 damage

• 

  Sinister Strike

  An instant strike that causes 3 damage in addition to your normal weapon damage. Awards 1 combo point.