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Beta, level cap 30 · data read 13 Oct

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Assassination Rogue guide

Melee DPS · our guide of 13 Oct 2026 Recommendation

Talent trees, every tier list's rating and the sim: the Assassination tab.

In short

  • A melee damage dealer with two weapons and poisons.
  • Number 18 of 20 damage specs in our newest sim run, at 646 DPS. Sourced: Sim · 11 Oct run
  • Crits build combo points: at 5 of 5, Seal Fate gives one more combo point every time an ability that gives combo points crits. Sourced: Talent database
  • Weak spot early: Mutilate, Seal Fate and Venom all sit deep in the tree, so the spec is weak at level 20. Sourced: Guide · 2 Oct Source pending

How it plays

Up to level 30. Get behind the target and Backstab, keep Slice and Dice up, and refresh it as it runs out; Expose Armor when your group deals physical damage and the enemy lives long enough. Sap no longer breaks Stealth, so it's reliable crowd control. Our level-60 build starts with Malice for crit chance, then Ruthlessness, Murder and Improved Slice and Dice. Mutilate sits in row 5, behind 20 points in the tree, so it comes at 30: an instant attack with both weapons that gives 2 combo points, and poisoned targets take 20% more.

Sourced: Guide · 2 Oct, Talent database Source pending

At level 60. Theory Garrote and Mutilate to open, Slice and Dice, then Mutilate to build, Rupture, and Cold Blood before an Eviscerate at five combo points. Venom is a finisher too: your poisons deal 30% more damage and get +10% chance to apply, for 21 sec at five combo points. Vile Poisons and Improved Poisons make your poisons stronger and more frequent, and Relentless Strikes gives finishers a chance to return 25 Energy.

Sourced: Talent database Source pending

Talents at a glance

Our level-20 and level-30 builds for Assassination are still to come; for now, here is the level-60 build.

  • Level 60: Malice 5, Ruthlessness 3, Murder 2, Improved Slice and Dice 3, Relentless Strikes 1, Lethality 5, Vile Poisons 5, Improved Poisons 5, Cold Blood 1, Mutilate 1, Vigor 2, Seal Fate 5, Venom 1, Improved Sinister Strike 2, Lightning Reflexes 5, Precision 3, Deflection 2

    Lethality requires Malice 5/5; Venom requires Mutilate; Seal Fate 5/5. Combat filler: Improved Sinister Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Precision, Deflection.

    Theory · See the trees · Open in the calculator

Rotation at level 30

Recommendation

Single target

Open with Garrote, Mutilate.

  1. Mutilate (row 5, L30) as the builder
  2. Slice and Dice
  3. Rupture on long targets
  4. Eviscerate at 5 combo points

Groups

Nothing stored yet.

Tip

Combo points persist on target swap — open on one, finish on another.

Stats

Each guide's stat order as it gives it, the sim's stat weights, then ours. Guides dated before the last big tuning are shown but not counted.

Guides agreeSame order on 2 guides for the stats they all name.

WhereStat order
Guide · 5 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctWeapon damage › Hit and Expertise › Agility › Crit › Strength › Stamina
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctWeapon damage › Hit › Agility › Crit › Strength › Stamina
Guide · 22 Sep leveling, level 30 · read 12 Oct · dated before 1 Oct, not countedNot ranked
Sim · stat weights level 60 · run 12 Oct, 5,000 iterations

Per 1%: Expertise 4.98 tied with Crit 4.79 › Hit 4.23 › Attack speed 3.1

Per point: Physical damage 1.99 › Main-hand weapon DPS 1.93 › Off-hand weapon DPS 0.841 › Agility 0.412 › Strength 0.226 › Attack power 0.206 › Armour penetration 0.0747

No DPS change in this run: Stamina.

The DPS each stat adds, for a level-60 character on the engine's preset gear in a 2-minute fight on a beta engine: a direction, not a verdict. = marks a tie: stats within each other's margin. Not counted toward "Guides agree".

Where they differ: ours puts Hit before Crit, which the sim weighs higher per 1%; ours puts Hit before Expertise, which the sim weighs higher per 1%; the sim measured no DPS change from Stamina.

Ours RecommendationDagger damage › Hit › Crit › Agility › Attack power › Expertise › Stamina

Ours adds Attack power, which neither guide lists.

Where ours differs: ours puts Crit before Agility, which both guides rank higher.

Race

Each guide's race picks for Assassination, then our pick for the Rogue.

Alliance

Guides agreeGnome on 2 guides.

  • Guide · 5 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctGnome
  • Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctGnome
  • Guide · 22 Sep leveling, level 30 · read 12 Oct · dated before 1 Oct, not countedGnome
  • Ours, for the Rogue RecommendationHuman S

Horde

Guides agreeOrc on 2 guides.

  • Guide · 5 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctOrc
  • Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctOrc
  • Guide · 22 Sep leveling, level 30 · read 12 Oct · dated before 1 Oct, not countedTroll, Orc
  • Ours, for the Rogue RecommendationUndead S

Professions

Guides agreeThe same professions on 2 guides.

  • Guide · 5 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctSkinning, Leatherworking
  • Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctSkinning, Leatherworking
  • Guide · 22 Sep leveling, level 30 · read 12 Oct · dated before 1 Oct, not countedNot given
  • Ours, for the Rogue RecommendationMining + Engineering; or Skinning + Leatherworking

What changed for Assassination

  • 1 Oct: Expose Armor missing no longer eats combo points; Subtlety's Setup only adds combo points on the target you dodged/resisted.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 1 Oct

  • Sap now correctly flags the Rogue for PvP when used on a PvP-flagged target.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

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