Combat Rogue Guide for WoW Forever

What changed for Rogues in WoW Forever

Rogues keep the kit anyone who played the original game will recognise. The changes are mostly a rebalance of the talent trees, plus two system changes that affect every spec:

• Poisons scale with Attack Power. Your poisons now grow with your gear, and they stack with Windfury Totem and Sharpening Stones.
• Energy regenerates smoothly. The old tick every two seconds is gone; Energy fills continuously, as in later expansions.
• Misses refund Energy. An ability that misses gives back part of its cost.

Combat has always been the most complete Rogue spec in PvE, so it has the fewest changes of the three. Hover any ability or talent in this guide to see its WoW Forever tooltip.

New talents

Reworked talents

Is Combat Rogue good in WoW Forever?

Yes. Combat doesn’t lean on poisons or bleeds, so bosses that are immune to them don’t hurt it. Its damage comes from auto attacks and Sinister Strike, with Blade Flurry for cleave. Expect most Rogues to keep a Combat spec for fights with several targets, alongside a single-target spec.

For new players

Combat is the easiest Rogue spec to learn. It’s a builder–spender loop: build combo points, keep Slice and Dice running, and spend the rest on Eviscerate.

Best race for Combat Rogue

Eight races can be a Rogue in WoW Forever. The only new option is the Skyborne, which since 15 October is one of the best.

Blizzard reworked the racials on 15 October: the weapon specializations are gone, and the Skyborne’s Haste tripled. The picks below reflect that.

Alliance: Human or Gnome

Human is the best all-rounder: 2% crit with any weapon, Perception to spot other Rogues and a stun break, which makes it the PvP pick. Gnome is the PvE alternative: Eureka! is now an 8-second burst of cheaper, stronger attacks, and a bigger Energy pool wastes less of a Thistle Tea under the new smooth regeneration. Night Elves are harder to spot in Stealth.

• Ruthless — +2% crit chance with all spells and attacks, whatever your weapon. It replaced Sword Specialization.
• Perception — much better Stealth detection for 20 sec.
• Will to Survive — removes all stuns, every 3 minutes.
• The Human Spirit — +5% Spirit.

• Eureka! — for 8 sec, your abilities cost 10% less and deal 10% more damage, every 2 minutes.
• Expansive Mind — +5% maximum Energy.
• Escape Artist — break free of snares and roots, with 3 sec of immunity.
• Engineering Specialization — engineering gadgets fail or backfire 20% less often.

• Elune’s Light — +10% crit chance with all spells and attacks for 15 sec, every 3 minutes.
• Shadowmeld — slip into the shadows while standing still; used in combat, enemies stop attacking you.
• Quickness — +1% dodge and +2% movement speed, which now stacks with other speed bonuses. Night Elf Rogues and Druids are also harder to spot in Stealth.
• Wisp Spirit — move 75% faster as a wisp after dying.

• Stoneform — removes and blocks bleeds, poisons and diseases, and cuts physical damage taken by 10% for 8 sec.
• Earth Fury — +2% critical strike damage and healing. It replaced Mace Specialization.
• Big Game Hunter — +5% damage against Beasts.
• Find Treasure — shows nearby treasure on the minimap, and now gives a chance at extra items from most chests.

Horde: Orc, Undead or Skyborne

Orcs bring Blood Fury, a burst cooldown that stacks with your others, plus 1% crit and shorter stuns. Undead get Will of the Forsaken for PvP and Touch of the Grave, which now procs on 20% of your attacks. The Skyborne’s 3% Haste is the strongest passive bonus for damage on either faction.

• Blood Fury — +10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15 sec, now every 3 minutes (was 2).
• Savage — +1% crit chance with all spells and abilities, whatever your weapon. It replaced Axe Specialization.
• Hardiness — stuns on you last 20% shorter.
• Shatter Curse — removes Curses and Banes and cuts magic damage taken by 5% for 8 sec (it used to grant immunity and 15%).

• Touch of the Grave — your spells and attacks can drain up to 5% of your health from the target: a 30% chance for casters and 20% for Paladins, Rogues and Warriors, at most once every 25 sec.
• Will of the Forsaken — removes charm, fear and sleep, every 2 minutes.
• Cannibalize — regenerate health and mana from a nearby humanoid or undead corpse.
• Underwater Breathing — your breath lasts 300% longer underwater.

• Berserking — +10% attack and casting speed for 10 sec, every 3 minutes.
• Rapid Regeneration — regenerate half your health over 6 sec while standing still.
• Beast Slaying — +5% damage against Beasts.
• Regeneration — 20% faster health regeneration (was 10%), and 20% of it continues in combat.

Horde Skyborne get Skysight and Alliance Skyborne get Read Leyline; the rest is shared. See the Skyborne race guide for the full picture, and every class compared in our best race for every class guide.

• Wind Blessed — +3% melee, ranged and spell Haste (it was 1%).
• Walk on Air — glide downward through the air for 10 sec, every 90 sec.
• Skysight — Horde only: +10% run and mounted speed for 15 min near an elemental convergence, or 30 sec elsewhere. Now castable while moving, and convergences are more common.
• Read Leyline — Alliance only: +100% health and mana regeneration for 15 min near a leyline, or at least 30 sec elsewhere. Now castable while moving, and leylines are more common.
• Elemental Insight — +5% damage against Elementals.

Best level 20 talent build

The beta caps characters at level 20, which gives you 11 talent points. Improved Sinister Strike, Improved Eviscerate and Precision belong in every Combat build. Where the last points go depends on how you play:

• Solo: 2 points in Remorseless Attacks and 1 in Malice. Remorseless Attacks pays off after every kill.
• Groups: move those 2 points into Malice (3/5) for crit that works on every pull.
• Daggers: if you’re using a dagger, Puncturing Wounds makes Backstab your builder.

Level 20 rotation

At 20 you have your core three abilities, but not the second rank of Slice and Dice (level 42) or Blade Flurry, so there is no cleave yet.

1. Build combo points with Sinister Strike, or Backstab in the dagger build.
2. Spend them on Slice and Dice.
3. In a physical group, apply Expose Armor if the target will live long enough to benefit.
4. Otherwise keep building and spend on Eviscerate, refreshing Slice and Dice just before it runs out.

Tips for leveling and dungeons

• Get a slow weapon early. Combat lives on auto attacks and Sinister Strike, so a slow Sword, Axe, Mace or Fist Weapon in your main hand matters most. Train the matching weapon skill.
• Sap no longer breaks Stealth. That makes it reliable crowd control in dungeons, as long as you reach the target unseen.
• Stop casts. Alternate Kick and Gouge to interrupt.
• Pick Lock opens dungeon doors, such as the locked door before Ironclad Cove in The Deadmines.
• Professions. Skinning with Leatherworking gives you early crafted gear, and First Aid makes bandages and healing potions.

Gear to pick up by level 20

Camping buffs for Rogues

Camps give buffs based on the professions of the players at the fire. The three best for damage are the Lodestone from Mining, the Camp Chair from Skinning and the Fish Bowl from Fishing.

Best professions

Engineering is as strong as it has ever been for its gadgets and utility. Skinning with Leatherworking is the easy option early on, with many new recipes for crafting your own gear. We’ll update this once there is more data from the beta.