World of Warcraft Guide for Rogues: When Sinister Strike Just Isn't Enough

It's tough being a rogue in the World of Warcraft. Seeing as it's the most common class with the least utility, chances are a party of five will pick almost anyone else instead of you. Well, you're in luck, my leather-wearing friend. I've recently broken my addiction to WoW by selling my account, but this is all your gain. I have raided every instance short of the Black Temple, downed almost every boss, and gotten more epics than you could ever imagine. Now that I'm out for good, I have no problem sharing my secrets with you.

First let's talk about your specialization, or spec. Ignore what you've read on the Rogue Forums, every Rogue spec is equally deadly; some are just better for certain situations than others. My specialization of choice was Mutilate, simply because of the immense damage it incurs in PvE, and its added utility for PvP finishers. Though it's not the best possible PvP specialization, it can help you hold ground fairly well. When specced Mutilate, you could find me stealthing around the flag room, or patrolling a certain point. Crippling poison and wound poison work wonders. If you are only going to be raiding, any of the specializations will work for you; both Combat Swords and Daggers are effective, as is Hemorrhage or a pure Subtlety build. If you're only playing for the PvP, you can't do much better than a hybrid Cold Blood/Preparation build. Instant 5 point critical Eviscerates are something everyone but the most armored warrior should fear.

So you've decided on your specialization. It's time to choose your weapons. Generally, you want a slow Main Hand weapon, and a quick Off Hand weapon. The reasoning is that all your special moves are instant strikes, and slower weapons do higher amounts of damage. Most of your special moves only use the Main Hand, so it's generally a good idea to keep it slow and powerful. The Off Hand will keep swinging away and missing, so it's a good idea to make it quick and strike more often. The golden exception to this rule is Mutilate. Since it calculates both your weapons into its damage, you want two of the slowest and most stat-oriented daggers as possible.

So you're armed to the teeth, and have all your new special abilities hot keyed. There is just one problem - you've got no clothes on! Don't just throw on anything you can find, you want specific stats! Generally, agility is your best friend. It gives you attack power and critical strike chance, as well as chance to hit and dodge. It's the rogue stat, and the more of it you have, the better. The stat you consider next should be based on your play style. If you're going to be PvPing a lot, think stamina. It'll keep you alive long enough to wear the enemy down to mulch. If you're raiding, think attack power. Your raid group will raise your stamina enough to keep you alive, and while any extra doesn't hurt, gimping yourself for extra health is not what a good guild is looking for in their rogues. You want your attack power over 1800 at all times during raids, and if that means elixirs, potions, and armor you wouldn't normally wear, so be it. You're there for one reason, and one reason only; big damage very quickly.

You'll notice I've avoided all the formulas and numbers that you may have seen on the message boards; that's because they aren't important. I've never need to know them, and neither does any good rogue. The most important thing you have to remember about your class is that there are literally over a million others exactly like you. Same moves, same armor needs, same everything. You will never be a commodity unless you are flawless in the execution of the same moves, are willing to work twice as hard as anyone else to get the same armor, and distinguish yourself by being a polite and mature player. Our class is known for the idiots that play it. Don't be one of those. Hopefully you've found something useful in this guide for roguing, since it really is everything you need to know to be successful. Good luck in your quest to be the best, and happy farming!