Sword or Mace Combat is usually considered to be the best spec for leveling because it has superior
sustained damage and can handle multiple enemies very effectively. In addition to that, Combat doesn't rely on stealth or
positional attacks and is as good at solo PVE farming/grinding as it is at running 5-man dungeons. The only situation where
Combat tends to be lackluster is PVP because it lacks the control and utility offered by the other Rogue specs.
Dagger specs, while effective in PVP, suffer from several disadvantages when it comes to leveling. At
low levels, Ambush (which requires daggers) can be useful for frontloading your damage. However, after your initial stealth
attack, it can be tricky to pull off Backstabs when enemies are always trying to face you (and you shouldn't
Sinister Strike with daggers because they deal significantly less damage than non-daggers.) Another disadvantage of
using daggers is that as mobs gain more armor and health, Ambush starts to lose its burst damage potential. Also,
dagger builds have trouble dealing with multiple enemies at once, which is only compounded by positioning issues.
With Sword or Mace Combat you don't have to worry about positioning - - just run up and smash away with Sinister
Strike. Fist builds work much the same way. Unfortunately, when leveling, good fist weapons can be hard to find.
The best advice for new Rogues is to focus less on daggers while leveling and get training for swords/maces ASAP (see also
The Gladius Grind). Having said that, you should work on skilling up all of your weapon skills
as you're leveling, so you'll be ready whenever you do decide to change your weapon/spec. Trainers for swords and maces can
be found here:
| Alliance | Horde | ||
| Swords | Maces | Swords | Maces |
| Stormwind | Ironforge | Undercity | Thunder Bluff |
| Woo Ping | Buliwyf Stonehand | Archibald |
Ansekhwa |
This talent build focuses on damage and excels in toe-to-toe PVE combat, with some key defensive capabilities coming
from Improved Sprint and Endurance to improve your overall effectiveness. At lower levels, this spec can be used
interchangeably with a main hand mace or sword, depending upon the best weapon you have available. At higher levels,
this build shines in its ability to handle multiple mobs effectively with the burst potential of Riposte + Blade
Flurry + Adrenaline Rush. Those three talents are especially useful when leveling, since they give you the unique
ability to power your way through groups of mobs or tough boss mobs that might otherwise prevent you from completing
a quest. That's why I recommend going straight up the Combat tree before switching to the Assassination tree, so you
can pick up those key talents ASAP.
Alternative Leveling Specs:
Speed Leveling Specs: Combat Swords -
Combat Maces
(Start 2/2 Remorseless Attacks before going Combat with these specs.)
Dungeon Cleave Leveling Spec: Combat Swords
Regardless of your choice of weapons or spec, you'll want a slow, hard hitting main hand weapon (sword or mace) with
high average damage to maximize your special attack damage. For your offhand, you'd prefer a high-DPS, fast offhand for
increased proc effects like poisons and weapon specializations, but don't stress over your offhand weapon while leveling.
As a Rogue, your main hand weapon is your most important piece of gear, so even if you upgrade no
other items as you level, make sure you keep your main hand weapon upgraded at all times.
As a general rule of thumb for leveling purposes, you want the low end damage of your main hand weapon to be equal to
or greater than your current level.
So, at level 14, a Scimitar (14-26) or
Daryl's Shortsword (14-26) would be on par for your level.
Gnoll Skull Basher (18-34) or
Scimitar of Atun (17-33) would be ideal at that level
while Blackwater Cutlass (12-24) or
Stock Shortsword (7-14) would be less than ideal. Notice how
Blackwater Cutlass has a higher listed DPS (9.5) than the "on par" weapons
(8.7), but since it has a lower base damage (12-24 vs. 14-26), your Sinister Strikes won't hit as hard and you will end up
being less effective overall. Slower, harder hitting main hand weapons provide more burst damage via your special attacks.
As far as your offhand weapon is concerned, for levels 10-20, you won't have access to poisons or weapon specializations,
so the DPS of your offhand weapon will be more important than the weapon type or speed. However, after level 20, having
a fast offhand weapon will provide higher DPS through more frequent application of poisons. Don't worry about matching weapon
types between your two weapons until you get a weapon specialization, although having matching weapon types will help
you level up that weapon skill faster. On the other hand, having a non-matching weapon type will allow you to skill up two
different weapons at the same time so you can freely switch to new weapons as you find them. If you offhand a dagger while
leveling, that will allow you to swap it to your main hand for Backstabs and Ambushes. Also, if you have the gold to
spare, Fiery Weapon is a good, relatively inexpensive enchant to put on your weapons while leveling.
For a complete list of main hand weapons that are easily obtainable while leveling, check out my Main Hand Progression Chart.
ATTACKS
Your attack sequence will vary, depending upon the circumstances, but will generally go something like this:
Basic Non-Stealthed Combat Attack
Sinister Strike >
Slice and Dice (Optional) > Sinister Strike x 5 >
Eviscerate/Rupture/Kidney Shot
Basic Stealthed Combat Attack
Garrote/Cheap Shot >
Slice and Dice (Optional) > Sinister Strike x 5 >
Eviscerate/Rupture/Kidney Shot
Here are some sample attack routines to use for different scenarios (more mobs require higher level abilities):
| Targets | Sample Attack Routines |
| 1 | SSx5, Evis or on tougher mobs SS, SnD, SSx5, Evis |
| 2 | Garrote mob #1, SnD, switch to mob #2, BF, SSx5, Evis |
| 3 | Garrote mob #1, SnD, switch to mob #2, AR, BF, Evasion, SSx5, Evis, SnD, SSx5, Evis |
| 4+ | Garrote mob #1, SnD, switch to mob #2, AR, BF, Evasion, SSx5, Evis, SnD, SSx5, Evis, repeat until only 1 mob remains, and if you're low on health, Blind that mob, bandage, then kill it off. |
| Abbreviations: SnD: Slice and Dice, SS: Sinister Strike, Evis: Eviscerate, BF: Blade Flurry, AR: Adrenaline Rush | |
You should try to focus on fighting Humanoids whenever possible because they can be pickpocketed (level up that Pick Lock skill!), they can be disarmed (Riposte minimizes damage you receive, reducing downtime), and they drop plenty of cloth (bandages are great for leveling.) They can also be Garroted/Ruptured, unlike some types of mobs.
POISONS
Poisons are a big part of a Rogue's DPS and utility, so keep them applied to your weapons at all times.
If you're mostly fighting mobs that are easy to kill and don't live very long, you should be using dual Instant Poisons.
However, if you're fighting against mobs that take longer to kill, you might try switching your main hand to Deadly
Poison to get some more DPS. Or, if you're having trouble with mobs running off and bringing back friends, try
Crippling Poison on your offhand.
Each race has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages for PVP/PVE. You can find comparisons of each in my
Rogue Races Chart
When it comes to leveling professions, I recommend Skinning + Herbalism or Mining. Send all of the mats to an alt, then
you'll have most of what you need for any crafting profession you choose (such as Leatherworking, Alchemy or Engineering).
Once you reach 60, drop one or both gathering professions to pick up your crafting profession(s).
Players who are used to playing classes that have access to AoE damage might find it difficult to transition to a Rogue,
a class that doesn't offer much in the way of AoE-style damage other than Blade Flurry.
Here are some AoE options available to non-Engineer Rogues as you're leveling:
| AoE Options for Non-Engineers | ||
|---|---|---|
| Levels 10-29 | Levels 30-46 | Levels 47-60 |
| Ez-Thro Dynamite | Ez-Thro Dynamite II | Crystal Charge |
GEAR
As far as gear is concerned, look for any "of the Monkey" or equivalent items that have both Agility and Stamina.
Other stats like Attack Power, Crit % and Hit % are also good to have. Strength, on the other hand, is a fairly
mediocre stat for Rogues, providing only 1 AP, whereas Agility gives 1 AP in addition to Crit, Dodge and Armor.
Whether you're twinking or leveling, you can find the best gear listed in my
Twink Weapons and Twink Armor charts.
For more leveling tips, check out my Quest Completionist Guide for Alliance Rogues. For alternative methods to level up your first 5-6 levels,
check out my Exploration Leveling Guide and my Gladius Grind Guide.
