Zodar's Rogue Leveling Tips
Sword or Mace Combat/Assassination is usually considered to be the best build for leveling because it has superior
sustained damage and does not rely on positional attacks. It's also a respectable build for PVP. Dagger builds are
not optimal for leveling because it can be tricky to pull off multiple Backstabs when mobs are always trying to face
you. If you're Sinister Striking with daggers - DON'T. Sinister Strike is for non-daggers. Backstab is for daggers.
With Swords and Maces you don't have to worry about positioning - just smash away with Sinister Strike. Fist
builds work much the same way. Unfortunately, when you're leveling, good fist weapons are few and far between.
The best advice for new Rogues is drop the Daggers and get training for Swords/Maces. Trainers can be found here:
| Alliance | Horde | ||||||
| Swords | Maces | Swords | Maces | ||||
| Stormwind: Woo Ping Exodar: Handiir |
Ironforge: Buliwyf Stonehand Exodar: Handiir |
Undercity: Archibald Eversong Woods: Duelist Larenis Silvermoon: Ileda |
Thunder Bluff: Ansekhwa |
||||
With a Sword or Mace Combat/Assassination build, you'll want a hard hitting main hand weapon for maximum
Sinister Strike damage and a fast offhand weapon for increased proc effects like poisons, weapon specialization,
Combat Potency, etc. Until you pick up a weapon specialization (level 30+), feel free to use a fast offhand Dagger.
If you have gold to spare, Fiery Weapon is a good, cost-effective enchant to use on your weapons while leveling.
Your attack sequence will vary, depending upon the circumstances, but will generally go something like this:
Garrote/Cheap Shot > Slice and Dice > Sinister Strike x 5 > Rupture/Eviscerate/Kidney Shot
Here are some sample attack routines to use for different scenarios (more mobs require higher level abilities):
| Targets | Sample Attack Routines |
| 1 | Garrote, 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 | Sap mob #1, wait for energy regen, Garrote mob #2, SnD, switch to mob #3, AR, BF, Evasion, SSx5, Evis, SnD, SSx5, Evis, repeat until all unsapped mobs are dead, kill the Sapped mob |
| 5 | Sap mob #1, wait for energy regen, Garrote mob #2, SnD, switch to mob #3, AR, BF, Evasion, SSx5, Evis, repeat until only 1 unsapped mob remains, Blind the unsapped mob, bandage, kill the Blinded mob, kill the Sapped mob |
| 6+ | Sap mob #1, wait for energy regen, Garrote mob #2, SnD, switch to mob #3, AR, BF, Evasion, SSx5, Evis, SnD, SSx5, Evis, finish off any mob about to die, Sprint, CloS, Vanish, eat/bandage, return and mop up the rest | Abbreviations: SnD: Slice and Dice, SS: Sinister Strike, Evis: Eviscerate, BF: Blade Flurry, AR: Adrenaline Rush, CloS: Cloak of Shadows |
Here are some sample Sword/Mace Combat/Assassination talent trees with key talents in each level range:
This talent build focuses on pure damage and excels in toe-to-toe PVE combat. At higher levels, this build shines in
its ability to handle multiple mobs effectively with the burst potential of Adrenaline Rush + Blade Flurry. Those two
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.
As long as you're mostly fighting mobs that are easy to kill and don't live very long, use dual Instant Poisons.
However, if you're fighting against mobs that take longer to kill, switch your main hand to Deadly Poison.
Focus on fighting Humanoids whenever possible because they can be pickpocketed (level up that Lockpicking
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 Undead/Elemental mobs.
Here are some simple macros that you may find useful while leveling:
| Stealth Opener: Pick Pocket + Garrote | Main Attack with Automatic Riposte |
|
/cast Pick Pocket /stopcasting /cast Garrote |
/startattack /castrandom Sinister Strike, Riposte |
I recommend Skinning/Mining while you're leveling. Send all of the mats to an alt, then you'll have just about
everything you need for any crafting profession you choose (Leatherworking, Engineering, Jewelcrafting or
Blacksmithing.). Once you reach 70, drop one or both gathering professions for your crafting professions.
When it comes to leveling gear, keep an eye out for "Monkey" items that have Agility & Stamina. Other
stats like Attack Power, Crit & Hit Rating are also good to have. Strength is a fairly mediocre stat for
Rogues, providing nothing more than 1 AP, whereas Agility gives 1 AP plus Crit, Dodge and Armor.
Whether you're twinking or leveling, you can find the best gear listed in my Twink/Leveling charts:
| Rogue Powerleveling Chart |
| Twink Armor Charts | Twink Weapons Charts | ||
| Levels 19-59 | Levels 60-69 | Levels 19-59 | Levels 60-69 |
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