Combat

Rogue

Combat Rogue chooses the fight from Stealth and keeps Vanish ready for the moment the room changes.

DPS

Every Rogue pull begins before the opener. Scout the camp from Stealth, use Sap on a valid second target, and commit to the mob you can finish without moving deeper into the room.

Talent route 10-60 Draft route
HC4/5
Pace5/5
Survival3/5
Dungeon4/5
Difficulty Fast kills, thin margins
Role Stealth melee with planned exits
Best duo Druid

Druid can heal after a bad opener and move into Bear Form when the second mob reaches the pair. Sap separates the pull before combat, while Sprint and Travel Form keep both players moving between camps.

Talent route preview

Full 10-60 route

Follow Combat through Adrenaline Rush. Start with Improved Sinister Strike, take Riposte at 20, and commit to Sword Specialization before Blade Flurry at 36. Move into Assassination after Adrenaline Rush at 40, take Improved Slice and Dice from 46 to 48, and add Lethality later.

Leveling approach

Open with Cheap Shot or Garrote after choosing the exit lane. Build Slice and Dice during the normal fight and use Eviscerate to finish it. Bandage between pulls, and keep Vanish ready whenever patrols or nearby camps can change the room.

Stat priority

  1. Weapon DPS - keep both hands current. Use daggers for Subtlety openers and swords for this Combat route.
  2. Agility
  3. Stamina
  4. Strength
  5. Stealth-suit gear (one set with +stealth on rogue gear)

Professions

  • Engineering with Mining is useful when Stealth cannot solve the whole camp. Rough Dynamite starts a pull from range, and Target Dummy can hold an add while you move toward the exit.
  • Skinning with Leatherworking supplies the middle-level armor route and keeps enough leather available for armor kits.
  • Use First Aid for a reliable recovery between pulls. Bandage around two-thirds health while Vanish remains available for the fight itself.
  • Complete the poison quest at 20 and carry enough supplies to replace charges. Classic poisons last thirty minutes and may run out sooner during a busy route.

Alliance races

Dwarf - Bleeds and poisons can break Stealth after Vanish and ruin the reset. A Dwarf can clear both with Stoneform before leaving the pull.
Human - Combat spends most of the run using a sword, and Human keeps that weapon route stronger through the extra sword skill.

Horde races

Orc - A stun can consume the short window Rogue has to finish or leave a pull, and Hardiness improves the chance to resist it. Blood Fury adds damage and reduces incoming healing, so use it early in a controlled fight.
Troll - Troll can use Berserking when health drops during a difficult fight, and the extra bow skill helps with occasional ranged pulls.

Route rhythm by level band

1-12 Levels 1-12

Spend the early levels scouting from Stealth and fighting green or yellow single targets. Train Sap at 10 and remove one valid humanoid from the opener. Keep the main-hand weapon current throughout this bracket.

12-24 Levels 12-24

By 22, Sap, Vanish, and Kick cover the main control decisions. Practice the Sap target and Kick timing before entering Deadmines or Shadowfang Keep, where a weapon upgrade can change the rest of the route.

24-40 Levels 24-40

Keep poisons active through this bracket and learn Cheap Shot at 26. Take Blade Flurry at 36 in this route and spend those fifteen seconds on a planned second target. STV pirates and Hillsbrad humanoids also make pickpocketing worth the detour.

40-60 Levels 40-60

Use Adrenaline Rush with Blade Flurry for a planned hard target or double pull. Keep pickpocketing humanoids for gold, and save Vanish for the patrol or resist that changes the fight.

Also worth trying: Subtlety

Subtlety puts more of the route into Stealth, openers, and cooldown resets. Backstab, Premeditation, and Eviscerate carry the planned target while Preparation keeps a second escape available.

  • Hemorrhage can replace Sinister Strike once the talent route reaches it. Its earliest talent level is 30.
  • When the first Vanish is already spent and the room changes again, use Preparation to reset it before choosing the next target.

Combat Rogue Survival: When a Pull Turns Draft

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Combat Rogue survives a bad pull by keeping one mob Sapped, interrupting the cast, and vanishing on clear ground.

When a pull turns

  • Kick interrupts a heal cast, so take the next caster only when it is ready.

  • Sprint only when a clear exit lane remains.

  • Vanish resets the pull on open ground, away from patrols and nearby camps.

Dungeon calls

  • Sap keeps the marked add out of the pull when you confirm its target with the tank.

  • If the tank changes targets before the next pull, confirm a new Sap mark.

  • Stop for the healer's drink because their mana sets the pace.

Leave now

  • Leave when HP drops below 30% and bandage is cooling down.

  • Leave when Vanish is used and the pull keeps growing.

  • Leave when an elite or boss is stun-immune and breaks the control plan.

  • Leave when a patrol drops Stealth during the scout.