Subtlety Rogue PvP Guide for TBC Classic

Subtlety is the go-to spec for Rogues in TBC Classic. Subtlety excels at having high survivability, high burst windows, as well as high mobility. It is an all-around amazing specialization for PvP in TBC Classic.

There are two builds that are commonly used in Arena, Battlegrounds, or the open world when it comes to PvP as a Subtlety Rogue. The primary difference revolves around whether or not the Improved Expose Armor is selected, as demonstrated below:

Both these specs are extremely strong and it comes down to personal preference as to which you will play. The Improved Expose Armor build allows for stronger Physical damage synergy between classes such as Feral Druids, Hunters, and more. If you want to have the option for a stronger Expose Armor on the target, then talenting into Improved Expose Armor is the choice to go with.

• Preparation is an ability that resets the cooldown on your Evasion, Sprint, Vanish, Shadowstep, and Premeditation abilities. This is an extremely strong tool to get a second Vanish on a short fight or gap-close with another Sprint or Shadowstep.
• Dirty Tricks is one of the best talents in this build. Having extra range on Sap at a reduced cost will allow you to safely secure openers or CC on targets.
• Premeditation is a straightforward ability that allows you to build 2 Combo Points onto your target while in stealth. This will allow you to safely chain a full Kidney Shot out of your opener.
• Shadowstep is your signature move in TBC Classic. This ability puts you behind the target and grants you a movement speed bonus in addition to a damage bonus on your next ability. There are many applications and uses of this such as juking players off bridges, ensuring you attack from behind to not get dodged or parried, or simply just to gap-close.
• Hemorrhage is your basic Combo Point builder as a Subtlety Rogue and can do a lot of damage.

Combo Points and Energy are a precious resource in PvP scenarios. Make sure to always pool Energy for interrupts, stuns or Shivs for applying Poisons. One of the worst feelings is when you simply cannot Kick a heal on a target due to having no Energy. One of the most common mistakes people have playing Rogue in PvP is spending their Energy as soon as they get it. So long as you do not stay at the Energy cap, you are okay.

The bulk of your damage comes from white swings as a Rogue. Although it is very beneficial to use Slice and Dice, you will not always have the opportunity to keep it up as every finishing move is very valuable.

Choosing the correct opener and finishing moves is very important as a Rogue. Generally on most targets you will open up with a Cheap Shot into a Kidney Shot for a stunlock. The exceptions to this are usually Warriors and Mages. Mages can Blink out of stuns and Warriors are healed by Second Wind when stunned. Usually you will want to use Garrote and Rupture on Warriors as bleed damage is not mitigated by Armor. Mages you generally want to avoid stunning unless you are trying to bait out a Blink or if their Blink is on cooldown. If you are playing a double Physical DPS composition in Arena or are sitting on a Cloth or Leather armor target for a long time then consider using Expose Armor. Also consider using Slice and Dice if you are swapping targets and if you do not want to waste any Combo Points.

Deadly Throw is a very powerful ability. With Gladiator's Leather Gloves, Deadly Throw now becomes an interrupt which locks out the enemy for 3 seconds from that school. This is extremely powerful against healers or casters when your Kick might be on cooldown or you are simply out of range for whatever reason.

When playing with different classes it is very important to know what types of crowd control share diminishing returns together. If you are unfamiliar with diminishing returns it is a core game mechanic where abilities and spells become less effective when used against other player-controlled characters within a short period of time. The effect first diminishes by 50%, then 75%, then the target becomes immune. The timer is anywhere between 15 to 20 seconds to reset for diminishing returns as the server checks every 5 seconds to see if the last spell of that category was cast within 15 seconds. Below are a list of Rogue abilities and the diminishing returns shared with other abilities:

• Incapacitates — Sap and Gouge share diminishing returns with Polymorph, Freezing Trap, Wyvern Sting, and Repentance. Make sure to be careful with your Gouges when playing with any of these classes in Arena.
• Disorients — Blind shares a diminishing return timer with Cyclone so it is important to have good communication with any Druids you play with.
• Cheap Shot — Cheap Shot shares diminishing returns with almost every other stun in the game. Bash, Pounce, and War Stomp.
• Kidney Shot — Kidney Shot is in its own special category for stuns and does not diminish with anything except itself. Kidney Shot is on a 20-second cooldown so you will never diminish your own.

It is important to have a slow Mainhand weapon as a Rogue with as fast of an Off-hand as possible. Generally players will go for a Mainhand weapon that has at least 2.6+ Attack Speed and an off-hand of 1.4 to 1.5 Attack Speed. Off-hand speed is important to have as fast as possible due to Shiv costing less Energy on faster weapons as well as having a higher chance to proc Poisons on your target. A slow Mainhand will result in harder-hitting Hemorrhages on your target. Make sure to save Off-hands because you will need to get used to swapping Off-hands very often!

Generally you will use Wound Poison on your Mainhand while keeping Crippling Poison as your default on your off-hand. However, it is very important to have at least 2 other off-hands ready with Mind-numbing Poison and Wound Poison. Even though you may have Wound Poison on your Mainhand weapon already sometimes its stacks could fall off so Shiving a refresh on the Poison is absolutely worth it. Deadly Poison is generally not very great as it takes too long to stack and it can break important CC such as Blind. Instant Poison is not a great choice either as it provides no utility.

Shiv is at its core one of the strongest abilities for a rogue in PvP. Proper usage of this ability will make-or-break how you play in Arena. There are many applications of this from re-applying your 5-stack Wound Poison on your target to using a clever Shiv on a target that walks by you with Crippling Poison to give your partner time to move away from them. Get comfortable using Shiv with weapon swaps to take your Rogue gameplay to the next level!

There are two professions with strong PvP benefits in TBC Classic: Engineering and Jewelcrafting. All other professions that are recommended for Rogues outside of PvP can be found in our PvE guide for Rogues in TBC Classic:

Engineering is the best PvP profession hands down. From world PvP to utility in Arena with items such as Nigh Invulnerability Belt can save you from dying and turn the tides of a fight. Deathblow X11 Goggles, when they are implemented in Phase 2, will be your most important offpiece as it will give you a small advantage in stealth vs stealth play.

Here is a list of some of the great nifty tools to use with engineering in open PvP:

• Parachute Cloak — reduces your fall speed for 10 seconds. This can come in handy when jumping off clifs or high ledges!
• Fel Iron Bomb — This incapacitates targets for 4 seconds in an area and inflicts Fire Damage.
• Arcane Bomb — This bomb drains Mana from the target and silences targets for 5 seconds. This can also be useful in PvE against caster mobs in raids.
• Frost Grenade — Roots all enemies for 5 seconds and deals minor frost damage. It is a great tool to help kite.
• Gnomish Poultryizer — Requires Gnomish Engineer — Turns the target into a chicken for 15 seconds.
• Rocket Boots Xtreme — Increases movement speed by 300% for 3 seconds. This is a great tool for escaping or running down targets!
• Nigh Invulnerability Belt — Requires Gnomish Engineer — Protects you with a shield that stops 4000 damage for 8 seconds. This is usable in Arenas which makes it extremely popular. The chance of failure is quite low but this is an extremely useful tool that can help turn the tide in Arenas, especially when playing double DPS in 2v2.
• Super Sapper Charge — Requires Goblin Engineer — Explodes instantly dealing heavy Fire damage to all enemies around you while dealing self-damage as well. This is a great option for PvE as well but can win Rogue vs Rogue fights in the open world, Battlegrounds, or duels! Its most important use will be when other Rogues Vanish so you can instantly break them out.

Jewelcrafting is another very strong choice for PvP with epic unique improved gems as well as Figurine - Nightseye Panther's ability to give you the edge in stealth vs stealth combat!

In Arena there are no consumables you can use, but you are free to use Flasks, Elixirs, Potions, and more in any Battleground or world PvP! If you are planning to do a long session of Battlegrounds it may be beneficial to use something like Flask of Relentless Assault. Some other potions like Free Action Potion can have strong utility as well!

Addons and Macros are powerful ways to really improve how you play as a Rogue by providing you with more information and allowing you to potentially combine multiple actions into a single keypress. Check out our Rogue Addons and Macros pages to enhance your gameplay even further!

If you would like to know what pieces of gear to chase as you optimize for PvP success, please consult our guide below:

When it comes to evaluating Subtlety Rogue's place within the Arena, we have created a number of guides devoted to listing a variety of popular team compositions which you can find below.