Assassination Rogue DPS Easy Mode — The War Within (11.0.7)

Last updated on Dec 15, 2024 at 16:00 by Seliathan 83 comments
General Information

On this page, we explain how to easily play Assassination Rogue in World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.0.7), using the simplest rotation, talent tree, stat priority, gear setup, etc., without sacrificing performance.

1.

Foreword

If you are new to the class or spec, it is best advised to start slow by starting with a straightforward build to get a better handle on the core mechanics and interactions. This build might be only slightly worse and easier to play than the most optimal way to play the spec, so there is no need to worry at all about potentially lacking behind fellow Rogue players while you get to know the foundations of Assassination.

2.

The Basics for Assassination Rogue in The War Within

Assassination primarily focuses on maintaining damage-over-time effects for potent sustained damage and cleave. In this section, we will be focusing on a setup that minimizes the number of buttons and reactivity necessary without unduly compromising overall damage output.

If you are completely new to Assassination and need more information on the abilities and talents available to you, you can check out our Spell Summary page.

3.

Beginner's Guide to Assassination Rogue in The War Within

Single-Target Talents Mythic+/AoE Talents Basic Rotation Defensive Spells Tips and Tricks
4.

Beginner Single-Target Talents for Assassination Rogue

This build is optimal for pure single-target situations.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

For a more in-depth analysis of each of the talent choices and the reasoning behind the aforementioned build as the go-to for ease of use, check out the Talent section below.

4.

Beginner AoE and Mythic+ Talents for Assassination Rogue

This is our recommended build for AoE and Mythic+ scenarios. This works well for AoE fights in raids, as well as most Mythic+.

Be sure to make use of the 'Export Talents' button to import the best build directly into your game!

For a more in-depth analysis of each of the talent choices and the reasoning behind the aforementioned build as the go-to for ease of use, check out the Talent section below.

This priority list is a very basic priority list, and some of the finer details to get the most damage out of the spec are missing. By following the link, you will be able to find a more detailed version of this priority list for both single-target and AoE, as well as a deeper explanation of some of the core concepts of Assassination gameplay. If you would like to know more about how to pool Energy properly and what your opener should look like, check out the Rotation section of this guide.

4.

Beginner Assassination Rogue DPS Rotation

Always make sure to have Deadly Poison Icon Deadly Poison, Amplifying Poison Icon Amplifying Poison and your choice of non-lethal Poisons applied for maximum DPS. All finishers are to be cast with 5 or more Combo Points.

  • Open from Stealth with Ambush Icon Ambush to proc Deathstalker's Mark Icon Deathstalker's Mark.
  • Use Mutilate Icon Mutilate as your single-target builder, and Envenom Icon Envenom as your single-target spender. Use Ambush Icon Ambush instead of Mutilate Icon Mutilate when available.
  • Use Fan of Knives Icon Fan of Knives as your AoE builder, and maintain Crimson Tempest Icon Crimson Tempest as your AoE spender. Use Mutilate Icon Mutilate or Ambush Icon Ambush once every 10 seconds on AoE to proc Caustic Spatter Icon Caustic Spatter.
  • Maintain Rupture Icon Rupture and Garrote Icon Garrote at all times.
  • Use Shiv Icon Shiv, Vanish Icon Vanish, Kingsbane Icon Kingsbane, and Deathmark Icon Deathmark on cooldown.
  • Use Thistle Tea Icon Thistle Tea to avoid overcapping charges, by using it alongside Shiv Icon Shiv.
  • Try to sync as many of your cooldowns as possible so they all benefit from each other.

Your cooldowns should always be used in this order: Deathmark Icon Deathmark, Shiv Icon Shiv, Kingsbane Icon Kingsbane. Use Vanish Icon Vanish to buff your Garrote Icon Garrote before using Deathmark Icon Deathmark.

5.

Defensive Spells for Assassination Rogue

Feint Icon Feint is an active spell that reduces all area damage taken. This has a very short cooldown and should be used regularly. The DPS cost is negligible, and it is a defensive that every other class is jealous of.

Cloak of Shadows Icon Cloak of Shadows is your immunity. It removes most Magic, Curse, Disease or Poison debuffs when you press it, which in some cases is not a good thing. It also makes you immune to all magic effects and damage. Most raid encounters tend to apply any associated debuffs anyway, but at least you will simply not take damage.

Evasion Icon Evasion increases your dodge to over 100%, making you immune to melee attacks. Rarely useful in raids, but it can save your life in Mythic+ or overworld content.

Cheat Death Icon Cheat Death saves you from dying once, leaving you at low HP with very strong damage mitigation. This has a 6-minute cooldown and makes your already strong defensive kit even stronger.

Vanish Icon Vanish is used as a DPS ability in raids but can save your life in World Content and Mythic+. It makes all enemies lose threat on you, and if you are the only surviving player, enemy mobs will reset without you dying. It can also occasionally be used to avoid targeted spell casts if you Vanish before the enemy finishes casting.

This is just some of the key utility of Assassination Rogue. We highly recommend checking out the fully detailed Spell Glossary page below to see everything explained in detail.

6.

Tips and Tricks for Assassination Rogue

  • Refresh Rupture Icon Rupture and Garrote Icon Garrote before activating Deathmark Icon Deathmark and Shiv Icon Shiv, so you do not have to cast these abilities while it is active.
  • Always cast finishers at 5+ Combo Points.
  • Hold onto both Shiv Icon Shiv charges for your Kingsbane, do not use them at any other point.
  • Try to cast Envenom Icon Envenom with 5+ Combo Points at least twice during each Shiv Icon Shiv.
  • Deathmark Icon Deathmark duplicates the currently active bleeds. If these are buffed through something like Improved Garrote Icon Improved Garrote, the duplicated bleeds will also benefit from these effects.
7.

Hero Talents

If you want to find out more about the addition of Hero Talents, you can find more information on our dedicated Hero Talents page.

8.

Stat Choice for Assassination Rogue

Currently, you will want to prioritize secondary stats as follows for both Raiding and Mythic+:

  1. Agility;
  2. Mastery;
  3. Critical Strike;
  4. Haste;
  5. Versatility.

Agility is by far the most important stat, meaning any item level increase is typically an upgrade, regardless of secondary stats. The secondary stat priorities shift and change as you acquire new gear, and we highly recommend simming yourself in order to find out what stat is best for you specifically. You can learn more about what each stat does for you and which stats are the best for each situation by heading to our stats page.

If you are wondering how to sim yourself and find out about the best upgrades for you, you can learn more about it on our Simulations page as well!

9.

Changelog

  • 15 Dec. 2024: Page has been reviewed for Patch 11.0.7.
  • 21 Oct. 2024: Updated for The War Within Patch 11.0.5.
  • 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
  • 21 Aug. 2024: Updated for The War Within.
  • 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within Pre-Patch.
  • 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
  • 22 Apr. 2024: Page has been reviewed and updated for Dragonflight Season 4.
  • 21 Mar. 2024: Page has been reviewed and updated for Patch 10.2.6.
  • 15 Jan. 2024: Page has been reviewed and updated for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 14 Nov. 2023: Updated with newly optimized Assa single-target priority during Deathmark and Dance.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Page updated for the Patch 10.2 Rogue rework.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Page was reviewed for Patch 10.1.7 and no changes were necessary.
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Page was reviewed for Patch 10.1.5 and no changes were necessary as Assassination received no changes for the Patch.
  • 06 Jun. 2023: Updated for Sepsis build, removed Exsanguinate while it is bugged.
  • 01 May 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1. Simplified rotational priorities.
  • 20 Mar. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Updated for Dragonflight Patch 10.0.5 changes.
  • 04 Jan. 2023: Updated talent build.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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