Assassination Rogue DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — The War Within (11.2)

The below builds each come with their own caveats, i.e. playing Trickster in raid might be slightly higher DPS performance, but is more difficult to play. As such, you might end up performing worse than with a build that has a lower theoretical DPS ceiling, but is easier to execute. We recommend reading each of the build's descriptions, so you can find one that best suits your experience and gameplay preferences!

2.

Best Talents for Assassination Rogue

Fatebound Raid Single-Target Talents Deathstalker Raid Cleave Talents Fatebound Raid Talents Deathstalker Mythic+ Talents TWW Delve Talents

3.

Best Raid Single-Target Talents for Deathstalker Assassination Rogue

If you do not yet have the new Tier set, this build is going to be better on fights that are largely single-target. Once you acquire the Season 3 Tier set, Fatebound outperforms Deathstalker dramatically, and you will only continue playing Deathstalker on fights with very high cleave or AoE uptime.

Be sure to use the 'Export Talents' button to import our build ingame!

Assassination Fatebound Raid Build Show Copy

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3.

Best Raid Cleave Talents for Deathstalker Assassination Rogue

If you do not yet have the new Tier set, this build is likely going to serve you better on fights with cleave or AoE situations. Once you acquire the Season 3 Tier set, Fatebound has a much higher single-target DPS potential, and you will only continue playing Deathstalker on fights with very high cleave or AoE uptime.

Be sure to use the 'Export Talents' button to import our build ingame!

Assassination Deathstalker Raid Build Show Copy

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3.

Best Raid Talents for Fatebound Assassination Rogue

This is the current best build for Raid that plays Fatebound, which is your go-to build once you acquire the new tier-set. There are still encounters where Deathstalker might be the better choice if your raid needs the cleave or AoE damage, and on extended AoE fights Deathstalker can put out strong single-target priority damage that can rival or outperform Fatebound's raw single-target damage in ideal circumstances.

Be sure to use the 'Export Talents' button to import our build ingame!

Assassination Fatebound Raid Build Show Copy

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3.

Best Mythic+ Talents for Deathstalker Assassination Rogue

This is the current best build for Mythic+ playing Deathstalker, sporting high AoE damage while sacrificing some of its single-target potential. It is recommended at all times, whether you have the Season 3 Tier set or not.

Be sure to use the 'Export Talents' button to import our build ingame!

Assassination Deathstalker M+ Build Show Copy

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3.

Best TWW Delve Talents for Assassination Rogue

Delves are new content in TWW that you can engage with solo or with up to three friends (and the help of a follower!). They are short ~10-15 minute scenarios, and as a Rogue, you'll be able to bypass some of the stages almost entirely thanks to being able to Stealth to objectives instead of having to fight.

Surviving is tough in these, as the enemies hit hard, especially when you are undergeared, and your follower's heals aren't that strong just yet. That's why this talent build takes all the defensive and CC talents, so you can take on enemies methodically. Remember that there is no time limit, so you are free to wait for cooldowns or heal up to full HP, and most enemies are kitable with Crippling Poison as well.

Assassination Delve Build Show Copy

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Assassination gets to pick between two distinct Hero Talent choices: Deathstalker and Fatebound.

Deathstalker is the higher performing option in most content, and adds some additional priority target damage to our toolkit, while also offering an additional defensive button by allowing Evasion to also reduce magical damage taken.

Fatebound is only slightly worse in raw damage performance than Deathstalker, and pulls ahead in single-target once you acquire the new Rogue Fatebound 11.2 Class Set 2pc tier set. However, it quickly falls behind in AoE and cleave scenarios, making this hero talent tree very situational. The Rogue Fatebound 11.2 Class Set 4pc turns the spec into a 90-second cooldown DPS spec, which can be situationally useful as well, i.e. if a boss submerges exactly 2 minutes after a pull.

If you want to learn more about the addition of Hero Talents and the ins and outs on both respective choices, you can find more information on our dedicated Hero Talents page.

In The War Within, there will be the option to go into "War Mode." Enabling War Mode provides the following benefits:

• PvP talents enabled in the outdoor world.
• 10% increase in World Quest rewards at maximum level.
• 10% more experience gained while leveling.
• Earn Conquest Points, which can reward gear every week.

With the benefits of enabling War Mode for leveling and PvE content, it is recommended enabling the feature to maximize your leveling and rewards at maximum level. However, you will make yourself available for open-world PvP, and the possibility of being "ganked" while leveling or doing World Quests exists.

In this section, we will rank the PvP talents best for leveling and doing solo / small group PvE content. Below is a ranking of both General PvP Talents and Assassination Rogue-specific PvE talents.

1. System Shock deals nature damage and slows the enemy's movement speed by 90% for 2 seconds when you use a 5 Combo Point Envenom on targets afflicted with your Garrote, Rupture, and Lethal Poison. It is fairly good as it is a passive damage gain and can be useful if you need to run away without having other crowd-control options available.
2. Control is King allows your Cheap Shot to grant Slice and Dice and Kidney Shot will restore Energy when used. Both of these enable you to use these abilities instead of Ambush or Envenom if need be, while still providing DPS benefits.
3. Creeping Venom enables your Envenom to apply Creeping Venom, dealing Nature damage over 4 sec. The duration is refreshed when the target moves. This is another passive damage increase, which can also be easily maintained by side stepping, causing the enemies to move with you.