Rogue Abilities- II
Expose Armor
Finishing move that exposes the target for 30 sec, reducing armor per combo point.
This ability is most useful as a seal fate Rogue, since you’ll usually have a lot of extra combo points to work with. The armor reduction has a pretty noticeable effect against anything wearing plate, since warrior and paladin defense can mitigate a lot of the Rogue’s damage from backstab and eviscerate. The problem with this move is deciding whether the combo points are more valuable as armor reduction or flat out damage with rupture or eviscerate, or maybe even mitigation through kidney shot. Ultimately it’s very situational and depends on the fight.
Other combat abilities
Gouge
Causes 75 damage, incapacitating the opponent for 4 sec, and turns off your attack. Target must be facing you. Any damage caused will revive the target. Awards 1 combo point.
This move is possibly one of the dagger Rogue’s most important abilities. The stun is guaranteed to last 4 seconds, 5.5 seconds with talents, and provides the Rogue with an opportunity to easily get behind the enemy for a backstab. However, in PVP it has far more utility than to simply guarantee positioning. The gouge can be considered a combo linker, with its improved time you can regenerate 60 energy, more than the cost of the gouge, enabling you to extend your stun lock or damage combos just a little farther. Gouge is also extremely useful to give you breathing room, time to think even, or just a chance to run away out of range. It can even be used just to cancel spell casts or temporarily incapacitate someone when you are fighting 2 enemies. The usefulness of this ability is ultimately up to the creativity of the Rogue. As an added bonus, this attack adds a combo point, which assists greatly in stun lock combos. It’s important to note the 10 second cooldown of this ability, however, so when you time your stun locks or whatever you use it for make sure you allow the stun to linger at least long enough to have it back up when you’ll next need it.
Kick
A quick kick that injures a single foe for 80 damage. It also interrupts spellcasting and prevents any spell in that school from being cast for 5 sec.
An incredibly useful tool against casters, kick gives the Rogue another counter against timed casts by being able to cancel it outright for a minimal energy cost. Kick not only cancels the spell being cast but also makes it so that all spells of that school are instantly set to a 5 second cool down. What this means that, if you kick a mage casting a fireball he will be unable to cast any fire spell for 5 seconds. However, he will still be able to cast ice and arcane spells. Similarly with priests, you may kick cancel a shadow spell only to find them still capable of casting a heal. Be weary of casters with offensive spells from multiple schools, particularly mages and warlocks because some players who are acquainted with the Rogue’s abilities may try to trick you by casting a different spell, allowing you to kick them, and then casting from the school they want. Even trickier druids and shaman will occasionally cast their hearthstone, pretending to be casting a nature spell.
Blade Flurry
Increases attack speed by 20%, in addition, attacks strike an additional nearby opponent. Lasts 15 sec.
This attack is another defining characteristic of the combat Rogue, as it can only be obtained through a talent high up in the combat tree. With its low cool down, this ability will find considerable use both in PVP and PVE since it will effectively double your total damage output for 15 seconds, albeit spread out between 2 targets. While that might seem to be more a PVE advantage, the effect will be extremely noticeable in group PVP situations where the enemies usually have significantly less hit points. Ideally you should pair this ability with your most damaging combos so that the total damage is also dealt to the additional target.
Adrenaline Rush
Increases your energy regeneration rate by 100% for 15 sec.
The 31 point talent for the combat tree, this ability provides huge ability use potential for 15 seconds. Essentially the 20 energy tick becomes a 40 energy tick, which plainly means you can sinister strike once every tick without running out of energy. The important thing to keep in mind about this ability is that any energy tick over your maximum is wasted energy, so it’s important to keep your energy at 60 or lower throughout the duration of this ability. Do this either through damage abilities like sinister strike or various stuns and DOTs. This ability simply provides the Rogue with the means to “go nuts†with his abilities, which is where a lot of creativity will come into play.
Feint
Performs a feint, causing no damage but lowering your threat by a large amount, making the enemy less likely to attack you.
First off, it should be stated that this ability only has an effect in PVE combat. So if you have a preferred hot bar setup for PVP this ability doesn’t belong on it. What this ability does is permanently lower your threat by a set amount. This means that once used the monster is more likely to drop aggro on you in favor of someone else, or will be less likely to aggro you in the first place. However, this ability can be blocked or dodged just like any other, in which case if you were relying on this threat reduction you may need to ease your damage output to prevent getting aggro.
“Cooldown†Abilities
Blind
Blinds the target, causing it to wander at 40% of move speed disoriented for up to 10 sec. Any damage caused will remove the effect.
This ability is extremely useful for avoiding close calls, with the downside that it requires a somewhat expensive reagent. Blind has a 10 yard range so its use can vary from either giving yourself time to bandage yourself or extending a stun lock combo, to keeping an enemy from running away. The ability has the chance to break early, so you should be careful when relying on it for a timed cast like bandage or applying poisons, or even waiting to go out of combat to re-stealth.
Evasion
The Rogue’s dodge chance will increase by 50% for 15 sec.
This is the Rogue’s foremost defense against other Rogues and warriors, with an interesting exception. Warriors have an ability called overpower that allows them a guaranteed hit when their opponent dodges. Some have a talent for overpower that increases its critical rate by 50%. What this means is, against warriors dodge may make it easier for them to beat you. Some say that it’s better to use evasion and only get hit by overpower. It’s extremely situational as to whether this ability should be used against a warrior. Against a Rogue however, it’s an extremely good defense if you are at a disadvantage. Against enhancement specced shaman and paladins this ability is a relatively good form of mitigation, although both are capable of keeping you busy until the effect wears off.
Sprint
Increases the Rogue’s movement speed by 70% for 15 seconds. Does not break stealth.
This move does not necessarily see its only use in combat. Sprint can be handy whenever you need a burst of speed. From just running from place to place to jumping across gaps, when you need a speed boost spring does the trick. Its uses in combat are many, as the Rogue has no other real way to close distance fast the way warriors do, and obviously ranged classes are in no desire to be in melee proximity. Be warned, when you have a slowing affect debuff it will slow your sprint speed too, so you may be better off waiting it out.
Vanish
Allows the Rogue to vanish from sight, entering an improved stealth mode for 10 sec. Also breaks movement impairing effects.
One of the Rogue’s signature abilities, this move allows the Rogue to re-enter stealth while in combat. Once vanish is used the Rogue is in an improved stealth for 10 seconds, which makes it harder than normal for enemies to see the Rogue than in normal stealth. This ability will also protect the Rogue against incoming spells, if done fast enough. The major weakness of the vanish ability is the susceptibility to DOT effects, as any damage done while in stealth will bring the Rogue out. For PVP purposes, vanishing effectively removes the Rogue from combat, allowing him to use another opener against his opponent. A Rogue specced for the preparation ability is capable of using an opener against his opponent 3 times in one fight. The first opener from stealth, to start the fight, the second after their first vanish, and the third from using preparation and vanishing again. It is for this reason that a preparation Rogue played properly is capable of beating any class one on one. Of course, one on one encounters can be somewhat rare on a populated server. In PVE this ability is supposed to remove you from combat temporarily, clearing all of the Rogue’s threat. However, at the moment the ability does not remove the Rogue from combat in raid instances. It is unknown whether this is a bug or intended.
Related Topics:
- The Rogue in PVE Combat
- Rogue Profession Choices
- Wrath of the Lich King: Utgarde Keep
- SWORD BUILDS
- Vashna’s Guide to Rogue PvP- Second Guide