General Information
On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Assassination Rogue in World of Warcraft — Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.2. We also have default talent lists for various types of content, such as raiding or Mythic+. If you play with Warmode on, we have your PvP talents covered as well.
Pages in this Guide
1Introduction2Easy Mode3Spell Summary4Builds and Talents5Azerite Traits and Armor6Essences7Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities8Mythic+ Tips9Crucible of Storms as Assassination Rogue10Battle of Dazar'alor as Assassination Rogue11Uldir as Assassination Rogue12Stat Priority13Gems, Enchants, and Consumables14Macros and Addons15Gear and Best in Slot16Simulations17How to Improve18Frequently Asked Questions
1. Talent Choices for Assassination Rogue
Level | Choices | ||
---|---|---|---|
15 | ✓Master Poisoner | ✓Elaborate Planning | ✓Blindside |
30 | ✗Nightstalker | ✓Subterfuge | ?Master Assassin |
45 | ✓Vigor | ✓Deeper Stratagem | ?Marked for Death |
60 | ?Leeching Poison | ✓Cheat Death | ?Elusiveness |
75 | ✗Internal Bleeding | ?Iron Wire | ✓Prey on the Weak |
90 | ?Venom Rush | ✓Toxic Blade | ?Exsanguinate |
100 | ✓Poison Bomb | ?Hidden Blades | ?Crimson Tempest |
Talents can be freely changed when out of combat and in a rested XP area(such as an inn or a capital city). Moreover, Tome of the Tranquil Mind and Codex of the Tranquil Mind can be used to temporarily allow players to change talents anywhere, as long as they are out of combat.
2. Talent Cheat Sheets for Assassination Rogue
Wow Assassination Rogue Pvp Guide 8.0
2.1. Poison Build
The build is the standard choice for most encounters, focusing on dealinghigh and sustained single target damage.
- Level 15: Elaborate Planning
- Level 30: Subterfuge
- Level 45: Vigor
- Level 60: Cheat Death
- Level 75: Prey on the Weak
- Level 90: Toxic Blade
- Level 100: Poison Bomb
3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Assassination Rogue
✔Master Poisoner | ✔Elaborate Planning | ✔Blindside |
- Master Poisoner increases your poisons' damage by 30% and theirnon-damaging effects by 20% (does not affect Poison Bomb orEnvenom).
- Elaborate Planning grants 10% damage for 4 seconds afterusing a finishing move.
- Blindside is an active ability that can only be used againsttargets that have 30% or less health. It costs 30 Energy and deals Physicaldamage. Using Mutilate has a 25% chance to make your next Blindsidefree of cost and usable regardless of target health.
Master Poisoner is the simplest choice, and able to compete fortop spot in some builds.
Elaborate Planning can be useful on AoE, as you get much higheruptime on it due to the increased frequency of finishers.
Blindside is a fun talent, but not very good for performance. Thistalent competes with Mutilate and does not synergize with Azeritetraits that would be used.
4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Assassination Rogue
✘Nightstalker | ✔Subterfuge | ?Master Assassin |
Tier 2 talents improve your Stealth functionality.
- Nightstalker increases movement speed by 20% and damage by 50%while Stealth is active.
- Subterfuge allows abilities requiring Stealth to be used foran additional 3 seconds after Stealth breaks. Garrote also hasno cooldown when used from Stealth and deals 100% additional damage whileSubterfuge or Stealth is active.
- Master Assassin grants you 50% increased Critical Strike chancefor 3 seconds after breaking stealth.
Nightstalker falls behind Subterfuge in damage.
Subterfuge is the best option for virtually all situations. Canbe combined with Vanish to quickly multi-DoT enemies withGarrote.
Master Assassin is great for AoE damage potential, and results inhigher burst potential than Subterfuge.
5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Assassination Rogue
✔Vigor | ✔Deeper Stratagem | ?Marked for Death |
- Vigor increases your maximum Energy by 50 and your Energyregeneration by 10%.
- Deeper Stratagem increases your maximum Combo Points to 6,allows finishing moves to consume 6 Combo Points, and increases the damage offinishing moves by 5%.
- Marked for Death marks a target and instantly generates 5 ComboPoints. The cooldown is reset if the marked target dies.
Vigor is the best choice when using a default build and offersgreat ease and flexibility of play.
Deeper Stratagem can be very useful in sustained many targetsAoE, as it reduces the waste of Combo Points, and makes each cast moreefficient.
Marked for Death is useful for fights with a large number ofshort-lived adds, as it allows you to quickly get resets. It is also fairlyuseful if you need a bit more of very quick burst.
6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Assassination Rogue
?Leeching Poison | ✔Cheat Death | ?Elusiveness |
Tier 4 talents improve your personal survivability.
- Leeching Poison improves your Deadly Poison andWound Poison, causing them to also grant 10% leech to yourdamage.
- Cheat Death causes fatal damage to instead reduce you to 7% ofyour maximum health and grant 85% reduced damage taken for 3 seconds. CheatDeath cannot save you from damage greater than double your maximum health. Ithas a 6-minute cooldown.
- Elusiveness causes Feint to also grant 30% reduceddamage taken from all sources.
Leeching Poison is great for daily content or leveling up, thoughit is not used at all in dungeons or raids (you can useLeeching Poison and Crippling Poison at the same timenow).
Cheat Death is the default choice for most encounters. The extrasafety net will often be invaluable and can even be used to soak certainmechanics.
Elusiveness is situational, however it can offer unparalleleddamage reduction on the right encounters. However, Feint has acooldown, and thus cannot simply be spammed for constant damage reduction.
7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Assassination Rogue
✘Internal Bleeding | ?Iron Wire | ✔Prey on the Weak |
Tier 5 talents improve your crowd control utility.
- Internal Bleeding causes your Kidney Shot toalso apply a bleed to target.
- Iron Wire increases the duration of Garrote'ssilence effect, and causes enemies silenced by it to deal 15% reduced damagefor 8 seconds.
- Prey on the Weak causes enemies disabled by Cheap Shot,Dismantle, or Kidney Shot to take 10% increased damagefrom all sources for 6 seconds.
Nero 11 free download for windows 7 full version with key free. Internal Bleeding is fairly weak, as it gets outperformed byPrey on the Weak when it comes to damage in group content.
Iron Wire is very situational, but can be helpful in reducingthe tank's damage taken when fighting mobs that can be silenced.
Prey on the Weak is the best choice if your raid needs toincapacitate and eliminate a priority add quickly.
8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Assassination Rogue
?Venom Rush | ✔Toxic Blade | ?Exsanguinate |
Tier 6 talents alter your playstyle significantly.
- Venom Rush causes Mutilate to refunds 5 Energy whenused against a poisoned target.
- Toxic Blade stabs the enemy, dealing heavy Nature damage andincreasing the damage your poisons do against the target by 30% for 9 seconds.Generates 1 Combo Point.
- Exsanguinate causes your bleed effects to bleed out 100% fasterwhen activated.
Venom Rush greatly loses its effectiveness if you are fightingmore than one enemy. Furthermore, it has a negative synergy withBlindside, as you do not use Mutilate when Blindside isavailable.
Toxic Blade is the go to choice, due to increasing all poisondamage (it affects Poison Bomb and Envenom), andgenerally providing consistent damage, letting you get at least two Envenomsinto each window.
Exsanguinate results in slightly higher burst thanToxic Blade, and helps with Energy regeneration. It is useful ifthere are priority adds that need to die quickly.
9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Assassination Rogue
✔Poison Bomb | ?Hidden Blades | ?Crimson Tempest |
Tier 7 talents offer some additional damage utility.
- Poison Bomb causes your Envenom andRupture have a 4% chance per Combo Point spent to smash a vial ofpoison at the target's location, creating a pool of acidic death that dealsNature damage over 2 seconds to all enemies within it.
- Hidden Blades increases the damage for your nextFan of Knives by 20%, every 2 seconds, stacking up to 20 times.
- Crimson Tempest is a finishing move that slashes at all enemieswithin 10 yards, dealing instant damage and causing victims to bleed foradditional damage; bleed duration scales with the number of Combo Pointsused.
Poison Bomb is the best choice in on single target, and easieston AoE, as long as enemies are stacked together.
Hidden Blades has good synergy with Nightstalkerwhen it comes to reliable AoE burst. Due to taking 40 seconds to get maximumstacks, it does not perform as well in long-term sustained AoE.
Crimson Tempest is good in spread out sustained AoE (given thatPoison Bomb will not hit all the targets), but it does not procVenomous Wounds.
10. PvP Talents (War Mode)
In Battle for Azeroth, 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 isrecommended to enable the feature to maximize your leveling and rewards atmaximum level. However, you will make yourself available for open world PvP,and the possibility to be 'ganked' while leveling or doing World Questsexists.
10.1. Assassination Rogue War Mode Talents
In this section we will rank the PvP talents best for leveling and doingsolo / small group PvE content. Below is a ranking of both General PvP Talentsand Assassination Rogue-specific PvE talents.
10.1.1. General PvP Talents
- Adaptation is likely your most passive choice since it willautomatically remove loss of control effects over 5 seconds. It is recommendedfor leveling to take this PvP talent.
- Gladiator's Medallion is an on-use ability that removes allmovement impairing effects and all loss of control effects.
- Relentless is also a passive ability but it does notautomatically remove crowd control abilities, but instead reduces theduration.
10.1.2. Assassination Rogue PvP Talents
- System Shock deals nature damage and slows enemy's movementspeed by 90% for 2 seconds, when you use Envenom on targetsafflicted with your Garrote, Rupture, and Lethal Poison. It is fairly good as it is a passive damage gain, and can be useful if youneed to run away, without having other crowd-control options available.
- Creeping Venom adds a 4-second Nature damage DoT toEnvenom casts, the duration of which is refreshed when the targetmoves. It is another good talent, as it also passively boosts damage, and canbe easily refreshed by simply side stepping.
- Flying Daggers causes Fan of Knives to have 50%greater radius and damage, when it hits 3 or more enemies. This can be veryeffective when combined with Fan of Knives andNightstalker, as it greatly increases your burst capabilities.
11. Changelog
- 24 Jun. 2019: This page has been reviewed for the release of Patch 8.2 and no changes are necessary.
- 21 Jan. 2019: Minor changes for Season 2.
- 10 Dec. 2018: This page has been reviewed for Patch 8.1 and no changes are necessary.
- 13 Aug. 2018: Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
- 29 Jul. 2018: Fixed a typo.
- 22 Jul. 2018: Split talents based on gear build (T21 4p vs T21 4p, T20 2p).
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Pages in this Guide
1Introduction2Easy Mode3Spell Summary4Builds and Talents5Azerite Traits and Armor6Essences7Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities8Mythic+ Tips9Crucible of Storms as Assassination Rogue10Battle of Dazar'alor as Assassination Rogue11Uldir as Assassination Rogue12Stat Priority13Gems, Enchants, and Consumables14Macros and Addons15Gear and Best in Slot16Simulations17How to Improve18Frequently Asked Questions
More Rogue Guides
Guides from Other Classes
Raid Guides
BfA Guides
Patch 8.2 Profession Changes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This guide has been reviewed and approved by Gray_Hound,a Rogue theorycrafter who raids in StrawberryPuppy Kisses. You can find him on Twitch and Twitter.
VISIT FORUMS
General InformationThis guide will walk you through everything you need to know to play in a PvP environment. The guide will cover everything fromtalent choices, PvP talents, gameplay and rotation, and useful racial bonuses. Itis most applicable to Arena content, but most talents and racial bonuses willwork in Rated Battlegrounds and skirmishes.
PvP Rogue Guides
1Subtlety Rogue PvP Guide2Assassination Rogue PvP Guide3Outlaw Rogue PvP Guide
1. Spec Overview / Place in the Current Meta for Assassination Rogues
Assassination Rogues have the strongest consistent damage out of all threeRogue specializations. With an emphasis on poisons and using them forsustained damage, they are a threat to all classes. This strong sustaineddamage in combination with stuns, Blind, and countless other forms ofcrowd control means the Assassination Rogue has some of the best control a speccan have.
1.1. Strengths of Assassination Rogues
- Great control
- Decent mobility
- Strong burst damage
1.2. Weaknesses of Assassination Rogues
- Weak to teams with two melee on it
- Predictable burst damage
- Very few defensive cooldowns
The stat priority for Assassination Rogues in PvP is as follows:
- Agility;
- Haste;
- Mastery;
- Critical Strike;
- Versatility.
Agility is the best stat in all situations. Haste is the strongest secondarystat at all times due to it reducing the Global Cooldown on abilities andincreasing your attack speed.
2. Azerite Essences for Assassination Rogues
Essences allow players to customize their characters while adding a new abilityto use. This section will cover the best overall Azerite Essences forAssassination Rogues in PvP. For a general guide to all the essences, as well ashow to obtain them and increase their ranks, check out ourEssence Guide.
2.1. Major Essences
Memory of Lucid Dreams increases your Energy regeneration by 100% for 12seconds. This is by far the best Major Essence you can have as an AssassinationRogue. More Energy regeneration results in being able to use moreMutilates and this will allow you generate Combo Points quicker whilethis is active.
Concentrated Flame gives you a Major Power that blasts the target fordamage. Each time you use this ability, it increases the damage dealt by 100%and stacks up to 2 times. If you do not have Memory of Lucid Dreams, this is asolid Essence that deals good single target damage.
2.2. Minor Essences
In addition to having a Major Essence, you can choose two Minor Essences toplace in your neck at Heart of Azeroth Levels 55 and 65.
Vision of Perfection reduces the cooldown of Vendetta.This is a good choice because most players will line up theirGladiator's Medallion with your Vendetta (both have 2 minute cooldowns).This trait gives you a small window to use your burst cooldowns on a player thatwill not have a trinket.
Conflict and Strife grants a very powerful Versatility Minor Power.Not only do your spells have a chance to give you Versatility, but any loss ofcontrol to your character does too. This means that, if teams stun you and try toswap to you, you have additional Versatility and take less damage.
3. Azerite Traits for Assassination Rogues
Azerite traits are unlocked in you helm, shoulders and chest. With eachAzerite level in your neck, you get closer to unlocking the center trait inyour gear. These traits vary from increasing damage of certainabilities to helping increase your survivability. Depending on what traits youuse, it can completely alter your playstyle and what talents you should beusing.
3.1. Outer Rings
Below are the best Outer Ring traits.
Assassination Rogues do not depend on one single trait to increase theirdamage. Instead, they want a mix of the above traits.It is crucial to have Shrouded Suffocation in at least one piece ofAzerite gear. This gives you an additional Combo Point and Garrote willdeal additional damage when used from Stealth.Scent of Blood, Twist the Knife, andDouble Dose all increase your overall single target damage.Nothing Personal significantly increases your burst damage.
3.2. Middle Ring
Below are the best Middle Ring traits.
The Middle and Inner rings are important for additional damage.Elemental Whirl, Overwhelming Power, andEarthlink give an increase to your stats. These are minor statboosts, but still increase your damage. Heed My Call will helpincrease your single target pressure.
3.3. Inner Ring
Below are the best Inner Ring traits.
All of these traits give you additional ways of surviving. These are allpassive, but are crucial to have.
4. Gear Recommendations
4.1. General Guidelines
In general, Assassination Rogues want to get trinkets that line up well withVendetta. These trinkets can have a passive or on-use effect. Thestat you want to be increasing is Agility. The reason you want to increaseAgility is because it drastically increases your overall damage output.
To be successful in 3v3 arena, you need to have at least 2 pieces of gearwith either Scent of Blood or Shrouded Suffocation.You will also want either Heed My Call orOverwhelming Power in the second tier.
Below, we list the items that have these traits.
4.1.1. Helms
- Crown of A'akul's Dark Reign;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Hood;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Hood;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Skullguard;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Skullguard;
- Hood of the Slithering Loa;
- Cowl of Righteous Resolve.
4.1.2. Shoulders
- Phantom Stalker Shoulders;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Shoulderguards;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Shoulderguards;
- Gilded-Wing Shoulderguards;
- Dire-Tooth Spaulders;
- Gold-Tasseled Epaulets.
4.1.3. Chest
- Grongpelt Vest;
- Mekkatorque's Bomber Jacket;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Vest;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Vest;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Jerkin;
- Notorious Gladiator's Leather Jerkin;
- Venture Co. Plenipotentiary Vest;
- Gore-Splattered Vest.
4.2. Recommended Items
Notorious Gladiator's Maledict is absolutely the best trinket you canhave. The on-use damage and healing absorption is capable of forcing defensivesby itself. This can be used by itself or while you are using your burst rotationto force multiple cooldowns out of enemy teams.
Notorious Gladiator's Safeguard is a mandatory trinket if you think theenemy team can swap to you and kill you. This provides an additional defensivefor when you drop to low health. If you do not think a team will swap to you andkill you, you can use replace this one with any of the trinkets below.
Notorious Gladiator's Badge is strong for the versatility and the on-useAgility effect. The 2-minute cooldown lines up well with Vendetta.
Notorious Gladiator's Insignia has a good amount of Versatility on it andhas a passive effect. This effect increases your Agility. This increases yoursustained damage.
Darkmoon Deck: Fathoms is not an item you get from PvP. Instead,you will have to look at the auction house or find an someone with theInscription profession. This trinket also gives a passive effect. You cannotcontrol the proc, but the damage this trinket can do is substantial. You willquickly notice a large increase to your overall damage.
Notorious Gladiator's Medallion is good because of the on-use Versatilityeffect. This increases your overall damage and lines up well with your burstcooldowns.
4.3. Weapon Enchant
Enchant Weapon - Quick Navigation andEnchant Weapon - Masterful Navigation are the best weapon enchants. You willbe duel wielding weapons and having one of each of these enchants on yourweapons. These enchants give you a strong Haste and Mastery buffthat can be crucial in multiple ways. Both of these procs increase yourdamage output and are great if you can line it up with your burst.
5. Regular Talents for Assassination Rogues
Level | Choices | ||
---|---|---|---|
15 | ✔Master Poisoner | ✘Elaborate Planning | ✘Blindside |
30 | ✘Nightstalker | ✔Subterfuge | ✘Master Assassin |
45 | ✘Vigor | ✘Deeper Stratagem | ✔Marked for Death |
60 | ✘Leeching Poison | ✘Cheat Death | ✔Elusiveness |
75 | ✔Internal Bleeding | ✘Iron Wire | ✘Prey on the Weak |
90 | ✘Venom Rush | ✔Toxic Blade | ✘Exsanguinate |
100 | ✔Poison Bomb | ✘Hidden Blades | ✘Crimson Tempest |
While the above table provides a generally accurate overview of theviability of talents, some finer points are discussed in the sections thatfollow, and we recommend you read those for a deeper understanding.
5.1. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents
Master Poisoner is the best choice in this tier. As most of yourdamaage comes from your poisons, this talent greatly increases your overalldamage output.
5.2. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents
Subterfuge is the best choice in this tier. This talent gives youmore control when you leave Stealth. You can use multipleCheap Shots or Garrotes on enemy teams. Garrote willnot have a cooldown and an 80% increase in damage.
5.3. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents
Marked for Death is the best choice in this tier. This is a veryversatile talent and crucial for your utility. This talent can be used inmultiple situations. For example, you can use Marked for Death for an instantKidney Shot on an enemy. If you want to be even more aggressive with it,you can use it on an Envenom.
5.4. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents
Elusiveness is an all-around solid choice, and the best talent inthis tier. Just make sure to use Feint before you think you are aboutto get stunned or when the enemy team uses their burst cooldowns.
5.5. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents
Internal Bleeding is the best choice in this tier. This gives youan additional Bleed and makes Kidney Shot a very crucial stun to use onyour main target.
5.6. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents
Toxic Blade is the best choice in this tier. This increases youroverall sustained damage dramatically and is very strong when using offensivecooldowns.
5.7. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents
Poison Bomb is the best choice in this tier. Although you cannotcontrol the proc from this talent, you will be using Envenom andRupture often and will see it often. This is a solid talent to increaseyour sustained and burst damage.
6. PvP Talents for Assassination Rogues
You can choose 3 of the following PvP talents. Each ofthem has their uses, but some are better for certain strategies than others.The top three choices are the most useful, but can be replaced with other PvPtalents, depending on your team's goal.
Smoke Bomb creates a cloud around you. Enemy players who are outsidethe cloud will not be able to target anyone inside of it. This talent ismandatory for multiple reasons. The first is to land a kill while your targetis stunned without a trinket. The enemy healer will not be able to heal and youwill easily secure a kill while Smoke Bomb is active. The second is to stopincoming spells. This is not done often, but you can use Smoke Bomb on yourhealer to prevent enemies from crowd controlling them. It all depends on thesituation, which is why this PvP talent is so good.
System Shock reduces the enemy's movement speed by 90% when you usean Envenom with 5 Combo Points on a target with Garrote,Rupture, or any lethal poisons. This is great for keeping a mobiletarget from kiting your damage or to peel for teammates that are introuble. This is also a good choice to play when your main target is the enemyhealer.
Maneuverability makes Sprint suppress allmovement-impairing effects for 4 seconds when used. This is a great talentversus teams with multiple slows. You should take this versus classes likeMages and Death Knights. You can replace Honor Among Thieves with thisPvP talent.
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Mind-Numbing Poison causes your Deadly Poison andWound Poison to also apply Mind Numbing Poison. This will cause theenemy to take damage every time they cast a spell. This should be taken whenyour primary target is a caster. You should replace Maneuverabilitywith this PvP talent.
Creeping Venom makes your Envenom applyCreeping Venom, dealing Nature damage over 4 seconds. Creeping Venom'sduration is refreshed when the target moves. This is a great talent versusclasses that have high mobility. Feral Druids, Monks, Rogues, and Hunters areexamples of classes you should take this talent against. You can replaceManeuverability with this PvP talent.
7. Racial Bonuses
Racial bonuses can provide interesting PvP benefits. Here are the bestraces to choose for each faction.
7.1. Horde
The passive Orc racial bonus (Hardiness) is also great if you findyourself being stunned a lot and having a hard time against melee classes.
7.2. Alliance
The Human racial bonus (Every Man for Himself) is a great way to getout of stuns. This helps with survivability and when kiting away fromplayers.
The Dark Iron Dwarf racial bonus (Fireblood) is a great defensiveand can also increase your burst damage. You also have a passive physicaldamage reduction in the form of Forged in Flames.
8. Playstyle for Assassination Rogues
The Assassination Rogue has two roles in PvP: shutting down casters/healerswith relentless mobility and crowd control and having strong sustained damageoutside of burst cooldowns. With high damage, high control and great sustaineddamage, this is one of the top PvP specs for Rogues.
To lock down healers, you will aim to push in and get crowd control on thehealer (Sap, Blind when they do not have trinket,Kidney Shot or Cheap Shot).
The ability to deal sustained damage is what makes Assassination Rogues sodeadly. They have the ability to damage an enemy down to below 50% withoutusing a single cooldown. It is at this point that they can stun you and usetheir burst rotation.
8.1. Before Gates Open
Have a plan for who you will be mainly using your crowd control on. Roguecrowd control is powerful, but dealing any damage to the target and will breakand waste it. Also, remember to enter Stealth and apply yourWound Poison and Crippling Poison.
8.2. Offensive Rotation
8.2.1. The Opener
The opener refers to your team's opening crowd control chain and damage doneas soon as you get out of the gates. The main goal in the opener is to forceyour enemies to use their cooldowns.
If the enemy healer uses their trinket in the opener, they are in trouble.Blind is one of the most devastating crowd control abilities in thegame, with very few ways of getting out of it without having a trinket. SaveBlind for when the enemy healer does not have their trinket. You canfollow this up with a Vanish to Sap the enemy healer.
If an enemy DPS uses their trinket, you can crowd control the healer andstun the DPS without a trinket. This means they can be burst down in a stun andpossibly killed.
When opening, always try to Sap the enemy DPS player who is tryingto bring you out of Stealth,then Sap the healer. Then, use yourburst rotation. After you are done with yourburst rotation, perform your sustained damage rotation until your burstabilities are available again.
This is the rotation you should use on your target at the beginning of thegame. This opener stuns your target and applies your bleeds.
- Use Marked for Death.
- Use Garrote.
- Use Mutilate if you do not have 5 Combo Points.
- Use Cheap Shot.
- Use Rupture.
- Use Mutilate until you have 5 Combo Points.
- Use Envenom.
After this the rotation is a priority list of things you should be doing.Make sure you are maintaining your Rupture and Garrote onyour main target. Use Mutilate to generate Combo Points for theseabilities. If your main target has these Bleeds already and they can be stunned,use your Toxic Blade and Kidney Shot your main target. You canthen generate Combo Points to use Envenom.
8.2.2. Burst Damage
When you have the enemy healer in crowd control and you are trying to killan enemy, you use your burst damage.
- Use Garrote.
- Use Mutilate until you have 5 Combo Points.
- Use Rupture.
- Use Mutilate until you have 5 Combo Points.
- Use Memory of Lucid Dreams.
- Use Kidney Shot. This will apply Internal Bleeding.
- Use Vendetta.
- Use Toxic Blade (if you have taken this talent).
- Use Mutilate until you have 5 Combo Points.
- Use Envenom.
- Use Marked for Death.
- Use Envenom.
- Use Garrote.
Important note: If you are using Cheap Shot instead ofKidney Shot while using your burst cooldowns, you can useMarked for Death for a Kidney Shot on the healer for additional crowdcontrol. This is the versatility of Marked for Death. It can be used aggressivelyon a second Envenom or you can use it for additional crowd control.
8.2.3. Sustained damage
Sustained damage is damage you do when your burst cooldowns are notavailable.
- Use Mutilate to generate Combo Points.
- Maintain your Rupture on multiple enemies. If you cannot keep iton multiple enemies, at least keep it on your main target.
- Maintain your Garrote on multiple enemies. If you cannot keep iton multiple enemies, at least keep it on your main target.
- Use Envenom at 5+ Combo Points when you do not have to refreshRupture.
- Use Toxic Blade right before you put your target in a fullKidney Shot. This will deal a large amount of damage and might makethe enemy player panic and use defensive cooldowns.
- If the enemy team has pets nearby or is stacked, use Fan of Knives togenerate Combo Points quickly.
- Use Poisoned Knife if your target is far away or to apply yourpoisons to a target that you cannot reach.
8.3. Defensive Techniques
Cloak of Shadows is a strong defensive cooldown when playing againstcasters. Use this when in trouble against caster teams and run to your healeror re-enter Stealth.
Evasion is a strong defensive when playing against melee. This grantsyou 100% Dodge chance. Use this when the enemy team has melee and is focusing you.
Vanish is a very versatile ability. You can use this offensively, touse Cheap Shots and Garrotes on enemies, or defensively. If you are overextendedor need to get away quickly, use Vanish to get away from the enemy team.
Feint (with the Elusiveness talent) grants you a flat 30%damage reduction from everything. This is a buff that should be active on youat all times. A Rogue is very weak against stuns, so having Feint up whenstunned greatly increases your chance of surviving heavy damage from the enemyteam.
Crimson Vial is the trickiest, but most useful defensive ability aRogue has. If you feel a hard swap onto you or you are about to be stunned,use Crimson Vial. Using this efficiently can enable you and your teammates tosave your other cooldowns.
9. Best Team Compositions for Assassination Rogues
Now that you have the correct talents and understand your damagerotation, it is time to step into the Arena with your team. Assassination Rogueswant to stay aggressive and get a kill on an enemy without a trinket usingKidney Shot and Vendetta.
9.1. 2v2 Arena
In 2v2 Arena you will be focusing on single target damage. Depending on whathealer you are playing with, use Cheap Shot on the enemy healer tosetup crowd control. For example, if you are playing with a Discipline Priest,you should use Cheap Shot on the enemy healer so your Priest can get closeenough to use Psychic Scream.
Here is a list of the best team compositions for 2v2:
- Assassination Rogue + Discipline Priest
- Assassination Rogue + Restoration Druid
- Assassination Rogue + Fire Mage
9.2. 3v3 Arena
Your role in 3v3 is similar to 2v2 Arena. You will likely be focusing onmaximizing your single target damage. If you are playing against a healer thatis not mobile (Discipline Priest, Holy Paladin, or Restoration Shaman), you canopen on them and try to force a trinket or major defensive. If the enemy healertrinkets, you can use Blind with your next setup. Your overall goal isto focus an enemy without a trinket. When you and your teammate have damage,use Cheap Shot on the enemy healer. After this, use Kidney Shoton your kill target and continue with your burst rotation. It is important tonote that Rogues are very easy to kill in 3v3 Arena. Make sure you aremaintaining your Feint buff and play defensively when your team doesnot have much damage.
Here is a list of the best team compositions for 3v3:
- RMP (Assassination Rogue + Fire Mage + Holy Paladin/Discipline Priest)
- RLS (Assassination Rogue + Destruction/Affliction Warlock + Restoration Shaman)
- Assassination Rogue + Retribution Paladin + Restoration Druid
10. Useful Macros for Assassination Rogues
Macros are crucial to be successful in PvP. They allow players to useabilities on enemies without having to target them. This helps increase overalldamage/healing and general awareness in the arena. Here are a few macros thatall Assassination Rogues can benefit from.
10.1. Shadowstep + Kick Focus Macro
- #showtooltip Polymorph
- /cast [target=focus] Shadowstep
- /cast [target=focus] Kick
Using this macro will use Shadowstep on your focus enemy.If you press this macro again, it will use Kick on your focus target.This makes it easier to interrupt an enemy while staying focused onyour target.
10.2. Blind Focus Macro
- #showtooltip Blind
- /cast [target=focus] Blind
Put an enemy on focus and this macro will use Blindon that player while you are still focused on your target.
10.3. Kidney Focus Macro
- #showtooltip Kidney Shot
- /cast [target=focus] Kidney Shot
Put an enemy on focus and this macro will use Kidney Shoton that player while you are still focused on your target.
10.4. Sap Focus Macro
- #showtooltip Sap
- /cast [target=focus] Sap
Put an enemy on focus and this macro will use Sapon that player while you are still focused on your target.
10.5. Stealth Macro
- #showtooltip Stealth
- /cast !stealth
This makes it so when you use Stealth it will not cancel if youclick it a second time.
11. Changelog
- 29 Jun. 2019: Updated Guide for Patch 8.2.
- Added Azerite Essence section.
- Added Major and Minor Essences sections.
- Updated Gear section.
- Updated PvP talents.
- Updated Burst rotation.
- 09 May 2019: Several changes made to the guide.
- Updated Azerite Traits.
- Updated Gear section.
- Updated Talent table.
- Updated Tier 1 regular talent.
- 14 Mar. 2019: No major changes needed for Patch 8.1.5.
- 31 Jan. 2019: Updated Gear Recommendations.
- 25 Dec. 2018: Updated guide for Patch 8.1.
- Updated Azerite traits.
- Updated Tier 3 Regular talent.
- Updated Playstyle section.
- Updated Burst damage section.
- Updated Best Team Compositions section.
- 07 Dec. 2018: Added Gear Recommendations section.
- 08 Oct. 2018: Added Azerite traits section and talent table.
- 02 Oct. 2018: Removed PvP Gear and War Mode sections.
- 02 Sep. 2018: Updated guide for Patch 8.0.1.
- Updated Introduction and spec overview.
- Added Stat priority.
- Updated tier 1, 2, 5, and 7 regular talent sections.
- Added PvP (War Mode) talents and gear sections for the new BfA system.
- Updated Racial Bonuses section.
- Updated Burst Damage and Sustained Damage sections.
- Updated Macros section.
- Removed Gear section.
- Updated Artifact Traits and Relics sections.
- 13 Jun. 2018: Added an Arena Compositions section.
- 24 Apr. 2018: Made several updates to the guide and its structure.
- Added sections for Macros, Strengths, and Weaknesses.
- Moved Gear, Artifact Traits, and Relics sections to the end, since they are not that important.
- 07 Feb. 2018: No major changes needed for Patch 7.3.5.
- 24 Dec. 2017: No major changes needed for Patch 7.3.2.
- 09 Sep. 2017: Removed Artifact Trait descriptions and changed recommended tier 6 honor talents.
- 21 Jun. 2017: Updated guide for Patch 7.2.5.
- Changed recommended talent for Tier 6 regular talents.
- Changed recommended talent for Tier 3 regular talents.
- Made adjustments to 'Burst Rotation'.
- 10 May 2017: Guide created.
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PvP Rogue Guides
1Subtlety Rogue PvP Guide2Assassination Rogue PvP Guide3Outlaw Rogue PvP Guide
Other PvP Guides
Assassination Rogue PvE Guides
BfA Guides
Patch 8.2 Profession Changes
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This guide has been written by Mysticall,a seasoned PvP player who has repeatedly achieved Arena Master and 2500 rating.You can watch his stream on Twitch, and you canalso check out his YouTubechannel.
VISIT FORUMS
There are more than just the standard Artifact Appearances in World of Warcraft: Legion, there are hidden ones. All 36 artifact weapons have a hidden appearance, and 4 total colors for that appearance. You can unlock these in many different ways, from just buying an item, to getting one from a random drop.
I'm going to go over all of the known ways to get hidden appearances so far. It is not known how to get some of the appearances, so I'll update when I find out.
You can see what each color looks like by visiting wowhead.
This guide will go over how to unlock all the hidden artifact weapon appearances in Legion including:
- Unlocking Alternate Hidden Artifact Weapon Colors - How to get each alternate color of the hidden artifact weapons.
- Death Knight - The hidden appearances for each artifact weapon and how to get them.
Unlocking Alternate Hidden Artifact Weapon Colors
Unlocking the first hidden appearance is different for each weapon, but getting the other 3 colors for it is the same for every weapon.
2nd Color
- Complete 100 dungeons using a hidden appearance
3rd Color
- Complete 200 World Quests using a hidden appearance
4th Color
- Kill 1,000 enemy players using a hidden appearance
Death Knight
Blood
- You can get this by looting the large chest at the end of 'The Collapse' Scenario in Suramar, which requires 10 Withered.
- This is also known as the Withered Training scenario.
- The chest is down the stairs 1 level, and on the other end of where enter.
- It is called Glimmering Treasure chest and you'll need 10 Withered to send it back to the entrance for you to open after the scenario is over.
Frost
You can get this by killing the Soultakers world boss when it shows up and you have at least Artifact Knowledge level 4.
Unholy
At artifact knowledge level 6 you have a small chance to spawn a special Army of the Dead when you use Army of the Dead. This will drop Professor Putricide's Lost Journal.
This leads to a special trapdoor in Icecrown Citadel to fight Stitchwork, who drops the hidden appearance.
>Demon Hunter
Havoc
- First, you need to get Candrael's Charm. This is a random drop from enemies in Suramar.
- Once you get it, go west of the Felsoul Crater areain Suramar and up a cliff until you reach Candrael Twinshadow.
- After talking to her with the charm, she kicks you to a felbat boss, Downfall.
- Defeat Downfall to get the hidden appearance.
Vengeance
- You need to upgrade your order hall to tier 2, available at level 105, and select the Twisting Nether upgrade.
- The bosses in the Twisting Nether portal have a chance to drop Bulwark of the Iron Warden, the item that unlocks the hidden appearance.
Druid
Balance
There are 2 parts you need, the first is the Seed of Solar Fire -- which you can get from the Dreamweaver Quartermaster when you reach Exalted with that faction.
The second requires Dreamweaver to be Exalted and Artifact Knowledge level 5. After that, it can drop from the first boss, Archdruid Glaidalis, in Darkheart Thicket.
Feral
Everyday you have a chance to hear screeches in the Dreamway of the Druid class hall if you have at least Artifact Knowledge level 4.
Go to where the screeches are heard, then find the Owlcat stone to click.
Once you have done this 3 different times, Ela'Lothen will spawn in the Dreamway. Type /sit while in front of him to get the appearance.
Guardian
- You can get the item that grants the appearance from a drop from Ursoc in the Emerald Nightmare raid. You can even get it in LFR mode.
Restoration
- You need to get your Order Hall to tier 2 and pick the Evergreen upgrade, which requires level 105.
- This allows you to plant seeds in 2 plots of rich soil, which you can harvest every 3 days for helpful items.
- You have a chance to get Acorn of the Endless whenever you harvest, which is the item that grants the hidden appearance.
Hunter
Beast Mastery
- You can buy the item, Designs of the Grand Architect, from Hobart Grapplehammer in Dalaran for 8,000 gold.
- He is in the Kirin Tor faction, so you can lower the price to 6,400 if you get Exalted with them.
Marksmanship
- You can buy the item, Syriel Crescentfall's Notes: Ravenguard from Veridis Fallon, the Court of Farondis quartermaster.
- You must reach Revered rep rank with the Court of Farondis faction before you can buy it.
Survival
- You can get the item that grants the appearance from a drop from Ursoc in the Emerald Nightmare raid. You can even get it in LFR mode.
Mage
Arcane
- Polymorph specific enemies in 5 different Broken Isles Zones.
- Azsuna - Cliffwing Hippogryph
- Highmountain - Highspeak Goat
- Stormheim - Plains Runehorn Calf
- Suramar - Heartwood Doe
- Val'sharah - Wild Dreamrunner
- Reach Artifact Knowledge Level 6
- Each day there is a chance to spawn a Volatile Sheep in your Class Order Hall. Right click it until it explodes.
- Find an Extremely Volatile Stormheim Sheep in Runewood, Stormheim. Right click until ti explodes.
- Head to the Tower of Azora in Elwynn Forest for a short event and to get the appearance.
Fire
- You can get the item, The Star's Design, from a random drop off Nightborne enemies in Suramar.
- Rare spawns have a higher chance of dropping it.
Frost
- Upgrade your Order Hall to tier 2 and select the Teleportation Nexus upgrade, which requires level 105.
- Whenever you teleport back to the Order Hall, you have a chance to trigger a message that tells you about a sound at the portals downstairs.
- Take any of those portals and you will be teleported to a special version of Frostfire Ridge in Draenor.
- There will be a crystal on the ground that you can loot to give you the Everburning Crystal. Use this to unlock the hidden appearance.
Monk
Brewmaster
- Upgrade your Order Hall to Tier 2 and select the Brewhouse upgrade.
- This lets you loot a Bubbling Keg once a day for an item that provides an ability bonus.
- Whenever you loot the Bubbling Keg, you have a chance to get the item, Legend of the Monkey King. This grants the hidden appearance.
Mistweaver
- You can get the item, Breath of the Undying Serpent, as a drop from the Dragons of Nightmare fight in the Emerald Nightmare raid.
Windwalker
- You can loot The Stormfist, which gives the hidden appearance, from the chest at the end of The Collapse scenario in Suramar.
Paladin
Holy
- You can get this from the item, Lost Edicts of the Watcher.
- This is a random drop from demons in Faronaar, the island to the east of Azsuna
Protection
- You can get Spark of the Fallen Exarch from the large chest at the end of The Collapse scenario in Suramar.
Retribution
This is a very long and complicated questline that involves fishing, Nat Pagle Books, killing Nefarian in Blackwing Lair and more. Full details can be seen here. You need at elast artifact knowledge level 6.
Priest
Discipline
This requires you to collect 12 items from different locations.
Eastern Kingdoms
- Scholomance - Bookshelf in Instructor Chillheart's room
- Scarlet Halls - Bench in Flameweaver Koegler's room
- Karazhan - Guardian's Library after the Curator boss
Northrend
- New Hearthglen Church in Dragonblight - On top of a bookshelf in the library.
Dalaran
- Violet Citadel - On a bookshelf near Archivist Elysiana
Order Hall
- On a table behind Juvess the Duskwhisper
- On the bottom of a bookshelf behind Meridelle Lightspark
- From a conversation with Archivist Inkforge
Broken Isles
- Stormheim - Inquisitor Ernstenbok, who is in a cave southwest of Halls of Valor.
- Val'sharah, in the Black Rook Hold Dungeon - On a table in the Map room after defeating the Amalgam of Souls boss.
- Azsuna - Chief Brittlebine, who is below decks of the ship, 'Queen's Reprisal'.
- Suramar - Artificier Lothaire, who is in Moon Guard Stronghold.
Holy
Wow Assassination Rogue Mage Tower
- You need to combine 2 items to make the Staff of the Lightborn
- Crest of the Lightborn is dropped by Hyrja in the Halls of Valor dungeon.
- You can buy the Rod of the Ascended from Valdemar Stormseeker when you reach Exalted rank with Valarjar. He is located in Valdisdall, Stormheim.
Shadow
- You can get the item for the hidden appearance as a potential drop from Il'gynoth, Heart of Corruption in the Emerald Nightmare raid on any difficulty.
Rogue
Assassination
- The Cypher of the Broken Bone can drop from rare enemy spawns in the Underbelly of Dalaran.
Outlaw
This requires artifact knowledge level 5 and two bindings drops. You can get them from Neltharion's Lair, and Vault of the Wardens.
Subtlety
- Get your Order Hall to tier 2 and pick The Vault upgrade.
- This allows you to sometimes get a Vault ticket when completing Order Hall missions.
- You can turn in the Vault ticket once a week to Marin Noggenfogger for access to the Uncrowned Vault.
- You can also get Marin Noggenfogger's Lucky Coin sometimes by pickpocketing enemies in the Broken Isles.
- There is a satchel of keys you want to pick up in the Uncrowned Vault. This gives you Key to the Palace of Lei Shen.
- Speak to Taoshi in your order hall to start the scenario. You need 1 key each time.
- While in the scenario, you want to get as many Trove Burial Keys as you can
- You can get these from chests, Skumblade Pillager, God-hulk Gulkan, and speaking to Tenwu of the Red Smoke if you reach him before time runs out.
- You have a chance of getting the item for the hidden appearance every time you open a Lei Shen Burial Trove in the rest area after completing the scenario.
Shaman
Elemental
- The Lost Codex of the Amani can drop from rare enemy spawns in the Underbelly of Dalaran.
Enhancement
- The Warmace of Shirvallah drops from aquatic world bosses in the Broken Isles.
Restoration
- Coil of the Drowned Queen can drop from bosses in the Eye of Azshara dungeon in Legion.
Warlock
Affliction
- First, get the Grimoire of the First Necrolyte, which can drop from Eredar Supplicants in Faronaar, Azsuna.
- This lets you start the quest, The Grimoire of the First Necrolyte, where you must collect 13 Skulls of the Executed.
- You can get the skulls from Rare Elite enemies in world quests, which usually take multiple people to defeat.
- Once you have 13, go to the Executioner's Altar in Deadwind Pass.
- Summon Sataiel and defeat her to get the item that unlocks the hidden appearance.
Demonology
Reach artifact knowledge level 5, then kill eredar in Azsuna. You must loot 5 junk item heads before you can finally loot the appearance item.
These are called: Damaged Eredar Head, Deformed Eredar Head, Malformed Eredar Head, Deficient Eredar Head, and Nearly Satisfactory Eredar head.
Destruction
- Get your Order Hall to tier 2, then select the Demonic Offering upgrade.
- This allows you to summon demons for you to fight.
- You can get the item needed, The Burning Jewel of Sargeras, randomly from killing the demons you summon.
Warrior
Arms
- You get this by completing the quest, Secrets of the Axes.
- There is a daily chance this will spawn in your class order hall.
Fury
- You need 3 items to create the Dragonslayers.
- Haft of the God-King is dropped from God-king Skovold in the Halls of Valor dungeon.
- Skull of Shar'thos is dropped from the Legion world boss, Shar'thos.
- Skull of Nithogg is dropped from the Legion world boss, Nithogg.
Protection
- The Burning Plate of the Worldbreaker is found in a cave called Neltharion's Vault, in Highmountain.
- It can spawn in the treasure found in the cave.
That's all of the hidden artifact weapon appearances in Legion so far. Let me know if you find any others or have any questions!