Updated for 4.3
Combat rogues are a tried and true solution for massive DPS, traditionally being at the top, or near the top, of melee DPS meters. These days Rogues fall behind some other classes in melee DPS, depending on the patch, but can still pump out solid damage in raids and cause massive complaining from other classes in PvP. With patch 4.3 Combat is looking pretty good again.
Note: Some aspects of this guide may not apply to your Rogue until higher level. If you need to get your character to max level quickly, take a look at this leveling guide, now.
4.3 Patch Notes for the Combat Rogue
- Wound Poison now reduces the target’s healing received by 25%, up from 10%.
- Tricks of the Trade has a new sound effect.
- Bug Fixes: Main Gauche should no longer break effects such as Gouge.
- Tank threat has been improved, so pulling aggro off the tank should be harder.
Weapons: Generally you want a slow main hand (MH) and a fast off-hand (OH). The MH weapons should have the highest DPS possible, which usually means the slowest weapon. For the OH speed rules over DPS. If you have two OH weapons and one is a bit faster with a bit lower DPS pick it anyway. The reason is for the energy procs from Combat Potency.
Combat does not requires any specific weapon type, other than “one handed.” Daggers, axes, swords, whatever all work fine.
When you pick the Combat spec you will be locked into the spec until you spend 31 points, afterwhich you can move out. You special abilities are:
- Blade Flurry is your level 10 special ability. Your attacks strike a nearby opponent. This ability does not increase your attack against single opponents.
- Dual Weild Specialization – gives extra damage to your off-hand and thrown weapons
- Vitality increases your Energy regeneration rate and your Attack Power
- Mastery: Main Gauche – (A main guache is the off-hand weapon used by fencers, usually a form of dagger) This gives your offhand weapon a chance for extra strikes, based off your main-hand weapon attacks. Indirectly this makes your Mastery ability an energy regeneration ability, since the off-hand strikes will proc the Combat Potency talent.
Combat Raid and Dungeon DPS build
Glyphs come in three varieties, Prime, Major and Minor. Prime glyphs enhance core aspects of your class and generally provide the greatest benefit of the three types.
Major Glyphs, while not quite as powerful as Prime Glyphs, are still useful and continue to provide a myriad of benefits.
Minor Glyphs often times provide small quality of life improvements or visual changes, such as the Glyph of Shadow Form for priests which makes the character more visible through Shadow Form. However, a few are known to provide more significant benefits such as the warrior glyph of Berserker Rage.
Prime Glyphs:
Major Glyphs:
Minor Glyphs
- Glyph of Blurred Speed – Enables you to walk on water while your Sprint ability is active.
- Glyph of Distract – Increases the range of your Distract ability by 5 yards.
- Glyph of Poisons – You apply poisons to your weapons 50% faster.
Here are your highest priority abilities.
Throughout a fight you’ll want to keep Slice and Dice going for the increased white damage, which will make up a large portion of your overall damage output. Additionally, Rupture is only a damage increase if you’re teaming with a feral druid who will provide the Mangle debuff on the target, increasing the damage of bleed effects.
When using Sinister Strike, if your combo points jump from 3 to 5 by virtue of the glyph that grants a chance to obtain 2 combo points from a sinister strike, use eviscerate and skip revealing strike.
Otherwise, use Sinister Strike to 4 Combo Points before using Revealing Strike, and then Eviscerate.
AoE Rotation
In multi-target fights you have both Blade Flurry and Fan of Knives. Blade Flurry should be used for smaller groups of 2-3 mobs, or even in larger groups if more focused DPS is necessary as opposed to attacking all the mobs at once.
Otherwise, Fan of Knives should be used against very large groups such as 6-7+ mobs.
Cooldowns
Adrenaline Rush and Killing Spree should always be used separately, otherwise you’re wasting potential DPS. Attack abilities are inactive while killing spree is being used, thus wasting the extra energy regeneration provided by Adrenaline Rush.
Additionally, Killing Spree will allow you to recoup energy while the ability is used as, again, you can’t use your special attacks while in Killing Spree, and therefore you should wait to use this ability until low on energy.
Redirect should be used when possible to transfer otherwise wasted combo points when switching targets.
Stats
Wpn DPS > Agility > 8% Melee Hit > 26 Expertise > Haste > Hit over 8% > Mastery > Hit > 17% Critical
- Agility increases attack power and critical chance. This is your primary damage increasing stat and is, by far, the most important of all your stats.
- Hit rating of 8% makes it so that your special abilities (eg: Sinister Srike) will no longer miss on bosses, thereby avoiding loss of DPS. Hit rating to 17% makes sure that Spell Damage (poisons) hits, hit rating over 17% is for your melee damage (white damage.)
- Expertise reduces the chance for an enemy to dodge or parry your attacks. At an expertise rating of 26, the ‘soft’ cap, your attacks will no longer be dodged when behind your target.
- Haste increases attack speed and energy regeneration.
- Mastery – Main Gauche: increases the chance of your main-hand attacks granting an additional instant attack that deals 100% main-hand damage. As it turns out, this is a weak stat for Combat Rogues.
Reforging
When reforging gear, it’s important that you look to reforge from your least effective stat into the most effective for whatever gear goal you are currently aiming for. See our stat priority list for more information. Your most important stats are:
- 8% Melee Hit > 26 Expertise > Haste
Your #1 priority is to get to the Hit cap (of 8%,) then to 26 Expertise, then everything else goes into Haste. This means that Crit, Mastery, and excess Hit (over 8%) will be reforged into better stats.
Start with Crit: if an item has Crit, then Reforge to Hit if you’re under 8%. If you’re at 8% then reforge to Expertise until you’re at 26. Otherwise reforge to Haste.
Next, do the same with Mastery.
Gems
Unless a socket bonus offers a nice agility bonus it’s more effective to gem for pure agility and ignore the bonus. In most cases you will be socketing all Red Agility gems and ignoring all socket bonuses.
It’s not a big DPS loss not to socket the epic +50 Agility gems (taking the +40 gems, instead.) You will save a lot of gold by doing so. If you’re rich enough, then go for it.
- Red –
- Delicate Queen’s Garnet – +50 Agility
- Delicate Inferno Ruby = +40 Ag.
- Meta – Agile Shadowspirit Diamond
- Yellow – Deft Ember Topaz
- Blue – Glinting Demonseye
Enchantments
- Helm: Arcanum of Ramkahen
- Shoulders: Greater Inscription of Shattered Crystal
- Cloak: Enchant Cloak – Major Agility – Enchant Cloak – Greater Critical Strike
- Chest: Enchant Chest – Peerless Stats
- Bracers: Enchant Bracer – Agility
- Gloves: Enchant Gloves – Greater Mastery
- Belt: Ebonsteel Belt Buckle
- Leggings: Dragonscale Leg Armor
- Boots: Enchant Boots – Major Agility
- Main Hand:
- Enchant Weapon – Landslide
- Enchant Weapon – Hurricane – Sometimes proc for +450 Haste
- Off-Hand:
- Enchant Weapon – Landslide
- Enchant Weapon – Hurricane – Sometimes proc for +450 Haste
Master the Raid! Detailed Walkthroughs For Every Raid (incl. 4,3 raids,) Complete Class Guides, Consumables, Enchants & Glyph Guide, Extra Bonus Guides. Click here to get started!
Our guides for whichever class you’re playing:
Death Knights – Druid – Hunter – Mage – Paladin
Priest – Rogue – Shaman – Warlock – Warrior
The GotWarcraft Gold Guide
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