The Gotwarcraft Assassination Rogue Guide
for Cataclysm

We now return you to your regularly scheduled ataclysm Assassination Guide

• A nice dagger? - Just a few gold off the Auction House or a raid/vendor drop.
• A back to stick it in? Well, there are plently of mobs and players around.
• The right weapon and skills in the right place at the right time? Priceless

Contents:

The Assassination Rogue

This page is updated for Cataclysm 4.3

Assassination is a high burst damage. as well as somewhat high sustained DPS build, capable of matching, and probably exceeding, the combat rogue for damage output, just with a little bit more effort due to a more varied selection of attacks.

Also called a Mutilate build this spec builds combo points very quickly and, just out of stealth, will also regenerate Energy very quickly, making it a nice burst spec. Frequently after the opener and one strike you will have 5 combo points availalbe. Mobs go down very quickly and if your target is a player, well, he might just go down very quickly as well.

The only downside is a certain lack of mobility. There are no teleports, shadowsteps, charges, blinks, and sprint only lasts for a few seconds. So use those seconds, and your stealth, to properly position yourself for the kill.

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Quick Notes for the Assassination Rogue

Best Role: PvE, but capable in PvP.

Best Race:

• PvE:
  • Troll for the Berserking (and Haste,) added DPS Vs beasts works in a few PvE Encounters
  • Orc for the Blood Fury and (in PvP) the stun resistance.
  • Worgen for the Crit bonus and Sprint
• PvP:
  • Troll or Orc, as above
  • Human for the escape
  • Worgen for the Crit and Sprint

Stats:

• PvE:
  • Main Hand DPS > Agility > Hit to 17% > Mastery > Haste
  • Hit (beyond 17%) and Crit are bad
  • Reforge Crit & Expertise to Hit (to 17%) and then Mastery
• PvP:
  • Same

Weapons:

• Main Hand DPS > Agility
• Slow Main Hand dagger, fast off-hand dagger
• Instant poison on Main-hand, Deadly on off-hand and throwing

Builds & Glyphs:

• DPS
• PvP

Assassination Rotations, PvE

• Attack from stealth (if possible)
• Garrote > Slice and Dice
• Mutilate to build 5 CPs > Rupture > 5 CP > Envenom
• Keep SnD and Rupture up at all times. Cut to the Chase should be enough for SnD.
• If opponent is below 35% health, use Backstab to build CPs.

Gems: Ignore the socket bonus unless it's +20 Agility or better or you're fitting those gems anyway.

1. Red: Delicate Queen's Garnet or Delicate Inferno Ruby in all slots
2. Meta: Agile Shadowspirit Diamond
3. PvP Resilience gems
4. More gems

Enchants:

• For PvP and PvE: Agility, Attack Power, Haste - in that order
• Weapon: Landslide on both, if you can afford it.
• PvP - off-hand weapon: Pyrium Weapon Chain
• More enchants

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Remarks on Race for the Assassination Rogue:

Horde:

• Goblin
  • Increased attack speed is a small DPS increase in all situations.
  • Rocket jump is much like the Mage's "Blink," and has definite escape use in PvP and certain PvE situations. It breaks stealth, so it's not a cheap "Shadowstep."
  • Improved alchemy will help you get into those nice potions that much sooner.
• Orcs
  • Blood Fury provides a comparable DPS increase to the Landslide enchant. It's also a very good pvp ability since it's a cooldown.
  • Resistance to stuns has definite PvP use and occasional PvE use.
  • Expertise with Axes and fist weapons: If axes and/or fist weapons are the best available weapons then it still doesn't matter, since you're using daggers, though it might matter for Combat or Sub.
• Trolls
  • A decent DPS cooldown, Berserking, provides 20% attack speed (again not haste which would give you more energy regen) every 3 minutes which can be used in conjunction with every Vanish. Fire off Berserking, break stealth and attack.
  • Trolls also have reduced snare/root duration which has PvP and occasional PvE use.
  • if there ever is a boss classified as a beast, Trolls would be the clear dominate race for DPS with Beast Slaying. As it is, they'll level just a bit faster with so many beasts in the game.
• Blood Elf
  • Arcane Torrent generates some energy every 2 mins. and does an AoE silence (also interrupts non-player targets.) This gives it both PvP and PvE use.
• Forsaken
  • Their racials have no DPS use
  • Will of the Forsaken has definite PvP value and could allow you to deal some extra PvE damage by washing away applicable boss mechanics.
  • UNderwater breathing is nice in those areas with many underwater quests.

Alliance:

• Worgen -
  • the 1% add to crit rating is the best of the Alliance DPS racials and has some PvP utility.
  • The run speed special has situational PvE use and greater mobility is always nice in PvP.
• Gnome -
  • The dagger expertise (and you're using daggers, anyway) saves a few points to put somewhere else, so is a small PvE DPS increase.
  • Escape artist has definite PvP use and situational PvE use.
• Night Elf
  • A bit more Agility and a bit harder to hit both have some value.
  • Shadowmeld has some small PvP utility in that you're that much harder to detect while lurking in stealth. Great for ambushing players passing by.
  • Increased speed while stealthed has its uses.
• Human
  • No useful DPS abilities, since their Exertise doesn't apply to daggers.
  • "Every man for himself" has definite PvP use and occasional PvE use. Their perception increase, useful for finding sneaky things, is gone with 4.0.
  • Increased rep gain is nice for all that faction grinding that you'll be doing.
• Dwarf
  • No useful DPS abilities for the Mutilate Rogue, though Stoneform has PvP value and might have occasional PvE value.
  • In 4.06 the Stoneform will also decrease damage by 10%, which has many uses.

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Professions

Certain professions provide self-only buffs/enchants. Some of these are of more use than others, but none are wildly better. A few points of Crit (skinning) instead of Ag (leatherworking) won't ruin the raid, though you might be punted from the MinMax club.

Best min/max? Leatherworking and jewelcrafting.

Best for cash, but still being useful? Herbalism and mining. If you don't PvP then mining has less utility.

• Leatherworking - Draconic Embossment - Agility provides 130 Ag. Also Dragonscale Leg Armor is pretty nice.
• Jewelcrafting - Self only gems, such as Delicate Chimera's Eye, can replace the Delicate Inferno Ruby. You get three of these which gains a total of 81 net Agility, a mighty 1 more Agility than the rest of the craft professions.
• Blacksmithing - Two additional sockets (Socket Bracers and Socket Gloves,) each of which will take a Delicate Inferno Ruby, for a total of 80 more Agility.
• Alchemy - Your passive Mixology buff increases the effect of Flask of the Winds by 80 Agility. Additionally, the buff doubles the duration of your flasks. Alchemists are also able to create a Flask of Enhancement for 80 Agility.
• Enchanting - Enchanters are able to enchant their rings with Enchant Ring – Agility for a total of 80 Agility.
• Inscription - Scribes are able to put Swiftsteel Inscription for 80 more Agility than Greater Inscription of Shattered Crystal.
• Tailoring - Swordguard Embroidery procs a 15 second long buff (1000 AP) which works out to a value of about 74.5 Agility.
• Engineering - Does not have much in the way of a direct DPS boost for rogues, which doesn't mean the available items aren't fun and otherwise useful.
• Herbalism - Lifeblood provides a heal over time and which also grants you 480 haste rating for a short time, which is about 80 haste rating averaged out over a long fight. This is clearly the best gathering profession for Combat rogues.
• Skinning - Skinners gain Master of Anatomy which gives a passive 80 crit rating, again crit is the weakest stat for Combat rogues making skinning a very weak profession.
• Mining - Miners have 120 stamina from Toughness which provides no DPS gain other then additional survivability. This would seem to make ait a better PvP profession.

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Assassination Talent Builds

The Assassination build is also referred to as a Mutilate build since Mutilate becomes the bread and butter strike for this build. Once you aquire Mutilate you will be using daggers, but there are some pretty nice daggers in-game at the moment so it's good. In 4.3 Rogues can maybe get those nice legendary daggers.

It's a nice leveling (in case youre not yet level capped) and grinding build, you'll find that mobs go down very quickly. It also works well enough for PvP since it's damage heavy, but you're giving up some mobility. Where it realy shines is in PvE content, i.e. dungeons and raids.

Want to try some light-weight tanking (maybe because you keep pulling aggro from the tank?) Or just get better survivability? Make sure you take...

• Deadened Nerves for less damage
• Quickening to get more out of the heals thrown your way
• Improved Recuperate (combat) for faster regen and less damage taken
• Relentless Strikes (Subtlety) for more energy regen.
• Your openers will then become Stealth > Open > build to 5 cp > Recuperate.
• Keep in mind that you'll still be be far from a real tank and you have no threat talents, other than damage, so that mage might peel aggro right off you.

Assassination Specific Abilities

Does being the "poison using assassin" appeal to you? Then this is your specialization. It's a solid spec for raiding and is quite good for PvP, despite mobility issues.

At level 10 you pick your first talent point and then you're locked into the Assassination tree until you have spent 31 points (at level 69.) After that you can expand outward.

This spec requires daggers and is pointless without them. If you don't like daggers than go to either combat or subtlety.

1. Mutilate becomes the "bread and butter" strike at level 10 and the tree definitely awards using daggers throughout.
2. Assassin's Resolve is a sweet talent, combining a higher energy cap and extra damage when using daggers.
3. Improved Poisons increases the chance of successfully applying Instant and Deadly poisons.
4. Mastery: Potent Poisons increases poison damage, Each point of Mastery from your gear and buffs will add to the bonus poison damage of this ability.

Level 85 Assassination Rogue DPS Build (31/2/8)

This build is aimed at maximum DPS, not max suvivability. If you're taking a lot of aggro and your healers are running a bit low on mana, and/or you're taking too much aggro, then you might want to look into some of the suvivability talents, such as Deadened Nerves or Combat's Improved Recuperate.

(view this build)

Notes on talents:

• Hit: If you need the Hit then take a point out of Opportunity and drop it into Precision.
• Deadly Momentum - Has its uses when fighting a group of mobs and maintaining your SnD (and Recuperate,) but is probably a DPS loss when fighting tougher stuff since the points could be better spent elsewhere.
• Blackjack - Better in PvP. Since Sap won't work on bosses the damage mitigation is only good Vs sapped trash mobs.
• Deadened Nerves - More for PvP, but the less damage you take the less damage the healers have to heal. So the value of this depends on your group and how much damage you're taking.
• Improved Expose Armor - This effect is probably already provided by others in the group, so is redundant. Generally it's not a DPS gain. It does, however, have definite situational uses.
• Improved Ambush - Garrote is probably a better opener due to the energy regeneration characteristics of Venomous Wounds. Bleeds are also a group DPS increase depending on the exact makeup of your group.
• Improved Recuperate - More of a PvP talent, but if you're taking too much damage in PvE content then it has its uses and takes some of the load off your mana-starved healers.

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Level 85 Assassination Rogue PvP build (31/2/8)

(view this build)

Are you playing in 2s? 3s? 5s? BG PuG? BG Rated? World? Duels? Ganking players at 50% health or lowbies? Have a partner or are you a solo death machine (or doormat?) All of these will have an effect which talents are perfect for your game. Then, of course, it depends on exactly who you're fighting, his skill set, and who his partners are.

This is a more defensive build than some. Think of it as a starting point and adjust to fit your game.

Notes:

• The Improved Sprint talent (combat) might be worth picking up for the excape effect, but since it's a 2nd tier Combat talent you'll lose some of those nice Sub talents.

Leveling with Assassination

You will find an Assassination build and lots of leveling info in our Rogue leveling guide. Keep in mind that you'll be a bit energy starved until 61 or so, when you get the Venomous Wounds talent. Consider starting with Combat or Sub build until that time, only because they're a bit easier for leveling purposes.

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Stats, Numbers, Etc.

At level 77, assuming that you're leveling, you should buy the Cataclysm greens off the Auction House.

1. Main Hand DPS is your #1 "stat."
2. Agility is your #1 stat over all others. Each point of Ag provides 2 Attack Power, some Crit, and another 5% agility is gained by wearing leather in all slots.
3. Hit to the spell (poison) cap (13% with this build, 1332 rating)
4. Mastery >= Haste >= Expertise (to 26 total, 23 for Gnomes) > Crit
5. Does this mean that you should reforge crit to another stat? Yes.
6. When reforging you need to keep track of your numbers. There's no point in reforging crit to hit if you're over the hit cap, for example.
   

Notes:

• For the fastest Energy regen you want to have Garrote and/or Rupture up at all times, Venomous Wounds provides the energy regen off the damage ticks. This is not optimal for long fights, though, where you will want to start Rupture about the time that Garrote ends.
  
  Note that while Rupture's damage is poor, Venomous Wounds makes it better, and the energy regen from VW is good. Also, since R's a bleed, it adds damage to any other class's abilities that like bleeds on the target.
  
  
• Mutilate is your primary combo point builder when the mob is over 35% health,
• Backstab is it when opponent health is below 35%. This is from the Murderous Intent talent, which makes Backstab more energy effective than Mutilate when the mob is at low health. This is mostly of value for PvE content, since reliable "from behind" attacking in PvP is iffy unless the target is stunned.
  
  
• Slow main-hand dagger, fast off-hand dagger.
  • Instant poison in the main-hand, deadly poison in the off-hand.
  • DP is a set proc rate, so on a faster weapon you get more procs = more stacks = more damage. Once 5 stacks are up each additional proc causes the other weapons poison to apply.
    
    
• Open with stealth into Garrote. Garrote simply does quite a bit more damage than Ambush with this build as well as getting your energy regen started. You can also open with Mutilate which seems to do similar damage, but I like Garrote for the energy regen. Opening with Cheap Shot is also viable if positioning into Garrote is awkward or if you need to get off a fast interrupt.
  
  
• You are a melee, so try to be behind your target all the time to avoid annoying dodges/parries from the enemy player.
  
  CC'd targets can't dodge. If you're not able to go behind the target, you can just Gouge or Cheap shot him then work into a good Kidney Shot. You're teammates can also fear the target to get a clean Kidney Shot.
  
  Stealth openers can't be dodged/parried.
  
  
• Shiv: It’s impossible to parry/dodge Shiv. It also dispels enrage effects. When you Gouge/Sap a Warrior he will probably use Berserker Rage to remove Gouge/Sap, then shiv dispel it and your partner can fear the warrior easily. Use it against Rogues with Evasion up to get CPs.
  
  Shiv also works against PvE mobs that enrage.
  
  
• Vendetta is great Vs. a single target that you will be fighting for awhile, such as a boss or a tough player. It's useless when target switching and of little use on short fights.
  
  
• Use the Cold Blood Macro with Envenom:

  #showtooltip Envenom
  /cast Cold Blood
  /cast Envenom

• Use Vanish, when you can, for the Overkill buff. This works best if you can combine it with Vendetta and any trinket, or other, cooldowns.
  
  
• Envenom counts as Nature Damage and so at least part of the damage bypasses armor, even plate armor, making this talent more effective than Eviscerate for damage. It's usless if you can't get at least one stack of Deadly Poison on the target.
  
  
• Spell Penetration - consider a Spell Penetration enchant for your cloak as this will help with your poison damage.
  

PvE Rotations

• Stealth > Garrote > Slice and Dice > Mut > Envenom (refreshes SnD to the max) > mut to 4 or 5 cp > Rupture
  • Vanish, when it's up, for the Overkill buff. Then Garrote, etc.
  • Rupture provides faster energy regen.
  • Shiv to remove enrage effects
  • Keep SnD and Rupture up at all times.
    
    
• Depending on the fight you might want to add Recuperate to your rotation.

PvP Rotations

• Slow main-hand dagger, fast off-hand dagger.
• Instant poison in the main-hand, deadly poison in the off-hand. Deadly Brew applies your crippling poison.
• Throwing Weapon: Mind-Numbing Poison or Wound Poison
  
  
• Use the Cold Blood Macro:
  
  #showtooltip Envenom
  /cast Cold Blood
  /cast Envenom
  
  
• non-mage: Sap > Garrote > Env (to stack DP) > Mut x2 > Kidney Shot
• Mage: Attack the other guy, instead.
• Warriors: Shiv to remove enrage effects
  
  
• If you have Improved Expose Armor:
• Garrote > KS > Mutilate > Expose Armor (CPs refunded) > Rupture > Mut > SnD > Mut > Env (refreshes SnD.)
• You have bleeds, lowered armor, faster energy regen, and faster attacks up and running. Do you have the time to launch all of those attacks?

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Gems

Red Agility gems in all sockets unless the socket bonus is mighty. Get the best gems you can afford, if you can't afford them then see our gold guide.

• Red
  • Delicate Chimera's Eye - 67 Agility, self-only Jewelcrafting, you can have up to three of these.
  • Delicate Queen's Garnet - +50 Agility
  • Delicate Inferno Ruby - 40 Agility - this will be your main gem for all slots.
  • Delicate Cardinal Ruby - 20 Agility - if gold is a bit tight.
  • Precise Inferno Ruby - 40 Expertise Rating, if you need the expertise
• Yellow
  • Adept Ember Topaz - 20 Agility & 20 Mastery Rating
  • Deft Ember Topaz - 20 Agility/20 Haste Rating
• Blue
  • Glinting Demonseye - 20 Agility/20 Hit Rating
• Meta
  • The requirements for these gems should be fixed in 4.06, at which point the first two of these will be the best choices.
  • Chaotic Shadowspirit Diamond - +54 Crit and 3% Increased Crit Damage. Currently requires more blue than red gems. This requirement should be fixed in 4.06.
  • Relentless Earthsiege Diamond - +21 Agility and 3% Increased Crit Damage, Requires more Blue gems than Red gems and at least 1 Yellow gem. This requirement should be fixed in 4.06.
  • Destructive Shadowspirit Diamond - +54 Crit and 1% Spell Reflect, Requires at least 2 Red gems
  • 
    

Enchants for Level 85 Rogues

Lower level (cheaper) enchants are also shown.

• Head
  • Arcanum of the Ramkahen, 60 Agi & 35 Haste, Revered with Ramkahen
  • Arcanum of Torment, revered Ebon Blade
  • Arcanum of the Savage Gladiator, the tooltip shows Horde Expedition, but this is also available through Alliance Vangard quartermaster, exalted rep required.
• Back
  • Enchant Cloak - Greater Critical Strike, +65 Crit. maybe slightly better than...
  • Scroll of Enchant Cloak - Major Agility, +22 Agility
  • (PvP) Enchant Cloak - Shadow Armor - 10 Agil, increases stealth slightly
  • Enchant Cloak - Greater Speed - Haste
  • Enchant Cloak - Superior Agility - Ag
• Shoulder
  • Swiftsteel Inscription, 130 Agi, 25 Mastery, Inscription 500, self only
  • Greater Inscription of Shattered Crystal, 50 Agility & 25 Mastery, Exalted with Therazane
  • (PvP) Greater Inscription of Unbreakable Quartz, 75 Stam, 25 Dodge, Exalted with Therazane
  • Master's Inscription of the Axe - 120 AP & 15 Crit rating, Requires Inscription 400
  • Greater Inscription of the Axe - 40 AP and 15 crit rating
  • Aldor/ Scryer Inscription - +15 Critical & +20 Attack Power OR +10 Critical & +30 Attack Power
• Chest
  • Enchant Chest - Peerless Stats, +20 to all Stats
  • Enchant Chest - Exceptional Resilience - +20 Res
  • Enchant Chest - Powerful Stats +10 all stats
• Bracers
  • Draconic Embossment - Agility - Leatherworking 500, self-only
  • Enchant Bracer - Greater Speed, 65 Haste
  • Enchant Bracer - Major Stamina - +40 Stam
  • Enchant Bracers - Greater Assault - +50 AP
• Gloves
  • Enchant Gloves - Greater Mastery, 65 Mastery
  • Scroll of Enchant Gloves - Major Agility, 20 Agility
  • Enchant Gloves - Crusher - +44 AP
• Legs
  • Dragonbone Leg Reinforcements, 190 AP & 55 Crit, From Leatherworking
  • (PvP) Charscale Leg Armor, 55 Agil, 145 Stam
  • Earthen Leg Armor - 40 Res, 28 Stam
  • Frosthide Leg Armor - 55 Stam, 22 Ag
  • Icescale Leg Armor - 75 AP, 22 crit rating
• Feet
  • Enchant Boots - Major Agility, You will not need a run speed enchant since you’ll be speced into Quickening.
  • Enchant Boots - Assassin's Step, 25 Agility, minor run speed increase, in case you didn't take Quickening
  • Enchant Boots - Superior Agility - +16 Ag
  • Enchant Boots - Tuskarr's Vitality - +run and +Stam
  • Enchant Boots - Icewalker - +crit & +hit
• Belt Extra Socket
  • Ebonsteel Belt Buckle, Blacksmithing, put a [Delicate Inferno Ruby] into this slot.
• Rings
  • Enchant Ring - Agility - 40 Agility, self-only Enchanting
• MH
  • Enchant Weapon - Landslide, +1,000 Attack Power Proc
  • Mongoose Occasional +120 Agility & Increased Attack Speed Proc
  • Enchant Weapon - Black Magic - Haste
  • Enchant Weapon - Berserking - Occasionally +400 Attack Power and reduced armor.
• OH
  • Enchant Weapon - Landslide, +1,000 AP Pro

Useful Potions and Foods

• Flask:
  • Flask of the Winds
• Potion:
  • Potion of the Tol'vir
• Food:
  • Skewered Eel
  • Fortune Cookie
  • Seafood Magnifique Feast

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Macros:

• Cold Blooded Envenom:
  Casts Cold Blood and guarantees an Envonom/Eviscerate crit.

#showtooltip Envenom
/cast Cold Blood
/cast Envenom

• Gouge, then Bandage
  Gouges your opponent then starts bandaging you. It will work even if you have no opponenet. Change the bandage name to the one you're using. You can also use Blind with this macro.

  /cast Gouge
  /stopcasting
  /use [target=player] Heavy Netherweave Bandage
  

• Tricks of the Trade Macro
• Use this for your T of T button. Fill in the name of the party member who will be the focus of your T of T. Fire it off, he gets the benefit, and you don't have to fuss with target picking or focus changing. This macro will not deselect your current target:

  #showtooltip Tricks of the Trade
  /cast [target=YourPartyMemberHere] Tricks of the Trade

• Startattack:
• Any attack that you will use to start a fight should be used with this macro. It ensures that your auto attack is actually running, even though you might not have the energ for the man attack. Useful for target switching. The [nostealth] command removes certain bar lag issues.
• Replace abilityname with your attack, such as Mutilate, Backstab, Shiv.

  #showtooltip
  /startattack [nostealth]
  /cast [nostealth] abilityname
  

• Mashable Sap
• This tries to target the nearest enemy and sap him. You should not have the target targeted before using it.
• It works well when sneaking up to a group of mobs for Crowd Control purposes.

  #showtooltip
  /cleartarget
  /targetenemyplayer
  /cast Sap

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Gearing Up

We don't have an item list at this time, but you can use this info (and above) to make a good guestimate. Keep in mind that small changes at high level will make zero pretty much zero detectable difference in anything.

For Assassination: DPS > Agility > Hit to 8% > Hit to 17% (poison cap) > Mastery > Haste > Expertise > crit

Crit seems to be weak since a lot of Assassination damage is from poison related stuff and that has a 150% crit damage bonus. So we get less from crit than Sub or Cbt will.

Mastery increases all poison damage, so is good.

PvP - More hardcore PvP types seem to be stacking 3200 resilience, or better, and recommend that. So much damage is getting thrown about that lots of res is probably a really good idea even though it drops your damage stats a bit. Lots of resilience and a pocket healer and talented recup make you
somewhat tough to kill.

Stam, of course, has lot more PvP value than PvE. That said, I'm taking enough damage in dungeons (no raids yet) that I value stam and the talented recup. (also makes things a bit easier on the healers.)


Depending on where your stats already are:

This item has
    X Agility
    Y Stam
    150 hit
    150 mastery

that item has
    X Agility
    Y Stam
    150 Mastery
    150 crit

The first is better, if you don't already have a lot of hit. Generally speaking...

• 10 agility on an item = 20 Mastery = 30 Crit (approximately)

Keep an eye on what your numbers are in your character pane. Reforge weaker stats into better ones.

With the 4.0 (Cataclysm) item changes there is not a lot of difference between two items of the same ilevel. Nice Rogue daggers no longer have spirit or any of that silly stuff.

If the new item has a higher ilevel and the stats look like they're what you need (at the moment, for your gear set) then it's an upgrade.

If it's real close then don't sweat it. Slight changes will make zero detectable difference in anything.

At some point we may post a pre-raid gear list.

If your character pane shows and average ilevel of 329 or higher then, gear-wise, you're ready to think about heroics. Skill-wise is a whole 'nother ball of wax.