- Author: Nevermore
- Date: July 14, 2024
- Updated: July 14, 2024
- Expansion: WoW Classic
Welcome to the SoD Phase 4 Subtlety Rogue DPS Guide!
This guide focuses exclusively on the Assassination specialization, exploring key components such as Runes, Talent Trees, Stat Priorities, Rotations & Abilities, Best Professions, BiS (Best in Slot) items, and Race Choices. The new Rune System introduced in the Season of Discovery has allowed Subtlety Rogue to no longer be a PvP-dedicated specialization, providing several new AoE abilities, Direct Damage abilities, and passive effects. The build best suited for the Subtlety specialization is typically known to the community as the “Backstab Build”, with Phase 4 introducing some very neat changes that make Subtlety Rogue DPS even more fun to play!
Talents
![subtlety rogue backstab build phase 4 season of discovery sod](https://www.warcrafttavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Subtlety-Rogue-Backstab-Build-Phase-4-Season-of-Discovery-SoD.jpg)
Runes
- Helm: Combat Potency
- Cloak: Fan of Knives/Crimson Tempest
- Chest: Slaughter from the Shadows
- Wrist: Carnage
- Hands: Cutthroat
- Waist: Shadowstep
- Legs: Envenom
- Feet: Master of Subtlety
- Ring: Nature Specialization
- Ring: Sword Specialization
Stat Priority
- Hit Chance
- Agility
- Attack Power
- Critical Strike Chance
- Strength
- Stamina
Rotations & Abilities
Phase 4 of the Season of Discovery brought some new and exciting changes, making the Subtlety Rogue build finally viable for PvE and quite exciting to play! The rotation revolves around Slaughter from the Shadows and Cutthroat, with the latter now allowing you to finally use Ambush without being in Stealth! The Subtlety Talent Tree provides some very powerful bonuses for this play style, allowing you to deal finally deal powerful critical strikes while also empowering the Physical Damage dealt to the target.
Single-Target Rotation
- Apply Instant Poison and Occult Poison to your weapons
- Start combat from Stealth to benefit from Master of Subtlety
- Cast Vanish to trigger Master of Subtlety and receive 6 seconds of increased damage for Burst Phases
- Cast Preparation to refresh the cooldown of Vanish and continue your Burst Phase
- Cast Slice and Dice and upkeep it 100% of the time
- Cast Expose Armor and upkeep it 100% of the time if nobody else can provide a similar effect
- Cast Rupture and prioritize upkeeping it 100% of the time
- Cast Hemorrhage to debuff the target and increase the Physical Damage dealt
- Refresh Hemorrhage once the debuff expires
- Cast Envenom whenever you have 5 x Combo Points (Main Finishing Move)
- Cast Envenom when you don’t need to refresh Slice and Dice or Rupture
- Cast Ambush on every Cutthroat proc
- Cast Backstab (Main Combo Point Generator)
AoE Rotation
- If you pick the Fan of Knives rune
- Spam Fan of Knives as much as possible in the initial moments of the encounter and throughout it
- If you pick the Crimson Tempest + Carnage runes
- Cast either Mutilate or Saber Slash to build up combo points
- Cast Crimson Tempest as quickly as possible to deal damage and heal off Carnage
- Cast Slice and Dice and upkeep it after the initial Crimson Tempest cast
Best Professions
Leatherworking
Leatherworking is among the top professions for a class such as Rogue, providing the ability to craft Leather Armor. Moreover, Leatherworking provides access to special epic recipes in the Season of Discovery, granting Subtlety Rogue powerful equipment that will increase its overall performance.
Engineering
Being known as one of the top professions in both PvE and PvP in the Classic Era, Engineering’s reputation also remains true in the Season of Discovery. It grants access to powerful bombs, various gadgets, and even specially crafted equipment that can be used to enhance your overall performance.
Skinning
Skinning is a viable alternative for gold and material generation in case you pick Leatherworking. This profession is one of the easiest to grind as all you have to do is kill mobs in the world and skin their pelts.
Best Races
For the Alliance, the best race for Subtlety Rogue is a choice between Human and Gnome, with Human providing Sword Specialization and Mace Specialization while Gnome provides Escape Artist. Meanwhile, for the Horde, the best race is a choice between Troll and Orc, with Orcs having a slight advantage thanks to Blood Fury. Trolls are also very strong, however, they need to be injured to fully benefit from Berserking.
Human
Dwarf
Night Elf
Gnome
Orc
Undead
Troll
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Why do we want sword specialization for a backstab build?
Shadowflame Sword is your bis offhand.
which one goes on main-hand and which on off-hand Instant Poison VI Occult Poison I t
can you still benefit from wildstrikes or windfury with instant poison on your mainhand?