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Combat Rogue Basics in WOTLK
The Combat Rogue inWorld of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is considered one of the highest DPS specializations of any class for this expansion. After being considered excellent DPS in Vanilla, then falling short in TBC where only one rogue was needed in raid, they are back on top in Wrath Classic. As a combat rogue in WOTLK, you will focus mainly onAxesorSwordsdepending on your race. There are some reliable maces if you choose to go with the mace spec, but they are few and far between compared to the abundance of axes and swords.
You benefit greatly from being able to attack from any angle within melee range without needing to useBackstab. This position advantage brings up the skill floor so that you have more freedom while chasing down your enemies and bosses, without risking capping your energy due to poor positioning. Instead, you will focus onAdrenaline Rush,Killing Spree,Sinister Strike,Slice and Dice,andBlade Flurry,among others, to increase attack speed and pound away at your opponents.
As suggested in our non-specialization levelRogue Class Guide, the most picked races for PvE rogues will be Orcs, Trolls, and Humans. As a combat rogue, Orcs will be the best choice for Horde in WotLK and Humans for the alliance, reasons of which arediscussed here.
Single Target (Boss) Skill Rotation
Your main rotation can be completed in a few different ways, but our main suggestion is this route:
You may have noticedBlade Flurrywas not listed in this rotation. This is because you really should analyze each pull and decide the timing of this skill. You will want to use it when you are sure you will have 2 enemies stacked up long enough to use thefull 15 second durationof the skill. If the fight is truly a single target and no adds come to be taken down, you canslot Blade Flurry in between #3 and #4, but it is flexible.
The attack speed bonus will help during any time in your rotation, even more if you have any attack power buffs from other classes that activate or other consumables you may use mid-fight to momentarily increase your damage. The main increase in damage for Blade Flurry comes from hitting a secondary target; remember this and utilize it properly when possible.
To further explain the rotation above,Sinister Strikeis essentially your filler attack that will help you gain combo points in order to spend them on more important and stronger skills likeSlice and Diceto increase your attack speed,Ruptureto cause a long bleed on the target, andEviscerateto deal a massive amount of damage.
Adrenaline RushandKilling Spreeare two of your main talent skills in the Combat tree and are used on cooldown when you will be in combat for the full duration of the skill.Killing Spreeis always more beneficial if used in conjunction withBlade Flurry.
Tricks of the Tradeis another excellent buff you will use in raid to help in various situations. You should use this on cooldown on either thetop DPS player in your raid, or the main tank. Use on the main tank at the beginning of a pull to help with threat generation. If Tricks of the Trade comes off cooldown mid fight and the tank’s threat is very good, use it on the top DPS player to maximize damage.
Multiple Target (AOE) Skill Rotation
When encountering a pack with more than one enemy that will last more than just a few seconds, you will want to capitalize on your newly introduced AOE prowess. If Blade Flurry and Killing Spree are off cooldown, be ready to be the king of the raid.
If any of the skills above are on cooldown, that’s ok, just skip the skill and move onto the next one on the list. The list represents the preferable order in the best case scenario.
The following image useswowhead.com Talent Calculator
Key Talent Choices
The most common Rogue Combat Spec talents are seen in the above screenshot of the talent calculator. One of the major choices here isHack and Slash, which mean you should be focusing onSwordsorAxesas your weapons. Other notable mentions and reasoning are:
Major Glyph Choices
Minor Glyph Choices
Minor glyphs are just that: minor. You can select any you’d like and it won’t make much of a difference. Personal preference here is to stick with Vanish, Sprint, and Safe Fall as they tend to be a little more useful than alternatives.
BIS Combat Rogue Gear
If you are looking for BIS Combat Rogue Gear for WOTLK, head on over to our BIS guides section. Here is a link to theRogue BIS Gear Guide.
