L2Rogue

I will try to keep as simple as possible. If you are a rogue, the only thing you bring to the table is dps, pure and simple damage per second so if your are not topping the charts (especially on melee friendly fights like gruul or void) then you got a problem. And dont tell me that that lock have T6, or that warrior wears T5 plate and that you're still on your greens (GEAR IS OVERRATED)

ok, so first things first:
Here are some links that I usually use

http://wow.allakhazam.com/ (its like a more serious version of blizzards forum)

http://www.wow-loot.com/ (good when you are looking for gear, or just to have a general idea of a class build)
http://shadowpanther.net/ (one of the bests places to compare gear, very good stuff)

http://www.roguespot.com/guides/Osiris/Osiris%20v3%20third%20draft.html (if you wonder if rogues can casts spells or have absolutely no idea what a rogue is, you should try checking that guide)

http://www.roguespot.com/ (a must for rogues)
http://elitistjerks.com/ (a must for everyone that play WoW)
http://www.maxdps.com/ (rogue stuff STILL in BETA, so +hit is very underrated and few other things are just not right lol)


all very good places to check about new stuff and shit like that and not just for rogues, but to all classes in general.


Now I'll highlight some important things about a rogue role in a raid (you can check the whole post here.)

Quote :

2. Aldriana's 7 Commandments of Rogue DPS

The first step to success as a raiding rogue is to adhere to the 7 commandments of rogue DPS. Following these guidelines is by far the most important step to improving your DPS, and if you do not follow them, then nothing in the rest of this post will help you.

1. Don't die.
2. Don't do anything that risks wiping the raid.
3. Maximize your time on target.
4. Don't let your energy cap out.
5. Don't let SnD drop.
6. Use one of the spreadsheets to figure out your best cycle; this will usually be the highest rupture uptime cycle that doesn't violate rule 4 or 5.
7. Use your cooldowns.

Hit and Expertise caps (Very important for a rogue)

Quote :

Auto-attack, 0/5 Precision: 442
Auto-attack, 5/5 Precision: 363
Special, 0/5 Precision: 142
Special, 5/5 Precision: 64


0/2 Weapon Expertise: 103
1/2 Weapon Expertise: 83
2/2 Weapon Expertise: 64

Gem Selection:

Quote :

If you are socketing for a bonus, always use [Rigid Dawnstone] in yellow sockets and [Glinting Noble Topaz] in red sockets, unless you are nearing the hit cap, in which case use [Glinting Noble Topaz] in yellow sockets and [Delicate Living Ruby] in red sockets.

Pay attention to your meta gem socket requirement of 2 blue gems. Only use [Shifting Nightseye] to fulfill the requirement, and only as many as necessary. If you are not socketing for a bonus, always use [Rigid Dawnstone] or [Glinting Noble Topaz], switching to [Delicate Living Ruby] if you reach the hit cap.

Combat Point Cycles (VERY IMPORTANT)

Quote :

****At nearly all reachable levels of gear, Rupture will be superior to Eviscerate on any target that isn't immune to bleeds. At 5 CP, Rupture deals 1000 damage plus 24% of your AP for 25 energy, or 40 damage plus 0.96% of your AP per energy. At 5 CP and with T5 2pc, Eviscerate deals 1245 damage plus 15% of your AP for 35 energy, or roughly 35.57 damage plus 0.43% of your AP per energy. Applying 3/3 Improved Eviscerate and 3/3 Aggression (121% modifier), 40% crit and RED (142.4% modifier), and 30% armor reduction (assuming a typical debuffed raid boss), Eviscerate comes to 42.90 damage plus 0.52% of your AP per energy. Thus, Eviscerate holds an advantage of 2.90 base damage per energy, but Rupture gains an additional 0.44% of your AP. At this rate, it takes only 656 AP for Rupture to overcome Eviscerate's base advantage. Simply, in any situation where you can Rupture, you should Rupture.****

As was said before, you should always keep SnD up and always try to use Rupture over Eviscerate. In general, what you want is to keep SnD with least CP as possible so you can use Rupture/Eviscerate with as many CP as possible.

Quote :

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7. Combo Point Cycles

"Combo point cycle" refers to the algorithm used by a rogue to determine what finishers to use, and in what order, during sustained combat (e.g. against a raid boss). A combo point cycle revolves around keeping Slice and Dice active as close to 100% of the time as possible while also keeping Rupture active as much as possible. Eviscerate should only be used if the target is close to death, if the target is bleed-immune, or if you already have Slice and Dice and Rupture up with plenty of time left. See the Mechanics section for more about Eviscerate.

Combo point cycles are usually expressed in the format "1s/5r" or "3s/5s/5e" (for example). Each number-letter pair indicates a finisher to be used at a certain number of CP. An 's' represents Slice and Dice, an 'r' represents Rupture, and an 'e' represents Eviscerate. Thus, 1s/5r represents a cycle where you gain 1 CP, use Slice and Dice, gain 5 CP, use Rupture, and then repeat; and 3s/5s/5e represents a cycle where you gain 3 CP, use Slice and Dice, gain 5 CP, use Slice and Dice again, gain 5 CP, use Eviscerate, and then repeat. For maximum performance, do not deviate from the cycle unless you are forced to stop attacking the target.

On combat cycles: combat builds using swords, fists, maces, or any combination thereof will generally use a 4s/5r cycle, unless the rogue has T4 2pc, in which case he should use 1s/5r. If the target is immune to bleed effects, use 5s/5e (or 2s/5e, if you have T4 2pc). Combat dagger builds should use a 3s/5s/5r cycle, unless the rogue has T4 2pc, in which case he should use 1s/3r. If the target is immune to bleed effects, use 3s/5s/5e (or 1s/3e, if you have T4 2pc).

On Hemo cycles: Hemo builds should use a 5s/5r cycle, unless the rogue has T4 2pc, in which case he should use 2s/5r. Substitute Eviscerate in place of Rupture if the target is immune to bleed effects.
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And for last but not least

Quote :

On poisons and Windfury: for PvE, always choose DP on the offhand. If you are in a group with a shaman and you're combat, you'll get more DPS from Windfury as opposed to Grace of Air + IP. However, the difference is not as dramatic as it is for, say, a DPS warrior. If your group contains a DPS warrior, Windfury Totem will usually be dropped. Otherwise, if less than half the group is rogues, Grace of Air Totem will probably be dropped and you should use IP on the MH.

Quote :

On Shiv: Shiv cannot be dodged or parried, and like other offhand attacks, it can proc Combat Potency. Even so, its damage per energy will be inferior to Sinister Strike or Backstab almost regardless of stats, largely due to the offhand damage penalty and the lack of any static damage boost built into the ability. This post and this addendum contain some sample calculations of Shiv DPE. Shiv spam with DP offhand and Envenom is inferior to Rupture-based cycles in most raid/group situations.

Now I'll link some builds that I prefer and find it best for each role. (Keep in mind that Combat Swords and Combat Fist+Sword are the best spec for personal DPS, while Combat Mace+Sword, Combat Fists and Combat Daggers falls 1-2% behind) (Hemo have the best Overall DPS and a not so good personal DPS)

(Combat Swords - 20/41/0) http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=f0eboxLZMIV0bVzxMGkt
(Combat Fist+Sword - 16/45/0) http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=f0eboxZMIV0bVzEMGot

(Combat Daggers - 15/41/5) http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=f0eboLZMIV0bEz0MGktV

(Hemo Tri-spec - 11/27/23) http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=f0eboZ0eV0bVzLMZVMjoMhMo


And remember to use Spreadsheets
Here are the both I use
http://elitistjerks.com/f31/t19926-rogue_dps_spreadsheet/
http://elitistjerks.com/f31/t11882-rogue_gear_spreadsheet/

And remember Expertise and +Hit are the best stat a rogue could want, more hits means more WF procs, more sword specialization procs, more poison procs and more Combat Potency procs. Thats why +Hit is so important to rogues.

Hope you enjoyed, sorry for the wall of text and Happy Raiding