With their power to take anybody out from the shadows, Subtlety rogues are masters in sneaking in World of Warcraft. This makes them one of the most ideal classes when it comes to Dungeons and PvP as they’re quick and efficient with their abilities. That’s why we’ve created a guide on how to join this style of play.
Rogues are one of the original classes in the game. Packaged with World of Warcraft Vanilla back in 2004, the class, and all its specs, have been a fan-favorite due to its uniqueness, especially in PvP.
As the only class that works with stealth—apart from Druids with their cat form and feral specialization—Rogues are some of the most unique DPS classes.
With their deep prowess in stealth, on-demand burst, powerful defensive cooldowns, and utility, Subtlety rogues are great for any dungeon or Arena group.
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What is the Subtlety Rogue?
Rogues possess a wide range of skills that allow them to create advantages in any fight. From their ability to quickly strike or remain unseen, to finding the perfect flank, Rogues are truly some of the deadliest fighters in all of Azeroth.
As masters of the subterfuge, no dark alley is safe from Rogues, especially when you have people to inquire about their services. They are typically made up of the dregs of society: cutthroats, pirates, robbers, and lowlifes.
The Rogue class is incredibly strong in both Dungeon and PvP settings as they have amazing capabilities in their singular CC, on-demand damage, and defensive cooldowns. On top of that, they have an uncanny amount of defensive cooldowns that not only work in both Dungeon and PvP but in Raids as well.
Best Races for Subtlety Rogue in WoW
Although this class is usable by a handful of races in both the Horde and Alliance factions, like any other class, there are some races that are just better than others. That’s why we’ve figured out which races are the best for both Horde and Alliance.
Horde:
- Orc
- Blood Elf
Staying on track with the classes’ favorability in both Dungeons and PvP, Subtlety Rogues greatly benefit from both the Orc and Blood Elves on the Horde side. It just depends on what you’re looking for.
If you’re looking for a bit more damage in your bursts and some reduced effect when being CCed then Orcs are for you. As their Blood Fury, which is an increase of Attack Power by 52 for 15, is a nice little damage boost every two minutes that can be used with cooldowns. While their Racial Passive, Hardiness, which reduces the effect of stuns by 20%, is a great boon to have in not only PvP but in any combat setting in general.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a bit of energy gain or a way to remove an enemy’s friendly buff every two minutes, then Blood Elves is the other solid choice. With their Arcane Torrent Racial ability, which removes one beneficial effect from all enemies within eight yards and gives you 15 Energy, you can just keep adding on the offensive pressure.
Alliance:
- Night Elf
- Human
Night Elf is by far the best race on Alliance while Humans are the distant second-best choice.
With one of the strongest, if not the strongest, Racial and Class synergies in the games, Night Elves’ Shadowmeld is a great boon for not just the Rogue class but its Subtlety spec as well. Not only can you use it to immune incoming CC or damage, but you can use it to drop out of combat and regain stealth. There’s also their racial passive, Quickness, which is just a nice cherry on top with its increased chance to dodge melee and ranged attacks and movement speed by 2%.
As for Humans, although nowhere near as strong as Night Elves, they still have a couple of things up their sleeve. For starters, their Racial Ability, Will to Survive, allows you to break free of a stun once every 3 minutes. As a Rogue, you’re prone to dying in one stun, especially in PvP, so having this in your back pocket is great—especially since it allows you to not have to play with a Gladiator’s Medallion. On top of that, there’s The Human Spirit which makes it so you gain 2% more of all secondary stats.
Best Talents for Subtlety Rogue
As you progress through your WoW journey, you’ll quickly start acquiring new talents. In Blood Subtlety Rogue’s case, the talent path you’d be choosing can differ depending on the situation.
This is what we’ve found to be the best talent path for Subtlety Rogues:
Talent | Level Acquired | Description |
Premeditation | 15 | Abilities cost 20% less Energy while Stealth or Shadow Dance is active. |
Nightstalker | 25 | While Stealth or Shadow Dance is active, you move 20% faster and your abilities deal 88% more damage |
Marked for Death | 30 | Marks the target, instantly generating 5 combo points. Cooldown reset if the target dies within 60 sec. |
Elusiveness | 35 | Feint also reduces all damage you take from non-area-of-effect attacks by (30 + 25% of Spell Power)% for 6 sec. |
Prey on the Weak | 40 | Enemies disabled by your Cheap Shot or Kidney Shot take 10% increased damage from all sources for 6 sec. |
Enveloping Shadows | 45 | Deeping Shadows reduces the remaining cooldown of Shadow Dance by an additional 0.5 sec per combo point spent.
Shadow Dance gains 1 additional charge. |
Master of Shadows | 50 | Gain 25 Energy over 3 sec when you enter Stealth or activate Shadow Dance. |