Subtlety Rogue Guide
Stealth play and burst: Shadowstep behind the target, and Shadow Dance to open again and again.
- Role Melee DPS
- Health 4,600
- Resource Energy
Plan your Subtlety Rogue build → Assassination Rogue
Toolkit at a glance
Counted from the spell data (every Rogue spell, the Subtlety spells, and the row-5 talent spells).
| Stuns, fears, incapacitates | Kidney Shot, Cheap Shot, Gouge, Sap, Blind |
|---|---|
| Roots and silences | — |
| Interrupts | Kick |
| Defensives | Evasion, Cloak of Shadows, Ghostly Strike |
| Heals | — |
| Mobility | Shadowstep, Sprint |
Subtlety Rogue talents
Five rows of three. Pick one per row; rows 1 to 4 are passive and row 5 teaches a spell.
Sinister Strike becomes Backstab: 55 energy, 440 damage, 1 combo point, from behind the target or against a stunned or rooted one.
Sinister Strike becomes Hemorrhage: 35 energy, 245 damage, 1 combo point, and the target takes 10% more damage from your abilities for 15 sec.
Sinister Strike becomes Ghostly Strike: 40 energy, 240 damage, 1 combo point, and you dodge 10% more attacks for 6 sec.
Cheap Shot and Ambush leave the target taking 22% more physical damage for 6 sec.
In stealth, your abilities cost 50% less, and in Shadow Dance 40% less (instead of 20%).
Your combo point builders slow the target 30% for 8 sec: your Sinister Strike, Backstab, Hemorrhage or Ghostly Strike, Ambush and Cheap Shot.
Falling below 20% health, you take 85% less damage for 3 sec. Once every 90 sec.
Vanish can be used while stunned, and frees you from stuns.
While Shadow Dance lasts, you dodge 40% more attacks and slows can't touch you.
Gouge and Blind cost nothing, and Gouge works from any side.
Shadowstep onto an enemy also slows it 50% for 4 sec.
Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot leave the target taking 10% more damage for 6 sec.
Learn Symbols of Death: 40 energy at once, and 15% more damage for 10 sec.
Learn Premeditation: put 2 combo points on your target, in or out of stealth, without leaving it. 30 sec cooldown.
Learn Preparation: Vanish, Evasion, Sprint and Shadowstep are ready again.
Subtlety spells
| Spell | School | Cost | Cast | Cooldown | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowstep | Physical | — | Instant | 20 s | 25 m |
| Shadow Dance | Physical | — | Instant | 60 s | Self |
| Ambush | Physical | 60 energy | Instant | — | 3 m |
Spells taught by talents (row 5)
| Spell | School | Cost | Cast | Cooldown | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbols of Death | Physical | — | Instant | 30 s | Self |
| Premeditation | Physical | — | Instant | 30 s | 20 m |
| Preparation | Physical | — | Instant | 180 s | Self |
| Backstab | Physical | 55 energy | Instant | — | 3 m |
| Hemorrhage | Physical | 35 energy | Instant | — | 3 m |
| Ghostly Strike | Physical | 40 energy | Instant | — | 3 m |
Spells every Rogue knows
The first eight are the action bar a new character starts with; swap spells on your bar in Spells & Talents (N). ★ = starting bar.
| Spell | School | Cost | Cast | Cooldown | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinister Strike ★ | Physical | 40 energy | Instant | — | 3 m |
| Eviscerate ★ | Physical | 35 energy | Instant | — | 3 m |
| Kidney Shot ★ | Physical | 25 energy | Instant | 20 s | 3 m |
| Cheap Shot ★ | Physical | 40 energy | Instant | — | 3 m |
| Kick ★ | Physical | 15 energy | Instant | 15 s | 3 m |
| Gouge ★ | Physical | 25 energy | Instant | 15 s | 3 m |
| Sprint ★ | Physical | — | Instant | 60 s | Self |
| Vanish ★ | Physical | — | Instant | 120 s | Self |
| Sap | Physical | 35 energy | Instant | — | 8 m |
| Blind | Physical | 30 energy | Instant | 90 s | 15 m |
| Evasion | Physical | — | Instant | 120 s | Self |
| Cloak of Shadows | Physical | — | Instant | 90 s | Self |
Recommended Subtlety Rogue build
Recommended builds for this spec are still being tested. To be added.
Spell names, costs, cooldowns and talent text are read from the game client (v0.21, checked 2026-10-30). The developer calls the numbers “first-pass tuning”, so expect them to change.