Which weapons work with your Rogue build?
Blizzard’s October 7 deep dive confirms that Rogues can learn one-handed axes. That expands the equipment pool without removing the requirements of individual attacks. Poisons have more charges, and applying a sharpening stone or weightstone no longer means giving up poison on that weapon.
| Preferred playstyle | Build direction | Important restriction |
|---|---|---|
| Assassination | Two daggers, Mutilate and poison buffs | Both weapons must be daggers for Mutilate. |
| Combat | Sinister Strike or Backstab support | Hack and Slash changes its benefit with weapon type. |
| Subtlety | Bleeds, control and follow-up attacks | Ambush outside Stealth needs the Cutthroat proc. |
The official Class Highlights Part 1 video also describes continuous Energy recovery. That changes the old habit of waiting around an Energy tick; your finisher and next builder still draw from the same resource budget.
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Rogue Energy regenerates continuously, Sap preserves Stealth, and poisons work alongside temporary weapon enchants. Assassination builds around daggers and Venom; Combat broadens weapon choices; Subtlety gains more tools after its opener.
Can Mutilate trigger Seal Fate twice?
Mutilate is the 21-point talent: it costs 60 Energy, attacks with both weapons and awards two Combo Points, with more damage against poisoned enemies. Each hand can trigger effects, but Seal Fate triggers only once if either or both strikes crit. A double crit does not produce two separate Seal Fate awards.
Venom is the 31-point finisher. It costs 25 Energy and increases poison damage by 30% and poison application chance by 10%, for a duration based on the Combo Points spent. Blizzard describes maintaining Venom and Slice and Dice as Assassination’s intended emphasis. Damaging finishers therefore do not carry the same priority across every Rogue tree.
Cold Blood moves to the 16-point milestone and works with Mutilate. Improved Poisons adds a chance not to spend charges. Vigor becomes a two-point talent in the fifth row while retaining its total effect, opening a different path through the tree.
Does Combat still need separate weapon specializations?
Hack and Slash combines the weapon talents. Swords and axes gain a chance for an additional attack; maces ignore some armor instead of producing a stun proc. This removes the old talent split without making all weapons equal: the attack you intend to use and the weapon’s own properties still matter.
Flawless Execution sits at the 16-point milestone and reduces Eviscerate’s cost by 10 Energy. Precision extends hit chance to spells and attacks, including poisons. Weapon Expertise reduces the target’s chance to dodge or parry. Puncturing Wounds and Aggression also support a Backstab-oriented Combat build, rather than leaving Sinister Strike as the only supported direction.
What does Subtlety gain after leaving Stealth?
Cutthroat lets Backstab create an opportunity for your next Ambush without Stealth. Hemorrhage increases your Rupture damage against that target for 15 seconds. At the end of the tree, Thousand Cuts turns Rupture ticks into a discount on your next Hemorrhage or Backstab: three Energy per tick, stacking five times.
That gives Subtlety two practical connections to consider: Backstab can reopen an Ambush opportunity, while maintaining a bleed can reduce the cost of follow-up builders. Quietus improves Sinister Strike, Ghostly Strike and Hemorrhage against enemies below 35% health. Premeditation moves to 16 points and lasts 20 seconds.
What changed for crowd control and group threat?
Sap no longer breaks Stealth, making it easier to prepare a pull. Distract reduces affected enemies’ Stealth detection for ten seconds, although hostile players can notice the debuff and realize a Rogue is nearby. Expose Armor no longer blocks Sunder Armor use: the weaker armor reduction does not overwrite the stronger one, but a Warrior can still use Sunder to generate threat.
October 1 fixed missed Expose Armor attempts consuming all Combo Points. Setup now grants points only when the enemy whose attack you dodged or spell you resisted is your current target. October 8 updated Combo Points in the target frame and Personal Resource Display and added map markers for Plundering the Plunderers. These interface and quest updates do not establish a new damage rotation.
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