A Rogue does not have to take every fight. Check who is nearby and open from stealth with a plan: your first CC, your damage window and your escape if the kill does not happen. Hemo leans on control and resets, Muti uses 
Mutilate with two daggers, and Combat suits longer skirmishes. Below are level-60 builds, openers, poisons, macros and matchups based on beta 1.60.1.
PvP shorthand: a quick glossary
- Muti / Hemo / Combat
- Muti builds use Mutilate; Hemo builds use
Hemorrhage. Combat is the Combat talent tree. - Cast / kick
- Casting a spell / interrupting it. Players may say “kick” even when the interrupt is not the Rogue ability Kick.
- Silence / school lockout
- Silence prevents spellcasting; a school lockout blocks the interrupted school. They are different effects.
- CC / DR
- Crowd control / diminishing returns. Repeated control in the same DR category has a shorter duration.
- Burst / cooldowns
- A short damage window / abilities with a cooldown. “Use defensives” means spend defensive cooldowns.
- DoT / HoT
- Damage over time / healing over time.
- Dispel / purge
- Remove an effect. An offensive dispel, often called a purge, removes a buff from an enemy.
- Kite / peel / fake cast
- Keep an enemy at range / help a teammate shake off attackers / cancel your cast to bait an interrupt.
- Opener / reset
- Your opening sequence / disengaging to set up another attempt.
How to play a Rogue in WoW Forever PvP
Rogues play differently from other classes. A Warrior or Mage sees an enemy and approaches; you first decide whether to fight at all. While 
Stealth is active, enemies cannot normally see you. They can still detect you at close range, especially with a stealth-detection elixir or the 
High Alert perk. High Alert improves detection as if the enemy were 2 levels higher and does not work in battlegrounds. Give groups a wide berth: stealth does not guarantee that you can walk right past them unseen. Use that distance to wait for an isolated player to sit and drink after a fight. You can also watch a full-health Paladin pass because that fight is beyond you today. That freedom is the class's main pleasure: you can often choose a better moment to engage.
The fight itself is short and follows a pattern. Open from stealth with a stun, build combo points and spend them on a finisher that either stuns again or deals damage. A stunned opponent cannot heal, run or retaliate, so a well-played opener looks as though the enemy never pressed a button. They did; you simply kept them controlled the whole time.
Your resource is energy. You have 100, it regenerates automatically and fairly quickly, and attacks cost 25 to 60. The main rule follows: only leave stealth with full energy. The first seconds decide everything; starting half empty lets the stun end before you build five points. Attacks generating points are builders; those spending them are finishers. A five-point finisher works at full strength.
The third part of your style is resetting. If an opener fails, you can leave the fight: control the enemy, retreat, bandage and restealth to start again. Good Rogues rarely trade blows fairly down to their last health. They win by choosing when to fight and when to leave.
Rogues are strongest one on one, hunting isolated players and healers, and quietly capturing empty battleground bases. They are weaker when spotted early: a Hunter with a mark, a distant Mage, a Druid with 
Faerie Fire preventing stealth, or a crowd where stunning one enemy does not stop three others.
October 15 fixes removed poison procs caused merely by enemies attacking the Rogue, and weapon procs from Sap. A Mutilate crit now correctly consumes 
Cold Blood: do not expect another guaranteed critical hit from the same buff.
Choosing a race
Do not choose a race for just one button. Racials help, but so do your cooldowns, when you use your CC-breaking PvP trinket, and how you play. Choose the appearance, lore and starting zone you enjoy. You will play this character for a long time, and enjoying it matters more than a few percentage points in a table. The game should be fun, not a checklist of obligations.
The PvP trinket is an equipped accessory you activate to break control on yourself. In the beta tooltip, the Greater Insignia of the Horde and Alliance versions remove stuns, fear, slows and other loss-of-control effects; they do not grant immunity to the next CC. Rank 2 means your PvP rank, not character level; the exact launch reward still needs confirmation.
If you still want to optimize, here is what each race offers a Rogue. Blizzard said in the October 8 podcast that Orc and Troll racials, and possibly weapon passives, would be reworked, so the table could change again before release.
| Race | What matters in PvP | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Orc | Hardiness reduces stun duration by 20%. Savage: +1% critical strike chance regardless of weapon.  Blood Fury every 3 minutes.  Shatter Curse removes curses and banes and reduces magic damage by 5% for 8 seconds, but grants no immunity. | Most guides consider it the best Horde choice |
| Undead |  Will of the Forsaken removes fear, sleep and charm. Touch of the Grave: 20% proc chance, 25-second internal cooldown. It cannot remove  Scatter Shot. | A classic dueling choice, weaker in Forever |
| Troll |  Berserking: +10% attack speed for 10 seconds.  Rapid Regeneration: half your health over 6 seconds if nobody hits you. Passive regeneration is increased by 20%. | A strong contender, good against Hunters |
| Skyborne (Horde) | +3% attack and casting speed.  Walk on Air every 90 seconds; the racial movement or recovery ability can be activated while moving. | For fun and spectacular jumps |
| Human |  Will to Survive removes stuns; Perception helps detect stealth. Ruthless: +2% critical strike chance with any weapon. | Gained the most from Forever |
| Gnome | Escape Artist instantly removes roots and slows and grants 3 seconds of immunity. Eureka! lasts 8 seconds without charges and also works with  Power Word: Shield. | A strong battleground choice |
| Night Elf |  Elune's Light: +10% critical strike chance for 15 seconds.  Shadowmeld works in combat. One extra level of stealth effectiveness. | Burst and stealth |
| Dwarf | Stoneform removes bleeds, poisons and diseases. Earth Fury: +2% critical damage and healing regardless of weapon, not critical strike chance. | An enemy Rogue's nightmare, weaker offensively |
| Skyborne (Alliance) | +3% attack and casting speed. Walk on Air every 90 seconds; the racial movement or recovery ability can be activated while moving. | For fun |
Abilities: what to press, when and why
Below are all the PvP buttons, grouped by purpose. Each entry lists its level, cost and when to use it. Numbers come from Forever tooltips and beta 1.60.1, so some may change before release.
Stealth and approaching
Stealth defines the class. Available from level 1, it slows movement (less with each rank, 30% at level 60) and has a 10-second cooldown when broken. Approach from behind or the side because enemies detect you sooner in front. Do not run directly across the target's face or near their friends: more eyes mean more chances to be spotted. Stealth breaks when you attack or take damage.
Sap, Sap, incapacitates an out-of-combat humanoid for 45 seconds, less at lower ranks. Any damage wakes it. Sap no longer breaks your stealth in Forever, a huge change: Sap the healer and safely open on their partner, or pass two enemies without waking either. Another trick is to Sap and wait for 100 energy: the enemy sleeps while you stand nearby in stealth. Sapping a PvP-flagged player flags you too.
Distract becomes available at 22 and costs 30 energy. Enemies near its target point turn toward it for 10 seconds and detect you less effectively, as though your stealth were one level stronger. Players receive a visible debuff, however, so experienced enemies immediately know a Rogue is nearby. Use Distract when ready to open now. Remember that it does not turn anyone already in combat: it won't stop a runner after a fight, but it can still turn a rider or a player who just spotted you and ran.
The passive 
Detect Traps, learned at 24, reveals traps. From level 30, 
Disarm Trap removes a Hunter trap directly from stealth. You need Thieves' Tools, but do not have to stand on it: removal works from five yards.
Openers: starting the fight
Your main opener against almost everyone is 
Cheap Shot, Cheap Shot. Learned at 26, it costs 60 energy, stuns for 4 seconds and grants two combo points, or three with Initiative. Position does not matter. The common mistake is opening immediately after someone else's stun, such as Warrior Charge or Paladin Hammer: regular stuns share a category, halving yours.
Before level 26, the main opener is 
Garrote. This rear-position strangulation bleeds the target for 18 seconds and grants one point. Later, Garrote helps against plate because bleeds bypass armor, and against Rogues and Druids because ticking damage prevents restealthing. Garrote has no silence in either Classic or Forever, so it will not shut down a caster.
Your hardest stealth hit is 
Ambush, learned at 18. It requires attacking from behind with a main-hand dagger, but hits very hard. Use it against low-health cloth wearers: a critical Ambush followed by a finisher often kills a Mage or Priest before they can cast. Against plate Warriors or Paladins, Cheap Shot is better because Ambush leaves the enemy free to act.
Subtlety's 
Premeditation becomes available at 25. It grants two combo points from stealth, lasting 20 seconds. Combined with Cheap Shot and Initiative, that gives five points in the fight's first second, allowing an immediate full-length 
Kidney Shot. Forever's tooltip does not state that Premeditation requires stealth, so it may also work in combat. We will verify at release.
Builders: generating combo points
Sinister Strike is the basic builder, usable from any angle. It costs 45 energy, or 40 talented, and works best with a slow sword, axe or mace. This is Combat's primary attack.
Backstab hits hard but requires a dagger and rear positioning. Forever reduced its bonus damage by a third. In PvP, use it when the enemy is stunned and you are behind them; chasing a mobile target's back is a reliable way to lose.
Subtlety's 21-point Hemorrhage costs 35 energy, works from any angle and hits harder with a main-hand dagger. As the cheapest builder, it lets you fit more attacks into one stun. Classic's group debuff was removed; Hemorrhage now only strengthens your own Rupture.
Forever's new Mutilate is Assassination's 21-point talent, available at 30. Mutilate hits with both hands, grants two points and deals 20% more damage to poisoned targets, working best with two daggers and poisons on both. 
Seal Fate grants an additional point on every crit.
The talent 
Ghostly Strike costs 40 energy and, every 20 seconds, grants one point plus 15% dodge for 7 seconds. It is for weapon users: Warriors, Rogues, Paladins and Cat Druids. Against a Mage it adds almost nothing.
Combat's 
Riposte is only available after you parry, but disarms the enemy for 6 seconds. Against Warriors, Paladins, Shamans and Rogues, it is one of the best buttons in the game. Druids in form cannot be disarmed.
Finishers: spending combo points
Kidney Shot, Kidney Shot, is your second stun. Learned at 30, it costs 25 energy and has a 20-second cooldown; duration depends on points, one second per point up to five seconds. Use it at 4-5 points just as Cheap Shot ends, chaining the stuns without a gap. Kidney Shot has its own diminishing-return category, so other stuns do not shorten it. A second consecutive Kidney, for example after Preparation, lasts half as long.
Your main damage finisher is 
Eviscerate. It costs 35 energy and reaches full strength at five points. Use it while the target is stunned or when finishing. Do not Eviscerate into 
Ice Block or 
Divine Shield: the damage is wasted. Against a fleeing caster, spending 2-3 points can be better than waiting for five.
Rupture bleeds for 8-16 seconds. It is roughly 40% weaker in Forever but still useful against plate because it bypasses armor, and against Rogues and Druids trying to restealth. Do not apply Rupture if you plan to Gouge, Blind or Sap afterward: each damage tick breaks control.
Slice and Dice speeds up attacks, but in duels combo points are usually better spent on Kidney Shot or Eviscerate. It helps in longer battleground fights, especially with 
Blade Flurry. 
Expose Armor reduces the target's armor. It is unnecessary in solo duels, but can support your melee allies against a Warrior or Paladin in a group.
Crowd control and interrupts
Gouge, Gouge, is learned at 6, costs 45 energy and has a 10-second cooldown. It incapacitates for 4 seconds, or 5.5 talented. The target must face you, and any damage breaks it. Use Gouge to buy time: retreat and bandage, restealth, move behind the target or interrupt when Kick is unavailable. Do not Gouge a target with your damaging poison or Rupture ticking: the next tick wakes it.
Kick, learned at 12, costs 25 energy and has a 10-second cooldown. It interrupts and locks the spell school for 5 seconds; Improved Kick adds a 2-second blanket silence. Kick near the end of a cast rather than the start: experienced casters start and immediately cancel to bait it. Prioritize Mage 
Polymorph, Warlock Fear and 
Shadow Bolt, and healing from Priests, Druids, Paladins and Shamans.
Blind unlocks at 34. It costs 30 energy, or 15 talented, blinds for 10 seconds and has a 5-minute cooldown. Blind has no diminishing returns. It is your main reset: Blind, retreat, bandage, restealth and reopen with Cheap Shot after its diminishing returns expire. It also removes a second enemy in a one-versus-two fight and stops flag carriers. Blind requires Blinding Powder crafted from Fadeleaf. Game data classifies Blind as poison, so Dwarves remove it with Stoneform and Shamans with 
Poison Cleansing Totem.
Escapes and defense
Evasion, learned at 8, has a 5-minute cooldown, or 2 minutes with Endurance. It grants 50% dodge for 15 seconds and protects against Warriors, Rogues, Paladins, Cats and pets. Evasion does not protect against spells or ranged shots and is useless while stunned.
Sprint, learned at 10, increases speed by 50% for 15 seconds without breaking stealth. Improved Sprint instantly removes all slows and roots. Use Sprint to catch fleeing casters, escape Hunters or approach a distant target in stealth. Do not waste it casually before combat: its cooldown is 5 minutes.
Vanish, learned at 22, instantly stealths you in combat and removes slows and roots. Use it to escape, cancel an enemy cast or reopen with Cheap Shot. Vanish requires Flash Powder from a poison vendor and has a 5-minute cooldown. Ideally stun or incapacitate first and step aside. These effects interfere with escape in different ways: the next DoT tick can break stealth, while Faerie Fire prevents stealth while active. 
Hunter's Mark is a detection effect, not periodic damage; Classic Vanish removes it, but that interaction still needs separate confirmation in Forever.
The passive 
Safe Fall, learned at 40, reduces fall damage, letting you jump from bridges, cliffs or walls to escape pursuers. Remember bandages: they heal substantially and are almost always worthwhile after Gouge or Blind. The Legacy perk 
Field Medicine shortens the post-bandage debuff by 10 seconds, but does not work in battlegrounds.
Talent abilities
Cold Blood is Assassination's 16-point talent, available at 25 on a 3-minute cooldown. It guarantees your next attack will critically strike. Spend it on a five-point Eviscerate or a stealthed Ambush. Cold Blood does not affect Hemorrhage or Ghostly Strike, and a miss consumes the buff.
Preparation is Subtlety's 21-point talent, available at 30 on a 10-minute cooldown. It resets your other ability cooldowns: Vanish, Sprint, Evasion, Premeditation, Cold Blood and Blind. This is round two: spend everything, press Preparation and start again.
Blade Flurry is Combat's 21-point talent. For 15 seconds, it increases attack speed by 20% and hits an additional nearby target, useful against a Hunter and pet, a Shaman with totems or two enemies. Do not activate it beside a sapped or otherwise controlled enemy, or you will wake them.
Adrenaline Rush is Combat's 31-point talent, available at 40. It doubles energy regeneration for 15 seconds, allowing two finishers and a Gouge in succession or a powerful second opener after Vanish.
Quick reference
The essentials in one table. Energy costs are untalented.
| Ability | Level | Energy | Cooldown | PvP purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stealth | 1 | - | 10 sec | Approach targets and restealth |
| Gouge | 6 | 45 | 10 sec | Bandage, retreat or interrupt while Kick is unavailable |
| Evasion | 8 | - | 5 min | Defense against melee and pets |
| Sap | 10 | 65 | - | Remove an enemy without leaving stealth |
| Sprint | 10 | - | 5 min | Catch enemies or escape |
| Kick | 12 | 25 | 10 sec | Interrupt a spell |
| Garrote | 14 | 50 | - | Opener before 26; against plate and restealthing enemies |
| Ambush | 18 | 60 | - | Opener against cloth wearers |
| Rupture | 20 | 25 | - | Against plate and enemies trying to restealth |
| Vanish | 22 | - | 5 min | Escape and reopen |
| Distract | 22 | 30 | 30 sec | Turn enemies and approach unseen |
| Cheap Shot | 26 | 60 | - | Main opener |
| Kidney Shot | 30 | 25 | 20 sec | Second stun |
| Blind | 34 | 30 | 5 min | Reset a fight or handle two enemies |
Combinations: building an opener
A combination is a sequence you repeat in most fights. Learn two or three basic ones, then adapt to the opponent. One rule: apply each new control effect at the very end of the previous one, not over it, or you waste its duration.
- Basic chain. Cheap Shot, one or two builders, a 4-5-point Kidney Shot exactly as Cheap Shot ends, more builders, Gouge as Kidney ends, pause to regenerate energy, then Eviscerate. Kidney and Gouge have different diminishing-return categories, so both work fully and the enemy spends almost 13 seconds unable to act.
- Premeditation and Cheap Shot. Premeditation plus Cheap Shot with Initiative gives five points in the first second. Do not spend energy on builders during Cheap Shot: pool it, Kidney at five points when Cheap Shot ends, then build during Kidney and use Cold Blood with a guaranteed critical Eviscerate.
- Sap one, attack the other. Against two enemies, Sap the healer or greater threat, wait in stealth for 100 energy, then Cheap Shot the other. The sapped enemy stays disabled until hit, so do not activate Blade Flurry.
- Ambush a caster. Cold Blood, Ambush from behind, then immediately Eviscerate at 2-3 points. This burst often kills a Mage or Priest before the first cast; if they survive, Kick that first cast immediately.
- Hemorrhage and stuns. Cheap Shot, two Hemorrhages, Kidney Shot, another Hemorrhage and Rupture. Suits Subtlety builds: Hemorrhage is cheap and works from any angle.
- Daggers and Mutilate. Cheap Shot, Mutilate, five-point Kidney Shot. Cold Blood guarantees a Mutilate crit and an extra point with Seal Fate.
- Retreat and bandage. Gouge, step back, bandage; or Gouge, Sprint away and restealth. Any damage interrupts bandaging, so clear DoTs first.
- Blind reset. Kidney Shot, Blind at its end, retreat, bandage, restealth and reopen with Cheap Shot. Stun diminishing returns should have reset, restoring full duration. Do not Blind a target with your Rupture or damaging poison ticking.
- Preparation for round two. Blind, Preparation, Vanish, then Cheap Shot again. Preparation resets cooldowns, but wait 15-20 seconds before another Kidney Shot or it lasts half as long.
- Kick, then Kidney. Mage Polymorph and
Blink share the Arcane school. Kicking Polymorph prevents Blink for five seconds, so the Mage cannot escape Kidney Shot. - Adrenaline Rush after Cheap Shot. Cheap Shot, then immediately Rush: over 15 seconds you have energy for two finishers and Gouge.
Diminishing returns: why the second stun is shorter
Repeated control of the same type lasts less time: the first application is full duration, the second half, the third one quarter, then temporary immunity to that category. Classic resets after 15-20 seconds. Blizzard has not published Forever's timing; addons use 18 seconds.
The key is knowing which abilities share categories. Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot differ, so the full chain works. Cheap Shot after Warrior Charge or Paladin Hammer lasts half as long because ordinary stuns share a category.
| Category | Included effects | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Stuns | Cheap Shot,  Hammer of Justice, Druid Bash,  War Stomp, Warrior Charge and Intercept, grenades | Do not Cheap Shot immediately after someone else's stun or a grenade |
| Kidney Shot | Kidney Shot only | Other stuns do not shorten Kidney, but a second consecutive Kidney does |
| Incapacitation | Gouge, Sap, Polymorph,  Freezing Trap, Scatter Shot, Hibernate, Repentance | Gouge immediately after Sap on the same target lasts only a couple of seconds |
| Fear | Fear,  Psychic Scream,  Howl of Terror | Survive them or remove them with a racial |
| Silence | Improved Kick silence, Priest Silence,  Shield Bash | A new Forever category absent in Classic |
| Distract | Distract | Another new category |
| Roots |  Frost Nova,  Entangling Roots | Removed by Vanish and Improved Sprint |
| No diminishing returns | Blind, Riposte disarm,  Death Coil | Blind always lasts its full duration |
Builds: which talents to take and why
Forever substantially rearranged Rogue talents: many Classic 31-point talents are now available at 16 points, strengthening hybrids. Below are three level 60 builds. Each includes an in-game-style tree, every talent's purpose and a leveling order. Copying a build is half the job; understanding it is the other half.
Talents unlock at 10 and can be reset at a class trainer; dual specialization comes at 40. The number in an icon's upper-left corner is the level at which you take its first point. If talents change before November 4, we will update the builds.
Three numbers such as 20/0/31 show talent points in the three trees, from left to right: Assassination, Combat, Subtlety. They are not character levels.
Hemorrhage control with Preparation (20/0/31)
The successor to Classic's 21/3/27, considered its best dueling build. Hemorrhage is cheap and works from any angle, Cheap Shot costs 40 energy, and Premeditation plus Initiative gives five points in the first second. Cold Blood guarantees an Eviscerate crit, while Preparation gives a second round with fresh Blind and Vanish. Strong against plate, in duels and world PvP; weaker against multiple enemies, with 5-minute Sprint and Evasion cooldowns.
Combat 0
Master of Deception 3/3Enemies detect you as though you were 3 levels stealthier: an answer to Heightened Senses and Human Perception.
Camouflage 2/5Faster movement in stealth and a shorter Stealth cooldown; also progression points.
Dirty Tricks 2/2Sap and Blind cost half as much.
Elusiveness 2/2Vanish and Blind every 3.5 minutes.
Setup 3/3Dodging grants a combo point on the attacker. Works against Warriors, Rogues and Cats.
Initiative 3/3Cheap Shot grants three points, or five immediately with Premeditation.
Premeditation 1/1Five points in the first second.
Ghostly Strike 1/1Dodge and a combo point against melee, also supporting Setup.
Serrated Blades 3/3Ignores 9% of target armor, strengthens Rupture and unlocks Hemorrhage.
Preparation 1/1Round two: Vanish, Blind, Cold Blood and Sprint again.
Hemorrhage 1/1A cheap builder from any angle, the build's foundation.
Dirty Deeds 2/2Cheap Shot and Garrote cost 20 less energy, and Garrote can be used from the front.
Heightened Senses 2/2Detect enemy Rogues and Cats earlier; spells hit you less often.
Quietus 5/5+10% Hemorrhage and Ghostly Strike damage against targets below 35% health, helping finish runners.
Improved Gouge 3/3Gouge lasts 5.5 seconds: enough to bandage, retreat or pool energy.
Malice 5/5+5% critical strike chance for attacks and poisons; required for Lethality.
Ruthlessness 3/3Finishers have a 60% chance to grant a point, building the next Kidney faster.
Murder 2/2+4% damage against humanoids, which includes almost all players.
Relentless Strikes 1/1A five-point finisher often refunds 25 energy for the next control ability.
Lethality 5/5Critical hits deal 20% more damage.
Cold Blood 1/1A guaranteed five-point Eviscerate crit exactly when needed.
Level-by-level order
- 10–12Master of Deception 3/3
- 13–14Camouflage 2/5
- 15–16Dirty Tricks 2/2
- 17–18Elusiveness 2/2
- 19–21Setup 3/3
- 22–24Initiative 3/3
- 25Premeditation 1/1
- 26Ghostly Strike 1/1
- 27–29Serrated Blades 3/3
- 30Preparation 1/1
- 31Hemorrhage 1/1
- 32–33Dirty Deeds 2/2
- 34–35Heightened Senses 2/2
- 36–40Quietus 5/5
- 41–43Improved Gouge 3/3
- 44–48Malice 5/5
- 49–51Ruthlessness 3/3
- 52–53Murder 2/2
- 54Relentless Strikes 1/1
- 55Lethality 1/5
- 56Cold Blood 1/1
- 57–60Lethality 5/5
Combat for world PvP and battlegrounds (0/31/20)
For players spending more time in the world and battlegrounds than dueling. Sprint and Evasion have 2-minute cooldowns, Sprint clears slows, Kick silences, Riposte handles melee, Blade Flurry handles pets and totems, and Adrenaline Rush powers a second attack window. Twenty Subtlety points give Premeditation and a strong opener. No Cold Blood or Preparation, so the second burst is weaker than Hemorrhage's.
Assassination 0
- Improved Eviscerate 3/3Eviscerate deals 20% more damage.
- Improved Sinister Strike 2/2Sinister Strike costs 40 energy.
- Precision 3/3Fewer misses with attacks and poisons.
- Deflection 3/3+6% parry and access to Riposte.
- Endurance 2/2Sprint and Evasion every 2 minutes.
- Improved Sprint 2/2Sprint removes slows and roots.
- Riposte 1/1A 6-second disarm after parrying.
- Improved Kick 2/2Kick adds a 2-second silence.
- Flawless Execution 1/1Eviscerate costs 10 less energy.
- Dual Wield Specialization 2/5Progression points for the next row, with slightly stronger off-hand damage.
- Blade Flurry 1/1Faster attacks and a second target.
- Hack and Slash 5/5Swords and axes can grant an extra attack; maces ignore 15% target armor. Maces do not stun in Forever.
- Weapon Expertise 2/2The target dodges and parries 2% less often, reducing failed attacks and Kidney Shots.
- Aggression 1/3One point to reach 30 in the tree.
- Adrenaline Rush 1/115 seconds of double energy: consecutive finishers and control.
- Master of Deception 3/3Enemies detect you as though you were 3 levels stealthier, important in world PvP.
- Camouflage 4/5Approach faster and restealth more often.
- Dirty Tricks 2/2Cheaper Sap and Blind.
- Elusiveness 2/2Vanish and Blind every 3.5 minutes.
- Setup 3/3Evasion every 2 minutes, with each dodge granting a point.
- Initiative 3/3Cheap Shot grants three points.
- Premeditation 1/1Five points immediately with Cheap Shot.
- Heightened Senses 2/2Detect enemy Rogues earlier; spells hit you less often.
Level-by-level order
- 10–12Improved Eviscerate 3/3
- 13–14Improved Sinister Strike 2/2
- 15–17Precision 3/3
- 18–20Deflection 3/3
- 21–22Endurance 2/2
- 23–24Improved Sprint 2/2
- 25Riposte 1/1
- 26–27Improved Kick 2/2
- 28Flawless Execution 1/1
- 29–30Dual Wield Specialization 2/5
- 31Blade Flurry 1/1
- 32–36Hack and Slash 5/5
- 37–38Weapon Expertise 2/2
- 39Aggression 1/3
- 40Adrenaline Rush 1/1
- 41–43Master of Deception 3/3
- 44–45Camouflage 2/5
- 46–47Dirty Tricks 2/2
- 48–49Elusiveness 2/2
- 50Setup 1/3
- 51–53Initiative 3/3
- 54–55Setup 3/3
- 56Premeditation 1/1
- 57–58Heightened Senses 2/2
- 59–60Camouflage 4/5
Muti / Seal Fate daggers (30/0/21)
This Muti build pairs two daggers with Mutilate. Mutilate hits with both hands from the front, every crit grants an extra point, Cold Blood can empower Ambush, Mutilate or Eviscerate, and Preparation provides a second burst. The strongest damage from stealth and stuns, but requires two daggers. Weaknesses: 5-minute Sprint and Evasion cooldowns and little hit, making an opener miss potentially fight-losing. We skip the 31-point Venom talent because it is awkward in PvP.
Combat 0- Malice 5/5+5% critical strike chance; crits generate extra points here.
- Ruthlessness 3/3A point after finishers, building the next Kidney faster.
- Murder 2/2+4% damage against players.
- Lethality 5/5Mutilate and Backstab crits deal 20% more damage.
- Cold Blood 1/1A guaranteed crit exactly when needed.
- Relentless Strikes 1/125 energy back after a five-point finisher.
- Improved Gouge 3/3Longer Gouge for bandaging and retreating.
- Mutilate 1/1The main builder: both hands, two points, extra damage against poisoned targets.
- Improved Kidney Shot 2/2Your attacks and poisons deal 10% more damage while the enemy is in Kidney Shot. This is your burst window.
- Vigor 2/2+10 maximum energy: Cheap Shot and Mutilate without a pause.
- Seal Fate 5/5Every builder crit grants an extra point, reaching five in 2-3 attacks.
- Master of Deception 3/3Approach unseen into Ambush range.
Opportunity 2/2+10% Ambush, Backstab, Garrote and Mutilate damage.
Improved Ambush 3/3+45% Ambush critical strike chance; with Seal Fate, the opener immediately grants three points.- Dirty Tricks 2/2Cheaper Sap and Blind.
- Initiative 3/3Cheap Shot and Ambush always grant an extra point.
- Elusiveness 2/2Vanish and Blind every 3.5 minutes.
- Premeditation 1/1Two points before the opener.
- Heightened Senses 2/2Detect enemy stealth earlier; spells hit you less often.
Improved Distract 2/2Progression points that also let you turn an enemy's back for Ambush.- Preparation 1/1A second Cold Blood, Vanish and Blind.
Level-by-level order
- 10–14Malice 5/5
- 15–17Ruthlessness 3/3
- 18–19Murder 2/2
- 20–24Lethality 5/5
- 25Cold Blood 1/1
- 26Relentless Strikes 1/1
- 27–29Improved Gouge 3/3
- 30Mutilate 1/1
- 31–32Improved Kidney Shot 2/2
- 33–34Vigor 2/2
- 35–39Seal Fate 5/5
- 40–42Master of Deception 3/3
- 43–44Opportunity 2/2
- 45–47Improved Ambush 3/3
- 48–49Dirty Tricks 2/2
- 50–52Initiative 3/3
- 53–54Elusiveness 2/2
- 55Premeditation 1/1
- 56–57Heightened Senses 2/2
- 58–59Improved Distract 2/2
- 60Preparation 1/1
Which build should you choose?
- Enjoy duels and one-on-one fights? Take Hemorrhage: reliable five-point openings and a second round through Preparation.
- Spend more time in battlegrounds and world PvP? Combat gives 2-minute escapes and Blade Flurry against multiple enemies.
- Want maximum damage from stealth? Seal Fate daggers, but remember you need two daggers and an opener miss is costly.
- You can reset talents at a trainer, so experiment. A build you enjoy playing is always stronger for you than one the forum enjoys.
Poisons, weapons and consumables
Rogues obtain poisons at level 20 through a class quest. Poison lasts 30 minutes on a weapon and takes 3 seconds to apply. Forever gives 50% more charges than Classic, and poison and a sharpening stone can now coexist on the same weapon.
Crippling is your main PvP poison. It slows by 50% without dealing damage, so it does not break Gouge, Sap or Blind. Damaging poisons do break your control; remember that tradeoff.
| Poison | Level | Effect | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
 Crippling Poison | 20 | 30% chance to slow the target by 50% for 12 seconds | Almost always, on the main hand or both |
 Mind-numbing Poison | 24 | 20% chance to slow spellcasting by 40% | Off hand against casters |
 Wound Poison | 32 | Reduces healing received, stacking up to 5 times | Against healers and carriers; stronger in Forever than Classic |
 Instant Poison | 20 | Instant Nature damage | For damage, but breaks your control |
 Deadly Poison | 30 | Damage over 12 seconds, stacking up to 5 times | Against Rogues and Druids: ticking damage prevents restealthing |
Choosing poison combinations
The usual setup is main-hand Crippling with off-hand Mind-numbing against casters or Wound against healers. Against Rogues and Druids, use Deadly instead. Dwarves remove poisons with Stoneform; Druids, Paladins and Shaman Poison Cleansing Totem also remove them. Most removals handle one at a time, so two different poisons last longer than one.
Weapons
Your weapons determine the build. Ambush and Backstab need a main-hand dagger; Seal Fate and Mutilate rely on two daggers. Combat chooses a slow main-hand sword, axe or mace for stronger Sinister Strike and Eviscerate.
Forever's 
Hack and Slash replaced separate sword, mace and dagger talents. Swords and axes can grant an extra attack, maces ignore 15% target armor, and daggers and fist weapons give 5% critical strike chance. Macros can swap weapons; since October 8, several items can again be swapped within one global cooldown. For example, open with dagger Ambush and immediately equip a slow sword.
Consumables and usable items
| Item | Effect | Note |
|---|---|---|
 Greater Insignia of the Horde,  Greater Insignia of the Alliance | Removes all movement impairments and any loss of control; 5-minute cooldown | Rank 2 reward shared by all classes. Present in game files; release availability remains unknown. |
| Insignia of the Horde | Removes charm, fear and Polymorph, but not stuns | The old Classic Rogue trinket |
 Thistle Tea | +100 energy, 5-minute cooldown | Made with Cooking |
 Free Action Potion | 30 seconds of immunity to stuns and slows | Does not remove an existing stun, so drink in advance |
 Living Action Potion | Removes stuns and slows and grants 5 seconds of immunity | From level 47 |
 Limited Invulnerability Potion | 6 seconds of immunity to physical damage | Against Warriors and Rogues |
 Restorative Potion | For 30 seconds, removes one effect every 5 seconds | Against DoTs and curses |
 Swiftness Potion | +50% movement speed for 15 seconds | Catch enemies or escape |
 Iron Grenade, Thorium Grenade | 3-second area stun | Forever also has grenades that do not require Engineering |
 Goblin Sapper Charge | Damage to everyone nearby, including you | Reveals enemy Rogues in stealth |
 Goblin Rocket Helmet | Incapacitates the target for 30 seconds, but you too | Engineering; 20-minute cooldown |
 Potion of Venomous Blood | Bleeds on you transfer poison to a nearby enemy | New Forever potion, against Garrote and Rupture |
 Catseye Draught,  Draught of Predatory Senses | Improved stealth detection | These are enemy potions used against you. Draught of Predatory Senses requires level 45. |
 Flash Powder,  Blinding Powder | Reagents for Vanish and Blind | Restock and craft them in advance |
Removing poison, bleeds and diseases
Forever First Aid does more than Classic: alongside anti-venoms, it adds disease poultices and bleed tourniquets. The level in the description refers to the effect's level, not the character, so at 60 only the highest versions handle full-strength poisons, diseases and bleeds.
The PvP distinction: only anti-venoms and potions work in combat. Poultices and tourniquets cannot be used in combat; a ticking bleed keeps you in combat, so tourniquets only help afterward. Only Dwarf Stoneform removes bleeds directly in combat. The downside for you: an enemy with anti-venom or a potion can clear Crippling Poison instantly, so do not base the whole fight on one slow.
| Item | Removes | In combat | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
 Anti-Venom | Poisons up to level 25 | Yes, instant, 30-yard range | First Aid trainer |
| Strong Anti-Venom | Poisons up to level 35 | Yes | First Aid 130; manual drops from mobs |
 Potent Anti-Venom | Poisons up to level 45. In the Russian client, it shares the previous item's name; distinguish them by the number in the description. | Yes | New in Forever; First Aid 215, manual drops in Swamp of Sorrows |
 Powerful Anti-Venom | Poisons up to level 65, covering everything at 60 | Yes | First Aid 300; recipe from Argent Dawn at Honored. Using it also requires 300 skill. |
 Simple Poultice,  Clever Poultice,  Superior Poultice,  Powerful Poultice | Diseases up to levels 25, 35, 45 and 65 | No | New in Forever; First Aid |
Woolen Tourniquet,  Leather Tourniquet,  Surgical Tourniquet | Bleeds up to levels 30, 45 and 65 | No | New in Forever; First Aid |
 Potion of Poison Cleansing | Up to four poisons up to level 60 | Yes, 3-second cooldown | Alchemy 120. The best answer to Rogue poisons. |
 Purification Potion | One curse, one disease and one poison | Yes, shared potion cooldown | Alchemy 285; recipe drops at 50+ |
| Restorative Potion | For 30 seconds, removes one magic, curse, poison or disease effect every 5 seconds | Yes, shared potion cooldown | Alchemy; quest-reward recipe |
Macros
Macros save buttons and, more importantly, let you Sap, Kick and Blind a second enemy without losing your target. Below are popular Classic and Forever PvP macros without exotic setups.
Commands and bracketed conditions use English; ability and item names must match your English client exactly. Open the spellbook and Shift-click the ability into the macro window. These examples use only Shift and Ctrl because Alt is self-cast by default in the modern client. Set focus with the Focus Target keybind or a separate /focus [@mouseover,harm,nodead][] macro.
The main rule: do not add /startattack to attack or control macros. It starts auto-attacking even if the ability fails, causing you to break your own Gouge or Blind.
Focus is a separately saved target: select an enemy and type /focus before using a focus macro. An @focus macro acts on that saved enemy without changing your current target.
Mouseover means the unit under your cursor, including its unit frame. Hover over the intended target before pressing an @mouseover macro.
#showtooltip
/dismount
/cast [stealth,mod:shift] Garrote; [stealth,mod:ctrl] Ambush; [stealth] Cheap Shot; [nocombat] !StealthYour main button. Out of combat it dismounts and stealths; in stealth it opens with Cheap Shot. Shift opens with Garrote against plate or another Rogue; Ctrl uses Ambush if you have a main-hand dagger. The ! prevents a second press from cancelling stealth. If talented into Premeditation, add /cast [stealth] Premeditation before the final line: it is off the global cooldown and activates with the same press.
#showtooltip Sap
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][@mouseover,harm,nodead][] SapWithout a modifier, Sap your mouseover or current target if none. Shift Saps your focus. Sap no longer breaks stealth in Forever, so Shift-Sap a healer and open on their partner from the same stealth.
#showtooltip Sap
/cleartarget
/targetenemyplayer
/cast [harm,nodead] SapBind it to the mouse wheel and scroll while stealthed. As soon as an enemy Rogue or Cat becomes visible nearby, the macro targets and Saps them before they open on you. Do not use it during normal combat: every press clears your target.
#showtooltip Kick
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][@mouseover,harm,nodead][] KickInterrupt a healer or Mage Polymorph without losing the target you are finishing. Without a modifier, Kick your mouseover or target; Shift uses focus. Focus deliberately requires Shift: macro conditions do not check range, so a distant focus would otherwise swallow a normal Kick.
#showtooltip Blind
/cast [mod:shift,@focus,harm,nodead][@mouseover,harm,nodead][] BlindBlind a healer or second melee enemy without switching targets, or reset on your target: Blind, retreat, bandage. Blind automatically stops auto-attacking. Do not Blind a target with your bleeds or damaging poison ticking.
#showtooltip Gouge
/cast [@mouseover,harm,nodead][harm,nodead] GougeGouge a second melee attacker or the enemy in front of you without changing targets. While they are incapacitated, move behind, restealth or bandage. Remember they must face you.
#showtooltip Vanish
/stopattack
/cast VanishStops auto-attacking before entering stealth so a late white swing does not pull you back out. This is a common way to waste Vanish.
#showtooltip Eviscerate
/cast [mod:ctrl] Cold Blood
/cast EviscerateCtrl guarantees a five-point Eviscerate crit; without Ctrl it is ordinary Eviscerate, preventing accidental Cold Blood use. Cold Blood is off the global cooldown, so both lines activate with one press.
#showtooltip Distract
/cast [@cursor] DistractPlaces Distract directly at the cursor without a targeting circle. Use it to turn an enemy's back before Sap or Cheap Shot.
#showtooltip
/equipslot [stealth] 16 Dagger Name; 16 Sword Name
/cast [stealth] Ambush; Sinister StrikeFor sword Combat. In stealth, equips a main-hand dagger and Ambushes; after the opener, restores the sword and uses Sinister Strike. Replace placeholders with your exact weapon names. Since October 8, Forever again allows several item swaps within one global cooldown, but equip the dagger during your approach anyway.
#showtooltip
/use [mod:shift] Wound Poison IV; [mod:ctrl] Mind-numbing Poison III; Crippling Poison II
/use [btn:2] 17; 16Apply poison without opening bags. Left-click applies to the main hand, right-click to the off hand. No modifier uses Crippling, Shift Wound, Ctrl Mind-numbing. Use exact names including rank, and confirm the enchant-replacement prompt yourself. Against Rogues or Druids, Ctrl can instead use Deadly Poison V.
Every class matchup
Below is a level 60 plan against every class. Difficulty assessments come from Classic guides, adjusted for Forever changes and beta feedback. Opponent build and skill matter greatly: difficult means play carefully, not never engage.
| Class | Difficulty | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Easy to even | Needs to reach you while you control and kite.  Mortal Strike, Disarm and  Intimidating Shout are dangerous. |
| Paladin | Even | A long fight: healing, Divine Shield and  Divine Protection. Track cooldowns. |
| Hunter | Difficult | Places traps under itself in combat; Mark and Flare reveal stealth, and pets are stronger. |
| Shaman | Even | Totems last 5 minutes; Enhancement can kill in a few hits but is vulnerable in stuns. |
| Mage | Even to difficult |  Ice Lance, Ice Block, Ice Barrier and  Cold Snap. The first opener decides much of the fight. |
| Warlock | Even to difficult | DoTs can crit, the demon shares damage, Death Coil and Howl of Terror provide control, and restealthing without Vanish is difficult. |
| Priest | Difficult | Shield, Psychic Scream, Shadowform and strong Priest racial abilities |
| Druid | Even to difficult | All Druids have  Nature's Grasp; Faerie Fire prevents restealthing. |
| Rogue | Even | Whoever detects the other first has the advantage |
Warrior
The most straightforward opponent. A Warrior needs to reach you, and you have tools to prevent it. Three threats stand out: 
Disarm removes your weapon for 10 seconds, Intimidating Shout fears for 8, and Retaliation counters every frontal attack for 15 seconds. At 60, Mortal Strike also reduces your healing, and 
Improved Hamstring can root you, so kiting is no longer free.
Do not open while Charge is ready: wait until the Warrior spends it on a mob or another player. Cheap Shot, build into Kidney, then maintain 5-8 yards where they can neither attack nor Charge. Crippling Poison slows them into chasing. Garrote and Rupture work well against plate because bleeds bypass armor. If caught, use Evasion and Ghostly Strike; after a parry, Riposte disarms for 6 seconds.
A shield Warrior usually stays in Defensive Stance, without 
Berserker Rage's Sap protection, letting you Sap out of combat and bandage. Use a racial against Intimidating Shout: Undead removes fear with Will of the Forsaken. Save Blind for a reset: Blind, retreat, bandage and reopen, but do not Blind a Warrior with your Rupture ticking. Use Crippling on both weapons; Deadly is unnecessary.
Paladin
Both factions have Paladins in Forever; Horde's are Undead. A long fight because Paladins heal, wear plate and become temporarily immune. Watch for Hammer of Justice's 6-second stun, Divine Protection for 8 seconds and Divine Shield granting 12 seconds of immunity. Forever adds 
Voice of Truth: 6 seconds without interrupts or silence.
Open with Cheap Shot and chain stuns until they spend a defensive. Do not attack an immune Paladin: retreat, pool energy and wait. Kick heals, but not during Voice of Truth. Blind after bubble is spent, because bubble removes control. Paladins have almost no slows, so kite with Crippling if the fight drags on.
Poisons: Crippling and Wound against healing. Paladins remove poisons one at a time, so two types last longer. Human Paladins break your first stun with Will to Survive; against Dwarves, bait Stoneform with Garrote and Rupture first. Classic veterans consider Paladin manageable if you track cooldowns.
Hunter
One of the most unpleasant opponents. Forever Hunters place traps beneath themselves in combat, Hunter's Mark reveals you even in stealth, and pets are stronger. 
Flare reveals everyone hiding nearby. Wyvern Sting, however, was removed in Forever.
Distance is the main threat. Up close the Hunter is weak; once they escape and Freezing Trap triggers under you, the fight favors them. Open when the trap is on cooldown or the Hunter is occupied with a mob, and maintain Crippling from the first second. During 
Deterrence, do not waste Kidney Shot: they dodge and parry for 10 seconds, so wait it out.
A clever option is to Sap the Hunter, kill the pet while its owner sleeps, then open on the Hunter. After Vanish, still move away from the pet and Flare: dropping the enemy’s target alone does not guarantee a safe escape. Talented Sprint removes 
Wing Clip. Blind the Hunter, then after Preparation Blind the pet too. Dwarf Hunters remove both Blind and Crippling with Stoneform.
Shaman
Both factions have Shamans in Forever; Alliance's are Dwarves. Enhancement is the most dangerous: 
Stormstrike and 
Windfury Weapon can kill in two or three hits. Persistent totems last 5 minutes and reach 30 yards. The worst is Poison Cleansing Totem, removing poison from allies every 5 seconds, including your Blind. 
Earthbind Totem also slows everyone nearby.
The Classic plan: Sap the Shaman, circle around and destroy totems, starting with Poison Cleansing and Earthbind, then restealth and open. A Shaman in 
Ghost Wolf, Ghost Wolf, cannot be sapped, so Cheap Shot instead. Do not trade face-to-face with Enhancement while Stormstrike is ready: control, kite and Crippling. Against a healer, do the same and Kick each 
Healing Wave.
Poisons: Crippling with Mind-numbing or Wound. Poison Cleansing removes one at a time, so two types last longer. Vanish removes Earthbind.
Mage
One of your most dangerous opponents. Forever Frost Mages have Ice Lance, an instant spell dealing three times as much damage against frozen targets; with 
Fingers of Frost, this is enormous burst. Frost Nova roots you, Blink moves the Mage 20 yards and removes stuns, Polymorph Polymorphs you, and Ice Block grants 10 seconds of immunity. At 60, add Ice Barrier and Cold Snap resetting Frost cooldowns.
The first opener matters most. Open with full burst: Cold Blood, Premeditation and Crippling on both weapons. Kick Polymorph and 
Frostbolt. Position to catch the Mage after Blink; during Ice Block, back away, pool energy and wait. If Blink and Block are spent, the fight is yours; otherwise, their cooldowns are shorter than yours.
Vanish removes Frost Nova roots; talented Sprint removes roots and slows. After Vanish, approach in an arc rather than straight at the Mage, because experienced Mages Blizzard your disappearance point. The key is a five-point Kidney to force Ice Block, followed by Blind and a bandage afterward. Gnome Mages instantly clear slows with Escape Artist; Human Mages remove your stun with Will to Survive.
Warlock
One of the Rogue's least comfortable opponents. Their DoTs can crit, 
Soul Link shares damage with the demon, Succubus Seduction controls you for 15 seconds, and Curse of Exhaustion slows by 30%. At 60, add Death Coil, which horrifies you and heals them, and Howl of Terror fearing nearby enemies.
Hit the Warlock, not the demon. Open with burst and commit to the first attack window. Kick Fear: it also locks Shadow, preventing Shadow Bolt. You can Distract the Voidwalker. While DoTs tick, Vanish will not save you, so wait for them to expire first. Restealthing without Vanish is almost impossible here. If the Warlock sacrifices the Voidwalker for a shield, Blind, retreat, restealth and reopen.
Guides do not specify poison, but Mind-numbing is the logical choice to slow Fear and Shadow Bolt. This is the longest fight; veterans compare it to a three-phase boss: before demon sacrifice, afterward, and once all cooldowns are spent. Since October 8, the old demon is stunned while the Warlock summons another.
Priest
One of your hardest opponents. Power Word: Shield absorbs your opener, Psychic Scream fears for 8 seconds, and Shadow Priests also heal from their spells. Discipline's 
Penance was weakened on October 8 and is now more a healing tool than damage. All Priests have 
Fear Ward in Forever.
Cheap Shot, Hemorrhage or Backstab, then immediate burst with Cold Blood and Eviscerate. Kick healing and 
Mind Blast. Break Psychic Scream with an appropriate racial or trinket; Evasion does not protect against fear. If the Priest runs afterward, Sprint to catch up. If the fight drags on, do not trade until death: Blind and retreat. Before Vanishing and eating, wait for DoTs to expire or remove them with an appropriate effect: periodic damage prevents safe recovery.
Forever Priests have strong racials: Gnomes disorient up to 5 targets for 3 seconds with a flash, Dwarves root for 2 seconds, and Trolls have Hex. Use Wound against healing and Crippling if they try to maintain distance.
Druid
Druids are stronger in Forever than Classic. All learn Nature's Grasp at 10 and it always triggers; Faerie Fire in form is free and prevents stealth for 40 seconds; Bears stun for up to 5 seconds with 
Bash.
Do not open into ready Nature's Grasp: wait or bait it. Catch the Druid in caster form while healing, when vulnerable. If they apply HoTs and shift Bear, expect a long fight with some luck involved. Kick healing: locking Nature also prevents an instant 
Nature's Swiftness heal. Evasion and Ghostly Strike help against Bear, but Riposte is useless because forms cannot be disarmed.
Shapeshifting clears Crippling's slow, making it weaker here; Wound works well against healing. Do not Blind immediately: Blind is poison and Druids remove poisons. Kidney first, then Gouge, then Blind. Night Elf Cats have one extra level of stealth effectiveness.
Rogue
The mirror favors whoever spots the opponent first. Heightened Senses and Human 
Perception help detect stealth earlier. If Distract's debuff appears on you, another Rogue is nearby; put your back to a wall.
If they Cheap Shot you, answer with Gouge around their Kidney window or immediately afterward to break their rhythm. In Classic, sapped Rogues lost stealth; this is not yet verified in Forever. Poison priorities reverse in the mirror: Deadly and Rupture are useful because ticking damage prevents restealthing. Talented Sprint removes Crippling's slow.
Dwarf Rogues clear your poisons, Garrote, Rupture and Blind with Stoneform, so bait it with a bleed before using Blind.
Duels
Duels are the best way to learn the class. Challenge any player of your faction; even during beta, crowds gathered outside Orgrimmar every evening. A duel tests class knowledge and teaches enemy cooldowns better than anything.
The countdown gives you time to stealth. Experienced opponents immediately move away or place a trap, so do not rush straight in: circle, wait for them to spend something, then open. Giving the Rogue the first move is customary duel etiquette.
Agree on rules first: potions, Engineering, trinkets and arena rewards. Old-school duels use class abilities only, without consumables. The beta's fan tournament drew complaints precisely because duelists used potions and rewards.
Most duels are decided in the first minute. If you complete a full stunlock and the opponent uses neither trinket nor racial, they have probably lost. If they break free, switch plans: Gouge, bandage, stealth and reopen. Do not spend everything at once: track what they used and save Vanish and Evasion for their strongest abilities. After a good duel, /salute your opponent, an old dueling tradition.
- Full energy and poison on both weapons before the challenge.
- Do not open while Warrior Charge, Hunter trap or Druid Nature's Grasp is ready.
- Track enemy cooldowns: Mage Ice Block, Paladin Divine Protection, Priest Psychic Scream.
- Bandaging between rounds matters more than it seems.
- Account for race: Humans remove your first stun, Gnomes clear slows, Dwarves clear poisons and bleeds.
Battlegrounds
Forever's new battleground is Darkspear Islands for levels 30–60, 15 versus 15. Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin and Alterac Valley exist in game files, but Blizzard has not confirmed they open on November 4. Queue at a battlemaster in any capital.
The Islands lie off Dustwallow Marsh. Four bases surround a central flag: deliver it to any friendly-controlled base, and the first team to 2000 points wins. Testers complain about sparse cover and ranged dominance, so play intelligently rather than charging into the central crowd.
- Quiet captures. Rogues can take empty or lightly defended bases alone. Sap leaves you in stealth and creates a chance to attempt a capture. The defender may break CC, and their pet or another enemy can interrupt the capture by dealing damage. Sap alone does not guarantee the base.
- Hunt healers. While the crowd fights centrally, circle around and find the healer at the back. Sap their partner, Cheap Shot, Kidney and Kick healing.
- Flag carriers. Crippling Poison, Kidney Shot, Kick the healer and Blind. Wound on the carrier reduces all healing received.
- Guard duty. After capturing, stay nearby in stealth: an enemy Rogue may arrive as quietly as you did.
- Stay away from water. Sharks swim around the Islands, and fear sends players into the sea. Undead benefits from Will of the Forsaken.
World PvP: where to find Horde and Alliance
World PvP is why many players choose Rogue. Pick your target, choose when to start and spend hours hunting where enemies quest. First, the Forever rules that affect those hunts most.
Rules you need to know
- Whose territory? PvP rulesets automatically flag you in contested and enemy zones; Normal rulesets use /pvp. The Barrens, Tirisfal Glades and Silverpine Forest remain Horde territory; Elwynn Forest, Westfall, Loch Modan, Dun Morogh, Teldrassil and Darkshore remain Alliance. An Alliance player in the Barrens is flagged, while a Horde Rogue is not, so you choose the fight.
- Sap flags you. Sapping a flagged player also flags you.
- Sanctuaries and arenas. Fighting is disabled in Dalaran and on Zephris Island, but since October 15 Dalaran guards attack Horde characters on sight. Gurubashi Arena and the Dire Maul Arena in Feralas are free-for-all.
- Guards. In neutral towns such as Ratchet, Booty Bay and Gadgetzan, guards attack whoever starts the fight and anyone healing combatants. Flight masters are elites who call for help. Ships have no guards.
- Layers. A defining Forever feature. Crossing zone borders or changing groups often moves you to another copy of the world. When escaping, a zone border can act like a second Vanish. When chasing, avoid crossing borders or changing groups mid-hunt: an entire raid may await on the other side.
- You are easier to detect. Many players have Legacy perk High Alert, granting +2 stealth-detection levels outside battlegrounds. Approach from behind and take Master of Deception.
- Honor. World kills grant honor. Forever has not announced whether gray targets grant any or how repeated kills of one player scale. Classic gave nothing for gray targets and rapidly reduced same-player honor to zero within a day.
Hotspots by level
Below are places with plenty of enemies. Each entry explains who travels there and how to hunt; level ranges are approximate.
| Location | Levels | Who is there | How to hunt |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Crossroads and the Barrens | 10–25 | Alliance crosses Horde's Barrens toward Ashenvale and Ratchet; from 30, players visit Northwatch Hold to queue for Darkspear Islands | Horde: hunt isolated players near Chol'aruk and questers by the Hold. Do not start near Ratchet's guards. |
| Ruins of Lordaeron near Undercity | 15–22 | Alliance heads to the new dungeon whose entrance is in Horde's Undercity | Horde's doorstep: wait by the entrance; a sapped player cannot enter. Beta Alliance groups reportedly died 6-7 times getting inside. |
| Redridge Mountains | 15–25 | Alliance questers near Lakeshire | Horde: the road toward Duskwood and gnoll camps. Avoid pushing into Lakeshire; players report guards. Two 40-player Horde raids fought here during beta. |
| Stonetalon Mountains | 15–27 | Stonetalon Peak (Alliance) versus Sun Rock Retreat (Horde) | Wait near harpies until the enemy pulls several mobs |
| Hillsbrad Foothills | 20–30 | The endless Tarren Mill versus Southshore war; Alliance arrives 5-10 levels later | Isolated players on Hillsbrad fields and the road between towns. Retreat toward your own town. Alliance can also escape to Dalaran, but since October 15 its guards attack Horde on sight. |
| Wetlands and Menethil Harbor | 20–30 | The new Excavation Site: Wetlands dungeon and Menethil - Southshore - Auberdine ship route | Ships have no guards or escape route. Horde flooded Wetlands during beta; Alliance players reported taking half an hour to reach Menethil. |
| Ashenvale | 18–32 | Many races' first contested zone; raids on Astranaar and Splintertree Post | Lakes near Astranaar and the path to Zoram Strand, where dungeon groups split into individual travelers |
| Thousand Needles | 25–35 | Shimmering Flats and Freewind Post | From 40, Safe Fall lets you escape by jumping from a mesa |
| Stranglethorn Vale | 30–45 | Grom'gol, Rebel Camp, Nesingwary's Expedition | Wait near quest tigers, panthers and raptors. Do not start in Booty Bay; guards attack the aggressor. |
| Arathi Highlands | 30–40 | Hammerfall versus Refuge Pointe | Someone is always waiting near Prince Nazjak's sunken ship |
| Riverglades | 35–45 | A new contested Forever zone with more than 150 quests | The goblin port and Krol'dok Stronghold |
| Badlands, Searing Gorge, Blackrock Mountain | 35–60 | Evenings can bring up to a hundred players from each faction to Blackrock Mountain | A stealthed Rogue rules the mountain corridors. Watch the lava. |
| Tanaris | 40–50 | Questing and the road to Zul'Farrak | Do not start in Gadgetzan; hunt on the road |
| Feralas | 40–55 | Camp Mojache versus Feathermoon Stronghold; the arena | The arena is free-for-all |
| Un'Goro, Felwood, Winterspring | 48–60 | Farming and questing | Everlook and Marshal's Refuge are neutral; do not start there |
| Flight points | 55–60 | Everyone arriving by flight | A newly landed player is out of combat and can be sapped. Leave the flight master alone. |
Dungeon entrances
Forever has no summoning stones, so everyone travels to dungeons and entrances stay busy. You cannot fight inside instances; only the journey is dangerous.
- Horde catches Alliance near Scarlet Monastery, Wailing Caverns, Razorfen Kraul, Ruins of Lordaeron, Blackfathom Deeps and the Wetlands Excavation Site.
- Alliance catches Horde near the Deadmines, Stormwind Stockade, Gnomeregan and Hall of Thanes.
- Shared locations: Uldaman, Zul'Farrak, Maraudon, Temple of Atal'Hakkar, Dire Maul, Blackrock Mountain, Stratholme and Scholomance.
How to hunt
- Patience. Wait until the enemy pulls a mob, sits to eat or drops to half health. A caster standing casually beside an objective is often bait.
- Sap and pass. Against two enemies, Sap one and kill the other. Or simply pass without waking anyone.
- A ship is a cage. No guards, nowhere to run: Sap and Cheap Shot.
- Do not die far from a graveyard. A five-minute corpse run makes the fight a poor trade.
- Ganking and retaliation. Kill someone far below your level and expect their level 60 friend ten minutes later. Ganking is part of the class, but the fun is in the hunt, not the corpse counter.
- If you are being camped. Resurrect farther away, behind a wall, and stealth immediately. Or wait: the camper will tire first.
Tricks, jokes and Rogue culture
Players love Rogues for more than numbers. Twenty years have produced tricks, traditions and jokes, some still relevant in Forever.
Distract: how to turn an enemy
Distract got stronger in Forever: the tooltip now says "enemies" instead of "monsters", and distracted targets detect stealth worse for 10 seconds. But one rule remains that breaks half the old advice: it does not turn anyone who is already in combat.
- Who you can turn. Only those out of combat: a player at the mailbox or the auction house, someone fishing, eating or drinking, a rider on the road. A runner after a fight is already in combat, so Distract won't affect them, and you can't turn a flag carrier mid-fight in Warsong Gulch either.
- Where to throw it. Throw Distract behind the target as seen from you: they turn toward it and end up with their back to you. Then move in and open with Ambush or Garrote.
- How much time you have. A player turns their own character and can turn back at once, and in Forever they also see the debuff. Someone away from the keyboard won't notice a thing, an attentive player looks back within a second, so throw Distract when you are a couple of steps away and strike right away.
- A pair at the campfire. One Distract turns both of them. Sap the healer and open on the other: Rogues were given this advice back in 2008.
- Past the guards. Creatures see much worse behind them, and in Forever distracted targets also detect stealth worse for 10 seconds, more with Improved Distract. That lets you slip past the guards of an enemy outpost to the flight master or the innkeeper. Level 55 capital guards still spot a low-level Rogue from afar, so don't sneak into Orgrimmar or Stormwind at level 30.
- A row of anglers. At the Stranglethorn fishing tournament the anglers stand close together, and one Distract can turn the whole row toward the jungle. We found no screenshot of this, but the mechanic allows it, so make your own.
- Under a patrol. Distract a patrol away from an ore vein or a herb, gather it and slip back into stealth.
Other tricks
- Distract gives you away. Enemies see the debuff and know a Rogue is nearby. If you see it on yourself, put your back to a wall: someone is coming.
- Combo points stay. Switching targets leaves points on the old target until you start building on a new one. Kicking a second enemy does not clear them.
- Dagger and sword in one macro. Ambush with a dagger, then immediately equip a slow sword: since October 8, several items swap within one global cooldown.
- Macros work. Focus Kick and Sap probably do too: the required commands exist in game files; we will verify at release.
- Sapper Charge against stealth. Goblin Sapper Charge deals area damage and reveals enemy Rogues. Engineers should keep one ready.
- Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza. Anglers face away from the world, and Forever increased rewards to 50, so expect more anglers. You can Sap one, but remember it may start a zone-wide war.
- Gurubashi Arena. A chest every three hours and a free-for-all fight. Arena rewards are stronger in Forever, and Arena Grand Master has a 9-minute cooldown instead of 30.
- /spit no longer works on players. Targeted spitting was removed from Classic in 2021 and remains disabled in beta. One tester joked it was the Rogue's worst change. If you insist, write your own emote: /e spits at...
- Salute. /salute an enemy Rogue who cleanly beat you. It is an old tradition players still respect.
- Sapping Runthak. In 2020 Classic, Alliance Rogues jumped from an Orgrimmar roof and sapped Overlord Runthak, who announces the Onyxia-head buff, preventing Horde from receiving it. Blizzard closed the loophole a day later.
- Gnome Rogues are hard to click. Tiny, stealthed and now able to remove slows instantly in Forever. Players call them ankle-biters.
- Undead Rogue is the timeless image of a ganker collecting fallen enemies' ears.
- The stunlock myth. Victims say they died without pressing a button; Rogues reply that they had no energy left for damage. Both are right.
- Old videos. To feel the class's culture, look up WarcraftMovies-era videos: Grim, Akrios' Eviscerate series and Ming's World of Roguecraft. An entire generation of Rogues grew up on them.
- Fake pickpocketing. An emote like "/e rummages through your pockets" makes the victim think their gold was stolen, and they send the Rogue angry letters. Nothing actually goes missing.
- Sap at the mailbox. Sapping someone at the mailbox and walking away is a classic, but in neutral towns Sap angers the guards, and since 2019 the guards of Gadgetzan, Booty Bay and Everlook shoot from further away. In an enemy outpost it only works if the guards are far off.
- Mind Control Cap. The Gnomish Mind Control Cap works for any Engineer, so a Rogue can walk a passenger off the deck too, Priest-style. The control lasts 20 seconds with a 30-minute cooldown, and sometimes the cap backfires.
- Lockpicking for tips. You open lockboxes in the trade channel for free, and the custom is to leave 1-5 gold per box. In the early beta Mages had their own lock spell, Khadgar's Unlocking, but it was removed before release.
- Vanish from the guards. Vanish drops a guard chase as long as no damage is ticking on you.
What is new in Forever?
The main PvP Rogue changes from Classic.
- Sap no longer breaks your stealth; sapping a flagged player flags you too.
- Distract reduces enemy detection, but players see its debuff.
- Energy regenerates smoothly, without ticks.
- Since October 8, PvP critical hits are no longer weakened.
- Premeditation and Cold Blood now both require 16 points; Premeditation's points last 20 seconds.
- New talents: Mutilate, Dirty Tricks, Quietus, Cutthroat and
Flawless Execution. - Backstab and Rupture are weaker; mace stuns are gone.
- Wound Poison is stronger than Classic, all poisons have more charges, and poison can coexist with a sharpening stone.
- The rank 2 trinket may become universal and remove all control, including your stuns. If so, plan stunlocks around the enemy trinket.
- Some grenades do not require Engineering.
- Legacy's High Alert grants enemies +2 stealth-detection levels outside battlegrounds.
- The new battleground is Darkspear Islands.
- Layers change at zone borders and when changing groups.
- Racials were reworked: Humans break stuns, Gnomes have instant Escape Artist, Night Elves gain burst and combat stealth, while Undead no longer gain fear immunity afterward.
- As before, Garrote does not silence and Blind has no diminishing returns.
Common mistakes
Every Rogue has done these, so do not be discouraged if you recognize yourself.
- Opening without full energy.
- Cheap Shot immediately after someone else's stun, halving its duration.
- Kidney Shot at 1-2 points or overlapping Cheap Shot while it is still active.
- Gouging or Blinding an enemy with your damaging poison or Rupture ticking.
- Kicking at the start of a cast that the caster can cancel.
- Attacking into Ice Block, Divine Shield or Hunter Deterrence.
- Expecting a safe escape with ticking DoTs or active Faerie Fire.
- Spending Sprint and Vanish before combat.
- Distracting an alert player before opening, telling them you are nearby.
- Chasing across a zone border or changing groups mid-hunt.
- Fighting to the death instead of retreating, bandaging and reopening.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Rogue PvP build in WoW Forever?
For duels and one-on-one fights, Hemorrhage 20/0/31 with Preparation is the usual choice: reliable five-point openings and a second round. Combat 0/31/20 is more convenient for battlegrounds and world PvP, with 2-minute Sprint and Evasion; daggers 30/0/21 deliver the strongest stealth burst. All three have talent trees and every talent explained in the builds section.
Does Sap break stealth in WoW Forever?
No. Sap no longer removes your stealth, letting you disable one enemy and open on another or simply pass. Sapping a PvP-flagged player does flag you too.
Does a Rogue need Engineering for PvP?
Classic considered Engineering the best PvP profession: grenades, Sapper Charge, nets and the Rocket Helmet add control. Forever files include grenades that do not require Engineering, making life easier without it, but Sapper Charge and the helmet remain Engineer-only.
Which poisons should a Rogue use in PvP?
Crippling almost always: it slows without breaking control. On the other hand, Mind-numbing against casters or Wound against healers; against Rogues and Druids, Deadly prevents restealthing.
Which race should a PvP Rogue choose?
Whichever you enjoy. Race differences amount to one button every 2-3 minutes. For optimization, Horde usually favors Orc and Alliance Human or Gnome, but Blizzard has promised further racial changes before release.
Which opponents are hardest for a Rogue?
Hunters and Priests are hardest, followed by Warlocks, Mages and Druids. Warriors and Paladins are easier if you track their cooldowns.
Why does a second stun last less time?
Diminishing returns: control in the same category on the same enemy lasts half as long each time until the counter resets. Cheap Shot and Kidney Shot have separate categories, so the full chain works, but Cheap Shot immediately after Warrior Charge lasts half as long.
Where should I look for world PvP targets?
At levels 20-30, Hillsbrad around Tarren Mill and Southshore, Ashenvale, Wetlands and the Menethil ship, and the Barrens near the Crossroads. Later, Stranglethorn, Blackrock Mountain and flight points. The full table is in the world PvP section.
Changelog
- 20 October 2026: New section on turning an enemy around with Distract; corrected in Abilities: Distract does not turn a target that is in combat. A second check against the October 15 patch using the Wowhead datamine.
- 17 October 2026: Updated for the October 15 beta patch: racials, abilities and talents per the official notes. Builds checked against the new talent trees. English version published.
- 15 October 2026: Guide published for level 60: talent tree builds, abilities, how to fight every class and macros.