Class Preview - Rogue

[Anaie]

OK so actually looking at Rogue talents... (only Outlaw at the moment):

Tier 1:
Ghostly Strike - gives a 10% increased damage take from the rogues abilities to the target for 15 sec, and does a bit of damage + 1 combo point. 30 energy

Swordmaster - increases Saber Slash (SS) chance to strike an additional time to 50% (from 35%). When SS gets the additional hit you get a free Pistol Shot (PS). So this gives you more free PS.

Quick Draw - PS Free uses now give 2 combo points (instead of 1) and do 50% more damage. So less frequent Free PS but, harder hitting and more Combo Pts.

Tier 2:
Grappling Hook - 40 yard range, 30 sec CD. A slow moving Heroic Leap essentially. Really handy to get up to places that are not easy to get to (if you can't fly). Very fun, but situational.

Acrobatic Strikes - Passive. Increases range of all melee attacks by 3 yards.

Hit and Run - Passive. 15% movement speed boost

Tier 3:
Deeper Stratagem - Passive. Max 6 Combo Points, Finishing Moves can consume up to 6 Combo Points, and your Finishing Moves deal 20% increased damage.

Anticipation - Passive. You may have a max of 8 combo points, finishers still only consume up to 5.

Vigor - Passive. Max energy increased by 50 (to 150) and Energy Regen increased by 10%.

Tier 4:
Iron Stomach - Passive. Increases healing from Crimson Vial (rogue self heal for 30% max health over 6 sec base, increases to 42% max health over 6 sec), healing potions and healhstones by 30%.

Elusiveness - Passive. Feint also reduces all damage from non-aoe by 30% for 5 sec.

Cheat Death - Passive. Fatal attacks reduce you to 7% max health. For 3 sec after, you take 85% reduced damage. 1 per 2 min max proc.

Tier 5:
Parley - Replaces Blind (15 yards, disorient for 1 min, damage breaks, 2 min CD). 30 yards, pacifies out of combat target for 5 min, only works on Humanoids, Demons, and Dragonkin. Damage breaks. 20 sec CD.

Prey on the Weak - Passive. Enemies disabled with your Blind, Gouge, Cheap Shot, or Sap take 10% increased damage from all sources.

Dirty Tricks - Passive. Gouge, Blind, Cheap Shot, and Sap no longer cost energy.

Tier 6:
Cannonball Barrage - 35 yard range, 1 min CD. bombards target area for decent damage over 1.8 sec and slows enemies by 50% for 1.5 sec.

Alacrity - Passive. Finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to grant 1% haste for 20 sec, stacking up to 25 times.

Killing Spree - 10 yard range, 2 min CD. Teleport to target attacking 7 times over 3 sec. If Blade Flurry is active, each KS attack will teleport and damage a different enemy target.

Tier 7:
Slice and Dice - 25 energy, replaces Roll the Bones. 25 energy, 1-6 combo point Finishing Move. Increases attack speed by 100%. Lasts longer per combo point.

Marked for Death - 30 yard range, 1 min CD. puts 5 CP on the target. CD reset if target dies within 1 min.

Death from Above - 25 energy, 20 sec CD. 1-6 combo point Finishing Move. 15 yard range. Hits all enemies within 8 yards, and primary target again for 50% more damage.

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I think I am currently leaning toward Quick Draw, Hit and Run, Deeper Stratagem, Iron Stomach, Dirty Tricks, Alacrity, SnD.

For Tier 1 I am not sure if more frequent by 15% is better than harder hitting free pistol shots... and Ghostly strikes debuff on the target could be nice to use every 15 secs, but it only buffs your attacks not everyone else. GS hits for about 75% the strength of SS. The increased damage from Quick Draw on Pistol Shot means PS does about the same damage as GS base hit, and gives the combo points... so this tier will require a lot of testing.

For Tier 2 Hit and Run is nice, if it stacks with enchants (if they exist), or even Sprint, since passive speed is always nice. However Acrobatic Strikes lets you hit mobs that may be a bit out of range (3 extra yards) which could be big with Blade Flurry and such... that said, most mobs are not that far away in my experience when using those powers. Grappling Hook is super fun, but it is kind of a slow Heroic Leap. Good range, decent way to get to tough spots where you can't fly, or if you are in combat and want to get away from stuff. Currently there is not CD on swapping talents, so I'm using Hit and Run and swapping as needed to Grappling Hook.

For Tier 3 I initially started with Vigor, as I like the regen boost and extra energy to start is nice. However, you are never capping energy really, so it really only is an initial boost and then just regen. Anticipation is nice for the extra CP, but the 1 extra CP and more damage from Finishers makes Deeper Stratagem pretty cool. Vigor giving the regen is always nice, since Outlaw regen is lowest of the 3 specs I think... I suppose it depends on your playstyle as well.

For Tier 4 I am using Iron Stomach because you can heal almost half your health with it every 30 sec over 6 sec. Elusiveness is nice, as usual, but I like the boost from all healing personal items. Cheat Death is always good. especially since you can still use Crimson Vial for 30% of your health back over 6 sec every 30 sec still. Elusiveness will be better in AoE fights with non AoE at the same time, since you will be Feinting already.

For Tier 5 I currently am using Dirty Tricks, since I like being able to Gouge when needed (well 10 sec CD not withstanding). Prey on the Weak is ok, but except for Cheap Shot all the status effects break with damage so they are first hit boosts. Parley is fun, with a 5 min pacify, but it replaces Blind, and I'd rather have the shorter usable in combat effect.

For Tier 6 I am using Alacrity, because I have always liked stacking buffs and haste is always good for rogues (esp with Attack Speed buffs like SnD). I need to test Cannonball Barrage's damage, as a 1 min CD is nice, but I think that may be more a PVP talent. Killing Spree is nice as usual, and being able to single or multi target is sweet. 2 min CD too. I may use KS more once I determine how much the 25% haste boost gives us for regen and attack speed... That said, CbB hits for less than KS but can be done twice as often and is an AoE. KS can be Single Target or AoE which is nice. I'd probably use KS over CbB if I swap form Alacrity.

For Tier 7 I was using Death from Above, but swapped to SnD currently (even though I LOVE Roll the Bones' effect and look...). SnD is just too good, and RtB is a bit too RNG. Marked for Death is okay as usual, but I have never really used that talent. Death From Above is a solid hitting AoE and then Single Target hit, but it is just one more Finishing Move to use. Baseline is already RtB/SnD ((Buffs), Run Through (For Single Target), Between the Eyes, use on CD since it can crit super hard or to Stun or to hit a fleeing target (it hits a bit less than Run Through, that said, Crits hit 4x as hard with this attack, so if you crit a lot, it could be very strong - much more so than the base finisher Run Through). I suppose it is nice if you have to do AoE to targets with your finishers, but SnD plus Blade Flurry is probably better, maybe even coupled with Cannonball Barrage.


Overall there are a lot of neat choices to make, but I think that after some testing there will be clear "Use X here and Y here" situations as normal. For RP though, RtB is amazing looking :P

I am not 100% sure on SnD being better than Roll the Bones though, and Roll the Bones is so fun... however being RNG based, it is not always ideal. Death from Above does

[Anaie]

Edited a couple of things...

[Kharzak]

I always loved playing my rogue such that he sneaked everywhere, backstabbed then ran, etc. Before he got his mount he would be stealth mode all the time by default. Now he's stealth mode only whenever he's not mounted.

[Anaie]

Basic Testing makes me think Quick Draw is a bit better DPS on Tier 1.

And unless at least 3 of the buffs from Rtb proc at one time, SnD is always better it seems.

Unless you are bad at combo point management, Deeper Stratagem seems much better than Anticipation. It also seems to be better than Vigor to me.


*Edit - I edit this as I finish basic testing.

[Syreenna]

I was playing around on the PTR today. These are my initial thoughts in testing on PTR and chatting with Marroc who has been playing on beta. I’m not making up my mind on anything yet until I can try them each again with damage meters and other addons to help me keep track of timers and cooldowns. I don't know if addons don't work on the PTR or if I just need to move my addons to somewhere different from normal for them to work there.

Also, here's a spreadsheet I made a while ago to try to make sense of what spells replace what, which ones are going away, and which new ones we're getting. This is not 100% complete, because I didn't account for ALL talents in this sheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

Please feel free to add your thoughts too!



ASSASSINATION

Notes:

Bleeds do more damage than poisons.
Energy regen is slow.
For the above two reasons, stack Haste instead of Mastery, at least while leveling.

Elaborate Planning Build

Elaborate Planning, a first tier talent, is pretty much the old Find Weakness buff that Mutilate cycles revolved around in BC. So the idea behind this build is to keep the Elaborate Planning buff up as much as possible by careful energy management and pooling energy before using a finisher.

I think with just the right amount of energy regen, through talents and/or haste, it might be possible to have near full uptime on the buff without having to stare at timers and energy bars the whole time.

Keeping up bleeds – Rupture and Garrote (which is now usable outside of stealth) – will be very important, not just for the damage they do, but also for the energy regen from Venomous Wounds (Passive - You regain 10 Energy each time your abilities deal Bleed damage to a poisoned target.)

T15 - Elaborate Planning – Your finishing moves grant 20% increased damage done for 6 sec.

T45 – Vigor – Increases your maximum Energy by 50 and your Energy regeneration by 10%. - Helps to regen energy a little faster to be able to get more finishers in on the EP buff.

T90 – Agonizing Poison – Coats your weapons with a Lethal Poison that last for 1 hour. Each strike has a 20% chance to poison the enemy for 12 sec. Increasing all damage taken from your abilities by 7%, stacking up to 5 times. - I’m not sure about this one. I don’t know what all is included in “your abilities” and if 7% on that is worth the loss of Deadly Poison. How is the 7% applied with the 20% from EP? Would it be 27% total, or more than that? Could work well on long, single target fights, but is not effective with any target switching. (Alacrity Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to grant 1% Haste for 20 sec, stacking up to 25 times. This could would help with energy regen if that’s needed.)

T100 – Venom Rush – Venomous Wounds grants 3 additional Energy each time it grants Energy. - More energy to get finishers in on the EP buff.

With these talents, I was able to use Finishers under the EP buff on most cycles—on a training dummy that stands still, doesn’t require me to use interrupts, defensive moves, switching to adds, playing Mario, chasing balls, etc. And on a few elites/rares in Nagrand, it also went pretty smoothly, though without addons, I had trouble monitoring how successful I was at keeping the buff up.



Bleed Build

Two more things to keep track of compared to the EP build. The key talents to take here are:

T15 - Hemorrhage – Rips a gushing wound in the target, dealing 4,377 Physical damage and increasing Bleed damage from your abilities on the target by 30% for 20 sec. Awards 1 combo point. Costs 30 Energy, no cooldown.

T75 – Thuggee – Resets the remaining cooldown on Garrote when a target dies with your Garrote active. Passive. OR Internal Bleeding – Kidney Shot also deals 8,196 Bleed damage per combo point over 12 sec. Passive. ?

T100 – Exsanguinate – Twist your blades into the target’s wounds, causing your Bleed effects on them to bleed out 400% faster. 45 sec cooldown. Use after Garrote, Hemo, and a 5-point Rupture are already on the target. This only affects your bleeds that are already on your target.

This build can do extremely high damage through bleeds if Hemo and Exsanguinate are properly used.

[Syreenna]

OUTLAW

The thing I don’t like about this spec so far is the constant metal on metal scraping sound of the swords during combat!

Slice and Dice and Killing Spree are talents now, not base spells for this spec. I can’t imagine this spec without those two spells, but I decided to not take them and instead try some other talents. But it doesn’t really FEEL like Combat anymore, at least not to me right now. Maybe once I get addons to help me with timers and such.

I really need an addon or even WoW’s little popup graphics to tell me when I have a free Pistol Shot to use. I think that would make the combat rotation flow much better. I’m kinda fumbling with it right now.

The Mastery is the same: Main Gauche – Your main-hand attacks have a % chance to trigger an attack with your off-hand that deals 7,615 Physical damage. But there is no more Bandit’s Guile, so no more keeping track of Insight buffs!

My thoughts on some of the spells and talents:

Grappling Hook – Launch a grappling hook and pull yourself to the target location. 40 yd range, 30 sec cooldown. Does not break stealth. Does not require a target--uses a targeting circle.

Roll the Bones – Finishing move that rolls the dice of fate, providing a random combat enhancement. Lasts longer per combo point (12-36 secs). 25 Energy You can have multiple buffs up at once. (This spell is another reason why I didn’t take SnD as a talent. It would be just one more timer bar to keep track of.)

According to WoWhead comments, there are 6 different buffs tied to this finisher. Each buff lasts for the duration of the Roll the Bones buff:

• Jolly Roger – Heals you for 3% of maximum health every 1 sec.
  Grand Melee – Increases your auto attack speed by 40%.
  Shark Infested Waters – Increases Critical Strike chance by 40%.
  True Bearing – Each time you use a finishing move, you reduce the remaining cooldown on several skills, by 1 sec per combo point spent.
  Buried Treasure – Your base Energy regeneration is increased by 40%.
  Broadside – Your combo-generating abilities generate 1 additional combo point.

Bribe – Bribes a non-player humanoid target to fight for you for 5 minutes. 30 yd range. 30 min cooldown.

I tried this on a Drunken Scrapper (ogre in northern Nagrand) and he immediately aggro’d another Drunken Scrapper that he was standing with. The two fought, and I stayed out of it; they seemed equally matched, so he didn’t seem to lose any stats with the bribing. I let them get to 50%, then I helped finish off the hostile one. He did NOT stealth with me. He aggro’d anything we ran past while I was stealthed. While on my flying mount, he didn’t mount up, but he didn’t seem to aggro anything he ran past while I was flying.

I tried it again on a Rampant Gladiator and noticed he has a pet bar! It looks very much like a hunter pet bar. Attack, Follow, Move to, three attack spells, and Assist, Defensive, Passive. In the spellbook, there’s a Pet tab now, with those commands in it as well as Stay.

At the end of five minutes, he became hostile and attacked me.

Find Treasure – Shows treasure nodes on your mini-map just like herbs/ore.

Blade Flurry is the same as it’s been. Adrenaline Rush is the same as well.

Instead of Killing Spree, I tried Cannonball Barrage – Command a ghost ship crew to barrage the target area with cannonballs doing 50k Physical damage over 1.8 sec and slowing enemies by 50% for 1.5 sec. 35 yd range. 1 min cooldown. Uses a targeting circle to aim.

Between the Eyes – there is no more Kidney Shot, but this does damage as well as stuns. Finishing move that deals damage with your pistol and stuns the target. Critical strikes with this ability deal four times normal damage. 5k-25k damage, 1-5 sec stun. 35 Energy, 20 yd range, 20 sec cooldown.

I think I would definitely try to use this spell during the Shark Infested Waters buff because of the four times normal damage from crits.

Parley – Replaces Blind – Pacifies a target not in combat for 5 min. Works on Humanoids, Demons, and Dragonkin. Damage breaks the effect. Only one target can be affected at a time. 30 yd range, 20 sec cooldown.