#0 - Sept. 30, 2007, 10:01 p.m.
http://forums.wow-europe.com/thread.html?topicId=6104911962&sid=1
++++++ FOR 3.02 INFO, PLEASE REFER TO FURYTERRA's FAQ THREAD +++++
First of all: This is actual as of patch 2.4. It is intended for new people & PvE, meaning (solo) levelling and your first raids. I don’t care much for PvP, so at best there’ll be the odd footnote about it (if at all). I don’t believe in giving options in a guide. There’s a single best way to do stuff, and you deviate from it at your own “risk”. I will also not give reasons, math or theorycraft behind the pointers. They’re backed by Weapon, Energy, Attack and Damage theorycraft as well as experience (that means doing it wrong and knowing it better the second time around) of a lot of rogues, not only my own – if you can think of it, we’ve been there & done it wrong before you even thought of buying the game.
I just needed something I can cut & paste into the dozens of “help my plx” threads to waste less time being productive, and have more time so spam. Profit from it or not. If you do follow it more or less, make sure you follow the underlined parts.
I don’t care for sticky, so I won’t be ‘cleaning this up’ or making it more polite. I will however edit according to feedback if I am corrected, or some important part is brought up that I forgot.
- Part 0 – Rogue Rule #1: Don't stand in green shit!
It doesn't matter whether it's green, or yellow, or red;
if it's evil looking clouds, the ground burning, a globe blowing up, or the weapontrace of a whirlwind
if you can see it, don't stand in it;
if you can anticipate it, move away.
- Part I – Levelling Build and Gear
About your general gear: you want Agility and Stamina on it. That will give you the secondary stats Hit Points (so you don’t die), Attack Power & Critrate (So the other dies faster). You can also get AP directly though AP on gear (good but rare at low levels) and Strength (not so good, as you don’t get a lot of AP from it). For random “Greens of the XXX” that means “…of the Monkey”, “…of the Tiger” or “…of the Bandit” gear.
Hit Rating is also good, but you won’t find any on low level gear.
Blues are generally better than Greens and will last you a few levels, possibly as much as 10 – if you have an easy way to get them, do. That means for example if you can’t easily get Cruel Barb from Deadmines, take an afternoon of & sit through a couple of WSG matches to get the PvP level 18 sword. For items, search on http://www.wowhead.com on where & when to get them.
Weapons you should get:
~ 18: Cruel Barb or level 18 WSG sword
- High 20ies: The Butcher, Zealot Blade, Level 28 WSG Sword – if absolutely not doable: Jade Serpentblade in early 30ies
~ 40: Vanquisher Sword + Sword of Omen / Sword of Serenity
~ 48: Thrash Blade
~ 58: Head to Outlands and find something there, it’s better than whatever you’ll have
Q: Why not daggers?
A: Because daggers are annoying & slow at low level, and the non-daggers are better & more accessible
Here’s your build at level: (self-evident completion as far as I can see)
11: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=fZM
22: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=fGf0oZM
31: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=fGf0oZG0xz
39: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=fGf0oZG0Ez0c
At 40 you respec to: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=fZG0Ez0Vzx0ho
51: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=fGf0oZG0Ez0Vzx0ho
59: http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=fGe0oxZG0Ez0Vzx0ho
After that, pick up two of the 2-point toys (improved Sprint, Endurance, improved Kick) if you haven’t already (might have imp. Sprint already to break out of roots), then 5/5 Combat Potency, than 1/1 Surprise Attacks. Grats, you’re level 69 – get your last level, and we’re changing topics.
Q: Why not imp. Slice & Dice, I heard it’s great?
A: It is if you’re raiding. Not that good for levelling.
Q: Why Remorseless / imp. Evis., I heard they’re crap?
A: They are, unless you’re levelling.
Q: Why not Subtlety?
A: Because I don’t give options.
- Part II – Instances & Early Raiding Builds
For all builds there is one rule in combat: KEEP SLICE AND DICE UP.
It's a selfbuff that makes you do 15% more damage; there is no possible way to do decent DPS without Slice & Dice. Start it early (after the first Combo Point), and keep it going.
Combat Mutilate (41/20) - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=f0efovMoikVohfV0bV (updated for Puncturing Wounds)
MH: slow dagger (around 1.8+)
OH: dps is more important than speed
Cycle: Unpredictable. Keep Find Weakness up. You will use a lot of 3-4 point finishers.
Option: Vile Poisons vs. Improved Poisons DPS depends among other things on the speed of your daggers. Generally, vile poisons is considered more useful, although the single strongest poison point is 1/2 Master Poisoner.
Mostly raiding/heroics: Combat Swords (20/41) - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=f0ebovZMIVobVzxMGot
MH: slow sword (2.6+ speed)
OH: the faster the better (1.5- speed)
Normal Cycle: 2-3pt SnD, 5pt Rupture.
2 Tier 4 Cycle: 1pt SnD, 5pt Rupture.
Option: If you're mostly questing/instancing, Combat Swords (19/42) - http://www.wowhead.com/?talent=f0eboeZGcEz0VzxMhot is a more defensive variant of the above build, that will still deal decent damage, but make you more resilient against damage, reducing downtime or allowing you to take some weight off a tank in instances.
Q: Where should i be standing?
A: If possible, behind the mob.
Standing in front will make you lose damage via parry & block, and kill your tank faster (due to a mob getting his swing timer reset & instantly attacking the tank again if he parries you).
Q: Why no combat/daggers, I heard it’s THE top build?
A: It sucks for 5-man instances, questing, and isn’t all that good in Kara either.
Q: What if Slice & Dice AND Rupture are running?
A: Then you can dump the points into Evis (or Envenom for 41/20 builds).
Q; Which poisons?
A: Deadly offhand, Windfury-totem (NO poison) mainhand.
If you cannot get a windfury totem: instant poison mainhand.
(For 41/20 dual deadly for lots of tries to break your envenom e-peen record)
Q: What’s an e-peen?
A: Either your highest crit or your least misses in the course of a raid. The bigger your e-peen the better your DPS and the better endowed you are IRL, and girls will want hot sex with you.
Q: Really?
A: No.
