Guide ·
WoW Forever Rogue Beginner Guide: Stealth, Poisons and Leveling
The Rogue is a stealthy melee fighter that builds combo points and spends them on finishing moves, and Warcraft Tavern's beta guide calls Combat the most forgiving way to level. You get Stealth, Sinister Strike and Eviscerate at level 1, and Slice and Dice, Sprint and dual wielding at level 10. A Skyborne Rogue is a new option in Forever.
Quick answer: Level as Combat. Open with Stealth and Cheap Shot, build combo points with Sinister Strike, keep Slice and Dice up and finish with Eviscerate. Use Gouge or Kick to interrupt and Vanish to escape. Skip talents until level 10.
Who can be a Rogue
Rogues are available to Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Orc, Undead, Troll and Skyborne characters. Skyborne is new. See the race and class guide.
Warcraft Tavern's racial notes, which are opinions rather than Blizzard statements, say Orc is the best Horde option for Blood Fury, and that Human and Gnome are strong in PvP. It calls High Order Skyborne weak for Rogues and Windshaper Skyborne "not in a good spot". Troll gains from a changed Rapid Regeneration that pairs with Vanish and Sap.
How the Rogue works
- Energy pays for your abilities. Combat's Flawless Execution lets you spam Eviscerate and save Energy for combo points, and the Gnome racial Expansive Mind enlarges your Energy pool.
- Combo points come from Sinister Strike, Mutilate and Hemorrhage, and are spent on finishing moves such as Eviscerate, Rupture and the new Venom. They do not carry over between targets, so spend them before you switch.
- Stealth lets you sneak past mobs and open fights. Vanish is the escape button, and Evasion cuts the damage you take.
- Poisons come from a class quest at level 20: Instant, Deadly, Mind-numbing, Wound and Crippling. In Forever they can stack with sharpening stones and Windfury Totem, and poison damage scales with Attack Power.
- Crowd control: Sap, Cheap Shot, Blind, Gouge and Kidney Shot.
The three specializations
- Assassination: poison damage. It adds Mutilate, which only works with daggers, and Venom, a finishing move that boosts poison damage and application chance. The leveling guide says it is generally not recommended as a starter build, though it gets stronger later.
- Combat: weapon damage and survivability. Flawless Execution and Hack and Slash let you swap weapon types, and Axes act like the old Sword Specialization with a chance for an extra attack. Warcraft Tavern says its build lets you kill one mob after another without worrying about downtime.
- Subtlety: split into a bleed style built on Thousand Cuts, Hemorrhage and Rupture, and a stealth-opener style focused on Backstab and Ambush. Both are described as explosive but weaker in dungeons.
Key spells by level
- Level 1: Stealth, Sinister Strike, Eviscerate
- Level 4: Backstab
- Level 6: Gouge
- Level 8: Evasion
- Level 10: Slice and Dice, Sprint, Dual Wield
- Level 12: Kick, Parry
- Level 14: Expose Armor, Garrote
- Level 18: Ambush
- Level 20: Poisons, Rupture, Riposte
- Level 22: Vanish
- Level 26: Cheap Shot
- Level 30: Blade Flurry, Mutilate, Kidney Shot
A simple leveling routine
- Use Stealth openers on every mob, except when you are chain-pulling.
- Open with Cheap Shot, or Ambush if you use daggers.
- Use Blade Flurry at the start of fights once you have it.
- Build combo points with Sinister Strike.
- Keep Slice and Dice up and refresh it when it drops.
- Finish with Eviscerate at 3 to 5 combo points.
- Pickpocket often, Sap groups, and interrupt dangerous casts with Kick or Gouge.
Before level 10, use Sinister Strike and Eviscerate, plus Backstab from Stealth if you carry a dagger.
What is different in Forever
- One-handed axes are usable, which opens more race and class combinations.
- Poison stacking with sharpening stones and Windfury Totem is new.
- Shadowmeld from the Night Elf racial can now be used in combat.
- Leather and cloth are your armor types from level 1, with no shields or relics.
- Leatherworking and Skinning: Warcraft Tavern says Leatherworking gives stronger early gear and a Camp Tent for experience, and that Skinning is strong for gold. See professions.
Warcraft Tavern's Combat stat priority is Critical Strike Chance, Agility, Attack Power, Strength, Stamina and Armor. Treat it as provisional.
What is still uncertain
The builds were written for the beta, capped at level 30, and level 60 builds will be added at launch. The guide says its stat priority is not definitive, and that the current beta builds do not offer enough talent points to reach Cutthroat. Rumored poisons such as Sebacious, Occult, Atrophic and Numbing Poison are not confirmed in the beta. The free Lore Forever add-on is fan-made and does not change class play.
Where to go next
See the class comparison and the best solo classes guide. Our first 10 levels checklist covers early steps.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Rogue spec for leveling in WoW Forever?
Combat, according to Warcraft Tavern's beta guide, because it has the most survivability and little downtime.
Which races can be Rogues in WoW Forever?
Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Orc, Undead, Troll and Skyborne. Skyborne Rogue is new.
When do Rogues get poisons?
At level 20 through a class quest, according to the beta leveling guide.
Can Rogues use axes now?
Yes. One-handed axes are usable in Forever.
What does Slice and Dice do?
It gives 30% attack speed, according to Warcraft Tavern, and should be kept up in long fights.
Sources
Reviewed October 23, 2026. Based on beta-era guides capped at level 30; values, stat priorities and talents may change at launch. Lore Forever is fan-made and is not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.