Understanding your class

The Rogue, like every class, has hitpoints. Unlike any other class except the Druid in cat form, it also has an energy bar. Your energy reserve can range from 0 to 100 points (110 if you have the Vigor talent). It recharges at 20 energy per 2 seconds (unless you have the Adrenaline Rush talent and activate it, which will double regeneration to 40 energy per 2 seconds). Thistle Tea can resort 60 to 40 energy, depending on your level (yes, it starts going down by two points per level from 61-70). There are also talents like Combat Potency and Relentless Strikes that help you regain energy. Check out the talent calculators we link on the next page to see what they do.

The other Rogue resource is the Combo Point. Combo points, or CPs, are gained by using special attacks on targets. Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ghostly Strike, Mutilate, or Hemo are going to be your main CP generators. Openers, or opening attacks, like Cheap Shot, Ambush, and Garrote, also generate CPs, but you can only use these when in stealth. Once you attack and lose stealth, you cannot use them again until you re-stealth.

The trick is in taking advantage of the best combination of talents (discussed on the next page) to create the most CPs and do the most damage. You have to balance your energy with your CP generation. Sinister Strike without any talents takes 45 energy to create a single CP. Hemo takes 35, and Backstab takes 60! Mutilate also takes 60 energy, but generates two CPs at a time. Then there are talents that can give you extra CPs if you crit or if you deliver a finishing move.

Finishing moves cost very little energy (usually 25) but use CPs to increase their effect. A single point Eviscerate won’t do much damage, and a single point Kidney shot will only stun a mob for 1 second. However, use 5 CPs, and Eviscerate starts hitting hard, and Kidney Shot stuns for 5 seconds (6 at later levels). So it’s almost always best to use 5-point finishers, unless the target is almost dead or you’re desperate.

CPs don’t carry over from one target to another. You can switch targets and switch back to your original one and retain your previous CPs, but only as long as you didn’t attack the second target. Also, if your target dies, the CPs are wasted almost instantly.

You will often hear the terms “white damage” and “yellow damage” as a rogue. White damage is your regular weapon damage from auto-attack. Yellow damage means the damage from special attacks like Hemo, Sinister Strike, Eviscerate, Envenom, Mutilate, Backstab, Ambush, Rupture, Garrote, or your poisons. Your white damage is fairly constant, you can only change it by getting better gear and selecting a few key talents – however, it usually accounts for at least 60% of your total damage output. Where you mostly customize your class is with yellow damage – how much you do it, how you do it, and when.