What's The Best Rogue Spec for BFA?

For a pure damage class such as rogue, there’s always one question at the back of their players minds: which spec is the most powerful right now?

While certain specs vary in strength depending on what type of gameplay the players is doing, there are roles that they stand out in.

Knowing that, we’ll look into which rogue spec is the beset for Battle for Azeroth.For a pure damage class such as rogue, there’s always one question at the back of their players minds: which spec is the most powerful right now? While certain specs vary in strength depending on what type of gameplay the players is doing, there are roles that they stand out in.

Knowing that, we’ll look into which rogue spec is the beset for Battle for Azeroth.

1. Assassination: Best for Single Target Damage

Blizzard Entertainment

There isn’t a lot of grey area in which of the three rogue specs is best in 8.1.5: it’s Assassination. For players interested in raiding, World of Warcrafts flagship PvE mode, Assassination rogue is one of the best choices. Ranking as the 6th highest in damage for single target damage according to WoW-DPS and number one among melee DPS specs, Assassination is doing very well. And for good reason.

• Assassination is the highest single damage melee class in the game right now
• Poisons and bleeds allow damage to tick away even when the player must move for mechanics such as Grong’s Reverberating Slam
• As it is with all rogue specs, Assassination has access to great sustain and survivability options such as Crimson Vial to restore health, Evasion to dodge melee strikes, and the ever-powerful Cloak of Shadows to both avoid taking magical damage and drop harmful effects such as King Rastakan’s Deathly Withering.

While Assassinations rotation may have suffered from the removal of Artifact Ability Kingslayers and relegating several of the Legion-era Artifact Traits into talents, it still stands as one of the best damage specs in the game. If you are looking for both high damage and consistency, Assassination excels in nearly all aspects.

Assassination is also excelling in PvP. Rogues in general make up around 8 percent of high level PvP as of 8.1.5 according to World of Wargraphs, with the highest number being Assassination. Assassination in PvP shares many of the benefits as they do in raiding, but also bring unique utility for dealing with other players.

Rogues have access to stealth, allowing unique opportunities in how a player strikes.
Assassination has access to Shadowstep and Sprint, two abilities that allow Assassination rogues great mobility. Shadowstep allows a player teleport behind an opponent and Sprint let’s them escape should the fight turn south.
Assassination has unparalleled crowd control, with over three options to stun enemies and interrupt spell casting.
Again, Assassination has both high and consistent damage.

For a look into what gear you may want for your rogue, here are some high level players:

Spatulahands, a Mythic Raider Level Assassination Rogue: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/area-52/spatulahands

Snutzr, a highly ranked PvP Assassination Rogue: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/illidan/snutzr

2. Outlaw: Best for AoE Damage

Blizzard Entertainment

In the advent of Legion a new game mode exploded in popularity. Mythic Plus presents timed dungeons instead of sprawling raids. With trash being just as much of a threat as bosses, Mythic Plus added the need to get though dungeons in a limited time. Because of this different skill are needed than traditional raiding and this let’s Outlaw break Assassination’s total dominance for the best rogue spec.

• Outlaw has one of the best areas of effect (AoE) skills in the game, Blade Flurry. This allows them to excel in dealing damage to multiple enemies, which Mythic Plus is chock full of.
• Roll the Bones might be random, but all the effects are highly beneficial. One that reduces cooldowns, one that increases attack speed, and one that increases critical strike. Or, if you’re lucky, all at the same time.
• Rogues have access to Shroud of Concealment, allowing the entire Mythic Plus group to skip partially challenging or excessive trash.

Outlaw has more draw backs than Assassination. While Assassination is smooth and consistent, Outlaw is random and awkward. At times the gameplay flow can be smooth but at others you feel energy starved. The utility that you can bring to mythic plus makes up for all these issues. And who knows, you might just get lucky with a perfect 5/5 Roll the Bones.

Below is an example of a high level Outlaw Rogue for those interested in the spec:

Notflawless, a high level mythic plus Outlaw Rogue: https://raider.io/characters/us/zuljin/Notflawless

3. Subtlety: Jack of all Trades, Master of None

Blizzard Entertainment

Unfortunately, once again subtlety has fallen to the wayside. It has neither the AoE that makes Outlaw dominant in mythic plus or the consistent damage that lets Assassination be so strong in PvP and Raiding. Pair that with a clunky and difficult rotation, Subtlety should only be considered if you really enjoy the spec. It isn’t winning any awards for anything else as of 8.1.5.

• Despite an odd and somewhat clunky rotation, subtlety offers a unique playstyle for those willing to master it.
• Subtlety offers both options for AoE and single target damage, though fails to excel in either.

For those looking for a high level subtlety rogue:

Nicklah: https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/character/us/barthilas/Nicklah

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