My rogue is currently level 75. I’ve played all 3 specs, and each of them just feels so slow.
It feels like i’m waiting 5 seconds between combo point generators after my opener. Does it get better or is this just how it’s designed?
I want to like it but the pace of the gameplay is quite underwhelming so far.
It gets better at max level with better gear.
Yep, although outlaw is definitely the fastest feeling.
Level 100 is where it picked up for me, switching from outlaw to sin
I was at a friends house, and was helping him level a fresh alt rogue (got it to like the lower 50s). It does feel painfully slow at lower levels.
I can confirm (like everyone else) that all three specs feel more fluent at max level. Raw gear stats, and essences really go a long way.
Ehhh they are okay at max level definitely middle of the pack dps for sure. I will say with the correct traits at max level things tend to be more fast paced but that really doesn’t make rogues better to play.
The class just feels so unrewarding to play. BFA is just a terrible expansion I’m this regard. I’m praying that sub is good again in shadow lands and will not be ordering the expansion until I watch some videos on sub rogues from high rates pvpers or pikaboos stream.
So i’ve found Subtlety with Vigor taken over Deeper Stratagem to be way more bearable to level with.
Shame that people seem to think the spec is garbage because i’m having fun with it. Though i suppose it’s the talents that smooth out the spec that are the garbage talents, as is seemingly the norm this expansion.
You will find a groove with your combo point genning and yellow bar regen. Take the time to start learning what to fill in the down time with…more dodge, aoe dodge, a stun, vanish, a quick shot of tea…what helped me out a lot, write what you do down and look at how it flows. Do not be a cookie cutter rogue, do what feels best for you. You will start to see that X talent allows this amount of dps or another stun. It is good that you have tried each spec.
It is a pretty fun spec too play but it feels off…no gouge, no real dots, a trimmed up tool kit. I used too open, dot, force cds from target, pop defense cds and let the target make errors, which would lead too a W. I am not able to play that style with sub. Rather then sticking it out, i have gone with Assassin.
As i press onward with the leveling process ( god bless the 100% experience buff, in the past day and a half i’ve mustered up the will to climb from 80 to 111), i’ve formed an appreciation for Assassination.
Each spec has its downtime, but at least i can watch the dots tick really really fast as…mut…sin… how are we abbreviating it now without directly calling it what we all really want to.
Toxic Blade is your go to at lvl 90 but goof around with [Exsanguinate]. Apply all dots and pop it and watch both target panic and life tick a little faster down…i enjoy the little things in life and nothing gives me more joy than netting an Ali lowbie out of the sky and bleeding him out.
I may give that one a go down the line, but i’m more into the poisoner fantasy, personally.
Poison Bomb takes me back to MoP/WoD class design where even DoTs could be tactical nukes.
Now my rogue is 120 (if the armory updates to show everybody), and i’m gonna answer my own question from my OP.
It got sooooo much better. I spent the better half of my day today catching up on all the content. This is something that usually takes me forever and a half to do on my other alts, but i did it all over the course of the afternoon.
-I did the war campaign intro.
-I did the Nazjatar intro and the first 3 follower quests.
-I did the entirety of the 8.3 quest chain and got the first 5 levels on my cloak.
-I patrolled around for upgrades from world quests to replace my basic benthic stuff (still looking for rings and a good off hand, but i’m 404 now with pretty good stat distribution)
-I got my neck up to level 63 and have my rank 3 crucible of flames as a result.
-I have my echos of Ny’alotha ready to get lucid dreams rank 3 when i unlock it on my DH in 2 more days. As far as i’m aware, it’s an important essence for all 3 specs.
I was able to do all of these things in the span of a few hours because i actually enjoyed the gameplay. I expected to hate assassination. My first impression of the spec was that it was really slow, and it was a DoT spec, which i don’t usually go for, but the way it functions is deeply satisfying to play.
I thought i was going to end up as outlaw because it felt snappy to play, but now i hate it, and i hate roll the bones and the RNG hell that comes with it. I’d take slice and dice, but according to wowhead it’s a negative talent that is worse than taking nothing in that row.
I should have known better than to think my experience leveling the class was going to be similar to how it was going to feel at the end. I used to main a mage after all, and i know a thing or two about classes that feel horrible when you’re leveling them.
TL:DR; Rogue went from “ugh, this really kind of sucks to play” to current favorite alt. Loving it.
Thank you for the update. I’m leveling a rogue right now because rogue and warrior are the only classes I’ve never leveled past like 60 because I get bored lol. Good to know it gets better and I guess I’ll stick it out until the end but it SUCKS at low level. Especially considering I don’t have an aoe yet and it feels really bad being below a tank in dungeons. I know the game isn’t balanced for low level and tanks and healers actually do some pretty decent damage at low levels but it still feels bad lol. I’ve never had this issue with any other class I’ve played so it’s been underwhelming and boring waiting on energy.
I would have posted on my rogue but it’s not letting me change characters right now lol.
ETA: I like your rogue’s name lol.
I was just typing in random words and decided to roll with it. I didn’t expect to get the name. Now i annoy my guild by saying “How do you like THEM Apples?”
He was originally a throwaway alt i made just for nostalgic purposes because i wanted to enjoy eversong woods/ghostlands in their entirety again, but with a more fresh perspective. (IE: On a class i’ve never really played before).
Then i decided to just keep going with it after i let him languish at level 30 for a while. I was mainly questing, so i didn’t really notice how quickly your energy burns out. When i did my first dungeon on him, and i was waiting 4 seconds between sinister strikes, i knew something was very very not right.
Yeah I just hit 48 so between getting roll the bones and vigor for the 45 talent, it’s already feeling better than before. Not sure how I feel about the rng of roll the bones though.
Reading this reminds me why I am so happy I play Classic. Yeah classic raids are cake, yeah the rotation is dead simple but at least the class is actually fun to play and your abilities feel good. When I backstab it actually feels good and makes me feel like I’m contributing.
BFA rogue with all its quality of life junk and more complex rotation just feels soft, weak and boring.
TBC comes out soon and Rogue PvE is about to develop into its former glory days again!
Rejoice!
I main a rogue and have for 15 years. Outlaw just feels…crap. The RNG is horrible and their answer to it in Shadowlands is even worse. There is genuinely no reason to have it as a spec anymore. It needs to go the way of the dodo.
I disagree with you vehemently.
People are blowing smoke. Both assassination and outlaw are miles more interesting to play than classic rogue.