Rogue Tank Concept Spec - Liberator
Rogues get the ability to wield shields again for this spec yay!!! Just like the good ol’alpha days. But note this spec cannot use daggers or fist weapons
The idea of the spec is to focus heavily on decision making and whether or not you want to play defensively or offensively based on the given situation
Inspired heavily on the idea of rogue-like characters or assassins wielding shields much like Bayek in Assassin’s Creed: Origins
For starters, utility
Mostly standard rogue utility with some slight differences
For example, Vanish only has a 1 minute CD for this spec but does not place you into stealth upon the initial 3 second effect ending. This will allow you ample time to go ahead and obtain the Initiatior buff (See Passives)
From there you keep, Sprint, Crimson Vial, Blind, Cloak of Shadows, Feint, Shroud of Concealment, and all of your standard stealth abilities for rogues already, note you don’t have Tricks of the Trades for obvious reasons
Note for Crimson Vial: As a bonus for this spec, you gain an additional passive attached to this ability which you unlock in later levels which allows your healing potions and only your healing potions to recover their CD while in combat and continue to be useable in an encounter
Now to the core of the spec, rotational abilities
Rush Down: Charge with your shield at a 25yd range that pins your target if not in combat for 1.5 seconds and serves as an interrupt when used in combat on a 15 sec CD. Not on the GCD
Cleave: A simple AoE ability that does light damage and generate 1 combo point (CP) on a single target and if it hits multiple targets generates a second CP, One of your 2 CP builders
Counterattack: A single-target ability that does a little more damage than cleave but is unable to be dodged, blocked, or parried and also ignores armor. Generates 1 CP. Your second CP builder but is only useable after blocking or parrying an attack with a 3 second use window. Is in fact on the GCD
These 2 abilities give you different use in different situations that you will benefit from differently forcing you to choose which ability to use. For instance do you want to do more damage to one specific enemy or damage multiple enemies and generate an extra CP? This demonstrates the core design style for this spec concept
Now your CP dumps
Eviscerate (Maybe a different name to fit the spec better): Does what it does now, use all of your CP to do damage based on CP spent
Stand Ground: Your defensive CP dump - Reduce damage taken by a flat amount and increased duration based on CP spent - 1 CP = 3 second duration 5 CP = 6 second duration
You’ll really want to focus on keeping Stand Ground up but in certain situations it may be difficult or you may want to focus on doing damage to burn a boss down in encounters like Ashvane during her shield down phase
Mastery
(Haven’t come up with a name yet): Increases effectiveness of Eviscerate and Stand Ground by X%. Also increase attack power by X%
Cooldowns
This is it: Increase your max HP by 50% and damage by 25% but become reckless and take 15% increased damage and reduce healing received by 20% 3 minute cooldown
Not on my watch: Redirect half of a targetted allies damage to you for 10 seconds 1.5 minute CD
Misc abilities
Call Out: Call out a target on their actions, taunting them to attack you 10 second CD
Smackdown: 4 second stun in melee range 45 second CD
Passives
Initiatior: When you attack a target from stealth, reduce the damage they deal to you by 35% for 5 seconds
Freedom Fighter: Increase armor by 60% and max HP by 20%
Keep in mind that this whole list of stuff is just a concept and everything would need tuning and fleshing it out with talents and whatnot would be something far beyond my capabilities to figure out how to make unique and fun but I hope Blizzard at least looks at this and thinks about doing something like this for rogues.