Hey, let me give you some context. How I am enjoying WoW right now is just trying lots of different classes and trying to understand where they “fit in” in the game, like what do people get out of playing each class that is unique to that class.
Pally has a very unique feel, Shaman has a unique feel etc… I get a whole laundry list of different “that is why i would main this class” type of things. However one I want some more context on is the Rogue.
As I am playing the Rogue I find that anytime in combat I don’t see why I would not just be playing a warrior… as the rogue seem to do the same damage with twice the “work” and in dungeons and raids atleast don’t really feel like they are filling any niche that the Warrior would not do better ( I am not some Warrior lover either was just a feeling I had) like I can decloak and stab and do a rotation or I can charge and do a rotation with half as many buttons and do more damage as warrior and be more survivable…
This is the first class I have played that outside of just RP reasons I don’t really see where they fit in. So thought I would start a forum and see what reasons you guys have for playing Rogue, also I could be completely off and wrong as well haha as it is just my first impression so wanted to get some Rogues thoughts on it.
Why do you play rogue? what do you get out of rogue (other then RP) that you don’t get out of other classes? and do you feel like rogue needs a complete rework or no?
8 Likes
I played a warrior for a week and got bored really fast, literally nothing to it. A complete snooze fest.
And if you do play a warrior i think less of you
3 Likes
Any RPG or DnD style game… it’s always the stealthy rogue types I pick. Doesn’t even matter if they suck.
3 Likes
Warrior main for 17 years.
DK primary-Alt for 13 years.
Didn’t really get into Rogue until TBC Classic.
Hiatus until back end of DF.
Play Warrior again into S1 of TWW and reach 528 ilevel. Fury Arms both get nerfed or gimped. Try Prot. Have an itch all 3 specs can’t scratch. Try DK. Same problem.
Get around to dusting off old Rogue never levelled. Pay for level boost and name/race change to recreate head Canon character from TBCC.
Get to 80. Try Sin spec. Deeply boring. Respect to Outlaw despite Meta. Fall in love. Gear up to 638 and main Raid prog spot over Warrior.
Itch now scratched.
Primary reasons now maining’ for rest of expansion:
- ADHD-Austism friendly over the top Adderall piano spec.
- Dopamine from ‘Chik-Chek’ Between the eyes x6.
- Pirate. Didn’t know I even liked em’ turns out I love em’
- Transmog versatility allows projection of natural inner edge lord.
- Because of class identity, means doing morally grey quest lines like Darkfuse solutions make sense. Additionally;
5B. Running Plunderstorm as a literal pirate with the same name, reinforces points 3,4 & 5.
Don’t care if not meta.
Don’t care if naturally love plate more.
Don’t care if Warrior simpler and easier.
Pirate. Just, Pirate… 
4 Likes
I play rogue (specifically assassin) for two reasons: bleed and poisons.
No other class even comes close to this fantasy, not even feral druid (especially after they gutted feral’s Bleeds back at the start of Dragonflight to turn feral into a Ferocious Bite bot and feral still hasn’t gotten its early Dragonflight bleed heavy playstyle back yet).
There is precious little that’s more fun than opening up with your rotation and seeing 12 different debuffs appearing under the enemy’s portrait just from the assassin rogue. Still, though, as much as I do enjoy playing rogue in general I do understand what you mean.
All three rogue specs are pretty squishy in comparison to warriors; the only significant heal rogue gets is on a pretty long cool down and they don’t have near as many talents that offer durability. Assassin has a needlessly complex AoE rotation, Outlaw has one single ability they have to get 100% uptime to do any AoE at all, and Sub has an easy AoE rotation but in exchange it does lower AoE damage than the other two specs. All three of them can have energy issues, especially at low gear levels, and sitting around waiting for energy to regen is extremely annoying, especially once your CDs that provide a boost of energy aren’t available. Oh, and out of all the melee DPS rogues just have the weakest animations. I think Shadowblade for Sub and Dispatch for Outlaw are the only two rogue melee animations that feel great to press.
2 Likes
I just wanted to be a ninja. Blizzard really wanted me to be a pirate, though.
4 Likes
You will be a pirate and you will like it. - Blizzard, probably.
or even
You think you want it but you don’t. - Blizzard, …literally.
1 Like
It’s the “out of combat” things that appeal to me. Stealth in particular and all that it brings to the class.
I have alts of various classes and have tried every class at some point. I always come back to my rogue because of what stealth allows me to do.
2 Likes
Played alot of classes and specs, but I usually always end up back on assassination at the end of every xpac.
Something about bleeds just attracts my playstyle.
I also love feral, but feral cant be goblin. So, rogue it is!
2 Likes
I like being a stealthy assassin that’s a glass cannon that pumps out absurd single target dps that has to jump through hoops using dirty tactics to survive. I love high risk high reward play where if played correctly you do exceptionally well but if you mess up either it means you’re dead / deal no damage.
However as this expansion progresses I’m not loving it and I’m finding it more and more frustrating. I don’t like other classes as they don’t fulfill my niche play style, and I dislike everything that made rogues unique has been given to other classes / nothing left enjoyable to us. We’re also the only class that breaks the ABC rule (Always Be Casting).
1 Like
Thanks for the replies, so from what I am understanding it sounds like people like Rogues for two reasons.
- Like having lots of buttons and managing lots of stuff in your rotation.
- The RP Fantasy.
Number 1 is not my cup of tea haha but number 2 I get completely Rogue has an awesome fantasy to it and for me is the whole reason I want to play them more and want them to be good.
I feel like there is nothing the Rogue does though in combat that another class is not better at though and I really hope this is something Blizzard addresses. The only thing I can think of is just decloaking and hitting someone but the Druid does that as well but with more utility… I personally hope Blizzard makes Rogues better and gives me a reason to wanting them in a group (and I am not talking just some stupid group buff) but an actual thing that they do better then everyone else as I feel like every other class has that.
2 Likes
Outlaw’s rotation speed is only matched by Enhance Shaman or Fire mage. And while I enjoy both of those, the execution of them never feels as satisfying as performing it on my Rogue.
Plus, sunk cost fallacy. I’ve been on the spec for 5 years, might as well not put that to waste when I’m pretty consistently pulling numbers on it.
2 Likes
I like distracting players on their mounts off bridges.
Sounds fun to me!
5 Likes
Tldr; class fantasy.
Maining a Rogue first time this expac. Ironically when I first played WoW in Vanilla my first toon was a Rogue but I didn’t play it for very long. Took lots of long breaks from WoW and bounced around a few different classes since then.
Decided it was time to revisit my roots and have enjoyed it thus far.
1 Like
Funny you posted this because I was just thinking something similar 2 days ago. Why don’t I just play a Warrior or DH if I’m tired of: (1) mob resets when I use some skills, (2) stuck in combat so I can’t use some skills, (3) mob immunities to some skills, and (4) trying to play a Rogue that doesn’t exist (Ambush/Sangine Blade/Bleed Assasasin while ignoring Shiv & Kingsbane because I hate them)
I started as a Rogue due to the fantasy; and at some level that persists. It’s been 18 years since I started and I only recently found out that Rogues are supposed to “prevent damage”. I really like that idea, when it works. I enjoy my Rogue most in devles where bosses aren’t immune to my skills. I get to control the environment and mobs, to prevent damage while I dish it out. I enjoy the sneaky, hit-and-run game play, while being rewarded for using my toolkit. I lose interest when I’m stuck out of stealth, out of energy, someone breaks my CC’s on 1 or 2 mobs (cough, Brann, cough), or when I’m unable to use my skills in creative ways (looking at you Shushen’s Spittoon that no longer supports shadowstep).
2 Likes
Playing a rogue is rewarding - it takes a fair amount of skill soloing delves and such. I find no other class as enjoyable. My prot warrior comes in second…but it’s easy mode on that guy.
1 Like
Sounds like the your saying if I want the game to be harder “hard mode” play a rogue. Because every class can clear the same stuff as a rogue easier.
3 Likes
I personally feel more accomplished playing my squishy rogue and kicking a$$. Not everyone will feel that way. 
5 Likes
I’m not playing rogue this season, but I mained it last season.
If you like to just stand there and bash things really effectively, brushing off incoming damage, play the warrior. No reason not to.
Rogues are about a particular class fantasy that doesn’t appeal to everyone. I find warriors boring because it’s a different class fantasy.
1 Like