DPS Rotation & Cooldowns

This rotation offers a general priority list for Subtlety Rogue abilities, along with key cooldowns at the bottom. It's based on a standard build and is here to help while we work on a smarter, build-aware system. If you are very new to the game or this class, we added info on the new assisted rotation features at the bottom of this guide. Updated for the latest patch in World of Warcraft: Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0.1).

Single Target

Start in Stealth with Instant Poison applied.

• Shadow DanceView detailsUse when Secret Technique is ready.
• Shadow BladesView detailsUse during Shadow Dance.
• Secret TechniqueView detailsUse during Shadow Dance with 6+ combo points.
• Coup De GraceView detailsUse with 6+ combo points.
• EviscerateView detailsSpend combo points when at 6+.
• ShadowstrikeView detailsUse to build combo points.
• BackstabView detailsUse if Shadowstrike is unavailable.

Begin in Stealth and maintain combo points by alternating Shadowstrike and Backstab. Use Shadow Dance with Secret Technique and Shadow Blades for burst damage. Spend combo points with Coup De Grace or Eviscerate.

AoE

Start in Stealth and target the mob with Deathstalkers Mark.

• Shadow DanceView detailsUse when Secret Technique is ready.
• Shadow BladesView detailsUse during Shadow Dance.
• Secret TechniqueView detailsUse during Shadow Dance with 6+ combo points.
• Coup De GraceView detailsUse with 6+ combo points.
• Black PowderView detailsSpend combo points when at 6+.
• Shuriken StormView detailsUse to build combo points.

Start in Stealth and focus on the mob with Deathstalkers Mark. Use Shadow Dance with Secret Technique and Shadow Blades for burst. Build combo points with Shuriken Storm and spend them with Black Powder or Coup De Grace.

Cooldowns

• Shadow BladesView detailsUse every 90 seconds with Shadow Dance for max burst.
• Shadow DanceView detailsUse whenever Secret Technique is ready.
• VanishView detailsUse when Shadow Dance is unavailable, followed by Shadowstrike.

Use Shadow Blades with Shadow Dance for burst every 90 seconds. Activate Shadow Dance when Secret Technique is ready. Use Vanish as a backup to trigger Shadowstrike.

New to Class? Try Assisted Rotation

Patch 11.1.7 introduced new features that make it eaiser to pick and play new characters. These new settings can be enabled from settings » gameplay enhancements:

• Single-Button Assistant
• Assisted Highlight
• Cooldown Manager

If you are new to World of Warcraft or a certain class, enabling Assisted Highlight and Cooldown Manager can help you learn which abilities to prioritize and use.

While the Single-Button Assistant can be a much easier and more accessible way to play the game, it does come with a slight performance hit due to a small GCD penalty, as you will have to wait 25% longer in between spells and abilities.

To see which specs are best with the Single-Button Assistant feature, you can check out our DPS Rankings which uses SimC to sim every class using this feature.