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Assassination is the Melee DPS specialization of the Rogue in WoW: Forever. This page summarizes its talent tree as it appears in the game client (build 1.60.1.70753); the role is the one stated by the Icy Veins guide for the specialization.
In our level-60 simulation (180 seconds on a stationary boss, raid buffs, best known gear), Assassination Rogue ranks #12 of 20 DPS specs with 669 DPS. #1 is Affliction Warlock (907 DPS). A stationary boss does not tell everything: group utility and moving fights matter too.
Our simulator's build uses 51 points, split Assassination 31 / Combat 19 / Subtlety 1. The talents that weigh the most in the simulation: Relentless Strikes, Efficient Strikes, Seal Fate. Open this build in the talent calculator →
Without raid items, the best set the simulator finds gives 662 DPS, −1.0% against the set that includes raid items. Stat priority: Weapon Damage > Hit Chance > Agility. Full gear and enchantments →
Opening: Keep Slice and Dice up ; Mutilate with two daggers, otherwise Sinister Strike or Backstab, to build combo points ; Eviscerate at 5 combo points, after Cold Blood. Full rotation →
The top races in our simulation: Night Elf, Human and Gnome (statistically tied). All races of the class →
The first talent point comes at level 10, then one per level up to 51 at level 60. The guide gives the talent order step by step (derived from the level-60 build, not tested while leveling), the dungeons of each level band and the spec's best item in each. See the leveling →
Our dungeon finder shows, for every dungeon, the best item for this spec according to the simulator's stat weights. Best dungeon items →
Our level-60 simulator build (51 points), the one used for the ranking: talents, gear and rotation are on the ranking page.
Gear, rotation and damage by ability for this level-60 build: Rogue Assassination →
The class's three trees, with the talents of the level-60 build (51 points) in colour and all the others in grey. The small number on the left of each row is the points you must have spent in the tree to reach it, and each talent's badge shows the points invested. This section is fixed: it does not move and does not depend on the calculator.
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Rank 5/5: Increases your critical strike chance with all attacks and Poisons by 5%.
Rank 3/3: Gives your finishing moves a 60% chance to add a Combo Point to your target.
Rank 3/3: Increases the duration of your Slice and Dice ability by 45%.
Rank 1/2: Increases your maximum Energy by 5.
Rank 1/1: Increases the duration of your Rupture by 6 sec and of your Garrote by 9 sec.
Rank 2/2: Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities by 20%.
Rank 3/5: Increases the damage dealt by your poisons by 12% and gives your poisons an additional 24% chance to resist dispel effects.
Rank 1/1: When activated, increases the critical strike chance of your next Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, Eviscerate, or Mutilate by 100%.
Rank 2/5: Increases the chance to apply Poisons to your target by 4%, and gives Poison applications a 20% chance to not consume a charge.
Rank 5/5: Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per Combo Point to restore 25 Energy.
Rank 1/1: Passive. Your Shank ability increases your Poison damage by 30% and your chance to apply Poisons by 20% for 6 sec.
Rank 3/3: Your critical strikes from abilities that add Combo Points have a 100% chance to add an additional Combo Point.
Rank 1/1: Instantly attacks with both weapons for 75% weapon damage plus an additional 17.2 with each weapon. Damage increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 Combo Points.
Rank 3/3: Increases the damage of your Eviscerate ability by 20%, and the damage Death Mark stores and its maximum by 20%.
Rank 2/2: Reduces the energy cost of your Sinister Strike ability by 5.
Rank 3/3: Increases the critical strike chance of your Backstab by 30% and your Mutilate by 15%, and gives Backstab a 45% chance to add an additional Combo Point.
Rank 3/3: Improves your chance to hit by 3%.
Rank 2/2: Reduces the cooldown of your Sprint and Evasion abilities by 60%.
Rank 2/2: Poised reduces the energy cost of your next ability by 10 more.
Rank 1/1: Reduces the Energy cost of your Eviscerate ability by 15.
Rank 3/3: Increases the damage of your Sinister Strike and Eviscerate abilities by 15%.
Rank 1/5: Increases the damage dealt by your Backstab, Garrote, Ambush, and Mutilate abilities by 4%.
The first talent point comes at level 10, then one per level: 1 point at level 10, 11 at level 20, 21 at level 30, 31 at level 40, 41 at level 50 and 51 at level 60. A row of a tree opens for every 5 points spent in that tree.
Derived order: we computed it from our simulator's level-60 build, following the tree rules (rows, prerequisites) and taking at each point the talent the simulation values most. It was not tested while leveling a character: it is a starting point, not a proven leveling build, to be revisited with the released game's data.
Levels 1 to 9: no talent point yet, the first one comes at level 10.
Take: Efficient Strikes. See the tree at this step →
Take: Efficient Strikes, Malice ×5, Improved Slice and Dice ×3, Ruthlessness. See the tree at this step →
Take: Ruthlessness ×2, Coup de Grace ×3, Lethality ×2, Precision ×3. See the tree at this step →
Take: Vigor, Opportunity, Puncturing Wounds ×3, Composure ×2, Endurance ×2, Flawless Execution. See the tree at this step →
Take: Aggression ×3, Blood Splatter, Vile Poisons ×3, Improved Poisons ×2, Venom. See the tree at this step →
Take: Relentless Strikes ×5, Seal Fate ×3, Cold Blood, Mutilate. See the tree at this step →
51 points: Assassination 31 / Combat 19 / Subtlety 1
The talents that weigh the most in the simulation: Relentless Strikes, Efficient Strikes, Seal Fate.
See the full tree →The best set the simulator finds among the known dungeon and profession items, raid excluded: 662 DPS, −1.0% against the set that includes raid items (669 DPS).
Full gear, enchantments included →
Figures come from our simulator, not from players: they move with patches.
| Stat | DPS gained | Relative value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agility per point | 0.519 | 2.17 | |
| Hit per rating point | 0.478 | 2.0 | |
| Crit per rating point | 0.476 | 1.99 | |
| Haste per rating point | 0.379 | 1.59 | |
| Strength per point | 0.263 | 1.1 | |
| Attack power per point | 0.239 | 1.0 | |
| Intellect per point | 0.0 | no effect | |
| Spirit per point | 0.0 | no effect |
Measured by the simulator on the character above: the DPS gained by one more point of each stat, with the same random draws on both sides. The relative value compares each stat with one point of attack power. Crit, hit and haste are counted per rating point, like Strength or Agility, so they compare directly; they respect the caps: hit at the cap adds nothing. A value near zero or negative is within the margin of error or tied to a limit (mana, cap).
DPS gained when points of each stat are added on top of the simulated gear. Click a stat (or its row in the table) to bring its curve forward; the ring marks the estimated cap, past which every point is worth less than 20% of what it gave at the start.
Our simulator's priority at level 60, set against what Icy Veins recommends. Their guides are written before launch, for level 30 and for leveling: we keep what everyone agrees on, adopt what the simulation confirmed at level 60 and say where the two differ.
Agreed: Mutilate (with two daggers), Slice and Dice, Eviscerate at 5 points. Daggers are scarce in the known loot: the optimizer often keeps a sword and a dagger, and the simulator then plays Sinister Strike.
Skinning
Leatherworking guide 
First Aid guide The gear our optimizer picks for this specialization among the items known so far (dungeons, the few raid items already known and crafted gear, which can be bought or made for you: prices and materials are not taken into account), with item effects simulated. Nothing is hand-picked: it is the result of the ranking's computation, and it will change as new items are discovered.
Enchantments up to skill 300, valued by the simulator when they give flat stats or flat weapon damage. The character does not need the profession: they can be bought or applied by an enchanter; Leatherworking armor kits (chest, legs, feet, hands) and Engineering scopes are counted too. A kit and an enchantment share the same permanent slot: a piece carries one or the other, and the legs, which have no enchantment, get the kit; spell-proc enchants (Crusader, Fiery Weapon...) and school damage are not simulated. The client data has no ring enchantment up to skill 300.
Icy Veins guide dated 2026-11-03, read on September 21, 2026.
The three best of each category, measured by the simulator on the character above. Only one scroll and one elixir or flask can be worn at a time: each gain is the DPS this consumable brings alone, compared with an empty slot, the rest of the set unchanged. Gains in the same category therefore do not add up. The row marked with a dot is the one in the simulated set.
These are the deepest talents in the tree: they require 30 points already spent in the specialization. Official game text, at maximum rank.
Instantly attacks with both weapons for 75% weapon damage plus an additional 17.2 with each weapon. Damage increased by 20% against Poisoned targets. Awards 2 Combo Points.
Open Rogue in the talent calculator
Spend your 51 points, compare the three specializations and share your build by link.
Talent data comes from the game client. The level-60 build, gear, stats and rotation come from our simulator and are validated by DPS measurements; the rotation is compared with the Icy Veins guides, written before launch for level 30. Healing is not simulated. This data will change with future patches.
