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Subtlety 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), Subtlety Rogue ranks #17 of 20 DPS specs with 593 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 12 / Combat 8 / Subtlety 31. The talents that weigh the most in the simulation: Boot Knife, Hemorrhage, Efficient Strikes. Open this build in the talent calculator →
Without raid items, the best set the simulator finds gives 586 DPS, −1.1% against the set that includes raid items. Stat priority: Weapon Damage > Hit Chance > Expertise. Full gear and enchantments →
Opening: Keep Slice and Dice up ; Hemorrhage (or Backstab with daggers without Death Mark) to build combo points ; Death Mark at 4 or more combo points: it stores 12% per point of the damage dealt over 6 s (double for Rupture), then deals it up to a cap. Full rotation →
The top race in our simulation: High Order Skyborne / Windshaper Skyborne. 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 Subtlety →
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.
3/3
3
5/5
2/2
3/3
3
2
3/3
1/1
3/3
2/2
1/1
2
2
1/1
1/15/5
1/1
3
2
5/5
3/3
2
3/3
21/1
2
5
1
5
5
1
2
3
1
3/3
2/2
5
3
3
3/3
2
2
12
2
1
2
3
2
1
55
1
Rank 3/3: Gives you a 100% chance to add a Combo Point to your target after Dodging one of their attacks or fully resisting one of their spells.
Rank 5/5: Increases the damage dealt by your Backstab, Garrote, Ambush, and Mutilate abilities by 20%.
Rank 2/2: Reduces the Energy cost of your Cheap Shot and Garrote abilities by 20, and your Garrote ability no longer requires you to be behind your target.
Rank 3/3: Reduces your speed penalty from your Stealth ability by 9% and reduces its cooldown by 4 sec.
Rank 3/3: Gives you a 100% chance to add an additional combo point to your target when using your Ambush, Garrote, or Cheap Shot ability.
Rank 1/1: Adds 2 Combo Points to your target. You must add to or use those combo points within 20 sec or the combo points are lost.
Rank 3/3: Causes your attacks to ignore 9% of your target's Armor and increases the damage dealt by your Rupture ability by 30%.
Rank 2/2: Reduces the cooldown of your Vanish and Blind abilities by 90 sec.
Rank 1/1: A strike that deals 125% (180% if a Dagger is equipped in your Main Hand) weapon damage and increases your chance to dodge by 15% for 7 sec. Awards 1 combo point.
Rank 1/1: When activated, this ability immediately finishes the cooldown on your other Rogue abilities.
Rank 1/1: An instant strike that deals 100% weapon damage (145% if a Dagger is equipped) and causes the target to take 15% increased Rupture and Garrote damage from the Rogue. Lasts 15 sec. Awards 1 Combo Point.
Rank 5/5: Your Shank has a 100% chance to give you 2 combo points.
Rank 1/1: Finishing move that marks the target, storing a portion of the damage dealt by your attacks per Combo Point. Garrote and Rupture damage is stored at twice the rate. After 6 sec, the stored damage is dealt, up to a maximum increased by Attack Power and Critical Strike chance.
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 1/1: Increases the duration of your Rupture by 6 sec and of your Garrote by 9 sec.
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: Improves your chance to hit by 3%.
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, Coup de Grace ×3, Precision ×3, Malice ×3. See the tree at this step →
Take: Malice ×2, Improved Slice and Dice ×3, Ruthlessness ×3, Blood Splatter, Setup. See the tree at this step →
Take: Setup ×2, Opportunity ×5, Dirty Deeds ×2, Serrated Blades. See the tree at this step →
Take: Serrated Blades ×2, Camouflage ×3, Initiative ×3, Premeditation, Hemorrhage. See the tree at this step →
Take: Elusiveness ×2, Ghostly Strike, Preparation, Boot Knife ×5, Death Mark. See the tree at this step →
51 points: Assassination 12 / Combat 8 / Subtlety 31
The talents that weigh the most in the simulation: Boot Knife, Hemorrhage, Efficient Strikes.
See the full tree →The best set the simulator finds among the known dungeon and profession items, raid excluded: 586 DPS, −1.1% against the set that includes raid items (593 DPS).
Full gear, enchantments included →
Figures come from our simulator, not from players: they move with patches.
| Stat | DPS gained | Relative value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hit per rating point | 0.471 | 1.95 | |
| Agility per point | 0.442 | 1.83 | |
| Crit per rating point | 0.335 | 1.39 | |
| Haste per rating point | 0.308 | 1.28 | |
| Strength per point | 0.265 | 1.1 | |
| Attack power per point | 0.241 | 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: Hemorrhage at all times, Slice and Dice, Eviscerate. Rupture is not simulated yet (its client numbers are small: 35 base, +4.7 per combo point, every 2 seconds): to confirm in game.
Skinning
Leatherworking guide 
Herbalism
Alchemy guide 
Engineering 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.
Finishing move that marks the target, storing a portion of the damage dealt by your attacks per Combo Point. Garrote and Rupture damage is stored at twice the rate. After 6 sec, the stored damage is dealt, up to a maximum increased by Attack Power and Critical Strike chance.
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.
