Assassination Rogue DPS Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot (Legion 7.2.5)

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 7.2.5 Changes
  • 3. Patch 7.2 Changes
  • 4. Strengths
  • 5. Weaknesses
  • 6. Viability in the Current Patch
  • 7. Contents
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. The Basics
  • 2. Talent Choice
  • 3. Stat Choice
  • 4. Basic Rotation
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resources
  • 3. Basic Abilities
  • 4. Important Procs
  • 5. DPS Cooldowns
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheets
    • 2.1. Raid Encounters
    • 2.2. General Purpose/Leveling
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Artifact Traits and Relics
  • 1. Artifact Progression — First 35 Points
    • 1.1. Early Point Investment
    • 1.2. Second Golden Trait
    • 1.3. Third Golden Trait
    • 1.4. Final Point Investment
  • 2. Patch 7.2: 35+ Trait Path
  • 3. Relic Choice
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Ability Priority List
  • 2. Poisons
  • 3. Important Notes
    • 3.1. The Interaction Between Combo Points and Energy
    • 3.2. Pooling Energy and Combo Points
    • 3.3. Surge of Toxins
    • 3.4. Rupture
      • 3.4.1. Pandemic and Rupture Refresh
    • 3.5. Vendetta Usage
    • 3.6. Kingsbane
    • 3.7. Defensive Utility
  • 4. Core Concepts
    • 4.1. Ability Uptimes
    • 4.2. Cooldown Usage
    • 4.3. Resource Management
    • 4.4. Opening Sequence
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. The Nighthold
    • 1.1. Skorpyron
      • 1.1.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.2. Chronomatic Anomaly
      • 1.2.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.3. Trilliax
      • 1.3.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.4. Spellblade Aluriel
      • 1.4.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.5. Tichondrius
      • 1.5.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.6. Star Augur Etraeus
      • 1.6.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.7. Krosus
      • 1.7.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.8. High Botanist Tel'arn
      • 1.8.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.9. Grand Magistrix Elisande
      • 1.9.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.10. Gul'dan
      • 1.10.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
  • 2. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. Stat Priority
    • 1.1. Master Poisoner/Toxic Blade
    • 1.2. Elaborate Planning/Alacrity
    • 1.3. Elaborate Planning/Exsanguinate
  • 2. Getting a Better Understanding
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems
    • 1.1. Master Poisoner/Toxic Blade or Elaborate Planning/Alacrity
    • 1.2. Elaborate Planning/Exsanguinate
  • 2. Enchants
    • 2.1. Master Poisoner/Toxic Blade or Elaborate Planning/Alacrity
    • 2.2. Elaborate Planning/Exsanguinate
  • 3. Consumables
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. AddOns
    • 1.1. ElvUI
    • 1.2. Weak Auras
    • 1.3. Boss Mods
      • 1.3.1. BigWigs Bossmods
      • 1.3.2. Deadly Boss Mods
    • 1.4. Name Plates
      • 1.4.1. KUI Nameplates
      • 1.4.2. TidyPlates
    • 1.5. Damage Meters
      • 1.5.1. Skada
      • 1.5.2. Details
    • 1.6. Extra AddOns
      • 1.6.1. Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 1.6.2. Death Note
      • 1.6.3. Doom CooldownPulse
      • 1.6.4. Angry Assignments
  • 2. Macros
    • 2.1. Startattack Macros
    • 2.2. Tricks of the Trade
  • 3. ChangeLog
• ×Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot
  • 1. Tier 20 Set Bonuses
  • 2. Best in Slot List
    • 2.1. Trinket List
  • 3. Evaluating Upgrades Using Stat Weights
  • 4. Racial Bonuses
  • 5. Legendaries
  • 6. Loot Competition
  • 7. ChangeLog

General Information

This page is a gear reference for Assassination Rogues. It lists your best items and Legendaries, gives you gearing advice, and shows you how you will be competing for loot with other classes.

The other pages of our Assassination Rogue guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author and Reviewer

This guide has been written by Furty, who has an illustrious history in the World of Warcraft raiding scene and race for World First. He has been a member of guilds such as Serenity, Midwinter, and many more, and is currently raiding in Future. He plays most classes at the highest level. You can follow him on Twitter and watch him play on Twitch.

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Perfecto, an Outlaw/Assassination Rogue who raids in Method.

1. Tier 20 Set Bonuses

The Tier 20 set bonuses further empower your Garrote in several ways.

• 2-piece bonus: Garrote's cost is reduced by 25 Energy and cooldown is reduced to 12 seconds.
• 4-piece bonus: Garrote deals 40% increased damage.

These set bonuses are worth picking up and using, however, they are not strong enough that it is worth downgrading a full set of better itemized offset pieces to a lower difficult set of tier (e.g. Mythic offset to Heroic tier). If you only have to downgrade 1 or 2 pieces than this set bonus is very worthwhile and potent.

2. Best in Slot List

With the existence of Titanforged and Mythic+ dungeons, there is no such thing as a hard Best in Slot anymore. This is more of a guideline for the best pieces to keep an eye out for in your raid or dungeon (if applicable). Be smart, and if you find higher item level pieces with valuable stat combinations do not hesitate to upgrade to them.

Slot	Item	Source
Helm	Fanged Slayer's Helm	Demonic Inquisition
Neck	Locket of Splintered Souls	The Desolate Host
Shoulders	Fanged Slayer's Shoulderpads	Fallen Avatar
Chest	Hide of the Abyssal Behemoth	Mistress Sassz'ine
Cloak	Shroud of the Drowned Adherent	Mistress Sassz'ine
Wrists	Sinew-Stitched Wristguards	Demonic Inquisition
Gloves	Fanged Slayer's Handguards	Harjatan
Belt	Waistguard of Profane Duplicity	Kil'jaeden
Legs	Fanged Slayer's Legguards	Mistress Sassz'ine
Boots	Felscape Pathfinders	Fallen Avatar
Ring #1	Band of Rescinded Truths	Maiden of Vigilance
Ring #2	Scaled Band of Servitude	Harjatan
Trinket #1	Engine of Eradication	Maiden of Vigilance
Trinket #2	Convergence of Fates*	Grand Magistrix Elisande

• * Vial of Ceaseless Toxins is an upgrade over a Mythic Convergence of Fates at 935+ item level.

2.1. Trinket List

Assuming equal item levels:

1. Nightblooming Frond (inconsistent)
2. Engine of Eradication
3. Convergence of Fates
4. Ethereal Urn,
5. Eye of Guarm (with Mastery), or equivalent stat stick
6. Vial of Ceaseless Toxins
7. Specter of Betrayal
8. Hunger of the Pack
9. Memento of Angerboda
10. Entwined Elemental Foci

If you have good trinkets from Nighthold, the only trinket you need to keep an eye out for is a decent item version of Engine of Eradication, as this will likely be the only direct upgrade. Nighthold trinkets usually come out ahead of Vial of Ceaseless Toxins and Specter of Betrayal unless an approximate 15 item level (or greater) disparity is present, in which case the Tomb trinkets pull ahead.

Convergence of Fates is the exception to the "equal item level" comparison as the proc rate and cooldown reduction do not change with item level (only the passive Agility). Therefore, it is worth using a normal version of this item even over a Mythic version of another trinket.

3. Evaluating Upgrades Using Stat Weights

You can evaluate upgrades side by side using a simple napkin math formula:

For example, using the stat weights from our Stats page, a pair of boots with 380 Mastery, 1150 Haste, and 976 Agility, we can calculate a DPS value of:

This does not give an exact DPS value, but can be used to calculate the relative value versus another piece. For example, if we have a second pair of boots with 450 Haste, 970 Versatility, and 976 Agility, we can compute the DPS value for that second item using the same formula, before comparing the results:

We can clearly see that 1832.9 > 1824.2, and therefore, the second pair of boots are the stronger upgrade. Based on the relative closeness of these items you can also assert that the DPS delta is negligible and you should use the upgrade with any additional bonuses, e.g. Speed or Socket. This is the quickest, best, and most reliable way of determining whether or not you should use one upgrade or another, despite the fact that stats weights are very approximate and change with respect to fight type, fight length, and the values of your other stats (synergetic scaling).

4. Racial Bonuses

Racial benefit is pretty minimal for Assassination so it is recommended you just play whatever makes you happiest.

5. Legendaries

The best combination of legendary items for most raid encounters is currently Duskwalker's Footpads + Mantle of the Master Assassin. Certain encounters will favor the combination of Duskwalker's Footpads and Zoldyck Family Training Shackles, however, the difference between these is negligible overall.

Duskwalker's Footpads reduces Vendetta's cooldown by 1 second for every 65 Energy spent. This is the best legendary item overall, and it has incredible synergy with Vigor and Master Assassin Relics. Best legendary overall for nearly any situation as it can allow your Vendetta to get down to an equal cooldown with Kingsbane for a massive increase in damage.

Mantle of the Master Assassin grants 100% increased Critical Strike while in Stealth, and for 6 seconds after breaking Stealth. Second best overall. Should be paired with Draught of Souls for maximum effect. Has considerably higher impact with Exsanguinate (though this talent should not be used with proper gear regardless).

The Zoldyck Family Training Shackles cause your poisions and bleeds to deal increased damage to targets below 30% health. This is a strong legendary for dealing single target damage. It is especially good in situations with prolonged or multiple execute phases, or fights with long lived adds that allow for additional execute opportunities (for example, the Manifest Corruption on Xavius P1).

The Empty Crown causes Kingsbane to generate 40 Energy over 5 seconds when used. This can help immensely with Energy starvation during Kingsbane usages. Currently, I expect this to be one of the best available legendaries; perhaps fourth in power ranking, behind the three aforementioned choices.

Soul of the Shadowblade grants the Vigor talent passively. Overall not a particularly valuable legendary when compared with the top performers.

Insignia of Ravenholdt adds shadow cleave to your basic attacks that hits everything in front of you. A flexible legendary for any situation, though only middling in overall value compared with the other available choices.

Kil'jaeden's Burning Wish is an underwhelming legendary, as it takes up a valuable trinket slot and has very low impact for sustained damage. It could be useful if there are a horde of stacked adds, but is otherwise lacklustre in every way.

Cinidaria, the Symbiote causes your attacks to deal 30% extra physical damage when your targets are above 90% health. This legendary is exceptional in situations where an early damage check is paramount. Unfortunately it doesn't have much use if damage early in the fight is not important.

The Dreadlord's Deceit gives you a stacking damage bonus to your Fan of Knives. This legendary is only a minor gain for single target but highly useful for Mythic+ and burst AoE.

6. Loot Competition

Regarding the loot you will get from raid or dungeon bosses, you will compete with other classes in the following cases:

Item Type	Competing Classes
Tier Tokens	Death Knights, Druids, Mages, and Combat/Outlaw/Subtlety Rogues
Leather Armor	Demon Hunters, Druids, Monks, and Combat/Outlaw/Subtlety Rogues
Amulets Cloaks Rings	Everyone
Trinkets	Havoc Demon Hunters, Feral Druids, Windwalker Monks, Hunters, Combat/Outlaw/Subtlety Rogues, and Enhancement Shamans

7. ChangeLog

+ show all entries - show only 10 entries

• 28 Jun. 2017: Updated trinket list.
• 18 Jun. 2017: Added Tomb of Sargeras Best-in-Slot and Tier 20 set bonus.
• 12 Jun. 2017: Added The Empty Crown and Soul of the Shadowblade to the Legendary items section.
• 27 Mar. 2017: No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 05 Mar. 2017: Updated trinket list slightly.
• 13 Feb. 2017: Updated trinket list & legendary priority.
• 26 Jan. 2017: Updated trinket list following stealth hotfixes.
• 24 Jan. 2017: Full update including Nighthold Best-in-Slot list, trinket update, and set bonus explanation.
• 14 Jan. 2017: Added new legendary items and updated ranking.
• 09 Dec. 2016: Updated trinkets and legendary lists.
• 06 Oct. 2016: Updated best in slot & legendary list.
• 29 Aug. 2016: Updated for Legion's launch.
• 19 Jul. 2016: Removed trinket sims and added BiS recommendations.
• 18 Jul. 2016: Updated for the Legion pre-patch.