Rogue - Combat 1-80 Leveling Talent Build & Guide (3.3.5)

Introduction

This is a perfect build for leveling and/or grinding. It's also nice for farming at level 80.

Deivux

Equipment
First, find a HIGH DAMAGE main hand weapon, and generally, the slower the weapon, the higher the damage (2.6 speed or higher if possible). It's most likely gonna be a mace or a sword. I personally try to go for maces, because I love ignoring 15% of my target's armor while leveling, it feels more reliable and steady than the extra attack chance of sword specialization.Talent Spec

FINAL TALENT BUILD: 20/51/0



Combat (51 points)
10-11: Improved Sinister Strike - 2/2
12-14: Dual Wield Specialization (Only 3) - 3/5
15-19: Precision - 5/5
20-22: Deflection - 3/3
23-23: Riposte - 1/1
24-24: Dual Wield Specialization (Only 4) - 4/5
25-29: Aggression - 5/5
30-30: Blade Flurry - 1/1
31-35: Mace/Sword Specialization - 5/5
36-37: Blade Twisting - 2/2
38-39: Weapon Expertise - 2/2
40-40: Adrenaline Rush - 1/1
41-43: Vitality - 3/3
44-44: Dual Wield Specialization - 5/5
45-49: Combat Potency - 5/5
(From this point on, you want the fastest possible off-hand weapon, and it's probably going to be a dagger, see bottom of this post for suggestions)

50-50: Surprise Attacks - 1/1
51-52: Unfair Advantage - 2/2
53-54: Savage Combat - 2/2
55-59: Prey on the Weak - 5/5
60-60: Killing Spree - 1/1
TALENT BUILD UNTIL NOW: 0/51/0

Assassination (20 points)
61-65: Malice - 5/5
66-67: Remorseless Attacks - 2/2
68-70: Improved Eviscerate - 3/3
71-71: Vigor - 1/1
72-76: Lethality - 5/5
77-80: Improved Poisons (Only 4) - 4/5
FINAL TALENT BUILD: 20/51/0

Heirloom Gear

"Heirlooms bind to the account, as opposed to an individual character. This means they can be mailed (even after been used) to any character that shares the same account and server, including those of opposing faction."
The items marked with a * are also suggested for Druids (you can use these same items for all of them)

- Stained Shadowcraft Spaulder*
- Stained Shadowcraft Tunic*
- Swift Hand of Justice (2x)
- Charmed Ancient Bow

Weapons (choose your own):
- Balanced Heartseeker
- Venerable Mass of McGowan
- Venerable Dal'Rend's Sacred Charger

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

"Why do I need a HIGH DAMAGE main hand weapon?"
-Because your sinister strike and riposte abilities are instant extra attacks, based on weapon damage. The bigger your weapon's MIN-MAX damage is, the better.
So generally it will mean finding a very slow weapon with very high MIN-MAX damage.
Don't mistake Weapon DPS and the Weapon Damage, they are too very different things. A dagger for example can have very high DPS but very low MIN-MAX damage, which is why daggers are bad for this build.
It's simple, with this build, you don't really care if your main hand weapon is very slow, as long as the weapon damage is high. Since riposte and sinister strike are instant attacks, the slowness of the weapon is not a problem, only the dmg matters.
Past level 60 you'll be in Outland you should be fine with quest rewards. However, there's a dire lack of one-hand maces in Outland, so you might have to respec to sword specialization if you can't find any good mace. It's not a big deal though, swords are just fine.


"Why do I need a fast off-hand?"
-Combat potency gives you a chance on hit with your off-hand to get extra energy. The faster the off-hand, the more chances you have to proc combat potency.
Fastest weapons are daggers, and at level 49, your options are:
1. Bone Dirk - Cheapest, it's from a quest. Just follow the link to know which quest.
2. Sacrificial Kris of Agility, or of the Monkey, or of the Tiger. Buy it from the AH.
There are other options, but these are cheap and honestly, you don't need to blow your money on an epic or rare offhand, all that matters is that it's quick, below 1.50 speed, 1.30 being the fastest possible.
At level 50, you can invest in a Julie's Dagger. It's the quickest dagger you can get until Blood-Guided Knife, which is a quest reward from Terrokar.

Here's a list of weapons you can try to follow. You don't have to buy them all, but try to upgrade your main hand every 5 levels or so. It's the most important thing for leveling a rogue, by far.
Level 7 - Cranial Thumper
Level 9 - Staunch Hammer - Don't bother if you already have a Cranial Thumper
Level 13 - Mo'grosh Masher
Level 14 - Gnoll Skull Basher
Level 16 - Face Smasher
Level 19 - Skeletal Club
Level 20 - Heavy Bronze Mace | Diamond Hammer - Don't bother if you already have a Face Smasher or a Skeletal Club
Level 24 - Beazel's Basher
Level 25 - Mighty Iron Hammer - Don't bother if you already have a Beazel's Basher
Level 26 - Lead Mace - Don't bother if you have one of the blues from level 24-25.
Level 28 - Sequoia Hammer
Level 30 - Kovork's Rattle
Level 31 - Excavator's Brand
Level 33 - Midnight Mace - Don't bother if you've got an Excavator's Brand
Level 34 - Fight Club - Don't bother if you got any of the two previous blues
Level 37 - Stonevault Bonebreaker
Level 40 - Heaven's Light - Don't bother if you got a Stonevault Bonebreaker
Level 40 - Wirt's Third Leg - Cheaper alternative if you can't afford any of the above and badly need an upgrade
Level 42 - Skullcrusher Mace - Don't bother if you already have any of the weapons from level 37-40.
Level 48 - Bonesnapper
Level 48 - Smashing Star - Cheaper alternative
Level 54 - Baron Charr's Sceptre
Level 57 - Doomsayer's mace
Level 58 - Riversong Mace
Level 59 - Pneumatic War Hammer

credits: Thanks to the blog www.thewowcrafters.com for this guide!(the blog is not online anymore)