Combat Rogue Leveling Guide (Classic, TBC, WotLK)

Why Combat in Classic?

Fastest leveling rogue in Classic thanks to weapon flexibility, Blade Flurry cleave, and Adrenaline Rush windows. Excellent sustained damage and uptime with minimal positional demands.

Strengths

Blade Flurry + Adrenaline Rush for huge 2-target cleave.
Sword/fist/mace options; less reliant on daggers/positioning.
Consistent energy flow; strong sustained single-target.

Weaknesses

Gear dependent—needs weapon upgrades to feel smooth.
Limited AoE beyond Blade Flurry window.
Poison management still required; downtime without food/bandages.

Talents by Level (Classic 1-60)

Early (10-29)

Improved Sinister Strike 2/2, Deflection 5/5.
Precision 5/5 for hit, Endurance 2/2.
Riposte for control; Dual Wield Spec 5/5.

Mid (30-44)

Blade Flurry at 30 for cleave windows.
Sword Spec or Mace Spec based on weapons.
Weapon Expertise; Aggression for Sinister Strike/Eviscerate.

Late (45-60)

Adrenaline Rush for massive energy burst.
Fill with Vitality, Improved Kick (if needed), and Precision overflow.
Optional: Improved Sprint for mobility, Improved Gouge for control.

Use fast off-hand for poisons, slow main-hand for bigger Sinister Strike/Eviscerate. Keep Slice and Dice rolling; Blade Flurry + AR for elite burns or dense packs.

Rotation & Playstyle

Single Target

Stealth → Cheap Shot or Ambush → Sinister Strike spam.
Slice and Dice at 2-3 CP, maintain; Eviscerate for finish.
Kick heals/casts; Gouge → Bandage to reset.

Survival

Evasion for melee packs; Vanish to reset or skip.
Sprint to kite; First Aid maxed; health pots for elites.
Crippling Poison off-hand for control when needed.

Cleave/AoE

Blade Flurry + Adrenaline Rush every 2 min for 2-3 mob burns.
Position mobs in front; use evasion if tanking briefly.
Use Sweeping Strikes-style planning: pull in pairs to maximize BF.

Zone Route (Classic)

Bracket	Zones	Notes
1-20	Starter → Barrens/Westfall	Get dual wield; grab early swords (VC/Blackrock).
20-30	Ashenvale/Duskwood	Deadmines/Stockades for swords; poisons at 20.
30-40	STV/Desolace	SM Arm/Cath for weapon upgrades; BF cleave packs.
40-50	Tanaris/Feralas/Hinterlands	ZF runs; seek hit/crit leather.
50-60	Felwood/WPL/EPL	BRD/Strat/Scholo for pre-raid swords; grind undead for cloth.

Why Combat in TBC?

Best all-round rogue spec for leveling and dungeons. Blade Flurry + Adrenaline Rush crushes packs, Combat Potency smooths energy, and weapon options stay flexible.

Spec deep Combat for Combat Potency, Surprise Attacks, and Adrenaline Rush. Splash Assassination for Malice, Ruthlessness, Lethality. Choose Sword/Fist Spec based on drops (Latro’s, Felsteel Longblade).

Talents by Level (TBC 60-70)

Early (60-63)

Precision 5/5; Dual Wield Spec 5/5.
Blade Flurry at 61 if not taken; Aggression for SS/Evis.
Weapon Spec (Sword/Fist) based on your best drops.

Mid (64-67)

Vitality and Combat Potency (huge energy on OH hits).
Adrenaline Rush + BF combo every 2 minutes.
Assassination splash: Malice 5/5, Ruthlessness 3/3, Lethality 5/5.

Late (68-70)

Surprise Attacks capstone to smooth damage.
Fill with Relentless Strikes/Improved Poisons if energy/poisons need help.
Improved Kick optional for dungeons/heroics.

Rotation (TBC)

Single Target

Stealth → Cheap Shot → Sinister Strike spam.
Slice and Dice at 2-3 CP; maintain; Eviscerate/Kidney for finish.
Use Adrenaline Rush for elites; Kick key casts.

AoE/Cleave

Blade Flurry every pull with 2+ mobs; line up with AR for burst.
Fan of Knives not yet—focus on cleave, not true AoE.
Sap/Blind one target to stabilize if healer is weak.

Survival

Cloak of Shadows to clear magic; Evasion for physical bursts.
First Aid and food buffs; pop potions on tough pulls.
Crippling off-hand for kiting; Deadly/Instant main-hand.

Zone & Dungeon Path (TBC)

Level	Zone/Dungeon	Notes
60-62	Hellfire / Ramps / BF	Quest blues; early swords/fists.
62-65	Zangarmarsh / SP / UB	Plenty of fist/sword drops; keep poisons up.
65-68	Terokkar / Sethekk / SLabs	Sap/Blind casters; gather cloth for bandages.
68-70	Nagrand / Netherstorm / Mech	Badge farm; Latro's weapons, quest swords.

Why Combat in WotLK?

Top-tier cleave with Killing Spree, Blade Flurry, and solid single-target. Combat Potency + Hack and Slash keeps energy flowing, making leveling smooth and fast.

Spec into Hack and Slash/Close Quarters depending on weapons, Combat Potency, Adrenaline Rush, Killing Spree. Off-tree Assassination for Malice/Ruthlessness/Lethality and Improved Poisons if needed.

Talents by Level (70-80)

Early (70-74)

Precision, Dual Wield Spec, Aggression.
Blade Flurry, Adrenaline Rush; Combat Potency.
Hack and Slash 5/5 (or CQC) based on swords/fists.

Mid (75-77)

Vitality; Unfair Advantage/Throwing Spec optional utility.
Surprise Attacks to smooth damage.
Assassination splash: Malice, Ruthlessness, Lethality, Relentless Strikes.

Late (78-80)

Killing Spree as capstone for burst/AoE tagging.
Fill with Improved Kick, Savage Combat, or Weapon Expertise.
Optional: Improved Sprint for mobility in ICC zones.

Rotation (WotLK)

Single Target

Stealth → Garrote → Sinister Strike spam.
Slice and Dice at 2-3 CP; Rupture (if talented) then Eviscerate.
Killing Spree on cooldown for burst/tagging; Adrenaline Rush for elites.

AoE/Cleave

Fan of Knives at 80 for true AoE; double Instant/Deadly.
Blade Flurry + Killing Spree for 3-5 mob melts.
Tricks of the Trade on tank/partner when grouping.

Survival

Cloak of Shadows for magic; Evasion for melee; Feint to reduce AoE.
Sprint/Prep for escapes; Crippling for kiting casters.
Vanish to reset dangerous pulls; keep bandages/pots ready.

Zone & Dungeon Path (WotLK)

Level	Zone/Dungeon	Notes
70-72	Borean Tundra / Howling Fjord	Quest swords/fists; Nexus/UK for upgrades.
72-75	Dragonblight / AN/OK	Badge and weapon drops; practice BF + KS on packs.
75-77	Grizzly Hills / Zul'Drak	Drak'Tharon for cleave; gather leather for crafting.
77-80	Sholazar / Storm Peaks / Icecrown	HoL/HoS/Gundrak for badges; crafted Titansteel weapons.

Gear, Weapons, and Enchants (All Versions)

Stat Priority

Hit (6-9% leveling) > Agility > Attack Power > Crit > Haste; Expertise helps smooth damage.
Slow main-hand for Sinister Strike/Killing Spree; fast off-hand for poison procs/Combat Potency.

Weapons

Classic: Deadmines/SM/BRD swords; AV rewards.
TBC: Felsteel Longblade, Latro's weapons, quest fists/swords.
WotLK: Crafted Titansteel Shanker/Steel, Heroic drops, Librarian's Paper Cutter off-hand.

Enchants

Classic: Crusader/+Agility; +Hit gloves if available.
TBC: Mongoose/+Agility; +Hit or +AP to gloves.
WotLK: Berserking/+Agility; Icewalker if hit is low.

Pro Tips & Utility

Leveling Speed

Chain pull with Slice and Dice rolling; pool energy before Blade Flurry + AR.
Pick fights with 2 mobs to maximize BF uptime.
Use Sprint between pulls; keep Thistle Tea for burst (Classic).

Control

Sap one target, Cheap Shot another; Kidney Shot to pin elites.
Blind as emergency; Gouge → Bandage to recover.
Kick dangerous heals/casts; dismantle (WotLK) vs weapon users.

Group Utility

Expose Armor if no warrior/druid; Tricks of the Trade (WotLK) on tank.
Coordinated interrupts and stuns keep healers safe in dungeons.
Distract to control patrols; Sap for clean skips.

Combat Rogue Leveling Guide

Why Combat in Classic?

Strengths

Weaknesses

Talents by Level (Classic 1-60)

Early (10-29)

Mid (30-44)

Late (45-60)

Rotation & Playstyle

Single Target

Survival

Cleave/AoE

Zone Route (Classic)

Why Combat in TBC?

Talents by Level (TBC 60-70)

Early (60-63)

Mid (64-67)

Late (68-70)

Rotation (TBC)

Single Target

AoE/Cleave

Survival

Zone & Dungeon Path (TBC)

Why Combat in WotLK?

Talents by Level (70-80)

Early (70-74)

Mid (75-77)

Late (78-80)

Rotation (WotLK)

Single Target

AoE/Cleave

Survival

Zone & Dungeon Path (WotLK)

Gear, Weapons, and Enchants (All Versions)

Stat Priority

Weapons

Enchants

Pro Tips & Utility

Leveling Speed

Control

Group Utility

Level Faster with RestedXP