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Subtlety Rogue

Damage specialisation · Tier C in Mythic+, 1.3% of the sample

PvE GuideRaid logs, Mythic+ players and PvE buildsACTIVEPvP GuideRated ladder talents, gear stats and builds

Opener

The order abilities first landed across 4 top-parsing pulls, with the median time into the fight. The percentage is how many of those parses used the ability at all — a step at 100% is the opener, one at 60% is a choice some players make.

  1. 1Shadowstrike+0.4s100%
  2. 2Eviscerate+1.4s100%
  3. 3Vanish+2.1s100%
  4. 4Goremaw's Bite+4.6s100%
  5. 5Light's Potential+5.4s50%
  6. 6Shadow Blades+5.4s100%
  7. 7Voracious Heart of Ula'tek+5.4s75%
  8. 8Shuriken Storm+5.4s75%
  9. 9Shadow Dance+5.5s100%
  10. 10Secret Technique+5.5s50%

What follows what

What was pressed next, counted over every observed pair. This is the closest a log gets to a priority list — but it describes behaviour, not a rule: a player casting Execute because it lit up looks the same here as one following a plan.

  • Eviscerate83 casts→Eviscerate33%Shadowstrike31%Backstab18%
  • Shadowstrike40 casts→Eviscerate88%Secret Technique10%Secret Technique3%
  • Backstab31 casts→Backstab47%Eviscerate37%Shadow Dance10%
  • Secret Technique18 casts→Shadowstrike41%Eviscerate29%Secret Technique29%
  • Shadow Dance15 casts→Shuriken Storm57%Eviscerate14%Secret Technique14%
  • Shuriken Storm9 casts→Shuriken Storm100%

Ability usage

Casts per minute across 20 top-parsing kills in The Venomous Abyss. Per minute rather than totals, so a long fight does not read as a heavily used ability.

Single target

8 fights where almost all damage went to the boss

  1. 1Eviscerate12.9per min
  2. 2Shuriken Storm11.1per min
  3. 3Black Powder8.7per min
  4. 4Secret Technique4.8per min
  5. 5Backstab4.5per min
  6. 6Shadowstrike3.5per min
  7. 7Shadow Dance1.9per min

Multi-target

10 fights with substantial add damage

  1. 1Eviscerate19.1per min
  2. 2Backstab9.1per min
  3. 3Shuriken Storm7.0per min
  4. 4Shadowstrike4.9per min
  5. 5Black Powder4.1per min
  6. 6Secret Technique3.6per min

Fights are sorted by how much damage landed on boss units rather than by a hand-kept list of which encounter is the AoE one, so the split stays right after a retune. Fights in between are left out of both columns.

Updated 31/08/2026. These are observed casts, not a recommended priority — the order reflects how often an ability came up, which is not the same as when to press it.

Secondary stats

Secondary stat split across the 100 best-geared synced characters. Averaged per player, so one heavily geared character cannot define the answer for everyone.

  • Versatility43.4%1,117 avg
  • Mastery38.0%866 avg
  • Haste11.7%371 avg
  • Critical Strike7.0%192 avg

What PvE players are playing

Talent choices across 169 synced characters playing this specialisation. These are observed picks, not recommendations — they say what the ladder is doing, not what you should do.

Where builds differ

Taken by between 15% and 90% of players. This is where the real decisions are.

  • Dark Shadow87%

    145 players · Specialization

  • Deepening Shadows87%

    144 players · Specialization

  • Improved Wound Poison82%

    136 players · Class

  • Soothing Darkness81%

    134 players · Class

  • Subterfuge81%

    134 players · Class

  • Without a Trace81%

    134 players · Class

  • Improved Secret Technique79%

    131 players · Specialization

  • Ephemeral Bond78%

    130 players · Specialization

  • Danse Macabre77%

    128 players · Specialization

  • Shiv76%

    126 players · Class

  • The Rotten72%

    120 players · Specialization

  • Deepening Shadows63%

    104 players · Specialization

  • Bait and Switch55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Clear the Witnesses55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Corrupt the Blood55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Darkest Night55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Deathstalker's Mark55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Fatal Intent55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Follow the Blood55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Hunt Them Down55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Lingering Darkness55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Shadewalker55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Singular Focus55%

    91 players · Hero

  • Mass Casualty54%

    90 players · Hero

  • Precise Killer54%

    90 players · Hero

  • Quietus Celeris54%

    90 players · Hero

  • Toxic Stiletto54%

    89 players · Class

  • Superior Mixture46%

    76 players · Class

  • Unbreakable Stride45%

    75 players · Class

  • Nimble Fingers43%

    71 players · Class

  • Clever Combatant40%

    66 players · Hero

  • Cloud Cover40%

    66 players · Hero

  • Coup de Grace40%

    66 players · Hero

  • Devious Distractions40%

    66 players · Hero

  • Disorienting Strikes40%

    66 players · Hero

  • Don't Be Suspicious40%

    66 players · Hero

Near-universal picks (47)taken by 90%+ — effectively baseline
  • Airborne Irritant100%

    166 players · Class

  • Blackjack100%

    166 players · Class

  • Blind100%

    166 players · Class

  • Cheat Death100%

    166 players · Class

  • Cloak of Shadows100%

    166 players · Class

  • Deep Cuts100%

    166 players · Class

  • Evasion100%

    166 players · Class

  • Evasion100%

    166 players · Class

  • Improved Ambush100%

    166 players · Class

  • Improved Sprint100%

    166 players · Class

  • Improved Sprint100%

    166 players · Class

  • Master Poisoner100%

    166 players · Class

  • Thrill Seeking100%

    166 players · Class

  • Acrobatic Strikes99%

    165 players · Class

  • Alacrity99%

    165 players · Class

  • Danger Sense99%

    165 players · Class

Rarely taken (88)under 15% — situational or out of favour
  • Lingering Shadow13%

    22 players · Specialization

  • Flagellation9.0%

    15 players · Specialization

  • Thistle Tea7.2%

    12 players · Class

  • Vigor7.2%

    12 players · Class

  • Bloody Mess6.0%

    10 players · Specialization

  • Canny Strikes6.0%

    10 players · Specialization

  • Deadly Poison6.0%

    10 players · Specialization

  • Deathmark6.0%

    10 players · Specialization

  • Finish the Job6.0%

    10 players · Specialization

  • Implacable6.0%

    10 players · Specialization

  • Improved Garrote6.0%

    10 players · Specialization

  • Kingsbane6.0%

    10 players · Specialization

Import a real build

Loadouts from the highest-rated synced players of this specialisation. Paste straight into the game.

  • Misix

    illidan · US3,596

  • Vespionr

    silvermoon · EU3,578

  • Llpss

    illidan · US3,560

  • Skullysneak

    ravencrest · EU3,559

  • Myfckinknife

    tarren-mill · EU3,496

Learn the spec

This page measures what players do. For rotation, stat priority and matchup play, these are the references.

  • WowheadpveRotation, stat priority, gear and consumables. The most complete free PvE reference.
  • Icy VeinspveRotation walkthroughs and talent reasoning, written for players learning a spec.
  • Raider.IOpveMythic+ routes, affix planning and dungeon-by-dungeon breakdowns.

Other Rogue specs

  • Assassination
  • Outlaw