Rogue FAQ

[Felexitus]

Ok i cant stand Hunting anymore time to go back to rogue builds. Now that i have experimented with Rogue Caster builds for a bit i think i can make a little FAQ. Again i don't claim to know i just dont know the difference between "know" and "feel". Rogue is a very advanced mastery and very difficult to master.

This FAQ talk uses the term poison a lot. That does NOT refer to the damage type it refers to the skills nightshade and mandrake!

questions (most blatantly stolen from the hunter faq)

1. What the hell is the rogue all about are they all sneaky and deal ultra high dps?
2. Cool bleed and poison. I bet that rocks!
3. I want to create a pysical damage based rogue, do i make DEX or STR builds?
4. What are the equipment requirements?
5. What weapon should i choose?
6. Wich is the best build?
7. What are the advantages/disadvantages of Rogue builds?
9. I'd like a basic skill rundown, can you help me out here?
10. I have leftover points, can you tell me where to put them?
11. I heard good things about skill y. Do you recommend it?
12. How should i start distributing my skill points?
13. Any Equipment recommendations?

TRAPS:
14. Can you list all the skills that work with traps?
15. Does anything else support traps?
16. I want to be a Trapper. What build do you recommend?

POISON:
17. Can you list all the skills that work with Envenom Weapon?
18. Does anything else support poison?
19. I heard Undead are immune to poison. How does that work with the debuffs?

Let's get started.

1. What the hell is the rogue all about are they all sneaky and deal ultra high dps?
No in this game rogues are more about poisoning the enemy, crippling him, bleeding him to death, and setting up traps. The backstab you probably want works without stealth. Also the rogue has some kind of ninja-ish feeling, using throwing knives, flash powder and gas bombs. To all the players wanting to play rogues due to their offensive potential in other games: wrong game guys rogue is a very defensive mastery here.


2. Cool bleed and poison. I bet that rocks!

Well rock is surely not the right term to describe it. Poison and Bleed have some problems. The most important one is: They do not get augmented by any of your attributes. That said, their damage later doesnt scale fast enough to keep up with most other damage types. Also most undead are completely immune to it(mummies arent). I am not saying they suck. The problem is: to be viable, they require a heavy item investment and that again leaves openings vs said undead. With version 1.2 out both bleed and poison got substantial increases, nevertheless they suffer from the same problems as before, just they became a bit strongers and thos more viable as support skills than before.

3. I want to create a pysical damage based rogue, do i make DEX or STR builds?

Ill say what i always say. As it stands Dex builds dont nearly get the same damage Str builds do. A spear(30% pierce mod) Rogue needs +170% piercing damage to have str have the same effect on PIERCE damage dex has. For Bows the magic mark is +308%, for a Sword Rogue(15%pierce) its +329%. You will usually have sufficient OA and DA from your item Dex requirements. If however you go for swords and pure melee armor, it might be a tad low. I recommend getting at least 350 base dex.

4. What are the equipment dex requirements?

There are a few things to consider
Best Bow: 438 Dex
Best Spear: 404 Dex
Best Sword: 280 Dex
Stonebinders Cuffs: 385 Dex
Trackers Set Pieces: 394 Dex

5. What weapon should i choose?

As a melee rogue, some recommend getting a sword and a spear. i personally never ever missed a sword since spears are just great. they have a high piercing modifier, allowing really high dps values(pierce damage can skyrocket so easy its not even funny, you dont need to be a hunter for this). Also they are clearly better in damage per hit, something your lethal strike cares a lot about. Bows are ok in spreading poison, but arent really needed since you have better means of that. Of course if youre a caster based rogue take a staff.

6. Wich is the best build?

No Idea. But for all cheat kiddies who need the answer: You guys will want to play brigands anyway so you can boast with your insane damage.


7. What are the advantages/disadvantages of Rogue builds?

This is like 50 Times harder than evaluating Hunter builds. Why? because theres no such thing as a "Core rogue build", meaning i can hardly judge dps too. that makes judging disadvantages pretty hard too. if you know more feel free to post(short and precise please)

a)Corsair(Defense)
+extreme defense, with shields and poison youre bound to survive. Good melee ways to spread poison quickly
-no good means of ranged combat in case you have to fight something you cant really approach in melee. if youre a bit like me, youll have great problems with skill points ;-)

b)Assassin(Warfare)
+you get to discuss onslaught vs CS a lot. Nice melee ways of spreading poison, ancestral Horn is still boss killer #1 and battle standard is very nice.
-you have to choose between onslaught or CS and thats hard. youre bad at taking hits, almost no help for your traps, one may think so but the asassin is not the highest damage build, thats the...

c)Brigand(Hunter)
+ awesome synergies between traps and hunting, also both masteries like piercing damage(and since the patch is out: bleed). Highest damage hits possible with Lethal strike, pierce based Brigands definitely have the most dps amongst rogue builds.
- poison isnt that effective on your melee weapon since you just killed what you poisoned. by far worst melee damage soaking capability

d)Illusionist(Nature)
+great enemy distraction with traps + wolves, good trap buffs, heart of oak
- Plague doesnt really help traps, in case of a caster build nothing to augment your damage except plague

e) Sorcerer(Storm)
+stuns, squall to take care of archers and improve damage, wisp to distract and further increase dps
-in case of a melee build: you will die a lot. no help for your traps. probably more a stormcaller with...yeah i actually have no idea(someone help me!)

f) Warlock(Spirit)
+outsider and liche king. in case of a melee build: strong debuffs. In case of a caster build: Ternion attack +poison = fun.
-in case of a caster: definitely the lowest damage Ternion build i have ever seen. in case of a melee build: again, prepare to die. not as much as a sorcerer but often enough.

g)Magician(Earth)
+ Core Dweller, Stone Form, Earth enchantment, heat shield, in case of a melee build: ring of flame, actually a viable melee build here
- weak trap buffs, melee build will suffer from lack of attribute points. caster build is again prolly more like a pyromancer with...traps?

h) Rogue.
+ only 5 skills points short of maxing it all
- lack of attributes, lack of focus, lack of synergies between masteries, need i continue?

9. I'd like a basic skill rundown, can you help me out here?

Let's see
a) Calculated Strike/Lucky Hit
CS is your basic rogue weapon attack a pretty fair skill. Sadly i learned that Lucky strike can only trigger when CS unloads its charges. that makes it have an 8,3% chance to trigger, not really that great.

b) Blade Honing. it raises your weapons pierce ration and adds a bit of bonus pierce damage. it DOESNT make a 10% piercing sword a 66% piercing, rather a 15.6% piercing. extremely strong skill for some builds and generally recommended if you use spears.

c)Envenom Weapon/Nightshade/Toxin Distillation/Mandrake
Either you max envenom and distillation and make a dedicated poison build or you ignore them. nightshade and mandrake are amongst the most potent defensive skills in the game. pretty much every rogue maxes them. note that you do NOT need a point in toxin distillation to get mandrake.

d) Throwing knife/Flurry of knives. The Throwing knives actually benefit from your auras and damage bonus equipment(except for weapon). also they spread poison wich is their main use right now. most rogues put 1 point into throwing knife and max out the flurry. a whole flurry of knives usually hits every enemy in a group due to their 100% chance to pass through the enemies and poison them all at once, severely crippling them. just an awesome combo

e) Disarm Traps. a very weak skill. was very high on the "least useful skills" ranking. put your leftover points in it if you want, and in the doubtful event that theres nothing better to get.

f) Flash Powder. basically a pbaoe doped up mandrake. great skill when you either get surrounded or charge into the enemies. good range too. usually you want to get that one. once youre used to the rogue and applying poison or keeping out of trouble you can drop it, though i wouldnt.

g) Open wound. If you want a dedicated bleed build get it. some people put 1 point into it. thats probably worse than putting 1 point into disarm traps, since the low bleeding damage you get as long the skill isnt maxed is just ridiculous later on.

h) Lay Trap/Rapid Construction/Improved Firing Mechanism. The other reason besides poison to take Rogue. Traps are strong. really strong. some people consider them cheap. they deal a lot of damage and distract enemies, also upgraded they are very cheap and even spammable for non caster based classes. they are considered pets and get to use aura buffs but nothing else.

i) Poison Gas Bomb/Shrapnel. The next combat control skill. This one was an anti archer skill but i cant see any impaired aim on it now. instead it deals a very high amount of poison damage. it still suffers from one main problem: it takes really long to actually explode and as long as thats not fixed the skill isnt competitive in any way.


j) Lethal Strike/Mortal Wound. Well its one extremely expensive extremely hard hit. works with bows, swords and spears. the percentage amounts on both skills are insane but if you dont have something to convert attack damage to energy (wich doesnt exist) youll watch yourself gulp an energy potion after using the skill more often than not. brigands have the potential to deal far over 100k damage with it, onehitting most bosses. Most players get 1 point into mortal wound for the really good 3s stun and max Lethal strike. when youre dot based of course feel free to max out mortal wound too. the skill is good but nothing jawdropping imo. if you think you urgendtly need the skill points somewhere else dont feel too bad

k) Anatomy. Again if youre Dedicated to bleed get it otherwise ignore it. Dont do that 1 point into this just to get some benefit here, its really a waste of a skill point thats better invested in disarm traps(and thats something)


10. I have leftover points, can you tell me where to put them?

I Hate that question: the game lets you rebuy your skill points at any given time. TRY OUT YOURSELF!

11. I heard good things about skill y. Do you recommend it?

see above

12. How should i start distributing my skill points?

If you want to advance as fast as possible start by maxing our your traps. these will carry your through normal easily. afterwards maybe get some attack skills (Blade honing). or more trap buffs (Blade honing?, but there are much better, just buffed traps can easily get you through most of epic). if you dont mind playing like a caster even longer get the poison knives combo soon. then its pretty much up to you.

13. Any Equipment recommendations?

ill just copy and cut my former post though this mostly adresses endgame equipment

usually id use pretty much the same setup on a rogue as id use on a hunter that is
Ares Wrath/Penetrating Spear of Ko k'Bi/Legendary Peng claw with 20% damage socketed good yellow/green spear
Conquerors Bracers
Athenas Battle Greaves
Alexanders Cuirass/Armor of Achilles
Ancile/Shield of the Korybantes
Apollos Will
Trackers Hood
Pendant of Immortal Rage/Aphrodites Favour
Secondary Bow if wanted: Bow of Herakles or again a Peng claw socketed bow

For any other caster based rogue build id go for usual caster stuff:

Calypso's Cover
If build is fire based Seal of Hephaestus
Aphrodites Favour
Archmage's Diadem
Archmage's Leggings(all legenary caster based legs suck but 150 life are nice)
Archmage's Clasp
Fire build: Hades' Scepter (Consider this a good secondary for the granted Ancestral Horn too)
Lightning: Cacudeus
Cold: Fingerbone of Boreas
No Focus: Cacudeus or Chromatic staff

Also have a secondary staff ready to max your summons or use it as a main weapons to get much more skills.

Nature: Staff of Elysium
Storm: Shikigami / Fingerbone of Boreas
Spirit: Hecate's Rod
Earth: Eye of Osiris / Summoner's Rod

[Felexitus]

TRAPS:
14. Can you list all the skills that work with traps?

I will also listed the effects that work. Skills with a - before them belong to the skill above them.

Rogue

Blade Honing(+Piercing Damage)

Warfare

Battle Standard (Damage Absorption)

Nature

Heart of Oak (Health, Attack Speed)
-Permanence of Stone(Elemental Resistance)

Strength of the Pack(Attack Speed, Armor)

Defense

Rally(Health Restored, Armor)
-Inspiration(Attack Speed)
-Defiance(Elemental Resist, Damage Reflected)

Battle Awareness (DA, Armor)
-Iron Will (Reduced Freeze Duration)

Earth

Earth Enchantment(+%Fire Damage, Burn Damage)
-Brimstone(Burn Damage)
-Stone Skin(+Armor, +Fire Resistance)

Hunting

Art of the Hunt(+%Piercing Damage, + Damage to Beastmen/Animals; in conjunction with Call of the Hunt: +% bleeding damage.)
-Find Cover(Chance to evade Projectiles)

Call of the Hunt(Attack Speed, +Bleeding Damage +%Piercing Damage to Animals/Beastmen)
-Exploit Weakness(+%Bleeding Damage, +%Piercing Damage)

Storm

Eye of the Storm(Lightning Resistance, Cold Resistance, in conjuction with Earth Enchantment +%elemental Damage)

Spirit

Spirit Ward(+ Damage to Undead, +%less damage from Undead)
-Spirit Bane(+%damage to Undead, + Damage to Undead)

Circle of Power(+ Damage to Undead)

-Unearthly Power(In Conjuction with Earth Enchantment: +%Elemental Damage ; In Conjunction with Art of the Hunt+%Damage against Animals/Beastmen ; In Conjunction wth Spirit Ward/Spirit Bane/Circle of Power +% Damage to against Undead)


15. Does anything else support traps?

Targeted Spells: Regrowth, Herbal remedy

16. I want to be a Trapper. What build do you recommend?


Concerning Raw Trap power the order is as follows

1. Brigand
2. Illusionist
3. Corsair
4. Magician
5. Warlock
6. Assassin
7. Sorcerer/Rogue

I dont recommend anything though. For example though their traps might suck comparatively, Sorcerers can stun enemies and thus allow the traps to take effect much longer easily.


POISON

17. Can you list all the skills that work with Envenom Weapon?
All classes: Basic Attack
Rogue: Lethal Strike, Calculated Strike, Throwing Knife
Defense: Shield Charge, Batter
Warfare: Onslaught, War Wind
Hunting: Marksmanship(not scatter shot), Take Down
Spirit: Ternion Attack(and yes Arcane Lore makes poison an aoe skill)


18. Does anything else support poison?


Toxin Distillation does NOT improve mandrake or Nightshade if thats what you mean.


19. I heard Undead are immune to poison. How does that work with the debuffs?

The debuffs still work, just poison damage doesnt work on them. Works on mummies(Act 2) though.



Thanks go out to the devs for making the game, Phillip Marcus for that awesome Knowledge thread. Xaece for doing all the number juggling im too bored to do, terrawen and viperace for helping me establish brigands(though viperace seems to have a different view on them) ;-), and all the people who are nice to me, even though i am not. Also thanks to Galefury for all the new content including that awesome Rare Affix/Suffix collection, and roguebanshee for corrections.

[Felexitus]

and this one for corrections to all the mistakes i made (on purpose again)

[Swifty1515]

Hey Felexitus! One question for you...do you get paid to do this cuz you do a great job! Always helping me and others I really respect your hard work. Great FAQ. Keep it up!

[Felexitus]

thanks for the kind words but honestly i do this so i can get pissed at people for not using the search function and give rude answers.

but i dont think ill do another one. im not really great with the other masteries.

[Swifty1515]

Haha, the lenghts we go just so we can get pissed at people Either way great work!

[Felexitus]

time for ME to ask something wich im too lazy to work for but still want to know: does the nymph cast overgrowth on your traps?

[OtherSide]

Anyone knows how long is Lethal Strike cooldown?

[Felexitus]

its 8s and im gonna go ahead and bump this since i have seen lots of peeps asking about traps again....

[SaikoSin]

I'm wondering why most Rogues use Spears, i tend to use fast Swords all the time. Why is that?