Subtlety Rogue Guide for The War Within Patch 11.2.5 Season 3 - Best Builds, Rotations, and Tips

Subtlety Rogue guide - updated for The War Within Patch 11.2.5 Season 3. This guide follows the reference structure and focuses on current PvE setups for raids, mythic plus, and delves, plus PvP strategies for solo shuffle, 2v2, 3v3, and RBG. It covers talents, rotation priorities, stat priority, gear approach, and practical tips to maximize Subtlety performance. Default hero talent for raids and keys is Trickster for powerful, frequent burst windows; Deathstalker is a sustained damage alternative that leans more on Rupture spread and damage over time pacing.

PvE Guide for Subtlety Rogue in Patch 11.2.5 Season 3

Subtlety Rogue is a flexible melee DPS that focuses on short, explosive burst windows around Shadow Dance, Symbols of Death, Shadow Blades, Flagellation, and Secret Technique. Your core rules are to maintain Rupture on important targets, keep Slice and Dice rolling passively, and build to high combo points before finishers. Trickster is the default hero talent for raids and keys thanks to its strong synergy with burst and the Season 3 tier set. Swap to Deathstalker only if you prefer smoother sustained damage and heavier Rupture-based cleave. Strengths: extreme burst, excellent priority damage, strong control and survivability. Weaknesses: complex cooldown management and weaker low-target cleave if misplayed.

Subtlety Rogue Raid Guide in Season 3

In raids, plan your cooldown cycles around boss timers and add waves. Aim to align Flagellation, Shadow Blades, Symbols of Death, Shadow Dance, and Secret Technique for every major burst window. When key adds spawn, you can either hold your next burst by a few seconds or desync slightly if delaying would waste uses over the full encounter. Movement is handled with Shadowstep, Sprint, and well-timed Shadowstrike teleports; pre-position before Dance windows so you do not lose globals. Subtlety is excellent at burning high priority targets and executing scripted burst checks, but loses value if mechanics frequently force downtime during your big cooldowns.

Best Talents for Subtlety Rogue Raids

For single-target oriented raids, run a Trickster-focused build that picks core tools like Shadow Dance, Flagellation, Secret Technique, and strong finisher support such as Coup de Grace and Danse Macabre. Take standard defensive and utility picks like Feint, Cloak of Shadows, Evasion, Cheat Death, and movement tools. Keep utility nodes flexible for encounter needs, swapping into extra survivability, shorter Cloak cooldown, or improved Feint when fights are dangerous.

Best Stats for Subtlety Rogue Raids

1. Mastery
2. Versatility
3. Critical Strike
4. Haste

Agility is the primary stat. Mastery scales your finishers and burst windows extremely well, while Versatility adds damage and needed mitigation. Critical Strike remains strong but behind Mastery and Versatility, and Haste is generally last because Subtlety already generates significant combo points and energy during cooldowns. Exact values shift with gear, trinkets, and hero talents, so you should run personal simulations when changing multiple items.

Best Consumables, Enchants, and Gems for Subtlety Rogue Raids

• Potion: Use Tempered Potion as your default damage potion, pairing it with major cooldown windows. Keep a stock of healing potions for emergencies.
• Food: Use a high tier secondary stat feast when available, such as The Sushi Special. If your group does not place feasts, eat single-stat Mastery or Versatility food based on needs.
• Flask: Flask of Alchemical Chaos is the standard choice across encounters. Tempered flasks for specific stats are fine if your profile is skewed.
• Weapon buff: Use Ironclaw Whetstone on both weapons.

Enchants

• Main-hand: Enchant Weapon - Stonebound Artistry.
• Off-hand: Enchant Weapon - Oathsworn's Tenacity.
• Rings: Enchant Ring - Radiant Mastery or Radiant Versatility to match your gear balance.
• Cloak, Bracers, Boots, Chest, Legs: Cloak - Chant of Winged Grace; Bracers - Chant of Armored Avoidance; Boots - Defender's March or Scout's March; Chest - Crystalline Radiance; Legs - Stormbound Armor Kit.
• Alternative weapon enchants like Council's Guile are interchangeable if sims favor them for your setup.

Gems

• Unique epic: Culminating Blasphemite in one socket.
• Other sockets: One Masterful Sapphire, remaining sockets Versatile Onyx unless sims indicate otherwise.

Best Gear for Subtlety Rogue Raids

Prioritize the highest item level main hand and off hand daggers you can get, and secure the Shroud of the Sudden Eclipse Season 3 tier set at four pieces as soon as possible. For trinkets, Unyielding Netherprism is a premier on-use option. Pair it with Astral Antenna for a strong passive, or use Araz's Ritual Forge as the second on-use if you are comfortable alternating cooldowns. Sigil of the Cosmic Hunt is also a solid passive alternative. Never drop a large amount of item level solely to chase ideal secondary stats; weapon damage, primary stat, and tier bonuses are more important.

Rotation and Ability Priority for Subtlety Rogue Raids

Your burst revolves around syncing Flagellation, Shadow Blades, Symbols of Death, Shadow Dance, and Secret Technique, then spending high combo point finishers empowered by Trickster. Outside of burst, you maintain Rupture, keep Slice and Dice active through Cut to the Chase, and spend at high combo points on Eviscerate and Coup de Grace while managing energy to avoid capping.

Single Target

• Maintain Rupture on the boss; refresh when it is close to falling off but avoid clipping too early.
• Use Symbols of Death with Shadow Dance and Secret Technique, aiming for multiple Symbols casts inside major cooldown windows when possible.
• Align Flagellation with Shadow Blades and a Shadow Dance, then spend finishers at high combo points with Secret Technique first, Coup de Grace second, and Eviscerate otherwise.
• During Shadow Dance, generate with Shadowstrike; outside of Dance, use Backstab as your main builder.
• When Deathstalker is taken, consume Darkest Night procs with high combo point Eviscerates, even in partial AoE.

AoE Rotation

• Spread Ruptures on targets that will live long enough to justify the cost, then pivot to Black Powder and Secret Technique for burst.
• During Shadow Dance, use Shadowstrike as your primary builder and weave Shuriken Storm when you need to maintain Flawless Form and Danse Macabre stacks or when playing Deathstalker at higher target counts.
• Spend at high combo points using Black Powder for four or more targets, or Eviscerate if priority damage is more important.
• Use Shuriken Tornado only if your build supports it and you can realistically line it up with Dance windows.

Opener

• From Stealth: Shadowstrike, Flagellation, Rupture, Shadow Dance plus Symbols of Death, Backstab to consume Premeditation, Secret Technique with Cold Blood and Shadow Blades, then rotate Shadowstrike, Eviscerate, and Coup de Grace as combo points allow, inserting a Shuriken Storm between Coup de Grace casts when you have tier set procs.
• Pre-potion with Tempered Potion shortly before the pull, keep Instant Poison up, and use Feint preemptively on scripted raid damage. Use Cloak of Shadows for magic heavy events and Evasion when you have to sit in melee during cleave.

Subtlety Rogue Mythic Plus Guide in Season 3

In mythic plus, Subtlety excels at controlled, planned burst on large or priority pulls. You decide which packs to commit major cooldowns to and chain them so that at least one strong window is available every few pulls. Use Shroud of Concealment, Sap, and Distract to skip or reposition dangerous packs for the group. Danger windows are large burst pulls, caster-heavy groups, and long fortified chains where you might run low on defensives. Your strength is surgical priority damage and strong control; your weakness is that mistimed cooldowns or deaths during Dance windows punish your total damage heavily.

Best Talents for Subtlety Rogue Mythic Plus

For AoE and keys, stay on Trickster to maximize burst and synergy with the tier set. Talent into Shuriken Storm, Black Powder, Secret Technique, and AoE focused nodes that enhance Shadow Dance and cooldown cycling. Pick utility talents like extra interrupts, shorter Blind, and improved Gouge or Kidney Shot depending on dungeon needs. Always keep points for Cheat Death and at least one strong movement tool.

Best Stats for Subtlety Rogue Mythic Plus

1. Mastery
2. Versatility
3. Critical Strike
4. Haste

Mastery remains your main throughput stat, with Versatility close behind for damage and durability in heavy pulls. Critical Strike fills in after those, while Haste is generally last and gained incidentally on high item level pieces.

Best Consumables, Enchants, and Gems for Subtlety Rogue Mythic Plus

1. Use Tempered Potion on big pulls or dangerous priority mobs; keep healing potions for emergencies and chain pulls where healer throughput is tight.
2. Eat the highest tier secondary stat feast available; if no feast, choose single-stat Versatility food for survivability or Mastery food for maximal damage.
3. Flask of Alchemical Chaos remains your default; tempered flasks for specific stats are acceptable when your stat profile is skewed.
4. Weapon buffs: Ironclaw Whetstone on both weapons.
5. Enchants and gems are the same as for raiding; leaning more Versatility gems and Radiant Versatility ring enchants is reasonable in very high keys.

Rotation and Ability Priority for Subtlety Rogue Mythic Plus

Plan your opener on every dangerous pack. Ensure energy and combo points are high before committing Shadow Dance, Symbols of Death, and Flagellation. Maintain Rupture on targets that will live, then pump Black Powder, Eviscerate, and Secret Technique into the pack while coordinating kicks and stuns. Use Feint liberally during heavy magic or physical AoE and kite with Sprint and Shadowstep when needed.

Single Target

• On bosses and priority mobs, treat them similarly to raid single target: maintain Rupture, sync Symbols of Death with Shadow Dance and Secret Technique, and align Flagellation with Shadow Blades for big goes.
• Hold cooldowns slightly between packs if a boss or dangerous lieutenant is about to spawn; otherwise, send them aggressively on cooldown to keep overall dungeon pace high.

AoE Rotation

• On large pulls, start in Stealth, Shadowstrike into Eviscerate if Slice and Dice is not up, then Shuriken Storm, spread Ruptures, and commit Flagellation, Shadow Dance, Symbols of Death, Secret Technique, and Shadow Blades once mobs are stacked.
• Use Shuriken Storm as your main builder at several targets, Black Powder as your finisher when four or more targets are present, and Eviscerate when you must snipe priority enemies.
• Layer control with Cheap Shot, Kidney Shot, Gouge, Blind, and Distract to help your tank stabilize big pulls.

Opener

• If allowed, pre-pot, open from Stealth with Shadowstrike, then quickly establish Slice and Dice if needed. Use Shuriken Storm to build combo points, apply Ruptures to multiple targets, then send Flagellation, Rupture on a priority target, Shadow Dance with Symbols of Death, Thistle Tea, Secret Technique with Shadow Blades, and follow with Shadowstrike plus Black Powder loops.

Affix notes: On Tyrannical weeks, focus cooldowns on bosses and key lieutenants, holding major burst briefly if a high threat boss phase is imminent. On Fortified weeks, commit more cooldowns to the largest trash pulls and use Shroud and control tools to skip low value packs.

Subtlety Rogue Delves Guide in Season 3

In delves, you are a self-contained assassin with strong control and escape tools. Plan around bursts to delete elite targets while using stuns and kiting to manage packs. Trickster is still the default hero talent for quickly deleting dangerous enemies, but Deathstalker is a reasonable alternative when you want more comfortable sustained damage and extended Rupture pressure on elites and bosses. Your survival plan revolves around preemptive Feint use, Cloak of Shadows for spell heavy threats, Evasion for melee, and Vanish to reset fights.

Best Talents for Subtlety Rogue Delves

Focus on survivability nodes such as improved Feint, shorter Cloak of Shadows cooldown, and defensive talents in the general tree. Keep core Subtlety damage talents like Shadow Dance, Secret Technique, and Flagellation, but invest more points into self-healing, crowd control, and mobility. Choose Trickster to maintain strong burst on elites; pick Deathstalker only if you prefer to kite and let Rupture and Darkest Night ticks grind enemies down.

Best Stats for Subtlety Rogue Delves

1. Versatility
2. Mastery
3. Critical Strike
4. Haste

Versatility gains even more importance in solo content, directly improving both damage and durability. Mastery still scales your burst heavily, so balance these two stats while avoiding very low Versatility. Critical Strike comes next for overall throughput, and Haste remains last as you will frequently pause to kite or control enemies.

Best Consumables, Enchants, and Gems for Subtlety Rogue Delves

• Potion choices for elites and bosses mirror raids: Tempered Potion for burst damage, and healing potions for emergencies.
• Food and flask: Use stamina-leaning feasts or foods if you frequently die to chip damage, otherwise stay on Mastery or Versatility food and Flask of Alchemical Chaos for balanced offense and defense.
• Weapon buff, enchants, gems: Use the same setup as raiding unless you specifically want to lean further into Versatility via ring enchants and gem choices.

Rotation and Ability Priority for Subtlety Rogue Delves

Play control-first. Sap or Blind one elite, stun another, and focus down targets in order of danger. Use Shadow Dance and your burst combo to eliminate priority enemies quickly, then kite remaining mobs with slows, stuns, and Shadowstep. Defensives should be used early when you expect big damage spikes, not as panic buttons at very low health.

Single Target

• On tough elites and bosses, follow your raid single-target priority while leaving a defensive ready for scripted mechanics. Maintain Rupture and Slice and Dice, and do not hesitate to Vanish to reset if the pull goes badly.
• Use Death from Above or other high commitment finishers only when you are sure you will not be forced to move out of melee immediately.

AoE Rotation

• Pull small groups rather than entire rooms unless you outgear the delve. Apply Rupture on healthy enemies, then use Shuriken Storm and Black Powder to whittle them down while kiting with slows and stuns.

Opener

• On dangerous rooms, open from Stealth by sapping one target, Cheap Shot or Kidney Shot on the most dangerous enemy, and commit a full Trickster burst to remove it. Save Vanish as an emergency reset or to set up a second burst if you misplay the first attempt.

Best PvP Guide for Subtlety Rogue in Patch 11.2.5 Season 3

In PvP, Subtlety Rogue is a control-heavy burst spec built around creating kill windows with stuns, silences, and cross control. You apply Wound Poison to reduce enemy healing, set up crowd control chains, and then unleash coordinated burst with Shadow Dance, Symbols of Death, Shadow Blades, and finishers on the kill target. Overall PvP stat priority is Versatility, then Mastery, then Critical Strike, then Haste.

Subtlety Rogue Solo Shuffle Guide

In solo shuffle, your gameplan is to create clean goes with coordinated stuns and cross control while rotating defensives to survive enemy burst. Use Cheap Shot or Kidney Shot on the kill target and pair it with crowd control on healers and peels on enemy DPS. Your primary burst occurs in Shadow Dance with Symbols of Death and Shadow Blades, spending on Eviscerate and Coup de Grace. Kiting uses Sprint, Shadowstep, and slows to escape melee and line casters.

Best Talents for Subtlety Rogue Solo Shuffle

Default to Deathstalker hero talents in PvP for more reliable sustained pressure, extra energy, and quality of life. Pick PvP talents that enhance your control and burst, such as Shadowy Duel, Smoke Bomb, and additional crowd control options. Swap one or two talents into anti-caster or anti-melee tools depending on the lobby, such as improved sprint or defensive bonuses.

Best Stats for Subtlety Rogue Solo Shuffle

1. Versatility
2. Mastery
3. Critical Strike
4. Haste

Rotation and Kill Setup

Your kill setup is built around a stun on the kill target, cross crowd control on the healer, and a full burst window. For example, Sap the healer from Stealth, Cheap Shot or Kidney Shot the kill target, apply Rupture and Wound Poison if not already present, then Shadow Dance into Symbols of Death, Shadow Blades, and high combo point Eviscerate and Coup de Grace. Micro-position behind pillars and use Shadowstep to stay on target without overextending. Save Cloak of Shadows for big magic goes and Evasion for physical pressure.

Macros and Addons

• Essential macros include focus Kidney Shot or Cheap Shot, focus Blind, arena1/2/3 Cheap Shot or Kidney Shot, stopcasting for kicks, startattack macros for swapping quickly, and mouseover Sap or Blind for quick control.
• Key PvP addons include OmniBar for tracking enemy cooldowns, OmniCD for team cooldowns, Gladius or sArena for arena frames, WeakAuras for tracking your own cooldowns and buffs, and a combat log analyzer addon to review games.

Subtlety Rogue 2v2 Guide

In 2v2, Subtlety typically plays with healers or support hybrids, leveraging long control chains and coordinated goes. Your comps revolve around keeping your healer safe with peels and counter pressure while winning on clean kill setups or dampening. Peel with stuns, slows, and disarms while building for your next Dance go.

Best Talents for Subtlety Rogue 2v2

Use Deathstalker as the default hero talent for sustained pressure and easier energy management in longer games. Choose baseline PvP talents that give you strong defensives and control, such as Smoke Bomb and Shadowy Duel, then swap a talent into additional control or anti-melee tools when facing specific comps. Maintain at least one talent focused on survivability at all times.

Best Stats for Subtlety Rogue 2v2

1. Versatility
2. Mastery
3. Critical Strike
4. Haste

Rotation and Win Conditions

Your first go usually happens early, using a Kidney Shot or Cheap Shot on the kill target with cross control on the healer. Force trinkets and major defensives rather than expecting an immediate kill. The second or third go, with trinkets down and dampening higher, becomes your main win condition. Save defensives like Cloak of Shadows and Evasion for enemy bursts and coordinate peels with your partner. Play around pillars and avoid being the target in the open without cooldowns.

Macros and Addons

• Use focus Blind and Kidney Shot, arena1/2/3 stuns, cancelaura macros to drop defensive effects when needed, and mouseover Sap or Blind for quick crowd control. Anti-stealth macros that quickly target nearby enemies help at the start of rounds.
• Standard 2v2 addons include arena frames like Gladius or sArena, OmniBar, OmniCD, and WeakAuras to track trinkets, major cooldowns, and diminishing returns.

Subtlety Rogue 3v3 Guide

In 3v3, Subtlety shines through long crowd control chains and coordinated bursts with partners. You weave Sap, Cheap Shot, Kidney Shot, Blind, and cross control to create kill windows while keeping yourself safe with defensives and peels. Your positioning must ensure you are close enough to connect on your target but not so deep that you cannot retreat behind line of sight quickly.

Best Talents for Subtlety Rogue 3v3

Deathstalker is still a strong baseline, providing reliable sustained pressure. Trickster can be considered in comps that play very aggressive, short games with sharp burst. Core PvP talents remain Smoke Bomb, Shadowy Duel, and at least one defensive or control talent tailored to the comp. Adjust picks for extra stuns or anti-magic tools when needed.

Best Stats for Subtlety Rogue 3v3

1. Versatility
2. Mastery
3. Critical Strike
4. Haste

Rotation and Win Conditions

Win conditions in 3v3 are built around cross control into coordinated burst. For example, Sap or Blind the healer, Cheap Shot or Kidney Shot the kill target, and use cross control from teammates to lock out the second DPS. During this window, pop Shadow Dance, Symbols of Death, and Shadow Blades to push the kill. Rotate defensives carefully; do not overlap Cloak of Shadows and other major cooldowns with your partners. Communicate when you have no outs and play more defensively.

Macros and Addons

• Use focus stuns and Blind, arena1/2/3 crowd control macros, stopcasting macros for interrupts, and mouseover anti-stealth abilities for opens. Keeping separate keybinds for sap macros is very helpful.
• Standard 3v3 addons include Gladius or sArena, OmniBar, OmniCD, WeakAuras for tracking DRs and buffs, and nameplate addons to show important debuffs.

Subtlety Rogue RBG Guide

In RBGs, Subtlety operates as a mobile assassin and utility piece. You help control enemy stacks on nodes, collapse on kill targets in team fights, and run offense or defense on flag maps. Your role often shifts between disrupting healers, peeling for your own backline, and finishing off low health targets fleeing the fight.

Best Talents for Subtlety Rogue RBG

Default to Deathstalker for stronger sustained pressure and flexible energy, which is useful in extended team fights. Keep core PvP talents that emphasize control and team play, such as Smoke Bomb for choke points and Shadowy Duel to isolate flag carriers or key healers. Swap talents depending on map: more mobility and stealth control for flag maps, more raw damage and control for node maps.

Best Stats for Subtlety Rogue RBG

1. Versatility
2. Mastery
3. Critical Strike
4. Haste

Rotation and Ability Priority for RBG

In clumped team fights, use your burst windows to either shred priority targets or force major defensive cooldowns. Coordinate Smoke Bomb with your team to deny healing and secure kills in tight spaces. Maintain Rupture on multiple targets where safe, but never at the cost of missing kill windows or control responsibilities. Peel by stunning melee on your healers, using slows, and occasionally Shadowy Duel to desync enemy kill attempts.

Opener

On node maps, open by scouting in Stealth, sapping lone defenders, and calling for swaps or ninja caps. On flag maps, open on enemy healers or the flag carrier with a coordinated stun and burst combo, then retreat before overextending. Use Shroud of Concealment to escort flag carriers or set up surprise engages.

Macros and Addons

• Recommended macros include focus stuns and Blind, mouseover control for quick peels, cancelaura macros for defensive swaps, and target-nearest enemy macros for chaotic mid fights.
• Helpful RBG UI addons include battleground frames, cooldown tracking tools, and nameplate addons to highlight important targets and debuffs.

Conclusion

Subtlety Rogue in Patch 11.2.5 Season 3 is a high skill, high reward assassin built around carefully planned burst windows. Trickster is your default hero talent for raids, mythic plus, and delves thanks to its powerful burst and synergy with the Season 3 tier set, while Deathstalker offers smoother sustained pressure and is a strong default for many PvP situations. Across all content, maintain Rupture, build to high combo points, and align Shadow Dance, Symbols of Death, Shadow Blades, and Flagellation for your biggest damage. Follow the stat priority of Mastery and Versatility over Critical Strike and Haste in PvE, and Versatility first in PvP. With tight cooldown management and smart defensive play, Subtlety remains a top tier, flexible Rogue spec.