Subtlety Rogue PvP guide: Hemorrhage, Preparation and Cold Blood control

Overview

Level 60 · Subtlety Rogue in battlegrounds and world PvP.

Subtlety is the control Rogue. Premeditation and Initiative give instant combo points from Stealth, Preparation resets Vanish, Evasion and Sprint, Elusiveness shortens Vanish and Blind, and Dirty Tricks makes Sap and Blind cheaper. The build takes Cold Blood and Lethality from Assassination so Hemorrhage and Eviscerate still threaten a kill. In Forever, Dirty Deeds removes Garrote’s positional requirement and makes Cheap Shot cheaper, so openers are more flexible than in Classic.

Your role in a fight

In battlegrounds you are a disruptor: Sap a defender, Blind a healer and hold a point long enough for your team to arrive. In world PvP you pick the fight, and Preparation gives you a second chance when the first attempt goes wrong.

Darkspear Islands

Darkspear Islands is described only as a 15 vs 15 battleground with control points and flag captures plus defense. A Subtlety Rogue fits the scouting role: find which points are lightly defended, Sap a guard before the team arrives and use Preparation to escape a failed attempt. Anything else about the map is not announced.

Honor and ranks: WoW Forever is reported to bring a 14-rank Honor track, earned from battlegrounds and PvP content. Thresholds, weekly caps and decay are not announced; see the PvP and honor hub for what is confirmed.

Strengths

• Two of everything. Preparation doubles Vanish, Evasion and Sprint for a single fight.
• Cheap control. Dirty Tricks and Elusiveness make Sap and Blind cheaper and more frequent.
• Flexible openers. Premeditation, Initiative and Dirty Deeds give a full Kidney Shot from Stealth at almost any angle.
• Still a threat. Cold Blood and Lethality let an Eviscerate finish a target the stun chain softened.

Weak points

• Lower damage: without Seal Fate or Adrenaline Rush, a target who survives the stun chain can outlast you.
• Group fights: there is little to do once Stealth is gone and several enemies focus you.
• Detection: Hunters and area damage pull you out of Stealth before you can open.
• Energy: a long opener leaves little for Kick if a healer starts casting.

Level 60 PvP talent build

Assassination 19 / Combat 0 / Subtlety 32, all 51 points. The talent tree above shows the finished build.

Subtlety (32)

• Camouflage 3/5 — faster Stealth movement and a shorter Stealth cooldown to re-enter fights.
• Opportunity 2/2 — more damage from Ambush and Garrote openers.
• Setup 3/3 — dodging an attack gives a combo point, strong with Ghostly Strike and Evasion.
• Elusiveness 2/2 — shorter Vanish and Blind cooldowns, the core of the control plan.
• Dirty Tricks 2/2 — cheaper Sap and Blind leave Energy for the follow-up.
• Initiative 3/3 — more points from Cheap Shot and Garrote openers.
• Ghostly Strike 1/1 — a builder that also raises dodge against melee.
• Heightened Senses 2/2 — fewer hits taken from spells and ranged attacks, and better Stealth detection against other Rogues.
• Premeditation 1/1 — two free combo points: Premeditation, Cheap Shot, then a full Kidney Shot.
• Serrated Blades 3/3 — armor penetration against plate and mail, and the requirement for Hemorrhage.
• Dirty Deeds 2/2 — cheaper Cheap Shot and Garrote, and Garrote no longer needs you behind the target.
• Preparation 1/1 — a second Vanish, Evasion and Sprint in the same fight.
• Hemorrhage 1/1 — a builder that works from any angle.
• Quietus 5/5 — finishing damage on low players.
• Thousand Cuts 1/1 — cheaper Hemorrhages while Rupture ticks during longer duels.

Assassination (19)

• Improved Gouge 3/3 — longer Gouge windows for bandages and repositioning.
• Malice 5/5 — crit chance and the path to Lethality.
• Ruthlessness 2/3 — the last points, for extra combo points after finishers.
• Murder 2/2 — players are Humanoids, so this is always active.
• Relentless Strikes 1/1 — Energy back after Kidney Shot.
• Lethality 5/5 — bigger Hemorrhage crits.
• Cold Blood 1/1 — a guaranteed Eviscerate crit to finish a target.

Key abilities

• Premeditation → Cheap Shot → Kidney Shot: a long stun chain from Stealth.
• Sap: take a defender out before the fight begins; Dirty Tricks makes it cheaper.
• Blind: shorter cooldown with Elusiveness; use it on healers.
• Preparation: a second Vanish, Evasion and Sprint when the first set is gone.
• Cold Blood Eviscerate: the finishing blow after your stun chain.
• Distract: turn a guard away before you open.

Matchups

• Rogues · Heightened Senses helps you spot them; whoever opens first usually wins, so stay stealthed near points.
• Warriors · Ghostly Strike, Setup and Evasion make melee duels favourable.
• Mages · Sap them before combat and burst through their cooldowns with your stun chain.
• Warlocks and Priests · keep Blind and Vanish for their fears.
• Hunters · Hunter’s Mark and Flare reveal you; do not open near them without a plan.
• Paladins and Druids · long fights; control them while your team focuses someone else.

Resources and cooldowns

Your real resource is cooldowns: two Vanishes, two Evasions and a short Blind. Count them before starting a fight and use Preparation only when both Vanish and Evasion are down. Energy is tight during the opener, so pool before Cheap Shot.

Gear

• Weapons: a main-hand dagger improves Hemorrhage and Ghostly Strike; the off hand carries Crippling Poison.
• Stats: Stamina first, then hit to keep Sap and Kidney Shot from missing, then attack power.

Consumables and engineering

• Consumables: Free Action Potion, Swiftness Potion, bandages and Thistle Tea.
• Professions: Engineering for control tools; Leatherworking or a gathering profession to fund the rest.

Sources

Rotation, stat and matchup advice adapts these Classic 1.12 guides to the WoW Forever talent trees; talents, set bonuses and new abilities come from this site’s WoW Forever data.

• Icy Veins: Classic Rogue PvP Guide
• Icy Veins: Rogue PvP BiS Gear, Trinkets, and Switch Items
• Icy Veins: Overview of Battlegrounds in WoW Classic