Rogue Class Guide: Skills, Stats, and How to Play

This is a guide to the Rogue class in Diablo 4 (Diablo IV). Read on to learn everything about the Rogue class including the Rogue's unique ability, the Rogue's skills, all the strengths and weaknesses of the Rogue, the best stats to increase for the Rogue, and how to play the Rogue!

All Rogue Guides
Class Guide	Best Builds	Specialization

Rogue Overview and Rating

Stats Overview
Rogue
Main Stat	Dexterity	DMG Type (Primary)	Physical
Base STR	Base DEX	Base INT	Base WP
7	10	7	8
Core Stat Modifiers
・Resource Generation x0.1% per point in STR ・Skill Damage x+0.1% per point in DEX ・Critical Chance x+0.02% per point in INT

Rogue Strengths

Best Class for Mobility Imbuements are the Lifeblood of the Class Melee and Range Playstyles are Both Viable

Best Class for Mobility

No other class moves quite like the Rogue. With careful resource management, you can move across the open world with ease due to its excellent Dash Agility skill, or use Shadow Step to appear behind enemies and stab them in the back, thus granting bonus movement speed for a short time.

The Rogue class has a host of other mobility-enhancing abilities that fit right in to a ninja or assassin build, like Concealment, which makes you Unstoppable, boosting movement speed and giving you the chance to pass through enemies undetected.

Imbuements are the Lifeblood of the Class

Shadow Imbuement is the key to making enemies go boom, making it the the go-to choice for early game and leveling builds with the Rogue. Proc this skill and Dash through a group of enemies to turn them purple, then an arrow with Penetrating Shot to clear out the mob. Shadow Imbuement is a good way to spam Vulnerability onto enemies for burst damage, and has strong synergy with Consuming Shadow for resource management, making sure you're topped-up on Energy.

Poison Imbuement, on the other hand, is a powerful source of damage overtime and the preferred Imbuement skill for boss killers. The upgrade Blended Poison Imbuement increases Poison damage by 75% if the Poison-imbued skill lands a critical strike. While Poison damage itself cannot be critically hit, the 75% boost to base Poison damage is a hefty bonus.

Melee and Range Playstyles are Both Viable

Whether you're looking to play as a ranged marksman or use the shadows to land melee strikes, both playstyles are viable with the Rogue. They both have their advantages and disadvantages, so you can of course opt for a hybrid build that involves both Marksmen and Cutthroat skills.

Rogue Weaknesses

Lowest Survivability of Any Class Skills Rely on Positioning Most Mechanically Challenging Class to Play

Lowest Survivability of Any Class

The Rogue class has a serious deficit of viable defensive skills, making Concealment an auto-include in many builds. This class depends on avoiding incoming damage through maneuvering and isn't capable of tanking too many heavy hits, which means getting frozen in place by the enemy is a death sentence in many cases.

Skills Rely on Positioning

One pain point for the Rogue is the relatively small area of effect on many of its skills. Traps, which are fairly small to begin with, require enemies to walk into them for their full effect. Flashy and cool as it may be, the Advanced Twisting Blades skill suffers a similar fate, as its cooldown reduction effectiveness is reliant on hitting enemies (up to three).

Most Mechanically Challenging Class to Play

The Rogue is not a pick-up-and-play class at all. To get the most out of a Rogue playthrough, a decent amount of thought needs to be given to how you want to play the class ahead of time - which Imbuement you want to focus on, whether to be a close-range scrapper or long-range sniper, and then which of the three Specialization abilities best synergizes with your build. Due to its squishiness mentioned above, a lot of effort in playing this class will be spent positioning your character to avoid damage.

Rogue Class Specializations

Combo Points

Combo Points is a system that gives you a point each time you execute a Basic Skill, allowing you to stack up to three points. Your current point stack is then spent when you use a Core skill, adding extra bonus effects like additional damage, movement speed, a chance to Knock Down enemies, and more.

Inner Sight

If you equip Inner Sight, enemies will appear randomly with a purple mark above them. Killing these marked enemies will contribute to a gauge that, when filled, gives you a burst of unlimited Energy for 4 seconds. Time this well with your heaviest Energy-consuming attacks to make the most of this Specialization.

Preparation

Preparation allows players to reduce their Ultimate skill cooldown. Check back when Diablo IV releases for a deeper analysis of this ability!

Rogue Specialization Guide: How to Use Combo Points, Inner Sight, and Preparation

Rogue Skill Tree

Rogue Basic Skills

Active Skills

Skill / Effect		Skill Upgrades
Invigorating Strike Melee attack an enemy, dealing XX% damage and increasing Energy Regeneration by 20% for 3 seconds.
		1	Enhanced Invigorating Strike Damaging a Crowd Controlled or Injured enemy with Invigorating Strike increases its Energy Regeneration bonus to 30%.
		2a	Fundamental Invigorating Strike Hitting an enemy with Invigorating Strike while you are below 50% Energy makes them Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
		2b	Primary Invigorating Strike Invigorating Strike additionally grants 8% Lucky Hit Chance. Hitting a Crowd Controlled or Injured enemy increases this bonus to 16% Lucky Hit Chance.
Blade Shift Quickly stab your victim for XX% damage and shift, allowing you to move freely through enemies for 3 seconds.
		1	Enhanced Blade Shift Damaging an enemy with Blade Shift grants 20% Movement Speed while Blade Shift is active.
		2a	Fundamental Blade Shift Moving through enemies while Blade Shift is active refreshes it duration. After moving through enemies 5 times, your next Blade Shift will Daze enemies for 2 seconds.
		2b	Primary Blade Shift While Blade Shift is active, you gain 15% Resistance to All Elements and reduce the duration of incoming Control Impairing effects by 20%.
Puncture Throw blades a short distance, dealing XX% damage. Every 3rd cast Slows enemies by 20% for 2 seconds. Critical Strikes will always Slow.
		1	Enhanced Puncture Gain 2 Energy when Puncture damages a Crowd Controlled enemy.
		2a	Fundamental Puncture Puncture now throws 3 blades in a spread, each dealing 35% of its Base damage. Hitting an enemy with at least 2 blades at once makes them Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
		2b	Primary Puncture Every 3rd cast of Puncture will also ricochet up to 2 times. Critical Strikes will always ricochet.
Heartseeker Fire an arrow that seeks an enemy, dealing XX% damage and increasing your Critical Strike Chance against them by 5% for 4 seconds, up to 15%
		1	Enhanced Heartseeker When Heartseeker Critically Strikes, gain 8% Attack Speed for 4 seconds. Double this amount if the enemy is Vulnerable.
		2a	Fundamental Heartseeker Heartseeker also increases the Critical Strike Damage the enemy takes from you by 5% for 4 seconds, up to 25%.
		2b	Primary Heartseeker Heartseeker ricochets to an additional enemy, dealing 75% of the original damage.
Forceful Arrow Fire a powerful arrow at an enemy, dealing XX% damage. Every 3rd cast makes the enemy Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
		1	Enhanced Forceful Arrow Every 3rd cast of Forceful Arrow additionally has a 15% increased Critical Strike Chance.
		2a	Fundamental Forceful Arrow Forceful Arrow Knocks Back Non-Elite enemies if they are Close. If they collide with another enemy, both are Knocked Down for 1.5 seconds.
		2b	Primary Forceful Arrow Forceful Arrow pierces through Vulnerable enemies.

Rogue Core Skills

Active Skills

Skill / Effect		Skill Upgrades
Penetrating Shot Fire an arrow that pierces through all enemies in a line, dealing XX% damage.
		1	Enhanced Penetrating Shot Penetrating Shot deals 20% increased damage per enemy it pierces.
		2a	Improved Penetrating Shot If Penetrating Shot damages at least 3 enemies, your next Penetrating Shot has a 20% increased Critical Strike Chance.
		2b	Advanced Penetrating Shot When cast with full Energy, Penetrating Shot will Slow all enemies it hits by 50% for 3 seconds. Elite enemies will also be Knocked Down for 1.5 seconds.
Flurry Unleash a flurry of stabs and slashes, striking enemies in front of you 4 times and dealing a total of XX% damage to each.
		1	Enhanced Flurry Each time Flurry damages a Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemy, you are Healed for 1% of your Maximum Life, up to 12% Maximum Life per cast.
		2a	Improved Flurry If Flurry hits any Vulnerable enemy it will make all enemies hit by the cast Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
		2b	Advanced Flurry Evading through an enemy will cause your next Flurry to Stun enemies for 2.5 seconds.
Twisting Blades Impale an enemy with your blades, dealing XX% damage and making them take 8% increased damage from you while impaled. After 1.5 seconds the blades return to you, piercing enemies for YY% damage.
		1	Enhanced Twisting Blades Twisting Blades deals 30% increased damage when returning.
		2a	Improved Twisting Blades Enemies are Dazed while impaled with Twisting Blades.
		2b	Advanced Twisting Blades When your Twisting Blades return, your active Cooldowns are reduced by 0.25 second per enemy they passed through, up to 3 seconds.
Barrage Unleash a barrage of 5 arrows that expands outwards, each dealing XX% damage. Each arrow has a 20% chance to ricochet off an enemy up to 1 time. Ricochets deals 40% of the arrow's Base damage.
		1	Enhanced Barrage Barrage's ricochet chance is increased to 100% for arrows that damage a Vulnerable enemy or Critically Strike any enemy.
		2a	Improved Barrage Every 3rd cast of Barrage makes enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
		2b	Advanced Barrage Whenever a single cast of Barrage ricochets at least 4 times, your next cast gains 20% increased Critical Strike Chance.
Rapid Fire Rapidly fire 5 arrows, each dealing XX% damage.
		1	Enhanced Rapid Fire Each subsequent arrow from Rapid Fire has 5% increased Critical Strike Chance, up to 25% for the 5th arrow.
		2a	Improved Rapid Fire Gain 15 energy per cast of Rapid Fire when it damages a Vulnerable enemy.
		2b	Advanced Rapid Fire Rapid Fire deals 30% increased Critical Strike Damage for 5 seconds after you Evade.

Passive Skills

Skill	Effect
Sturdy	You gain XX% Close Damage Reduction.
Siphoning Strikes	Lucky HIt: Critical Strikes against Close Enemies have up to a 75% chance to Heal for XX% of your Maximum Life Sturdy required
Stutter Step	Critically Striking an enemy grants XX% Movement Speed for 4 seconds.

Rogue Agility Skills

Active Skills

Skill / Effect		Skill Upgrades
Dash Dash forward and slash enemies for XX% damage.
		1	Enhanced Dash Enemies damaged by Dash take 20% increased Critical Strike Damage from you for 5 seconds.
		2a	Methodical Dash Dealing damage to Crowd Controlled enemies with Dash reduces its Charge Cooldown by 0.5 seconds, up to 4 seconds per cast.
		2b	Disciplined Dash Dash Slows enemies it hits by 30% for 3 seconds. Any enemy already Slowed will be Dazed for 2 seconds instead.
Caltrops Leap backwards and throw caltrops on the ground, dealing XX% damage and Slowing enemies by YY%. Lasts 7 seconds.
		1	Enhanced Caltrops Enemies take 3% increased damage from you each second they are in Caltrops.
		2a	Methodical Caltrops Caltrops now deals Cold damage and Chills enemies for 25% per second.
		2b	Disciplined Caltrops You have 5% Critical Strike Chance against enemies inside your Caltrops. Double this amount against Vulnerable enemies.
Shadow Step Become Unstoppable and quickly move through the shadows to stab your victim from behind for XX% damage. Gain 50% increased Movement Speed for 2 seconds afterwards.
		1	Enhanced Shadow Step Damaging an enemy with Shadow Step increases your Critical Strike Chance against them by 8% for 3 seconds.
		2a	Methodical Shadow Step Enemies damaged by Shadow Step are Stunned for 2 seconds.
		2b	Disciplined Shadow Step Shadow Step's Cooldown is reduced by 3 seconds when it damages an enemy you haven't hit with Shadow Step in the last 4 seconds.

Passive Skills

Skill	Effect
Weapon Mastery	Gain a bonus when attacking based on weapon type: Daggers: XX% increased damage to Healthy enemies. Swords: YY% increase damage. Bows: ZZ% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. Crossbows: XX% increased Critical Strike Damage.
Rapid Gambits	Your Evade Cooldown is reduced by XX seconds when you Daze an enemy.
Concussive	After Knocking Back or Knocking Down an enemy, you gain XX% increased Critical Strike Chance against them for 3 seconds.
Trick Attacks	When you Critically Strike a Dazed enemy, they are Knocked Down for XX seconds. Rapid Gambits or Concussive required
Rugged	Gain XX% Damage Reduction against Damage Over Time effects.
Reactive Defense	Gain XX% Damage Reduction while inflicted with Control Impairing Effects. Rugged required

Rogue Subterfuge Skills

Active Skills

Skill / Effect		Skill Upgrades
Concealment Vanish from sight, gaining an advanced form of Stealth for 5 seconds that will not be removed by taking damage. Concealment also makes you Unstoppable, grants 30% Movement Speed, and allows you to move freely through enemies for its duration. Using an attack Skill during Concealment will break Concealment.
		1	Enhanced Concealment You gain 40 Energy when you enter Concealment.
		2a	Countering Concealment The Skill that breaks Concealment will always be a guaranteed Critical Strike.
		2b	Subverting Concealment The Skill that breaks Concealment makes enemies Vulnerable for 6 seconds.
Smoke Grenade Throw a smoky concoction at enemies that Dazes them for XX seconds.
		1	Enhanced Smoke Grenade Enemies affected by Smoke Grenade take 25% increased damage from you.
		2a	Countering Smoke Grenade Lucky Hit: Dealing direct damage to enemies affected by Smoke Grenade has up to a 25% chance to reduce its Cooldown by 1 second, or by 2 seconds instead if the enemy is Vulnerable.
		2b	Subverting Smoke Grenade If an enemy is Vulnerable, Slowed, or Chilled then Smoke Grenade will Daze them for 20% longer.
Poison Trap Place a trap that arms after 1.25 seconds. It activates when an enemy moves within range, applying XX% Poisoning damage over 9 seconds to enemies in the area. You can have 4 armed traps out at once.
		1	Enhanced Poison Trap Poison Trap Knocks Down enemies for 1.5 seconds when it activates.
		2a	Countering Poison Trap Poison Trap has a 30% chance to reset your Imbuement Skill Cooldowns when activated.
		2b	Subverting Poison Trap You deal 10% increased Poison damage to enemies standing inside your Poison Trap.
Dark Shroud Surround yourself with up to 5 protective shadows. Gain XX% Damage Reduction per active shadow. Each time you take direct damage, that damage is reduced and a shadow is consumed.
		1	Enhanced Dark Shroud Dark Shroud's shadows have a 14% chance to not be consumed.
		2a	Countering Dark Shroud While you have at least 2 active shadows from Dark Shroud, give 8% Critical Strike Chance.
		2b	Subverting Dark Shroud Each active shadow from Dark Shroud grants you 4% increased Movement Speed.

Passive Skills

Skill	Effect
Agile	Using a Cooldown increases your Dodge Chance by XX% for 2 seconds.
Mending Obscurity	While Stealthed, you Heal for XX% Maximum Life per second. Agile required
Exploit	You deal XX% increased damage to Healthy and Injured enemies.
Malice	You deal XX% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. Exploit required

Rogue Imbuement Skills

Active Skills

Skill / Effect		Skill Upgrades
Shadow Imbuement Imbue your weapons with festering shadows. Your next 2 Imbueable Skills deal Shadow damage and infect enemies for 6 seconds. Infected enemies explode on death, dealing XX% damage to all surrounding enemies. If the infection expires before the enemy dies, it will deal XX% damage to only that enemy.
		1	Enhanced Shadow Imbuement You have 15% increased Critical Strike Chance against Injured enemies infected by Shadow Imbuement.
		2a	Blended Shadow Imbuement Shadow Imbuement's primary explosion makes enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
		2b	Mixed Shadow Imbuement Enemies damaged by Shadow Imbued Skills take 12% increased Non-Physical damage from you for 8 seconds.
Poison Imbuement Imbue your weapons with lethal poison. Your next 2 Imbueable Skills deal Poison damage and apply XX% of their Base damage as additional Poisoning damage over 5 seconds.
		1	Enhanced Poison Imbuement Poison Imbuement's Poisoning Duration increased by 1 second.
		2a	Blended Poison Imbuement Critical Strikes with Poison Imbued Skills deal 75% increased Poisoning damage.
		2b	Mixed Poison Imbuement Lucky Hit: Poison Imbued Skills have up to a 30% chance to apply double the amount of Poisoning damage over time.
Cold Imbuement Imbue your weapons with frigid energies. Your next 2 Imbueable Skills deal Cold damage and Chill enemies for XX% per hit.
		1	Enhanced Cold Imbuement Lucky Hit: Cold Imbued Skills have up to a 40% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
		2a	Blended Cold Imbuement Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes with Cold Imbued Skills have up to a 20% chance to instantly Freeze enemies for 3 seconds.
		2b	Mixed Cold Imbuement Cold Imbued Skills deal 20% damage to Crowd Controlled enemies. Double this bonus against Frozen enemies.

Passive Skills

Skill	Effect
Shadow Crash	Lucky Hit: Shadow damage has up to a 10% chance to Stun for XX seconds.
Consuming Shadows	Each time you kill an enemy with Shadow Damage, you generate XX Energy. Shadow Crash required
Deadly Venom	You deal XX% increased Poisoning damage.
Alchemical Advantage	You gain XX% increased Attack Speed for each enemy you've Poisoned, up to 15%. Deadly Venom required
Debilitating Toxins	Poisoned enemies deal XX% less damage. Deadly Venom required
Frigid Finesse	You deal XX% increased damage to Chilled enemies. This bonus increases to YY% against Frozen enemies.
Chilling Weight	Chilled enemies have their Movement Speed further reduced by up to XX%. Frigid Finesse required
Precision Imbuement	Imbued Skills gain XX% increased Critical Strike Chance.

Rogue Ultimate Skills

Active Skills

Skill / Effect		Skill Upgrades
Shadow Clone Your shadow mimicks your actions for 15 seconds. The shadow deals 60% of your damage.
		1	Prime Shadow Clone You are Unstoppable for 5 seconds after casting Shadow Clone.
		2	Supreme Shadow Clone Your Shadow Clone deals an additional 20% of your damage.
Death Trap Place a trap that arms after 1.25 seconds. It activates when an enemy moves within range, dealing a total of 250% damage to each enemy in the area.
		1	Prime Death Trap Enemies are Pulled into Death Trap when it activates.
		2	Supreme Death Trap If Death Trap kills an enemy, its Cooldown is reduced by 12 seconds.
Rain of Arrows Arrows rain down over a large area 2 times, each wave dealing 100% damage.
		1	Prime Rain of Arrows Imbuement Skill effects applied by Rain of Arrows have 30% increased potency.
		2	Supreme Rain of Arrows Rain of Arrows' second wave Knocks Down enemies for 3 seconds.

Passive Skills

Skill	Effect
Innervation	Lucky Hit: Up to a XX% chance to gain 8 Energy.
Alchemist's Fortune	Non-Physical damage you deal has a XX% increased Lucky Hit Chance. Innvervation required
Second Wind	Every 100 Energy you spend grants you XX% increased Lucky Hit Chance for 5 seconds. Innvervation required
Trap Mastery	When Poison Trap or Death Trap activates, you gain XX% increased Critical Strike Chance against Vulnerable and Crowd Controlled enemies for 4 seconds.
Aftermath	After using an Ultimate Skill, restore XX Energy.
Adrenaline Rush	While moving, you gain XX% increased Energy Regeneration.
Haste	While at or above 50% maximum Energy, gain XX% increased Movement Speed. While below 50% maximum Energy, gain XX% increased Attack Speed. Adrenaline Rush required
Impetus	After moving 12 meters, your next non-Basic attack deals XX% increased damage. Adrenaline Rush required

Rogue Key Passives

Passive Skills

Skill	Effect
Momentum	Cutthroat Skills grant a stack of Momentum for 8 seconds if they either: Hit a Stunned, Dazed, or Frozen enemy. Hit any enemy from behind. While at 3 stacks of Momentum you gain: 20% increased Damage Reduction. 30% increased Energy Regeneration. 15% increased Movement Speed.
Close Quarters Combat	Damaging a Close enemy with Marksman or Cutthroat Skills each grant a 10% Attack Speed bonus for 8 seconds. While both Attack Speed bonuses are active, your damage dealt is increased by 40% of the total amount of your Damage vs Crowd Controlled bonus.
Precision	Critical Strikes with Marksman Skills grant you Precision. You gain 4% increased Critical Strike Damage per stack of Precision, up to a maximum of 20%. When you reach maximum Precision, your next Marksman Skill is a guaranteed Critical Strike that deals 40% increased Critical Strike Damage, then consumes all stacks of Precision.
Victimize	Lucky Hit: Dealing direct damage to a Vulnerable enemy has up to a 35% chance to cause an explosion, dealing 120% of your Damage vs Vulnerable bonus to them and surrounding enemies.
Exposure	Lucky Hit: Dealing direct damage to enemy affected by a Trap Skill has up to a 25% chance to: Reduce the active Cooldowns of your Trap Skills by 20%. Drop a cluster of exploding Stun Grenades that deal 40% total Physical Damage and Stun enemies for 0.50 seconds

How to Play the Rogue

Kite Enemies and Bosses while Regenerating Energy Look for Gear that Has Core Skill Ranks and Critical Strike Stat Rolls Use Concealment to Stay Alive

Kite Enemies and Bosses while Regenerating Energy

Many encounters will feel like a demonic game of cat-and-mouse, with the Rogue assuming the role of mouse in this example. Stay one step ahead of bosses and stronger enemies with Mobility skills like Dash, only stopping to tag them with an Imbued skill and then running back in the direction you came from. Use this time to regenerate Energy, and be sure to leave one Dash in the tank should the enemy catch up to you.

Look for Gear that Has Core Skill Ranks and Critical Strike Stat Rolls

When looking to optimize your gear or rerolling for certain stats, prioritize stats that give ranks to your Core Skills like Penetrating Shot or Twisting Blades. Also be on the lookout for Critical Strike Chance or Critical Strike Damage. Critical Strike Damage can also come with various Imbuement varieties like Shadow or Poison, which can synergize with the right build and give you a huge power spike.

Use Concealment to Stay Alive

It's no secret that the Rogue suffers from a lower HP pool, so to offset that, strongly consider Concealment as a must-have for almost any melee build. If you find yourself at the mercy of a mob of enemies, this skill works as a get out of jail free card. Simply pop this skill when you're Frozen, Slowed, or otherwise being crowd-controlled by the enemy.

Alternatively, Countering Dark Shroud is a very strong choice for ranged players, serving the dual purpose of keeping your Critical Strike Chance up and providing a pre-emptive line of defense.

Rogue Stat Priorities

Diablo 4 Related Guides

Best Class Tier List and How to Play All Classes

All Classes
Barbarian		Druid		Sorcerer
Rogue			Necromancer