What the Rogue class in Diablo 4 lacks in raw damage output, it makes up for in manoeuvrability and damage-over-time effects. Those who pursue the path of the Rogue in Diablo 4 will want to use every tool at their disposal to make the most of this highly versatile class.
Unlike the Barbarian or Sorcerer, the Rogue is capable of both long-range and melee attacks while still being able to keep a fair amount of distance from targets. Additionally, the Rogue allows for players to make more strategic plays, as it is capable of funnelling enemies through narrow pathways extremely effectively, or applying devastating damage-over-time effects to enemies through the use of traps and weapon coatings.
Best Diablo 4 ‘single target’ Rogue build
Here’s how to create an effective ‘single target’ Rogue build:
- Puncture → Enhanced Puncture → Fundamental Puncture
- Flurry → Enhanced Flurry → Advanced Flurry
- Dash → Enhanced Dash
- Shadow Step → Enhanced Shadow Step → Methodical Shadow Step
- Weapon Mastery 3/3
- Dark Shroud → Enhanced Dark Shroud → Countering Dark Shroud
- Sturdy 3/3
- Siphoning Strikes 3/3
- Poison Imbuement → Enhanced Poison Imbuement → Blended Poison Imbuement
- Deadly Venom → Debilitating Toxins → Alchemical Advantage
- Precision Imbuement 3/3
- Victimize
Best Diablo 4 ‘AOE’ Rogue build
Here’s how to create an effective ‘AOE’ Rogue build:
- Puncture → Enhanced Puncture → Fundamental Puncture
- Flurry → Enhanced Flurry → Improved Flurry
- Dash → Enhanced Dash
- Weapon Mastery 3/3
- Sturdy 3/3
- Siphoning Strikes 3/3
- Poison Trap → Enhanced Poison Trap
- Shadow Imbuement → Enhanced Shadow Imbuement → Blended Shadow Imbuement
- Shadow Crash → Consuming Shadows
- Precision Imbuement 3/3
- Death Trap → Prime Death Trap → Supreme Death Trap
- Exposure
How to make a great Rogue build in Diablo 4
One of the most integral things players will want to keep in mind using the Rogue is its ability to make enemies Vulnerable. This is extremely useful when tackling Rare and Legendary monsters found on the overworld map or in dungeons. Making enemies Vulnerable not only makes them take 20% more damage, but when paired with other attacks that work off of this specific debuff you can daze your target.
So much of the Rogue’s Basic Skills are greatly enhanced when enemies are Vulnerable, so it’s a good idea to invest some points into the Invigorating Strike skill tree. Taking Fundamental Invigorating Strike will render an enemy Vulnerable if you strike an opponent with the skill while you are under 50% energy. This is great for the early game, or even late game if you tailor an entire build around it. Thankfully, a majority of skills the Rogue has access to are tailored around this specific debuff. So branching into Flurry, Rapid Fire, and Forceful Arrow are highly recommended.
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Image: Blizzard/Activision via Polygon
That said, as you continue to branch out into Diablo 4’s skill tree, this is when Rogue truly begins to feel powerful. Outside of providing that debilitating debuff, Rogues can imbue their weapons with Poison and Shadow damage. Poison is fairly straightforward, and unless you choose to imbue an attack that hits multiple targets, Poison in Diablo 4 is mostly reserved for single target fights against stronger bosses. However, Shadow damage works like an area of effect explosion. After striking an enemy and infecting it with Shadow damage, if you kill it before the 6 second timer runs out, its corpse will deal massive damage to all enemies surrounding it. This is great for World Events and for taking out hordes of enemies. And since Diablo 4 allows you to respec at any time, you can pick your poison depending on what you want to tackle.
Ultimately, players will want to make the most out of imbuement, since that is where a bulk of your damage will end up lying in the late game. Both Poison and Shadow damage are viable routes, while Shadow damage may be more AoE focused it can still deal loads of damage. So if you don’t want to entirely reroll your build for boss killing, it’s still viable to keep Shadow damage in lower World Tiers, especially when the right Legendary aspects are applied to your weapon, which can make Flurry and Shadow Imbuement extremely strong in combination with life steal. Ultimate abilities are not required for viable Rogue builds, so don’t feel forced to build around any of the three options available.
Keep in mind that you can further enhance the power of your skills through the use of Augments. Augments are found on Legendary pieces of equipment, including armor, weapons, and accessories. Additionally, you can remove Augments from pieces of gear contributing to your build and apply them to items of a higher total power. The process itself is fairly simple, and you can read about how to remove and apply Augments here.
Added mobility using the Rogue’s Dash is also a great tool for World Bosses or avoiding damage during particularly punishing mechanics. It is highly suggested that players invest at least one Skill Point into Dash so they have an extra escape tool, especially if they intend on strafing enemies in dungeons, or tackling any boss alone.
Concerning Paragon levels, you will want to factor in the Glyphs you will be using. Exploit will be one of the key Glyphs Rogues will want to unlock in their Paragon board. Exploit Weakness and Tricks of the Trade are the first two Legendary Glyphs you will want to invest in as a Rogue. Exploit Weakness increases the damage done to Vulnerable enemies, whereas Tricks of the Trade increase percent based damage between your Cutthroat and Marksman skills.
Looking for other Diablo 4 builds? We have pages on the Druid, Necromancer, Sorcerer and Barbarian.
