Diablo 4 Rogue Guide

The Rogue would make its initial series appearance in the original Diablo as one of the title’s three classes, only to not return in the franchise until Diablo 4. With the class making its triumphant return as part of the latest game in the Diablo franchise, the Rogue stands as one of the more fun and versatile classes to play thanks to its mixed melee and ranged abilities. With an emphasis on speed and agility, the Rogue has access to several viable builds that see it become capable at close range or at long distance, and the Rogue’s access to traps and elemental imbuements only enhances the effectiveness of the class’ attacks and skills.

Rogue Class Statistics

The Rogue is an incredibly versatile class that excels at both up-close melee and ranged combat and enhances the effectiveness of its Skills through Imbuement and Traps. Many of the Rogue’s Basic and Core Node Active Skills can be Imbued with Cold, Poison, or Shadow damage, each of which affects how the skill impacts enemies and provides subsequent bonuses to later casts. The Rogue’s main Resource is Energy, which it can successively generate through normal attacks and bonuses gained from Skills.

Class Type

• Ranged, Melee, Close-Quarters

Resource

• Energy; generated from attacks and Skills

Class Mechanic

• Class Specializations; Choose from one of three different Specializations to cater to one of the Rogue’s potential play styles.

Rogue Skills

In addition to the standard Active and Passive Skills, the Rogue’s Active Skills can be further subdivided into Cutthroat and Marksman Skills. While Cutthroat Skills align with close-range melee attacks and are further enhanced with one of the Rogue’s many Subterfuge Skills, Marksman Skills are ideal for those hoping to play the Rogue as an Archer and attack from afar. Marksman Skills are made more effective through the use of Imbuements and Traps, which can debuff enemies and see them eliminated before they ever reach the Rogue. The Nodes that are part of the Rogue’s Skill Tree are Basic, Core, Agility, Subterfuge, Imbuement, and Ultimate.

Cutthroat Basic Node Active Skills

• Blade Shift — Basic, Cutthroat; Stab victims for 20% damage and shift, moving freely through enemies for 4 seconds.
  • Enhanced Blade Shift — Gain 20% Movement Speed while Blade Shift is active.
  • Fundamental Blade Shift — Moving through enemies while Blade Shift is active refreshes its duration. Moving through enemies 5 times makes the next Blade Shift Daze enemies for 2 seconds.
  • Primary Blade Shift — Gain 15% Resistance to All Elements and reduce the duration of incoming Control Impairing Effects by 20% while Blade Shift is active.
• Invigorating Strike — Basic, Cutthroat; Melee attacks an enemy, dealing 25% damage and increasing Energy Regeneration by 20% for 3 seconds.
  • Enhanced Invigorating Strike — Damaging Crowd Controlled or Injured enemies increases Invigorating Strike’s Regeneration bonus to 30%.
  • Fundamental Invigorating Strike — Hitting an enemy with an Invigorating Strike while 85% Energy makes them Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
  • Primary Invigorating Strike — Grants 8% Lucky hit Chance. Hitting Crowd Controlled or Injured enemies increases the bonus to 16%.

Marksman Basic Node Active Skills

• Forecful Arrow — Basic, Marksman; Fire a powerful arrow, dealing 22% damage. Every 3rd cast makes enemies Vulnerable for 5 seconds.
  • Enhanced Forecful Arrow — Every 3rd cast has a 15% increased Critical Strike Chance.
  • Fundamental Forecful Arrow — Knocks Back non-Elite enemies if they’re Close. If they collide with another enemy, both are Knocked Down for 1.5 seconds.
  • Primary Forecful Arrow — Every 3rd cast pierces through all enemies hit.
• Heartseeker — Basic, Marksman; Fire a seeking arrow, dealing 24% damage and increasing Critical Strike Chance by 5% for 4 seconds (up to 15%).
  • Enhanced Heartseeker — When Heartseeker Critically Strikes, gain 8% Attack Speed for 4 seconds, 16% if enemies are Vulnerable.
  • Fundamental Heartseeker — Increases the Critical Strike Damage the enemy takes by 5% for 4 seconds (up to 15%).
  • Primary Heartseeker — Ricochets to additional enemies, dealing 75% of the original damage.
• Puncture — Basic, Marksman; Throw blades, dealing 21% damage. Every 3rd cast Slows enemies by 20% for 2 seconds. Critical Strikes always Slow enemies.
  • Enhanced Puncture — Gain 2 Energy when Puncture damages Crowd Controlled enemies.
  • Fundamental Puncture — Puncture throws 3 blades in a spread, each dealing 35% of Base damage. Enemies hit by 2 blades at once become Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
  • Primary Puncture — Every 3rd cast ricochets up to 2 times. Critical Strikes always ricochet.

Cutthroat Core Node Active Skills

• Flurry — Core, Cutthroat, Imbueable; Strike enemies in front 4 times, dealing 75% damage to each.
  • Enhanced Flurry — Damaging Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemies Heals 1% of Maximum Life, up to 12% per cast.
  • Advanced Flurry — Evading through enemies causes the next Flurry to deal 30% increased damage and Stun enemies for 2.5 seconds.
  • Improved Flurry — 20% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. If Flurry hits an already Vulnerable enemy, all enemies hit by the Skill become Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
• Twisting Blades — Core, Cutthroat, Imbueable; Impale enemies with blades, dealing 45% damage and inflicting 8% increased damage for 1.5 seconds. After 1.5 seconds the blades return, dealing 72% damage.
  • Enhanced Twisting Blades — Blades deal 30% increased damage when returning.
  • Advanced Twisting Blades — Active Cooldowns are reduced by 0.10 seconds per enemy they hit (up to 2 seconds) when the blades return.
  • Improved Twisting Blades — Enemies impaled by Twisting Blades are Dazed for 1.5 seconds.

Marksman Core Node Active Skills

• Barrage — Core, Marksman, Imbueable, Chain; Unleash a barrage of 5 arrows, each dealing 22% damage. Each arrow has a 20% chance to ricochet off enemies up to 1 time, dealing 40% of the arrow’s Base damage.
  • Enhanced Barrage — Barrage’s ricochet chance increases to 100% for arrows that damage a Vulnerable enemy or Critically Strike an enemy.
  • Advanced Barrage — When a single cast of Barrage ricochets 4 times, the next cast gains 20% increased Critical Strike Chance.
  • Improved Barrage — Every 3rd cast of Barrage makes enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
• Penetrating Shot — Core, Marksman, Imbueable; Fire an arrow that pierces through all enemies in its path, dealing 70% damage.
  • Enhanced Penetrating Shot — Penetrating Shot has a 10% increased Critical Strike Chance. Gain 10% increased Critical Strike Chance for 5 seconds if Penetrating Shot hits at least 3 enemies.
  • Advanced Penetrating Shot — Casting Penetrating Shot with full Energy will Slow every enemy it hits by 50% for 3 seconds. Elite enemies will be Knocked Down for 1.5 seconds.
  • Improved Penetrating Shot — Penetrating Shot deals 10% increased damage for every enemy it pierces.
• Rapid Fire — Core, Marksman, Imbueable; Rapid fire 5 arrows, each dealing 33% damage.
  • Enhanced Rapid Fire — Each subsequent arrow from Rapid Fire has 5% increased Critical Stike Chance, up to 25% on the 5th arrow.
  • Advanced Rapid Fire — Rapid Fire deals 30% increased Critical Strike Damage for 5 seconds after an Evade.
  • Improved Rapid Fire — Gain 15 Energy for every cast of Rapid Fire if it damages a Vulnerable enemy.

Core Node Passive Skills

• Stutter Step — 5% increased Movement Speed for 4 seconds after Critically Striking an enemy.
• Sturdy — Gain 4% Close Damage Reduction.
• Siphoning Strikes — Critical Strikes against Close enemies have up to 85% chance to Heal for 1% of Maximum Life.

Agility Node Active Skills

• Caltrops — Agility, Trap, Mobility; Leap backward and throw Caltrops on the ground, dealing 40% damage and Slowing enemies by 50%. Lasts 7 seconds.
  • Enhanced Caltrops — Enemies within the Caltrops take 10% increased damage, increases by 5% each second (up to 45%).
  • Disciplined Caltrops — 5% Critical Chance against enemies caught in the Caltrops. Doubles against Vulnerable enemies.
  • Methodical Caltrops — Caltrops deal Cold damage and Chill enemies for 25% per second.
• Dash — Agility, Cutthroat, Imbueable, Mobility; Dash forward and slash enemies for 36% damage.
  • Enhanced Dash — Enemies damaged by Dash take 15% increased Critical Strike Damage for 5 seconds.
  • Disciplined Dash — Dash slows hit enemies by 30% for 3 seconds. Enemies already Slowed become Dazed for 2 seconds.
  • Methodical Dash — Damaging Crowd Controlled enemies with Dash reduces its Charge Cooldown by 0.5 seconds, up to 4 seconds per cast.
• Shadow Step — Agility, Cutthroat, Imbueable, Mobility; Become Unstoppable and move through shadows to stab enemies from behind for 72% damage. Gain 50% increased Movement Speed for 2 seconds after.
  • Enhanced Shadow Step — Damaging an enemy with Shadow Step increases Critical Strike Chance against those enemies by 8% over 3 seconds.
  • Disciplined Shadow Step — Reduces Shadow Step’s Cooldown by 3 seconds after damaging an enemy not hit by Shadow Step in the last 4 seconds.
  • Methodical Shadow Step — Enemies damaged by Shadow Step are Stunned for 2 seconds.

Agility Node Passive Skills

• Concussive — Knocking Back or Knocking Down enemies gains 4% increased Critical Strike Chance for 4 seconds.
• Rapid Gambits — Cooldown for Evade is reduced by 0.5 seconds after Dazing an enemy.
• Trick Attacks — Critically Striking a Dazed enemy results in them being Knocked Down for 0.5 seconds.
• Weapon Mastery — Gain bonuses when attacking based on weapon type. Daggers: 5% increased damage to Healthy enemies. Swords: 3% increased damage. Bows: 4% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. Crossbows: 5% increased Critical Strike Damage.
• Rugged — Gain 9% Damage Reduction against Damage Over Time effects.
• Reactive Defense — Gain 6% Damage Reduction while inflicted with Control Impairing Effects.

Subterfuge Node Active Skills

• Concealment — Subterfuge; Vanish from sight using an advanced form of Stealth for 5 seconds that is not removed from taking damage. Concealment makes the Rogue Unstoppable, grants 30% increased Movement Speed, and allows moving through enemies while active. Using attack Skills during Concealment breaks the effect.
  • Enhanced Concealment — Gain 40 Energy after entering Concealment.
  • Countering Concealment — Any Skill breaking Concealment is a guaranteed Critical Strike.
  • Subverting Concealment — Any Skill breaking Concealment makes enemies Vulnerable for 6 seconds.
• Dark Shroud — Subterfuge; 5 protective shadows surround the Rogue. Gain 8% Damage Reduction per active shadow. Shadows reduce incoming damage and are consumed when the Rogue takes direct damage.
  • Enhanced Dark Shroud — 14% chance for Dark Shroud’s shadows to not be consumed.
  • Countering Dark Shroud — With at least 2 active Dark Shroud shadows, gain 8% Critical Strike Chance.
  • Subverting Dark Shroud — Each active shadow from Dark Shroud grants 4% increased Movement Speed.
• Poison Trap — Subterfuge, Trap; Place a Poison Trap that arms after 1.5 seconds. The trap activates when enemies move within range, applying 396% Poison damage over 9 seconds to enemies in its area. Can arm 4 traps at once.
  • Enhanced Poison Trap — Poison Trap Knocks Down enemies for 1.5 seconds.
  • Countering Poison Trap — Poison Trap has a 30% chance to reset Imbuement Skill Cooldowns.
  • Subverting Poison Trap — Deal 10% increased Poison damage to enemies inside the Poison Trap.
• Smoke Grenade — Subterfuge, Grenade; Throw a Smoke Grenade at enemies, Dazing them for 4 seconds.
  • Enhanced Smoke Grenade — Enemies affected by Smoke Grenade take 25% increased damage.
  • Countering Smoke Grenade — Dealing direct damage to enemies hit by Smoke Grenade has a 25% chance to reduce its Cooldown by 1 second (3 seconds if enemies are Vulnerable).
  • Subverting Smoke Grenade — Vulnerable, Slow, or Chilled enemies are Dazed by Smoke Grenade for 20% longer.

Subterfuge Node Passive Skills

• Agile — Using a Cooldown increases Dodge Chance by 4% for 3 seconds.
• Mending Obscurity — Heal 4% Maximum Life per second while Stealthed.
• Exploit — Deal 6% increased damage to Healthy and Injured enemies.
• Malice — Deal 3% increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.

Imbuement Node Active Skills

• Cold Imbuement — Imbuement, Imbueable; Imbue weapons with frigid energy. The next 2 Imbueable Skills deal Cold damage and Chill enemies for 25% per hit.
  • Enhanced Cold Imbuement — Cold Imbued Skills have a 40% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
  • Blended Cold Imbuement — 35% chance for Cold Imbued Skills to Freeze enemies for 3 seconds.
  • Mixed Cold Imbuement — Cold Imbued Skills deal 20% damage against Crowd Controlled enemies and 40% against Frozen enemies.
• Poison Imbuement — Imbuement, Imbueable; Imbue weapons with poison. The next 2 Imbueable Skills deal Poison damage, applying 100% of the Base damage as additional Poison damage over 5 seconds.
  • Enhanced Poison Imbuement — Poison Duration of Poison Imbuement increases by 1 second.
  • Blended Poison Imbuement — Critical Strikes with Poison Imbued Skills deal 75% increased Poison Damage.
  • Mixed Poison Imbuement — Poison Imbued Skills have a 30% chance to reduce cooldown of Poison Imbuement by 2 seconds.
• Shadow Imbuement — Imbuement, Imbueable; Imbues weapons with shadows. The next 2 Imbueable Skills deal Shadow damage, infecting enemies for 6 seconds. Infected enemies explode on death, dealing 40% damage to all surrounding enemies. If the infection expires before the enemy dies, the explosion only deals 40% damage to the infected enemy.
  • Enhanced Shadow Imbuement — Gain 15% increased Critical Strike Chance against Injured enemies affected by Shadow Imbuement.
  • Blended Shadow Imbuement — Shadow Imbuement’s primary explosion makes enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
  • Mixed Shadow Imbuement — Enemies affected by Shadow Imbuement take 12% increased Non-Physical damage for 8 seconds.

Imbuement Node Passive Skills

• Frigid Finesse — Deal 5% increased damage to Chilled enemies. Increases to 10% against Frozen enemies.
• Chilling Weight — Chilled enemies have Movement Speed reduced by up to 10% and the Rogue gains 5% increased Chill effect.
• Precision Imbuement — Imbued Skills gain 3% increased Critical Strike Chance.
• Deadly Venom — Deal 3% increased Poison damage.
• Alchemical Advantage — Gain 1% Attack Speed for each Poisoned enemy (up to 15%).
• Debilitating Toxins — Poisoned enemies deal 5% less damage.
• Shadow Crash — Shadow damage has up to a 10% chance to Stun for 0.5 seconds.
• Consuming Shadows — Killing an enemy with Shadow damage generates 10 Energy.

Ultimate Active Skills

• Death Trap — Ultimate, Trap;
  • Prime Death Trap — Death Trap pulls enemies in.
  • Supreme Death Trap — Cooldown reduces by 12 seconds if Death Trap kills an enemy.
• Rain of Arrows — Ultimate, Marksman, Imbueable; Arrows rain down over a large area 2 times, dealing 110% damage.
  • Prime Rain of Arrows — Imbuement Skill effects applied by Rain of Arrows are 30% more potent.
  • Supreme Rain of Arrows — Rain of Arrows’ first wave Knocks Down enemies for 3 seconds.
• Shadow Clone — Ultimate; Create a shadow that mimicks your actions for 15 seconds, dealing 60% of your damage.
  • Prime Shadow Clone — Become Unstoppable for 5 seconds after casting Shadow Clone.
  • Supreme Shadow Clone — Shadow Clone deals an additional 20% damage (80% of the Rogue’s damage).

Ultimate Passive Skills

• Trap Mastery — Trap; Poison Trap or Death Trap activation grants 4% increased Critical Strike Chance against Vulnerable and Crowd Controlled enemies for 4 seconds.
• Innervation — 10% chance to gain 8 Energy on Lucky Hit.
• Alchemist’s Fortune — Non-Physical damage has a 5% increased Lucky Hit Chance.
• Second Wind — Every 100 Energy spent grants 5% increased Lucky Hit Chance for 5 seconds.
• Aftermath — Restore 30 Energy after using an Ultimate Skill.
• Adrenaline Rush — Gain 5% increased Energy Regeneration while moving.
• Haste — At or above 50% maximum Energy grants 5% increased Movement Speed. Below 50% Maximum Energy, gain 5% increased Attack Speed.
• Impetus — After moving 12 meters, the next Non-Basic attack deals 7% increased damage.

Rogue Key Skills

• Close Quarters Combat — Marksman, Cutthroat; Damaging Close enemies with Marksman or Cutthroat Skills grants 15% Attack Speed bonus for 8 seconds. While Attack Speed bonuses are active, deal increased damage equal to 10% of Damage vs Crowd Controlled bonus.
• Exposure — Trap, Grenade; Dealing direct damage to an enemy affected by Trap Skills has up to 25% chance to reduce active Cooldowns of Trap Skills by 20% OR drop a cluster of exploding Stun Grenades that deal 40% total Physical damage and Stun enemies for 1 second.
• Momentum — Cutthroat; Cutthroat Skills grant a stack of Momentum for 8 seconds if they hit a Stunned, Dazed, or Frozen enemy or hit an enemy from behind. At 3 stacks of Momentum the Rogue gains 20% increased Damage Reduction, 30% increased Energy Regeneration, and 15% increased Movement Speed.
• Precision — Marksman; Casting a Marksman Skill grants a stack of Precision. Gain an additional stack if the Skill Critically Strikes, once per cast. After 4 stacks of Precision, the next Marksman Ultimate or Core Skill has a guarantee to Critically Strike, dealing 50% increased damage and consuming all stacks of Precision. The damage increases by 15% of the Rogue’s Critical Strike Damage bonus.
• Victimize — Dealing direct damage to Vulnerable enemies has a 50% chance to cause an explosion, dealing 29% of the original damage to the target and surrounding enemies. Victimize’s damage increases by 120% of the Rogue’s Vulnerable Damage bonus.

Rogue Unique Class Mechanic — Specializations

The Rogue’s unique class mechanic are its Specializations, each of which caters to one of the potential play style archetypes intended for the class. Once players complete the prerequisite quest to unlock Specializations, each of the three Specializations unlocks after hitting a specific level threshold.

• Combo Points (Level 15): Basic Skills generate Combo Points. Some Skills consume Combo Points for additional effects.
• Inner Sight (Level 20): Attack marked enemies to fill the Inner Sight gauge. When it fills, gain unlimited energy for [X] seconds.
• Preparation (Level 30): Every 100 Energy spent reduces the Rogue’s Ultimate Skill Cooldown by [X] seconds. Using an Ultimate Skill resets the Cooldowns of all other Skills.

Each of the Specializations available to the Rogue is better suited to one of the potential play styles that the class excels at, with some being better suited to up-close melee builds and others having better synergy with ranged Marksman-focused builds.

Rogue Legendary Aspects

Aspects are new items introduced in Diablo 4 that players can attach to their higher-tier gear to give it special effects, transforming equipment into a powerful component of specific builds. Each Aspect provides unique bonuses to certain Skills that act as the lynchpin of the various builds for each class, and the Rogue has a wide variety of powerful Aspects thanks to its expansive and varied Skill Tree (as well as the Rogue’s ability to equip both ranged and melee weapons). Some of the more noteworthy Legendary Aspects that players will want to farm for the Rogue include:

• Aspect of Corruption: Imbuement Skill effects have [25-40]% increased potency against Vulnerable enemies.
• Aspect of Branching Volleys: Increase damage of ricocheting arrows from Barrage to [50-80]%. Barrage’s arrows have a [30-60]% chance to split into 2 arrows after they ricochet.
• High Velocity Aspect (Seasonal): Barrage arrows now pierce through 1 enemy. Barrage has [10-25]% increased Attack Speed.
• Aspect of Volatile Shadows: When a Dark Shroud shadow is removed, it triggers an explosion dealing [75-98] Shadow damage and inflicting Shadow Imbuement on any enemy it hits.

Best Rogue Builds (as of Season 4)

The Rogue continues to be one of the better starting classes for new players thanks to its versatility and flexibility in combat, able to deal large amounts of damage to either groups of foes or singular enemies and get away quickly or safely strikes from afar. In terms of casual-friendly classes, few options take precedence over the Rogue. Between Imbuements, Traps, Subterfuge, Agility, and both close-quarters melee and ranged attacking options, the Rogue has one of the more fun toolkits and Skill Trees to experiment with in Diablo 4.

Leveling Builds

• Barrage Rogue — The Barrage Rogue is about as close as the Diablo 4 class gets to a classic multi-shot build and is one of the more satisfying ways to play the class. The mix of both Poison and Shadow Imbuement along with the Barrage skill that is the anchor of the build is viable against both mobs and single enemies, dealing maximum damage while rarely ever getting in harm’s way. Key Skills: Concealment, Dark Shroud, Shadow Imbuement, Poison Imbuement, Heartseeker, Barrage, Precision
• Penetrating Shot Rogue — Unlike the Barrage Rogue, the Penetrating Shot Rogue build focuses on massive damage from single hits along with an increased likelihood of landing Critical Strikes. Penetrating Shot Rogue shines as an Elite and Boss-destroyer thanks to its high damage potential on single targets. Key Skills: Shadow Step, Dark Shroud, Poison Imbuement, Shadow Imbuement, Heartseeker, Penetrating Shot, Precision
• Twisting Blades Rogue — Though it’s not as beginner or casual-friendly as some of the Rogue’s ranged builds, Twisting Blades is an excellent melee-focused option that sees the Rogue using stealth and Shadow Imbuement (along with the Twisting Blades Skill) to quickly enter the fray and explode groups of enemies infected by Shadow damage. Key Skills: Puncture, Twisting Blades, Dash, Shadow Step, Shadow Imbuement, Shadow Clone, Momentum.

Endgame Builds

• Heartseeker Rogue — This ranged-focused endgame build for the Rogue takes a while to become viable but gets progressively better the longer players use it, especially with the right aspects. The build relies heavily on inflicting the Vulnerable status effect, which the Rogue then handily exploits using the Victimize passive. Key Skills: Caltrops, Shadow Step, Dash, Dark Shroud, Heartseeker, Smoke Grenade, Victimize.
• Rapid Fire Rogue — The Rapid Fire Skill remains one of the best options for players hoping to have their Rogue be able to deal massive amounts of damage from range, and this endgame focuses on combining the Skill’s utility with Cold Imbuement to Chill and Freeze foes, resulting in massive damage bonuses and plenty of distance between the player and mobs. Key Skills: Heartseeker, Rapid Fire, Caltrops, Dash, Shadow Step, Cold Imbuement, Precision

Primary Stats and Effects

Each of the 4 Primary Stats grants various bonuses to the different classes on Level Up, providing class-enhancing effects meant to draw out their effectiveness in combat. The following effects are granted to the Rogue with each Level Up:

Why Play as a Rogue in Diablo 4?

The Rogue is one of the best starting options for players new to Diablo 4 thanks to the sheer variety it affords in its many potential builds. Between close-quarters and ranged melee options, Imbuements (the only class to have that ability), traps, and stealth, there are many different directions that players can take when using the Rogue, with each of them feeling like their own unique class. Rogues are also great for putting distance between the player and enemies and keeping foes at arm’s length, utilizing traps, debuffs, and other negative status effects to slow, damage, and elminate enemies before they ever get the chance to attack.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Diablo 4 gameplay screenshot.