Introduction to the Diablo 4 Rogue
Blizzard announced the Rogue class at BlizzConline 2021 [1], the fourth of five classes for Diablo 4. This incarnation of the Rogue pays homage to Diablo 1's Rogue class while also adding new tricks.
"No RPG lineup is complete without the Dexterity class that's defeating enemies with finesse and speed. We kept coming back to the idea of bringing it to the godfather of all Dexterity-based archetypes: the Rogue that we saw in Diablo 1."Luis Barriga · Former Diablo IV Game Director
Rogue highlights
- Ranged bow attacks: critically injuring and slowing enemies from a safe distance
- Dagger attacks: rapid, close range attacks that surprise enemies
- Weapon imbuement: coating arrows and daggers with Poison, Cold, and Shadow energies
- Laying traps: skillful placement in front of enemies slows and damages them
Rogue stats
Rogue starting Primary Stats
| Class | DEX | INT | STR | WILL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogue | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Barbarian | 8 | 7 | 10 | 7 |
| Druid | 7 | 8 | 7 | 10 |
| Necromancer | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Sorcerer | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
Rogue Primary Stat effects
| Attribute | Effect |
|---|---|
| Dexterity | 0.01%(+) Dodge Chance per point 0.1%(x) Skill Damage per point |
| Intelligence | 0.05%(+) All Resistances per point 0.02%(x) Critical Strike Chance per point |
| Strength | 1(+) Armor per point 0.1%(x) Resource Generation per point |
| Willpower | 0.1%(+) Healing Received per point 0.25%(+) Overpower Damage per point |
Rogue Skills
Rogue Skill Tree
See our dedicated page on: 
Rogue skills.
Energy resource
The Rogue relies on Energy to perform many of its Skills. Energy quickly regenerates over time, so, once the purple globe is depleted, the Rogue must wait for it to refill.
Rogue Weapon Imbuement Skills
Of special mention are the Rogue's Weapon Imbuement Skills, which can be unlocked in the 5th Skill cluster of the Rogue Skill Tree. When cast, they allow the Rogue a flexible way to alter and augment the behavior of their next 2 Skills cast:
"It's a flexible way to take a build that you're comfortable with -- say you're used to Flurry and Shadow Step as your melee skills, and you find yourself needing more Crowd Control -- without changing your play style, you can add Frost Imbue to your bar and now you're able to use those same abilities to slow down enemies or build up to a full freeze."
The Rogue can choose from Cold, Poison, and Shadow Imbuement Skills.
Cold Imbuement Skills
See our dedicated section on: Cold Imbue
"Frost Imbue plays well with group play. I can freeze enemies and someone else can blow them up."
Poison Imbuement Skills
See our dedicated section on: Poison Imbue
"I love Poison Imbue because the gruesome deaths that the monsters experience -- we've had a ton of fun making that art. Seeing a field of Goatmen melt into a gory mess never gets old."
Shadow Imbuement Skills
See our dedicated section on: Shadow Imbue
"With Shadow Imbue, you're putting these cursed oils on your weapon and it curses the enemy. It creates a mark of death, so that when you kill them, it creates an area of effect explosion around their buddies. It's an effective screen clear if you can get the momentum going. It's a powerful mechanic and different from poison, which is a straight up dot."
Rogue monster executions
Each class in Diablo 4 has unique enemy execution animations. The unrelenting Rogue can:
- Eviscerate: the monster's intestines spill onto the ground
- Flay: the monster's skin is cut off, revealing bone and muscle
- Poison: the monster is reduced to a pile of bone, goo, and muscle
- Shadow: the monster's flesh deteriorates from Shadow energy
- Shatter: the monster freezes and breaks into many pieces
Rogue Specializations
The Rogue benefits from 3 class specializations, which are unlocked via automatically-given Class Quests at Levels 15, 20, and 30. While players can only choose 1 specilization at a time, switching specializations is free and easy.
"The way class specializations work is you'll work with one of the groups of Rogues around the world of Sanctuary that you'll find and do class specific quests that no other class can do, whether it's the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye, mercenaries of Kehjistan, or the outlaw smugglers of the swamps of Hawezar. Depending on what speaks to your class fantasy or specialization, or that you find more powerful, you'll be able to complete that questline and activate the specialization. Then you can mix and match with any of the play styles. You could be a Combo Points ranged or melee player, but you could also be an Exploit Weakness range, melee, or hybrid player. It gives the class such huge variety of builds and play styles."
Combo Points Specialization
Unlock information
- Level: 15
- Class Quest: Rogue: True Potential
- Location: Menestad, Fractured Peaks
- NPC: Leyrana of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye
The Rogue player meets Leyrana in the village of Menestad, Fractured Peaks, and learns that one of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye members, Bakira, has gone missing.
Leyrana asks for your help and says she'll accompany you to the likely whereabouts of Bakira, a nearby Dungeon called Forsaken Quarry.
After slaying all of the enemies in the Forsaken Quarry Dungeon, Leyrana acknowledges your might and unlocks the Combo Points Specialization.
Generating & using Combo Points
With the Combo Points specialization, the Rogue can build up 3 Combo Points by performing 3 consecutive Basic Skill attacks. Once accumulated, the Combo Points are automatically spent the next time the Rogue casts a Core Skill, making the Core Skill much more powerful.
Combo Points in the UI
Combo Points are shown above the Skill hotkey bar, represented as 3 shields that turn from gray to yellow after using a Basic Skill and back to gray when spent.
"My personal favorite is the Combo Points specialization. This ability lets you build up multiple combo points that enhance your spender's effectiveness in combat. You basically get into this rhythm of combat. It allows you build up to these big moments."
Inner Sight Specialization
Unlock information
- Level: 20
- Class Quest: automatically given (at least in Open Beta)
- Location: n/a
- NPC: n/a
Inner Sight gives the Rogue unlimited Energy for 4 seconds if they attack enough enemies with a special mark above their heads.
Preparation Specialization
Unlock information
- Level: 30
- Class Quest: unknown (not in Open Beta)
- Location: n/a
- NPC: n/a
Nothing is known about the Preparation Specialization, as its Level 30 unlock was above the Open Beta's max level of 20. Also, Blizzard seems to have reworked two of the Rogue's Specializations -- there used to be Combo Points (remained), Exploit Weakness, and Shadow Realm.
TOPRogue items
Rogue Unique items
| Name | Slot |
|---|---|
| Asheara's Khanjar | Dagger |
| Windforce | Bow |
| Word of Hakan | Amulet |
Rogue Weapon slots
- Max Weapons equipped: 3 total (1 ranged + 2 close-combat)
- Ranged types: Bows and Crossbows
- Close-combat types: Daggers and Small Swords
Rogue Legendary Aspects
See our dedicated sections on:
- Rogue Defensive Legendary Aspects
- Rogue Offensive Legendary Aspects
- Rogue Resource Legendary Aspects
- Rogue Utility Legendary Aspects
Rogue media
Rogue class videos
Rogue class screenshots
Rogue class artwork
All artwork is property of the talented artists at Blizzard.
Xiphoid has been playing Diablo since the original's release in 1997. He made one of the largest Age of Empires sites in the late-'90s and early-'00s. Now, he runs MythicDrop.com, a premier Diablo 4 fansite.
Sources
| Article | Source | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2021 BlizzCon - Diablo IV: What's Next | Blizzard |
Changelog
| Ver | Change | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1.0 | Refreshed guide with Release Rogue information | |
|
Beta | Refreshed guide with Open Beta Rogue information | |
|
Alpha | Added higher resolution images to screenshot section | |
|
Alpha | Added section on Rogue monster execution animations | |
 |
Alpha | Published original |
