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I admit that I have a soft spot for rogues and that I tend to play them
in every MMO that I come across. I love being able to do a lot of
damage but also have the capability to be very sneaky and
ambush/assassinate enemies. The sad fact is that in most MMOs, the true
potential of rogues is left unfulfilled. They may do a lot of DPS, but
so can other classes. They can be stealthy, but what’s the
purpose if you have to clear all the mobs anyway? Are there obstacles
that can only be overcome by a crafty rogue’s ability? The
answer is normally no. However, in href="http://tentonhammer.com/ddo">Dungeons
and Dragons Online
,
a rogue
is much more than melee DPS. They are a vital part of a well-oiled
group. DDO
rogues don’t have the shame of rogues in other
MMOs, endlessly hoping that they get a group invite. “Sorry,
we already have a few Death Knights, so DPS is handled.” In
DDO,
rogues aren’t the fat kids picked last during gym class;
they’re useful, fun to play, and in demand. To that end,
let’s look at five reasons why DDO
rogues are awesome to play
and why they’re so integral to a group.


DDO Rogues: Traps are a Bitch

Traps are an integral part of DDO.
Unlike other MMOs, where a group
might come across an easily-avoided trap once in a blue moon, traps
abound in DDO.
Be they blades, spike, flame, sonic, or acid, traps can
wreak havoc on a party. While you can take some preventative measures
such as resistance spells or potions, the only sure-fire way to deal
with traps is to have your handy DDO
rogue disarm them. The control box
for the trap is located on the other side of the spike trap? No
problem! A competent rogue can evade the spikes (make his reflex save)
and get to the control box and disarm it. Now your squishy wizards can
travel down the corridor in safety. Most adventures in DDO
have traps,
and some can be fiendishly placed. A rogue can neutralize these
dangerous traps and, normally, by doing so the party gets an experience
boost at the adventure’s end.


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Best burn protection is a
rogue!


DDO Rogues: They Unlock Things

While opening locks is useless in other MMOs, having the ability to do
so makes DDO
rogues extremely valuable to a group. As you go through
adventure after adventure in Eberron, you will come across doors and
chests that are locked. Some dungeons have an extra rest shrine that
can only be accessed by unlocking a door. Extra chests or optional
quest objectives might be behind a locked door, and many chests
themselves are locked. All this extra loot is just waiting for the
itchy fingers of the DDO
rogue to come along and free them from their
prison. There’s nothing more irritating than seeing a chest
behind the barred door just waiting for you to open and loot it, but
the door is locked and you have no rogue to pick it. The chest just
sits there mocking you with its out-of-reach riches. A rogue not only
lines his pockets with gold, but other party members as well.


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Always listen to your friendly
neighborhood rogue!


DDO Rogues: Sneaking is Awesome

The ability to move around a dungeon undetected is a useful skill. In
DDO,
you get xp for finishing the adventure, not for killing everything
in your path. (Yes, you do get bonus xp depending upon the number of
enemies killed, but the bulk of the xp gained from a quest is for
completion of the quest.) A DDO
rogue doesn’t need to fight
their way through a dungeon, wading through knee-deep pools of blood.
They can sneak their way to the final objective. Being stealthy also
allows for rogues to take point, doing a recon and seeing what enemies
are about and also attempting to detect traps. If a rogue takes the
Rogue Assassin enhancement, they get the cool Assassinate ability where
they can attack from stealth and potentially kill a foe with one shot.
Lastly, there are a number of times where optional objectives in a
quest require the use of stealth.





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DDO Rogues: Very Versatile

Rogues in DDO
are extremely versatile. They are tons of different rogue
builds that a player can choose from. While I play the typical href="http://tentonhammer.com/ddo/guides/rogue-backstabber-build">DPS
backstabber, others can choose
the href="http://tentonhammer.com/ddo/guides/rogue-ranged-repeater-build">ranged
approach. With
DDO’s
system of being able to take a level in another class,
you can mix the abilities of a rogue with those of a cleric, fighter,
monk, or wizard. How you choose to play your DDO
rogue is up to you.
Rogues get the most skill points of any class in DDO,
so you can truly
customize your shadowy alter-ego as you wish. Want them to tumble
around like circus performers or have an amazing jump ability? Just
spend those points in the appropriate skills.


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The happiest sight a rogue
will ever see.



The biggest facet to a DDO
rogue’s versatility is their Use
Magic Device (UMD) skill. They can use this skill to bypass
restrictions on magic items. Thus, an item that can only be used by a
specific race, class, or alignment can be used by one who has a high
enough UMD. The Use Magic Device skill also allows the use of wands and
scrolls. No healer in the group? A rogue can act as a healer by using
healing wands. While the healing won’t be as effective as a
cleric, some healing is way better than no healing. Need a specific
spell cast? By using their UMD skill, a DDO
rogue can cast such spells
from scrolls. All in all, DDO
rogues are much more than just sticking
blades into somebody’s back or picking their pockets.


DDO Rogues: They are Wanted

While there are other things that make DDO
rogues rock (such as sneak
attacks), the last reason, and one of the most important reasons, for
playing a rogue is that THEY
ARE WANTED
. Because of the
reasons listed
above, a group is not a well-rounded group unless they have a competent
rogue with them. As such, DDO
rogues are easily able to join a group.
When I first came back to DDO
and my rogue hit level 5, I remember
getting a tell from someone asking me if I wanted to do a quest. I
actually thought that they had sent me a mistell. Then I received other
invites to join groups. Coming from World
of Warcraft
, I can tell you
that it was a very nice feeling to actually be wanted in a group and
not just some afterthought or tag-along. I still regularly get invites
to join groups whenever I log into the game with my rogue. If you play
a DDO
rogue and are competent, you will be in demand. No longer will
you languish in chat channels, crying out in despair to join a group.
It’s refreshing for rogues to be wanted and sought after.


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alt="ddo rogues - why rogues and their rogue builds rock">

The loneliness is over...



Playing a DDO
rogue truly rocks. The design of the game itself makes
rogues a valuable and desirable class to play. The ability to disarm
traps, open locks, use magic items, sneak, and other abilities,
combined with the sheer versatility of the DDO
rogue, makes playing
them fun and rewarding. While they do dish out the damage, they are far
more than that. Dungeons and
Dragons Online
is the game
where rogues
can truly shine and are appreciated. Why not roll one up and join the
Shadow Brotherhood?


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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