src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/71518"> face="Calibri" size="3">

face="Calibri" size="3">That all too familiar
noise.  You enter the shadows, unseen and unheard.... well,
maybe not unheard these days.  But when the time comes to
strike at the unwary, is the correct attack for you
unknown?   Not every mob should be cheap
shotted.  Not every monster will bleed out a
garrote.  We'll break down the openers for World of Warcraft
Rogues and give you an idea of how to start off the killing
spree. 

 

[protip] Remember that you have distract! Use this to make opponents
face away the moment before impact for the opener of choice![/protip]

face="Calibri" size="3">Who
uses it?  - Subtlety
Rogues, and that's it.  It's not for damage, either. 

And what do they get out of it?
-
Despite the large numbers and percentages involved, unless you are
ambushing a normal enemy for a daily quest or a player in PvP, it just
doesn't scale very well.  Ambush is used when the monster will
die outright, you want to show off a big yellow number opening, or to
activate Waylay and cripple your target.  Even though you can
use this move more during Shadow Dance, it still lacks the punch needed
to compete with other openers for more serious business than grey
opponents. 

 

face="Calibri" size="3">Who
uses it? - More or less
everyone looking to do undispellable damage over time. 

And what do they get out of it?
-
Garrote has gone from being a joke to reliably being our highest damage
opener.  The problem is, it requires our enemy to be facing
away, something that isn't always an option during a pull and we need
to start killing our target ASAP in PvE.  Be ready to blow
your sprint in order to land this, and it should be your opener as
Assassination in PvE so you can instantly activate Hunger for Blood
rather than wait to drop a Rupture.  Since everyone worth a
damn will trinket out of a cheap shot if you spring up on them, this is
your most reliable opener against everything but dwarves. 
Don't forget about the silence component!  It can give you the
time you need to build a combo on any caster. 

 

face="Calibri" size="3">Who
uses it? - If you have the
talent, obviously! 

And what do you get out of it?
-
Some really nasty setups.  I love how I can have a 5 point
combo by the time my garrote silence ends.  It should be used
every time you're preparing to open up on a target with no exception
now that the cooldown isn't absurd.  Against the
unprepared,  you can drop a 5 point kidney shot  by
the time the silence wears off and effectively destroy warlocks before
they can cast.  Ahh, the life of the Rogue is not without some
benefits in PvP still. 

face="Calibri" size="3">Who
uses it - If you play a rogue,
you use this. 

And what do you get out of it?
-
2 points, a 4 second stun, and the target being really pissed off that
they just got cheap shotted and are being stabbed repeatedly. 
This is probably the most hated ability in the game for Rogues simply
because the sound and impact of it are so familiar after a
while.  The energy cost is quite high, but the return is high
as well.  If your PvE target is going to last a good while,
this is your opener of choice rather than just slaughtering them
outright.  In the time it takes for most players to react, you
should be able to build a 4 point combo in preparation for a trinket
escape.  It's up to you at that point if a kidney shot is your
next move.  This has far less worth against Mages due to
blink. 

 

Picking the right opener for your target is essential to being the best
Rogue in the business.  Opening with Cheap Shot against every
target will get you burned horribly against Mages, opening with Garrote
against Dwarves, don't be that guy!  Energy Management is just
as important as building those combo points, so keep that in mind when
unleashing hell in PvP.  If you Cheap Shot and then Sinister
Strike, you're suddenly out of energy completely.  Don't get
taken out because you mashed buttons and couldn't kick. Use your energy
wisely and use those openers to get the early advantage! 
They're a unique aspect of combat to us and the benefits are not to be
underestimated.  That is, unless you'd prefer to Mutilate or
Sinister Strike out of stealth.  You're on your own there
buddy.