Rogue Creation Guide by Mouscellaneous

Archetype: Offensive Fighter Primary Attributes: STR, DEX, INT Continents: All

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The rogue is primarily an offensive fighter and damage dealer. Rogues gain a large damage bonus from remaining stealthed during combat. Rogues will also have a utility role with lock picking, crowd control, trap removal and pick pocketing.

Strength, dexterity, and vitality are the Rogue's primary attributes. Strength helps the Rogue do as much damage as possible. Dexterity gives him a greater chance of landing critical melee hits. Vitality allows the rogue to regenerate faster in combat.

Building a good Rogue takes some careful planning at the character creation screen and requires you to learn a handful of tactics in the lower levels.

Selecting the Right Race

Rogues of all races start with the same attributes, but the choice of race can affect how many points the Rogue automatically gets placed into its prime attributes.

Starting attributes:

STR	CON	DEX	VIT	INT	WIS
40	40	45	35	25	25

Each character gets 20 attribute points (AP) per level, starting at level 10. 6 of your AP are placed for you automatically--one per attribute (STR, CON, DEX, VIT, INT, WIS). 4 points are assigned to attributes based on your race if you are not a human (humans are kojani, mordebi, qaliathari, and thestran). You can place 10 (14 for humans) wherever you want to within soft caps of 5 per level.

Additionally, characters get racial bonuses to their soft caps. These are called preferred stats and allow characters of a race to flesh out in a way that reflects the traits of the race. Non-human races get 4 bonus points to soft caps (usually two or three attributes only) while human races get 6, 1 for each attribute. Thus, a human can be more balanced, while a non-human becomes more specialized.

The table below shows the attribute scores at level 50 before gear and buffs for the Rogue based on the race selected. We've highlighted the best results for each of the primary attributes for you. It is possible to reach the soft cap for three attributes as a human, but those soft caps may be lower than those attainable by other races.

Racial Abilities

The other important factor to consider when picking the race for your Rogue is racial abilities. With their short durations and long recasts, racial abilities are less important than attributes in the selection process, but they can be used to pick between races that are otherwise equal. The racial abilities are listed below.

Thestran: Inspirational Commands
You will have 3 inspirational commands at your disposal: Inspirational Presence, Inspirational Wisdom, and Inspirational Tactics. Each command is a group buff that will add either 2% to mitigation, a 3% reduction to mana cost of all spells, or a 2% increase in damage. You may only maintain one command at a time, however you may have all 3 effects active at the same time. Recast is instant.

Human Ingenuity: + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

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Dwarf: Earthen Embrace
For 60 seconds, this ability will turn your body to stone. Along with removing all poison effects, you will mitigate 25% damage and become immune to movement impairing spells such as knock back, stun, and snare. Recast is 30 minutes.

Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Mining

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Halfling: Pride of the Vael (WAR only)  or Shroud of the Vael (all but WAR)
Pride of the Vael: This ability will add a vast amount of hate to a single target, and apply a buff on the halfling for 30 seconds. All attacks during this time period will count for double aggro. Recast is 15 minutes.

Shroud of the Vael: This ability will remove 99% of aggro from a single target but keep the halfling in combat. Additionally, for 30 seconds afterwards, any spell cast or attack made will have its aggro reduced to 1% of normal as well. Recast is 15 minutes.

Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Reaping

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Varanjar: Endless Fortitude
For the next 30 seconds, this ability will cut the cost of all endurance/energy spells by half while increasing your spell and melee damage by 25%. Recast is 30 minutes.

Large Race: 2% bonus to mitigation
Crafting: +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting: +5 Quarrying

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Vulmane: Spiritual Bond
This ability will apply an effect to every member in your group, allowing 35% of all damage done by them to return to you in the form of health for 20 seconds. Recast is 15 minutes.

Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
Crafting: +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

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Kojani: Spirit of Jin
This ability will immediately restore 45% of energy and hit points to the target. This ability has a diminishing effect on any target that has benefitted from this ability (used by another player) in the last 10 minutes. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

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Goblin: Hex of Ghalnn
Whoever is afflicted by this hex will return 3% of the mana and hit points for every hit that is made on them. The effect lasts for 60 seconds. Recast is 15 minutes.

Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Mining

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Raki: Planar Shift
While this ability is active, you will gain a 50% mitigation to all spell damage. Recast is 30 minutes.

Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Reaping

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Half Elf: Symbol of Jin
This ability will apply a rune to every member of the group for 60 seconds, which will mitigate damage by 15%. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity: + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

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Qaliathari: Swiftness of the Sands
For this next 10 seconds, you will evade all melee attacks and spells. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

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Dark Elf: Spawn of Haelufir
This ability allows you to summon forth a small drake for a short duration. The type of drake you summon will be based on class and level. Each type of drake will have a variety of effects at their disposal, ranging from group auras, to breath attacks. The higher level drakes will also learn spells that are sympathetic with their associated class. Recast is 30 minutes.

Elven Wisdom: 2% reduction in mana cost
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

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Gnome: Forge Crystal
This ability allows you to operate a variety of devices, only available to gnomes, which are able to materialize a energy crystals. Crystals will have several common effects, ranging from percentage based mana, health, and endurance heals to several uncommon, rare, and even ultra rare effects such as prismatic group resist buffs, rune and damage shields, minion summons, and more.

Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
Crafting: +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting: +5 Mining

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Kurashasa: Symbiotic Armor
When this armor is active you will be protected by a proc (a process that fires under certain conditions). In addition to a rune that mitigates 25% of all types of damage, you have a chance to apply an effect to all enemies within a 20 meter point-blank radius when you attack, cast a spell, or receive damage. Anyone affected by this debuff will become snared and slowed. Recast is 30 minutes.

Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

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Mordebi: Curse of the Ancients
This ability stuns the target for 8 seconds, and reduces the aggro range to 0. The target will not assist/aggro while stunned, and the effect does not generate any aggro. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Reaping

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Level 1-10 Tactics

As you first enter Telon as a rogue, you will have the knowledge for two abilities, Stalk and Wicked Strike. Your first intentions should be the quest(s) that you start right in front of, as they introduce you to the game and combat. At this time, the stalk ability has no real benefit except to sneak past kill-on-sight mobs that you do not want to fight, your first few first will involve you auto-attacking and using Wicked Strike until your opponent is defeated. Mind your health bar after fights, although, you should regenerate fast enough to go directly from one fight to the next.

Through completing the intro quests, you should progress at a decent rate to level 4 or 5, every even level you should make a trip to the Light Fighter Trainer in the starting area to train your skills. The first few skills are as follows:

• Wicked Strike 1 (Level 1) - A cruel strike that inflicts melee damage plus 12.
• Stalk (Level 1) - Using this ability allows you to begin stalking.
• Lacerate 1 (Level 2) - Slashes your target, inflicting 54 to 60 damage over 15 seconds.
• Keen Eye 1 (Level 2) - Increases your damage by 10, your accuracy by 5% and your critical chance by 2% for 12 seconds.
• Backstab 1 (Level 4) - Backstabs your target, inflicting 300% weapon damage plus 26 to 32.
• Pickpocket (Level 4) - This ability allows you to steal items used in rogue poison, flechettes, and scrolls from humanoid NPC's.
• Plunder (Lever 6) - A finishing move that allows you to dig even deeper into your target's pockets, giving you a chance to get more loot.
• Hemorrhage 1 (Level 6) - A finishing attack that causes 79 to 87 damage over 15 seconds.
• Ravage 1 (Level 8) - A deadly attack that inflicts 400% weapon damage, plus 49 to 55.
• Wicked Strike 2 (Level 8) - A cruel strike that inflicts melee damage plus 40.
• Blinding Flash (Level 8) - Throw a flashpowder in your target's face, stunning it for 6 seconds or until damage is done. This also turns off auto-attack
• Smoke Bomb (Level 8) - Using a flashpowder you can blind nearby opponents, allowing you to enter stalking form. If you are actively being attacked, you will not be able to remain stalking.
• Backstab 2 (Level 10) - Backstabs your target, inflicting 300% weapon damage plus 62 to 70.
• Lacerate 2 (Level 10) - Slashes your target, inflicting 130 to 140 damage over 15 seconds.

Fighting Techniques

Through combat, you'll learn that you can mostly pick your fights as a rogue, which gives you a good advantage in soloing. Sneaking past mobs that you don't want to fight is sometimes dangerous though, as they are not deaf, blind, or dumb. Sometimes an aggresive mob will 'think' something uncanny is nearby, being you, they would become alert with blue question marks rising above their heads, and begin to face in your direction. The next course of action is mainly decided by yourself, the rogue, if you are spotted the best idea is to back away from the mob and it will eventually
lose interest in thinking you were sneaking up on it, then you can return and try to get by again. Keep in mind that mobs are far less alert of what's behind them than in front, so don't stand right in front of something and make funny faces expecting to not get attacked.

Before level 4, fighting consists of using your DoT (if you have it yet) and then repeatedly using wicked strike, but once you get backstab and pickpocket, it should be procedure first to steal what is in it's pockets, then backstab it, and then again use lacerate then wicked strike until the mob is dead. Remember that using lacerate while the effect is still on the opponent will overright it, but your endurance (green bar) is more effectively used if you wait until Lacerate wears off.

Stalk

Stalk is one of your most important abilities as a rogue. Besides from looking badass when you do tricks with your daggers when idle in stealth, your damage focus increases through combating in it. When you target an NPC, the rogue class will get an extra little meter on the left hand side of the NPC's name, it looks similar to the Blood Mage's blood rage meter. As you fight in stealth, you will gain focus and deal more damage. There are five levels of Stalk, with which each improvement allows you to focus your attacks even further. Improvements on stalk are gained passively as you progress and will not need to be changed out on your hot bar.

Finishing Attacks

Finishing attacks are a core part of the rogue class, and when used effectively, can make a fight go a lot better in your favor.  Your first two finishing attacks at level 6 include a stronger DoT than Lacerate and another pickpocket ability which works in conjunction with your primary one.   Finishing attacks are triggered by landing a critical shot through one of your primary combat arts, such as wicked strike or backstab. As sparse as this may sound, it happens frequently enough. Using Keen Eye increases your chance for criticals as well as your dexterity stat. When you do hit a critical attack, your finishing attack abilities will light up, with a timer bar on them (a small green bar at the top of the icon), you must use them before the time runs out and also before using another ability.
Essentially, if you score a critical hit, your next combat art should be a finishing attack. NOTE: If you do not have enough endurance to use the finishing attack you want after scoring your critical attack, don't use any combat arts and you will regain enough endurance before the timer is up. Endurance replenishes very quickly when you are not using combat arts.

Flash Powder

Flash powders are very useful to keep in plentiful supply as a rogue, you can purchase them from the rogue trainer for 10 morsens for a stack of 50. They also go into the poison bag you can also purchase from the rogue trainer, which is a 50 slot bag used for all your poison, scrolls, and components you will use at a higher level.

Your level 8 abilities Blinding Flash and Smoke Bomb both require flash powders. Blinding Flash is a primary method a rogue will use in solo. At this point you will want to sneak up on the mob you are planning on assaulting, opening the attack with Ravage, then use Blinding Flash to stun the mob so you can reposition yourself and Backstab. NOTE: Any damage done to the mob while it is stunned will break the stun, it is advised to use Blinding Flash then backstab BEFORE using your DoTs, or you will have a lot of trouble trying to pull this trick off correctly.

Smoke bomb is very useful in groups. As a rogue, you will want to fight in stealth for the added damage. If you are attacked your stealth will break, and you cannot recast it in combat. Smoke Bomb uses two flash powders and puts you back into stealth. Your stealth won't be broken the majority of the time in a group, but every so often you will get hit by an area effect, so this comes in handy for slipping back into the shadows where you belong.

The Right Weapon for the Right Rogue

Your weapon is your lifeline, having a good weapon means having good damage.  Piercing weapons are principle, and daggers are more characteristic. A rogue can use any one handed weapon, even clubs and other crushing weapons, but some of your skills REQUIRE piercing, such as backstab. The DPS rating is the the key factor in selecting a weapon, stat bonuses are also nice, but if you can find a weapon with a higher DPS rating and low stat bonuses, the DPS rating is king. Dual wielding provides the highest damage output, but you may also choose to use a parrying dagger in your secondary when soloing, this will greatly reduce the damage you take.

As for ranged weapons, you can use bows, crossbows, and throwing weapons, though some of your skills later on will require throwing daggers so it's best to build your skill up at an early level. As a side note, throwing daggers are equiped into the ranged slot instead of a bow and used with the ranged attack ability.

Know your Role in a Group

Rogues aren't tanks. I repeat, rogues are not tanks. Your DPS is accumulated from fighting behind the mob and in stealth. Your utility most of the time requires you to be in stealth. Tanking means no stealth, no stealth means you lose a lot of your inherent ability to contribute to a group.

Poisons, Scrolls, and other cool rogue toys

These become available after completing a quest at level 20. More info coming soon. 

Other Rogue Resources at Ten Ton Hammer

• Rogue Class Guide
• Rogue Skills & Abilities (coming soon!)
• Know Your Role - Offensive Figther
• Guide to Vanguard Statistics
  

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