TBC Rogue – P1 Best-in-slot (BiS) Gear, Weapons & Trinkets
Video version of this guide:
Before we get started with the bis rogue gear you may asking, “Sno what about pre-bis?”
Should you get pre-bis gear?
Mostly no – skip it and go right to p1 bis. Pre-bis is a waste of time for the large majority of people. Phase 1 TBC is mostly a catch up and prep phase for people to level up their characters and get adjusted into TBC.
The only raids are made up of Karazhan, a 10 man raid, and two mini instances with Gruul’s Lair and Magtheridon. Think of it like a harder ZG/UBRS and a couple harder, Onyxia-like bosses. This means some of your bis gear is actually just from farming dungeons and raid dps parsing/competition is fairly low in P1.
Since your actual p1 bis gear can be so easily farmed, it doesn’t really make sense to go farm pre-bis gear unless you’re bored. This is especially true for people coming from classic with Naxx gear, which will last you just fine all the way until you replace it with p1 bis.
TBC Rogue Phase 1 (P1) BIS
Here are my recommendations for rogue P1 bis and the rough dps gains vs. naxx gear (if coming from classic):
Note: The main key as far as set bonuses go is you usually want to mix some combination of 2 Netherblade and 2 Wastewalker set pieces. I give the best overall option below IF you have full bis, but you might use slightly different combinations of the 2 sets until you actually have all the pieces needed for the below ‘full bis’ setup.
What items should I prio?
Here’s my top 3 items for my own prio, but keep in mind that most guilds are not doing guild loot for Karazhan, which means all my prios are literally just the items I want from Gruul/Mag raids.
- Dragonspine Trophy
- T4 Chest
- T4 Legs
Everything else on my bis list is from Karazhan/Heroics which means I don’t need to worry about prio-ing it. If your guild does prio in Karazhan though, then you can look down the list below and see which are the highest dps gains (but I’d obviously put Spiteblade way up there in that case).
Below is a more detailed breakdown of the rough dps gains per item.
Sim Notes: Sims done as roughly full bis Naxx geared undead rogue with basic combat swords talent build + full raid buffs and consumes in a 3 minute fight. Enemies are set to 6200 armor and bis-ish gems are added where applicable for dps numbers.
Netherblade Facemask
- Drops: Prince Malchezaar (Karazhan)
- +19 to 20 dps vs. Bonescythe Helmet
- Really nice 2 piece set bonus adds more potential dps in longer fights
Cowl of Defiance
- Drops: Netherspite (Karazhan)
- +25 to 26 dps vs. Bonescythe Helmet
- Can beat Netherblade Facemask 1 to 1, but missing meta slot and and potential added set +dps benefits
Malefic Mask of the Shadows
- Drops: High King Maulgar (Gruul’s Lair)
- +24 to 25 dps vs. Bonescythe Helmet
- Can beat Netherblade Facemask 1 to 1, but missing meta slot and and potential added set +dps benefits
Wastewalker Helm
- Drops: Epoch Hunter (Heroic: Old Hillsbrad Foothills)
- +7 to 8 dps vs. Bonescythe Helmet
- Benefits from a bit more +dps gain if using with other wastewalker item for 2 piece set bonus
Choker of Vile Intent
- Drops: 25x Badge of Justice (heroic badge reward)
- +10 dps vs. Prestor’s Talisman of Connivery
- Easy choice – get this, badges are easy to farm once you can do heroics
Braided Eternium Chain
- Drops: Crafted via Jewelcrafting
- -7 dps loss BUT the buff adds +45 atk power to you and party (aka. this evens out the dps loss and is also a greater gain for your group)
- Makes sense to bring this with you and cycle it in for the buff if you want to be sweaty/nice group member
Worgen Claw Necklace
- Drops: Attumen the Huntsman (Karazhan)
- +9 dps vs. Prestor’s Talisman of Connivery
- Solid option for skipping Badge farm since it’s almost identical +dps vs. a Choker of Vile Intent but more stamina
Wastewalker Shoulderpads
- Drops: Avatar of the Martyred (Heroic: Auchenai Crypts)
- +14 dps vs Bonescythe
- Benefits from a bit more +dps gain if using with other wastewalker item for 2 piece set bonus
Netherblade Shoulderpads
- Drops: High King Maulgar (Gruul’s Lair)
- +14 dps vs Bonescythe
- Good 1 to 1 vs. wastewalker, but most will go wastewalker over these and use other netherblade pieces for the 2 set
Bladed Shoulderpads of the Merciless
- Drops: Chess event reward (Karazhan)
- +16 dps vs Bonescythe
- Good, but worse than wastewalker when including it’s set bonus
Drape of the Dark Reavers
- Drops: Shade of Aran (Karazhan)
- +18 dps vs. Shroud of Dominion
Vengeance Wrap
- Drops: Crafted from Tailoring
- +13 dps vs. Shroud of Dominion
Auchenai Death Shroud
- Drops: Avatar of the Martyred (Heroic: Auchenai Crypts)
- +12 dps vs. Shroud of Dominion
Cloak of the Pit Stalker
- Drops: Magtheridon (Magtheridon’s Lair)
- +7 to 8 dps vs. Shroud of Dominion
Terrorweave Tunic
- Drops: Doomwalker (Shadowmoon Valley – open world boss)
- +34 dps vs. Bonescythe Chest
- Requires a guild that kills world bosses (or pug raid with crazy good /random luck)
Netherblade Chestpiece
- Drops: Magtheridon (Magtheridon’s Lair)
- +27 dps vs. Bonescythe Chest
- Much easier to get option if your guild isn’t a world boss killing guild
Primalstrike Vest
- Drops: Crafted by Elemental Leatherworking
- +23 dps vs. Bonescythe Chest
- Expensive – only a temp pickup for people with tons of money
Wastewalker Tunic
- Drops: Keli’dan the Breaker (Heroic: Blood Furnace)
- +10 dps vs. Bonescythe Chest
- Benefits from a bit more +dps gain if using with 1 other wastewalker item for 2 piece set bonus
Nightfall Wristguards
- Drops: Epoch Hunter (Heroic: Old Hillsbrad Foothills)
- +6 to 7 dps vs. Bonescythe Bracers
Spymistress’s Wristguards
- Drops: ‘The Soul Devices’ quest reward (Shadow Labyrinth instance)
- +4 to 5 dps vs. Bonescythe Bracers
- Easy ‘freebie’ pickup while waiting for Nightfall Wristguards to drop (or if you don’t care about the small pve dps difference)
Primalstrike Bracers
- Drops: Crafted by Elemental Leatherworking
- +6 dps vs. Bonescythe Bracers
- Expensive – only temp pickup for people with a lot of gold
Wastewalker Gloves
- Drops: Warchief Kargath Bladefist (The Shattered Halls)
- +3 dps vs. Bonescythe Gloves
- Small dps gain on paper, but pairs really well as a 2nd piece of wastewalker for the set bonus
Netherblade Gloves
- Drops: The Curator (Karazhan)
- +14 dps vs. Bonescythe Gloves
Gloves of Dexterous Manipulation
- Drops: Attumen the Huntsman (Karazhan)
- +14 to 15 dps vs. Bonescythe Gloves
Grips of Deftness
- Drops: Trash drop (Karazhan)
- +14 dps vs. Bonescythe Gloves
Fel Leather Gloves
- Drops: Crafted by Leatherworking
- +15 dps vs. Bonescythe Gloves
- Decent pickup if waiting for raid drops and have the money
Girdle of the Deathdealer
- Drops: Aeonus (Heroic: The Black Morass)
- +22 dps vs. Bonescythe Waistguard
- Huge dps upgrade for 1 item, especially since it’s not even a raid drop
Gronn-Stitched Girdle
- Drops: Gruul the Dragonkiller (Gruul’s Lair)
- +17 to 18 dps vs. Bonescythe Waistguard
Girdle of Treachery
- Drops: Chess event reward (Karazhan)
- +13 to 14 dps vs. Bonescythe Waistguard
Primalstrike Belt
- Drops: Crafted by Elemental Leatherworking
- +9 dps vs. Bonescythe Waistguard
- Expensive – only a temp pickup for people with a lot of gold
Netherblade Breeches
- Drops: Gruul the Dragonkiller (Gruul’s Lair)
- +30 dps vs. Bonescythe Legplates
Skulker’s Greaves
- Drops: Netherspite (Karazhan)
- +34 dps vs. Bonescythe Legplates
- Great alternative option if not needing Netherblade legs for the 2 set tier bonus
Midnight Legguards
- Drops: Quagmirran (Heroic: The Slave Pens)
- +18 dps vs. Bonescythe Legplates
Fel Leather Leggings
- Drops: Crafted by Leatherworking
- +22 to 23 dps vs. Bonescythe Legplates
- Decent +dps gains if wanting something while waiting for raid drops and have moneys
Wastewalker Leggings
- Drops: Nexus-Prince Shaffar (Heroic: Mana-tombs)
- +16 to 17 dps vs. Bonescythe Legplates
Edgewalker Longboots
- Drops: Moroes (Karazhan)
- +24 dps vs. Bonescythe Sabatons
- Huge dps upgrade for 1 item – they’re even bis in P2 as well
Fel Leather Boots
- Drops: Crafted from Leatherworking
- +17 dps vs. Bonescythe Sabatons
- Solid option if wanting to be sweaty min/max while waiting for Edgewalkers to drop and have moneys
Ring of Reciprocity
- Drops: Doom Lord Kazzak – open world boss (Hellfire Peninsula)
- +13 to 14 dps vs Bonescythe Ring
- Great option, but most would skip this due to it being an open world boss drop
Ring of a Thousand Marks
- Drops: Prince Malchezaar (Karazhan)
- +13 dps vs. Bonescythe Ring
Garona’s Signet Ring
- Drops: The Curator (Karazhan)
- +12 to 13 dps vs. Bonescythe Ring
Violet Signet of the Master Assassin
- Drops: Exalted rep reward (‘The Violet Eye’ reputation – Karazhan)
- +9 dps vs. Bonescythe Ring
- ‘Freebie’ ring similar to the AQ40 reputation ring reward
Ring of the Recalcitrant
- Drops: Magtheridon’s Head quest reward (Magtheridon’s Lair)
- +5 to 6 dps vs. Bonescythe Ring
Sunfury Bow of the Phoenix
- Drops: Prince Malchezaar (Karazhan)
- +9 to 10 dps vs. Stiker’s Mark
Veteran’s Musket / Marksman’s Bow
- Drops: Exalted reputation vendor (Thrallmar if Horde / Honor Hold if Alliance)
- +9 dps vs. Striker’s Mark
Barrel-Blade Longrifle
- Drops: Doomwalker (open world boss – Shadowmoon Valley)
- +9 dps vs. Striker’s Mark
Spinesever
- Drops: Rare drop from Strong Junkboxes (pick pocketed only)
- +7 dps vs. Striker’s Mark
- Benefit of allowing you to use ‘Deadly Throw’ ability (particularly useful in pvp)
Xavian Stiletto
- Drops: Terestian Illhoof (Karazhan)
- +5 dps vs. Striker’s Mark
- Benefit of allowing you to use ‘Deadly Throw’ ability (particularly useful in pvp)
Sethekk Feather-Darts
- Drops: Darkweaver Syth (Sethekk Halls)
- +3 dps vs. Striker’s Mark
- Benefit of allowing you to use ‘Deadly Throw’ ability (particularly useful in pvp)
Felsteel Whisper Knives
- Drops: Crafted with Blacksmithing
- +5 dps vs. Striker’s Mark
- Benefit of allowing you to use ‘Deadly Throw’ ability (particularly useful in pvp)
Shuriken of Negation
- Drops: Gruul the Dragonkiller (Gruul’s Lair)
- -1 dps vs. Striker’s Mark
- Benefit of allowing you to use ‘Deadly Throw’ ability (particularly useful in pvp)
- Not very good for pve dps unfortunately
Rogue P1 BIS DPS Trinkets
Below is a rough guide to P1 DPS trinket options and which are your best trinket options. Keep in mind trinket performance can vary depending on fight situation, uptime in the fight, mob type and boss armor values – so keep these recommendations as a rough guide as some fights may have unique setups that perform better than others.
Rough rogue trinket rankings:
- Dragonspine Trophy
- Bloodlust Brooch/Mark of the Champion (only on demon/undead)
- Slayer’s Crest
- Abacus of Violent Odds/Romulo’s Poison Vial
- Kiss of the Spider/Drake Fang Talisman
Passive vs. active trinket dps gain can REALLY change depending on the length of the fight and how many active trinket uses you get over the course of a fight.
Active trinkets also tend to perform better in fights where you move in and out of the fight and can stack your dps to happen during your ‘in’ period.
Trinket are listed roughly in bis to worst options in a 3 min fight using the same sim settings mentioned at the start of this guide.
- Drops: Gruul the Dragonkiller (Gruul’s Lair)
- +32 to 33 dps vs. Drake Fang Talisman
- +19 to 20 dps vs. Slayer’s Crest
- Rogue scale really well with haste due to the combat potency talent, so this trinket continues to stay bis in PvE through all of TBC
How good is DST vs. next best options in P1?
Here’s the rough dps gains stepping up to Dragonspine Trophy assuming you have Bloodlust Brooch in your other trinket slot already (which you should eventually since it’s a ‘freebie’ trinket).
- +27 to 28 dps vs. Slayer’s Crest
- +23 dps vs. Romulo’s Poison Vial
- +32 dps vs. Abacus of Violent Odds
- +33 dps vs. Hourglass of the Unraveller
How good is DST vs. next best options in later TBC?
I simmed DST vs. big trinket pickups such as Blackened Naaru Silver in late TBC. These numbers may change down the line with other gear, but at least these can give you a rough view of how good DST stays during the remainder of TBC.
- -24 dps vs. Blackened Naaru Sliver (this will be your bis trinket late TBC with DST typically occupying your 2nd slot)
- +2 dps vs. Berserker’s Call
- +7 dps vs. Warp-Spring Coil
- +7 to 8 dps vs. Madness of the Betrayer
- +12 dps vs. Ashtongue Talisman of Lethality
- +19 dps vs. Tsunami Talisman
Also keep in mind again the difference in passive vs. active trinket. In a 2 or 3 min boss fight it’s easier to compare sustained dps, but in short encounters such as vs. fast dying trash mobs, the passive trinket will often outperform an active trinket due to not being able to take advantage of the active.
- Drops: Reward for 41x Badge of Justice (vendor)
- +4 to 5 dps vs. Slayer’s Crest
- +9 dps vs. Drake Fang Talisman
- ‘Freebie’ pickup from Badges and also our 2nd best-ish trinket in P1
- Drops: Pathaleon the Calculator (The Mechanar)
- -3 to 4 dps vs. Slayer’s Crest
- +5 dps vs. Drake Fang Talisman
- Note that haste can have more value when stacked with other haste
- Drops: Julianne (Karazhan)
- -4 dps vs. Slayer’s Crest
- +9 dps vs. Drake Fang Talisman
- Drops: Temporus (The Black Morass)
- -13 dps vs. Slayer’s Crest
- 0 to -1 dps vs. Drake Fang Talisman
- This trinket sucks unless you’re a newer rogue and just need a filler trinket (it does beat the freebie quested ‘Bladefist’s Breadth’ trinket from Hellfire Peninsula)
- Drops: Kel’Thuzad (Naxxramas)
- Equal-ish with a Bloodlust Brooch in overall dps gain (except it’s a passive of course) IF fighting undead/demon
- Still very good trinket to have for niche undead/demon situations (especially on trash dps where passive trinkets shine)
- Drops: Sapphiron (Naxxramas)
- -4 to 5 dps vs. Bloodlust Brooch
- Still a great trinket to have in your 2nd trinket slot while waiting for that juicy DST
- Drops: Maexxna (Naxxramas)
- -8 to 9 dps vs. Bloodlust Brooch
- Falls a little lower than Slayer’s Crest due to changes in stats from classic to TBC, but still an okay 2nd trinket until you get DST
- Drops: Ebonroc (Blackwing Lair)
- -10 dps vs. Bloodlust Brooch
- Still one of the better passive trinkets you can have until you get that juicy DST
- Drops: Sartura (AQ40)
- An interesting usage trinket because it drops off heavily and sucks in fights longer than 40-45~ seconds BUT it’s bis if it’s a super short fight (eg 30 second fight)
- Use only in niche situations such as on non armor shredded trash where you can get full 30 second value with a nice blade flurry or fights that end insanely fast if you don’t have DST/Brooch
Rogue P1 BIS Weapons
So let’s talk weapons. Thankfully it’s fairly straight forward. If you care about performing to your best then you’ll be playing combat swords/maces in TBC (especially since bis level swords are low competition/easy to get in P1).
I explain in more detail about dagger/fist dps and why rogues are now all sword/mace spec only in the tbc rogue basics p1 guide, so I won’t be re-covering the topic here. The bottom line is sword/mace out classes everything else AND we have basically no competition for these drops in P1 of TBC, which means everyone is going swords outside of ‘for fun’ specs.
Here’s my rough recommendation and rankings:
More detailed breakdowns:
Gladiator’s Slicer
- Drops: Season 1 arena reward (2625 Arena Points)
- +64 to 65 dps vs. Gressil
- Probably late pickup if chosen (most min/max pvping rogues would prefer taking armor first and get a similar mh sword elsewhere)
Dragonmaw
- Drops: Crafted by Blacksmithing (Hammersmith)
- +61 to 62 dps vs. Gressil
- Requires talent change (see tbc rogue basics p1 guide)
- Requires you to keep Blacksmith profession (not recommended long term if you pve+pvp due to JC/Engy being high value)
Spiteblade
- Drops: Netherspite (Karazhan)
- +60 dps vs. Gressil
- Most likely pickup for most rogues p1 bis (low competition + good drop rate)
Hope Ender
- Drops: Doom Lord Kazzak (open world boss – Hellfire Peninsula)
- +58 dps vs. Gressil
Blinkstrike
- Drops: Open world rare drop
- +49 dps vs. Gressil
Vindicator’s Brand
- Drops: Reputation reward (Exalted – The Aldor)
- +35 dps vs. Gressil
- Decent placeholder weapon if you’re having bad rng on Spiteblade and you have the Aldor reputation to grab this
Gladiator’s Quickblade
- Drops: S1 arena reward (1125 arena points)
- +44 dps vs. Iblis
- Great weapon, but Latro’s is super easy to get so most rogues will pick that instead unless they have extra arena points
Latro’s Shifting Sword
- Drops: Aeonus (The Black Morass)
- +41 dps vs. Iblis
- The default bis offhand for all rogues in P1. Super fast, good stats and easy to get from simple Black Morass runs
Blazeguard
- Drops: Crafted (Blacksmithing – Swordsmith)
- +33 dps vs. Iblis
- Decent weapon, but not worth locking into swordsmithing just for this weapon
King’s Defender
- Drops: Chess event reward (Karazhan)
- +17 dps vs. Iblis
- Don’t take this from a tank who actually wants this (unless no one needs it)
Scimitar of the Nexus-Stalkers
- Drops: Tavarok (Mana-tombs)
- +2 dps vs. Iblis (surprisingly performs well due to combat potency procs)
- Just an easy to get off-hand weapon if you’re a fresh leveling rogue needing a quick filler to hold you over until you get Latro’s (if you’re already 70 just go farm a Latro’s instead though)
Revenger
- Drops: Commander Sarannis (The Botanica)
- -1 dps vs. Iblis
- Only grab it if fresh rogue and it happens to drop on your way to 70