Questions for the experts

[Dark-Star]

I am an experienced player, but thus far my only experiences with the rogue class have been minor splashes, which I don't consider really playing the class.

A pure or mostly pure rogue is my last class to try, and before I build one, I want to explore a few questions for the rogue veterans:

1. How often does Deception work? Is there a difference at low levels vs. high levels? Is it percentage based or DC based? Are you able to solo with a Deception weapon?

2. Bluff... maxed out does it work routinely enough to use it? Does the fact that it is not instant make it a hinderance? Can you solo with a good bluff skill?

3. Does Diplo allow sneak attacks when it works?

4. Improved Feint.... find it works well? Well enough to warrant the feat investment?

5. Can you solo with your rogue end game? As examples can you solo in the Desert, Orchard, Vale?

6. What are typical unboosted AC levels you see on rogues, both str and dex based?

7. Dex-based vs. str-based.... is there a general consensus as to what is better for combat rogues?

8. Way of the Assasin.... for those of you that have it, find it worth it? Which of the three poisons do you generally use most?

9. Does sneak attack damage apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage?

10. The 2 str damage on sneak attacks one can choose at level 10.... how effective are you finding it to be? On paper this seems like one of the best things rogues get.

11. Ranged sneak attack.... using a repeater or the Many Shot feat with a bow, this seems like a very effective way to do sneak attack damage, i.e. one can quickly chose which mob has already been aggroed by a melee class and finish it off fast. Is this as good as it seems? Is the 30 foot restriction an issue?

12. Combat rogues... you find yourselves taking aggro fromt he tanks a lot?

Thanks for your time.

[ghale]

I am an experienced player, but thus far my only experiences with the rogue class have been minor splashes, which I don't consider really playing the class.

A pure or mostly pure rogue is my last class to try, and before I build one, I want to explore a few questions for the rogue veterans:

1. How often does Deception work? Is there a difference at low levels vs. high levels? Is it percentage based or DC based? Are you able to solo with a Deception weapon?

Deception has about 3-5% chance of proccing I believe with no difference between high and low levels. I haven't checked my logs but it doesn't seem to have a save. If it procs the mob will be affected. If you are unable to solo without a deception weapon, having one won't make that much of a difference.

2. Bluff... maxed out does it work routinely enough to use it? Does the fact that it is not instant make it a hinderance? Can you solo with a good bluff skill?

I haven't tried on new content but maxed it works pretty good. I find it too much a hinderance not being instant like intimidate/diplomacy where I often don't use it though. Again it is one of those things if you can't solo without it, it won't make that big of a difference by itself.

3. Does Diplo allow sneak attacks when it works?

I don't believe if you are solo it does (going along with your previous line of questioning) but I haven't tested it that much.

4. Improved Feint.... find it works well? Well enough to warrant the feat investment?

It does, sometimes work well. For me I found it not to be worth two feats, for a timer attack that can't be used in your attack chain (this part may be different now, it has been since mod 4 when I used it).

5. Can you solo with your rogue end game? As examples can you solo in the Desert, Orchard, Vale?

Rogues are probably one of the weaker solo characters. You can max out hide/sneak and stealth through quests that don't involve killing things, but quests where you have to have fight a lot aren't worth the effort. You would be better off with a cleric/wiz/sorc for soloing.

6. What are typical unboosted AC levels you see on rogues, both str and dex based?

You can probably get in the 40s without too much effort as either. Dex based will generally have about 3-4 more ac than a str based build. Their is potential for higher but I believe it involves multi-classing or sacrificing other things.

7. Dex-based vs. str-based.... is there a general consensus as to what is better for combat rogues?

Damage wise, the Str based rogue will have a higher DPS especially when you get aggro. It will also be more affective against mobs that are immune to sneak attacks, or have high-dr (although transmuting weapons help with the dr for most mobs). The trade off is you'll lose out a couple points on dex skills and have a slightly lower reflex save which will be more noticeable on elite where they increased save DC vs. traps.

A rogue built for combat will usually end up being really high dps either way str or dex, where in most pugs you'll have trouble. Even with all the aggro reducing enhancements/weapons you still have to be careful sometimes :(.

8. Way of the Assasin.... for those of you that have it, find it worth it? Which of the three poisons do you generally use most?

With the new increase it might be more worth it. I used to have it as well when it first came out and wasn't really that impressed. The poison proc rate was so low and mobs generally died quick. Plus the +20 to confirm crits was not really helpful at high levels as if you are hitting the mob you'll more than likely confirm the crit anyway.

Again haven't tried it since you could pick your poison though.

9. Does sneak attack damage apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage?

Will have to check :).

10. The 2 str damage on sneak attacks one can choose at level 10.... how effective are you finding it to be? On paper this seems like one of the best things rogues get.

Most mobs die to fast to really notice it do anything. Usually if you are getting sneak attacks you aren't being hit so hard to tell.

11. Ranged sneak attack.... using a repeater or the Many Shot feat with a bow, this seems like a very effective way to do sneak attack damage, i.e. one can quickly chose which mob has already been aggroed by a melee class and finish it off fast. Is this as good as it seems? Is the 30 foot restriction an issue?

In theory it seems good but the range isn't quite as good as you would think. Even though it should be 30 feet it generally feels like a lot less to get the bonus on ranged attacks. I don't usually range though so someone else would be better to answer that.

12. Combat rogues... you find yourselves taking aggro fromt he tanks a lot?

Unfortunately or fortunately, you don't even really to specialize much in combat to take aggro from the average tank. If you pug a lot you'll run into issues a lot more often where you are going to really have to pay attention to your DPS. If you have a solid group with players you know are great dps you won't have to worry so much. This holds true as either a str/dex based rogue.

I currently have a build I'm almost done leveling that I am really unsure if I will get to pug as it might be too powerful in a random group. This is when skills like diplomacy and bluff can help out though.

If you are interested in playing a high dps class that is both versatile and challenging, I would definitely go for rogue.

Thanks for your time.

Ahhhh so many questions....will answer some for now :). Answers in red.

[dungeonrat07]

Here is something to think about! Again I am no expert! The wizards main thing is spells and the fighter's is feats. The Rogue's is skills and like the fighter they start of easy and become harder to play! Also like the fighter you do not want to be a jack of all trades and a master of none! Yes the fighter wants some diversity and so does the rogue but not at the point of becoming a bard. The bard is the jack of all trades because skills and feats are their bread and butter. If the fighter is on one side of the spectrum and the Rogue on the other side the bard is the middle man. The bard by the way is the one class that is alway the hards to play never quit the fighter or the rogue but always in the middle. Again this is just general and simplified! A fighters best friend though is ether a rogue or bard.

This is an example and there are many play styles. The fighter graps agro and blocks. The rogue flanks, attacks first getting back attacks, then the fighter attacks they should get a bonus attack as well! This takes practice!! All the time the bard can dance in out helping both the fighter and the rogue!

[Angelus_dead]

1. How often does Deception work? Is there a difference at low levels vs. high levels? Is it percentage based or DC based? Are you able to solo with a Deception weapon?
Deception works on 5% of hits, and lasts maybe 5 seconds. Not only do you get sneak attacks during this time, but the monster looks away and steps off from you. That taking a step can be a problem, because it may move outside of your reach, and you must chase a little (cutting into your number of sneak attacks).

Deception weapons are sometimes worth it. They are more valuable the more sneak-attack damage you have. For example, at low level you have 1d6 sneak, and Deception is worse than Pure Good or something else that adds d6 to every hit. But at high level with 8d6+14 sneak, deception can be valuable. It should only be used when solo (or acting like solo, meaning you have more aggro than anyone else).


2. Bluff... maxed out does it work routinely enough to use it? Does the fact that it is not instant make it a hinderance? Can you solo with a good bluff skill?
It works enough if you buy full points in it, but don't bother. The slow bluff animation, long cooldown, and especially the fact that it only gives you ONE sneak attack makes it very not worth it.


3. Does Diplo allow sneak attacks when it works?
It did when I tried, but that was a long long time ago. Obviously, diplo won't work if you're alone (well, it used to, but not anymore). If you're not alone, chances are other players will be pulling aggro on their own and you won't need to diplo.


4. Improved Feint.... find it works well? Well enough to warrant the feat investment?
Its not worth it in general. It is very slightly worth it if you also have Cleave, and you pull up a bunch of mobs, feint them, then cleave-sneak them all. But that costs 4 feats... and for what? A cool trick that only works solo. There's no real need for that. It still doesn't overcome the fundamental problem with bluff: A long cooldown time in exchange for a SINGLE sneak attack opportunity.


5. Can you solo with your rogue end game? As examples can you solo in the Desert, Orchard, Vale?
Sure you can solo those outdoor zones... although that's more a question of weapon enhancements than any sneak attack. Orchard undeads and Vale devils are beatable with disruption / banishment. For gnolls/orges in desert/vale, I often use TWF +5 deception weapons... it works well enough for me, but I wouldn't highly recommend it for others.


6. What are typical unboosted AC levels you see on rogues, both str and dex based?
Well,
10 base + 1 halfling + 12 dex + 6 armor + 2 chaosgarde + 3 chattering + 1 dodge + 4 CE + 7 shield = 46. But I think that's quite a bit above average.


7. Dex-based vs. str-based.... is there a general consensus as to what is better for combat rogues?
Both are functional enough.


8. Way of the Assasin.... for those of you that have it, find it worth it? Which of the three poisons do you generally use most?
I tried it... it's not remotely worth it. The upcoming improved version might be.


9. Does sneak attack damage apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage?
Yes


10. The 2 str damage on sneak attacks one can choose at level 10.... how effective are you finding it to be? On paper this seems like one of the best things rogues get.
It is the best rogue special ability. Particularly if you are TWF, and you get double sneak attacks on your first hit on a monster... that's like you just gave yourself +2 AC and +2 DR. If you have weakening enfeebling weapons its even better (and those are much cheaper than wounding puncturing)


11. Ranged sneak attack.... using a repeater or the Many Shot feat with a bow, this seems like a very effective way to do sneak attack damage, i.e. one can quickly chose which mob has already been aggroed by a melee class and finish it off fast. Is this as good as it seems? Is the 30 foot restriction an issue?
Its not horrible, but it isn't good either. The cooldown on manyshot is too much for it to be a decent payoff for the investment of many feats (especially since Manyshot is tied to BAB, and rogues have less BAB than a ranger). A rogue who wants to help with damage should really go for melee most of the time... the attack rate is so much better. Your AC is better too, and if you pull aggro you have the ability to block for about +20 DR.

Plus its easy to be outside the 30 feet. I would recommend ranged-sneak attacking builds only to a player who lacks the personal dexerity to chase monsters with the WASDs and who'd like to stand in place and tab from mob to mob.


12. Combat rogues... you find yourselves taking aggro fromt he tanks a lot?
That's a lot rarer since the introduction of the Subtle Backstabber enhancement (and the Treason weapon). Plus at high level, it's more a question of "Can ANY tank take aggro from the sorcerer?"

[GuitarHero]

Didn't read the other two replies before posting, so as to offer my opinion truthfully. Will read them afterwards, of course.


I am an experienced player, but thus far my only experiences with the rogue class have been minor splashes, which I don't consider really playing the class.

A pure or mostly pure rogue is my last class to try, and before I build one, I want to explore a few questions for the rogue veterans:

1. How often does Deception work? Is there a difference at low levels vs. high levels? Is it percentage based or DC based? Are you able to solo with a Deception weapon?

Deception is a slight chance per hit. It shouldn't be used as a primary method of gaining sneak attack, as one of the main reasons you don't want aggro is so you don't die. Deception does nothing against aggro, but simply acts as a temporary bluff. Otherwise, i dual wield the suckers!

2. Bluff... maxed out does it work routinely enough to use it? Does the fact that it is not instant make it a hinderance? Can you solo with a good bluff skill?

Bluff is a bit too slow without the improved feint feat, but if you are down to a single mob, it can save your bacon.
3. Does Diplo allow sneak attacks when it works?

Yes and no. Diplo pushes the aggro on everyone around you and off of you. If there is nobody around you, or nobody gaining the aggro of a mob, then you are just gonna get it right back.

4. Improved Feint.... find it works well? Well enough to warrant the feat investment?

Haven't used it, as i rely on other methods of aggro management, so can't comment.

5. Can you solo with your rogue end game? As examples can you solo in the Desert, Orchard, Vale?

Another yes and no. The average Joe Schmoe probably can't. Sableshadow, Rameses, or I could probably do it, but the time taken often outweighs the rewards, as we find it tricky to get a mass of enemies and just kill them all at once.

6. What are typical unboosted AC levels you see on rogues, both str and dex based?

Mine has an AC of about 45 without outside buffs, if i get the hankerin'. Don't remember the exact number though.

7. Dex-based vs. str-based.... is there a general consensus as to what is better for combat rogues?

Totally a choice of player. Strength based tend to do more damage, but dex based tend to have more To Hit, as rogues can get their dex higher than their strength.
8. Way of the Assasin.... for those of you that have it, find it worth it? Which of the three poisons do you generally use most?

I like it, though its almost purely a personal flavor, and i use all my poisons depending on the situation.

9. Does sneak attack damage apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage?

I dunno, never paid attention.

10. The 2 str damage on sneak attacks one can choose at level 10.... how effective are you finding it to be? On paper this seems like one of the best things rogues get.

Either the mob doesn't have enough HP to make it noticable in time, or its immune.

11. Ranged sneak attack.... using a repeater or the Many Shot feat with a bow, this seems like a very effective way to do sneak attack damage, i.e. one can quickly chose which mob has already been aggroed by a melee class and finish it off fast. Is this as good as it seems? Is the 30 foot restriction an issue?

The 30 foot is actually about 10-15 foot. Basically, if you are behind a fighter who is holding aggro, you have to be RIGHT behind the fighter to get sneak attack damage on the mob he's hitting. At that point, you might as well go around back and melee with a flanking bonus.

12. Combat rogues... you find yourselves taking aggro fromt he tanks a lot?

Nope, i use subtle backstabber and treason to great effect.
Thanks for your time.

[Rameses]

9. Does sneak attack damage apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage?

No, Sneak Attacks do not apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage.

I am, Rameses!

[Aspenor]

No, Sneak Attacks do not apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage.

I am, Rameses!

Wrong, yes, they do ;)

For example, striking a flesh render without a good weapon (lets say, a wounding shortsword of pucturing ;)) and gaining sneak attacks, if your combat log reads:
0+24 (24 being sneak attack damage) then your wounding will work due to the sneak attack physical damage.

If you gain aggro and are seeing 0, 0, 0 then you will do no stat damage.

[Rameses]

Wrong, yes, they do ;)

For example, striking a flesh render without a good weapon (lets say, a wounding shortsword of pucturing ;)) and gaining sneak attacks, if your combat log reads:
0+24 (24 being sneak attack damage) then your wounding will work due to the sneak attack physical damage.

If you gain aggro and are seeing 0, 0, 0 then you will do no stat damage.

If that is the case then why does the same combat entry list no stat damage?

[Rameses]

Wrong, yes, they do ;)

For example, striking a flesh render without a good weapon (lets say, a wounding shortsword of pucturing ;)) and gaining sneak attacks, if your combat log reads:
0+24 (24 being sneak attack damage) then your wounding will work due to the sneak attack physical damage.

If you gain aggro and are seeing 0, 0, 0 then you will do no stat damage.

and on top of that the wounding short sword of puncturing is +3. So it's not too shabby. Unlike certain Vorpal Kukris...

[Aspenor]

and on top of that the wounding short sword of puncturing is +3. So it's not too shabby. Unlike certain Vorpal Kukris...

You mean the one I only use to behead...wait...I don't use it anymore....

I use the w/p shortsword, and the banishing rapier, and smiting rapier, and.....well you get the picture. ;)

[Aspenor]

If that is the case then why does the same combat entry list no stat damage?

If that's happening to you, bug report it.



I left out sneak attack damage from the above quote. It should be
1) The base damage of the weapon including strength bonus, enhancement bonus and any Sneak Attack damage needs to penetrate the monster's DR for the listed effects to be applied.

[Beherit_Baphomar]

You mean the one I only use to behead...wait...I don't use it anymore....

I use the w/p shortsword, and the banishing rapier, and smiting rapier, and.....well you get the picture. ;)

Y'all need to get a room.

Come on guys, y'all were good buddies. I dont wanna interfere, but guys, y'all were good friends not so long ago.

I dunno what happened, but Im sure it was game related.

Anyways, Im sure this post will upset one or both of you, but I just hate to see it :(

Ramz was the skin and Asp, you were the sausage.

Shame.

[Aspenor]

Come on guys, y'all were good buddies. I dont wanna interfere, but guys, y'all were good friends not so long ago.


Hey bee, umm...huh???

This is how Ramz and I interact on the forums. Or did I miss the meaning of your post???

I don't really feel any sore feelings coming from Rams.

Oooo...sausage.

[Beherit_Baphomar]

Hey bee, umm...huh???

This is how Ramz and I interact on the forums. Or did I miss the meaning of your post???

I don't really feel any sore feelings coming from Rams.

Oooo...sausage.

'K. Well, I just thought y'all had fell out with each other or something.

I shall put away my beatstick now...I was about to whack the pair of you with it.

Carry on berating each others weapons/knowledge/n00bness....

[Rameses]

'K. Well, I just thought y'all had fell out with each other or something.

I shall put away my beatstick now...I was about to whack the pair of you with it.

Carry on berating each others weapons/knowledge/n00bness....

Nah... Asp and I are still friends. It's more fun to be abrasive towards the other.

[Aspenor]

'K. Well, I just thought y'all had fell out with each other or something.

I shall put away my beatstick now...I was about to whack the pair of you with it.

Carry on berating each others weapons/knowledge/n00bness....


Nah... Asp and I are still friends. It's more fun to be abrasive towards the other.

Rams just hasn't been posting as much, and since his return we get to take our shots again :)

Need I mention how many times he's told me to reroll Aerren?

[Ironwind]

First off, let me state that my rogue is very average build wise and I have no raid loot.
I, however, love my rogue sooo much.


I am an experienced player, but thus far my only experiences with the rogue class have been minor splashes, which I don't consider really playing the class.

A pure or mostly pure rogue is my last class to try, and before I build one, I want to explore a few questions for the rogue veterans:

1. How often does Deception work? Is there a difference at low levels vs. high levels? Is it percentage based or DC based? Are you able to solo with a Deception weapon?

I love Deception weapons. With Greater TWF I can sometimes get Deception to proc so often that I'm sneak attacking the entire fight. There is no save against Deception. When I solo I use a +3 wounding rapier of righteousness main hand and a +2 paralyzing short sword of deception. This is an incredible combination for my play style. Combined with my Fearsome robe of Invulnerability, blur and stoneskin, I have no qualms about jumping a group of 2-3 mobs in the vale. I attack each mob until it is either paralyzed or feared and then proceed to cut them to ribbons. Love it. Sometimes it is so easy it seems like cheating.

2. Bluff... maxed out does it work routinely enough to use it? Does the fact that it is not instant make it a hinderance? Can you solo with a good bluff skill?

Worthless skill.
Tried it on a now deleted fighter/rogue.
You basically interrupt everything you are doing for a couple of seconds for maybe a chance at 1 sneak attack.
Horrible.

3. Does Diplo allow sneak attacks when it works?

Yes!
When that Elite Orthon has had enough of your sneak attack shenanigans and turns around to face you, an instant cast Diplomacy turns him around again so you can sneak attack. Of course after 1-2 more sneak attacks he probably turns around to face you again. But hopefully he's dead by then.
I have max ranks in Diplomacy.

4. Improved Feint.... find it works well? Well enough to warrant the feat investment?

Waste of a feat IMO.
CE is nice, if you have a spare feat.

5. Can you solo with your rogue end game? As examples can you solo in the Desert, Orchard, Vale?

Definitely!
I solo the Desert and Vale with very little challenge.
Of course, it is very important to know your limitations. In the vale, for example, I avoid the named Rakshasa caster and the named Gnoll caster because one failed hold person brings a swift death from all their buddies. The crimson foot spider, the fiendish lion, the twilight lion, the orthon, the hyena, the bats, the bearded devil, the elemental, the troll are all easy sauce. Sneak and clever positioning are your friends.

6. What are typical unboosted AC levels you see on rogues, both str and dex based?

My AC is horrible - 38
But that's solo. In a group with proper buffs it's 42-45.
However, I have no raid loot. With a little bit of farming (and lucky drops), I could quickly boost my solo AC to 50.

Of course, my strategy when soloing is to eliminate incoming attacks through paralyzation, fearsome. I also limit damage taken through invulnerability, stoneskin & blur.

7. Dex-based vs. str-based.... is there a general consensus as to what is better for combat rogues?

I started with 14 str & 16 dex.
If I were to do it again I'd put those 4 points from str into dex.
An extra 2 points of damage per strike isn't worth the extra attack bonus, AC & reflex save.

8. Way of the Assasin.... for those of you that have it, find it worth it? Which of the three poisons do you generally use most?

Never tried it.

9. Does sneak attack damage apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage?

Not sure, I'll have to check.

10. The 2 str damage on sneak attacks one can choose at level 10.... how effective are you finding it to be? On paper this seems like one of the best things rogues get.

I love this ability.
Combined with deception weapons you can rip through a monster's str pretty quickly.
When in a group I sometimes swap my wounding rapier for a weakening rapier against hard hitting enemies.

11. Ranged sneak attack.... using a repeater or the Many Shot feat with a bow, this seems like a very effective way to do sneak attack damage, i.e. one can quickly chose which mob has already been aggroed by a melee class and finish it off fast. Is this as good as it seems? Is the 30 foot restriction an issue?

My wounding of puncturing shortbow gathers dust.
IMO ranged attacks already draw too much aggro.

12. Combat rogues... you find yourselves taking aggro fromt he tanks a lot?

Not a lot, but occasionally. But not for long, as the mob is typically nearly dead by the time it turns around.
The bad thing is when there is a cluster of monsters and DDO decides you attacked something other than what you actually had targeted. :mad::mad::mad:
I have subtle backstabber 2. It helps. 20% less hate for 3 action points is a no-brainer.

Thanks for your time.

[Sydril]

Here's my take on it:

I am an experienced player, but thus far my only experiences with the rogue class have been minor splashes, which I don't consider really playing the class.

A pure or mostly pure rogue is my last class to try, and before I build one, I want to explore a few questions for the rogue veterans:

1. How often does Deception work? Is there a difference at low levels vs. high levels? Is it percentage based or DC based? Are you able to solo with a Deception weapon?

Deception is exceptional with two weapon fighting, it sometimes take a few rounds to kick in but with the additional attacks it goes off more often and does more dps when it does.

2. Bluff... maxed out does it work routinely enough to use it? Does the fact that it is not instant make it a hinderance? Can you solo with a good bluff skill?

I have max ranks in bluff and have not used it since I was level 5 or 6. Deception is far better. It is still useful for some npc interaction but otherwise I think diplomacy is better now unless you are soloing.

3. Does Diplo allow sneak attacks when it works?

Yes, but it must be used with other party members present.

4. Improved Feint.... find it works well? Well enough to warrant the feat investment?

Deception is far more useful and you don't need bluff and two feats to use it.

5. Can you solo with your rogue end game? As examples can you solo in the Desert, Orchard, Vale?

I have had no difficulty soloing nearly all the high end content with my rogue. The build is a drow barbarian 3 / Rogue 13. High str, dex, con and int. feats are twf line, toughness, CE and improved trip.

6. What are typical unboosted AC levels you see on rogues, both str and dex based?

When dual wielding my ac is usally 30-32, with CE on its around 37, with a shield around 43-45 full turtle with uncanny dodge (2 minutes worth) I hit 53-56

7. Dex-based vs. str-based.... is there a general consensus as to what is better for combat rogues?

I went drow 16, 16, 12, 16, 8, 10 base stats and have never regretted it. currently 28, 26, 20, 22, 14, 16

8. Way of the Assasin.... for those of you that have it, find it worth it? Which of the three poisons do you generally use most?

I have not tried it but it looks appealing with the revamp

9. Does sneak attack damage apply towards breaking through DR for stat damage?

I believe it does other posters may have more info on this. I only ever use puncturing on earth elementals.

10. The 2 str damage on sneak attacks one can choose at level 10.... how effective are you finding it to be? On paper this seems like one of the best things rogues get.

This ability is critical to a dps or melee rogue. its both offesive and defensive. when a mob's str hits 0 it can no longer act and every hit is a crit. With the number of hp high end mobs have I often reduce them to jelly long before they take a lot of damage, and when they get to 0 str they go down very fast and without much hassle

11. Ranged sneak attack.... using a repeater or the Many Shot feat with a bow, this seems like a very effective way to do sneak attack damage, i.e. one can quickly chose which mob has already been aggroed by a melee class and finish it off fast. Is this as good as it seems? Is the 30 foot restriction an issue?

I use ranged attacks when necessary but only if melee is not viable

12. Combat rogues... you find yourselves taking aggro fromt he tanks a lot?

managing aggro will always be the challenge of a pure rogue. I chose to splash barbarian because of the synergy between the classes. DR boost, athletic sprint speed and base speed increase, hp boost. All those things outweigh other classes IMO but thats my playstyle. The conan rogue can be quite satisfying but find the rogue style that suits you best.

Thanks for your time.

[Rindalathar]

I think there's a great many ideas here for you to sift through. For me, I don't TWF, so I can't really comment on that playstyle. I just wanted to mention how important maxing out your subtle backstabber enhancement line will be, especially if you plan to solo. Forty percent less aggro is phenomenal. My sneak attacks go off all the time it seems.

What I hope you find is how fun rogues are to play. Good luck!

[Angelus_dead]

I just wanted to mention how important maxing out your subtle backstabber enhancement line will be, especially if you plan to solo.
Subtle backstabber has no effect on solo. It only helps you pull less aggro than other party members.

[Rindalathar]

Subtle backstabber has no effect on solo. It only helps you pull less aggro than other party members.


My bad. I never solo my rogue, so I simply assumed it worked.

[GuitarHero]

My bad. I never solo my rogue, so I simply assumed it worked.

well, technically it still works. problem is, even if you are generating 40% less aggro, you are still generating ALL of the aggro. The way subtle backstabber helps is if (hypothetically) a rogue and a barbarian (or whoever, you know what i mean) are dealing the exact same amount of damage, the rogue is only generating 60% as much aggro as the barbarian. In doing so, the monster pays attention to the barbarian, allowing the rogue to continue getting sneak attack damage.