It’s finally here: the most awkward month in WoW.
With the Battle for Azeroth pre-patch, a.k.a. Patch 8.0.1, landing on July 17, a four-week period begins in which we’re caught in an eerie limbo between the outgoing expansion (Legion) and the incoming one (BfA). All of our rogue class changes will take effect — RIP, beloved artifact weapons! — but we won’t be able to level from 110 to 120, claim our new Azerite traits or experience the full power (and spellbook) of our max-level rogues. We’ll have to wait for Aug. 14 and the official launch of the BfA expansion for that to happen.
In the meantime, the next few weird and wild weeks offer a pretty excellent opportunity to get caught up on exactly what’s changing for each rogue spec as we shift into the new expansion. Here’s a brief rundown of resources we recommend if you’re looking for clear and helpful summaries of everything that’s changing in the world of rogue. I’ll keep this list updated with the bestest, most up-to-datest resources I come across; feel free to ping me on Twitter (or hit up the Ravenholdt Twitter account) with recommendations!
Written Guides
- Ravenholdt Quickstart Guides (for bare-bones raiding recommendations — DPS rotation and talents only)
- Wowhead Guides (for highlights and most-important info)
- Icy Veins Guides (for more comprehensive, detailed explanations focused on raiding)
Video Guides
(By Infexious of Infexious Gaming)
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Infexious’s Full BfA Video Playlist (includes many analyses of specific issues and topics)
Expert Analysis
(These are Wowhead articles featuring a Ravenholdt expert panel)
Official Patch Notes
Below is a copypasta of Blizzard’s official pre-patch notes on the rogue changes taking effect July 17:
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Assassination
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Many Talents and PvP Talents have been adjusted.
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New Talents include:
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Hidden Blades – Every 2 seconds, gain increased damage for your next Fan of Knives, stacking up to 20 times.
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Poison Bomb – Envenom and Rupture have a chance per combo point spent to smash a vial of poison at the target’s location, creating a pool of acidic death that deals Nature damage over time to all enemies within it.
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Outlaw
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Saber Slash is now Sinister Strike.
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Run Through is now Dispatch.
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Many Talents and PvP Talents have been adjusted.
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New Talents include:
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Blade Rush – Charge to your target with your blades out, dealing great damage to the target and all other nearby enemies. While Blade Flurry is active, damage to nearby enemies is increased. Generates Energy.
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Loaded Dice – Activating Adrenaline Rush causes your next Roll the Bones to grant at least two matches.
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Subtlety
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Many Talents and PvP Talents have been adjusted.
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New Talents include:
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Secret Technique – Finishing move that creates shadow clones of yourself. You and your shadow clones deal damage to both the primary target and nearby enemies.
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Shuriken Tornado – Focus intently, and then release a Shuriken Storm every second for the next 4 seconds.
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Finally, for more general information regarding the changes in store for the pre-patch and beyond, it’s hard to beat Wowhead’s comprehensive survival guide.
