Rogue Rogues are melee damage dealer s . They have access to a wide range of specials that depend on their constantly refilling pool of energy . Unlike other classes , rogues should be in close to attack . The primary advantage rogues have is their ability to stealth . Unless the rogue is very close and in a 180 degree arc in front of them , or much lower level , players are usually unable to see them . Rogues can only wear leather or cloth armor , are unable to use shields , and can only wield one - handed weapons ( daggers , swords , maces , fist weapons , and axes ) . They can dual wield one - handed weapons . Rogues have moderate health , making them less durable than warriors , but still tougher than most casters . Rogues acquire the passive ability to Detect Traps , which can be very valuable in PvP situations against a hunter , or in dungeons with traps , such as Icecrown Citadel . Rogues are best suited for players who like to sneak up on enemies and dish out large amounts of burst damage . In " " , rogue was an achievable rank . Background . Rogues possess a wide range of skills that allow them to accomplish feats from finding secret doors to smacking a magic item until it works . They are excellent in a fight , and if they can strike quickly or unseen — or are flanking an enemy with the help of a thoughtful ally — they can be truly deadly . Of course , they also excel at stealth . The rogues of Azeroth are the masters of subterfuge , skilled and cunning adversaries of those who dare not look into the shadows to see what lurks there . Roguery is a profession for those who seek the adventures of stalking in silent forests , dimly lit halls , and heavily guarded strongholds . Using trickery in combat and able to vanish at the slightest distraction , the rogue is a welcome addition to any group of adventurers . Ideal spies , deadly to those they can catch unaware , rogues have no problem finding a place in the world . Deadly masters of stealth , rogues are the whispers in shadowy corners and the hooded figures crossing dark fields . Skilled with daggers and the art of silent death , these vagabonds and bandits skulk about Azeroth seeking targets and profit . A member of almost any race can learn the tricks necessary to become a skilled rogue . Still , for the tauren and draenei , such a profession is an alien concept and therefore rare among those peoples . Whether they are diplomats , spies , thieves , scoundrels , entertainers , or simply adventurers , they can be found plying just about any trade from Mount Hyjal to Ratchet . For as long as there were dark alleys and needs for dark services , there have been rogues , and thus they are one of the oldest professions in Azeroth . Rogues are a diverse class , and they are typically made up from the dregs of society — cutthroats , pirates , robbers , and lowlifes . The only code rogues live by is the contract , and their word is only as good as the money their services are bought for . The diverse aspects of their trade requires rogues to be well versed in lockpicking , toxicology , rudimentary alchemy , and brawling . In combat , rogues rely on the element of surprise and tactics which are regarded by most as vile and cowardly . They are rarely seen entering a fight without weapons laced in poisons and ample supplies of everything from bombs to elixirs in their backpacks . Their attacks concentrate on weak points in the body in an attempt to finish fights brutally and quickly . Rogues play prominent roles in every aspect of society . They will rarely be written into history books because their involvements will be largely unknown to the common person , but they are always there , greatly affecting the flow of events from the shadows . From the high - contract assassin hired in secret by respected noblemen to the lowly street mugger , rogues are the ones called upon when maintaining the status quo requires a questionable solution — and by fulfilling it , they are branded as outcasts by the very society that calls upon their service . In Azeroth , rogues are largely free agent s , though some prefer to join an organization for safety and ease of employment . Ravenholdt and the Syndicate are examples . Other recognized rogue organizations include the Shattered Hand , the Deathstalkers , and . Races . < tabber > Playable races = The rogue class can be played by the following races : Tauren and draenei are the only races that do not have rogues because they believe their methods dishonorable . It is also difficult to remain stealthy with hooves ( though this does not appear to be an issue for satyr s ) . However , in the game files , both draenei and tauren have stealthing animations , and as such , Eredar and Broken have such motions . Some people believe the reason of this is only because of the item and / or GM command testing . It may also have to do with the hunter ability ( available to draenei and Tauren ) , Camouflage . TCG images = < / tabber > Weapons . Although rogues excel at melee combat , they may only learn to use five types of melee weapons : dagger s , fist weapon s , one - handed mace s , one - handed sword s , and one - handed axe s . A rogue ' s most fundamental abilities , such as Sinister Strike and Mutilate , are instant attacks which inflict damage based on the weapon damage of the rogue ' s main - hand weapon . Rogues therefore find it desirable to use a weapon with the best average damage to maximize their DPS . The common rogue prefers a slow weapon in the main - hand and a fast weapon in the off - hand . Some rogues prefer fast weapons in both hands in order to apply more poison , but the final gain from using a fast main - hand is debated since weapon enchantments , such as rogue poisons , usually have a " fixed " system for proccing ( see proc , poisons and normalization ) . That , plus the extra damage from the special attacks performed with a slow main - hand and the normal damage itself , implies that there is little or nothing to win with choosing a fast main - hand when attempting to produce more damage . Although having a fast main hand may increase the amount of physical damage you do in a shorter period of time , the bonus does little for DPS . Finally , whether a rogue is using a fast main - hand or a slow main - hand , it is taken as common knowledge among rogues that the OH should always be a fast weapon . This is because the off - hand , unlike the main - hand , does not have any crucial " duty " when performing abilities , thus its role consists nearly entirely of applying poisons . The only exception where a slow off - hand is preferable is when using a few abilities which contribute more from slow weapons than from fast , like Killing Spree and Mutilate . Mechanics . Stealth . Stealth is the first major class ability a rogue can get . They have the ability to stealth and become essentially invisible to enemies their level and lower while moving at slower speed . Stealthed rogues are detectable at close range , though will remain stealthed and appear translucent . Be aware that higher level characters and mobs can more easily see through stealth . Many rogue abilities require stealth and others require being behind the target , which is often achievable ( while solo ) only in stealth . Other rogue abilities , notably Sprint and Distract , interact well with stealth . Some actions , like lockpicking , will break stealth . Stealth opens up a range of tactics and roles for rogues . Groups often rely on a rogue ' s stealth ability to scout dungeons , and to use Sap for added crowd control . In PvP , stealth combined with burst damage gives an element of surprise that can be especially effective against cloth - wearers . Stealth can be improved through talents , items , and enchantments , both to decrease the chance of being detected and to increase movement speed . Dual wield . A rogue starts off with the dual wielding skill . Dual wielding is a trade - off with an increased chance to miss with each weapon and reduced damage on the off - hand , but it is a good ability for a rogue . A rogue cannot use a two - handed weapon ( which have bigger stat buffs ) , cannot carry a shield , and has few good offhand choices ( offhand items tend to all have caster stats ) . A second wielded weapon is the only way to reliably get two hands worth of rogue stat buffs . Poisons . Poisons generally either cause damage to the target ( either instantly or as damage over time ) or cause other effects ( slowing the target , removing the effectiveness of healing on the target , etc . ) . Different weapons can have different poisons applied and faster weapons cause the poison to proc more often . Poisons are a temporary weapon buff , and as such do not stack with other enhancements such as sharpening stone s . All poisons have a timer of one hour . The poison timer is displayed on the weapon ' s properties when mousing over the weapon . Applying poison will not break stealth or shadowmeld . A variety of talents in the assassination specialization enhance the use of poisons . The Alliance ' s poison quest could be obtained at level 20 in Westfall from Agent Kearnen called ; if players dropped by S1 : 7 in Stormwind , Master Mathias would send them to Kearnen when the time was right by giving the quest . The Horde ' s version was in Orgrimmar from Shenthul called that sent players to The Barrens to talk to Taskmaster Fizzule for a quest called . Prior to patch 3 . 0 . 2 and " Wrath of the Lich King " , the ability to brew poisons from ingredients was a secondary skill , similar to Cooking or First Aid , but available only to rogues . The skill is no longer available in the game . Lockpicking . Rogues have the ability to pick locks . This allows them to open locked chests , lockboxes , and doors , depending on the rogue ' s skill in lockpicking and the level of the locked object . Lockboxes can be pickpocketed from mobs or found as loot . Rogues no longer are required to train lockingpicking skill ; it is now passive , granting higher skill as the player levels at a rate of + 5 per level . End - game expectations . A rogue ' s main priority in raid ing is maximizing melee DPS while staying alive . Put threat - reducing abilities ( namely , Feint , Vanish and Tricks of the Trade ) to good use and use them before gaining aggro . As with all melee DPS classes , rogues are expected to come to raids with ample supplies of flasks , potions , food , and bandage s . Depending on the particular situation , rogues may not get many heals . If that ' s the case , rogues should be prepared to heal themselves . Rogues are utilized as interrupters with some bosses such as Kel ' Thuzad and General Vezax , and can be asked to dismantle in instances like Onyxia ' s Lair .