When leveling a rogue you will have a set of certain specs available to you depending on which race you decide to play. As there is sure alot who loves to pvp during their leveling, I'll leave their pvp specs out of this topic of thought and focus on what for me is the most effective "pure" leveling spec. For weapon of choice there are mostly two kings during the leveling aspect: Swords and Maces.
Important talents:
a. Riposte
b. Precision > Dual Wield Specialization
c. Blade Flurry
d. Weapon Expertise
e. Relentless Strikes
f. Adrenaline Rush
Important skills:
A. Slice and Dice
B. Sinister Strike
C. Utility skills (aka Vanish, Sprint, Evasion and likewise)
D. Poisons
E. Eviscerate
The generic opener leveling spec
Level 20: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8p32c5001zd
2/2 Sinister Strike
3/3 Improved Gouge
5/5 Deflection
1/1 Riposte
The improved Gouge can be discussed and I feel that is may be of personal nature to favor it in front of 3% dodge. The positive aspects of picking up the Gouge instead of the dodge is that in case of emergencies you can gouge and get off a few good bandage ticks in close quarters, which to me is worth alot more than a flat 3% dodge when leveling.
Precision is a high tier talent when leveling, it's absolutely super not to miss to many yellow hits. Yet it falls short in comparison to Riposte which is a low energy cost, highly effective weapon strike, that may or may not be off the GCD depending on scripting. In any case, riposte is a great pickup early on as you will quickly get talent points in the early levels to put into Precision and likewise.
Level 31: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8p32c5501d501w
5/5 Precision
5/5 Dual Wield Specialization
1/1 Blade Flurry
After the Riposte pickup you'll go straight into Precision, Dual Wield, and Blade Flurry to counteract your lack of hit during the lower levels, boosting your offhand weapon attack, and getting access to the possibility of soloing more mobs than 1-2 at a time.
The race complication
For Alliance players who was fortunate enough to roll Human you stand for a choice; Either you'll collect the talent points required and go straight for Relentless Strikes in Assassination, or you'll pickup Sword Specialization with Weapon Expertise like everyone else. Humans already have +Weapon skill to Swords which will mainly be the weapon used on later leveling levels, and hence could utilize this into picking up an earlier utility talent.
The generic leveling spec
Level 40: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8p32c5501d50150211r
5/5 Sword Specialization
2/2 Weapon Expertise
1/3 Aggression
1/1 Adrenaline Rush
Start off with 3/5 in Sword Specialization, and follow up with 2/2 Weapon Expertise to get that weapon skill sorted out. Complete the Sword Specialization, and move on with 1/3 Aggression into Adrenaline Rush. I will personally diverge when picking up 2/2 Weapon Expertise to go for Relentless Strikes if I'm playing anything else but Human, but this is strictly a personal preference. Adrenaline Rush opens up a lot of possibilities when it comes to bashing mobs above your own level and likewise, it's well worth the pick up.
Level 51: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8c52031i32005501d50150211r
5/5 Malice
2/3 Improved Slice and Dice
3/3 Ruthlessness
1/1 Relentless Strikes
Malice is a granted pickup after the pickups in the Combat talent tree, followed by 2/3 Slice and Dice to make you able to use abilities other than Slice and Dice when leveling without popping AR/Thistle tea(aka. Eviscerate). Follow up by taking 3/3 Ruthlessness for the utility combo point, Murder is a legit choice but can just as well be picked up lateron. Finish the cake by selecting Relentless Strikes and you are in heaven.
Level 60: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8c5323105g32005501d50150221r
2/2 Murder
3/3 Improved Slice and Dice
5/5 Lethality
2/3 Aggression
Continue by finishing off Improved Slice and Dice to make it 3/3, pick up Murder 2/2 and follow up with Lethality 5/5. Add some toppin on the cake by picking up one point in Aggression at level 60 for 2/3. Congratulations, you are now level 60 with a great PvE dungeon/instance spec that will speed up your gearing. The spec is also extremely viable in raids with only one point in Aggression being the difference in terms of DPS output from the traditional spec.
Ending words
Everyone with input please post in the section below for new and old players thinking about leveling a rogue in general. What skills do you believe are worth picking up, which can be skipped entirely? Are poisons something you feel is worth the time and effort to pick up in comparison to going on without it (in a pure PvE manner)?
Best of Regards
Soyoen
Important talents:
a. Riposte
b. Precision > Dual Wield Specialization
c. Blade Flurry
d. Weapon Expertise
e. Relentless Strikes
f. Adrenaline Rush
Important skills:
A. Slice and Dice
B. Sinister Strike
C. Utility skills (aka Vanish, Sprint, Evasion and likewise)
D. Poisons
E. Eviscerate
The generic opener leveling spec
Level 20: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8p32c5001zd
2/2 Sinister Strike
3/3 Improved Gouge
5/5 Deflection
1/1 Riposte
The improved Gouge can be discussed and I feel that is may be of personal nature to favor it in front of 3% dodge. The positive aspects of picking up the Gouge instead of the dodge is that in case of emergencies you can gouge and get off a few good bandage ticks in close quarters, which to me is worth alot more than a flat 3% dodge when leveling.
Precision is a high tier talent when leveling, it's absolutely super not to miss to many yellow hits. Yet it falls short in comparison to Riposte which is a low energy cost, highly effective weapon strike, that may or may not be off the GCD depending on scripting. In any case, riposte is a great pickup early on as you will quickly get talent points in the early levels to put into Precision and likewise.
Level 31: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8p32c5501d501w
5/5 Precision
5/5 Dual Wield Specialization
1/1 Blade Flurry
After the Riposte pickup you'll go straight into Precision, Dual Wield, and Blade Flurry to counteract your lack of hit during the lower levels, boosting your offhand weapon attack, and getting access to the possibility of soloing more mobs than 1-2 at a time.
The race complication
For Alliance players who was fortunate enough to roll Human you stand for a choice; Either you'll collect the talent points required and go straight for Relentless Strikes in Assassination, or you'll pickup Sword Specialization with Weapon Expertise like everyone else. Humans already have +Weapon skill to Swords which will mainly be the weapon used on later leveling levels, and hence could utilize this into picking up an earlier utility talent.
The generic leveling spec
Level 40: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8p32c5501d50150211r
5/5 Sword Specialization
2/2 Weapon Expertise
1/3 Aggression
1/1 Adrenaline Rush
Start off with 3/5 in Sword Specialization, and follow up with 2/2 Weapon Expertise to get that weapon skill sorted out. Complete the Sword Specialization, and move on with 1/3 Aggression into Adrenaline Rush. I will personally diverge when picking up 2/2 Weapon Expertise to go for Relentless Strikes if I'm playing anything else but Human, but this is strictly a personal preference. Adrenaline Rush opens up a lot of possibilities when it comes to bashing mobs above your own level and likewise, it's well worth the pick up.
Level 51: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8c52031i32005501d50150211r
5/5 Malice
2/3 Improved Slice and Dice
3/3 Ruthlessness
1/1 Relentless Strikes
Malice is a granted pickup after the pickups in the Combat talent tree, followed by 2/3 Slice and Dice to make you able to use abilities other than Slice and Dice when leveling without popping AR/Thistle tea(aka. Eviscerate). Follow up by taking 3/3 Ruthlessness for the utility combo point, Murder is a legit choice but can just as well be picked up lateron. Finish the cake by selecting Relentless Strikes and you are in heaven.
Level 60: http://www.wowprovider.com/?talent=11215875_4_8c5323105g32005501d50150221r
2/2 Murder
3/3 Improved Slice and Dice
5/5 Lethality
2/3 Aggression
Continue by finishing off Improved Slice and Dice to make it 3/3, pick up Murder 2/2 and follow up with Lethality 5/5. Add some toppin on the cake by picking up one point in Aggression at level 60 for 2/3. Congratulations, you are now level 60 with a great PvE dungeon/instance spec that will speed up your gearing. The spec is also extremely viable in raids with only one point in Aggression being the difference in terms of DPS output from the traditional spec.
Ending words
Everyone with input please post in the section below for new and old players thinking about leveling a rogue in general. What skills do you believe are worth picking up, which can be skipped entirely? Are poisons something you feel is worth the time and effort to pick up in comparison to going on without it (in a pure PvE manner)?
Best of Regards
Soyoen