WotLK How the **** am i supposed to level this class on icecrown??

[Hryniel]

So i rolled a rogue, wanted to try it out, never played it before, and i noticed that this class is utter garbage at leveling, i had to buy gear from vendors but its still not enough, im following a guide that told me to put 2 points in sinister strike (combat tree) and then go sub because of the dodge or some crap. Is it really worth the frustration to level one to 80? Will it get better later on? because im honestly thinking about just deleting this stupid class and never play it again.

[hsahjash]

http://forum.warmane.com/showthread.php?t=330519
If his method doesn't work for you then do it like I did and focus on bleeds and deadly poison all the way to 60 then spec combat for ks.

[Kawasumiqt]

quest in green zones

[Drkwispurr]

All classes, especially melee ones, suffer from this low gearing probs, it's common situation.
Go lvl on green mobs (-3/5 lvls below you) that shouldn't be so hard. Get some gathering profession, skinning, mining or herbalism so you will have some money to buy decent weapons in AH. Below 40 or so, combat tree is better, after that you can respecc sub, as ambush crit almost kill any mob instantly

Once you hit outland and get some of those items from quest rewards, you will see all your problems will simply vanish

Good luck

[smashya]

I recently got my rogue to 80 and it was so easy. I did have most heirlooms tho :) , i did with combat.

[taralej]

Well, Hryniel, I'm sorry that rogues cannot kite mobs indefinitely or kill 2-3 mobs at the same time without taking any damage. If you were thinking about something like that, you might want to go back to your mage/paladin. Is it worth staying on rogue? Well, I dunno, mate - being one of the top DPSers and top PvP classes on this expansion, and having very low gear competition at the same time sounds nice, don't you think?

Rogues are the melee class with the least armor, so this means you can't just take on 2-3 mobs like that and expect to kill them without committing some cooldowns or preparation. I've been playing WoW since 2005 and rogue has been my main class for the majority of this time, having leveled at least a dozen rogues with all 3 specs, so let me try to help you. First off, I'm going to start with the 5 factors that each spec covers - gear limitations, burst damage, sustained damage, survivability, and outdoor PvP.

Subtlety
Playstyle: opportunistic hit-and-run assassin. The spec requires you to have a dagger in your main hand for Backstab and Ambush. It has the highest burst from all 3 specs, able to cut HP bars in half with just one Ambush, but it also has the crappiest sustained damage, with only Hemorrhage (and Ghostly Strike, if you decide to pick it) to help you after your opener. Single mobs will die in a matter of seconds, and you also have some nice survivability tools to help you against multiple mobs (Ghostly Strike, Preparation into double Evasion, talents reducing Blind/Vanish CD, Sap & Cheap Shot energy cost). Subtlety is also the best spec for outdoor PvP and PvP in general. Generally, you will try to pick single mobs or at least sap the mob next to them, and then kill them as quickly as possible. Recommended professions are Mining + Engineering.

Combat
Playstyle - warrior in leather gear. The spec uses swords, axes, maces and fists weapons - anything that is slow and over 2.x speed is good. It has the highest sustained damage from all 3 specs, focusing on improving the core of a rogue's damage - your auto-attacks. It also has the highest survivability, with increased stamina, dodge & parry. Combat can easily take on 2-3 mobs, and it becomes even easier after you get Blade Flurry, Unfair Advantage, Adrenaline Rush etc. The spec has absolutely zero burst before you get Killing Spree, but instantly becomes the spec with the highest burst once you get it. Killing Spree also makes outdoor PvP for Combat a joke - it basically kills most players before they even realize what's going on and use Divine Shield/ Deterrence/ Ice Block. Before you get it, though, you will suffer from pretty much all classes, except maybe warriors. Generally, Combat doesn't require much preparation for a fight and you can just run up to a couple of mobs and start thrashing them 'till they die. This is why it is the favored spec for leveling. Recommended professions are Skinning + Leatherworking, as Combat relies on having good gear to be able to stand toe-to-toe with enemies.

Assassination
Playstyle: well-rounded assassin. The spec requires using daggers in both hands and is thus the most restrictive when it comes to gear. I listed it last because it has neither the highest burst, nor the highest sustain - it is in the middle for both. Assa focuses on poisons, Backstab, Mutilate, and high finishers damage. The most appealing thing about the spec is having a 100% guaranteed crit through Cold Blood. Basically, you can Ambush > Backstab > Cold Blood + Eviscerate any non-plate class to death, which also makes the spec very decent for outdoor PvP (it is still worse than Sub). Survivability can be a problem for Assassination, though, as you have absolutely no tools to help you, except the general rogue abilities. Generally, you will pick single mobs, then execute a series of moves (my favorite is Cheap Shot > Slice and Dice > Backstab 1)> pool energy > Kidney Shot > Backstab OR 2)> Mutilate > Eviscerate/Envenom), which will end up killing ANY mob during leveling while you take no more than 2-3 hits. If you're leveling as Assassination, I recommend picking Quick Recovery in combination with Herbalism + Alchemy. The sustain bonus from Lifeblood and potions is significant.

First Aid and Cooking are also, of course, recommended, no matter what spec you play. As rogues tend to take a lot of damage during the first levels, you will find that having a constant supply of food is a nice thing. Fishing also helps level up Cooking, if you have the time and nerve, that is. If you're playing rogue and you don't have at least First Aid, then you're doing it very wrong and you're gonna die a lot and level slowly. Note that the recommended professions for each spec are only advisory - you can pick whatever professions you want. Except First Aid. Always pick First Aid.

If all of this doesn't help you or you're just too lazy to read it all, then just go back to your paladin.

[DakMonkey]

Well, you go to some npc that gives you a quest, you go and complete the quest and get experience. That's pretty much it. Rogue is too hard for you? Well, there can never be too many human paladins, go reroll.

Few tips when playing a rogue:
- Press "P" (by default) to open spellbook and move your abilities from there to your bars.
- A mob hits you hard? - Use crowd control abilities such as kidney shot.
- Many mobs are hitting you hard? - Use defensive cooldowns such as evasion / Use crowd control abilities (For example: Blind) on one while beating the other.
- Can't handle the mobs even when you use all tricks you can possibly imagine? - Go to some other zone with lower level mobs.
- All of this sounds very hard and rogue is a garbage class? - Well, try out some other class, leveling on icecrown from 1-80 takes like 1 or 2 days /played, rerolling is fast and easy, nobody's forcing you to play a "garbage class".

[Fluffybully]

I had no issues lvling with a rogue ever... Sure ya might not be so healthy after fighting with multiple mobs, but for dat case a rogue also gets/collects HP pots/food to make it easier.

Other than that, pretty much wut the guys ^above said

[Orendil]

My first character on Icecrown was a rogue.
#1 - Level as combat use a mace in your MH. (Slow) Can use another weapon but make sure it's slow. OH weapon should be a fast weapon (For later talents)
#2 - Pickpocket all humanoids. I NEVER ran out of health potions when leveling and never had to stop and eat.
#3 - Instant poison, use it and only it until higher levels. (Not sure what combats use at 80 but now I'm Assassination and I use deadly)
#4 - Only learn the skills you need.
#5 - GET FIRST AID! It's amazing for all non-healing classes. A gouge+Quick bandage, blind, etc will save your *** and as such time not walking back to your corpse.

And to add I had a white level... Whatever the Broadsword is from Stormwind until about level 45 when I went to searing gorge and I was able to level without dying. (To 80 I had 2 PvE deaths, one in a dungeon, one when I fell off a cliff stupidly, and the rest were from gankers)