mage or rogue for pvp overall

[Banano96]

want to play again but idk which i should pick

what is the best choice overall?

[Rahmeek]

In my opinion rogue would be the better choice if you prefer wpvp bgs and duels. Being able to pick your fights is a huge perk that mage doesn’t have.

[fdbsfhe4rfar]

I don't stand long casts so i'd pick rogue.

[Hindo]

Both classes have the highest skillcap in the game. Both really depend on gear: mage needs tons of haste, rogue is barely playable without sufficient armor penetration.
If you want to feel strong in PvP without investing a lot of time and effort, pick paladin or DK. Or elemental shaman if you want a casting class.

[Raikou]

first and foremost I want to say that this is a game and you should always aim to enjoy yourself. don't take it too seriously.

that being said. . . .


there's a lot to think about when it comes to picking between 2 classes.

first, ask yourself what you're hoping to gain with the time you have available
pvp is easily a 3rd of the entirety of WoW. there's the obvious Battlegrounds and Arenas. but pvp is more than that. world pvp (open or duels). ganking/camping. twinking. the list goes on

second, what classes have you played before and what have you not played as much

last but not least, are you aiming to get Rank 1? are you aiming to just goof around?


so lets begin.
why rogue?
now as a rogue main I might be biased but, I mean.. why not? they are literal beasts in pvp.
"ha good luck against a pro hunter" as a rogue your life moto is honestly 'anything is possible'
sub rogues especially are amazing in almost every aspect of pvp. the basics of 'getting a kill' isn't that hard. just 1-2-3 stun and do as much damage as possible.
however, like every other class, the more inner workings of rogue can get very complicated. the art of deadzoning, energy management and being able to properly abuse the insane amount of mobility that rogues have, can take a while to master.
another key ability that most classes have, but rogues lack. is any type of 'quick recovery'. once you take damage, that health is not easily gained back.
you are the real definition of a glass cannon. Hit hard but get hit even harder. with preparation from the Subtlety you have a lot of survivability.

why mage?
as a rogue main, I both love and hate mages. like rogues, they are amazing in pvp. where they lack stealth, they gain shields. having double ice block as a frost mage, is almost as good as 2x vanish. (better ever if you dont know how to vanish)
Mages, in comparison to rogues, probably have a way higher skill cap. but nothing is out of reach. especially as a mage being able to rank 1 frostbolt perma slow someone at max distance. in open field 1v1 situations, a frost mage will probably have a 99% win rate against most classes. in bgs you can completely shut down the enemy team. allowing your team mates to advance while simultaneously making the enemy use a bunch of cooldowns for no real reason.
there is some annoyance with pet micro management but nothing to be too worried about.

considering you're only going to pvp. I would say make both classes on the instant 80 Blackrock realm and mess around with both. do some duels couple BGs and see what the pvp environment is like.

hopefully this helped a little
didn't realize this was gonna be so long

TLDR:
both are good. both for different reasons
BGs: Rogue (but depends on the map, some bgs favor mage)
Duels: Mage
Arenas: Mage
Twinking: Rogue (until mage gains deep freeze)
Open world: Both (leaning slightly to mage only due to quicker overal recovery)
Ganking: Rogue

[Drunkuser]

Both are very good in pvp at high skill, but are very unforgiving of mistakes, and are very dependant of long cds.

Rogue is the best for ganking. But basically that's it, everywhere else it kinda sucks, especially in large battle. Get countered by plates, especially paladins.

Mage is overall good, has 3 viable specs. It's countered by hunters, and free action potion.

[Shred92]

TLDR:
both are good. both for different reasons
BGs: Rogue (but depends on the map, some bgs favor mage)
Duels: Mage
Arenas: Mage
Twinking: Rogue (until mage gains deep freeze)
Open world: Both (leaning slightly to mage only due to quicker overal recovery)
Ganking: Rogue

Disagree on BGs where I would choose mage any time - frost is played very differently from arcane/fire, and all three specs are lots of fun. Rogues on the other hand don't work that well in many BGs.

[atrocity23]

TLDR:
both are good. both for different reasons
BGs: Rogue (but depends on the map, some bgs favor mage)
Duels: Mage
Arenas: Mage
Twinking: Rogue (until mage gains deep freeze)
Open world: Both (leaning slightly to mage only due to quicker overal recovery)
Ganking: Rogue

finally someone on the forums who knows what they are talking about. great response.