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Latest on this boardLingering Darkness drops on a talent swap and when a boss pull or key starts · 18 Aug 2026Trickster in PvE: Unseen Blade +50%, Coup de Grace +30% · 22 Sept 2026Trickster in PvE: Unseen Blade +15%, Coup de Grace +10%, Fazed 7% (was 5%) · 6 Oct 2026

By GamGem ResearchLast updated 9 Oct 2026

World of Warcraft · damage specialisation

Subtlety Rogue talents for Midnight S2 — Deathstalker or Trickster, stat priority & rotation

Rogue · Patch 12.1 · Midnight Season 2 · Checked 2026-10-09

What changes for Raid?

Stats:
Item level › Agility › Haste › Mastery › Critical Strike › Versatility
Press first:
With both Stratagems, finish at 6+ combo points
First cooldown:
add a damage event below
Build:
Deathstalker · guide linked below

Hero talent

Deathstalker

recommended by the guide

Key talents

Dark Shadow

+ Lingering Shadow, Goremaw's Bite

Stat emphasis

Haste

then Mastery › Critical Strike › Versatility

Single target

Dark Shadow, or Gloomblade for a bit more

what the boss damage leans on

Area damage

Shuriken Storm and Black Powder on two or more

what the pack damage leans on

Which talents change?

Raid vs Mythic+ · Deathstalker

The all-rounder with Dark Shadow for burst; swap it for Gloomblade for a little more single target

  • Dark Shadowtake for Raid
  • Lingering Shadowtake for Raid
  • Goremaw's Bitetake for Raid
  • Potent Powderthe Mythic+ build’s — drop here
  • Shadowcraftthe Mythic+ build’s — drop here
  • Double Dancethe Mythic+ build’s — drop here

Import string

The string is not copied here — import the Deathstalker build from Method ›

Which stats? — item level, then Agility

  1. Item levelalways first
  2. Agilityprimary
  3. Haste#1
  4. Mastery#2
  5. Critical Strike#3
  6. Versatility#4

Deathstalker: Haste to about 1050 rating first; Trickster puts Mastery first and Haste to 700.

What do I press now?

Deathstalker

THE LOOP

  1. 1With both Stratagems, finish at 6+ combo points
  2. 2Two Shadow Dances inside every Shadow Blades
  3. 3Between Blades, dance freely — but hold two charges once Blades is 10 s away

SINGLE TARGET

  1. 1Shadowstrike in Shadow Dance, Backstab outside
  2. 2Finishers: Secret Technique › Coup de Grace › Eviscerate
  3. 3Goremaw’s Bite on cooldown

COOLDOWNS

  1. 1Shadow Dance with Secret Technique ready
  2. 2Shadow Blades inside Shadow Dance
  3. 3Vanish outside Dance at low combo points, into Shadowstrike

PACKS

  1. 1Shuriken Storm on two or more, in Dance or out
  2. 2Black Powder is the finisher on two or more
  3. 3Secret Technique still comes first

DEATHSTALKER

  1. 1Start Dance at low combo points and build into Secret Technique
  2. 2Store 5 Shadow Techniques before Dance for the Apex proc
  3. 3Spend Darkest Night on a max-point Eviscerate

OPENER

  1. 1From stealth: Shadowstrike, Eviscerate, Vanish into Shadowstrike
  2. 2Goremaw’s Bite, then Shadow Dance with Blades and Shuriken Storm
  3. 3Secret Technique, then Shadowstrike and Eviscerate until Dance ends

STAYING ALIVE

  1. 1Cloak of Shadows for the biggest magic hits
  2. 2Feint for heavy AoE — it costs Energy
  3. 3Cheat Death lets you play greedy

Order and spell names from Method’s playstyle page for 12.1.

Hero talent for Raid

Deathstalker

Guide: Trickster behind · Deathstalker recommended

Shadowstrike from stealth or Dance puts three marks on the target; big finishers spend them, and the last one grants Darkest Night — a sure-crit Eviscerate.

  • Lingering Darkness over Symbolic Victoryevery build
  • Ethereal Cloak over Bait and Switchthe guide’s build; choose per fight
  • Momentum of Despair over Follow the Bloodevery build
  • Shadewalker over Shroud of Nightevery build

Ready to pull?

Raid, M+ or Delves — what matters?

JobRaidMythic+
Hero treeDeathstalker (recommended)Deathstalker (recommended)
Single targetDark Shadow, or Gloomblade for a bit moreDark Shadow out for Potent Powder
Area damageShuriken Storm and Black Powder on two or morePotent Powder; Singular Focus funnels pack damage into the marked target
UtilityAtrophic Poison when you are the only RogueAirborne Irritant: Blind hits the whole pack

Delves, Prey and outdoor: no source gives Subtlety Rogue guidance for them yet — no column is guessed.

What goes wrong for me?

  • Two Shadow Dances per Shadow Blades, Secret Technique in every Dance, finishers at 6+.
  • I run out of Energy: Relentless Strikes returns 4 Energy per combo point; Shadow Techniques now give 5.
  • My Shadow Dance ended early: It now ends if you swap talents, and you can no longer cancel it yourself.
  • Packs die without me: Shuriken Storm and Black Powder on two or more, Secret Technique still first.
  • I die: Cloak for big magic, Feint for heavy AoE, Cheat Death as the net.

When do I spend cooldowns? · Nek’zali the Soulcoiler

Boss timers are not on this page — the events are yours (✎). Enter times from your boss mod; the warnings come from each cooldown’s length.

  • Shadow Dance20 s · lasts 6 s
  • Shadow Blades1 min 30 s · lasts 16 s
  • Secret Technique25 s
  • Goremaw's Bite45 s · lasts 14 s
  • Vanish2 min
  • Cloak of Shadows2 min · lasts 5 s

No events yet — add the first big damage moment from your boss mod.

When do I swap a talent?

TalentTypeRule
StillshroudUtilityTake when The Blinding Vale — taken there far more than in any other key
Dark Shadow / Gloomblade / Potent PowderDamageTake when Dark Shadow for burst, Gloomblade for single target, Potent Powder for AoE
Potent PowderAreaTake when keys — 31 of the top 50, against 19 on Dark Shadow
Atrophic PoisonUtilityTake when whenever you are the raid’s only Rogue
Ethereal Cloak / Bait and SwitchDefensiveTake when per fight — a longer Cloak, or extra reduction on Evasion and Cloak; 27 of 43 top Deathstalkers pick Bait and Switch
Airborne IrritantUtilityTake when keys — Blind hits the whole pack; 48 of the top 50
ShadowrunnerMovementTake when keys — 20% faster in stealth and Dance; 44 of the top 50

What does this fight ask of me?

Nek’zali the Soulcoiler

  • Break Gravebound Advance with magic damage, then kill each Amani before the well.
  • The intermission rewards strong AoE, as adds and corpses pile up there.
  • Melee soak each Hungering Pyre; killing both Echoes of Jawae closes the intermission.
  • In Phase 2, use Hero/Lust and cooldowns and burn the boss.
Boss guide ›

Share my plan

Subtlety Rogue · Raid · Nek’zali the Soulcoiler
Hero: Deathstalker · Stats: Item level › Agility › Haste › Mastery › Critical Strike › Versatility
Talents: Dark Shadow, Lingering Shadow, Goremaw's Bite
Code: (the guide’s, linked on the page)
Patch 12.1 · checked 2026-10-09

Good at · weak at

  • ● Sims put it 1st of 26 on one target (S tier).
  • ● Handles almost any damage pattern — one target, cleave or packs.
  • ● Far simpler to play in Midnight than before.
  • ● Atrophic Poison: the target deals 4% less — real raid utility.
  • ● Long known as one of the harder specs to pick up.
  • ● Sims drop it to 18th of 26 at 5 targets (D tier).
  • ● Rare in Mythic+: 1.3% of DPS seats, 19th of 27.
  • ● Shadow Dance can no longer be cancelled and ends on a talent swap.

Tier set · Chosen Bloodslayer’s Hexweave

  • ● 2-piece: Backstab costs 10 less Energy and hits twice as hard; Shuriken Storm costs 5 less and hits 60% harder.
  • ● 4-piece: Lingering Shadow also boosts Eviscerate and Black Powder, at 60% (cut from 100% on Aug 18).

Gone in Midnight: Rupture, Flagellation, Symbols of Death.

Gear:Items for Subtlety Rogue ›· Full BiS lists:MethodWowhead

Apex talent · Ancient Arts

  • ● Rank 1: each Shadow Technique stack spent has a 15% chance to call a clone that repeats the attack at 50% as Shadow.
  • ● Rank 2: Shadow damage +5%, and clones can proc Shadow Techniques.
  • ● Rank 3: with 5+ Shadow Techniques left after a builder, the next finisher spends them for full combo points — two finishers back to back.

What top keys wear

Most worn by 291 Subtlety Rogue in +16–22 keys, US+EU, week of Oct 6–14 (Blizzard API)

Median item level 327 · 291 characters’ gear and 350 characters’ talents · +16–22 keys · hero trees Deathstalker 68% · Trickster 32%

Trinkets

  1. Voracious Heart of Ula'tek79%
  2. Zul'jin's Guillotine Techniquetier set42%
  3. Keeper's Seething Core30%
  4. Gebbo's Bottomless Bag17%
  5. Freightrunner's Flask10%
  6. Lightspire Core6%

Rings

  1. Lightwarden's Bind56%
  2. Jade Ophidian Band38%
  3. Vile Alchemist's Band19%
  4. Masterwork Sin'dorei Bandcrafted18%

Neck

  1. Aqirbane Reliquary73%
  2. Pendant of Malefic Fury14%
  3. Amulet of the Twin Fangs3%

Back

  1. Silken Voodoo Drape32%
  2. Bloodthorn Burnous17%
  3. Cloak of the Restless Tribes11%

Main hand

  1. Zatha'tek, Breath of Corruption53%
  2. Farstrider's Mercycrafted · embellished34%
  3. Sharpened Lightwood Slasher5%

Off hand

  1. Farstrider's Mercycrafted · embellished64%
  2. Sharpened Lightwood Slasher14%
  3. Zatha'tek, Breath of Corruption11%

Head

  1. Chosen Bloodslayer's Spirit Shroudtier set82%
  2. Gaze of the Coiled Watcher16%

Shoulders

  1. Chosen Bloodslayer's Voodoo Guardstier set87%
  2. Frothing Venom Spaulders5%
  3. Silvermoon Agent's Mantlecrafted · embellished4%

Chest

  1. Chosen Bloodslayer's Banded Ponchotier set96%

Wrists

  1. Silvermoon Agent's Deflectorscrafted · embellished83%
  2. Rootwarden Wraps5%
  3. Restless Spirit Shackles5%

Hands

  1. Chosen Bloodslayer's Fanged Gripstier set84%
  2. Grips of Electrified Defense4%
  3. Silvermoon Agent's Handwrapscrafted4%

Waist

  1. Sash of the Forlorn Vessel35%
  2. Silvermoon Agent's Utility Beltcrafted · embellished18%
  3. Whirling Dervish Sash12%

Legs

  1. Chosen Bloodslayer's Reinforced Pantstier set85%
  2. Coiled Hex Legguards5%
  3. Silvermoon Agent's Leggingscrafted4%

Feet

  1. Silvermoon Agent's Sneakerscrafted · embellished36%
  2. Sand-Shined Snakeskin Sandals16%
  3. Arctic Explorer's Legwraps13%

Embellishments

  1. Arcanoweave Lining92%
  2. Hunter's Ritual Stone80%
  3. Hunt12%

Talents — top keys against this guide’s Mythic+ build

This guide’s Mythic+ build plays Deathstalker; 68% of top keys do. Checked on its 3 named key talents and every choice node.

  • Top keys and this guide agree on every talent checked.
Open the most common top-key build in the talent planner ›

How we counted: the best timed run of each character on Blizzard’s Mythic+ leaderboards this week, then its profile — gear only if it is still in this spec, talents from its active loadout. A share is of this spec’s sample, per slot (both rings and both trinkets merged); a row needs 2% and 2 characters. Read 2026-10-09 from Blizzard’s Game Data and Profile APIs, no names kept. Top keys, not all players — what they wear, not a best-in-slot list.

Ask the guide

Where sources disagree

Deathstalker or Trickster?
◆ Guide (Aug 19): Deathstalker does more damage everywhere
◆ Since then: Unseen Blade +50% and +15%, Coup de Grace +30% and +10%
◆ Top 50: 43 Deathstalker, 7 Trickster
Haste or Mastery first?
◆ Guide: Haste to about 1050 rating, then Mastery
◆ Top 50: Mastery +1084 ahead of Haste +740

Opinion, not data: The set moves damage out of the burst windows, which does not feel like Subtlety — yet both bonuses add about 16% (the guide author’s view).

What changed this season

  • 2026-08-06 · 12.1 — Goremaw’s Bite redesigned: three targets, a 14 s bleed, 20% of finisher damage repeated as Shadow
  • 2026-08-06 · 12.1 — Shadow Techniques 40% more often and 5 Energy (was 4); Relentless Strikes 4 per point (was 5)
  • 2026-08-06 · 12.1 — Shadowcraft: in Dance, Shadow Techniques 25% more often with an extra combo point; The First Dance +4 s
  • 2026-08-06 · 12.1 — All damage +2%; Lingering Shadow now also covers Shuriken Storm
  • 2026-08-18 · 12.1 — All damage +6%; the four-piece cut to 60% (was 100%)
  • 2026-08-18 · 12.1 — Shadow Dance ends on a talent swap and can no longer be cancelled
  • 2026-08-18 · 12.1 — Lingering Darkness drops on a talent swap and when a boss pull or key starts
  • 2026-09-22 · 12.1 — Trickster in PvE: Unseen Blade +50%, Coup de Grace +30%
  • 2026-10-06 · 12.1 — Trickster in PvE: Unseen Blade +15%, Coup de Grace +10%, Fazed 7% (was 5%)
  • Coming 2026-10-13 · 12.1.5 — Shadow damage bonuses rebuilt to apply consistently — Blizzard says the net effect is under review
  • Coming 2026-10-13 · 12.1.5 — Shadow Blades gets new cast and weapon visuals

Read next

Plan with
Talent planner — Subtlety Rogue ›Items for Subtlety Rogue ›Rogue on the classes page ›
Rogue guides
Assassination RogueOutlaw RogueAll spec guides ›
Raid bosses
Nek’zali the SoulcoilerEntombed SentinelsThe Lost ExplorersVashnik the MalignantSszorakThe Twin FangsThe Coiled AltarUla’tek
Mythic+ dungeons
Altar of FangsKings’ RestThe Blinding ValeTemple of SethralissVoidscar ArenaMurder RowDen of NalorakkRuby Life Pools

Where this comes from

How we checked: every talent named here is matched against Blizzard’s own tree (Game Data API, build 12.1.0.68914) by a test; builds, stats and cooldowns come from at least two dated sources, and where they disagree both sides are shown; loadout strings and BiS lists are linked, never copied.

Subtlety Rogue this season — quick answers

Deathstalker or Trickster for Subtlety Rogue in Midnight Season 2?

Deathstalker simply does more damage than Trickster in every situation; the guide recommends Deathstalker for raid and Mythic+. Top 50 M+ Subtlety (rating 3769–4076): 43 Deathstalker, 7 Trickster. All logged keys: Deathstalker 94%; top 50: 89%. Top Mythic+ keys this week run Deathstalker 68% · Trickster 32%.

What is the Subtlety Rogue stat priority for raid and Mythic+?

Item level first, then Agility. Raid: Haste › Mastery › Critical Strike › Versatility. Mythic+: Haste › Mastery › Critical Strike › Versatility.

What does the Subtlety Rogue Season 2 tier set do?

Chosen Bloodslayer’s Hexweave: 2-piece — Backstab costs 10 less Energy and hits twice as hard; Shuriken Storm costs 5 less and hits 60% harder; 4-piece — Lingering Shadow also boosts Eviscerate and Black Powder, at 60% (cut from 100% on Aug 18).

What changes for Subtlety Rogue in the next patch?

12.1.5 (2026-10-13): Shadow damage bonuses rebuilt to apply consistently — Blizzard says the net effect is under review. 12.1.5 (2026-10-13): Shadow Blades gets new cast and weapon visuals.

How long are the Shadow Dance and Shadow Blades cooldowns?

Shadow Dance: 20 s, lasts 6 s. Shadow Blades: 1 min 30 s, lasts 16 s.

What gear do top Mythic+ Subtlety Rogue players wear (BiS)?

Most worn by 291 Subtlety Rogue in +16–22 keys, US+EU, week of Oct 6–14 (Blizzard API). Trinkets: Voracious Heart of Ula'tek 79%, Zul'jin's Guillotine Technique 42%, Keeper's Seething Core 30%. Rings: Lightwarden's Bind 56%, Jade Ophidian Band 38%. Embellishments: Arcanoweave Lining 92%, Hunter's Ritual Stone 80%. Hero trees: Deathstalker 68% · Trickster 32%. Median item level 327. What most top keys wear — measured, not a best-in-slot list.