Top 3 Best Neverwinter Rogue Builds
It has been a wild year for the Trickster Rogues of Neverwinter. The Lost City of Omu and Ravenloft expansions saw Rogues dishing out massive amounts of damage in PVE thanks to buffed powers, improved gear and fresh theorycrafting. After years of being a fun--but mediocre-- option for PVE, Rogues have finally snuck into the ranks of top tier of damage dealers.
However, nothing in Neverwinter lasts forever. The massive class rebalancing that came with The Heart of Fire expansion saw Rogues knocked back down the DPS ladder. Nerfs to Whirlwind of Blades, Courage Breaker and Shadow of Demise sliced 40%-60% off the old Executioner build's damage output. Some have abandoned the class, but those who want to stick with it are looking for ways to stay relevant.
Flexibility is the key. Once there was only one viable path, but now Rogues in Neverwinter will need to switch between situational builds to remain effective. Here are few ways to accomplish that:
3. Scoundrel
One of Cryptic's high-level goals with the recent Trickster Rogue changes was to make all three feat paths more viable. With the Executioner path cut down to size, Scoundrel has become an appealing alternative for experimentation.
What Makes this Build Powerful
The Scoundrel build is fast and versatile, which makes it a solid option for solo play. Skullcracker buffs single target damage while Low Blows empowers Smoke Bomb’s AOE damage. Couple those with a few feats from the Saboteur tree to incorporate its more kinetic playstyle and you’re looking at a solid build with increased viability.
How to Build An Unstoppable Scoundrel Rouge
Heroic feats: Action Advantage (3/5 points, or 5/5 if you're human), Weapon Mastery (3/3), Toughness (3/3), Cunning Ambusher (3/3), Endless Assault (3/3), Scoundrel Training (2/3 points, or 3/3 if you're human) and Disciple of Strength (3/3)
Scoundrel feats: Bloody Brawler (5/5 points), Press the Advantage (5/5), Back Alley Tactics (5/5), Savage Blows (5/5), Low Blows (5/5), and Skullcracker (1/1)
Saboteur feats: Flashing Blades (5/5 points), Shady Preparations (5/5), and Knifes Edge (5/5)
Passive powers: Invisible Infiltrator and Infiltrator's Action (make sure to use the off-hand class feature for IA).
Encounter powers (single-target fights): Lashing Blade, Smoke Bomb, and Impossible to Catch
Encounter powers (multi-target fights): Dazing Strike, Smoke Bomb and Blade Flurry
Daily powers: Lurker's Assault (for single target) and Whirlwind of Blades (for multi-target)
At-will powers: Sly Flourish and Duelist's Flurry
Artifact powers: Soul Sight Crystal (for single target) or Sigil of the Devoted (for multi-target)
Mount powers: prioritize Artificer's Persuasion, Artificer's Influence and Protector's Camaraderie
How to Maximize this Build
In single target fights, it's essential that you make the most of Skullcracker:
Open with Lurker's Assault, followed by your artifact power and Impossible to Catch.
Then, use a stealthed Lashing Blade to trigger Skullcracker.
Drop Smoke Bomb and use Duelist's Flurry to extend the Skullcracker mark as long as possible, which also triggers the buff from Low Blows.
In multi-target fights, the key is to maintain the uptime of Low Blows.
Open with a stealthed Whirlwind of Blades followed by Smoke Bomb to get the benefit of Low Blows.
Take advantage of the damage buff with Blade Flurry and follow it up with a stealthed Dazing Strike.
2. Saboteur
The nerfs to Smoke Bomb and Whirlwind of Blades may have reduced Executioner's multi-target effectiveness, but the Saboteur path has powerful tools for the trash clearing phases. This build uses rapid-fire AOE attacks to daze and melt mobs making it an effective path to take if damage is your top priority.
What Makes this Build Powerful
The Saboteur build uses Shady Preparations, Knifes Edge, and One with the Shadows to dramatically shorten your encounter power cooldowns. This increases the uptime for AOE attacks like Smoke Bomb and Dazing Strike, allowing you to chain-daze mobs while you pump out damage. This build is especially effective in mob-heavy instances like Merchant Prince's Folly and Temple of the Spider.
How to Build A Kick-Ass Saboteur Rouge
Heroic Feats: take Action Advantage (3/5 points, or 5/5 if you're human), Weapon Mastery (3/3), Toughness (3/3), Cunning Ambusher (3/3), Endless Assault (3/3), Scoundrel Training (2/3 points, or 3/3 if you're human) and Disciple of Strength (3/3)
Saboteur feats: Flashing Blades (5/5 points), Shady Preparations (5/5), Knifes Edge (5/5), Gutterborn (5/5), Ambusher's Haste (5/5), and One with the Shadows (1/1)
Scoundrel feats: Bloody Brawler (5/5 points), Press the Advantage (5/5), and Back Alley Tactics (5/5)
Passive powers: Invisible Infiltrator and Infiltrator's Action (make sure to use the off-hand class feature for IA)
Encounter powers: Dazing Strike, Smoke Bomb and Blade Flurry
Daily powers: Lurker's Assault and Whirlwind of Blades
At-will powers: Sly Flourish and Duelist's Flurry
Artifact powers: Sigil of the Devoted or Wheel of Elements
Mount powers: prioritize Artificer's Persuasion, Artificer's Influence and Protector's Camaraderie
How to Maximize this Build
Your goal with this build is to use stealth and dailies as often as possible to lower your encounter cooldowns. This lets you get off more encounter powers, which refills your stealth bar and feeds the cycle.
Your rotation will be highly dependent on game flow but a typical fight will start with:
Whirlwind of Blades from stealth, followed by your artifact power and Smoke Bomb.
This will trigger One with the Shadows, refilling your stealth bar so you can drop Dazing Strike from stealth.
Blade Flurry is a strong finisher: its high damage and action point generation will set you up for another daily to refill your stealth bar and lower your cooldowns.
*If you need extra control then it helps to use Blade Flurry after Smoke Bomb.se your stealthed Dazing Strike after Smoke Bomb finishes to keep the mobs controlled while you wail on them.
Pro tips:
Your timing is important with this build, but it's less predictable and more forgiving than the Executioner build. It helps to know when One with the Shadows is up because it enables back to back stealth pops for Smoke Bomb and Dazing Strike.
Coordinating this with Whirlwind of Blades and Sigil of the Devoted can really keep the encounter powers flowing. There’s a lot of potential for synergy here but don’t overthink it: if you use stealthed encounters and dailies when you have them, good things will happen and you'll find your way into an efficient rhythm.
1. Executioner
The Executioner build might not be the one-size-fits-all DPS option that it used to, but it's still the best choice for Rogues in boss fights. This build uses single target encounter powers and self-buffs to set up nova damage bursts in order to keep you pumping out damage while maneuvering to stay alive.
What's Powerful About This Build
Even after the nerf, Shadow of Demise can put up big damage numbers if you execute your rotation properly. With the right buffs and good timing, an Executioner Rogue can take a big chunk off a boss' health bar. This makes it a great option for long single-target fights like Orcus and the last phase of Tiamat.
How to Build A Destructive Executioner Rouge
Heroic Feats: Action Advantage (3/5 points, or 5/5 if you're human), Weapon Mastery (3/3), Toughness (3/3), Cunning Ambusher (3/3), Endless Assault (3/3), Scoundrel Training (2/3 points, or 3/3 if you're human) and Disciple of Strength (3/3)
Executioner feats: Arterial Cut (5/5 points), Vicious Pursuit (5/5), Deathknell (5/5), Last Moments (5/5), Shadowborn (5/5), and Shadow of Demise (1/1)
Scoundrel feats: Bloody Brawler (5/5 points), Press the Advantage (5/5), and Back Alley Tactics (5/5)
Passive powers: Invisible Infiltrator and Infiltrator's Action (make sure to use the off-hand class feature for IA)
Encounter powers: Lashing Blade, Smoke Bomb, and Impossible to Catch
Daily powers: Lurker's Assault and Whirlwind of Blades
At-will powers: Sly Flourish and Duelist's Flurry
Artifact powers: Soul Sight Crystal or Sigil of the Devoted
Mount powers: prioritize Artificer's Persuasion, Artificer's Influence and Protector's Camaraderie
How to Maximize this Build
Your goal with the Executioner build is to soften your target, buff yourself, activate Shadow of Demise, and then squeeze in as much damage as you can before SoD procs:Kick things off with Sly Flourish to debuff the target.
Then use Lurker's Assault (if there are no adds) or Whirlwind of Blades (if there are adds).
Use your artifact power. (Soul Sight Crystal is best but Sigil of the Devoted works well if you're using Lurker's exclusively)
Use Impossible to Catch, enter stealth, and use Lashing Blade to activate Shadow of Demise.
Follow this up with Smoke Bomb and a rotation of Duelist's Flurry. By the time Shadow of Demise procs you should have another daily power ready to go so you can start the rotation over again.
Pro tip:
Timing is everything with this build. Not only do you have to know how to squeeze in as much damage as you can during Shadow of Demise, but you also have to be aware of your self-buffs and party buffs in order to maximize your damage.
Switching Between Builds
The best way to deploy these builds in group content is to use Executioner for boss fights and Saboteur for trash clearing. Scoundrel's flexibility makes it great for solo play but in dungeons, it's not as effective as switching between the other two.
Sometimes you won't be able to switch loadouts as needed. For example, in Tiamat, you won't have a chance to hit the campfire in between phases. In these situations, it's always better to run Executioner on the trash clearing. Just swap Dazing Strike in for Impossible to Catch, and then swap them again the single target situations.
Conclusion
The recent changes to the Rouge class certainly hurt diehard player’s damage numbers, but the Rogues of Neverwinter are no stranger to nerfs. The community of theorycrafters built around the class is hard at work trying to squeeze every drop of performance out of it. Currently. there’s no "one true build" for Rouges, but there is a lot of damage to be done for those who choose the right tools for each situation. Happy stealthing!
