The Rogue class in Diablo 4 has some serious diversity when it comes to builds. The class can be melee, ranged, or a hybrid between the two. Able to pull out a bow or daggers in an instant, players will naturally let their imagination runs wild when it comes to taking this class through the campaign.
But without the right synergy, the Rogue is a liability in Diablo 4. Suddenly, world bosses will start stomping out rogues. This might make some players gear up for survivability but then the damage falls off. Thankfully, there is a great PvE build that pleases both solo and group Rogues.
Updated on June 29th, 2023 by Hodey Johns: This guide has been updated for the huge rebalance patch in 1.0.3. Many guides have remained untouched because most skills got a simple numerical buff or nerf to bring them in line with the rest of the skills in the game. Especially with Vulnerable builds becoming so powerful, this was an appropriate rebalance. However, not every skill received a small buff or nerf. Some of these were significant enough to change builds for and this build was one of those. Some of these buffs weren't to damage but to cooldown or resource reduction which alters the skill rotation entirely. The old build might still be better than it was before but this new guide gets the absolute most out of the class.
Skill Tree
Skill | Points |
Forceful Arrow | 5 |
Enhanced Forceful Arrow | 1 |
Primary Forceful Arrow | 1 |
Barrage | 5 |
Enhanced Barrage | 1 |
Improved Barrage | 1 |
Weapon Mastery | 3 |
Caltrops | 5 |
Enhanced Caltrops | 1 |
Disciplined Caltrops | 1 |
Poison Trap | 5 |
Enhanced Poison Trap | 1 |
Countering Poison Trap | 1 |
Exploit | 3 |
Malice | 3 |
Shadow Imbuement | 5 |
Enhanced Shadow Imbuement | 1 |
Blended Shadow Imbuement | 1 |
Precision Imbuement | 3 |
Deadly Venom | 1 |
Alchemical Advantage | 3 |
Death Trap | 1 |
Prime Death Trap | 1 |
Supreme Death Trap | 1 |
Trap Mastery | 3 |
Victimize | 1 |
At the maximum level and with all the Renown gathered, players will have 58 skill points to invest. The mix of ranged, trap, shadow, and spell damage may appear to be a confused build at first glance but there is a critical central there here; it's all about applying the Vulnerable debuff.
With so many skills and abilities applying Vulnerable, this Rogue will find a 100% application of Vulnerable on every enemy they fight. With the way Vulnerable stacks multiplicatively, getting about every Vulnerable source possible will lead to the highest damage threshold which is why Blended Shadow Imbuement getting refreshed by Countering Poison Trap is so powerful.
Paragon Boards
Board | Paragon/Legendary Nodes | Glyph |
Start | Prime, Skillful | Ambush |
Exploit Weakness | Artifice, Exploit, Exploit Weakness | Exploit |
No Witnesses | Ruin, No Witnesses, Knowledge, Training | Chip |
Deadly Ambush | Trapper, Deadly Ambush, Spring-Loaded, Engineering | Versatility |
Eldritch Bounty | Imbuer, Eldritch Bounty, Ready Supply, Potent | Efficacy |
The paragon boards and glyphs can be a bit tough to figure out. It's a matter of adjusting the boards so that they snake properly. Few players will get to the maximum 200 paragon points but those that do will find that their powers are enhanced by enormous magnitudes.
Listing all nodes would be tedious and impossible to read, but if gamers move between the major nodes listed, it shouldn't be an issue. Make sure to purchase all relevant stat bonus nodes inside the designated glyph areas.
Going with the Exploit board early is a no-brainer for this Vulnerable build. Though only a few nodes here increase damage, they increase it significantly. Many other builds will dip into this board but a strictly PvE Rogue will find a ton of value from this one.
Gear
Slot | Aspect/Piece |
Helm | Harlequin Crest |
Chest | Protecting Aspect |
Gloves | Vengeful Aspect |
Pants | Aspect of Siphoned Victuals |
Boots | Mangler's Aspect |
Amulet | Blast-Trapper's Aspect |
Ring | Aspect of the Expectant |
Ring | Aspect of Corruption |
Main Hand | Windforce |
With the new aspect system, gamers have a ton of freedom to take the piece of gear they find with the best stats and then add their favorite effect to it. Increasing potion efficiency helps out a bit but these aspects are game-changing. Note that some of these aspects can be swapped in and out on other pieces of gear; which piece has which aspect is not important.
Blast-Trapper's Aspect provides yet another way for players to stack Vulnerable debuffs on a target. In the endgame, Mangler's Aspect will prevent opponents from being able to attack and Aspect of Siphoned Victuals will litter the battlefield with Healing Potions. For a build all about damage, this is a tremendous defense that most other classes can't match.
Specialization
- Combo Points
World Tiers can get out of control when it comes to difficulty. Thankfully, specializations are a simple way to keep pace with the escalating challenge. For Rogues, this unique system is less about choice and more about making what exists more powerful.
Because Forceful Arrow applies Vulnerable after three shots and Barrage applies Vulnerable after three casts, there is a perfect synergy with Combo Points. The gamer will already be rotating between three shots so these Combo Points will enhance damage without the player needing to alter the natural playstyle of the PvE Rogue build.
Diablo 4 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.