A plan you can follow.
Use the point order below between runs, then use the skill priorities inside a run. Choose the checkpoint that matches your available talent points.
These are permanent talent points spent between runs, not levels reached inside a run.
No specific equipment, gear-star level, race bonus or teammate is assumed. Upgrade priorities depend on the cards actually offered.
Backstab splash
Shadow Dance finishers with poison support
Use Subtlety movement, Cheat Death and recurring Gouge to reach Shadow Dance, then add poison and Eviscerate support from Assassination.
Assassination 20 Combat 0 Subtlety 31
Point order, skills & alternatives
Before using this plan
- Shadow Dance changes the opener to Backstab only at permanent point 31. Earlier prefixes use the available starter and treat offered Backstab cards as optional.
- Mutilate is not included: Shadow Dance needs at least 31 Subtlety points and Mutilate at least 21 Assassination points, exceeding the 51-point budget together.
Permanent talent order
Each row adds to the row above. Open a checkpoint to see every allocated rank; spend only the points your character actually has.
- 10 pointsAdd points 1–10
- Master of Deception +5Rank 5/5
- Elusiveness +3Rank 3/3
- Opportunity +2Rank 2/5
- 20 pointsAdd points 11–20
- Cheat Death +1Rank 1/1
- Opportunity +3Rank 5/5
- Improved Ambush +3Rank 3/3
- Setup +3Rank 3/3
- 30 pointsAdd points 21–30
- Preparation +1Rank 1/1
- Dirty Deeds +3Rank 3/3
- Initiative +1Rank 1/5
- Deadliness +5Rank 5/5
- 40 pointsAdd points 31–40
- Shadow Dance +1Rank 1/1
- Malice +5Rank 5/5
- Improved Eviscerate +4Rank 4/5
- 51 pointsAdd points 41–51
- Improved Eviscerate +1Rank 5/5
- Deadly Poison +1Rank 1/1
- Lethality +4Rank 4/5
- Vile Poisons +5Rank 5/5
Why these points come first
- Points 1–5: Start with movement that works even before Backstab becomes available.
- Points 6–8: Reduce damage while approaching the first milestone.
- Points 9–10: Begin Backstab support and finish the lower-row gate.
- Points 11: Add a limited fatal-hit recovery before committing to later melee damage.
- Points 12–14: Complete Backstab support for an offered card and the later capstone opener.
- Points 15: Begin critical-damage support and reach the next row.
- Points 16–17: Complete critical-damage support for direct strikes.
- Points 18–20: Improve Gouge and Kidney Shot recovery before the controlled-target package.
- Points 21: Add a recurring Gouge stun without requiring a particular card offer.
- Points 22–24: Reward hits during the control windows supplied by Gouge.
- Points 25: Reach the upper-row gate with the client-defined luck bonus; no particular reward outcome is assumed.
- Points 26–30: Add general damage before the capstone instead of a bleed bonus without a bleed source.
- Points 31: At point 31, gain the Backstab opener and Backstab/Eviscerate splash.
- Points 32–36: Support the critical-damage investment already in Subtlety.
- Points 37–41: Strengthen the other finisher named by Shadow Dance.
- Points 42: Make strikes apply a specific ongoing-damage effect.
- Points 43–46: Increase direct critical damage while opening the poison-amplification row.
- Points 47–51: Improve ongoing damage after Deadly Poison has been acquired.
Skills to look for
Use this priority when the relevant choice is offered. A route does not guarantee a particular card.
- Backstab
Opportunity and Shadow Dance support its low-health strike and nearby splash.
If it is missing: Sinister Strike — Use the ordinary close-range attack before Backstab is available; do not assume Shadow Dance at low permanent budgets.
- Eviscerate
It shares Shadow Dance splash, gains Improved Eviscerate and supplies a second wounded-target finisher.
If it is missing: Blade Flurry — Use the learnable area ability for coverage, while distinguishing it from the same-named Combat talent that is not selected.
- Gouge
Preparation supplies recurring casts and Dirty Deeds rewards damage against controlled enemies.
If it is missing: Kidney Shot — Use the offered stun to support Dirty Deeds; control lasts less time on bosses.
- Ghostly Strike
Its hit-generated absorb offers a defensive option for a route that still needs melee range.
If it is missing: Slice and Dice — If survival is already stable, its temporary damage buff is a different use of an available choice.
Inside the run
- Low permanent budget
- Use movement and Elusiveness to preserve an exit. Backstab bonuses become relevant only after the spell is actually present.
- Preparation and Shadow Dance active
- Improve a supported finisher and let Gouge create short controlled windows. Work around a pack edge so splash can reach nearby enemies without trapping you.
- After Assassination support
- Deadly Poison and Vile Poisons add ongoing damage to strikes; judge finishers separately on enemies that survive long enough to receive it.
Change one thing
- The desired finisher is not offered before point 31
- Improve the available starter and take an escape or coverage tool; the permanent allocation is not a promise of a draft card.
- Boss control feels brief
- Expect reduced boss stun duration and keep movement safe; Dirty Deeds does not imply a permanent control bonus.
- You want Mutilate as well as Shadow Dance
- Choose a different full allocation rather than adding both to this 51-point plan. They cannot be combined at their minimum branch costs.
- The split is 31 Subtlety and 20 Assassination, deliberately omitting Mutilate and Combat Blade Flurry.
- Cheat Death is a limited recovery trigger, not permission to remain in contact; both main finishers still require melee range.
The point order follows the checked 0.125.0 client requirements. Spell priorities and gameplay suggestions are editorial and have not been combat-tested. A legal allocation does not establish the strongest build or a proven clear rate.
To compare attempts, keep version, class, zone, difficulty, permanent equipment and account bonuses fixed. Record your chosen skills and the point where the run failed. Use the run comparison checklist →
Recommended spell connections.
These are all the priority spells from the routes above. Their references also describe alternative talents; check your chosen point plan to see which connections are active. The complete class spellbook follows below.
Open the Rogue talent planner →
Use Shadow Dance to give Backstab and Eviscerate nearby splash, Preparation for recurring Gouge control, and the later Assassination points for poison support. Sinister Strike remains an early fallback before the Backstab opening is unlocked.
Backstab
Adds an immediate second hit to each target struck by Sinister Strike or Backstab. Starts the run with Backstab and adds damage around Backstab and Eviscerate targets.
Mutilate / Shadow Dance / Opportunity
Eviscerate
Hits from Sinister Strike and Eviscerate also strike additional enemies near their targets. This is separate from the Blade Flurry ability. Increases Eviscerate damage.
Blade Flurry / Improved Eviscerate / Shadow Dance
Gouge
Shortens the cooldowns of Kidney Shot and Gouge. Increases your damage against controlled enemies, including those stunned by these attacks.
Setup / Dirty Deeds / Preparation
Ghostly Strike
Receiving a melee hit can trigger a free Ghostly Strike.
RiposteYour opening priorities.
Below 31 permanent points, support the available starter, including Sinister Strike, and take Backstab if offered. Shadow Dance changes the opening to Backstab only at point 31.
Preparation supplies recurring Gouge control, and Shadow Dance gives Backstab and Eviscerate nearby splash. The later Assassination investment adds Deadly Poison; it does not include Mutilate.
Approach groups from an edge with open space behind you. Support attacks that connect from that position before adding another offensive tool.
When the plan stalls.
Choose the row that describes your last attempt.
The main enemy dies, but the surrounding group keeps closing.
Try this Support Backstab or Eviscerate once Shadow Dance is selected, and use Gouge to make room.
Shadow Dance supplies the nearby splash in this plan. A repeated hit on one target is a different interaction, not a substitute for that coverage.
The crowd clears, but one durable target takes too long.
Try this Compare damage and critical support for Backstab or Eviscerate with the later poison investment.
Another splash effect adds little against a lone target. Mutilate is an alternative Assassination route: its minimum 21 points plus Shadow Dance's 31 would exceed the 51-point budget.
Taking hits forces you to abandon the attack.
Try this Prioritize a survival or recovery choice and return to the pack’s edge.
A damage upgrade only contributes while you can safely keep using the attack. A closed exit remains a movement problem.
Give your gear a purpose.
Compare direct damage or critical effects with a survival choice if close positioning is ending the run.
Band of Accuria 
Master Dragonslayer’s Ring 
Carrot on a Stick A trap to avoid.
Chasing a finishing hit through the center of the crowd and losing the space needed to keep attacking.
The route asks you to stay near threats. Damage upgrades cannot compensate for an exit that is already closed.
All 11 Rogue spells.
Sinister StrikeFast melee coverageEviscerateLow-health finisher
Blade FlurrySurrounding melee burst
RupturePhysical damage over time
Kidney ShotMelee stunGougeShort melee stunGhostly StrikeAttack-built shield
Adrenaline RushCooldown accelerationBackstabMelee finisher
Slice and DiceTemporary damage buff
Seal FateCombo-point finisher engineSources & scope
Talent allocations and named interactions use original-client snapshot v0.125.0. Every point order is checked against its rules. Build recommendations and skill priorities are editorial; no combat trial, clear-rate benchmark or optimal ranking is claimed.
Game client and version recordGameplay reference: original client v0.125.0, rechecked October 29, 2026. Live v0.127.0 was also observed that day; interface descriptions were compared, but talent execution rules and combat balance were not revalidated for the newer build.