After coming back from a break i've ran through "Fallen Watch" and "upper Saman" with groups, to test the new Rogue overhaul and changes.
Rogue Overhaul Feedback From a High-End Min/Max Perspective:
Rogue player here, with decades of MMO experience across both PvE and PvP.
I like the direction of the Rogue overhaul, but right now the class feels like it’s working harder than other DPS classes just to achieve similar results. Complexity is great when it creates choices and skill expression; less so when the difficulty comes from mentally counting timers while trying to stab something in the correct pixel of its back.
Stealth Damage Buff
Give us a visual indicator. Once the 3-second Stealth buff is activated, make the Stealth icon change color, flash, or simply show a visible timed buff. Counting “1… 2… 3…” every single time was charming for about five minutes. Now I’m basically playing Rogue: The Counting Simulator.
I disagree that waiting out the Stealth buff is necessarily a DPS loss. The increased crit potential can make a 1200 damage spike considerably more valuable than three seconds of white damage followed by a 370 ( or 235, Mind you I sit on 200str) Backstab or 500 crit. Obviously it’s situational, but combined with Evade, immediately using the Stealth window can also provide strong burst without constantly pulling aggro.
Twinblades
Twinblades feels inconsistent and unnecessarily punishing. It shouldn't consume your Slice effect just because you choose to apply it to a Might ability.
The interaction with the global cooldown also feels excessive. Why should Backstab lock out Twinblades for that long, and vice versa? MnM doesn't need artificial GCD friction between abilities that should naturally flow together.
Optimizing Twinblades also means another hidden counting exercise: tracking Slice ticks so you don't overwrite a stack before its final tick. That's technically optimization, but it doesn't feel like interesting Rogue gameplay. The challenge should come from positioning, timing, threat management and using the Rogue toolkit intelligently, not maintaining an imaginary stopwatch collection.
Rogue DPS & Positioning
On a stationary dummy, Rogue DPS looks fine. In an actual encounter, it's a different story.
Rogues already pay a positional tax: staying behind the target, avoiding roots, controlling aggro, dealing with mobs constantly turning between the tank, off-tank and healer, and occasionally having Backstab register from the front/side or simply miss.
Meanwhile, a Wizard can start nuking immediately, from range, from virtually any angle, even through lag, and access its maximum damage much more consistently.
That's why I'm concerned about the upcoming DEX/hit-rating changes. If Rogue ends up needing excessive DEX investment just to maintain reliable hit chance, it could seriously hurt the class. Please account for how much practical DPS Rogues already lose simply from having positional requirements.
Gambit, CC & Rogue Identity
This is probably my biggest concern.
Gambit is nearly useless in many group situations unless the Rogue is main-pulling, and relying heavily on Smoke Vials means potentially burning through hundreds of reagents per session while sacrificing limited inventory space.
More importantly, having essentially one stun option feels strange for a Rogue.
I'd strongly consider bringing back the 5-second stun from Stealth. It wasn't only about power. It gave Rogue actual utility, decision-making and class identity.
For example: an Enchanter fizzles and a mob breaks toward them. A good Rogue could Vanish → Stealth Stun the incoming mob → Blind another target, buying the group enough time to recover.
That's Rogue gameplay.
It gives us a reason to watch the battlefield instead of simply auto-attacking and pressing Backstab. It creates those little moments where player awareness and knowledge of your toolkit matter.
Right now Rogue feels like it's running on half a battery. The class has damage, but much of the dynamic utility and identity that made playing a Rogue engaging is missing. The old “eat a sandwich while playing MnM” meme is getting dangerously close to becoming a feature description.
Fury of the Assassin
One possible change: make Fury of the Assassin a 2-minute cooldown and let the Rogue decide whether the burst is worth the threat risk.
That's a meaningful tradeoff: Do I unleash everything now and potentially rip aggro, or hold it for a safer opportunity?
That type of risk/reward fits Rogue far better than simply restricting its offensive options.
Overall
This isn't meant as a rant. It's feedback on the direction and identity of the Rogue overhaul.
I don't think Rogue should be balanced around “more is coming later.” The class should already have a recognizable identity and toolkit that separates it from other DPS classes, with future additions expanding that identity rather than eventually creating it.
Right now, when you compare that toolkit with something like Wizard, huge crit nukes, roots, pushback, Gate, Evac, ranged damage and far fewer positional restrictions, it's difficult not to ask what Rogue is receiving in exchange for all of its limitations.
Give Rogue its utility, control and opportunistic gameplay back. Damage matters, but Rogue shouldn't just be another DPS class that happens to stand behind the mob.
Make us think like Rogues, not count like accountants.
