There’s also some important information that players should really take note of before blindly following BiS lists. Knowing the reasons behind each item choice, the specs stat priority, and how to simulate your character to find the best item based on your current gear is vital to maximizing your character.
If you’re an experienced Rogue, however, jump right down to the appropriate section by using the table below.
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Subtlety Rogue Best in Slot Stat Priority
The Best In Slot recommendations in this article are based on whether the item possesses the two most crucial secondary attributes for maximizing damage. In the case of the Subtlety Rogue, for items very close in ilvl consider the following priority:
Stat Priority
Agility Critical Strike Versatility Mastery Haste
Agility, the primary stat, is often going to be the deciding factor on items of similar ilvl. Critical Strike is the best stat due to the way Find Weakness interacts with Backstab and Shuriken Storm; more is always better. Versatility and Mastery (Mastery: Executioner) are similar in value as they both increase the damage. Haste is an okay stat for single-target damage but due to the increased energy generation from multiple targets, it’s best to avoid it as much as possible for AoE settings.
When there isn’t a piece of gear with both of the top two attributes, picking the first and third stats or the second and third stats is also acceptable.
Important Notes For BiS Lists
It is important to note that any jump in ilvl by more than 10 points almost always results in the higher ilvl item being better. If you have an upgrade of 5 ilvl or less, compare the stats based on the stat priorities to decide on the better item.
Keep in mind that secondary stats eventually have diminishing returns. The calculations for diminishing returns are as follows:
0 to 30% in a stat - no penalty. 30% to 39% in a stat - 10% penalty. 39% to 47% in a stat - 20% penalty. 47% to 54% in a stat - 30% penalty. 54% to 66% in a stat - 40% penalty. 66% to 126% in a stat - 50% penalty.
In the case where you have reached 30% in a secondary stat, an item that has a secondary stat that is lower on priority may be a better upgrade. This is why it is always important to sim your gear. For simplicity, we offer the best per slot assuming you have not capped out these stats.
The amount that is optimal always depends on the situation. You can also use a simulator, such as RaidBots, to see what you specifically should focus on. We have a section at the end of this guide to learn how to sim your gear.
Subtlety Rogue BiS Gear
The items appearing in these lists may come from Mythic+, Raids, or The Vault. Their item level will depend on the instance’s level of difficulty (Normal, Heroic, Mythic, Mythic+ 1-20). This list does not include Renown or Crafting items as it is meant as a guide on what dungeons or raids to attend to get your best gear from these sources.
For easy comparison, the item tooltips show Mythic level 9 or Normal Difficulty for Raid item level version of the item.
Best Head
The tier headpiece is a great option to include for the set bonus. The other options are also good if you can keep set bonuses.
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Best Neck
The crafted necklace is shaping up to be the best in slot neck for almost all classes, so make sure to have it crafted with the right stats for your spec. There aren’t any Crit with Vers options, and unfortunately, the only ones that do, have Haste. This is one slot that is definitely worth simulating for.
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Best Shoulders
The Tier shoulders don’t have Crit but have Vers & Haste. Not the best option. Felbat is the best choice outside of the tier set bonus.
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Best Back
Unfortunately no Crit & Vers options. The highest Crit option has Mastery, so it’s not a bad choice.
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Best Chest
The Tier Chestpiece does have Crit but high Mastery. Probably worth it to just have the Tier piece to not break the set bonus.
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Best Wrist
There are no options with Versatility on it, so look for these options with Crit & Mastery.
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Best Hands
The tier-set Gloves are a good choice to keep the set bonus, but unfortunately, have haste on them. Other options have a good amount of Crit on them too.
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Best Waist
Again, the best Crit option has Haste, worthwhile to sim this slot too with these options:
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Best Legs
The Tier Legs are pants down the best option as they have both Crit and Vers, finally! All other options included here have Crit/Mastery, so make the tier legs a priority.
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Best Feet
Basically, all boot options are viable, the top pick would be this one with Crit & Mastery
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Best Rings
From top to bottom here are the best options for rings. The last option is also viable even though it has Haste, the Auto-attack damage is worth it.
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Best Trinkets
Because competition is going to be very intense for these trinkets we’ve provided multiple options for all types of encounters.
For Single Target, the best options are Manic Grieftorch and Controlled Current Technique For Cleave and AoE, the best options are Controlled Current Technique and Storm-Eater’s Boon
For Trinkets, check out Bloodmallet as they have outlined all trinket options with multiple item-level variants.
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Best Weapons
Ideally, you’ll be able to snag two of Fenryr’s Bloodstained Fang. Enduring Shard of Terros is okay but unfortunately, Vers is the higher stat. Skyferno Rondel is fine but has Haste.
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How To Simulate To Determine Your Best Gear
Raidbots is a tool that World of Warcraft players can use to figure out if the gear they just looted is an upgrade. As mentioned earlier, there are so many nuances and diminishing returns as certain points in the game, that determining an exact set of bis gear is impossible. With the ilvl scaling of Mythic+ loot on higher keys and utility different gear has for different fights, there just isn’t a pure “this is the absolute best for the entire Season” list. It’s even something that certain classes have come across in Classic Wrath!
Don’t worry, because we’re still here to help. We highly recommend using raidbots to determine if an item you just acquired is an upgrade. Here’s a quick guide to help you run simulations to see if your new item is an upgrade:
Make sure you have the Simulationcraft add-on installed. With your new loot in your inventory, open your chatbox and type /simc. A window will open up. Copy the entire text and paste it on the Raidbots Top Gear page.
This step is important. On the Top Gear page, scroll down and make sure you’re selecting the gear you want simmed. If you do not select the gear you’re wearing, as well as the gear in your inventory you just acquired, you won’t know if you picked up an upgrade. Raidbots will then let you know which items allow you to maximize your DPS!
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