Formerly known as the Thief, the Rogue of the universe is part of the game's earliest foundations. Every roleplaying game, including the big ones that everyone plays online, has some variation of this favorite class. It's highly customizable, fits into virtually any backstory you could create for one, and you can fill virtually any role in the party. Not to mention any combination of skill set can work with the Rogue, just start with a high Dexterity rating and go from there.
RELATED:
Rogues are perfect for Dungeons & Dragons players who want to play a martial character with a little more subtlety than your average lumbering fighter. However, not all Rogues are created equally. Players can choose between five main archetypes with varying abilities and traits. We've made it a bit easier for you to choose which rogue subclass is better for you by ranking them.
Updated July 23, 2021, by Kristy Ambrose: The versatility of the Rogue has ensured its popularity and several more subclasses have been developed in honor of the class. The official D&D source materials currently list nine official Rogue subclasses, but if we included homebrew options and some of the experimental builds from Unearthed Arcana, there would be several more. Remember that your choice of Feats and Skills is also important when customizing your character and choosing the best Rogue subclass.
9 Mastermind
- Source: Xanathar's Guide to Everything
- Main Benefits: Master of Tactics, you can use the Help action as a bonus action.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Dungeon Delving
- Party Role: Defense, Damage
The Mastermind archetype starts out by giving you a bunch of abilities that can also be gained by a combination of backgrounds and feats, making it less popular than others. You get the ability to use the Help action as a bonus action, which isn't bad but is pretty low on the list of useful things Rogues can also do with a bonus action. Plenty of Rogues are good at things like infiltration and disguise while also being useful at anything else.
Most of the higher-level abilities are useful almost exclusively in intrigue campaigns. Paired with Dungeon Delver, it can also be useful in a campaign that focuses on dungeon crawls.
8 Inquisitive
- Source: Xanathar's Guide to Everything
- Main Benefits: Grants bonuses to Insight, Perception, and Investigation skills.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Insight, Perception
- Party Role: Defense, Damage
The Inquisitive archetype lets you see things incredibly well. It gives you many bonuses to Insight, Perception, and Investigation skills, and allows you to sense the magic that is designed to fool your senses. The only other ability you have is the ability to get free sneak attacks against a creature for a minute if your Insight roll beats their Deception roll. This is pretty good, but it doesn't make a whole subclass on its own.
Perception, Insight, and some of this subclass's skills and abilities are all Wisdom-based, so this class doesn't mesh well with the standard Rogue stats of Dexterity, Charisma, and Intelligence. It still is probably a better choice for an intriguing campaign than the Mastermind archetype though.
RELATED:
7 Swashbuckler
- Source: Xanathar's Guide to Everything
- Main Benefits: Fancy Footwork, the ability that allows you to attack your opponent but not land any hits.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Defensive Duelist, Heavily Armored
- Party Role: Defense
Swashbuckler really should be a better subclass. It's the type of Errol Flynn-esque archetype who thinks the only good type of rogue is a dashing Rogue. However, while it has a strong theme of Defense and is one of the few Rogue builds that fill this role, it doesn’t have cohesive abilities.
You can taunt people, take your turn quicker, and duel enemies one-on-one. Having another method to sneak attack is always good for a rogue, but using it can depend on the type of encounters your DM likes to create. Many abilities require you to build your rogue as a tank, which is possible, but not easy. Unfortunately, though it's a fun subclass, it comes across as a bad Bard.
6 Scout
- Source: Xanathar's Guide to Everything
- Main Benefits: Survivalist, you have two new skills and Expertise in both of them, giving you Expertise in a total of four things.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Alert
- Party Role: Damage
This is one of the better options for a no-frills ranged damage Rogue, which edges out the melee-focused Swashbuckler because you will be hit much less. The bonus you get on Initiative is actually useful since you give a full round of advantage against the first creature you hit to your entire party. You can also use your reaction to stay away from enemies that rush you, leaving you free to rain damage from afar.
RELATED:
The extra proficiencies in Nature and Survival are most useful in a wilderness-heavy campaign, but extra proficiencies are good for any rogue. This subclass makes for a good choice for any adventure and a great choice in an adventure full of Outlanders and Rangers.
5 Phantom
- Source: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
- Main Benefits: Soul Trinkets; the Phantom gathers trinkets when creatures die nearby, then spends those trinkets for extra damage or to ask dead creatures questions.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Magic Initiate, Shadow Touched
- Party Role: Damage
The Phantom subclass is one way that a non-spellcasting class can also have access to casting abilities, in this case, those of a Cleric. This Rogue subclass doesn't borrow from another class but instead has a few abilities that seem to reflect the same aesthetic.
The Phantom is aptly named because this subclass actually has the ability to turn into a ghost. They can also do necrotic damage on top of regular melee damage, making them a deadly member of your party.
4 Arcane Trickster
- Source: D&D Player's Handbook
- Main Benefits: Spellcasting, although limited to Illusion and Enchantment.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Spell Sniper
- Party Role: Damage
This archetype turns rogues into a “half-caster” class. Basically, it allows you to use a few spells in addition to your normal rogue abilities. You can also get a few other abilities, such as an invisible Mage Hand, which lets you pickpocket from across a room, and the ability to ambush enemies with spells. However, the main benefit is the spells.
Illusion spells and Find Familiar (which can be exploited to allow you to sneak attack every turn) can greatly increase your game, and the ability to steal the knowledge of other people’s spells is just icing on the cake. If you enjoy playing half-casters and rogues, this is the perfect subclass for you.
RELATED:
3 Assassin
- Source: D&D Player's Handbook
- Main Benefits: Bonuses in Infiltration and Assassination.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Actor, Observant, Alert
- Party Role: Damage
The Assassin Rogue subclass is exactly what it sounds like. It allows you to do two typically Rogue-ish things very well, which deal a lot of damage to people who don’t expect it and infiltrate places through impersonation.
While you might not be as great in open combat, your ability to infiltrate non-violently will be a great asset. Your ability to take enemies down by surprise and even kill them outright in one hit will ensure that you’re not useless in fights either. The subclass is elegant in its simplicity and is possibly the best intrigue Rogue on the list.
2 Soul Knife
- Source: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
- Main Benefits: Use a pool of Psionic Energy dice to wield Psionic Powers.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Martial Adept, Eleven Accuracy
- Party Role: Damage
Every class has a psionic option these days, and for Rogues, it's the Soul Knife. What makes this subclass unique is the use of Psionic Energy dice that are used to determine how you wield your powers. The nice thing about these dice rolls is that they're low risk, unlike other certain rolls, and you can store the better ones to use for later.
Psychic Blades is the ability that defines this subclass. It allows you to use your weapons at both melee and ranged distance, which is a handy combat ability, to say the least. Rend Mind, an ability that comes at higher levels, is a handy mind control spell that makes dangerous opponents a lot easier to kill.
1 Thief
- Source: D&D Player's Handbook
- Main Benefits: Fast Hands; using an item as a Bonus Action can include cantrips, healer's kits, or attacks with certain items.
- Ideal Skills or Feats: Alert, Observant
- Party Role: Damage
This is the subclass for players who want to play a real Rogue, with all the thievery, pickpocketing, lockpicking, and backstabbing possible. It might not be the best in combat, but it embodies all of the reasons why most people chose to play a Rogue.
Various abilities make you better at climbing, sneaking, and disarming traps in a split second. At higher levels, you can also use magic items no matter who you steal them from, and you can even take two turns on your first round of combat. Overall, you’re still just a rogue, but better.
NEXT:
FAQs
Which rogue archetype is best? ›
- Arcane Trickster.
- Thief.
- Phantom.
- Soulknife.
- Scout.
- Swashbuckler.
- Mastermind.
- Inquisitive.
For a classic rogue feel, consider the Lightfoot Halfling. For a highly-skilled rogue, consider the Half-Elf or the Kenku. For a high-damage melee rogue, consider the High Elf. For a ranged rogue, consider the Fairy or the Owlin.
Is Kestrel the best rogue? ›Kestrel is the newest addition to Rogue Company, and might arguably be one of the best Rogues you can use. Her loadout is pretty much unstoppable and her abilities are way overpowered, which is why she costs 20,000 Reputation to unlock.
What tier is rogue? ›Rogue decks are often attributed to Johnny players, and are generally not believed to be able to compete with the more popular decks in the metagame. Such decks are usually classified as being below Tier 1 decks in any given metagame, but are often just relevant or common enough to warrant discussion.
Is Soulknife rogue good? ›The Soulknife rogue in 5e is one of the best subclasses for the rogue. Soulknife rogues are incredibly powerful and have a lot of great abilities. Their Psychic Blades are some of the most useful weapons in the game and their ability to turn invisible and teleport make Soulknife rogues very hard to catch.
What are the best rogues? ›Lancer and Glimpse are on the top of Rogue Company tier list, and there's probably little to no argument about that. Glimpse combines amazing playmaking abilities with duellist power, while Lancer is simply the strongest duellist in the current meta. So these two being on the top of our duellist tier list is justified.
How good is Arcane Trickster? ›Arcane Trickster is by far the best Rogue subclass. It gives more option than the common Cunning Action + try to find a way to dish out Sneak Attack, specially at higher levels (7+). Don't underestimate Enchantment and Illusion schools.
Is Swashbuckler the best rogue? ›Swashbuckler is a great rogue subclass. Dual Wielding is very useful for swashbucklers, our party's halfling swashbuckler dual wields a sun blade and flame tongue shortsword. They are very good at melee combat, especially because they can run away from combat without needing to take a bonus action to do so.
Is a rogue fighter good? ›Why Play a Fighter Rogue Multiclass? Fighter is arguably the most versatile class in the game, and rogue has some of the highest martial damage potential. Together they overcome the other's weaknesses and can be built into several different and powerful builds.
Which rogues use snipers? ›Phantom is a Rogue featured in Rogue Company. Phantom is a Sniper, a Rogue Company member that excels at dealing substantial damage in long range combat. Her Nano Smoke ability reveal enemies that are in the area of the smoke.
What Elf is best for rogue? ›
A Roguish Race
Elves have the dexterity bonuses that a rogue needs and darkvision to boot, so they're the perfect match for a rogue; wood-elves, in particular, are the best choice, as they've also got an extra 5 feet of movement and stealth abilities of their own.
Rogues are very skilled in one on one combat, but definitely not as good in regular combat. Rogues are weak when it comes to this and players will want to avoid getting swarmed at all costs.
Who has rogue defeated? ›Rogue ultimately defeated Vargas, and avenged his earlier murder of Psylocke. But her enhanced mutant powers never returned after their final fight. Sometime later, Cyclops offered Rogue the chance to once again form her own X-Men team, and she led them to victory over the Children of the Vault and other threats.
What race is Kestrel? ›The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae.
Why is outlaw rogue so good? ›Outlaw Rogue is a specialization that centers around managing resources while sustaining high damage to stacked targets. As in previous expansions, Outlaw is a fantastic jack of all trades that can comfortably handle any situation or fight type.
Does Rogue have a crush? ›Since joining the X-Men, Rogue has become closest with her roommate, Kitty, and maintains a crush on the X-Men's field leader, Scott.
What race is Umbra? ›Umbra is a high-ranking Jackal assassin and a true believer of the Jackal cause.
Why is Rogue so strong? ›In her comic book appearances, Rogue is portrayed as a mutant, a fictional subspecies of humans born with an "X-gene" that grants superhuman abilities. She is capable of absorbing the life force, attributes, memories, and superpowers of anyone through physical touch.
Should rogues use daggers or swords? ›Swords are better for combat AND subtlety. With combat, the other weapons cannot compete with sword spec. This is because the superior main hand gets all extra swings regardless of which hand triggers the talent. With subtlety, you still want a slower main hand because of ghost/hemo.
What stats are best for rogue? ›- Critical Strike;
- Mastery;
- Versatility;
- Haste.
What race is best for soul knife? ›
Feral Tieflings Make Outstanding Soulknives In D&D
While any race that offers a boost to DEX and/or INT will work well for the Soulknife Rogue, one of the best options for this sublass is the Feral Tiefling.
Excels at controlling objectives and limited areas; Weapons and gadgets allows very distinct strategies; Great all-around rogue, able to fulfill a lot of her team's needs.
What race is best for trickster rogue? ›There are a lot of good options for an Arcane Trickster's race, but Elves tend to be outstanding. Not only do they get a +2 to Dex, but they are also proficient in Perception, which makes it easier to check for traps. High and Wood Elves are both proficient with longbows, which is a great weapon for Rogues in general.
Is Arcane worth upgrading? ›Arcane is mainly good for increasing bleed buildup, which is a very powerful technique through most of the game. Alternatively, occult scaling adds straight physical damage with arcane scaling. I've played through the entire game with pure arcane and it was great.
Why is Arcane show so good? ›Season 1. Arcane: League of Legends. Arcane makes an arresting first impression, combining a spectacular mix of 2D and 3D animation with an emotionally compelling story to deliver a video game adaptation that could become legendary.
Is Jack Sparrow a swashbuckler? ›You may recognise some of the following swashbucklers: the Three Musketeers, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Robin Hood, Indiana Jones, Inigo Montoya, Dread Pirate Roberts, Richard Sharpe, Zorro, Captain Jack Sparrow, Han Solo.
Is Robin Hood a swashbuckler? ›There is a long list of swashbucklers who combine courage, skill, resourcefulness, and a distinctive sense of honor and justice, as for example Cyrano de Bergerac, The Three Musketeers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Robin Hood, and Zorro.
Is rogue better than Ranger? ›It depends what you're after, the ranger is more effective in battle, but the rogue does get more skills overall. Do you want to play a sneaky character? both classes/subclasses CAN be sneaky if you build them that way.
Can a rogue stealth in combat? ›Hide: The Rogue's Cunning Action allows hiding as a bonus action instead of an action. This allows the Rogue during combat to feasibly hide their attacks to gain advantage when they subsequently strike from an obscured position.
Do rogues shoot Scavs? ›Behaviour. Rogues defend the water treatment plant by patrolling the area and manning emplaced weapons. They will open fire on players who come near the plant, but are more lenient towards USEC PMCs and Scavs.
Do rogues use Dex or Str? ›
A rogue thief gets Dex to attack and damage for melee attacks.
Who is the best healer in Rogue Company? ›Saint is the master of healing in Rogue Company as he provides medical support to every teammate in need. He is one of the free characters who everyone can use when they first start the game, but he is a blessing in disguise.
What is the best rare item for a Rogue? ›The Cloak of Displacement is probably one of the best magical items in 5e a Rogue could have. It's rare, so not quite as easy to find as other items, but worth the gold or the search.
Can a Rogue wear an AXE? ›> After much quiet contemplation, rogues now possess the ability to learn how to use one-handed axes.
What is the best starting equipment for Rogue? ›Many multi-class characters start with the versatile Rogue. Armor: Leather, preferably with Dexterity or AC buffs, which are usually +1 a level one. Weapons: Anything finesse, which can mean daggers or rapiers, since Rogues often fight using a two-handed style the player can mix and match these options.
Which elf is the strongest? ›Luthien was the most potent elf; in Middle Earth, she was also known as Tinviel. She was able to captivate Morgoth and conquer death because she was the sole offspring of an Elven monarch and the Maia spirit.
Can rogues wear Elven chain? ›Elven chain is treated as light armor in all ways. To use normal mithril chain you need medium armor proficiency or you suffer armor check penalties. The 1000gp is because the elven chain allows characters such as bards, barbarians, and rogues to use light armor without non-proficiency penalties.
Is Elven Accuracy worth it on a rogue? ›Is Elven Accuracy good? The short answer is yes, but it somewhat depends on the character. If you attack with Strength, don't pick it. Elven Accuracy only works for Dex/Int/Wis/Char attacks.
What ability scores should a rogue have? ›For many rogues, you'll want a Constitution of 14 or 12. Then when it comes to the mental abilities of Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, it will really depend on your rogue archetype and what skills you'd like to focus on. If you plan on playing the magical arcane trickster, you'll want to prioritize Intelligence.
What is the best rogue spec for Dungeons? ›Many players have chosen Subtlety as their choice of best Rogue leveling spec. Subtlety has good survivability, as you regenerate health in Stealth via Soothing Darkness, and fun burst potential as well as the element of surprise. If you are comfortable with the concept of Stealth, this is a good option.
Can rogues Parry? ›
Parry is the name of a passive ability which gives targets of melee attacks a chance to parry each incoming frontal attack. Parried attacks are negated - no damage is dealt. All melee classes except druids have this ability: death knights, monks, paladins, rogues and warriors.
What is the best Rogue class 5e? ›- 8 Inquisitive.
- 7 Swashbuckler.
- 6 Scout.
- 5 Phantom.
- 4 Arcane Trickster.
- 3 Assassin.
- 2 Soul Knife.
- 1 Thief.
The greatest rogue in lore I can think of would actually be Valeera Sanguinar. You likely wouldn't know her from much in WoW, but you might recognize her as the rogue from Hearthstone.
What is the most powerful D&D subclass? ›- Arcane Trickster (Rogue) ...
- Horizon Walker (Ranger) ...
- Oath Of Vengeance (Paladin) ...
- Twilight Domain (Cleric) ...
- The Totem Warrior (Barbarian) ...
- Way of Mercy (Monk) ...
- Aberrant Mind (Sorcerer) ...
- Champion (Fighter)
Afterward, Rogue declares that her team will leave the X-Mansion. Rogue is hospitalized after a battle with Pandemic. Cable, desiring Rogue's help in defeating the Hecatomb, forces her awake. Pandemic infects Rogue with a virus, Strain 88, altering her powers by amplifying them into an instantaneous death-touch.
Who is stronger Rogue or Colossus? ›As a matter of course, Colossus is physically stronger than Rogue. Colossus' mutant ability allows him to transform his skin from flesh to steel. This provides him with enormous durability, not to mention incredible strength.
What is the easiest Rogue spec to play? ›Assassination is slower paced and more forgiving, so I'd say it's generally the easiest.
What is the most overpowered class in WoW? ›- 1 Affliction Warlock.
- 2 Shadow Priest. ...
- 3 Unholy Death Knight. ...
- 4 Balance Druid. ...
- 5 Marksmanship Hunter. ...
- 6 Fire Mage. ...
- 7 Fury Warrior. ...
- 8 Elemental Shaman. ...
Orc is the best Classic WoW Horde Rogue race for PvE. Orc or Undead is the best Classic WoW Horde Rogue race For PvP. Horde Rogue have the benefit of raiding with a Shaman, which has access to Windfury Totem, an insanely powerful boost to a rogue's damage output.
Which is the most broken class in D&D? ›The most infamous broken build by far is the Coffeelock. An egregious combination of both Sorcerer and Warlock, the Coffeelock grants players unlimited spells. In addition, this build also eliminates the need for long rests, hence the name Coffeelock.