[CLASS BUILD] The Shadow Blade, Sneaky Backstabbing Rogue

Youtube Video Guide

Disclaimer: This playstyle is not for everyone. This is all about micromanaging every movement your rogue makes. If you don’t like this style of play, you will not have fun with this build. If you leave this character alone for a second, she will die. If this sounds fun to you, read on.   

In the middle of the night they came. Dark shadows on the wind, almost soundless. Tquintan heard them though. She always did. She was one of them, trained to move without being seen, and strike with furious anger. She was good. Not the best, but good enough to warrant a death sentence. The Orlans of the Deadfire had a cruel sense of justice. Tquintan had challenged a senior in her guild, and won. The others in the guild did not take kindly to this upstart trying to climb the ladder of assassins before she had proved himself. So they did what they do best. 

Well, they tried. Tquintan got away. With nowhere to go, she went south and joined a caravan headed for Gilded Vale…

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This is my take on a classic backstabbing stealthy sneaky glass cannon rogue. I know there are probably ways to optimize it better, but this character was a beast. Did far more damage than any other party member, soloed a dragon, took down Concelhaut without letting him get a spell off, and was a damage dealing machine from level 1 to level 16. She is also squishy. Very squishy. She will die a lot. Hopefully not before she has taken out 3-7 enemies (sometimes more). I beat the game on POTD with all upscaling and injuries on, and she had a grand total of 300K damage, 1045 kills, more crits than hits, and was knocked out 88 times. ;)

Race/Stats/Background

Hearth Orlan (want those crit bonuses)

Deadfire Drifter

Might - 17

Con - 3

Dex - 19

Per - 20

Int - 15

Res - 4

Perception and Dex are our most important stats. We want to attack fast, and crit often. Might is next for the damage. Because we are so squishy, we attack many times, crit many times, and kill fast. If you don’t kill them fast and they turn around and target you, you need to get out! Int is also nice as it makes our afflictions last longer, which is broken strong when it gets to sap at level 13. Dump Con and Res to as low as they go. Embrace your inner micromanager, and accept the fear of death at any minute. 

Skills: Max Stealth, couple points into Athletics for second wind, couple points into Survival for move speed.

Important Story Talents

Flick of the Wrist: A flat ACC bonus to our weapon of choice

Merciless Hand: More Crit

Song of the Heavens: More Per 

Skaens Boon: I just wanted to be evil… Dex doesn't hurt either. 

Blooded Hunter: More Stealth

Dungeon Delver: More Crit and Stealth

Blood Pool: Sagini (Itumak too) More Per

Gift of the Machine: More MIG is always welcome. 

Level Progression

These are the abilities/talents I took. I respecced so many times testing different things that I couldn’t really tell you the order. I put them in what I think is an optimal order for a full playthrough, but mix and match as you please based on your team composition. 

1: Crippling strike (or blinding strike doesn’t matter, though late game crippling strike is better) 

2: Backstab (obviously, also why we invest in stealth points)

3: Reckless Assault (this model gives extra melee damage at the cost of defense, but you are wet paper towel anyway so may as well go all in, have it on at all times)

4: Shadowing Beyond (this is where we start getting tricky, though our damage is not quite respectable enough to be taking enemies out in a single swing, but it is damn fun)

5: Escape (now we have a combo! Escape to the backline, crippling strike, go invisible, backstab, if buffed from a priest, should take out casters and ranged units quickly)

6: Two Weapon Fighting (get that attack speed up!)

7: Deathblows (More sneak damage, but now you need two afflictions to proc. So easy to do if you have a priest and wizard or druid in party.

8: Weapon Focus Ruffian (Stilettos and Sabres!)

9: Finishing Blow (This is a good one, make sure to use it against low health enemies. It will not be overpowered at this point in the game, but later…. Your backstab crits will be in the multiples of hundreds)

10: Bloody Slaughter (Crits against weak enemies, combined with deathbows….)

11: Dirty Fighting (more crit damage)

12: Devastating Blow (Mỏre damage for finishing blow)

13: Sap (Ok, this is the most overpowered ability in the game for a rogue. You get 2 uses per encounter, it stuns the enemy, and then you get 7-11 seconds to just wail away on them as they can’t do a damn thing. They are usually dead by the time it wears off. Then, you do it again. I can count on hand the amount of enemies who were immune to stun and this didn’t work. It is how my rogue basically soloed the Adra Dragon. Incredible ability)

14: Vicious Fighting (better dirty fighting)

15: Deep Wounds (Damage over Time DOT)

16: Beast Slayer (Just for dragon killing…)

Team Composition

There are certain things you need to make this work. My team was Eder, Kana, Aloth, Durance, Hivarias. But almost any composition will work as long as you have….

2 Tanks: You need two frontliners to take a ton of engagements. If the enemies curl around your tanks and come to the side, where you are standing and target you, you are dead. I used Eder and Kana, they did very well tanking large groups while I killed enemies off to the side. Plus, they are pretty low micro intensive. 

Affliction Casters: You need afflictions to proc sneak attacks, 2 for uber sneak attacks with deathblows. The best characters to do this are wizards, ciphers, druids, priests. The Priest is the easiest, just get painful interdiction. Wizard also has a huge AOE spell Arkemers something something. Druids can cast insect plague for sickened, relentless storm for stun, etc. Ciphers can do Secret Horrors and Phantom Foes, both of which have massive AOE…. the combinations are endless. The important thing is your backline is inflicting affliction for your rogue, buffing the team. They can throw out damage spells after that.

A Priest: Painful Interdiction, some Heals (you will need them!), the occasional Withdrawal for longer fights, resurrection for when you die, and the suite of Priest buffs, Crowns of the faithful, Devotions, Blessings, etc, etc, etc. Durance was responsible for standing in the back and buffing the hell out of everybody. 

Playstyle

Combat starts and one of two scenarios will unfold. a) Your rogue is grouped up with your team, b) your rogue is off the side hiding. 

Scenario A

Your rogue is standing where he needs to be, right next to the priest. Combat starts, the buffing begins, the tanks move forward, the casters throw out some debuffs, your rogue waits in stealth. Once the dance at the frontline is settled your tanks have engaged the enemies, the rogue moves in on the flank side, and begins to stab. She quickly kills a couple, and then uses escape to jump to the backline where is an annoying priest and a ranger. Teleport right beside the priest (he is the most dangerous) and hit him with Sap. Now he is stunned. Stab Stab Stab Stab, dead. Pop hide in shadows and sneak up behind the ranger and backstab him for big damage. He won’t last long. 

Scenario B

Your team is in one place and you are in another. Just stealth up behind the backline and start stabbing. Use Shadow Beyond and escape to move from target to target. Use escape to get our there quickly, use Sap to run and burst. In this scenario though, you don’t have the priest buffs on. You are flying solo so make sure to really carefully babysit. 

Gear

Weapons

Dual Stilettos are a fun way to go. You get amazing ACC and they do good damage because you are attacking so fast. They also have innate DR, which is nice. Your backstabs won’t be huge, and you need a wizard or a priest to get some inflictions on enemies. The game has some great Stilettos, one you can buy early in Gilded Vale, and another you can get on the first floor of the endless paths. With those two you can head to Ondra’s Gift, buy some Vithrack brains, and you good two unique Exceptional Stilettos for all of act 2. Later in the game you get some more amazing Stilettos. It is a solidly represented weapon.

Some good ones:

HOWEVER…..

If you really want to min max, do an insane amount of damage, make POTD feel easy, and feel like a god, then do this instead. As soon as the White March starts, do it. I mean all of it. From beginning to end. We need Krakens Eyes. Once you finish and get your 2 Kraken Eyes, upgrade the Sabre Bittercut to Legendary. Add a Corrosive lash, Durgan Reinforced, and put it in the Wax Mold and copy it. Now you are dual wielding two legendary sabres with increased attack speed. And you have all of Act 3 and many bosses and bounties and the endless paths to enjoy it with…. You can upgrade something to Legendary once you hit Level 16, but I had a huge chunk of content left after I did this. Honestly though, it was almost too strong….

NOTE: Always have a bow equipped in off slot just in case you get stuck behind tanks and need something to do. Or you get stuck and can’t move)

Armor

For most of the early and mid game you should use Angio’s Gambeson for the DAOM spell. Of course you could also just go with clothing or robes. Late Game Vengiatta Rugia is best in slot of a sneak attack rogue. And best in style. Scales of the Raven is also a good choice, but it also a late game item. I used Vengiatta Rugia so I could ditch the Glanfathan Stalking Boots and use boots of speed instead. I made it Legendary, and added an +2 Int upgrade. 

Boots

Use the Glanfathan stalking boots until you get Rugia armor late game, and switch to boots of speed. Or use Boots of Speed as soon as you get them. Honestly, it is a huge quality of life boost to move faster during combat!

Helmet

Maegfolc Skull for the +3 MIG and the style. 

Neck

Mantle of the Excavator: +4 PER cloak

Rings

Ring of Thorns +3 Dex

Ring of +9 Defenses

Gloves

Gloves of Quickness for the increased attack speed

Belt

Belt of Mortal Protection (just to save you from crits that might one shot you)

Belt of Constitution +3 (more HP)

Looped Rope (defences against afflictions)

Driving Wave

I wore the Looped Rope from the moment I got it. Getting your movement impaired with this build is a death sentence, and 20+ defence on these afflictions is nice.