[OP] Rogue Class/Build GUIDE

General information on the rogue class and equipment for rogues. Guide also includes my brawler rogue build, which is a great build for your solo runs.

Welcome to my guide

This guide is a work-in-progress

General Information

The Rogue is a class in BG3 with a seriously high burst damage potential. Many builds for the rogue revolve around abusing the thief subclass with the additional bonus action it provides. But the rogue is a capable assassin with any subclass, the only thing separating them are the utility they provide.


In this guide I have gathered information on abilities and equipment to use in your rogue build, as well as in the build I present. This guide provides some brief insight to the most common equipment for every slot (except instruments for obvious reasons).




The brawler rogue build is a seriously strong challenger for your ordinary dps frontline. It combines the class specific actions of rogue and the tankiness of the best brawlers. Keep in mind that the tankiness develops as you venture further in to the story as you do not get the most powerful items in the early game.

Overview of what you need to to focus on character creation.

Race

The rogue benefits most from races that have natural stealth, sword proficiencies or medium armor proficiency. Better movement speed is also an important factor in rogue combat gameplay.

Races I suggest:

Drow

Has access to darkness and faerie fire which are great tools.

Elf

Longbow proficiency, both subraces have good qualities for a Rogue.

Generally I'd place the races as follows:

Background

Pick either Charlatan, Criminal or Urchin for the best match for your build. Stealth proficiency and sleight of hand proficiency are nice rogue picks.

Abilities

Generally Rogues are all about Dexterity. DEX is what gives a character the stealthy thiefy skills that rogues are known for. The primary spellcasting ability for Rogues is Intelligence, but it can be dismissed unless you're playing Arcane Trickster Rogue.


!! Remember to have the stats always on equal values !!

Ability Briefs

STRENGTH

As DEX and STR are interchangeable, when using a weapon that has to pick the higher of the stats to roll attacks and damage on, You'd do well with leaving STR low. Either 8 or 10 is solid for Rogue, depending on do you wan't to have the -1 to STR throws.

DEXTERITY

This is the most important stat for a rogue. I'd advise to max DEX to have the most advantage in combat and in DEX checks. Maxing to the odd number is not a huge loss, as you will gain dexterity along the way.

CONSTITUTION

Rogues are not well known for their huge health and tankiness, but since rogues aren't going to need STR, it's a safe pick to place some points. For the brawler build I suggest placing more points in CON.

INTELLIGENCE

As mentioned before INT is another stat you won't need, unless playing a caster Rogue. I'd still suggest not getting the -1 to INT.

WISDOM

Wisdom is a stat Rogue won't be needing for anything. There isn't a reason to place any points in wisdom.

CHARISMA

Charisma is a stat that you could place some points in, if you are playing the story for the first time. It makes dialogue much easier and you have the nice bonus of vendor discounts. If you are intending to lead with another character CHA can also be disregarded. I still suggest not to have the -1 to CHA.

Ability overview

Place ability points into DEX and CON with the rest being between INT and CHA. You can safely pick 10 in other stats if you are scared of the -1.

I'd suggest the following distribution, which will also act as the baseline for the Brawler Rogue build.

Subclass

Subclasses of the rogue do not have huge differences, but the few abilities tha they do differ in are important to know.

The Thief Rogue

The thief Rogue is the most commonly picked Rogue subclass for the 'Loreness' of the abilities. This subclass provides thiefy abilities and makes you a sneaking shadow.

Most importantly the Thief Subclass provides you with an extra bonus action. This is a huge buff and the biggest reason of advocacy for the subclass. With an extra action you can achieve so much when going for sneak plays.

The Arcane Trickster Rogue

This is the least common Rogue, as it is not often that you would need your Rogue to fill any caster position. As usually overlooked this class is not a usual pick, but definitely a solid pick if you think that you would benefit from the extra utility.

With the Arcane trickster you get the ability to cast spells, but the spells are capped at 2. level spellslots to balance the subclass.

The Assassin Rogue

This is the second most usual Rogue type and brings the assassination vibes forward with great success. As an Assassin Rogue your damage is granted a decent buff and you can really start to feel like you can burst down even big bosses in one turn after suprising them.

Most importantly you always crit against suprised creatures and you immediately restore your Action and Bonus Action at the start of combat. This offers such great damage on suprising the enemy that this is clearly the highest single target damage subclass.



The subclasses are all viable but if robots made me rank them, it would be as follows.

Subclass ranking:

1. Assassin Rogue
2. Thief Rogue
3. Arcane Trickster Rogue

Overview of the most common and most usable equipment.

Armour

Rogues are the most common light armour-lovers, but the game has many great medium armours (especially for the OP brawler rogue). With light armour the AC is not something you are especially looking for, but the bonuses the armour provides. These bonuses are typically something DEX or Stealth.

In the first 2 acts you should play with light armour to not spend a feat to use medium armor (as there is no good armor to pick up).

Good light armour:

Bhaalist Armour
Spidersilk
Penumbral
Elegant studded leather
Studded Leather +2

Good medium armour:

Dark justiciar half plate (rare)
Elven chain
Unwanted Masterwork Scalemail
!!!!!!Yuan-Ti Scale Mail!!!!!!
Armour of agility

Headwear

There is not a ton of good headwear to use for rogues, but the few good options are nice pickups for your build. Generally you'd just pickup what is the best headwear available.

Good headwear:

Warped Headband of Intellect [Arcane trickster rogue HUGE PICKUP]
Mask of Soul Perception
Shadow of Menzoberranzan

OK headwear:

Haste Helm
Horns of the Berserker

Good medium headwear:

Dark Justiciar Helmet

Cloaks

The game doesn't have many cloaks but there are a few options for you rogue. Again use whatever is the best cloak you have until you get to these items.

Good cloaks:

!!Shade-Slayer Cloak!!
Cloak of protection
Cloak of displacement
The deathstalker Mantle (DURGE ONLY!!)

OK cloaks:

Cindermoth cloak
Cloak of elemental absorption

Handwear

With handwear you are typically looking for light buffs most likely to damage in the early game, but in the late game there are a few great options to increase your lethality.

Good handwear:

Craterflesh gloves
Gloves of the Balanced Hands
Stalker Gloves
Bonespike Gloves
Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength
Legacy of the Masters

OK handwear:

Gauntlets of the Warmaster
Dark justiciar Gauntlets
Gloves of archery
Gloves of missle snaring
Jhannyl's Gloves

Footwear

Footwear grant good bonus quirks and applicable boots can be found even early on. Though there are no rogue build specific shoes, you can easily use whatever shoes you feel like fit your build the best.

GOD footwear:

Disintegrating Night Walkers

Good footwear:

OK footwear:

Acrobat Shoes
Evasive Shoes

Amulets

Amulets give great power to every build and there are very good options for every rogue.

Good amulets:

Amulet of misty step
Amulet of branding
Amulet of Greater Health

OK amulets:

Broodmothers revenge
Amulet of bhaal
Periapt of Wound Closure
Surgeon's Subjugation Amulet
The Spectator Eyes
Hammergrim Mist Amulet

Rings

Rings hold great powers in BG3 as they are the source of many huge buffs and they give great actions. There are a load of rings you could use on your Rogue, BUT the risky ring is one that provides you with such power that you'll want to try it (and the 'trying' will most likely last the whole campaign).

GOD RING:

Risky Ring (THE BEST RING FOR ROGUES)

• This is due to the fact that you get endless sneak attacks during combat
  
• Saving throws are definitely something you shouldn't be scared of as a Rogue
  
• You can easily swap out this for out-of-combat checks

Good rings:

Shifting Corpus Ring
Killer's Sweetheart
Ring of Evasion

OK rings:

Crusher's Ring
Shadow-Cloaked Ring
Smuggler's Ring
Ring of Free Action
Ring of Regeneration

Might use:

Caustic Band
Eversight Ring
Poisoner's Ring
Ring of Protection
Ring of Twilight

Overview of the best weapons for your Rogue.

Melee

The weapon makes the rogue, or whatever the saying is. The weapon catalogue in this game is HUGE and picking only one is a hard task (luckily we'll be playing dual wielding). You always want a weapon that relies on DEX so shoot for the finesse category. Early on it is adviced to use finesse weapons with high damage, but as you get experience in your fighting style you can get weapons that suit your style much better.

All weapons won't be listed here as there are too many of them to list. I have picked a few obvious ones to list here.

Weapon tierlist:

---------------------------------------S--------------------------------------

{Act 2} Knife of the Undermountain King
1d6+2 Piercing
Finesse
Shortsword

• The wielder scores a Critical Hit when rolling a 19.
  
• When they roll 2 damage or less, reroll the dice, taking the highest result.
  
• You have Advantage on Attack Rolls against Lightly or Heavily Obscured targets when using this blade.

{Act 3} Bloodthirst
1d4+2 Piercing
Finesse
Dagger

• The number you need to roll a Critical Hit while attacking is reduced by 1. This effect can stack.
  
• [Main Hand]
  
• Creatures hit with this weapon receive Vulnerability to Piercing damage.
  
• [Off-Hand]
  
• When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you may retaliate and gain True Strike.
  
• Armour Class +1

{Act 2} Slicing Shortsword
1d6+1 Piercing
Finesse
Shortsword

• When the wielder attacks with Advantage, the attack inflicts Bleeding.

---------------------------------------A--------------------------------------

{Act 2} Sword of Life Stealing, 1d6+2 finesse shortsword.

• On a Critical Hit, the target takes an extra 10 Necrotic damage as long as it isn't a construct or an undead. You also gain 10 temporary hit points.

{Act 2} Justiciar's Scimitar, 1d6+2 finesse scimitar.

• If you attack with Advantage, you have a chance to Blind your target.
  
• Shadowsoaked Blow:

Action
Recharge: Short Rest
Strike an enemy, adding your Proficiency Bonus to the damage. Moreover, if the attack hits, it
also deals an additional 1d6 Psychic damage. This attack doesn't break concealment.






{Act 3} Ambusher, 1d6+1 finesse shortsword.

• Gain a +1 bonus to Initiative rolls and Advantage on Perception Ability Checks.
  
• In combat, you deal an additional 1d6 Necrotic damage against creatures that haven't taken a turn yet.

{Act 3} Crimson Mischief, 1d6+2 + 1d4 Necrotic finesse shortsword.

• [Main Hand]
  
• This weapon deals an additional 1d4 (1~4) Piercing damage against targets with 50% of their hit
  
• points or fewer.
  
• When you make an attack with Advantage, the target takes an additional 7 Piercing damage.
  
• [Off-Hand]
  
• When you make an attack with your off-hand weapon, you can add your Ability Modifier to the
  
• damage of the attack.

{Act 2} Shortsword of First Blood, 1d6 finesse shortsword.

• Deal an additional 1d8 Piercing damage to targets that still have all their hitpoints.

---------------------------------------B--------------------------------------

{Act3} Dolor Amarus, 1d4+2 finesse dagger.

• When you land a Critical Hit with this weapon, it deals an additional 7 damage.

{Act3} Dread Iron Dagger, 1d4+1 Finesse dagger.

• While its wielder is Hidden, this weapon deals an extra 1d6 Necrotic damage.

{Act 3} Handmaiden's Mace, 1d6+2 +1d6Poison mace.

• Set the wearer's Strength score to 18. The enchantment has no effect if their Strength score is higher without it.

---------------------------------------C--------------------------------------

{Act 3} Cold Snap, 1d4 + 1d4 Cold Finesse Dagger.

• [Off Hand]
  
• When a creature misses you with an attack, it must succeed a DC 13 Constitution Saving Throw
  
• or be Chilled for 2 turns.
  
• Armour Class +1

Ranged

Ranged weapons are also an important part of a Rogue's toolkit, as you have also the ranged sneak attack. This is a great hard hitting strike that you'll be using a lot. For the bow I recommend using weapons with passive buffs, what you feel like you need at the moment.

In the endgame there are good options depending on do you want a buff to your whole build or do you want to concentrate on your ranged sneak attack damage.


GOD ranged weapon:

The Dead Shot
1d8 + 2 Piercing damage

• Improved Critical: The number you need to roll a Critical Hit while attacking is reduced by 1. This effect can stack.
  
• Keen Attack: The wielder doubles their Proficiency Bonus when rolling ranged attacks with this weapon, unless they have Disadvantage.

An amazing buff with great damage. Obvious pick for the final act.






Good ranged weapons:
Gontr Mael
Vicious Shortbow
Hellfire Hand Crossbow


OK ranged weapons:
Hellrider Longbow
Bow of the Banshee
Darkfire Shortbow
Blightbringer


Might use ranged weapons:
Harold
Least Expected
The Long Arm of the Gur


You could also use the Titanstring bow with gloves that give you strength, for a crazy well rounded high damage build. Without the strength gloves I would suggest against using this bow.

Build info

With this build you'll be assassinating your enemies in broad daylight right under their noses. And what is better is that they can't do anything about it. This build merges assassin dps with paladin survivability. Best case you'll be hitting crits with rolling a 15 worst case 17. You won't be hit by anything and you take half the damage you should.

We'll be playing the Assassin subclass

Race & Background

I'd pick Drow and Urchin

Abilities

Invest fully in DEX and CON leaving the rest how you want.

Feats

Moderately Armoured
Dual Wielder

Savage Attacker
or
Mobile
or
Ability Improvement

Gear

Dark Justiciar Helm

Shade-Slayer Cloak

Armour of Agility

Stalker Gloves

Knife of the Undermountain King

Bloodthirst

Amulet of Misty Step

Risky Ring

Killer's Sweetheart

The Deadshot

The Gameplan

Sneak behind the enemy, surprise them dealing immense damage with sneak attack. Then when they are surprised hit them again with sneak attack. Then when the enemy turns around they try to hit you -> they fail. Then, hit them again with sneak attack. After that just hit everybody with sneak attack and win the fight.

The gameplay is so easy when you do not need to be in sneak to sneak attack. You can just play combat regularly and use your overpowered attack like a paladin smite without any limitations or downsides.

Conclusion

The Rogue is a versatile character with loads of different build possibilities. The build presented in this guide is not the average rogue, but rather an evidence of the class's capabilities.

Thank You for reading this guide!

Please comment down below if I missed anything or if you have some feedback!

[Fizzbiscuts McGuffin]

Awesome thanks

[Hurtelli]

Yes you go full rogue. I feel like you don't need to multiclass for the brawler rogue build. You get survivability and damage from the build. It feels like you have the sruvivability of a paladin while being full rogue.

[Fizzbiscuts McGuffin]

Dis you go full rogue? Just saw you mention paladin survivability

[Rhapsody]

There's a shortbow that gives you advantage when attacking monstrosities. Pretty useful for rogue or any character really, since the effect is also applied on melee attacks while the bow is equipped.

[Hurtelli]

Still working on this. Like and share, leave a rating.