I’ve been fussing around with macros for my Rogues and have come up with a couple of useful ones. Now, I’m more the “copy and paste” type than any kind of macro programmer, but the macro system is worth learning and will save you a lot of clicks and keymashes.
Basically a good macro set will make you a leaner meaner killing machine.
By the way, this naturally applies to classes other than Rogues, it’s just that I’m working with [tag-tec]Rogue macros[/tag-tec] at the moment. There are a variety of other sources for WoW Rogue Macros and I list a couple at the end.
So here are the macro basics to start:
- Type /macro to open the macro interface
- Hit “new”
- Pick an icon
- And then you’ll enter your code.
For my Shadowstep (Swords) Rogue I use this:
/cast Premeditation
/cast Cheap Shot
Replace Cheap Shot with the opener of your choice, eg: Ambush. Premeditation adds 2 combo points right before the attack (with a 2 min cooldown.) So with this build I Cheap Shot and can frequently add an immediate 5 pt combo finisher. If the cooldown hasn’t finished then just the Cheap Shot will fire.
This one makes sure you bandage yourself and not the other guy. 😉 Replace the bandage with whatever bandage you’re using at the moment.
/use [target=player] Heavy Netherweave Bandage
This next one allows me to strike with Ambush and immediately switch to swords or maces or whatever. Probably not the most efficient thing to do, but it’s fun. Slot 16 is your main hand, 17 is your off hand. Just swap in whatever weapons you’re using.
If Ambush doesn’t fire for whatever reason then the weapons still swap. If you’re one of those people who likes to spam the Ambush key as you approach then this won’t work so well, because the weapons will swap before you get the ambush off.
/cast Ambush(Rank 2)
/equipslot 16 Diamond Hammer
/equipslot 17 Ironpatch Blade
Here’s a quick swap macro. Make a couple of these and switch back and forth as the situation dictates.
/equipslot 16 Mainhand weapon
/equipslot 17 Off hand weapon
Macros can get far more advanced than these, allowing you to simplify many different actions.
Killer Guides’ Rogue Guide has a bunch of other macros and a ton of great Rogue info. Get your’s here.
Arena Junkies has a page with macros for all classes that’s worth checking out, especially if you do PvP.
8 Responses to “WoW Rogue Macros”
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Im a rogue level 42 and looking for some rotations to do. This is my first toon so im fairly new at this if you could give me some good rotation and macros the way I should put them in that would be great Night elf rogue spec is combat daggers
Thanks for your time
Tyler Kubach
Hey,
I have another site, GotWarcraft, with some good info. It’s not up to 3.3 yet, but little (important) has changed for Rogues since 3.2. There’s also some macros, PvP stuff, and number crunching there.
Leveling page: http://gotwarcraft.com/guides/leveling/class/rogue.php
Combat page: http://gotwarcraft.com/guides/classguides/combatrogue.php
I always liked to use “Cheap Shot” to open since I could just sneak up (from the front) and strike. The others require you to be behind the target.
When fighting mobs that might run I generally open with “Garrote,” since they will run and die.
So one routine is Cheap shot > sinister strike till 4 or 5 combo points > Eviscerate.
Another is Garrote > SS > Rupture (mob runs and dies.)
“Sinister Strike” is your CP builder, so the routine is always Opener > SS > finisher (assuming the mob lives long enough to get to the finishing strike.
“Blind” is good if fighting more than one mob. Blind #1, kill #2, back to #1.
Does that answer your questions?
Greg
Thanks for the handy macros 🙂
@ Tyler,
Presumably you are levelling as a combat rogue. This post sort of assumes that since it is the easiest levelling for PVE at leat until level 60.
1> Use the slowest main hand weapon you can find. Use the fasted OH dagger you can find.
2> Cheap shot is a great open from stealth and gouge is a great open from non-stealth.
3> After getting a combo point of two hit your slice and dice. Try to make sure that slice and dice is never down while you’re in combat. A lot of dps for a rogue comes from the white damage.
4> make a macro for sinister strike
/startattack
/cast sinister strike.
This turns on your auto attack on the target and keeps it on. It will turn it back on after gouge. You’re using the SS anyway so it might as well benefit you to the max.
My open from stealth is cheap shot-slce and dice-SS to 5 points then rupture if target is over 1/2 health. I’ll eviscerate if under half health or envenom depending on how many stacks of deadly poison I have.
Non stealth is similar but I open with gouge, then Slice and dice etc. I know a theres a lot of tempation to use fancy macros to switch to main hand dagger in stealth so you can backstab. That relies on positioning too much, and its too easy to forget to switch back. If your combat use instant poison on the MH and Deadly on the OH. Remember Sinister strike does MH average damage which is why slower is better (higher average burst).
Last bit- spend lots of time in stealth pickpocketing everything you can at your level. It seems basic but it really will get you used to the ranges for combat and its just plain fun to do.
I should also mention this site is really really really out of date. Or at least this thread is. The real pain about macros is nearly every patch screws them up one way or another. If you become to macro dependent you will fail right after a new patch. The change that got me was the /castrandom = /castsequence change a few patches back. It nerfed a bunch of my macros. Just saying play the most effective game you can but realize the macros can break easily.
Yeah, a lot is out of date… Sorry about that.
Sorry guy but this macro doesn’t work in patch 4.3:
/cast Premeditation
/cast Cheap Shot
I don’t know why but after you use it the Cheap Shot doesn’t cast until the cooldown of Premeditation finishes.
Interesting. I was testing that yesterday and it worked fine for me.
Haven’t a clue as to the problem.
update: My suggestion to to experiment with various things on the test dummies and verify what works. For example, some “on use” trinkets will break stealth, so you have to put them in after your main attack in that macro.