Rogue has a variety of ranged and melee options. With the right Rogue build in Diablo 4, you get a character with flexibility unlike any other class.
Diablo 4‘s Rogue isn’t a new class to the series, but it was entirely omitted in the second and third entries. It was largely replaced by the Assassin, Amazon, and Demon Hunter classes, which used similar elements in their battle tactics, such as bows, traps, and stealth.
If you’re looking to get that Demon Hunter-esque ranged playstyle with bows, traps, smoke bombs, and dodge rolls in, then you’ll want to play as the Rogue. However, you’ll need a powerful build that makes use of the Rogue’s unique abilities to get there.
Here are the best Rogue builds in Diablo 4’s current meta for leveling, endgame, and PvP during Season 5.
Best Rogue leveling builds
| Tier | Build |
|---|---|
| S | Barrage Rogue, Penetrating Shot Rogue |
| A | Flurry Rogue, Twisting Blades Rogue |
| B | Grenade Rogue, Heartseeker Rogue |
| C | Arrow Storms Rogue |
Best leveling build – Barrage Rogue
We recommend the Barrage Rogue to level up in Diablo 4’s Season 5, as it can help you clear hordes of enemies in a breeze.
With Barrage, you’re firing a cone of arrows that turns enemies into pin cushions, whether they’re single bosses or a horde of minions. Close targets get obliterated while ricocheting arrows mop up the rest.
Since the build is super mobile, you’ll be zipping around while shrugging off hits. Shadow Imbuement adds explosions and energy regeneration.
Flurry and Twisting Blades are your best bet when it comes to melee builds, though melee on Rogue is very volatile on this class when it comes to leveling. Flurry does a ton of damage, for instance, but it also requires you to stand still and channel. If you find yourself dying a lot, swap to a ranged build.
Best Rogue PvP builds
| Tier | Build |
|---|---|
| S | Rapid Fire Rogue, Barrage Rogue |
| A | Penetrating Shot Rogue, Andariel’s Rogue, Shadow Step Rogue |
| B | Flurry Rogue, Grenade Rogue |
| C | Arrow Storms Rogue, Heartseeker Rogue |
Best PvP build – Rapid Fire Rogue
As is the case with endgame, Rapid Fire Rogue is the best build if you’re heading into PvP in Diablo 4 Season 5. The high burst damage at range and ability to easily imbue these arrows allow you to dispense all but the tankiest builds in just a few bursts.
Barrage Rogue is a close second, though. If you enjoy making your enemies vulnerable and having your bullets ricochet to deal critical damage, feel free to stick with it.
If you’re looking for something a bit closer to that melee assassin playstyle for PvP, Shadow Step Rogue is probably the build for you. It’s lower on the list due to how much harder it is to play melee with such a squishy class, but Shadow Step is great for countering builds that depend on keeping their enemy at a distance.
Best Rogue endgame builds
| Tier | Build |
|---|---|
| S | Rapid Fire Rogue, Barrage Rogue |
| A | Penetrating Shot Rogue, Andariel’s Rogue, Shadow Step Rogue |
| B | Flurry Rogue, Grenade Rogue |
| C | Arrow Storms Rogue, Heartseeker Rogue |
Best endgame build – Rapid Fire Rogue
The Rapid Fire Rogue build is the best endgame setup for Rogues. If you enjoy bombing people from a safe distance, the Rapid Fire Rogue is ideal.
This build excels in all situations and shines in high-end content with massive single-target damage. Rapid Fire shoots a sequence of arrows in a straight line, dealing high damage to bosses but struggling with groups.
The new Scoundrel’s Kiss ring, however, changes this by adding area-of-effect explosions on impact, making Rapid Fire a much more effective ability and putting it above Barrage just slightly. That said, Barrage can still be good, especially when it comes to single-target boss damage.
If you’re looking for a melee build, go with Shadow Step. Though it relies on the proper rotation of cooldowns and has an incredibly high skill floor, it’s also got some super strong burst damage and works well as a specialist class.
Playing the Shadow Step with friends who have other classes who make up for those AoE weaknesses is surprisingly effective.
Our tiers explained
- S: The best of the best
- A: Very good in the current meta
- B: There might be situations where these can perform well
- C: Unless you love this class, there are much better options
Diablo 4’s meta might shift every season but don’t expect any wild surprises. The same reliable builds keep climbing to the top, season after season.
That said, Season 5’s new items have certainly changed things up for the Rogue as far as which builds are truly optimal, though old-school staples like Barrage are still strong.
All Rogue class ranks in Season 5 explained
Barrage Rogue
The Barrage Rogue excels in both AoE and single-target damage. It fires multiple arrows in a cone, which makes it perfect for clearing groups and close targets.
You can reposition constantly to maximize damage output and use Shadow Imbuement for energy recovery and extra explosions. This build is all about strategic movement and high-impact attacks, making it a versatile and powerful choice.
For a full rundown of the best way to build the Barrage Rogue this season, check out our guide.
Rapid Fire Rogue
Ideal for melting bosses and elites, this build focuses on high single-target damage. Rapid Fire unleashes a torrent of arrows, enhanced by Scoundrel’s Kiss for added AoE damage.
You can stay at a safe distance, use Puncture to apply Vulnerable, and keep moving to avoid damage. High mobility and precise targeting make this build a top choice for tackling tough hordes of enemies quickly and efficiently.
On top of all that, Rapid Fire doesn’t lose its single target damage here, either. Season 5 changes made Rapid Fire the best all-around build in most situations.
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Flurry Rogue
Focused on melee combat, this build uses Flurry for rapid, close-range attacks. High attack speed and mobility allow for swift elimination of enemy groups, but it requires getting up close and personal.
It’s effective for players who enjoy fast-paced, in-your-face combat, dashing through enemies with a flurry of quick strikes. However, as is always the issue with Rogue’s melee builds, it’s a bit riskier than ranged options and relies pretty heavily on understanding how Combo damage works.
Penetrating Shot Rogue
The Penetrating Shot Rogue build shines with piercing shots that deal significant damage to multiple enemies in a line.
It’s excellent for crowd control and single-target scenarios, but it requires precise positioning and timing. If you master this build, you can cut through enemy ranks with powerful, well-placed shots that can decimate groups or focus on strong foes.
However, with Rapid Fire getting buffed to do AoE damage, the precision required for Penetrating Shot doesn’t normally pay off.
For a full rundown of the best way to build the Penetrating Shot Rogue this season, check out our guide.
Andariel’s Rogue
This build leverages poison damage and rapid attacks to wear down enemies over time. It’s got high mobility and consistent damage output, though you’ll need Andariel’s Visage (or at least its Aspect) to make this build work because of how important those Poison Novas are.
It’s perfect for players who enjoy a methodical approach, gradually overwhelming opponents with relentless, poisonous attacks that chip away at their health and deal some decent AoE damage.
Shadow Step Rogue
The Shadow Step Rogue emphasizes mobility and burst damage. This build uses Shadow Step to teleport and strike enemies from behind, providing high burst damage at the cost of being tied to a rotation of cooldowns.
With hit-and-run tactics, it suits players who prefer agility and elusiveness. Strike quickly, then vanish before enemies can retaliate.
Shadow Step is an incredibly fun build, and it really sells the Rogue fantasy of dipping in and out of the fight. Unfortunately, the need to wait for cooldowns and a lack of consistency keep Shadow Step from being an absolute S-Tier build.
Grenade Rogue
Grenade Rogue specializes in AoE damage and crowd control. With it, you can throw grenades to deal with large groups of enemies all at once. It’s a fun build, if not a bit unwieldy.
It’s worth noting that this build relies on effective positioning and timing. If you like taking your time to strategically place yourself on the battlefield and then throw explosive attacks, Grenade Rogue might be for you.
However, Grenade Rogue is an outright worse option than most other builds. If you’re running this build, it should be because you want to rather than it being the best option available.
Flurry Rogue
Flurry Rogue focuses on melee combat with rapid and close-range attacks. You can swiftly eliminate enemy swarms thanks to its mobility, but you’ll have to be willing to get up close and personal.
If you enjoy fast-paced, in-your-face combat, the Flurry Rogue lets you dash through enemies and jet around the battleground. Additionally, it’s a bit less focused on imbuement and cooldowns than other melee builds like Shadow Step and is more about resource management.
That said, Flurry falls off a bit in terms of single target damage, and that’s
Heartseeker Rogue
This particular build deals consistent single-target damage. It focuses on critical hits with Heartseeker, and can offer a rewarding challenge in landing critical strikes on key targets. However, Heartseeker does less damage than most other single-target builds, and it sorely lacks AoE.
That need to get crit chance/damage up to do significant damage combined with Heartseeker requiring a high level of precision make this one of the worse Rogue builds you can go for.
Arrow Storms Rogue
Arrow Storms Rogue focuses on area denial and sustained damage. This build uses Arrow Storms to control large zones.
While effective for holding territory, it lacks the burst damage needed for quick eliminations. We only recommend this build if you prefer a more defensive, control-oriented playstyle, slowly whittling down enemy health over time.
Now that you know which Rogue builds are best to use in this season in Diablo 4, make sure to check out our guides for the Druid, Sorcerer, Necromancer, and Barbarian.
