The rogue is primarily an offensive fighter and damage dealer. Rogues gain a large damage bonus from remaining stealthed during combat. Rogues will also have a utility role with lock picking, crowd control, trap removal and pick pocketing.

Strength, dexterity, and vitality are the Rogue's primary attributes. Strength helps the Rogue do as much damage as possible. Dexterity gives him a greater chance of landing critical melee hits. Vitality allows the rogue to regenerate faster in combat.

Building a good Rogue takes some careful planning at the character creation screen and requires you to learn a handful of tactics in the lower levels.
Selecting the Right Race

Rogues of all races start with the same attributes, but the choice of race can affect how many points the Rogue automatically gets placed into its prime attributes.

Each character gets 20 attribute points (AP) per level, starting at level 10. 6 of your AP are placed for you automatically--one per attribute (STR, CON, DEX, VIT, INT, WIS). 4 points are assigned to attributes based on your race if you are not a human (humans are kojani, mordebi, qaliathari, and thestran). You can place 10 (14 for humans) wherever you want to within soft caps of 5 per level.

Additionally, characters get racial bonuses to their soft caps. These are called preferred stats and allow characters of a race to flesh out in a way that reflects the traits of the race. Non-human races get 4 bonus points to soft caps (usually two or three attributes only) while human races get 6, 1 for each attribute. Thus, a human can be more balanced, while a non-human becomes more specialized.

The table below shows the attribute scores at level 50 before gear and buffs for the Rogue based on the race selected. We've highlighted the best results for each of the primary attributes for you. It is possible to reach the soft cap for three attributes as a human, but those soft caps may be lower than those attainable by other races.

Racial Abilities

The other important factor to consider when picking the race for your Rogue is racial abilities. With their short durations and long recasts, racial abilities are less important than attributes in the selection process, but they can be used to pick between races that are otherwise equal. The racial abilities are listed below.

Thestran: Inspirational Commands
You will have 3 inspirational commands at your disposal: Inspirational Presence, Inspirational Wisdom, and Inspirational Tactics. Each command is a group buff that will add either 2% to mitigation, a 3% reduction to mana cost of all spells, or a 2% increase in damage. You may only maintain one command at a time, however you may have all 3 effects active at the same time. Recast is instant.

Human Ingenuity: + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

Dwarf: Earthen Embrace
For 60 seconds, this ability will turn your body to stone. Along with removing all poison effects, you will mitigate 25% damage and become immune to movement impairing spells such as knock back, stun, and snare. Recast is 30 minutes.

Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Mining

Halfling: Pride of the Vael (WAR only)  or Shroud of the Vael (all but WAR)
Pride of the Vael: This ability will add a vast amount of hate to a single target, and apply a buff on the halfling for 30 seconds. All attacks during this time period will count for double aggro. Recast is 15 minutes.

Shroud of the Vael: This ability will remove 99% of aggro from a single target but keep the halfling in combat. Additionally, for 30 seconds afterwards, any spell cast or attack made will have its aggro reduced to 1% of normal as well. Recast is 15 minutes.

Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Reaping

Varanjar: Endless Fortitude
For the next 30 seconds, this ability will cut the cost of all endurance/energy spells by half while increasing your spell and melee damage by 25%. Recast is 30 minutes.

Large Race: 2% bonus to mitigation
Crafting: +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting: +5 Quarrying

Vulmane: Spiritual Bond
This ability will apply an effect to every member in your group, allowing 35% of all damage done by them to return to you in the form of health for 20 seconds. Recast is 15 minutes.

Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
Crafting: +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

Kojani: Spirit of Jin
This ability will immediately restore 45% of energy and hit points to the target. This ability has a diminishing effect on any target that has benefitted from this ability (used by another player) in the last 10 minutes. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

Goblin: Hex of Ghalnn
Whoever is afflicted by this hex will return 3% of the mana and hit points for every hit that is made on them. The effect lasts for 60 seconds. Recast is 15 minutes.

Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Mining

Raki: Planar Shift
While this ability is active, you will gain a 50% mitigation to all spell damage. Recast is 30 minutes.

Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Reaping

Half Elf: Symbol of Jin
This ability will apply a rune to every member of the group for 60 seconds, which will mitigate damage by 15%. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity: + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

Qaliathari: Swiftness of the Sands
For this next 10 seconds, you will evade all melee attacks and spells. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Ingenuity
Harvesting: +5 Lumberjacking

Dark Elf: Spawn of Haelufir
This ability allows you to summon forth a small drake for a short duration. The type of drake you summon will be based on class and level. Each type of drake will have a variety of effects at their disposal, ranging from group auras, to breath attacks. The higher level drakes will also learn spells that are sympathetic with their associated class. Recast is 30 minutes.

Elven Wisdom: 2% reduction in mana cost
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

Gnome: Forge Crystal
This ability allows you to operate a variety of devices, only available to gnomes, which are able to materialize a energy crystals. Crystals will have several common effects, ranging from percentage based mana, health, and endurance heals to several uncommon, rare, and even ultra rare effects such as prismatic group resist buffs, rune and damage shields, minion summons, and more.

Small Race: 2% bonus to evasion
Crafting: +10 Problem Solving
Harvesting: +5 Mining

Kurashasa: Symbiotic Armor
When this armor is active you will be protected by a proc (a process that fires under certain conditions). In addition to a rune that mitigates 25% of all types of damage, you have a chance to apply an effect to all enemies within a 20 meter point-blank radius when you attack, cast a spell, or receive damage. Anyone affected by this debuff will become snared and slowed. Recast is 30 minutes.

Animal Reflexes: 10% bonus to run speed.
Crafting: +10 Reasoning
Harvesting: +5 Skinning

Mordebi: Curse of the Ancients
This ability stuns the target for 8 seconds, and reduces the aggro range to 0. The target will not assist/aggro while stunned, and the effect does not generate any aggro. Recast is 30 minutes.

Human Ingenuity + 10 bonus to all weapon skills, and dodge.
Crafting: +10 Finesse
Harvesting: +5 Reaping