This time, I'd like to offer a brief introduction to the buffs of Saber Slash rune recently announced in WoW Classic Season of Discovery Phase 3. I'll then show you the build of this rune and go over the talents setup, other rune choices, BiS and pre-raid weapon options for the Saber Slash build, as well as outline the rotation.
Saber Slash Update
The Saber Slash is changed from 3 stacks to 5 stacks, but the damage of the bleed at maximum stacks remains unchanged. Each stack of Saber Slash is now going to provide a substantial increase to the damage of your Saber Slash and Sinister Strike abilities used on that target. Given the right circ*mstances, this damage increase should put the Saber Slash a bit ahead of the Mutilate builds.
How To Maximize Its Power?
Let's dive into the specific conditions that can make Saber Slash effective. Firstly, having Thistle Tea available is crucial. Saber Slash requires significant ramp-up time to reach its maximum potential of 5 stacks, and Thistle Tea significantly speeds up this process.
Secondly, Saber Slash performs best in fights with minimal target switching and a duration of at least 1 minute. Avoid situations like the third boss encounter with 6 different trolls, where frequent target swapping occurs, as the Saber Slash won't excel in such scenarios.
Third, the Saber Slash relies heavily on the Honor Among Thieves head rune, which depends on your teammates. If your teammates frequently die or stop attacking, they won't generate combo points, weakening the effectiveness of Honor Among Thieves and, consequently, the Saber Slash spec. And with the help of SOD Gold, you can make full use of the updated Saber Slash rune.
Talents & Runes
Here's the recommended the talent: Invest 32 points in the Assassination talent tree and allocate 9 points in Combat. The Assassination tree offers compelling talents, particularly with the Deadly Brew rune. Vile Poisons and Improved Poisons are key talents, compelling us to heavily invest in the Assassination talent tree.
The Relentless Strikes on the third tier prove to be another invaluable talent. Opting for full ranks of Seal Fate in this build enhances our ability to generate more combo points, which addresses a slight deficiency in this build. Prioritize Improved Sinister Strike to reduce the energy cost of both Sinister Strike and Saber Slash. Allocate 4 points in Precision to secure a noteworthy DPS boost.
For our rune, we have Honor Among Thieves and Deadly Brew rune. Carnage on the wrist is going to be automatically activated by Saber Slash, our hand rune. We don't have to cast Ruptures or Garrotes to get the Carnage rune. For the waist, we've got Shadowstep for added mobility, for legs is the Rune of Venom, an amazing finishing move, and for our feet is the Master of Subtlety.
Weapon Choices
Next, let's delve into the weapons. The top picks for a Saber Slash build are Dragon's Cry and Degraded Dire Nail for an Orc, or Dragon's Cry and Inventor's Focal Sword for a Human. You can also consider the other weapon set: Cobra Fang Claw and Serpent’s Striker. While this setup is comparable in power to the Dragon's Cry combo.
For the Blood Moon, prioritize acquiring the Bloodied Sword of Speed for Horde. Alliance players can obtain the White Bone Shredder from the Bone-Bladed Weapon Quests in Orgrimmar. Head to Maraudon for the Inventor's Focal Sword from Tinkerer Gizlock. Although soloing Tinkerer Gizlock might be challenging, teaming up with another Rogue can make it feasible, allowing both of you to loot the swords and be on your way.
As for off-hand weapons, there's a variety of options available, all of which are relatively comparable. I recommend the Inventor's Focal Sword and White Bone Shredder, which rank near the top of the list and aren't overly difficult to acquire.
Rotation
For the rotation, the focus is on building up to 5 Saber Slashes on the target. Begin in stealth and activate all temporary attack power bonuses like Blood Fury, your alchemy potion, and the Roar of the Guardian trinket.
Then execute 3 Saber Slashes to deplete your energy to zero. Quickly replenish to 100 energy and perform another Saber Slash, reaching 5 stacks or combo points for the Slice and Dice. This entire opener comprises 6 global cooldowns and is ideally executed within 6 seconds with the aid of Thistle Tea, ensuring no energy shortage.
Without Thistle Tea, reaching the fifth Saber Slash and activating the Slice and Dice may take 12 to 13 seconds, significantly slowing down the ramp-up. Once the Slice and Dice is active and 5 Saber Stacks are achieved, maintain the Saber Slash debuff with one Saber Slash, followed by 1 to 2 Sinister Strikes and 2 to 3 points from Honor Among Thieves to reach 5 combo points.
Cast either an Eviscerate or a Slice and Dice. It's essential to maintain full uptime of Slice and Dice while maximizing the Envenom casts, ensuring optimal damage output throughout the fight.
