Build Introduction
The Barrage Rogue leveling build unleashes a spread of arrows to hit every foe. 
Barrage shotguns the toughest enemies, and then the arrows ricochet to hit additional targets. This is one of the best builds, featuring a straightforward playstyle, to level a new Rogue character in Season 7 of Diablo 4.
Check the Rogue Leveling Guide Overview for a comparison of all the starter builds on Icy Veins.
Once your Rogue character reaches Level 60, switch to the Endgame Guide for the Barrage Rogue to continue this build.
Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar
Barrage
Puncture
Dash
Shadow Step
Shadow Imbuement
Cold ImbuementThe following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points while leveling with the Barrage Rogue build. You gain 59 points at Level 60 and 12 points from Renown, for a total of 71.
Barrage Rogue Specialization
Once you reach Level 15, immediately complete the True Potential class questline to unlock the Rogue Specialization. Combo Points is the preferred Rogue Specialization for general farming due to it providing bonus damage and additional arrows for Barrage.
Build Mechanics and Playstyle
The Barrage Rogue build is fairly simple to play, but requires some precise positioning. Barrage fires arrows in an arcing range to cover a wide area, similar to Multishot in other ARPGs. The ricocheting arrows provide additional hits to clear groups of enemies, and the automatic targeting makes for an easy playstyle.
Fundamental Puncture applies Vulnerable to enable the 100% ricochet chance from Enhanced Barrage. 
Precision also guarantees Critical Strikes for the ricochets.
Activations of 
Shadow Imbuement and Cold Imbuement can be alternated for high imbuement uptime. Shadow Imbuement provides the build with the necessary Area of Effect explosions against groups of enemies. Mixed Shadow Imbuement also increases the damage of Cold Imbued attacks. Cold Imbuement quickly Freezes enemies in one cast of Barrage due to the multiple hits, activating Mixed Cold Imbuement and 
Frigid Finesse for a huge damage boost against Elites.
Damage is increased further with 
Unstable Elixirs, 
Weapon Mastery, 
Exploit 
Malice, and 
Impetus.
Finally, 
Stutter Step, 
Haste, and 
Dash speed up movement for faster farming.
Damage Rotation
Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.
- Activate an Imbuement Skill:
- Against large groups of enemies, activate Shadow Imbuement for AoE explosions.
- Against Elites, activate Cold Imbuement for more single-target damage.
- Against large groups of enemies, activate
- Use a Potion to activate the damage buff from Unstable Elixirs.
- Cast
Puncture three times to build Combo Points. Try to stay close enough to elites and bosses to apply Vulnerable with Fundamental Puncture. - Cast Barrage next to the toughest enemy to shotgun them, hitting them with every arrow and ricocheting to other enemies.
- Repeat the rotation, alternating activations of Imbuement Skills when needed.
Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats
The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character during the leveling process.
Legendary Aspects
Aspect of Branching Volleys can be unlocked in the Codex of Power by completing the Shadowed Plunge Dungeon in Hawezar. The dungeon becomes unlocked after completing Vyeresz Stronghold. Clear them both immediately to unlock the aspect for Barrage, and then visit the Occultist to imprint it onto a Rare or Legendary Item. An Amulet is recommended for imprinting important Aspects for a +50% bonus effect, and it does not need to be replaced as often as weapons.
Higher Tier Aspects with stronger effects can be found on dropped Legendary Items. Salvage unwanted Legendary Items at the Blacksmith to unlock these Aspects in the Codex of Power, and then imprint them onto well-rolled Rare Items. Check the in-depth Aspect and Codex of Power guide for more information.
Listed below are all the Aspects found on Legendary Items that are important for the Barrage Rogue leveling build. They are listed in order of priority. The best-in-slot Aspects List is in the Endgame Guide for Penetrating Shot Rogue.
| Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Aspect of Branching Volleys | Increase the damage of arrows that ricochet from Barrage to [50 – 80%]. Barrage’s arrows have a [30 – 60%] chance to split when they ricochet. | Shadowed Plunge, Hawezar |
| High Velocity Aspect | Barrage arrows now pierce through 1 enemy. Barrage has [10 – 20%] increased Attack Speed. | Random Drop |
| Edgemaster’s Aspect | Skills deal up to [10 – 20%] increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource. | Oldstones, Scosglen |
| Aspect of the Expectant | Attacking enemies with a Basic Skill increases the damage of your next Core Skill cast by [5 – 10%], up to 30%. | Underroot, Scosglen |
 Aspect of Might | Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2 – 6] seconds | Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes |
| Rapid Aspect | Basic Skills gain [15 – 30%] Attack Speed. | Buried Halls, Dry Steppes |
| Accelerating Aspect | Critical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [15 – 25%] for 3 seconds. | Random Drop Only |
 Aspect of Quickening Fog | You automatically drop a  Smoke Grenade at the end of Dash. Dash’s Cooldown is reduced by [0.25 – 0.35] seconds for each enemy Dazed this way, up to [0.75 – 1.05] seconds. | Random Drop Only |
Gems and Runewords
Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.
| Weapon Gems | Armor Gems | Jewelry Gems |
|---|---|---|
 Emerald for increased Critical Strike Damage. | Emerald for Dexterity. | Any Resistance Gems needed or  Skull for Armor (up to the 1,000 Armor cap). |
If you are playing the Season of Witchcraft (Season 7), visit Gelena at the Tree of Whispers to craft Occult Gems. Socketing 3 of the following Occult Gems into your jewelry, listed in order of importance.
Witching Hour — While you have three or more Eldritch Witch Powers slotted, every 1 second, the next Core Skill you cast gains the Eldritch tag. Note: interacts with 
Purging Touch- Moonlight Ward — For each rank in your slotted Unique Witchcraft Power, you gain 3% Damage Reduction and 0.5% Maximum Resistance to All Elements.
- Dust Stone — For each of your Auras and Hexes an enemy is afflicted by, they take 2.5% increased damage from you.
- Killing Wind — While you have three or more Eldritch Witch Powers slotted, gain 25% Movement Speed and 15% Critical Strike Chance.
- Wicked Pact — Your Non-Unique Eldritch Witch Powers gain 25% Potency.
- Hungering Void — While you have an Aura active, pull Nearby enemies toward you every 8 seconds.
Runes can drop during various activities, most notably at the end of Undercity runs. A Rune of Offering and a Rune of Invocation can be combined by inserting them into equipment with 2 available sockets, creating a Runeword. A limit of 2 Runewords can be equipped.
Listed below are the best Runewords utilizing Magic and Rare Runes that are beneficial for this build. The best-in-slot Runewords utilizing Legendary Runes are in the Endgame Guide for the Barrage Rogue.
| Runewords | Effects |
|---|---|
 Yax Tun | Gain: 200 Offering — Drink a Healing Potion. Requires: 100 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Evoke the Rogue’s Stun Grenades, Stunning and dealing damage to enemies. |
 Feo Lac | Gain: 1000 Offering — Become Injured or Crowd Controlled (Cooldown: 10 seconds). Requires: 400 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Evoke the Barbarian’s Challenging Shout, reducing your damage taken for 3 seconds. |
Elixirs
Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants for 
Bundled Herbs during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Elixirs can also drop randomly from enemies and chests during many activities in Diablo 4.
Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume while leveling the Dance of Knives Rogue, ranked by importance.
Elixir of Resource greatly helps with Energy issues, if you do not already have the appropriate Energy gear. This elixir is highly recommended for starting characters to maintain casts of Core Skills.
Elixir of Precision provides the highest damage output increase, if not already capped at 100% Critical Strike Chance.
Elixir of Advantage increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
Elixir of Fortitude is the best general-purpose option for survivability.
Return to the Alchemist every 10 Levels to upgrade your potion. The extra healing is essential to survival.
Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes
Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear during the early leveling of a Barrage Rogue. Each line of affixes are listed in order of importance. Affixes on the same line are considered to be equally important, but their benefits may vary depending on how much is stacked compared to other character stats.
The Item Power of weapons determines its DPS and is the most important factor when searching for upgrades. When comparing weapons with similar Item Power, Crossbows are preferred over Bows for the higher Damage per Hit for Barrage. Daggers are selected for the fastest weapon speed to generate Combo Points.
Precision increases the priority of Critical Strike Damage to scale the bonus multiplier, while reducing the need for Critical Strike Chance.
Tempering Manuals are randomly dropped while leveling, and they need to be found to unlock their usage at the Blacksmith. Each manual has Magic, Rare, and Legendary rarities that determine the range of values available. Rare Items can inherit 1 tempering affix, while Legendary Items can inherit 2 tempering affixes from different categories.
The most beneficial tempering affixes while leveling are included below. If tempering materials (
Iron Chunk and 
Veiled Crystal) are limited, prioritize the Resource, Weapon, and Offensive categories. The best-in-slot tempering affixes are available in the Endgame Guide for the Barrage Rogue.
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons | 1. Critical Strike Damage 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity |  Core Augments — Rogue (Weapon): Chance for Barrage Projectiles to Cast TwiceMarksman Finesse (Offensive): Critical Strike Damage |
| Helm | 1. Cooldown Reduction, Energy per Second, Ranks to Shadow Imbuement 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Lucky Hit Chance | Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor |
| Chest | 1. Ranks to Dark Shroud, Energy per Second 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor |
| Gloves | 1. Ranks to Barrage, Attack Speed, Critical Strike Damage 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Resource Cost Reduction, Critical Strike Chance | Marksman Finesse (Offensive): Critical Strike Damage |
| Pants | 1. Resistances, Armor 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor |
| Boots | Implicit Stat: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown 1. Movement Speed, Energy per Second 2. Resistances, Armor 3. Ranks to Dash, Maximum Life, Dexterity | Natural Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Unstable Elixirs, Exploit, Malice, or Weapon Mastery 2. Cooldown Reduction, Attack Speed | Imbuement Abundance (Resource): Shadow or Cold Imbue Additional CastsMarksman Finesse (Offensive): Critical Strike Damage |
| Rings | 1. Attack Speed, Critical Strike Damage 2. Resource Cost Reduction, Vulnerable Damage, Resistances, Maximum Life 3. Dexterity, Lucky Hit Chance, Critical Strike Chance | Imbuement Abundance (Resource): Shadow or Cold Imbue Additional CastsMarksman Finesse (Offensive): Critical Strike Damage |
Witchcraft Powers
In the Season of Witchcraft (Season 7), earn seasonal reputation to unlock Witchcraft Powers. Equip the following Witchcraft Powers to enhance this build.
Doom Orb: Eldritch Power - An ominous orb of pure Eldritch energy circles you, damaging any enemy it touches for [X] Fire damage. Doom Orb may launch itself at distant enemies before returning.
- At Rank 5: Kills or damage to Bosses empower the orb’s damage by 5%. After 100%, the orb explodes dealing [X] damage to nearby enemies before reforming 3 seconds later.
Aura of Siphoning: Growth and Decay Power - Conjure an aura of decay that deals [X] Poison damage to enemies every second.
- At Rank 10: Each time Aura of Siphoning deals damage, you are healed for 1% of Maximum Life.
Aura Specialization: Lost Power - The size of your Aura Effects are increased by [79%].
- At Rank 10: Increase the Critical Strike Damage by 50% against enemies inside your Aura Effects.
- Purging Touch: Eldritch Power
- Eldritch Effects deal [39.9%] increased damage against Headrotten.
- At Rank 10: This damage bonus now extends to all monsters.
Hex of Shattering: Psyche Power - Damage done by your Witchcraft Effects afflicts enemies with Hex of Shattering causing them to deal [20%] reduced damage for 5 seconds.
- At Rank 8: When any Hex Effect is applied to Headrotten, all damage will be guaranteed Critical Strikes for 5 seconds.
Hex of Flames: Eldritch Power - Lucky Hit: You have up to an 60% chance to apply Hex of Flames. Hex of Flames deals [X] additional Fire damage each time you deal damage to the target.
- At Rank 7: Hex of Flames explodes dealing damage to all nearby enemies when you land a Critical Strike.
Mercenaries
Once the Den is unlocked during the main questline in the Vessel of Hatred expansion for Diablo 4, complete Mercenary key quests to acquire them. Hire a Mercenary and enlist a Reinforcement in the following setup.
- Hired Mercenary: Varyana
- Skills:
Cleave, 
Hysteria, 
Bloodthirst, 
Bloodlust
- Skills:
- Reinforcement: Raheir
- Skill:
Bastion - Opportunity: Cast when the player becomes Injured
- Skill:
Paragon
After Character Level 60, experience gains are applied to Paragon up to Level 300. A maximum of 228 Paragon Points can be obtained through Paragon Levels, Renown, and Altars of Lilith. Follow the Paragon setup designed for the Barrage Rogue to gain a considerable amount of progression for your character.
Glyphs are inserted into sockets on each Paragon board and can be found during various activities in Diablo 4. Level up the Glyphs included in the Paragon setup by completing The Pit. Clearing higher tiers of The Pit allows Glyphs to reach higher levels.
Important Notes:
- Make sure you select the correct Legendary Boards and rotate them into the proper orientation.
- Attach Legendary Boards in the order shown, as bonus requirements of Rare Nodes increase with their placement order.
- Prioritize leveling each of your equipped Glyphs to 15 to gain the increased radius, which can be required to meet additional bonus requirements. Afterward, level each Glyph to 46 to unlock its Legendary Bonus and gain another radius increase.
The Paragon setup displayed above focuses on quickly unlocking the essential Glyph sockets and Legendary Nodes at a moderate Paragon Level. Once the base setup is complete, allocate the remaining Paragon points in the following order.
- Obtain any remaining nodes providing a damage increase within the radius of Glyph sockets.
- Path to the remaining Rare and Magic nodes. Prioritize obtaining damage reduction, any needed Resistances/Armor, and damage increases.
- Any remaining points can be spent on Dexterity nodes within the radius of
Headhunter.
Video Overview and Gameplay Footage
Changelog
- January 19, 2025: Guide updated for Season 7 (Patch 2.1.0).
- October 16, 2024: New Paragon tool added.
- October 4, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
- August 6, 2024: Guide updated for Season 5 (Patch 1.5.0).
- May 14, 2024: Guide created for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0).
