Build Introduction
The 
Dance of Knives Rogue features a spin-to-win playstyle. Auto-targeting projectiles are unleashed while running at maximum speed, making this build perfect for Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, and The Pit.
If you used the Leveling Guide for the Dance of Knives Rogue, this is the best endgame guide to continue your journey. The endgame setup makes further improvements with Unique Items, Paragon, and more snapshot mechanics!
If your character has not reached Level 60, follow the Leveling Guide for the Dance of Knives Rogue.
Check the build tier lists to see how this build compares to others on Icy Veins.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Snapshot mechanics provide massive damage bonuses
- Simple playstyle
- Auto-target damage while moving
- Fast Movement Speed
- Snapshot mechanics can be complicated
- Crowd Controls can interrupt channeling
- Full damage against bosses relies on Stagger
- Movement required to deal damage
Quick Navigation
Want to skip ahead? Use the table below to jump to sections.
Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points
Dance of Knives
Concealment
Cold Imbuement
Shadow Imbuement
Dark Shroud
Shadow CloneThe Skill Tree above shows the full allocation of 71 Skill Points for the Dance of Knives Rogue build. Make sure you obtain the 12 Skill Points available from Renown.
Puncture is not equipped on the Skill Bar. 2 Skill Points are allocated into the Basic Skill cluster only as a prerequisite to proceed in the Skill Tree.
Wondering what comes after Level 60? Head to the Paragon Board section to power up the build even further. If you want to see how everything plays out in combat, check out the Rotation and Playstyle section for a quick breakdown.
Rogue Class Mechanic – Specialization
Preparation is the preferred specialization for the Dance of Knives Rogue for 15% Damage Reduction and to reset Cooldowns. These bonuses are activated by casting Shadow Clone. The Cooldown reset works with Dance of Knives to restore all charges.
Gear, Stats, Gems, and Runes
The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character in the endgame of Diablo 4.
Legendary Aspects
Listed below are all the best-in-slot Aspects for the Dance of Knives Rogue build. Salvage Legendary Items with higher Aspect values to unlock them in the Codex of Power, and then imprint them onto Legendary Items with the preferred affixes. For the best results, combine these Aspects with the ideal Stat Priorities.
| Gear Slot | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Ranged Weapon (+100% bonus effect) |  Aspect of Synergy | Using an Agility Skill reduces the Cooldown of your next Subterfuge Skill by 20%. Using a Subterfuge Skill increases the damage of your next Agility Skill by x [35 – 55%]. |
| Amulet (+50 bonus effect) | Aspect of Stolen Vigor | While at maximum stacks of the Momentum Key Passive, your Cutthroat Skills deal [30 – 50%] increased damage and you become Unstoppable for 3 seconds every 8 seconds. |
Dual-Wielded Weapon Slot #1 (replaced by  Asheara’s Khanjar) | Frostbitten Aspect | Enemies hit by your Grenade Skills have a chance equal to your Critical Strike Chance to be Frozen for 2 seconds. You deal x [10 – 25%] increased Critical Strike Damage against Frozen or Stunned enemies. Note: only used for the damage increase, not for Grenade Skills |
| Dual-Wielded Weapon Slot #2 or Rings | Aspect of Star Shards | Knives from Dance of Knives have a 50% chance to shatter into 6 shards of metal on hit, dealing [100 – 200%] Physical damage. Dance of Knives now spends Combo Points, granting up to 3 additional Charges that can exceed the Maximum. |
| Dual-Wielded Weapon Slot #2 or Rings | Aspect of Retribution | Distant enemies have a 10% chance to be Stunned for 2 seconds when they hit you. You deal x [15 – 35%] increased damage to Stunned and Knocked Down enemies. |
| Dual-Wielded Weapon Slot #2 or Rings | Clandestine Aspect | Gain + [3 – 5] Ranks to Agility and Subterfuge Skills. |
Gloves (replaced by  Fists of Fate) | Edgemaster’s Aspect | Skills deal up to x [5 – 25%] increased damage based on your available Primary Resource when cast, receiving the maximum benefit while you have full Primary Resource. |
Helm (replaced by  Heir of Perdition or  Cowl of the Nameless) |  Resistant Assailant’s Aspect | Casting Concealment grants 10% Resistance and Maximum Resistance to all elements for 6 seconds. Killing an Elite enemy reduces Concealment’s cooldown by [6 – 14] seconds. |
Chest (replaced by  Shroud of False Death) | Cheat’s Aspect | You take [10 – 30%] less damage from Crowd Controlled enemies. Whenever a Crowd Controlled enemy deals direct damage to you, gain 15% Movement Speed for 2 seconds. |
| Pants | Umbrous Aspect | Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a [45 – 65%] chance to grant a free Dark Shroud shadow. |
| Boots |  Mangler’s Aspect | Lucky Hit: Dealing direct damage to a Vulnerable enemy has up to a [30 – 50%] chance to Daze them for 2 seconds. |
Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes
Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear for Dance of Knives Rogues, ranked by importance. Affixes on the same line have equal value, so attempt to obtain all affixes in each line before moving on to the next. Yellow affixes are the most important targets for Masterworking upgrades, while blue affixes are secondary options. For more details, check the Tempering and Masterworking guides.
Daggers offer greater spike damage from 
Weapon Mastery, useful for killing weak enemies in one hit and flexing the highest damage numbers. Swords provide a more consistent damage output. The Ranged Weapon type does not matter since no attacks utilize them.
The priority order of Resistances is Lightning > Poison > Fire > Cold > Shadow. Maximum Resistance is 70% by default for each element and can be increased to 85% by various sources.
Critical Strike Chance is not needed due to the Concealment snapshot guaranteeing Critical Strikes.
The Cutthroat Attack Speed temper from 
Cutthroat Finesse is preferred until you reach 100% Attack Speed bonus in the second cap (separate from the character stats sheet). Asheara’s Khanjar is the only other Attack Speed bonus in this build that is included in cap #2. Once 100% Attack Speed is reached in cap #2, temper Damage Per Dark Shroud from Subterfuge Expertise.
Armor is only needed until capped at 1,000.
↑ Back to Legendary Gear Table
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Ranged Weapon | 1. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Critical Strike Damage | Agile Augments (Weapon): Chance for Dance of Knives to Deal Double Damage (cap at 100%)Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed |
| Dual-Wielded Weapons | 1. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Critical Strike Damage | Agile Augments (Weapon): Chance for Dance of Knives to Deal Double Damage (cap at 100%)Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed |
| Helm | 1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Worldly Fortune (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance |
| Chest | 1. Ranks to Dark Shroud 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Worldly Fortune (Utility): Crowd Control DurationWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance |
| Gloves | 1. Attack Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed Worldly Fortune (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Pants | 1. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Daze Control (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to DazeWorldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance |
| Boots | Implicit Stat: Maximum Evade Charges 1. Ranks to Dance of Knives 2. Movement Speed 3. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 4. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Rogue Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed per Dark Shroud ShadowWorldly Fortune (Utility): Crowd Control Duration |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Frigid Finesse, % Dexterity 2. Ranks to Unstable Elixirs, Malice, or Weapon Mastery | Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed Ultimate Efficiency — Rogue (Resource): Shadow Clone Cooldown Reduction |
| Rings | 1. Attack Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed Ultimate Efficiency — Rogue (Resource): Shadow Clone Cooldown Reduction |
Uniques and Mythic Uniques
Listed below are the recommended and optional Unique and Mythic Unique Items for the Dance of Knives Rogue build. Each item description includes the most important affix to target for Masterworking upgrades. Check the Mythic Unique Items Guide for information on target-farming them.
- Heir of Perdition (recommended) is a Mythic Unique Item that provides the most consistent damage increase for the slot.
- Masterworking Priority: Lucky Hit Chance
- Cowl of the Nameless (optional) is an alternative offensive option with the highest damage potential while
Trick Attacks is active. - Masterworking Priority: Trick Attacks or Unstable Elixirs
- Asheara’s Khanjar (recommended) provides increased Attack Speed (cap #2 shared with Cutthroat Attack Speed up to 100%) to scale the hit damage of Dance of Knives. The Ranks to Weapon Mastery is the most significant benefit of this weapon.
- Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Weapon Mastery
- Fists of Fate (highly recommended) provides up to a 50% overall damage increase in the unique effect.
- Masterworking Priority: Attack Speed
- Shroud of False Death (recommended) provides the highest damage increase in the slot due to the +1 Ranks to All Passives inherent affix.
- Masterworking Priority: Maximum Life or All Stats
Gems and Runewords
Listed below are the recommended Gems and Runewords to socket into your gear.
Gems
| Weapon Gems | Armor Gems | Jewelry Gems |
|---|---|---|
 Grand Diamond for Ultimate Damage to scale  No Witnesses. |  Grand Emerald for Dexterity. | Any Resistance Gems needed or  Grand Skull for Armor (up to the 1,000 Armor cap). |
Runewords
Insert the following 2 Runewords, each consisting of a Rune of Offering and a Rune of Invocation, into any equipped Helm, Chest, or Pants item. Add sockets to your equipment at the Jeweler if necessary. Check the Runewords Guide for more details.
| Runewords | Effects |
|---|---|
 Yax Qax | Gain: 200 Offering — Drink a Healing Potion. Requires: 400 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Your next non-Basic Skill cast spends all of your Primary Resource to deal up to 100% increased damage. |
 Bac Ohm | Gain: 50 Offering — Travel 5 meters. Requires: 600 Offering, Cooldown: 2 Seconds — Invoke the Barbarian’s War Cry, increasing your damage dealt by x15% for 6 seconds. |
Paragon Board
Use the following Paragon Boards, Legendary Nodes, and Glyphs for the Dance of Knives Rogue.
Boss Powers (Season 8)
In the Season of Belial’s Return (Season 8), equip the following Boss Powers to enhance this build.
Main: Wandering Death’s Chest Beam — While Channeling a Skill, spawn a beam that deals [300%] Frostbite damage per second. Enemies hit take x50% increased damage from you for 1 second.
Modifier:
- Liilth’s Wind of Hate: Hitting an Elite enemy with a Main Boss Power creates an inert Blister Clone with 10% of their Maximum Life for 15 seconds. Killing the Blister removes [2.1%] of the Elite’s Life. An Elite can have up to 1 Blister active at once, and a Boss can have up to 2 Blisters. Enemies with Resilience cannot spawn Blisters.
- Sinerat’s Flames: Gain x [5%] increased damage to all Elements. For each 1% of an Element’s Resistance from bonuses, gain x0.2% increased damage for that Element, up to a maximum of x [15.5%].
- Flesh Reaper’s Disruption: Gain x [5%] Vulnerable Damage, increased by x0.5% for each 1% of Crowd Control Duration Bonus you have, up to a maximum of x [10.5%].
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:
Build Mechanics
The Dance of Knives Rogue is a spin-to-win build featuring a simple playstyle that excels in all Diablo 4 activities. While there are several utility skills to improve performance, Dance of Knives is channeled for the majority of combat. This build focuses on the hit-damage of Dance of Knives, as opposed to the proc-based Victimize Version of the Dance of Knives Rogue Build.
Movement Speed
Movement Speed is the most important stat for the Dance of Knives Rogue. Every 30 meters you travel while Channeling Dance of Knives grants 4 Charges from Enhanced Dance of Knives. Reach the Movement Speed cap at 200% to have a near-infinite Channeling duration for Dance of Knives, which provides a longer benefit of snapshot mechanics.
A Total of +105% Movement Speed bonus is easily obtained from the Skill Tree by Dance of Knives (+20%), 
Stutter Step Rank 3 (+15%), 
Haste Rank 3 (+15%), 
Enhanced Dark Shroud (+25%), and 
Momentum (+30%). Any additional Movement Speed provided by gear can still be beneficial when there are no enemies to Critically Strike to activate Stutter Step or Dark Shroud Shadows are depleted.
Snapshot Mechanics
Multiple snapshot mechanics, which extend the duration of temporary buffs by applying them to a channeled skill, are utilized. Cast 
Concealment and then channel Dance of Knives immediately afterward to create the snapshot. Maintain the channeling without interruption to keep the following buffs active the entire time.
- Subverting Concealment guarantees Critical Strikes and applies Vulnerable status to hits from Dance of Knives and Aspect of Star Shards. Stealth granted by Prime Shadow Clone or Shroud of False Death must be broken by attacking before casting Concealment for the snapshot to apply.
Shadow Imbuement and 
Cold Imbuement snapshot while only costing 1 charge.- Aspect of Synergy
Danse Macabre- Yax Qax Runeword grants 100% increased damage on the next non-Basic Skill that deals damage, which applies to the entire duration of a channeled Dance of Knives. Drink 2 potions during each channel period to prepare the buff for the next channel.
The Damage on Next Attack After Entering Stealth temper from Subterfuge Expertise does NOT snapshot.
The Interact button (“F” key by default on PC) can be pressed to pick up items, open doors, and activate events without breaking snapshots.
Rotation and Playstyle
Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.
- Activate Dark Shroud to prepare for battle.
- Activate Shadow Imbuement for explosive damage against groups of enemies or Cold Imbuement against tough elites or staggered bosses.
- Against bosses, cast Shadow Clone to activate No Witnesses and Preparation.
- If you are using Asheara’s Khanjar, briefly channel Dance of Knives to stack the Attack Speed buff 5 times.
- Cast Concealment to prepare temporary buffs for snapshotting. Stealth granted by Prime Shadow Clone or Shroud of False Death must be broken by attacking before casting Concealment for Subverting Concealment to apply.
- Drink 1-2 Potions as needed to activate Yax Qax.
- Channel Dance of Knives without interruption to maintain snapshotted buffs.
- While channeling, drink a Potion near Elites to activate
Unstable Elixirs. - Restart the rotation to begin a new channel.
Elixirs
Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs, or find Elixirs by killing enemies or opening chests during various activities in Diablo 4. Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume for the Dance of Knives Rogue, ranked by importance.
Elixir of Advantage increases damage output.
Elixir of Fortitude is the best general-purpose option for survivability.
Gameplay Video
Season 8 Updates
A brief summary of the seasonal changes are provided below. For a complete overview of Season 8, take a look at the comprehensive season guide.
Fists of Fate no longer applies random crowd controls.- Worldly Fortune can no longer apply any crowd control tempers.
- Aspect of Concussive Strikes no longer provides increased damage.
- Frostbitten Aspect is now in the Offensive category.
- Trick Attacks
- Previous: Dazing or Stunning an enemy increases your Critical Strike Chance by 2/4/6% and Critical Strike Damage by 2/4/6% for 5 seconds, up to 12/24/36%.
- Now: Attempting to Daze or Stun an enemy increases your Critical Strike Chance by 1/2/3% and Critical Strike Damage by 1/2/3% for 8 seconds, up to 5/10/15%.
Changelog
- April 26, 2025: Guide updated for Season 8 (Patch 2.2.0)
- January 18, 2025: Guide updated for Season 7 (Patch 2.1.0).
- October 4, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
- September 22, 2024: Guide created.
