Twisting Blades – Rogue Build for Diablo 4

Build Introduction

The Twisting Blades Rogue build eviscerates your foes before they know what hit them. Twisting Blades hits hard with two sources of damage per cast. The target is first damaged with an impale, followed by an even more damaging hit when the blades are ripped out to fly back to the Rogue. The blades pierce through all enemies on the return flight, dealing more damage with proper positioning. This fast-paced melee build is perfect for players desiring a more complex and involved playstyle

If your character has not reached Level 60, follow the Leveling Guide for the Twisting Blades Rogue.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Check the build tier lists to see how this build compares to others on Icy Veins.

Skill Tree Points and Skill Bar

Skill Bar Setup for Twisting Blades Rogue (order does not matter)

Twisting BladesPunctureShadow ImbuementSmoke GrenadeShadow StepDash

The Skill Tree above shows the full allocation of 71 Skill Points for the Twisting Blades Rogue build. Make sure you obtain the 12 Skill Points available from Renown.

Dark Shroud is not equipped on the Skill Bar, but is instead granted through Umbrous Aspect.

Frigid Finesse is always activated against Staggered Bosses or activated by an optional Lucky Hit Chance to Freeze temper.

Twisting Blades Rogue Specialization

Combo Points is the preferred Rogue Specialization for general farming due to the burst damage playstyle of Twisting Blades Rogue. Build Combo Points with Puncture to unleash additional damage for Twisting Blades.

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 Twisting Blades 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.

1. Obtain any remaining nodes providing a damage increase within the radius of Glyph sockets.
2. Path to the remaining Rare and Magic nodes. Prioritize obtaining damage reduction, any needed Resistances/Armor, and damage increases.
3. Any remaining points can be spent on Dexterity nodes within the radius of Headhunter.

Gear, Gems, Elixirs, and Stats

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 Twisting Blades 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.

Gear Slot	Aspect Name	Aspect Power
Ranged Weapon	Bladedancer’s Aspect	Twisting Blades orbit for a short time after they return to you, dealing [40 – 60%] of Twisting Blade’s return damage per hit.
Amulet	Aspect of Disobedience	You gain [0.6 – 1.1%] increased Armor for 4 seconds when you deal any form of damage, stacking up to [36 – 66%].
Dual-Wielded Weapon Slot #1 (replaced by Condemnation)	Aspect of Retribution	Distant enemies have a 10% chance to be Stunned for 2 seconds when they hit you. You deal [15 – 30%] increased damage to Stunned and Knocked Down enemies.
Gloves (optional replacement with Fists of Fate)	Rapid Aspect	Basic Skills gain [15 – 30%] Attack Speed.
Ring Slot #1 (replaced by Ring of Starless Skies)	Accelerating Aspect	Critical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by [15 – 25%] for 3 seconds.
Dual-Wielded Weapon Slot #2 or Ring Slot #2	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%.
Dual-Wielded Weapon Slot #2 or Ring Slot #2	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.
Helm (replaced by Harlequin Crest)	Aspect of Might	Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2 – 6] seconds
Chest (replaced by Tyrael’s Might or Shroud of False Death)	Juggernaut’s Aspect	Gain [X] Armor, but your Evade has 100% increased Cooldown.
Pants	Umbrous Aspect	Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a [45 – 60%] chance to grant a free Dark Shroud shadow.
Boots	Aspect of Concussive Strikes	Lucky Hit: Damaging an enemy has up to a 20% chance to Daze them for 2 seconds. You deal x [5 – 20%] increased damage to Dazed enemies.

Gems and Runewords

Listed below are the best Gems to socket into gear for each item type.

Weapon Gems	Armor Gems	Jewelry Gems
Grand Emerald if Critical Strike Chance is capped at 100% or Grand Sapphire.	Grand Emerald for Dexterity.	Any Resistance Gems needed or Grand Skull for Armor (up to the 1,000 Armor cap).

Insert one of the following Runewords, consisting of a Rune of Offering and a Rune of Invocation, into your equipped Ranged Weapon. The other Runeword can be inserted into any equipped Helm, Chest, or Pants item. Add sockets to your equipment at the Jeweler if necessary.

Runewords	Effects
Yax Gar	Gain: 200 Offering — Drink a Healing Potion. Requires: 25 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Gain 2.5% Critical Strike Chance for 5 seconds, up to 25%.
Lith Ohm	Gain: 25 Offering — Stand still for 0.3 seconds. Requires: 600 Offering, Cooldown: 2 Seconds — Evoke the Barbarian’s Enhanced War Cry, increasing your Movement Speed and damage dealt.

If you prefer to stutter-step (move in between attacks), replace Lith with Moni.

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 Twisting Blades Rogue, ranked by importance.

1. Elixir of Precision provides the highest damage output increase, if not already capped at 100% Critical Strike Chance.
2. Elixir of Advantage increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
3. 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 the casting of Core Skills.
4. Elixir of Fortitude is the best general-purpose option for survivability.
5. Elixir of Iron Barbs can provide a high amount of Physical Damage Reduction. Armor becomes more effective as you approach the Armor cap (9,320 against monster level 100 and above).
6. Specific Resistance Elixirs can be utilized to survive against Uber Bosses with elemental attacks.

Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes

Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear for Twisting Blades Rogues. 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 or other character stats. Attempt to obtain all affixes in each line before moving to the next line. Bolded affixes are the most important targets for Masterworking upgrades.

The weapon type selection does not make a significant difference in the performance of this build. Equip Daggers if you prefer a faster-paced playstyle or Swords if you desire higher Damage per Hit. Bows and Crossbows provide comparable implicit stats.

Close Quarters Combat increases the priority of the Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies tempering affix from Natural Finesse.

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.

Armor is only needed until capped at 1,000.

Check out our Tempering Guide for more details on Blacksmith upgrading.

Slot	Gear Affixes	Tempering Affixes
Weapons	1. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Vulnerable Damage	Warped Augments (Weapon): Chance for Twisting Blades to Hit Twice up to 100% cap Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies
Helm	1. Cooldown Reduction, Ranks to Shadow Imbuement 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Lucky Hit Chance	Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance
Chest	1. Dexterity, Maximum Life 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Healing Received	Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance
Gloves	1. Ranks to Twisting Blades, Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Resource Cost Reduction, Maximum Life, Lucky Hit Chance	Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies Natural Schemes (Utility): Crowd Control Duration
Pants	1. Dexterity, Maximum Life 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor	Worldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Freeze Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance
Boots	Implicit Stat: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown 1. Movement Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Ranks to Dash, Maximum Life, Dexterity	Natural Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed Worldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Stun
Amulet	1. Ranks to Unstable Elixirs, Frigid Finesse, Malice, and/or Exploit 2. Critical Strike Chance, Cooldown Reduction, Attack Speed	Imbuement Abundance (Resource): Shadow Imbue Additional Casts Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies
Rings	1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Resource Cost Reduction, Vulnerable Damage, Maximum Life	Imbuement Abundance (Resource): Shadow Imbue Additional Casts Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies

Unique and Mythic Items

Listed below are the recommended and optional Unique Items for the Twisting Blades Rogue build. Each item description includes the most important affix to target for Masterworking upgrades.

• Condemnation (recommended) provides a 1.4x multiplier that works well in this Combo Points build.
  • Masterworking Priority: Basic Skill Attack Speed
• Harlequin Crest (recommended) provides a good amount of offense and defense, if you are lucky enough to find this Mythic Unique Item.
  • Masterworking Priority: Cooldown Reduction
• Ring of Starless Skies (recommended) is a Mythic Unique Item that provides a highly valuable 1.5x multiplier. The downside is the unique effect requires some management to ramp up and maintain the buff stacks.
  • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance or Ranks to Core Skills
• Fists of Fate (optional) increases overall damage by 50% with a 300% value on the unique effect. They are comparable to well-rolled Legendary Gloves with Ranks to Twisting Blades, Attack Speed, Critical Strike Chance, and an Offensive Aspect. The downside is the drastic damage range of the unique effect can cause an inconsistency in the hits required to kill enemies.
  • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance
• Penitent Greaves (optional) provide a decent damage increase in the unique effect. They are worth using when combined with Frigid Finesse to apply Chill for a damage increase.
  • Masterworking Priority: Movement Speed
• Cowl of the Nameless (optional) provides the highest damage output when properly Masterworked.
  • Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Unstable Elixirs or Trick Attacks
• Tyrael’s Might (optional) is the best defensive option for a Chest Armor. The divine barrage does not contribute a significant portion of the total damage in this build.
  • Masterworking Priority: Damage Reduction
• Shroud of False Death (optional) provides the highest damage increase in the slot due to the +1 Ranks to All Passives inherent affix.
  • Masterworking Priority: All Stats or Maximum Life

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
• Reinforcement: Raheir
  • Skill: Bastion
  • Opportunity: Cast when the player becomes Injured

Video Guide and Gameplay Footage

Advanced Information

Additional details are provided in the following sections for a more in-depth explanation of the Twisting Blades Rogue. Read this advanced information after understanding the basic overview of the build in the previous sections.

Build Mechanics

The Twisting Blade Rogue build is more involved to play than most others. Twisting Blades damage is increased by several buffs to cause a devastating hit. Combo Points can be generated for additional damage. Shadow Imbuement turns the attack into Shadow damage.

After the first victim is impaled by Twisting Blades, Dash and Shadow Step are used to reposition around other enemies to hit them with the returning blades and then orbiting blades from Bladedancer’s Aspect. The flying blades retain the damage buffs of the initial impale, including the guaranteed Critical Hit and Shadow Imbuement!

Fundamental Puncture easily applies Vulnerable to a target with a single Basic attack. Aim Puncture at the toughest enemies in a pack. In group play, apply this debuff to Elites and Bosses so your teammates deal more damage!

Puncture is a Marksman Skill that can be used before casting Twisting Blades to gain the damage bonus from Tricks of the Trade.

Dark Shroud is not equipped on the Skill Bar, but is instead granted through Umbrous Aspect.

Resource Management

Innervation, Enhanced Puncture, and Combat should provide enough Energy generation if you are taking the time to build 3 Combo Points before casting Twisting Blades. Ring of Starless Skies is an option for additional resource management.

Damage Rotation

Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.

1. Activate Tricks of the Trade with either Dash or Shadow Step.
2. Use a Potion to activate the damage buff from Unstable Elixirs.
3. Build 3 Combo Points with Puncture. Make sure you are close enough for Fundamental Puncture to apply Vulnerable.
4. Activate Shadow Imbuement for increased damage and explosions.
5. Cast Twisting Blades on the target.
6. Move through enemies to hit them with the returning and orbiting blades.
7. Repeat the rotation when cooldowns are ready.

Obol Gambling

Obol gambling is a great way to potentially find item upgrades or items missing from your build. Use Obols on your target equipment for a chance to receive Greater Affixes. Check out the new tool from Icy Veins for gambling Obols in the link below.

Changelog

• October 16th, 2024: New Paragon tool added.
• October 4th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
• August 6th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 5 (Patch 1.5.0).
• May 14th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 4 (Patch 1.4.0).
• January 22nd, 2024: Guide updated for Season 3 (Patch 1.3.0).
• October 17th, 2023: Guide updated for Season 2 (Patch 1.2.0).
• July 18th, 2023: Guide updated for Season 1.