Build Introduction
The 
Dance of Knives Victimize Rogue is a spin-to-win build featuring explosive damage that excels in the late endgame of Diablo 4. Auto-targeting projectiles fill the screen and explode with 
Victimize procs while you are on the move, making this build perfect for Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, and The Pit.
Warning: The Victimize variant build requires more strict gearing than the Pure Dance of Knives Rogue build, but deals significantly lower damage due to the loss of valuable snapshots. This endgame build guide assumes your character is Level 60 and meets the Build Requirements.
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
- Simple playstyle
- Explosive Area-of-Effect damage while moving
- Fast Movement Speed
- More damage output than the hit-based Dance of Knives build
- Damage dependent on Victimize procs
- Damage against bosses relies on Stagger
- Movement required to deal damage
- Higher build requirements compared to the starter variant
Build Requirements
The Victimize variant of the Dance of Knives Rogue requires specific gear to perform. Make sure you acquire the following items before switching to this build.
Aspect of Star Shards- Victimize requires a high amount of Lucky Hit Chance and Vulnerable damage to scale its explosion.
Fists of Fate is recommended for a high amount of Lucky Hit Chance. Prepare the Legendary Items with Vulnerable Damage affixes and tempers mentioned in the Stat Priority section. - The
Subverting Concealment snapshot utilized in the Starter Dance of Knives Rogue build does grant Victimize explosions guaranteed Critical Strikes. Make sure you have Critical Strike Chance affixes on your Gloves and Rings, preferably with some Greater Affix and/or Masterworking bonuses. 
Heir of Perdition provides a high amount of Critical Strike Chance. - A Ring with the Lucky Hit Chance to Make Enemies Vulnerable affix is required since Subverting Concealment is no longer utilized in the Victimize setup.
- When switching to Victimize from
Momentum, 30% increased Movement Speed is lost. Make sure you can still obtain 200% Movement Speed with an affix and temper on your Boots.
Quick Navigation
Want to skip ahead? Use the table below to jump to sections.
Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points
Dance of Knives
Cold Imbuement
Caltrops
Shadow Clone
Dash
Shadow StepThe Skill Tree above shows the full allocation of 71 Skill Points for the Dance of Knives Victimize 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.
Dark Shroud is not equipped on the Skill Bar. 
Umbrous Aspect grants Dark Shroud stacks automatically instead.
Alchemical Advantage is activated by a Lucky Hit Chance to Deal Poison Damage temper.
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
Inner Sight is the preferred Specialization for the Victimize Dance of Knives Rogue for 25% increased Critical Strike Chance and increased damage when combined with Aspect of True Sight. An Inner Sight Duration temper is utilized to improve the effectiveness of this setup.
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 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. |
| Amulet (+50 bonus effect) | 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 – 30%] increased Critical Strike Damage against Frozen or Stunned enemies. Note: only used for the damage increase, not Grenade Skills |
Dual-Wielded Weapon #1 (replaced by  The Umbracrux) | Aspect of Inner Calm | Deal x [5 – 13%] increased damage. Triple this bonus after standing still for 3 seconds. |
| Dual-Wielded Weapon #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 [X] Physical damage. Dance of Knives now spends Combo Points, granting up to 3 additional Charges that can exceed the Maximum. |
| Dual-Wielded Weapon #2 or Rings | Coldclip Aspect | Your Basic Skills are always Cold Imbued. You deal x [5 – 20%] increased damage to enemies who are Chilled or Frozen. |
| Dual-Wielded Weapon #2 or Rings | Aspect of True Sight | You deal [70 – 100%] Critical Strike Damage to enemies marked by Inner Sight. While Inner Sight is full, you gain x [21 – 30%] increased damage. |
Gloves (replaced by  Fists of Fate) | Aspect of Elements | Gain x [15 – 35%] increased damage to a set of damage types for 7 seconds. This effect alternates between 2 sets: • Fire, Lightning, and Physical. • Cold, Poison, and Shadow. |
| Helm (replaced by Heir of Perdition) | Enshrouding Aspect | Using a Healing Potion makes a free Dark Shroud shadow. Each shadow grants [2.5 – 4.5%] increased Damage Reduction. |
Chest (replaced by  Shroud of Khanduras) | 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 – 65%] chance to grant a free Dark Shroud shadow. |
| Boots |  Aspect of Concussive Strikes | Your Daze effects last [20 – 40%] longer. Dazing an enemy increases your Movement Speed by [20 – 40%] for 3 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.
The choice of Dual-Wielded Weapon types does not make a big difference in overall performance for this build. Daggers offer a higher weapon speed to proc Victimize more rapidly, while Swords provide a higher damage per hit. Although there are no Ranged Weapon attacks, Crossbows are selected for the Vulnerable damage implicit stat to scale Victimize.
Ensure that you have a Lucky Hit Chance to Make Enemies Vulnerable affix on a Ring to activate Victimize!
The Lucky Hit Chance to Deal Poison Damage temper from 
Elemental Surge — Night is needed on 1 Dual-Wielded Weapon to activate Alchemical Advantage.
Attack Speed is not beneficial to the Victimize version of the Dance of the Knives Rogue, as it only increases the damage of Dance of Knives hits.
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.
↑ Back to Legendary Gear Table
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Ranged Weapon | 1. Vulnerable Damage 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | 1. Worldly Finesse (Offensive): Vulnerable Damage 2. Agile Augments (Weapon): Chance for Dance of Knives Projectiles to Deal Double Damage |
| Dual-Wielded Weapons | 1. Vulnerable Damage 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | 1. Elemental Surge — Night (Weapon): Lucky Hit Chance to Deal Poison Damage on 1 weapon, and then Agile Augments (Weapon): Chance for Dance of Knives Projectiles to Deal Double Damage 2. Worldly Finesse (Offensive): Vulnerable Damage |
| Helm | 1. Cooldown Reduction, Lucky Hit Chance 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | 1. Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance 2. Worldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance |
| Chest | 1. Ranks to Dark Shroud 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | 1. Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance 2. Worldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance |
| Gloves | 1. Critical Strike Chance, Lucky Hit Chance 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | 1. Worldly Finesse (Offensive): Vulnerable Damage 2. Worldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance |
| Pants | 1. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | 1. Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Dodge Chance 2. Daze Control (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Daze |
| Boots | Implicit Stat: Maximum Evade Charges 1. Movement Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | 1. Natural Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed 2. Worldly Fortune (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Malice, Frigid Finesse, Unstable Elixirs, and/or Exploit 2. Critical Strike Chance, Cooldown Reduction, Lucky Hit Chance | 1. Trap Expertise (Offensive): Caltrops Duration 2. Subterfuge Expertise (Resource): Dark Shroud Cooldown Reduction |
| Rings | 1. Lucky Hit Chance to Make Enemies Vulnerable is required on 1 Ring 2. Critical Strike Chance, Lucky Hit Chance 3. Any uncapped Resistances | 1. Specialist Evolution (Offensive): Inner Sight Duration 2. Subterfuge Expertise (Resource): Dark Shroud 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.
- The Umbracrux (highly recommended) provides another target to activate Victimize explosions. In a boss fight, the Shade Totem can double damage output. Reallocate 3 points from Dash or Shadow Step to obtain
Countering Smoke Grenade for this setup. - Masterworking Priority: Vulnerable Damage
- Fists of Fate (highly recommended) provides up to a 50% overall damage increase in the unique effect and a high amount of Lucky Hit Chance.
- Masterworking Priority: Lucky Hit Chance
- Heir of Perdition (highly recommended) is a Mythic Unique Item that provides the highest damage increase for the slot.
- Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance up to 100% cap and Lucky Hit Chance
- Shroud of Khanduras (recommended) allows Victimize explosions to efficiently clear groups of enemies by pulling them together.
- Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Dark Shroud
Flickerstep (optional) reduces the Cooldown of Shadow Clone for more uptime on 
No Witnesses. - Masterworking Priority: Damage Reduction from Close Enemies
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
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 increased 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 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%. |
 Bac Ohm | Gain: 50 Offering — Travel 5 meters. Requires: 600 Offering, Cooldown: 2 Seconds — Evoke the Barbarian’s Enhanced War Cry, increasing your Movement Speed and damage dealt. |
Paragon Board
Use the following Paragon Boards, Legendary Nodes, and Glyphs for the Victimize 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%].
- Harbringer of Hatred’s Volley: Casting a Basic Skill while at Maximum Resource spends it all to make all Nearby enemies Vulnerable. Activating your Main Boss Power grants x [11%] increased Vulnerable Damage for 5 seconds.
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: Subo
- Skills:
Molotov, 
Share a Drink, 
Snipe, and 
Ambusher
- Skills:
- Reinforcement: Raheir
- Skill:
Bastion - Opportunity: Cast when the player becomes Injured
- Skill:
Build Mechanics
The Dance of Knives Victimize Rogue is the advanced version of the spin-to-win build for the late endgame of Diablo 4. Compared to the Pure Dance of Knives Rogue Build that focuses on its own hit damage, the Victimize setup has more strict build requirements. Lucky Hit Chance is required to proc explosions, while a high amount of Vulnerable damage is necessary to scale its damage. Additional Ranks to Dance of Knives are not beneficial, as the skill is only utilized to activate Victimize for damage output.
Vulnerable Damage is essential due to its double dipping, meaning the benefits are gained twice, by scaling the base damage of Victimize procs and then applying a second time when hitting Vulnerable enemies. Multiplicative sources of Vulnerable Damage (denoted by “[x]”) from 
Malice and the Legendary Bonus on 
Exploit also double dip.
Shadow Clone activates No Witnesses and mimicks Dance of Knives to provide additional activations of Victimize.
Ensure that you have a Lucky Hit Chance to Make Enemies Vulnerable affix on a Ring to activate Victimize!
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 +75% Movement Speed bonus is easily obtained from the Skill Tree by Dance of Knives (+20%), 
Stutter Step Rank 3 (+15%), 
Haste Rank 3 (+15%), and 
Enhanced Dark Shroud (+25%). The remaining +25% Movement Speed bonus needs to be obtained through gear. Any additional Movement Speed can still be beneficial when there are no enemies to Critically Strike to activate Stutter Step or Dark Shroud Shadows are depleted.
Rotation and Playstyle
Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.
- Cast Cold Imbuement to prepare for battle.
- If Shroud of Khanduras is equipped, Evade to group enemies together.
- Activate the following optional damage bonuses depending on the toughness of your opponent:
- Drink a Potion to activate
Unstable Elixirs. - Cast
Caltrops to ramp up Enhanced Caltrops.
- Cast Shadow Clone to activate No Witnesses and proc Victimize more often.
- Drink a Potion to activate
- Channel Dance of Knives.
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 Precision provides the highest damage output increase.
Elixir of Fortitude is the best general-purpose option for survivability.
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 21, 2025: Guide updated for Season 7 (Patch 2.1.0).
- October 2, 2024: Guide created for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
