Dance of Knives – Rogue Build for Diablo 4 (Season 10)

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.

Season 10 Update (Patch 2.4.0): The power of this build is significantly increased by Chaos Perks, Chaos Armor, and buffs to Legendary Paragon nodes. Be sure to check the Season 10 Mechanics section for the best-in-slot setup.

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 and Paragon Boards!

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

Quick Navigation

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Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points

Skill Bar Setup for the Dance of Knives Rogue (order does not matter)

Dance of KnivesShadow CloneShadow ImbuementCold ImbuementConcealmentCaltrops

The 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.

Dark Shroud is not equipped on the Skill Bar. It is instead automatically activated by Umbrous Aspect.

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. Qax consumes Energy to reduce the Cooldown of Shadow Clone.

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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.

For the best-in-slot gear setup in Season 10, check the Chaos Armor section of the guide.

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 – 30%] 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 [X] Physical damage. Dance of Knives now Consumes 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 have [5 – 15%] increased Damage Reduction and +10% increased Movement Speed, doubled while below 50% Maximum Life.
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.

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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 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.

Prioritize capping Armor at 1,000 and all Resistances at 75%. Be aware of the increasing penalties to Armor and Resistances as you progress through Torment difficulties.

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Slot	Gear Affixes	Tempering Affixes
Ranged Weapon	1. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Vulnerable Damage or 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, Vulnerable Damage or 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	Natural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation Rogue Persistence (Defensive): Ranks to Second Wind
Chest	1. Ranks to Dark Shroud 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity	Natural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation Rogue Persistence (Defensive): Ranks to Second Wind
Gloves	1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity	Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed Natural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation
Pants	1. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity	Trap Expertise (Utility): Caltrops Duration Rogue Persistence (Defensive): Ranks to Second Wind
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 Shadow Daze Control (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Daze
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. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity	Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed Ultimate Efficiency — Rogue (Resource): Shadow Clone Cooldown Reduction

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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 Helm that provides the most damage in the slot.
  • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance or Lucky Hit Chance
• Cowl of the Nameless (recommended) is an alternative offensive option if you do not yet have Heir of Perdition.
  • 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 (recommended) provides up to a 50% overall damage increase in the unique effect.
  • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance or 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: All Stats

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Gems and Runewords

Listed below are the recommended Gems and Runewords to socket into your gear.

Gems

Equip the corresponding Gems into your Weapon, Armor, and Jewelry slots.

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 Ritual 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
Cir Vex	Gain: 300 Offering — Cast 5 Skills then become exhausted for 3 seconds. Requires: 100 Offering, Cooldown: 5 Seconds — Gain +1 to Skills for 10 seconds.
Ahu Qax	Gain: 15 Offering — Lucky Hit: Up to a 100% chance against non-Healthy enemies. Requires: 400 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Casting a Skill other than a Basic or Defensive spends all your Primary Resource to increase your damage up to 100% for 1 second.

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Paragon Board

Use the following Paragon Boards, Legendary Nodes, and Glyphs for the Dance of Knives Rogue.

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Season 10 Mechanics

Season 10: Infernal Chaos offers seasonal powers that can be utilized to enhance this build. Access Chaos Perks from the Powers tab in the character sheet, and equip Chaos Armor to create more powerful Unique Item combinations.

Chaos Perks

Progress through the Seasonal Reputation Board to unlock non-Unique Perks, and defeat Bartuc within the Infernal Hordes in Torment 1 or higher for a chance to unlock Unique Perks. Upgrade Chaos Perks by collecting Infernal Warp, earned by defeating Chaos Monsters. Equip the following Chaos Perk setup recommended for this build.

Power	Description
Unique Chaos Perk: Hit and Run	Every 15 meters you move grants you x50% increased damage for 5 seconds. This bonus stacks, but does not refresh. If this bonus is not active, you deal 30% reduced damage.
Marred Guard	You can no longer be healed above 50% Life. You gain 10% Maximum Resistance to All Elements, x20% Armor, and 100% increased Barrier and Fortify Generation.
Unpredictable Alchemy	Imbuements flow wildly, Imbuing every Basic Skill Cast with a random Imbuement. Imbued Skills deal x40% increased damage.
Accelerating Chaos	Lucky Hit: Damaging an enemy has up to a 10% chance to trigger a Chaotic Burst on the enemy, dealing 400% damage. Your Chaotic Bursts that hit an enemy reduce a random active Cooldown by 0.5 seconds.

Chaos Armor

Enhanced versions of certain Unique Items can drop to fit in the Helm, Chest, Gloves, Pants, or Boots gear slots. Defeat Bartuc in Torment difficulties to target-farm Chaos Armor (guaranteed drop in Torment 3-4).

Equip the following best-in-slot gear setup that is optimized with Mythic Unique Items and Chaos Armor, if you happen to be lucky enough to find them. Greater Affix and Masterworking Bonuses for Unique Items and Chaos Armor are bolded/highlighted. Chaos Armor slots that are interchangeable are noted in the table.

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	Asheara’s Khanjar	⁕ Ranks to Weapon Mastery Hits with this weapon increase your Attack Speed by [4 – 8%] for 4 seconds, up to [30 – 50%].
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	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 for Grenade Skills
Helm	Heir of Perdition	⁕ Critical Hit Chance or Lucky Hit Chance Succumb to hatred and earn Mother’s Favor, increasing your damage dealt by x60%. Slaughter enemies to briefly steal Mother’s Favor from surrounding allies.
Chest	Shroud of False Death	⁕ All Stats +1 to All Passives
Pants or Boots	Chaos Armor: Fists of Fate (Pants)	⁕ Critical Hit Chance or Attack Speed Your attacks randomly deal 1% to [200 – 300%] of their normal damage.
Pants or Boots	Chaos Armor: Cowl of the Nameless (Boots)	⁕ Trick Attacks or Unstable Elixirs

Mercenaries

Once the Den is unlocked during the main questline in the Vessel of Hatred expansion, complete the key quests to acquire each Mercenary. Hire a Mercenary and enlist a Reinforcement in the following setup.

• Hired Mercenary: Raheir
  • Skills: Ground Slam, Raheir’s Aegis, Bastion, Inspiration
• Reinforcement: Varyana
  • Skill: Bloodthirst
  • Opportunity: Cast when the player casts any skill in combat.

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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.

Ensure you temper Daze Control (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Daze and/or imprint Mangler’s Aspect for consistent activation of Trick Attacks.

Ahu Qax consumes Energy to gain a Barrier from Second Wind and reduce the Cooldown of Shadow Clone through Preparation. The consumed Energy is restored by Innervation.

Damage output is higher at range due to Deadeye. Attempt to fight from a ranged distance just inside the throw range of Dance of Knives when maximum damage is needed.

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.

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.

Rotation and Playstyle

Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.

1. Activate Shadow Imbuement for explosive damage against groups of enemies or Cold Imbuement against tough elites or staggered bosses.
2. Refresh Shadow Clone every 10 seconds.
3. Against boss and tough elites, cast Caltrops on top of them to deal more damage.
4. Cast Concealment to prepare Aspect of Synergy.
5. Channel Dance of Knives.
6. While channeling, drink a Potion near Elites to activate Unstable Elixirs.
7. Restart the rotation to begin a new channel.

Elixirs and Incenses

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.

1. Elixir of Advantage II increases damage output.
2. Elixir of Fortitude II is the best general-purpose option for survivability.

Incense can also be crafted at the Alchemist. Queen’s Supreme (Core Stat), Song of the Mountain (Defensive), and Soothing Spices (Resistance) are recommended. These Incenses are categorized into three separate groups and can be active simultaneously. The added Armor and Resistances are especially helpful to reach their caps.

Gameplay Video

Season 10 Updates

A brief summary of the changes in Patch 2.4.0 that may pertain to this specific build is provided below. For a complete overview of Season 10, take a look at the comprehensive season guide.

• Dance of Knives
  • Reduced Cooldown when deactivating the skill while 1 or less charge remains.
  • Now has a high chance to prioritize champions, elites, and bosses.
• Subverting Concealment
  • Reworded the tooltip.
  • Vulnerable duration increased to 4 seconds.
• Eldritch Bounty: Damage increased from 30%[x] to 50%[x].
• Cheap Shot
  • Previous: You deal 5%[x] increased damage for each Nearby enemy that is Crowd Controlled, up to 25%[x]. A Nearby Staggered Boss provides the maximum bonus.
  • Now: Deal 30% increased damage, doubled against Crowd Controlled enemies.
• No Witnesses
  • Damage from ultimates increased from 20% to 30%.
  • Damage cap increased from 40% to 60%.
• Exploit Weakness
  • Previous: Lucky Hit: Hitting a Vulnerable enemy has up to a 60% chance to increase your damage by 1%[x] for 25 seconds, up to 25%[x]. At 25 stacks, this bonus remains for 6 seconds before expiring.
  • Now: You deal 45% more Vulnerable damage. The first time you hit a Vulnerable enemy their damage is reduced by 20% for 6 seconds.
• Danse Macabre: Damage increased from 30% to 50%.

Changelog

• September 21st, 2025: Guide updated for Season 10 (Patch 2.4.0).
• June 27th, 2025: Guide updated for Season 9 (Patch 2.3.0).
• April 26th, 2025: Guide updated for Season 8 (Patch 2.2.0).
• January 18th, 2025: Guide updated for Season 7 (Patch 2.1.0).
• October 4th, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
• September 22nd, 2024: Guide created.