Dance of Knives – Rogue Build for Diablo 4 (Season 9)

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 9 Update (Patch 2.3.0): Qax, Danse Macabre, and Subverting Concealment no longer snapshot to Dance of Knives, lowering the power of this build. The only remaining snapshots that can still be utilized are from Imbuements, Aspect of Synergy, and Asheara’s Khanjar.

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

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 KnivesConcealmentCold ImbuementShadow ImbuementDark ShroudShadow Clone

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.

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.

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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.

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 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 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.

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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 Duration Worldly 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 Duration Worldly 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 Daze Worldly 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 Shadow Worldly 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

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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 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

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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. If you are playing in Season 9, replace the Jewelry Gems with Horadric Jewels.

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
Igni Vex	Gain: 25 Offering — Stores offering every 0.3 seconds. Cast a non-Basic Skill to gain the stored offering. Requires: 100 Offering, Cooldown: 5 Seconds — Gain +1 to Skills for 10 seconds.
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.

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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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Horadric Spell and Jewels (Season 9)

Season 9: Sins of the Horadrim offers seasonal powers that can be utilized to enhance this build. Access Horadic Spells from the Powers tab in the character sheet, and place Horadic Jewels into Jewelry slots.

Horadric Spell

The Horadric Catalyst is the base power of your spell, attached to a Skill slot on the Skill bar and triggered when the Skill is cast. The Catalyst is combined with one Infusion that modifies the damage type, and three Arcana that enhance the baseline power of the spell.

Type	Power	Effect
Catalyst	Cosmic Anomaly (equipped on Dark Shroud)	Spawn Rate: Every 5 seconds Lucky Hit: 20% Passive: Manifest up to 5 Anomalies that emit particles which deal 866% damage over 4 seconds. Active: Command your Anomalies to converge and implode, dealing 3465% damage per detonation. Rank 10: While at 5 Anomalies, you are Unstoppable and the next implosion will deal double damage.
Infusion	Nebulous Extract	Your Spell Catalyst now deals Shadow and or Corrupting damage. Enemies hit by it deal 10% reduced damage for 7 seconds. While equipped, your Shadow Damage Bonus is equal to that of your highest Damage Type Bonus. Rank 5: Deactivates monster Summoner effects for 8 seconds.
Arcana	Bloody Charm	Your Catalyst gains a specialized Execute effect for non-Boss enemies with 20% or less Life. Cosmic Anomaly: Executes non-Boss enemies with its implosion. Successful Executions increase your Attack Speed by 20% for 8 seconds.
Arcana	Potent Alloy	Your Catalyst destroys enemy Barriers and Knocks them Down for 5 seconds after the removal.
Arcana	Fractured Core	Your Catalyst deactivates monster Damage Resistance Aura effects for 5 seconds, but you take 10% more stacking damage for the same time.

Horadric Jewels

Insert the following Horadric Jewels into Jewelry slots to enhance the Horadric Spell.

Jewel	Effect
Idol From Below	You gain x6% primary stat, x6% Maximum Life and you are always Unhindered. However, you will be hunted in Sanctuary’s darkest places by Jewel Guardians who were entombed to protect this relic.
Reverie Horn	After you injure or kill an enemy, your Summons are empowered, growing larger and dealing x50% more damage for 4 seconds.
Scornful Light	You deal x20% and take x10% more Elemental damage.

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

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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. 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.

Make sure you have Mangler’s Aspect for consistent activation of Trick Attacks.

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, 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.

Rotation and Playstyle

Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.

1. Activate Dark Shroud to prepare for battle.
2. Activate Shadow Imbuement for explosive damage against groups of enemies or Cold Imbuement against tough elites or staggered bosses.
3. Against bosses, cast Shadow Clone to activate No Witnesses and Preparation.
4. If you are using Asheara’s Khanjar, briefly channel Dance of Knives to stack the Attack Speed buff 5 times.
5. Cast Concealment to prepare Aspect of Synergy.
6. Channel Dance of Knives without interruption to maintain snapshotted buffs.
7. While channeling, drink a Potion near Elites to activate Unstable Elixirs.
8. 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.

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

Gameplay Video

Season 9 Updates

A brief summary of the seasonal changes is provided below. For a complete overview of Season 9, take a look at the comprehensive season guide.

• Dance of Knives: Meters required to gain charges increased from 30 to 34.
• Subverting Concealment
  • Previously: The Skill that breaks Concealment will always be a guaranteed Critical Strike and makes enemies Vulnerable for 6 seconds.
  • Now: Breaking Concealment causes all Skills for 4 seconds to be guaranteed Critical Strikes and make enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
• Cheat’s Aspect
  • Previously: 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.
  • Now: You have 5-15% increased Damage Reduction and 10% increased Movement Speed, doubled while below 50% Maximum Life.
• Danse Macabre
  • Previously: Casting a Mobility or Subterfuge Skill increases the damage of your next Skill by 75%[x].
  • Now: Casting a Mobility or Subterfuge Skill increases your damage by 30%[x] for 10 seconds.
• Eldritch Bounty
  • Previously: When you attack with an Imbued Skill you gain 3% Maximum Resistance and 30% increased damage for that Imbuement’s Element for 9 seconds.
  • Now: Each equipped Imbuement Skill grants 3% Maximum Resistance and 30% increased damage for that Imbuement’s Element.

Changelog

• June 27, 2025: Guide updated for Season 9 (Patch 2.3.0)
• 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.