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 11 Update (Patch 2.5.0): The Dance of Knives Rogue remains a top starter build within its class. The newly added Death’s Pavane restores Charges and grants 60%[x] increased damage for Dance of Knives.
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
- Simple playstyle
- Auto-target damage while moving
- Fast Movement Speed
- Crowd Controls can interrupt channeling
- Full damage against bosses relies on Stagger
- Must constantly be moving 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
Shadow Clone
Cold Imbuement
Concealment
Dark Shroud
CaltropsThe Skill Tree above shows the full allocation of 71 Skill Points for the Dance of Knives Rogue build. Leveling up grants 59 points. The remaining 12 points are gained from completing Renown for Eternal Players and Seasonal Rank/Journey for Seasonal Players.
Puncture is not equipped on the Skill Bar. A Skill Point is 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, and the Cooldown reset works with Dance of Knives to restore all charges. 
Qax consumes Energy to reduce the Cooldown of Shadow Clone.
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 – 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. Dance of Knives damage increased by x30% per Combo Point spent. |
| 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) | Umbrous Aspect | Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a [45 – 65%] chance to grant a free Dark Shroud shadow. |
| Pants (replaced by Death’s Pavane) | Cheat’s Aspect | You have [5 – 15%] increased Damage Reduction and +10% increased Movement Speed, doubled while below 50% Maximum Life. |
| 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.
Ensure you apply a Tempering affix to your endgame items. If you have a surplus of crafting materials, reroll Tempering affixes on your best items until they upgrade to a Greater Affix.
Bolded affixes are the most important targets for the Capstone Bonus from Masterworking. Capstone Bonuses are granted after Masterworking 25% Quality and can be re-rolled for a cost. 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.
↑ Back to Legendary Gear Table
| 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%) |
| 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%) |
| Helm | 1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Natural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation |
| Chest | 1. Ranks to Dark Shroud 2. Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Natural Schemes (Utility): Barrier Generation |
| Gloves | 1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed |
| Pants | 1. Resistances or Armor 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Trap Expertise (Utility): Caltrops Duration |
| Boots | Implicit Stat: Maximum Evade Charges 1. Ranks to Dance of Knives 2. Movement Speed 3. Resistances or Armor 4. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Rogue Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed per Dark Shroud Shadow |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Frigid Finesse, % Dexterity 2. Ranks to Unstable Elixirs, Malice, or Weapon Mastery | Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed |
| Rings | 1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Resistances 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Cutthroat Finesse (Offensive): Cutthroat Attack Speed |
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.
- Death’s Pavane (recommended) restores charges and grants 60%[x] damage for Dance of Knives.
- Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Dance of Knives
- 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
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 Gem or  Grand Skull for Armor. |
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. |
 AhuQax | 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. |
Paragon Board
Use the following Paragon Boards, Legendary Nodes, and Glyphs for the Dance of Knives Rogue.
Season 11 Mechanics
Season 11: Divine Intervention offers a seasonal theme that can be utilized to enhance this build. Access Divine Gifts from the tab in the character sheet, and apply Sanctification on your items for additional bonuses.
Divine Gifts
Obtain the Divine Gifts of Lesser Evil bosses by defeating them for the first time, and then level up equipped Divine Gifts by killing the associated Lesser Evil or any of their minions. Insert the following Divine Gifts setups into Purified sockets, unlocked by progressing through the Seasonal Reputation Board, to gain beneficial rewards for specific activities.
- Helltides – Duriel
- Purified: Essence of Pain – Briefly gain maximum Barrier after becoming Injured, every 20 seconds.
- Corrupted: Essence of Squallor
- World Bosses – Azmodan
- Purified: Essence of Sin – Gain 20% increased Armor.
- Corrupted: Essence of Hellfire
- Kurast Undercity – Andariel
- Purified: Essence of Anguish – Gain 30% Movement Speed.
- Corrupted: Essence of Screams
- Note: If you are already move speed capped or need extra defense, swap the Andariel Gifts for a 20% Resistance boost to defense.
- Belial – The Pit
- Purified: Essence of Lies – Fortify for 1% of your Maximum Life a second.
- Corrupted: Essence of Shadows
Sanctification
Use Heavenly Sigils to sanctify your items at the Heavenly Forge for a chance to apply one of the outcomes listed below. Sanctification makes the item unmodifiable, so ensure all other item crafting is finalized.
- Apply a bonus Legendary power
- Improve an Affix into a Greater Affix
- Add a bonus Affix from a pool of special Sanctification affixes
- Replace an existing Affix with a random Sanctification affix
- Add a random amount (5-25) of bonus Quality
Some of the jackpot desirable Sanctifications include +Ranks to All Skills, useful affixes like Critical Strike Chance or Attack Speed, or generic offensive Legendary Aspects. The potential Quality Increases will be especially strong on a weapon, increasing its DPS. Other options can ruin your item, such as replacing a necessary existing affix.
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
- Skills:
- Reinforcement: Varyana
- Skill:
Bloodthirst - Opportunity: Cast when the player casts any skill in combat.
- 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.
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 move quickly and restore Charges.
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.
- Activate
Shadow Imbuement for explosive damage against groups of enemies or 
Cold Imbuement against tough elites or staggered bosses. - Refresh Shadow Clone every 10 seconds.
- Against boss and tough elites, cast Caltrops on top of them to deal more damage.
- Cast
Concealment to prepare Aspect of Synergy. - Channel Dance of Knives.
- While channeling, drink a Potion near Elites to activate
Unstable Elixirs. - 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.
Elixir of Advantage II increases damage output.
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 reduce incoming damage.
Gameplay Video
Season 11 Updates
A brief summary of the changes in Patch 2.5.0 that may pertain to this specific build is provided below. For a complete overview of Season 11, take a look at the comprehensive season guide.
- Damage scaling per 10 points of Dexterity increased from 1.1% to 1.25%.
Siphoning Strikes: Healing per Rank reduced from 1% to .5% of Maximum Health.- Death’s Pavane (Unique Pants) added to the game.
- Shadow Clone: Shadow Clone’s copied skills will now more consistently target the initial target of the skill.
- Aspect of Star Shards: Dance of Knives damage increased by 30% per Combo Point spent.
Changelog
- December 7th, 2025: Guide updated for Season 11 (Patch 2.5.0).
- 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.
