Build Introduction
The Dance of Knives Rogue (DoK) features a newly added Skill in the Diablo 4 expansion, Vessel of Hatred. 
Dance of Knives is channeled to rapidly throw knives at enemies while moving in a spin-to-win playstyle. Due to the high mobility and auto-aiming projectiles, the Dance of Knives Rogue is the most effective build to level a new character during a season start.
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. Buffs to 
Aspect of Star Shards and Inner Sight provide additional options to boost damage while leveling.
Check the Rogue Leveling Guide Overview for a comparison of all the starter builds on Icy Veins.
Once your Rogue character reaches Level 60, switch to the Endgame Guide for the Dance of Knives Rogue to continue this build.
Quick Navigation
Want to skip ahead? Use the table below to jump to sections.
Allocation of Skill Points
The following table shows the order in which to allocate your Skill Points while leveling with 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.
| Order | Skill | Cluster |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Blade Shift Rank 1 | Basic Skill |
| 2 |  Stutter Step Rank 1 | Core Passive |
| 3 | Dance of Knives Rank 1 | Agility Skill |
| 4 | Enhanced Dance of Knives | Agility Skill |
| 5 | Disciplined Dance of Knives | Agility Skill |
| 6 |  Dash | Agility Skill |
| 7 | Dance of Knives Rank 2 | Agility Skill |
| 8 | Dance of Knives Rank 3 | Agility Skill |
| 9 | Dance of Knives Rank 4 | Agility Skill |
| 10 | Dance of Knives Rank 5 | Agility Skill |
| 11 | Stutter Step Rank 2 | Core Passive |
| 12 |  Concealment Rank 1 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 13 | Enhanced Concealment | Subterfuge Skill |
| 14 | Subverting Concealment | Subterfuge Skill |
| 15 |  Dark Shroud Rank 1 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 16 | Enhanced Dark Shroud | Subterfuge Skill |
| 17 |  Countering Dark Shroud | Subterfuge Skill |
| 18 |  Cold Imbuement | Imbuement Skill |
| 19 | Enhanced Cold Imbuement | Imbuement Skill |
| 20 | Mixed Cold Imbuement | Imbuement Skill |
| 21 |  Frigid Finesse Rank 1 | Imbuement Passive |
| 22 | Frigid Finesse Rank 2 | Imbuement Passive |
| 23 | Frigid Finesse Rank 3 | Imbuement Passive |
| 24 |  Second Wind (not utilized, only a prerequisite) | Ultimate Passive |
| 25 |  Haste Rank 1 | Ultimate Passive |
| 26 | Haste Rank 2 | Ultimate Passive |
| 27 | Haste Rank 3 | Ultimate Passive |
| 28 |  Deadeye Rank 1 | Imbuement Passive |
| 29 | Deadeye Rank 2 | Imbuement Passive |
| 30 | Deadeye Rank 3 | Imbuement Passive |
| 31 |  Impetus Rank 1 | Ultimate Passive |
| 32 | Impetus Rank 2 | Ultimate Passive |
| 33 | Impetus Rank 3 | Ultimate Passive |
| 34 |  Momentum | Key Passive |
| 35 |  Unstable Elixirs Rank 1 | Agility Passive |
| 36 | Unstable Elixirs Rank 2 | Agility Passive |
| 37 | Unstable Elixirs Rank 3 | Agility Passive |
| 38 |  Weapon Mastery Rank 1 | Agility Passive |
| 39 | Weapon Mastery Rank 2 | Agility Passive |
| 40 | Weapon Mastery Rank 3 | Agility Passive |
| 41 |  Exploit Rank 1 | Subterfuge Passive |
| 42 | Exploit Rank 2 | Subterfuge Passive |
| 43 | Exploit Rank 3 | Subterfuge Passive |
| 44 |  Malice Rank 1 | Subterfuge Passive |
| 45 | Malice Rank 2 | Subterfuge Passive |
| 46 | Malice Rank 3 | Subterfuge Passive |
| 47 |  Trick Attacks Rank 1 | Agility Passive |
| 48 | Trick Attacks Rank 2 | Agility Passive |
| 49 | Trick Attacks Rank 3 | Agility Passive |
| 50 |  Precision Imbuement Rank 1 | Imbuement Passive |
| 51 | Precision Imbuement Rank 2 | Imbuement Passive |
| 52 | Precision Imbuement Rank 3 | Imbuement Passive |
| 53 | Concealment Rank 2 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 54 | Concealment Rank 3 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 55 | Concealment Rank 4 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 56 | Concealment Rank 5 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 57 | Enhanced Dash | Agility Skill |
| 58 | Methodical Dash | Agility Skill |
| 59 |  Sturdy Rank 1 | Core Passive |
| 60 | Sturdy Rank 2 | Core Passive |
| 61 | Sturdy Rank 3 | Core Passive |
| 62 |  Siphoning Strikes Rank 1 | Core Passive |
| 63 | Siphoning Strikes Rank 2 | Core Passive |
| 64 | Siphoning Strikes Rank 3 | Core Passive |
| 65 | Dark Shroud Rank 2 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 66 | Dark Shroud Rank 3 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 67 | Dark Shroud Rank 4 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 68 | Dark Shroud Rank 5 | Subterfuge Skill |
| 69 |  Agile Rank 1 | Subterfuge Passive |
| 70 | Agile Rank 2 | Subterfuge Passive |
| 71 | Agile Rank 3 | Subterfuge Passive |
Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points
Dance of KnivesBlade Shift
ConcealmentCold ImbuementDark Shroud
DashIf you are unsure about the usage of these Skills, read the Build Mechanics section after setting up your Skill Bar.
Wondering what comes after Level 60 or which Paragon boards to pick? Head to the Rogue Builds page and choose an endgame build to continue your character progression.
Rogue Class Mechanic – Specialization
Once you reach Level 15, immediately complete the True Potential class questline to unlock the Rogue’s Specialization.
Start with Inner Sight as your Specialization for 25%[+] Critical Strike Chance and 25%[x] Critical Strike Damage. Once you find and equip a Legendary Item with Aspect of Star Shards, switch your Specialization to Combo Points to gain 90%[x] increased damage for Dance of Knives, if you do not mind casting Blade Shift 3 times before channeling.
Gear, Stats, Gems, and Runes
The following sections cover the important systems that are essential to improving the power of your character during the leveling process. Higher Item Power generally indicates stronger gear, but you should also consider the affixes and effects that are relevant to your class and build.
Legendary Aspects
Legendary Aspects can be found on Legendary Items, which can be salvaged at the Blacksmith to unlock them in the Codex of Power for repeated imprinting. Higher ranks for aspects are unlocked by salvaging Legendary Items with higher aspect values. Some Rank 1 aspects can be unlocked immediately by completing a designated Dungeon. Check the Aspect and Codex of Power guide for more general information.
Aspect of Star Shards is the most beneficial aspect for the Dance of Knives Rogue, drastically increasing single-target damage and hitting additional targets to clear groups of enemies. Unfortunately, Aspect of Star Shards is not unlockable by clearing a Dungeon. Obtaining this aspect from a Legendary Item drop can enable this build to increase the game difficulty to Expert or Penitent. Imprint Aspect of Star Shards onto a Rare or Legendary Ranged Weapon for 2x bonus effect.
Listed below are all the Aspects found on Legendary Items that are important for the Dance of Knives Rogue leveling build. They are listed in order of priority, with the most beneficial at the top. For the best results, combine these Aspects with the ideal Stat Priorities. The best-in-slot Aspects List is in the Endgame Guide for the Dance of Knives Rogue.
| Aspect Name | Legendary Aspect Power | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Random Drop |
| 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%]. | Random Drop |
| 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. | Random Drop |
| Clandestine Aspect | Gain + [3 – 5] Ranks to Agility and Subterfuge Skills. | Random Drop |
| 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. | Abandoned Mineworks, Kehjistan |
| Aspect of Inner Calm | Deal x [5 – 13%] increased damage. Triple this bonus after standing still for 3 seconds. | Raethwind Wilds, Scosglen |
| 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. | Random Drop |
 Juggernaut’s Aspect | Gain [X] Armor, but your Evade has 100% increased Cooldown. | Random Drop |
| Cheat’s Aspect | You gain [5 – 15%] increased Damage Reduction and +10% increased Movement Speed. These bonuses are doubled while below 50% Maximum Life. | Luban’s Rest, Scosglen |
| Aspect of Might | Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2 – 6] seconds | Dark Ravine, Dry Steppes |
| Umbrous Aspect | Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes have up to a [45 – 65%] chance to grant a free Dark Shroud shadow. | Random Drop |
Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes
Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear during the early leveling of a Dance of Knives Rogue, 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 temper your best item upgrades regularly, as the extra affixes provide a significant advantage while leveling. Weapon and Offensive category tempers are especially powerful and can massively boost your damage output.
The Item Power of weapons determines its DPS and is the most important factor when selecting a Dual-Wielded Weapon. The choice between Daggers or Swords does not make a big difference in overall performance. Prioritize beneficial stat affixes on a Bow or Crossbow instead of the DPS, as there are no attacks utilizing them in this build.
The most beneficial tempering affixes while leveling are included below. The best-in-slot tempering affixes are available in the Endgame Guide for the Dance of Knives Rogue. Check the Tempering Guide for more information on this system.
| Slot | Gear Affixes | Tempering Affixes |
|---|---|---|
| Weapons | 1. Critical Strike Damage 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity |  Agile Augments (Weapon): Chance for Dance of Knives Projectiles to Deal Double Damage |
| Helm | 1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Daze Control (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Daze or Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor |
| Chest | 1. Ranks to Dark Shroud 2. Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Daze Control (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Daze or Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor |
| Gloves | 1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Subterfuge Expertise (Offensive): Damage Per Dark Shroud or your highest damage increase temper that is applicable to the build |
| Pants | 1. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Daze Control (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Daze or Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Total Armor |
| Boots | Implicit Stat: Maximum Evade Charges 1. Movement Speed 2. Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Rogue Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed per Dark Shroud Shadow |
| Amulet | 1. Ranks to Frigid Finesse, Unstable Elixirs, Malice, Alchemical Advantage 2. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed, Cooldown Reduction | Subterfuge Expertise (Offensive): Damage Per Dark Shroud or your highest damage increase temper that is applicable to the build |
| Rings | 1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Resistances 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity | Subterfuge Expertise (Offensive): Damage Per Dark Shroud or your highest damage increase temper that is applicable to the build |
↑ Back to Legendary Gear Table
Gems and Runewords
Listed below are the best Gems and Runes to socket into gear for each item type.
Gems
Equip the corresponding Gems into your Weapon, Armor, and Jewelry slots.
| Weapon Gems | Armor Gems | Jewelry Gems |
|---|---|---|
 Emerald for increased Critical Strike Damage. | Emerald for Dexterity. | Any Resistance Gem or  Skull for Armor. |
Runewords
Runes start to drop after unlocking them during the Vessel of Hatred campaign. A Rune of Ritual and a Rune of Invocation can be combined by inserting them into equipment with 2 available sockets, creating a Runeword. A limit of 2 Runewords can be equipped.
Listed below are the best Runewords utilizing Magic and Rare Runes that are beneficial for this build. The best-in-slot Runewords utilizing Legendary Runes are in the Endgame Guide for the Dance of Knives Rogue.
| Runewords | Effects |
|---|---|
 Yax Wat | Gain: 200 Offering — Drink a Healing Potion. Requires: 100 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Invoke the Necromancer’s Horrid Decrepify, Slowing enemies, reducing their damage, and letting you Execute them. |
 Feo Gar | Gain: 200 Offering — Deal damage after not taking any within 2 seconds. (Resets if Invulnerable.) Requires: 25 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Gain 2.5% Critical Strike Chance for 5 seconds, up to 25%. |
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.
Only 1 charge of Cold Imbuement is consumed by a cast of Dance of Knives. The imbue effect is a snapshot for the skill, meaning it remains as long as you continue to channel.
Trick Attacks can be activated using a potion with Unstable Elixirs near enemies to Stun them. Lucky Hit Chance to Daze tempers provide a ranged source of Daze to keep Trick Attacks stacked more consistently.
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 +100% Movement Speed bonus is easily obtained from the Skill Tree by Dance of Knives (+20%), Stutter Step Rank 2 (+10%), 
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 Dark Shroud constantly to refresh shadow stacks
- Activate Cold Imbuement to gain a damage boost from Mixed Cold Imbuement and Frigid Finesse.
- If you have Aspect of Star Shards and Combo Points equipped, cast Blade Shift 3 times to increase damage for Dance of Knives.
- Channel Dance of Knives. Continue to hold down the skill to maintain the snapshotted Cold Imbuement and Aspect of Star Shards.
- When spinning past enemies, drink a Potion near them to activate Unstable Elixirs.
- Against bosses and tough elites, cast Concealment to apply Subverting Concealment, and maintain a distance to benefit from the damage bonus on Deadeye.
Elixirs
Visit the Alchemist in any main town to craft helpful Elixirs that increase stats and experience gain for 30 minutes. Make sure to forage plants for 
Bundled Herbs during your adventures; they randomly spawn around the world. Elixirs can also drop randomly from enemies and chests during many activities in Diablo 4.
Listed below are the best Elixirs to consume while leveling 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.
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.
- Inner Sight
- Previous: Attack enemies to fill your Inner Sight gauge. Marked enemies fill it faster. When full, gain unlimited Energy and 25%[+] Critical Strike Chance for 4 seconds.
- Now: Attack enemies to fill your Inner Sight gauge. Marked enemies fill it faster. When full, restore 300 Energy, and gain 100% Energy Cost Reduction, 25%[+] Critical Strike Chance, and 25%[x] Critical Strike Damage.
Difficulty and Endgame
Once you hit Level 60 with this build, tackle harder difficulties and more challenging endgame content. Make sure to pick one of our recommended endgame builds for Rogue to continue your journey! The endgame builds also cover the Paragon setup unlocked at Level 60.
Gameplay Video
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).
