Shadow Step – Rogue Build for Diablo 4 (Season 9)

Build Introduction

The Shadow Step Rogue is an advanced endgame build featuring Shadow Clone in Diablo 4, Vessel of Hatred. The infinite casts of Shadow Step enable this build to be the fastest speed-farmer within the Rogue class, perfect for Helltides, Nightmare Dungeons, and The Pit!

This endgame guide assumes your character is Level 60 and fulfills the Build Requirements. If you are not ready for this build, follow the Rogue Leveling Guide to find a starter build.

Check the build tier lists to see how this build compares to others on Icy Veins.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Build Requirements

The Shadow Step Rogue requires a high amount of Cooldown Reduction to be applied to Shadow Step. With Disciplined Shadow Step reducing the Cooldown by 3 seconds, the Shadow Step Cooldown on its tooltip needs to be lowered to at least 3.25 seconds for rapid casting (0.25 seconds account for the attack animation frames). Shadow Clone Cooldown should also be reduced. Obtain the following list of items before attempting the build.

• Assassin’s Stride — A greater affix Mobility Cooldown Reduction with 3 masterworking bonuses is highly recommended.
• At least 1 Ring or Amulet with a Shadow Step Cooldown Reduction temper.
• At least 1 Ring or Amulet with a Shadow Clone Cooldown Reduction temper.

Quick Navigation

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Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points

Skill Bar Setup for the Shadow Step Rogue (order does not matter)

Shadow StepHeartseekerShadow CloneSmoke GrenadeDark ShroudDash

The Skill Tree above shows the full allocation of 71 Skill Points for the Shadow Step Rogue build. Make sure you obtain the 12 Skill Points available from Renown.

Shadow Imbuement is automatically applied by Assassin’s Stride. Do not equip it on the Skill Bar.

Frigid Finesse is activated by a Lucky Hit Chance to Freeze temper. The damage buff also always applies against Staggered Bosses, as they count as being affected by all crowd controls.

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 Shadow Step Rogue to grant 15% Damage Reduction and reduce Shadow Clone Cooldown. Qax consumes Energy to activate Preparation.

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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 Shadow Step 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 Apogeic Furor	Casting an Ultimate Skill increases your Ultimate damage by x [6 – 10%] , up to x [60 – 100%]. At 10 stacks, your Cooldowns and this bonus are reset.
Amulet (+50 bonus effect)	Ravager’s Aspect	Shadow Step has an additional Charge. Killing an enemy with Shadow Step refunds a Charge and increases the damage of Shadow Step by x [4.5 – 14.5%] for 2 seconds, up to x [27 – 87%].
Ring Slot #1 (Pitfighter’s Gull optional)	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 Weapons or Ring Slot #2	Vehement Brawler’s Aspect	Casting an Ultimate Skill increases your damage by [10 – 30%] for 8 seconds. Gain 2 additional Ultimate Skill Ranks.
Dual-Wielded Weapons or Ring Slot #2	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 Weapons or Ring Slot #2	Aspect of Inner Calm	Deal x [5 – 13%] increased damage. Triple this bonus after standing still for 3 seconds.
Gloves (replaced by Grasp of Shadow)	Clandestine Aspect	Gain + [3 – 5] Ranks to Agility and Subterfuge Skills.
Helm	Cowl of the Nameless, Harlequin Crest, or Heir of Perdition	See Unique and Mythic Items section.
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	Assassin’s Stride	Mobility Skills are always Shadow Imbued with [40 – 80%] increased potency. Lucky Hit: Damaging an Elite or Boss with a Mobility Skill has up to a [40 – 80%] chance to instantly triggers a free Shadow Imbuement explosion.

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Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes

Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear for Shadow Step 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 are selected over Swords for the Damage to Close Enemies implicit when using Close Quarters Combat. A Bow is preferred for a faster cast of Heartseeker.

If Critical Strike Chance is not capped at 100% (see Critical Strike Chance section), replace Critical Strike Damage with Vulnerable Damage instead.

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.

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Slot	Gear Affixes	Tempering Affixes
Ranged Weapon	1. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Critical Strike Damage	1. Agile Augments (Weapon): Shadow Clone Double Damage 2. Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies
Dual-Wielded Weapons	1. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Critical Strike Damage	1. Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies 2. Assassin Augments (Weapon): Shadow Step Cleaves
Helm	1. Cooldown Reduction 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): Crowd Control Duration
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): Crowd Control Duration
Gloves	1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Maximum Life, Dexterity	1. Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies 2. Worldly Fortune (Utility): Crowd Control Duration
Pants	1. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity	1. Daze Control (Utility): Lucky Hit Chance to Daze 2. Worldly Endurance (Defensive): Armor up to 1,000 cap, otherwise Rogue Cloaking: Dodge Chance
Boots	Assassin’s Stride	Masterworking Priority: Mobility Cooldown Reduction
Amulet	1. % Dexterity, Ranks to Frigid Finesse 2. Ranks to Unstable Elixirs 3. Ranks to Exploit or Malice	1. Agility Efficiency (Resource): Shadow Step Cooldown Reduction 2. Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies
Rings	1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Maximum Life, Dexterity, Critical Strike Damage	1. Agility Efficiency (Resource): Shadow Step Cooldown Reduction or Ultimate Efficiency — Rogue: Shadow Clone Cooldown Reduction 2. Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies

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Uniques and Mythic Uniques

Listed below are the recommended and optional Unique and Mythic Unique Items for the Shadow Step 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.

• Cowl of the Nameless (highly recommended) is best-in-slot for damage output if +7 Ranks to Trick Attacks is granted by a greater affix and masterworking bonuses.
  • Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Trick Attacks
• Heir of Perdition (optional) provides a consistent damage increase, which works against bosses that do not summon adds.
  • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance
• Harlequin Crest (optional) is useful for a boosted Cooldown Reduction affix if you cannot reduce the Cooldown of Shadow Step enough elsewhere.
  • Masterworking Priority: Cooldown Reduction
• Assassin’s Stride (highly recommended) is the best source of Cooldown Reduction for Shadow Step.
  • Masterworking Priority: Mobility Cooldown Reduction
• Grasp of Shadow (recommended) grants up to +8 Ranks to Shadow Step with a greater affix and masterworking bonuses. The unique effect triggers an extra Shadow Clone to mimick Shadow Step, with an estimated 2 second internal cooldown.
  • Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Marksman or Cutthroat Skills
• Shroud of False Death (highly recommended) 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
• Pitfighter’s Gull (optional) provides a 45% damage increase after casting Smoke Grenade.
  • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance

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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 Emerald for Critical Strike Damage.	Grand Emerald for Dexterity.	Any Resistance Gems needed or Grand Skull for Armor (up to the 1,000 Armor cap).

Runewords

Insert one of the following Runewords, consisting of a Rune of Offering and a Rune of Invocation, into your equipped Ranged Weapon. The other Runeword can be inserted 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
Yul Qax	Gain: 50 Offering — Cast a Skill with a Cooldown. Requires: 400 Offering, Cooldown: 1 Second — Your next non-Basic Skill cast spends all of your Primary Resource to deal up to 100% increased damage.
Noc Kry	Gain: 10 Offering — Inflict a Crowd Control. Gain double offering if it isn’t a Slow or a Chill. Requires: 300 Offering, Cooldown: 3 Seconds — Invoke the Spiritborn’s Vortex, dealing damage and Pulling In enemies.

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Paragon Board

Use the following Paragon Boards, Legendary Nodes, and Glyphs for the Shadow Step 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	Astral Pillar (equipped on Shadow Clone)	Cooldown: 7 seconds Lucky Hit: 12% Shape an Ethereal Column that Taunts for 4.9 seconds. Piercing waves flow from it and deal 1127% damage, until you create another one or move too far away. Rank 10: The Taunted enemies become Vulnerable and move faster.
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. Astral Pillar: Will launch additional waves towards Executable non-Boss enemies to Execute them.
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.
Willbreaker	Physical damage you deal shatters enemies’ spirits, causing them to take 40%[x] more Physical damage for 6 seconds. This effect applies when first damaging a Boss or Elite, or when they are affected by Crowd Control.
Myriad Stone	After you cast you Catalytic Skill, if it is an Ultimate, gain +30% Attack Speed for 10 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: 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 Shadow Step Grenade Rogue is a specialized build that requires a high amount of Cooldown Reduction applied to Shadow Step to function. Shadow Step is rapidly cast by lowering the base Cooldown to at least 3.25 seconds, while Disciplined Shadow Step further reduces the Cooldown by 3 seconds. The remaining 0.25 seconds account for the attack animation frames of Shadow Step.

Shadow Clone contributes to the majority of damage output, and its Cooldown needs to be reduced with at least 1 Shadow Clone Cooldown Reduction temper. The Cooldown is further reduced by a Yul Qax runeword that activates Preparation.

Shadow Imbuement is automatically applied by Assassin’s Stride to gain the benefits of Enhanced Shadow Imbuement and Mixed Shadow Imbuement.

Vulnerable status is applied by Enhanced Shadow Step to multiple enemies with Shadow Step Cleave tempers.

Critical Strike Chance

Critical Strike Chance should be capped at 100% to fully utilize Critical Strike Damage bonuses. A total of 25% Critical Strike Chance is granted through the Skill Tree by Subverting Dark Shroud and Enhanced Shadow Imbuement. Fundamental Heartseeker, Enhanced Dash, and Trick Attacks can also be somewhat reliable.

The character stats sheet needs to display the remaining Critical Strike Chance, acquired through gear. Greater Affixes and/or Masterworking Bonuses for Critical Strike stats on gear can be utilized. Elixir of Precision II can also be used if needed.

Rotation and Playstyle

Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.

1. Activate Dark Shroud to prepare for battles.
2. Hit elites and bosses with Smoke Grenade to apply Enhanced Smoke Grenade and activate Pitfighter’s Gull.
3. Cast Shadow Clone to activate No Witnesses and mimick Shadow Step.
4. Drink a Potion to activate Unstable Elixirs.
5. Cast Heartseeker to activate the Marksman requirement of Close Quarters Combat and Tricks of the Trade.
6. Rapidly spam Shadow Step to deal damage. The button for Shadow Step can be held down for continuous attacks, even chaining to your next enemy.
7. Cast Dash to traverse when there are no enemies to target with Shadow Step.

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 Shadow Step Rogue, ranked by importance.

1. Elixir of Precision provides the highest damage output increase, if not already capped at 100% Critical Strike Chance.
2. Elixir of Advantage increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
3. 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.

• Close Quarters Combat
  • % of Damage to Close reduced from 25% to 10%.
  • Damage bonus is capped at 90%.
• 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.
• Tricks of the Trade
  • Previously: Your Marksman Skills grant your Cutthroat Skills 25%[x] increased damage for 8 seconds. Your Cutthroat Skills grant your Marksman Skills 25%[x] increased damage for 8 seconds.
  • Now: Enemies damaged by your Marksman Skills take 30% increased damage from your Cutthroat Skills, and vice versa.

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 21, 2025: Guide updated for Season 7 (Patch 2.1.0).
• October 4, 2024: Guide updated for Season 6 (Patch 2.0.2).
• September 2, 2024: Guide created for Season 5 (Patch 1.5.0).