Shadow Step – Rogue Build for Diablo 4 (Season 11)

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. Leveling up grants 59 points. The remaining 12 points are gained from completing Renown for Eternal Players and Seasonal Rank/Journey for Seasonal Players.

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

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

Frigid Finesse always applies to Staggered Bosses, as they are considered affected by all crowd controls. Enemies are also Frozen by Frostbitten Aspect when hit by Smoke Grenade.

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 the Cooldown of Ultimate Skills. Qax consumes Energy to refresh 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 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 Inner Calm	Deal x [5 – 13%] increased damage. Triple this bonus after standing still for 3 seconds.
Amulet (+50% bonus effect)	Ravager’s Aspect	Shadow Step has an additional Charge and gains a charge when it kills an enemy. Casting Shadow Step increases its damage by x [9 – 18%] for 5 seconds, up to x [45 – 90%].
Ring Slot #1 (Pitfighter’s Gull optional)	Coldclip Aspect	You deal x [20 – 40%] increased damage to enemies that are Chilled or Frozen. Your Basic Skills are always Cold Imbued at 50% potency and gain this damage bonus against Bosses.
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	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.
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.

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 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.

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

• Heir of Perdition (recommended) is a Mythic Unique Helm that provides the most damage in the slot.
  • Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike 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
• 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.

Weapon Gems	Armor Gems	Jewelry Gems
Grand Emerald for Critical Strike Damage.	Grand Emerald for Dexterity.	Any Resistance Gem or Grand Skull for Armor.

Runewords

Insert one of the following Runewords, consisting of a Rune of Ritual 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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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
• 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 a significant portion of the overall 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.

Subverting Concealment guarantees Critical Hits, so it does not need to be stacked anywhere on gear or the Skill Tree.

Rotation and Playstyle

Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.

1. Refresh Subverting Concealment every 4 seconds to guaranteed Critical Hits.
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 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 Shadow Step Rogue, ranked by importance.

1. Elixir of Advantage II increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.
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 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.
• Tibault’s Will:
  • Maximum Life affix replaced with Critical Strike Chance affix.
  • Damage Reduction while Unstoppable affix replaced with Attack Speed affix.
  • Resource gain when becoming Unstoppable increased from 50 to 100.
• Shadow Clone: Shadow Clone’s copied skills will now more consistently target the initial target of the skill.

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).