Twisting Blades - Rogue Build for Diablo 4 (Season 10)

Build Introduction

The Twisting Blades Rogue build eviscerates your foes before they know what hit them. Twisting Blades hits hard with a stacking debuff to increase damage taken by enemies. This fast-paced melee build is perfect for starting characters to reach Torment 4 difficulty.

Season 10 Update (Patch 2.4.0): The power of this build is significantly increased by Chaos Perks, Chaos Armor, and buffs to Legendary Paragon nodes. Be sure to check the Season 10 Mechanics section for the best-in-slot setup.

If your character has not reached Level 60, follow the Leveling Guide for the Twisting Blades Rogue.

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

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

High single-target damage
Rapid movement for fast dungeon runs
Simple playstyle compared to Combo Point setups

Weaknesses

Damage takes time to ramp up.
Small area of effect
Requires melee range

Quick Navigation

Want to skip ahead? Use the table below to jump to sections.

BiS Gear, Gems, and Runes	Paragon Board
Rotation and Playstyle	Season Updates

Skill Bar and Skill Tree Points

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

Momentum is recommended as the starting Key Passive. Check the Momentum and Close Quarters Combat Variants section for details on the advanced version of the build.

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

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

Combo Points is the preferred Specialization for general farming due to the burst damage playstyle of Twisting Blades Rogue. Build Combo Points with Puncture to unleash additional damage for Twisting Blades.

Combo Points Rogue Diablo 4 — Combo Points Are Counted Above the Skill Bar

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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 Twisting Blades 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.

For the best-in-slot gear setup in Season 10, check the Chaos Armor section of the guide.

Gear Slot	Aspect Name	Aspect Power
Ranged Weapon	Bladedancer’s Aspect	Twisting Blades orbit for a short time after they return to you, dealing x [100 – 120%] of Twisting Blade’s return damage per hit.
Amulet	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 Weapon Slot #1 (replaced by Condemnation)	Aspect of the Expectant	After attacking enemies with a Basic Skill, increase the damage of your next Core Skill cast within 5 seconds by x [5 – 12%], up to x30%.
Gloves (replaced by Fists of Fate)	Accelerating Aspect	Critical Strikes with Core Skills increase your Attack Speed by + [10 – 30%] for 5 seconds.
Ring Slot #1 (replaced by Ring of Starless Skies)	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 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.
Dual-Wielded Weapon Slot #2 or Ring Slot #2	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)	Aspect of Might	Basic Skills grant 20% Damage Reduction for [2 – 10] seconds.
Chest (replaced by Shroud of False Death)	Cheat’s Aspect	You gain [5 – 15%] increased Damage Reduction and +10% increased Movement Speed. These bonuses are 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	Slice and Dice Aspect	Twisting Blades’ initial hit cleaves. Twisting Blades return [25 – 45%] faster.

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Stat Priority and Tempering Affixes

Listed below are the affixes to prioritize on gear for Twisting Blades 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. Bolded affixes are the most important targets for Masterworking upgrades. For more details, check the Tempering and Masterworking guides.

Stack Damage to Close Enemies to make the switch from Momentum to Close Quarters Combat.

Equip Daggers for the Damage to Close Enemies implicit stat to scale the bonus damage of Close Quarters Combat. A Bow is preferred over a Crossbow for a faster Attack Speed if using Heartseeker to activate the Marksman requirement of Close Quarters Combat.

Prioritize capping Armor at 1,000 and all Resistances at 75%. Be aware of the increasing penalties to Armor and Resistances as you progress through Torment difficulties.

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Slot	Gear Affixes	Tempering Affixes
Weapons	1. Dexterity, Maximum Life, Vulnerable Damage or Critical Strike Damage	Cutthroat Augments (Weapon): Chance for Twisting Blades to Hit Twice up to the 100% cap Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies
Helm	1. Cooldown Reduction 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Dexterity, Maximum Life	Imbuement Abundance (Utility): Cold Imbue Additional Casts Rogue Persistence (Defensive): Ranks to Second Wind
Chest	1. Ranks to Dark Shroud 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Dexterity, Maximum Life	Imbuement Abundance (Utility): Cold Imbue Additional Casts Rogue Persistence (Defensive): Ranks to Second Wind
Gloves	1. Ranks to Twisting Blades, Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Dexterity, Maximum Life	Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies Imbuement Abundance (Utility): Cold Imbue Additional Casts
Pants	1. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 2. Dexterity, Maximum Life	Trap Expertise (Utility): Caltrops Duration Rogue Persistence (Defensive): Ranks to Second Wind
Boots	Implicit Stat: Attacks Reduce Evade’s Cooldown 1. Movement Speed 2. Any uncapped Resistances or Armor 3. Dexterity, Maximum Life, Ranks to Dash	Natural Motion (Mobility): Movement Speed Imbuement Abundance (Utility): Cold Imbue Additional Casts
Amulet	1. Ranks to Frigid Finesse, % Dexterity 2. Ranks to Unstable Elixirs, Weapon Mastery, Exploit, or Malice 3. Cooldown Reduction, Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed	Imbuement Abundance (Utility): Cold Imbue Additional Casts Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies
Rings	1. Critical Strike Chance, Attack Speed 2. Dexterity, Maximum Life, Resource Cost Reduction	Natural Finesse (Offensive): Damage to Close Enemies Worldly Stability (Resource): Resource Generation

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Uniques and Mythic Uniques

Listed below are the recommended and optional Unique and Mythic Unique Items for the Twisting Blades 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.

Condemnation (recommended) provides increased damage and reduces the Basic Skills cast between Core Skills from 3 to 1.
- Masterworking Priority: Basic Skill Attack Speed
Heir of Perdition (recommended) is a Mythic Unique Helm that provides the most damage in the slot.
- Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Core Skills
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
Ring of Starless Skies (recommended) is a Mythic Unique Item that provides a highly valuable 1.5x multiplier. The downside is that the unique effect requires some management to ramp up and maintain the buff stacks.
- Masterworking Priority: Ranks to Core Skills
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 or Resource Generation
Fists of Fate (recommended) provides up to a 50% overall damage increase in its unique effect and a high amount of Lucky Hit Chance.
- Masterworking Priority: Critical Strike Chance and Attack Speed

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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 increased 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 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
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.
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.

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Paragon Board

Use the following Paragon Boards, Legendary Nodes, and Glyphs for the Twisting Blades Rogue.

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Season 10 Mechanics

Season 10: Infernal Chaos offers seasonal powers that can be utilized to enhance this build. Access Chaos Perks from the Powers tab in the character sheet, and equip Chaos Armor to create more powerful Unique Item combinations.

Chaos Perks

Progress through the Seasonal Reputation Board to unlock non-Unique Perks, and defeat Bartuc within the Infernal Hordes in Torment 1 or higher for a chance to unlock Unique Perks. Upgrade Chaos Perks by collecting Infernal Warp, earned by defeating Chaos Monsters. Equip the following Chaos Perk setup recommended for this build.

Power	Description
Unique Chaos Perk: A Beast Cornered	For every 10% Life you are missing, you gain x20% increased damage and 5% Damage Reduction. Spending Resources also drains a percentage of your Life equal to 30% the Resources spent, refunding those Resources. This cannot reduce you to below 10% Life.
Marred Guard	You can no longer be healed above 50% Life. You gain 10% Maximum Resistance to All Elements, x20% Armor, and 100% increased Barrier and Fortify Generation.
Enervated Strikes	You no longer passively generate Energy. Your Core Skills deal x150% increased damage.
Unpredictable Alchemy	Imbuements flow wildly, Imbuing every Basic Skill Cast with a random Imbuement. Imbued Skills deal x40% increased damage.

Chaos Armor

Enhanced versions of certain Unique Items can drop to fit in the Helm, Chest, Gloves, Pants, or Boots gear slots. Defeat Bartuc in Torment difficulties to target-farm Chaos Armor (guaranteed drop in Torment 3-4).

Equip the following best-in-slot gear setup that is optimized with Mythic Unique Items and Chaos Armor, if you happen to be lucky enough to find them. Greater Affix and Masterworking Bonuses for Unique Items and Chaos Armor are bolded/highlighted. Chaos Armor slots that are interchangeable are noted in the table.

Gear Slot	Name	Effect
Ranged Weapon	Bladedancer’s Aspect	Twisting Blades orbit for a short time after they return to you, dealing x [100 – 120%] of Twisting Blade’s return damage per hit.
Amulet	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.
Ring Slot #1	Ring of Starless Skies	⁕ Ranks to Core Skills Spending your Primary Resource reduces the Resource cost of your Skills and increases your damage by x10% for 3 seconds, up to x50%.
Dual-Wielded Weapons and 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.
Dual-Wielded Weapons and Ring Slot #2	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.
Dual-Wielded Weapons and 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.
Helm	Heir of Perdition	⁕ Ranks to Core Skills Succumb to hatred and earn Mother’s Favor, increasing your damage dealt by x60%. Slaughter enemies to briefly steal Mother’s Favor from surrounding allies.
Chest	Shroud of False Death	⁕ All Stats or Resource Generation +1 to All Passives
Pants or Boots	Chaos Armor: Fists of Fate (Pants)	⁕ Critical Strike Chance or Attack Speed Your attacks randomly deal 1% to [200 – 300%] of their normal damage.
Gloves, Pants or Boots	Chaos Armor: Condemnation (Pants)	⁕ Basic Skill Attack Speed Your Core Skills deal x [50 – 70%] increased damage when spending 3 Combo Points. Casting Basic Skills always generate 3 Combo Points.
Gloves, Pants or Boots	Chaos Armor: Cowl of the Nameless (Boots)	⁕ Trick Attacks or Unstable Elixirs

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

This starter Twisting Blade Rogue build features an easy-to-play setup, without needing a Basic skill or Combo Points. Twisting Blades is cast rapidly to apply a stacking debuff to ramp up damage dealt to enemies. Bladedancer’s Aspect causes 2 additional hits to further increase the damage output of Twisting Blades.

Fundamental Puncture, Enhanced Cold Imbuement, and Condemnation apply Vulnerable to enemies.

Poison Trap activates Enhanced Poison Trap, Subverting Poison Trap, and Alchemical Advantage.

Resource Management

Enhanced Puncture, Innervation, and Combat should provide enough Energy generation if you are taking the time to build Combo Points before casting each Twisting Blades. Ring of Starless Skies is an option for additional resource management.

Rotation and Playstyle

Use the following rotation to optimize damage output.

Activate Cold Imbuement for damage increases from Mixed Cold Imbuement and Frigid Finesse.
Against bosses and tough elites, cast Poison Trap and Caltrops to deal more damage.
Use a Potion to activate the damage buff from Unstable Elixirs.
Build 3 Combo Points with Puncture. If you have Condemnation equipped, only 1 cast of Puncture is necessary.
Cast Twisting Blades to deal damage.
Continue to build Combo Points with Puncture before casting Twisting Blades.

Momentum and Close Quarters Combat Variants

Momentum is the default version for the Twisting Blades Rogue due to its numerous starting benefits, including a damage multiplier, Energy Generation, Damage Reduction, and Movement Speed. No additional scaling is needed for Momentum, making it the preferred Key Passive for a starter setup.

Close Quarters Combat can provide more damage output than Momentum if you have the proper gearing to scale its bonus. Keep stacking Damage to Close Enemies on gear until the damage bonus of Close Quarters Combat is worthwhile. Switch Fundamental Puncture to Fundamental Heartseeker to activate the Marksman requirement of Close Quarters Combat.

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 Twisting Blades Rogue, ranked by importance.

Elixir of Resourcefulness II greatly helps with Energy issues, if you do not already have the appropriate Energy Generation. This elixir is highly recommended for starting characters to maintain the casting of Core Skills.
Elixir of Precision II provides the highest damage output increase, if not already capped at 100% Critical Strike Chance.
Elixir of Advantage II increases damage output, if not already capped at 100% Attack Speed bonus from gear and Paragon.

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 reach their caps.

Season 10 Updates

A brief summary of the changes in Patch 2.4.0 that may pertain to this specific build is provided below. For a complete overview of Season 10, take a look at the comprehensive season guide.

Condemnation
- Previous: Your Core Skills deal 50-70% increased damage when spending 3 Combo Points. Your Basic Skills using this weapon have a 50% chance to generate 3 Combo Points.
- Now: Your Core Skills deal 50-70% increased damage when spending 3 Combo Points. Casting Basic Skills always generate 3 Combo Points.
Twisting Blades
Enhanced Twisting Blades: Damage bonus increased from 35% to 45%.
Bladedancer’s Aspect: Damage bonus increased from 60-80% to 100%-120%.
Cunning Stratagem
- Previous: Your non-damage Combo Point bonuses are increased by 33% when you spend 3 Combo Points.
- Now: Your Combo Point Bonuses are increased by 40% when you spend 3 Combo Points.
Eldritch Bounty: Damage increased from 30%[x] to 50%[x].
Cheap Shot
- Previous: You deal 5%[x] increased damage for each Nearby enemy that is Crowd Controlled, up to 25%[x]. A Nearby Staggered Boss provides the maximum bonus.
- Now: Deal 30% increased damage, doubled against Crowd Controlled enemies.
Exploit Weakness
- Previous: Lucky Hit: Hitting a Vulnerable enemy has up to a 60% chance to increase your damage by 1%[x] for 25 seconds, up to 25%[x]. At 25 stacks, this bonus remains for 6 seconds before expiring.
- Now: You deal 45% more Vulnerable damage. The first time you hit a Vulnerable enemy their damage is reduced by 20% for 6 seconds.
Danse Macabre: Damage increased from 30% to 50%.
Fixed an issue where Bladedancer’s Aspect was not granting the return damage bonus from Enhanced Twisting Blades.
Fixed an issue where the Daze effect from Improved Twisting Blades did not apply properly.