Icy Hunter Diablo IV Rogue Build [RDY-4-Launch]

Icy Hunter Rogue BUILD for Diablo IV [RDY-4-Launch]

(Shot Bursts Infused with Chilling Cold won’t give your foes breathing room until their hearts are pierced)

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

Diablo IV launches on June 6th, 2023 for PC (Battle.Net), XBOX, & PlayStation with a 4 days Early Access (no wipe) for pre-orders (so kind of really launching June 2nd).

Diablo IV‘s Launch is getting closer and it’s time to make some Ready-For-Launch full Builds/Theorycrafts that should be good for both ‘fresh-into-endgame’ characters as well as late endgame. I also plan to evolve them further when the game is released & keep them updated when we get rebalance updates. This is one such build for the Rogue Class called Icy Hunter.

I’ve also made spreadsheets for those builds (see the links below) that have shortlisted the active and passive skills + legendary aspect + unique item + gems & sockets + suggested stat rolls + paragon boards that work well with the build which you can use to tinker. Alternatively, I’ve added build calculator links (mostly needed for the paragons)

This build will be updated post-launch to a new & expanded version when I have more in-game information as reference.

Video Version:

Skill Trees

Below you’ll see ONLY the Active & Passive skills that were selected for this build. For additional skills that can be taken + alternative skill options, you can check my RDY-4-Launch Builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Icy Hunter) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

Basic Skill (Resource Generator/Builder) (Required Points: 0 )

  • (active – ONLY put 1 point here) Heart Seeker Fire an arrow that seeks an enemy, dealing 22% (X – ?) damage and increasing your Critical Strike Chance against them by +3% for 4 seconds, up to +15%. Requires a Ranged Weapon Lucky Hit Chance: 50% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Basic, Ranged, Marksman
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Heart Seeker When Heartseeker Critically Strikes, gain +8% Attack Speed for 4 seconds. Double this amount if the enemy is Vulnerable.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Fundamental Heart Seeker Heartseeker also increases the Critical Strike Damage the enemy takes by +5% for 4 seconds, up to +25%.

Core Skill(s) (Resource Spender) (Required Points: 2 )

  • (active) Rapid Fire Rapidly fire 5 arrows each dealing 24% (X – ?) damage. Combo Points increase damage and Arrows Fired: 1: 26% damage & 6 arrows ; 2: 29% damage & 7 arrows ; 3: 34% damage & 8 arrows Requires a Ranged Weapon Energy Cost: 25 Lucky Hit Chance: 20% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Core, Ranged, Imbueable, Marksman
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Rapid Fire Each subsequent arrow from Rapid Fire has +5% increased Critical Strike Chance, up to +25% for the 5th arrow.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Improved Rapid Fire 20% chance to gain 15 Energy when Rapid Fire damages a Vulnerable enemy.
  • (passive – did NOT put points here) Sturdy
    • (upgrade – did NOT put points here) Siphoning Strikes
  • (passive – ONLY put my last 1 point here as a filler) Stutter Step Critically Striking an enemy grants +5%/+10%/+15% Movement Speed for 4 seconds.
  • (passive) did not pick any other Core passives to save points

Agility Skills (Required Points: 6 )

  • (active – ONLY put 1 point here) Caltrops Leap backwards and throw Caltrops on the ground, dealing 30% (X – ?) damage and Slowing enemies by 50%. Lasts 6 seconds. Energy Cost: 21 Lucky Hit Chance: 25% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Agility, Trap
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Caltrops Enemies take 3% (multiplicative) increased damage from you each second they’re in Caltrops.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Disciplined Caltrops You have +5% Critical Strike Chance against enemies inside your Caltrops. Double this amount against Vulnerable enemies.
  • (passive) Weapon Mastery Gain a bonus when attacking based on weapon type:
    Daggers: 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased damage to Healthy enemies.
    Swords: 3%/6%/9% (multiplicative) increased damage.
    Bows: 4%/8%/12% (multiplicative) increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
    Crossbows: 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage.
  • (passive) did not pick other Agility passives to save points

Subterfuge Skills (Required Points: 11 ) Not taking an Active Subterfuge skill

  • (active) Dark Shroud Surround yourself with up to 5 protective shadows. Gain 8% Damage Reduction per active shadow. Each time you take direct damage, that damage is reduced and a shadow is consumed Cooldown: 20 seconds. Tags: Subterfuge
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Dark Shroud Dark Shroud’s shadows have a 10% chance to not be consumed
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Countering Dark Shroud While you have at least 2 active shadow from Dark Shroud, gain +10% Critical Strike Chance.
  • (passive) Exploit – You deal 6%/12%/18% (multiplicative) increased damage to Healthy and Injured enemies.
    • (upgrade) Malice – You deal 3%/6%/9% (multiplicative) increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
  • (passive) Agile Using a Cooldown increases your Dodge Chance by 3%/6%/9% for 2 seconds.
    • (upgrade – did NOT put points here) Mending Obscurity
  • (passive) did not pick other Subterfuge passives to save points

Imbuements Skills (Required Points: 16 )

  • (active – ONLY put 1 point here) Cold Imbuement Imbue your weapons with frigid energies. Your next 2 Imbueable Skills deal Cold damage and Chill enemies for 25% per hit. Cooldown: 9 seconds. Lucky Hit Chance: 33% Tags: Imbuements
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Cold Imbuement Cold Imbued Skills have up to a 30% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Blended Cold Imbuement Lucky Hit: Critical Strikes with Cold Imbued Skills have up to a 20% chance to instantly Freeze enemies for 3 seconds.
  • (passive) Precision Imbuement – Imbued Skills gain +5%/+10%/+15% increased Critical Strike Chance.
  • (passive) Frigid Finesse You deal 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased damage to Chilled enemies. This bonus increases to 10%/20%/30% (multiplicative) against Frozen enemies.
    • (upgrade – did NOT put points here) Chilling Weight
  • (passive) did not pick other Imbuements passives to save points

Ultimate Skills (Required Points: 23 )

  • (active) Shadow Clone Your shadow mimicks your actions for 15 seconds. The shadow deals 60% of your damage. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Damage: Physical ; Tags: Ultimate
    • (1st upgrade) Prime Shadow Clone You are Unstoppable for 5 seconds after casting Shadow Clone.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Supreme Shadow Clone Your Shadow Clone deals an additional 20% of your damage.
  • (passive) Innervation – Lucky Hit: Up to a 10%/20%/30% chance to gain 8 Energy.
    • (upgrade) Second Wind – Every 100 Energy you spend grants you +5%/+10%/+15% increased Lucky Hit Chance for 5 seconds.seconds.
    • (upgrade) Alchemist’s FortuneNon-Physical damage you deal has a +5%/+10%/+15% increased Lucky Hit Chance.
  • (passive – ONLY put 1 point here) Adrenaline Rush While moving, you gain 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased Energy Regeneration.
    • (upgrade) Haste While at or above 50% maximum Energy, gain +5%/+10%/+15% increased Movement Speed. While below 50% maximum Energy, gain +5%/+10%/+15% increased Attack Speed.
    • (upgrade – did NOT put points here) Impetus
  • (passive) Aftermath – After using an Ultimate Skill, restore 25/50/75 Energy.
  • (passive) did not pick other Ultimate passives to save points

Specializations (Required Points: 33 )

  • (passive) Precision Critical Strikes with Marksman Skills grant you Precision.
    You gain 4% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage per stack of Precision, up to a maximum of 20% (multiplicative).
    When you reach maximum Precision, your next Marksman Skill is a guaranteed Critical Strike that deals 40% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage, then consumes all stacks of Precision.

Class Mechanic:

I don’t have much information about the 3rd Specialization of the Rogue. The 3 Specializations are the Rogues’ Class Mechanics:

  • Combo Points – Your Basic Skills now generate Combo Points. Certain Skills consume Combo Points for additional effects.
  • Inner Sight – Attack marked enemies to fill up your Inner Sight gauge. When it’s full, gain unlimited Energy for 4 seconds.
  • Preparation – This specialization was not available during the closed beta builds of the game.

I prefer and advise using Combo Points but I liked Inner Sight during the beta too so not a bad one either for some 0 cost Skill Spams every now and then. We’ll have to wait and see about the last one.

Unique Item

In Diablo IV apparently (I have multiple sources that confirmed this) we can equip more than one unique item at the same time (not so ‘unique’ if we can get decked out in full uniques I guess). It seems that the one unique per build idea that Unique inherited from the Mythical gear they supposedly replaced was scrapped even before the closed beta tests. My top pick will be the following one but check the notes under the Aspects list for some additional picks:

Skyhunter (Bow)

+[20%] Damage to Distant Enemies

The first direct damage you deal to an enemy is a guaranteed Critical Strike. If you had maximum stacks of the Precision Key Passive when you cast the Skill, gain [15 – 25] Energy, this can only happen once per cast.

[49 – 63] Dexterity
+[7 – 14]% Marksman Skill Damage
+[14 – 21]% Critical Strike Damage
+[0.5 – 1] Ranks of the Exploit Passive

“Genai took up her bow and aimed at the sun itself. The light burned her eyes, but her arrow flew true. Wounded, the sun hid, and brought forth the first night. – Fable of the Great Sky-Hunt

Legendary Aspects / Powers

I will only list the Legendary Aspects that have been selected for the build and the slots in which I advise putting those. For in-depth information you can check my RDY-4-Launch Builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Icy Hunter) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

  • Helm: Enshrouding Aspect
  • Amulet: Vengeful Aspect
  • Chest: Aspect of Siphoned Protection
  • Pants: Umbrous Aspect
  • Gloves: Blast-Trapper’s Aspect
  • Boots: Exploiter’s Aspect
  • Ring 1: Aspect of Corruption
  • Ring 2: Ravenous Aspect
  • 1H Weapon: Aspect of The Expectant
  • Off-hand: Aspect of Arrow Storms Until The Unique goes in the 2h slot (see notes below)
  • 2-H Weapon: Aspect of Imitated Imbuement Until The Unique goes here (see notes below)
NOTE 1: Aspect of Arrow Storms goes in the Off-hand slot ONLY until you get the Skyhunter Unique Bow.
Aspect of Imitated Imbuement replaces Aspect of Arrow Storms on the Off-hand slot to make room for the Unique Bow.
There are two other alternative picks for Uniques you could use if you get those first: Frostburn (Gloves) & Harlequin Crest (Helm). See the 2nd note below:

NOTE 2: How to re-arrange if using any of the alternative Uniques:
- For Frostburn (Gloves): Aspect of Arrow Storms get removed from the Off-hand slot & Blast-Trapper's Aspect replaces it. This makes room for the Unique Gloves. 
- For Harlequin Crest (Helm): Aspect of Arrow Storms get removed from the Off-hand slot & Vengeful Aspect replaces it. Then Enshrouding Aspect goes in the now empty Amulet slot to make room for the Unique Helm.

Sockets & Gems

There are various possible good/viable choices for the gem slots. I’ve shortlisted what works by slot. I’d recommend picking one of those:

Weps: Emerald, Saphire, Skull, or Diamond. Maybe even Topaz if no other available options.
Armor: Skull or Ruby.
Jewelry: Diamond unless you need specific resistance more than all.

XYZ Diamond (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Ultimate Skill Damage
• Armor: +N% Barrier Generation
• Jewelry: N% Resistance to All Elements

+5%/+5%/5% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Skull (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N Life On Kill
• Armor: +N% Healing Received • Jewelry: +N Armor

+13/+5%/+170 for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Saphire (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Critical Strike Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies
• Armor: N% Damage Reduction While Fortified
• Jewelry: N% Cold Resistance

+7.5%/5%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Ruby (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Overpower Damage

• Armor: +N% Maximum Life
• Jewelry: N% Fire Resistance

+15%/+5.5%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Emerald (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies
• Armor: +N Thorns
• Jewelry: N% Poison Resistance

+7.5%/+39/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Topaz (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Basic Skill Damage
• Armor: N% Damage Reduction While Control Impaired
• Jewelry: N% Lightning Resistance

+16.7%/8.2%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

Paragon Boards:

Use the links below to check the paragon boards selected and the nodes I’ve taken. One link is for what the boards will look like at lvl 93 without any paragon points from renown (so more paragon points will be obtained on the way to 100 as well as from renown. The other link will be what the boards will look like when fully maxed out on paragon points.

Suggested Gear Rolls to look out for (NOT in order of priority):

I’ve shortlisted 43 different affixes that work well with the build of almost 300 total. I’ll highlight in Orange the ones I think should get higher priority

Bonus to All Damage
Critical Strike Chance/Critical Damage Bonus
Critical Chance / Critical Damage with Physical/Cold Skills
Critical Chance/Critical Damage with Core/Marksman/Imbuements/Ultimate Skills
Damage with Core/Marksman/Imbuements/Ultimate Skills
Lucky Hit Chance
+ X Ranks to Core/Marksman/Imbuements/Ultimate Skills
Lucky Hit Chance with Physical/Cold Damage
Physical/Cold Damage Bonus
+ % Critical Chance / Critical Damage with Physical/Cold Damage
Resistance to All Elements
Damage to Enemies Affected by Trap Skills
+ % Physical/Cold Damage to Elites
+ % Critical Strike Chance with Physical/Cold Damage Against Elites
+ % Damage for X Seconds After Killing an Elite
Damage Reduction for X Seconds After Killing an Elite
Damage Reduction from Elites
Damage to Close Enemies
Critical Chance/ Critical Damage Against Close Enemies
+ % Chill Application
Critical Chance / Critical Strike Damage Against Crowd Controlled Enemies
Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
Vulnerable Damage
Critical Chance / Critical Damage Against Vulnerable Enemies
Damage while Healthy
Damage to Vulnerable Enemies with Imbued Skills
Critical Strike Damage with Imbued Skills
Cold Imbued Skill Damage
Imbued Skill Damage
Imbuement Potency
Higher Priority
Damage for X Seconds After Dodging an Attack
Attack Speed for X Seconds After Dodging an Attack
Dodge Chance (both +% and x% exist)
Dodge Chance Against Close Enemies
+ All Stats
Damage vs Injured Enemies
Damage vs Healthy Enemies
Weapon Damage (not sure if there are any bonuses to that as rolls)
Energy Generation / Regeneration/ On Kill
Movement Speed
Attack Speed
Dexterity
Resource Cost Reduction
Lower Priority

Useful Links (Spreadsheets & more):

For all of my Diablo IV RDY-4-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

For my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Class Skill Trees (can be used as mini-calculator): This Spreadsheet

For all of my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

This concludes the Icy Hunter Rogue Build for Diablo IV. If you’re interested in the game below are links to the various platforms where one can buy it (you can just click the links to open a new tab):

PC (Battle.Net)

XBOX

PlayStation

Official Website

Dark Ice Diablo IV Rogue Build [RDY-4-Launch]

Dark Ice Rogue BUILD for Diablo IV [RDY-4-Launch]

(get up close & personal to cause the shadows to explode, chilling & freezing your foes)

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

Diablo IV launches on June 6th, 2023 for PC (Battle.Net), XBOX, & PlayStation with a 4 days Early Access (no wipe) for pre-orders (so kind of really launching June 2nd).

Diablo IV‘s Launch is getting closer and it’s time to make some Ready-For-Launch full Builds/Theorycrafts that should be good for both ‘fresh-into-endgame’ characters as well as late endgame. I’ also plan to evolve them further when the game is released & keep them updated when we get rebalance updates. This is one such build for the Rogue Class called Dark Ice.

I’ve also made spreadsheets for those builds (see the links below) that have shortlisted the active and passive skills + legendary aspect + unique item + gems & sockets + suggested stat rolls + paragon boards that work well with the build which you can use to tinker. Alternatively, I’ve added build calculator links (mostly needed for the paragons)

This build will be updated post-launch to a new & expanded version when I have more in-game information as reference.

Video Version:

https://youtu.be/OrJwt7jVYUc

Skill Trees

Below you’ll see ONLY the Active & Passive skills that were selected for this build. For additional skills that can be taken + alternative skill options, you can check my RDY-4-Launch Builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Dark Ice) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

Basic Skill (Resource Generator/Builder) (Required Points: 0 )

  • (active – ONLY put 1 point here) Puncture Throw blades a short distance, dealing 21% (X – ?) damage. Every 3rd cast Slows enemies by 2 seconds. Critical Strikes will always Slow. Requires Dual Wielded Weapons. Lucky Hit Chance: 50% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Basic, Ranged, Marksman
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Puncture Gain 2 Energy when Puncture damages a Crowd Controlled enemy.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Fundamental Puncture Puncture now throws 3 blades in a spread, each dealing 35% of its Base damage. Hitting an enemy with at least 2 blades at once makes them Vulnerable for 2 seconds.

Core Skill(s) (Resource Spender) (Required Points: 2 )

  • (active) Flurry Unleash a flurry of stabs and slashes, striking enemies in front of you 4 times and dealing a total of 60% (X – ?) damage to each. Combo Points increase damage and grant an Attack Speed bonus: 1: 75% damage, +15% Attack Speed ; 2: 90% damage, +30% Attack Speed ; 3: 105% damage, +45% Attack Speed Requires Dual Wielded weapons Energy Cost: 25 Lucky Hit Chance: 8% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Core, Melee, Imbueable, Cutthroat
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Flurry Each time Flurry damages a Crowd Controlled or Vulnerable enemy, you are Healed for 1% of your Maximum Life, up to 12% Maximum Life per cast.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Improved Flurry If Flurry hits any Vulnerable enemy it will make all enemies hit by that cast Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
  • (passive) Sturdy You gain 4%/8%/12% Close Damage Reduction.
    • (upgrade – ONLY put 2 points here) Siphoning Strikes Heal for 1%/2%/3% of your Maximum Life when you Critically Strike Close enemies.
  • (passive) did not pick any other Core passives to save points

Agility Skills (Required Points: 6 )

  • (active – ONLY put 1 point here) Dash Dash forward and slash enemies for 37% (X – ?) damage. Requires Dual Wielded weapons Charges: 2 Lucky Hit Chance: 25% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Agility, Melee, Imbueable, Cutthroat
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Dash Enemies damaged by Dash take 20% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage for 5 seconds.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Methodical Dash Dealing damage to Crowd Controlled enemies with Dash reduces its Charge Cooldown by 0.5 seconds, up to 3 seconds per cast.
  • (active – ONLY put 1 point here) Caltrops Leap backwards and throw Caltrops on the ground, dealing 30% (X – ?) damage and Slowing enemies by 50%. Lasts 6 seconds. Energy Cost: 21 Lucky Hit Chance: 25% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Agility, Trap
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Caltrops Enemies take 3% (multiplicative) increased damage from you each second they’re in Caltrops.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Disciplined Caltrops You have +5% Critical Strike Chance against enemies inside your Caltrops. Double this amount against Vulnerable enemies.
  • (passive) Weapon Mastery Gain a bonus when attacking based on weapon type:
    Daggers: 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased damage to Healthy enemies.
    Swords: 3%/6%/9% (multiplicative) increased damage.
    Bows: 4%/8%/12% (multiplicative) increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
    Crossbows: 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage.
  • (passive) did not pick other Agility passives to save points

Subterfuge Skills (Required Points: 11 ) Not taking an Active Subterfuge skill

  • (active)
    • (1st upgrade)
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2)
  • (passive) Exploit – You deal 6%/12%/18% (multiplicative) increased damage to Healthy and Injured enemies.
    • (upgrade) Malice – You deal 3%/6%/9% (multiplicative) increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
  • (passive) did not pick other Subterfuge passives to save points

Imbuements Skills (Required Points: 16 )

  • (active – ONLY put 1 point here) Shadow Imbuement Imbue your weapons with festering shadows. Enemies struck by your next 2 Imbuable Skills deal damage and infect enemies for 6 seconds. Infected enemies explode on death, dealing 40% (X) damage to all surrounding enemies. If the infection expires before the enemy dies, it will deal 40% (X) damage to only that enemy. Cooldown: 9 seconds. Lucky Hit Chance: 33% Damage: Shadow ; Tags: Imbuements
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Shadow Imbuement You have +25% increased Critical Strike Chance against Injured enemies infected by Shadow Imbuement.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Blended Shadow Imbuement Shadow Imbue’s primary explosion makes enemies Vulnerable for 2 seconds.
  • (passive) Precision Imbuement – Imbued Skills gain +5%/+10%/+15% increased Critical Strike Chance.
  • (passive – Invested 2/3 ranks into it only to save points) Shadow Crash Lucky Hit: Shadow damage has up to a 10% chance to Stun for 0.5/1/1.5 seconds.
    • (upgrade – ONLY put 1 point here) Consuming Shadows Each time you kill an enemy with Shadow Damage, you generate 10/20/30 Energy.
  • (passive) Frigid Finesse You deal 5%/10%/15% (multiplicative) increased damage to Chilled enemies. This bonus increases to 10%/20%/30% (multiplicative) against Frozen enemies.
  • (passive) did not pick other Imbuements passives to save points

Ultimate Skills (Required Points: 23 )

  • (active) Shadow Clone Your shadow mimicks your actions for 15 seconds. The shadow deals 60% of your damage. Cooldown: 60 seconds. Damage: Physical ; Tags: Ultimate
    • (1st upgrade) Prime Shadow Clone You are Unstoppable for 5 seconds after casting Shadow Clone.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Supreme Shadow Clone Your Shadow Clone deals an additional 20% of your damage.
  • (passive) Innervation – Lucky Hit: Up to a 10%/20%/30% chance to gain 8 Energy.
    • (upgrade) Second Wind – Every 100 Energy you spend grants you +5%/+10%/+15% increased Lucky Hit Chance for 5 seconds.seconds.
    • (upgrade) Alchemist’s FortuneNon-Physical damage you deal has a +5%/+10%/+15% increased Lucky Hit Chance.
  • (passive) Aftermath – After using an Ultimate Skill, restore 25/50/75 Energy.
  • (passive) did not pick other Ultimate passives to save points

Specializations (Required Points: 33 )

  • (passive) Close Quarters Combat Damaging a nearby enemy with Marksman or Cutthroat Skills grants a +10% Attack Speed bonus for 8 seconds. While both Attack Speed bonuses are active, you deal 20% (multiplicative) increased damage against Crowd Controlled enemies.

Class Mechanic:

I don’t have much information about the 3rd Specialization of the Rogue. The 3 Specializations are the Rogues’ Class Mechanics:

  • Combo Points – Your Basic Skills now generate Combo Points. Certain Skills consume Combo Points for additional effects.
  • Inner Sight – Attack marked enemies to fill up your Inner Sight gauge. When it’s full, gain unlimited Energy for 4 seconds.
  • Preparation – This specialization was not available during the closed beta builds of the game.

I prefer and advise using Combo Points but I liked Inner Sight during the beta too so not a bad one either for some 0 cost Skill Spams every now and then. We’ll have to wait and see about the last one.

Unique Item

In Diablo IV apparently (I have multiple sources that confirmed this) we can equip more than one unique item at the same time (not so ‘unique’ if we can get decked out in full uniques I guess). It seems that the one unique per build idea that Unique inherited from the Mythical gear they supposedly replaced was scrapped even before the closed beta tests. My top pick will be the following one but check the notes under the Aspects list for some additional picks:

Frostburn (Gloves)

Lucky Hit: Up to a [15 – 25]% chance to Freeze enemies for 2 seconds.

+[3 – 8]% Critical Strike Chance
+[0.07 – 0.14] Cold Damage
+[7 – 14]% Freeze Duration
Lucky Hit: Up to a 5% Chance to Restore +[14 – 28]% Primary Resource

A touch so frigid it stops the heart and chills the very soul.

Legendary Aspects / Powers

I will only list the Legendary Aspects that have been selected for the build and the slots in which I advise putting those. For in-depth information you can check my RDY-4-Launch Builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Dark Ice) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

  • Helm: Exploiter’s Aspect
  • Amulet: Aspect of Encircling Blades
  • Chest: Aspect of Quickening Fog
  • Pants: Aspect of Elusive Menace
  • Gloves: Blast-Trapper’s Aspect Until The Unique goes here
  • Boots: Frostbitten Aspect
  • Ring 1: Icy Alchemist’s Aspect
  • Ring 2: Aspect of Corruption
  • 1H Weapon: Shadowslicer Aspect
  • Off-hand: Aspect of Imitated Imbuement
  • 2-H Weapon: Vengeful Aspect
NOTE 1: Blast-Trapper's Aspect goes in the Gloves slot ONLY until you get the Frostburn Unique Gloves. 
There are two other alternative picks for Uniques you could use if you get those first: Grasp of Shadow (Gloves) & Harlequin Crest (Helm)
See the note below:

NOTE 2: How to re-arrange if using any of the alternative Uniques:
- For Grasp of Shadow (Gloves): Blast-Trapper's Aspect gets removed from the Gloves to make room for the Unique (same item type as Frostburn so nothing special)
- For Harlequin Crest (Helm): Blast-Trapper's Aspect gets removed from the Gloves and Exploiter’s Aspect goes in the Gloves to make room for the Unique

Sockets & Gems

There are various possible good/viable choices for the gem slots. I’ve shortlisted what works by slot. I’d recommend picking one of those:

Weps: Saphire, Skull, Diamond, or Emerald.
Armor: Skull or Ruby.
Jewelry: Diamond unless you need specific resistance more than all.

XYZ Diamond (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Ultimate Skill Damage
• Armor: +N% Barrier Generation
• Jewelry: N% Resistance to All Elements

+5%/+5%/5 for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Skull (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N Life On Kill
• Armor: +N% Healing Received • Jewelry: +N Armor

+13/+5%/+170 for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Saphire (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Critical Strike Damage to Crowd-Controlled Enemies
• Armor: N% Damage Reduction While Fortified
• Jewelry: N% Cold Resistance

+7.5%/5%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Ruby (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Overpower Damage

• Armor: +N% Maximum Life
• Jewelry: N% Fire Resistance

+15%/+5.5%/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

XYZ Emerald (Requires Level XY)

• Weapon: +N% Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies
• Armor: +N Thorns
• Jewelry: N% Poison Resistance

+7.5%/39/14.3% for chipped (the 2nd grade at lvl 20)

Paragon Boards:

Use the links below to check the paragon boards selected and the nodes I’ve taken. One link is for what the boards will look like at lvl 95 without any paragon points from renown (so more paragon points will be obtained on the way to 100 as well as from renown. The other link will be what the boards will look like when fully maxed out on paragon points.

Suggested Gear Rolls to look out for (NOT in order of priority):

I’ve shortlisted 45 different affixes that work well with the build of almost 300 total. I’ll highlight in Orange the ones I think should get higher priority

Bonus to All Damage
Critical Strike Chance/Critical Damage Bonus
Critical Chance / Critical Damage with Physical/Shadow/Cold Skills
Critical Chance/Critical Damage with Core/Imbuements/Ultimate Skills
Damage with Core/Imbuements/Ultimate Skills
Lucky Hit Chance
+ X Ranks to Core/Imbuements/Ultimate Skills
Lucky Hit Chance with Physical/Shadow/Cold Damage
Physical/Shadow/Cold Damage Bonus
+ % Critical Chance / Critical Damage with Physical/Shadow/Cold Damage
Resistance to All Elements
Damage to Enemies Affected by Trap Skills
+ % Physical/Shadow/Ice Damage to Elites
+ % Critical Strike Chance with Physical/Shadow/Cold Damage Against Elites
+ % Damage for X Seconds After Killing an Elite
Damage Reduction for X Seconds After Killing an Elite
Damage Reduction from Elites
Damage to Close Enemies
Critical Strike Chance Against Close Enemies
Critical Strike Damage to Close Enemies
Critical Strike Chance Against Crowd Controlled Enemies
Critical Strike Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies
Critical Strike Chance Against Vulnerable Enemies
Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies
Vulnerable Damage
Damage while Healthy
Damage to Vulnerable Enemies with Imbued Skills
Critical Strike Damage with Imbued Skills
Shadow Imbued Skill Damage
Imbued Skill Damage
Imbuement Potency
Higher Priority
Damage for X Seconds After Dodging an Attack
Attack Speed for X Seconds After Dodging an Attack
Dodge Chance (both +% and x% exist)
Dodge Chance Against Close Enemies
+ All Stats
Damage vs Injured Enemies
Damage vs Healthy Enemies
Weapon Damage (not sure if there are any bonuses to that as rolls)
Energy Generation / Regeneration/ On Kill
Movement Speed
Attack Speed
Dexterity
Resource Cost Reduction
Lower Priority

Useful Links (Spreadsheets & more):

For all of my Diablo IV RDY-4-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

For my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Class Skill Trees (can be used as mini-calculator): This Spreadsheet

For all of my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

This concludes the Dark Ice Rogue Build for Diablo IV. If you’re interested in the game below are links to the various platforms where one can buy it (you can just click the links to open a new tab):

PC (Battle.Net)

XBOX

PlayStation

Official Website

Coldstep Diablo IV Rogue Build

Coldstep Rogue BUILD for Diablo IV

(vanish from their sight to get up close and personal then unleash clones to throw them into disarray)

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

Diablo IV launches on June 6th, 2023 for PC (Battle.Net), XBOX, & PlayStation with a 4 days Early Access (no wipe) for pre-orders (so kind of really launching June 2nd).

Diablo IV’s Open Beta Tests are almost here and I felt motivated to make some Pre-Launch theorycrafted semi-builds that should be good for ‘fresh-into-endgame’ characters when the game launches. I also plan to evolve them into FULL builds when the game is released & keep them updated when we get rebalance updates. This is one such build for the Rogue Class called Coldstep.

The Beta tests will only let us reach lvl 25 and only let us play in the first Act/Zone (Fractured Peaks) so those builds will be more useful for the actual game launch and ideally for characters around lvl 50+ or 60+. I’ve used 50+ and 60+ skill points when making the build instead of the full 100 so that they can be used to jumpstart a player’s post-story endgame grind.

I’ve also made spreadsheets for those builds (see the links below) that have shortlisted the active and passive skills + legendary aspect that work well with the build so one can spend the extra skill points on the way to lvl 100 into those other skills.

This build will be updated post-launch to a new & expanded version when I have actual in-game information as reference.

Video Version:

Skill Trees

Below you’ll see ONLY the Active & Passive skills that were selected for this build. For additional skills that can be taken on the way to lvl 100 + alternative skill options, you can check my pre-launch builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Coldstep) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

Some of the skill icon images you see could be outdated & different from what is seen in the Full release version. I plan to replace them once the Beta ends or after the full launch

Basic Skill (Resource Generator/Builder) (Required Points: 0 )

  • (active) Forceful Arrow – Fire a powerful arrow at an enemy, dealing 78.75% (X – ?) damage and making them Vulnerable for 2. seconds. Requires a Ranged Weapon Damage: Physical Tags: Basic, Ranged
    • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Forceful Arrow Forceful Arrow makes the enemy Vulnerable for 4 seconds instead if they are nearby.
    • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Primary Forceful Arrow Forceful Arrow pierces through the first enemy it damages if they are nearby.

Core Skill(s) (Resource Spender) (Required Points: 2 )

  • (active) Rapid Fire Rapidly fire 5 arrows each dealing 37.46% (X – ?) damage. Combo Points increase damage and Arrows Fired: 1: 22% damage & 6 arrows ; 2: 24% damage & 7 arrows ; 3: 29% damage & 8 arrows Requires a Ranged Weapon Energy Cost: 25 Damage: Physical Tags: Core, Ranged, Imbueable
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Rapid Fire Each subsequent arrow from Rapid Fire has +5% increased Critical Strike Chance.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Advanced Rapid Fire Rapid Fire deals 15% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable enemies.
  • (passive) Sturdy You gain +12% Melee Damage Reduction.
    • (upgrade) Siphoning Strikes – did not pick to save points
  • (passive) did not pick other Core passives to save points

Agility Skills (Required Points: 6 )

  • (active) Shadow Step Become unstoppable and quickly move through the shadows and stab your victim from behind for 171.81% (X – ?) damage. Gain 50% increased Movement Speed for 2 seconds afterwards. Requires Dual Wielded weapons Cooldown: 9.8 seconds Damage: Physical Tags: Agility, Melee, Imbueable
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Shadow Step Damaging an enemy with Shadow Step increases your Critical Strike Chance against them by +8% for 3 seconds
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Methodical Shadow Step Enemies damaged by Shadow Step are Immobilized for 2 seconds.
  • (passive) Weapon Mastery Gain a bonus when attacking based on weapon type: Daggers: 15.0% (multiplicative) increased damage to Healthy enemies. Swords: 9% (multiplicative) increased damage. Bows: Up to 12% (multiplicative) increased damage to Vulnerable enemies. Crossbows: 15% (multiplicative) increased Critical Strike Damage. For all weapons: Vulnerable enemies take 20% (multiplicative) increased damage Healthy characters have more than 80% of their life.
  • (passive) did not pick other Agility passives to save points

Subterfuge Skills (Required Points: 11 )

  • (active) Stealth Cloak yourself with shadows to hide from enemies for 4 seconds. Attacks during Stealth break Stealth and deal 50% more damage. You are Unstoppable and can move through enemies freely while in Stealth. Cooldown: 16.0 seconds. Tags: Subterfuge
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Stealth You gain 40 Energy when you enter Stealth.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Subverting Stealth The skill that breaks Stealth makes enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
  • (passive) Exploit You deal 18% (multiplicative) increased damage to Healthy and Injured enemies.
    • (upgrade) Malice You deal 9% (multiplicative) increased damage to Vulnerable enemies.
  • (passive) did not pick other Subterfuge passives to save points

Imbuements Skills (Required Points: 16 )

  • (active) Imbue Weapon: Cold Imbue your weapons with frigid energies. Your next 2 non-Basic Melee or Ranged Skills deal Cold damage and Chill enemies for up to 50%. Cold Imbued skills deal 15% (multiplicative) damage to Crowd Controlled enemies. Cooldown: 9.0 seconds. Tags: Imbuements
  • (1st upgrade) Enhanced Imbue Weapon: Cold Cold Imbued Skills have up to a 30% chance to make enemies Vulnerable for 3 seconds.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Mixed Imbue Weapon: Cold Cold Imbued Skills deal 30% (multiplicative) increased damage to Frozen enemies.
  • (passive) Frigid Finesse You deal 5% (multiplicative) increased damage to Chilled enemies. This bonus increases to 10% (multiplicative) against Frozen enemies.
    • (upgrade DID NOT take to save points) Chilling Weight Chilled enemies have their Movement Speed further reduced by up to 10%.
  • (passive) did not pick other Imbuements passives to save points

Ultimate Skills (Required Points: 23 )

  • (active) Shadow Clone Your shadow mimicks your actions for 15 seconds. The shadow deals 60% of your damage. Cooldown: 60.0 seconds. Damage: Physical Tags: Ultimate
  • (1st upgrade) Prime Shadow Clone You are Unstoppable while your Shadow Clone is active.
  • (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Supreme Shadow Clone Your Shadow Clone deals an additional 20% of your damage.
  • (passive) Innervation Lucky Hit: Up to a 20% chance to gain 5 Energy.
    • (upgrade) Second Wind Every 100 Energy you spend grants you +10% increased Lucky Hit Chance for 5 seconds.
    • (upgrade) Alchemist’s Fortune – DID NOT INVEST in this to save points
  • (passive) Aftermath After using an Ultimate Skill, restore 25 Energy.
  • (passive) did not pick other Ultimate passives to save points

Specializations (Required Points: 33 )

  • (passive) Close Quarters Combat Damaging a nearby enemy with a Ranged or Melee Skill grants a +5% Attack Speed bonus for 8 seconds. While both Attack Speed bonuses are active, you gain “Lucky Hit: up to a 75% chance to generate 10 Energy and deal +15% increased damage when you deal direct damage to a Crowd Controlled enemy.”

Class Mechanic:

I don’t have much information about the 3 Specializations of the Rogue which are their Class Mechanics:

  • Combo Points – Your Basic Skills now generate Combo Points. Certain Skills consume Combo Points for additional effects.
  • Inner Sight – Attack marked enemies to fill up your Inner Sight gauge. When it’s full, gain unlimited Energy for 4 seconds.
  • Preparation – This specialization was not available during the closed beta builds of the game.

My guess is that it would be best to switch between specializations depending on the situation/content. For now I won’t go into detail or say use only a certain one of those until the game launches and I try them out.

Legendary Aspects / Powers

I will only list the Legendary Aspects that have been selected for the build and the slots in which I advise putting those. For in-depth information you can check my pre-launch builds spreadsheet on this link. This build (Coldstep) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.

  • Helm: Aspect of The Umbral
  • Amulet: Aspect of Pummeling
  • Chest: Aspect of Shared Misery
  • Pants: Aspect of Might
  • Gloves: Vengeful Aspect
  • Boots: Ghostwalker Aspect
  • Ring 1: Ravenous Aspect
  • Ring 2: Aspect of Unstable Imbuements
  • 1H Weapon (see NOTE below): Aspect of Inner Calm
  • Off-hand (see NOTE below): Aspect of Corruption
  • 2-H Weapon (if you decide to use one): Aspect of Arrow Storms
NOTE: You'll be using a 2H Bow or Crossbow + a Dual-Wielded Weapon & Offhand combo for this build. I do not currently know how swapping out will work for different skills. 

Barbs auto-swap when you use the skill to the weapon it requires due to their arsenal system which Rogues don't have. There may just be a button to swap between 2h and dual wield so we'll see about that. 

The good thing is that shadow step might be able to work even if you have the dual-wield setup on your secondary weapon set

Useful Links (Spreadsheets & more):

For all of my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Theorycrafts/Builds: This Spreadsheet

For my Diablo IV Pre-Launch Class Skill Trees (can be used as mini-calculator): This Spreadsheet

♦ ◊ ♦ ◊ ♦

This concludes the Coldstep Rogue Build for Diablo IV. If you’re interested in the game below are links to the various platforms where one can buy it (you can just click the links to open a new tab):

PC (Battle.Net)

XBOX

PlayStation

Official Website