Volatile 2.0 Rogue BUILD for Diablo IV [RDY-4-Launch]
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 Volatile 2.0.
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 (Volatile 2.0) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.
Basic Skill (Resource Generator/Builder) (Required Points: 0 )
- (active) 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) Primary 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) Twisting Blades – Impale an enemy on your blades, dealing 45% (X – ?) damage and making them take 8% (multiplicative) increased damage while impaled. After 1.5 seconds the blades return to you, piercing enemies for 72% (X – ?) damage. Combo Points increase damage and grant a Movement Speed bonus: 1: 58% damage & 20% Movement Speed (*MS) bonus ; 2: 72% damage & 40% *MS bonus ; 3: 86% damage & 60% *MS bonus Requires Dual Wielded weapons Energy Cost: 30 Lucky Hit Chance: 33% Damage: Physical ; Tags: Core, Melee, Imbueable, Cutthroat
- (1st upgrade) Enhanced Twisting Blades – Twisting Blades deals 30% (multiplicative) increased damage when returning.
- (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Advanced Twisting Blades – When your Twisting Blades return, your active Cooldowns are reduced by 1 second per enemy they passed through, up to 3 seconds.
- (passive) did not pick any Core passives to save points
Agility Skills (Required Points: 6 )
- (active) 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 )
- (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 (skill with cooldown) increases your Dodge Chance by 3%/6%/9% for 2 seconds.
- (upgrade) Mending Obscurity – DID NOT INVEST into this to save points
- (passive) did not pick other Subterfuge passives to save points
Imbuements Skills (Required Points: 16 )
- (active) 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) Mixed Shadow Imbuement – Enemies damaged by Shadow Imbued Skills take 12% (multiplicative) increased Non-Physical damage from you for 8 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) Consuming Shadows – Each time you kill an enemy with Shadow Damage, you generate 10/20/30 Energy.
- (passive) did not pick other Imbuements passives to save points
Ultimate Skills (Required Points: 23 )
- (active) Death Trap – Place a trap that arms after 1.25 seconds. It activates when an enemy moves near, dealing 250% (X – ?) damage to enemies in the area. Cooldown: 50 seconds. Lucky Hit Chance: 4% Damage: Shadow ; Tags: Ultimate, Trap
- (1st upgrade) Prime Death Trap – Enemies are Pulled into Death Trap when it activates.
- (2nd upgrade – my pick of the 2) Supreme Death Trap – If Death Trap kills an enemy, its Cooldown is reduced by 10 seconds.
- (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 Fortune – Non-Physical damage you deal has a +5%/+10%/+15% increased Lucky Hit Chance.
- (passive ) Trap Mastery – When Poison Trap or Death Trap activates, you gain +4%/+8%/+12% increased Critical Strike Chance against Vulnerable and Crowd Controlled enemies for 4 seconds.
- (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) Victimize – Lucky Hit: Dealing direct damage to a Vulnerable enemy has up to a +30% chance to cause an explosion, dealing 23% of the original damage to them and surrounding 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:
Eyes in the Dark (Pants)
While Injured, Your Potion Also Grants [30%] Movement Speed for 2 Seconds
Unless it hits a Boss or Player, Death Trap will continue to re-arm itself until it kills an enemy. However, Death Trap‘s Cooldown is increased by [15 – 30]%.
[3.1 – 7.3]% Dodge Chance
+[0.07 – 0.14] Shadow Damage
+[16.5 – 23.5]% Damage to Elites
+[7 – 14]% Damage to Trapped Enemies
“And so, when the sun dipped behind the hills each night, he knew that Ashen Jack would soon be near. Watching, and waiting.” – Greenslade’s Tales, Chapter 2: “Each Long Night”
Sockets & Gems
Full Diamonds is a good fit for many builds, including this one. I’ve shortlisted 5 total gems that work well with the build so pick based on your preference. I’d recommend either of those for Weps: Diamond, Skull, Saphire or Emerald. For Armor: Diamond, Skull or Ruby. For 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)
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 (Volatile 2.0) is one of the builds on that spreadsheet.
- Helm: Enshrouding Aspect
- Amulet: *Aspect of Unstable Imbuements OR Aspect of Volatile Shadows (see notes)
- Chest: *Aspect of Cruel Sustenance OR Aspect of Siphoned Protection (see notes)
- Pants: *Aspect of Cruel Sustenance OR Aspect of Siphoned Protection UNTIL the Unique goes here (see notes)
- Gloves: Vengeful Aspect
- Boots: Exploiter’s Aspect
- Ring 1: Ravenous Aspect
- Ring 2: Aspect of Unstable Imbuements OR Aspect of Volatile Shadows (see notes)
- 1H Weapon (see NOTE below): Aspect of Corruption
- Off-hand (see NOTE below): Blast-Trapper’s Aspect
- 2-H Weapon: Bladedancer’s Aspect
NOTE 1: You have to pick one aspect that will be discаrded once you get the Unique Pants. You can use both Aspect of Cruel Sustenance AND Aspect of Siphoned Protection only until you get & equip Eyes in the Dark. So pick whichever you feel is weaker and less worth it and discard it while putting the other one in the Chest slot. NOTE 2: You have to pick one aspect that will be in the +50% effectiveness Amulet slot out of those two: Aspect of Unstable Imbuements OR Aspect of Volatile Shadows. So pick whichever you feel is more worth the bonus and put it on the Amulet slot while putting the other on Ring Number 2.
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 94 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.
- LVL 94 & no Points from renown: Click THIS LINK
- MAXed out points: Click THIS LINK
Suggested Gear Rolls to look out for (NOT in order of priority):
I’ve shortlisted 41 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 Damage Bonus | ||||
| Critical Strike Chance | ||||
| Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage with Core Skills | ||||
| Damage with Core Skills | ||||
| Lucky Hit Chance | ||||
| Shadow Damage Bonus | ||||
| Shadow Critical Strike Damage Bonus | ||||
| Resistance to All Elements | ||||
| Cooldown Reduction | ||||
| + % Critical Strike Chance with Shadow Damage | ||||
| + % Damage to Elites | ||||
| + % Shadow Damage to Elites | ||||
| Damage Upon Killing an Elite | ||||
| + % Critical Strike Chance with Shadow Damage Against Elites | ||||
| Damage Reduction for X Seconds After Killing an Elite | ||||
| + % Damage for X Seconds After Killing an Elite | ||||
| Damage Reduction from Elites | ||||
| Vulnerable Damage | ||||
| Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage to Close Enemies | ||||
| Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage to Vulnerable Enemies | ||||
| Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies | ||||
| Crit Chance / Critical Strike Damage with Cuththroat/Imbued/ Skills | ||||
| Damage while Healthy | ||||
| Damage to Vulnerable Enemies | ||||
| Damage to Close Enemies | ||||
| Damage to Crowd Controlled Enemies | ||||
| Damage to Vulnerable Enemies with Imbued Skills | ||||
| Critical Strike Damage with Imbued Skills | ||||
| Imbuement Potency | ||||
| Shadow Imbued Skill Damage | ||||
| Damage to Enemies Affected by Trap Skills |
| + 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 |
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
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This concludes the Volatile Rogue 2.0 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)