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Diablo 4 has a cleverly-designed system of progression for each character, but it may leave some players unsure of how to unlock their full potential. One of the more subtle systems in the game is called Specialization. Specialization unlocks at level 15 for every character, though not without jumping through a few hoops first.
As soon as the Rogue hits level 15, players should see a new Priority Quest crop up on the sidebar. This quest is called Rogue: True Potential and will slap down a new objective in the small town of Menestad in Fractured Peaks. If the Waypoint is already unlocked, fast-travel over to Menestad and look for Leyrana over in the eastern part of town. She'll recruit the player to help search out some missing rogues.
Rogue: True Potential Quest
There are quite a few checkpoints to complete this quest, but the general rule is to head east from Menestad and keep heading east until you reach the Forsaken Quarry. Make sure to interact with each piece of evidence along the way, eviscerating the occasional horde of Goatmen to keep things interesting.
Forsaken Quarry
Now the real work begins. The Forsaken Quarry is both a quest location and home to the Aspect of Encircling Blades (+8% Flurry damage). It's worth picking up both while you're here. Speak to Leyrana to kick things off; she's standing just to the right of the entryway to the quarry. The tasks inside are typical Diablo fare. Slay hordes of enemies. Find a key. Unlock a gate. Find the bosses. The boss guarding the Aspect is at the end of the dungeon, while the quest boss is just past the halfway point.
Bakira Boss Fight
Shortly after passing through the locked gate, the player should spot a ghost wandering around and muttering to herself. Spark up a hopeless conversation to earn her ire and begin the boss fight. Bakira is a fairly easy opponent, basically a Minion with Cold Enchantment. Deploy a few poison traps, unleash a flurry of critical hits, and viola! Speak to Leyrana for a few more bits of story to unlock Specialization.
Rogue Specialization Abilities
New specialization abilities unlock at level 15, level 20, and level 30. Rogues can freely swap between these abilities based on the situation and a player's particular style. It's worth a quick walkthrough on what each ability does, so let's get to it.
Combo Points
Combo Points, unlocked at level 15, is a skill that rewards players for stacking up Basic Skills prior to unleashing a Core Skill (like the all-powerful Twisting Blades skill, for example). The tiny little yellow nodes denote how many points the player has built up, with each one adding a stat increasing the next Core Skill the player unleashes. These stat increases include more damage, faster attack speed, increased movement speed bonuses, and/or a larger volume of arrows. This is the preferred Specialization choice for players looking to pursue a Shredder Rogue Build.
Inner Sight
Inner Sight is a fun Specialization to play, as it requires that the player fill up a gauge by targeting whichever enemy has the shadowy-purple eye hovering over their heads. Every attack adds a little fuel to the Inner Sight fire, which, when full, allows the player to unleash a huge flurry of attacks with zero Energy cost (for four seconds, at any rate). This is highly effective for blitzing an Elite enemy, as a huge amount of damage can be done in a short burst of time. The challenge is keeping an eye on the gauge, targeting the right enemy, and unleashing a huge attack at just the right moment. This skill unlocks at level 20.
Preparation
By level 30, the Rogue is prepared for the Preparation Specialization. Arguably one of the most powerful abilities in a Rogue's arsenal, Preparation is all about minimizing skill cooldown time. Every time the Rogue burns through 100 Energy, the Ultimate Skill cooldown drops by 4 seconds. Additionally, using that Ultimate Skill will immediately reset the cooldown of every other skill. This all sounds a little complicated until the player gets into the swing of things.
It's all about building a natural rhythm. Use all the other skills prior to launching the Ultimate Skill, which will immediately eliminate every cooldown at once. This is great for Shadow Clone users, as every skill will be immediately available to do 60-80% more damage right off the bat. Launch through all of those newly-cooled skills right away for bonus destruction while burning through as much energy as possible to do the same thing again.
Mastering Rogue Specializations
The game designers over at Blizzard clearly understood how each of the five classes of characters would lend themselves to different play styles. Specialization skills really place emphasis on embodying the chosen class and taking full advantage of the way the entire build can create synergy. For Rogues, it's all about speed, combo attacks, and careful enemy targeting. The ability to move between Specializations and adjust tactics on the fly is how players can truly master the Rogue.