I’ve played Rogue since 2015 and I still pick it when I want precise, mobile melee play. I’m a woman who mains melee and I’ll tell you straight: Rogue teaches you positioning and timing better than most starting classes. If you want a short road map, read on — you’ll get practical steps and reasons why they work.
Where to begin
Start in Limsa Lominsa. You unlock Rogue by doing the quest “My First Daggers” after reaching level 10 on another class and finishing the level 10 main scenario quest. Why this matters: you come to Rogue with some basic game sense already, which helps because positioning matters a lot.
Want to practice? Use the local training dummies and set a 10–15 minute habit. I’ve noticed that muscle memory built in short, repeated sessions beats an hour once a week. Honestly, it makes a real difference.
Core playstyle (short)
Spinning Edge → Gust Slash → Aeolian Edge from behind. Move between those positions quickly. Keep combo uptime. Use Hide for setup and resets. Simple.
Rotation basics — why each move matters
Your weaponskills run on the global cooldown (about 2.5 seconds). Abilities that don’t share that cooldown let you “weave” extra damage. We do this to avoid losing a weaponskill window and to squeeze more output into each rotation. That’s why timing matters more than button spam. (This doesn’t always work in laggy duty finder groups, depends on your connection.)
| Levels | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1–15 | Spinning Edge, Shade Shift | Learn combos; Shade Shift is emergency mitigation |
| 16–29 | Gust Slash, Hide | Finishers and stealth setup for strong opens |
| 30+ | Aeolian Edge, Sneak Attack | Positional finishers; big opening damage |
Gear and stats (practical)
As you level Rogue (1–30), prioritize weapon damage and Dexterity. After that, Critical Hit and Direct Hit help most. Why? Because Rogue hits often; Crit and Direct Hit boost each hit’s value. Upgrade daggers when you can — they’re the single biggest stat bump.
“Weapon first, then stats — you’ll feel the change immediately.” — practical advice from years of speedruns.
Recommended items at level 30 (examples): Sphene or Steel daggers; accessories with DEX. These hold well until you reach Ninja and start chasing job-specific melds.
Positioning tips and small tricks
Rear for Aeolian Edge, flank for Sneak Attack. Move in small steps (stutter-step) so you don’t clip your global cooldown. Hide is a setup tool; use it between pulls to open hard and get Sneak/Trick Attack ready. In my experience, players who skip Hide waste the best windows for burst.
Here’s the funny part: being aggressive and stealthy at the same time works. Sounds odd, right? But opening hard from Hide wins time on bosses and speeds up trash clears. To be fair, it also raises risk if your healer or tank isn’t ready.
Dungeon sense and team play
Rogue does single-target and focused AoE well when you choose targets smartly. Ask yourself: who will hurt the party most? Kill casters first, then heavy hitters. Tell your tank when you need them to hold position; communication saves mistakes. Between us, I’ll say—some tanks won’t listen; that’s on you to adapt.
- Trash: focus casters, use Hide between pulls.
- Bosses: learn windows for rear/flank; keep combo uptime while moving.
There are exceptions: some fights force constant movement and positional windows shrink. If that happens, prioritize survival and re-open when safe.
Transitioning to Ninja — timing and practice
When you hit level 30 as Rogue you can unlock Ninja. You’ll add mudra combos and ninjutsu, which change rotation timing. Practice mudra on a dummy (5–10 minutes a day) before you bring them into dungeons. Why? Because integrating mudra messes with your muscle memory otherwise, and you’ll drop weaponskills.
// Hotbar tip (example)
1: Spinning Edge
2: Gust Slash
3: Aeolian Edge
G1: Hide
G2: Trick Attack (Ninja)
Checklist before switching: basic combos stable, Hide usage comfortable, ability weaving natural. If you rush the job unlock, you’ll feel clumsy — controversial, I know, but it’s true for most players I coached.
Advanced notes, quick
Use defensive cooldowns proactively, not after you’re already low. Shade Shift or Bloodbath (if cross-class allowed on your server) should be used before expected spikes. Why? Prevention reduces healer stress and keeps your DPS steady. Surprisingly, small anticipatory uses often save a wipe.
Counterintuitive insight: sometimes lowering your DPS briefly (skip one oGCD) to avoid a movement-heavy clip nets higher overall damage because you keep combo uptime longer. Try it once.
Final practical takeaways
Train positioning, practise short daily sessions, and communicate with the party. I’ve coached new Rogues who improved in a week with those three habits. You’ll get better faster if you repeat and pay attention to why each choice helps your run.
One more thing — and yes this is personal: Ninja isn’t always the goal. Some players enjoy Rogue’s pure simplicity. Don’t feel pressured to switch if you love the playstyle. Keep at it. Keep practicing. Enjoy the blades.
— a Rogue main since 2015 (I still screw up sometimes, I mean—well, we all do).
Quick reference
- Unlock: Limsa Lominsa, “My First Daggers”, level 10 requirement.
- Core combo: Spinning Edge → Gust Slash → Aeolian Edge (rear).
- Practice: 10–15 minutes daily on dummies.
- Date verified: information checked as of 2025-11-26.
Any questions? Ask — I’ll answer (and yes, I’ll tell you when your opener won’t work the way you expect!). 😊
