Subtlety Rogue 12.1.5 Guide: Deathstalker, Trickster, BiS, Rotation

Short version for people who stopped reading at the title. Deathstalker is the Subtlety Rogue 12.1.5 pick for raid and Mythic+, Trickster is the arena and burst toy that got buffed on October 6, and both trees play the same skeleton: Goremaw’s Bite on cooldown, Shadow Dance with Secret Technique ready, two Dances inside every Shadow Blades. Stats are Agility, then Haste to roughly 1050 rating for Deathstalker or Mastery first with Haste to 700 for Trickster. Get the 4-piece Chosen Bloodslayer’s Hexweave, a Zatha’tek, Breath of Corruption dagger and Voracious Heart of Ula’tek, and stop asking why your parse is grey.

Patch 12.1.5, The Promise of Tomorrow, lands October 13 in NA and October 14 in EU. It is a mid-season patch, so Season 2 keys, the Venomous Abyss tier set, talents and rating all carry over. What changes is the furniture: one new boss to die on, a solo Labyrinth, hourly bug invasions and a new upgrade currency that only works on items you already maxed. This Sub Rogue guide Midnight edition covers all of it, per hero tree, because you picked one and refuse to read about the other.

What Patch 12.1.5 Changes for Subtlety

The new raid is The Unbinding of Kith’ix, a single-boss instance where Kith’ix, a C’Thraxxi general, gets to meet you while Lady Liadrin watches. Loot drops at 298 on Normal, 311 on Heroic and 324 on Mythic, with Raid Finder listed at 285 in the content notes. Mythic was pulled down from 344 on the PTR, so the Coiled Altar and Ula’tek remain the only sources of 344 gear.

Feature	What it is	Why a Rogue cares
The Unbinding of Kith’ix	One-boss raid, Normal to Mythic, Mythic flex 15 to 25	Tier-slot armor that can be catalyzed into set pieces
Labyrinth of Kindo’jan	Nine-chamber solo mega-Delve, tiers 1 to 11, Valeera Sanguinar as companion	Weekly quest chain hands out two Myth armor pieces of your choice
Aqir Invasions	Ten-minute public events every hour in Eversong Woods or Zul’Aman	Free loot while you wait for a group that will never form
Ascendant Venomstone	Replaces Ascendant Voidcores	Pushes a maxed weapon, trinket or necklace past its track cap
Mythic+ Season 2	Same eight dungeons, no rating reset	Your key, your rating and your shame all persist

The Labyrinth also drops the Loa-Blessed Wayfarer mount and the Lone Raider title for clearing all nine chambers solo without a death. Sub has Shroud of Concealment, Cloak of Shadows and Vanish for exactly this kind of masochism, so there is no excuse.

The only line of The Promise of Tomorrow rogue changes that touches Subtlety is a rework of every Shadow damage modifier, so bonuses stop double dipping with physical effects. Blizzard says damage is under review, which in plain language means a hotfix is coming and nobody knows which direction. Shadow Blades also gets a new visual, which will do nothing for your numbers.

The October 6 tuning pass already hit Trickster. Fazed now increases damage taken by 7 percent instead of 5, Unseen Blade deals 15 percent more damage and Coup de Grace deals 10 percent more. Deathstalker was untouched, which is a compliment.

Hero Talents: Deathstalker or Trickster

Pick before you read the rest, because every section below splits in two and you will only read your half anyway.

Tree	Core mechanic	Best content	Top-player usage
Deathstalker	Deathstalker’s Mark stacks consumed by finishers, Darkest Night empowers one Eviscerate	Raid single target, Mythic+, Solo Shuffle	96 percent of top Mythic+ players, 72 percent of top Shuffle players
Trickster	Unseen Blade applies Fazed, five blades turn Eviscerate into Coup de Grace	3v3, Rated Battlegrounds, pack burst	Majority in 3v3 and Rated Battlegrounds, about 4 percent in Mythic+

Deathstalker

Shadowstrike from Stealth or Shadow Dance places three Deathstalker’s Mark stacks on the target. High combo point finishers eat those stacks for bonus damage, and when the last one goes, Darkest Night refunds 30 energy and turns your next max combo point Eviscerate into a guaranteed crit that reapplies the marks. It is a loop of marking one victim and executing it slowly, which suits the spec.

• Singular Focus funnels part of your AoE damage into the marked target, which is why Deathstalker dominates priority damage in keys.
• Quietus Celeris has a 30 percent chance on mark application to consume a stack instantly, and it changes the opener.
• Precise Killer adds 20 percent critical damage, which makes the Darkest Night Eviscerate disgusting.
• Mass Casualty lets Black Powder spread Deathstalker’s Mark damage to enemies within 8 yards.
• Ethereal Cloak or Bait and Switch is the defensive choice node, and Bait and Switch is for people who die.
• Momentum of Despair or Follow the Blood is the AoE choice node, so take Follow the Blood for keys.
• Unshakeable Drive, Symbolic Victory and Lingering Darkness fill the rest of the tree without asking for your opinion.

Deathstalker is the raid and Mythic+ answer. Wowhead put it about 7 percent ahead in single target, ahead in cleave and stronger in AoE once the 4-piece is active. It is also the Solo Shuffle favorite, because one guaranteed crit on a healer is a strong argument.

Trickster

Backstab and Shadowstrike proc Unseen Blade on a 20 second internal cooldown, which applies Fazed, making the target take more damage from you and unable to parry. Each blade or Secret Technique stacks Flawless Form up to five times for 4 percent finisher damage per stack. The fifth Unseen Blade turns your next Eviscerate into Coup de Grace, a three-hit finisher that refills Flawless Form.

• Devious Distractions makes Secret Technique apply Fazed as well.
• Disorienting Strikes cuts Secret Technique cooldown by 10 percent and lets the next two Unseen Blades ignore their cooldown.
• Thousand Cuts beats Flickerstrike for raid and keys.
• No Scruples is the default pick because Cloud Cover was gutted in a hotfix.
• Nimble Flurry spreads damage in AoE, Hoodwink adds Fazed damage, Flashing Steel adds a second Unseen Blade strike, and Clever Combatant lets Shuriken Storm trigger Unseen Blade.

Trickster is the PvP and burst tree. It leads in 3v3 and Rated Battlegrounds, it is the easier one to play, and after the October 6 buffs it is less embarrassing in PvE. It still trails Deathstalker in sustained raid damage, so do not bring it to progression and then blame the healers.

Talent Builds Per Hero Tree

Both trees share a class and spec core, and every build below is written out in full for each tree. The Sub Rogue talents 12.1.5 did not change with the patch, so imported 12.1 strings still work. Ancient Arts sits at 4 of 4 in every build, because without it you are a Combat Rogue cosplaying.

Deathstalker Builds

Content	Core picks	Swap when
Raid	Cheat Death, Evasion, Deeper Stratagem, Supercharger, Atrophic Poison, Death Perception, Relentless Strikes, Deepening Shadows, Double Dance, Shadowcraft, Secret Stratagem, Ancient Arts	Pure single target takes Gloomblade over Dark Shadow, add fights take Potent Powder, burst checks take Planned Execution over Warning Signs
Mythic+	Same core with Potent Powder over Dark Shadow or Gloomblade, Singular Focus, Follow the Blood, Airborne Irritant	Take Shiv only when the route has enrages, Atrophic Poison in high keys, Numbing Poison on standard trash
PvP	Smoke Bomb, Preemptive Maneuver, Dismantle, Thick as Thieves, plus Blind, Cloak of Shadows, Evasion, Master Poisoner	Silhouette or Death from Above when the bracket punishes static play

Iron Stomach can be swapped for Unbreakable Stride on fights that slow you. Without the 4-piece set, drop Lingering Shadow for Dark Shadow, because Lingering Shadow only earns its node once the set extends it to your finishers.

Trickster Builds

Content	Core picks	Swap when
Raid	Cheat Death, Evasion, Deeper Stratagem, Supercharger, Atrophic Poison, Death Perception, Relentless Strikes, Deepening Shadows, Double Dance, Shadowcraft, Secret Stratagem, Ancient Arts, Thousand Cuts, No Scruples	Pure single target takes Gloomblade over Dark Shadow, add fights take Potent Powder, burst checks take Planned Execution over Warning Signs
Mythic+	Same core with Potent Powder, Nimble Flurry, Clever Combatant, Airborne Irritant	Take Shiv only when the route has enrages, Atrophic Poison in high keys, Numbing Poison on standard trash
PvP	Smoke Bomb, Preemptive Maneuver, Dismantle, Thick as Thieves, plus Blind, Cloak of Shadows, Evasion, Master Poisoner	Death from Above for a kill window, Silhouette against casters that love to tunnel you

Iron Stomach can be swapped for Unbreakable Stride on fights that slow you. Without the 4-piece set, drop Lingering Shadow for Dark Shadow, because Lingering Shadow only earns its node once the set extends it to your finishers. Thick as Thieves now lasts 10 seconds and Death from Above now adds 30 percent damage, both from the October 6 PvP pass.

Rotation and Priority Per Hero Tree

The Subtlety Rogue rotation Midnight left you with is shorter than it used to be. Symbols of Death, Rupture and Flagellation are gone, Goremaw’s Bite became a big hit plus a bleed, and Secret Technique sits on a roughly 30 second cooldown reduced by Haste. Ancient Arts lets a builder with five or more Shadow Techniques stacks hand your next finisher full combo points, so finishers come back to back. Finish at 6 or more combo points, always.

Deathstalker Rotation

Deathstalker wants to enter Shadow Dance at low combo points, open with a builder to apply marks, then cash out with Secret Technique and the Darkest Night Eviscerate.

1. Open from Stealth with Shadowstrike to apply Deathstalker’s Mark.
2. Cast Eviscerate.
3. Cast Vanish, then Shadowstrike, and skip this Shadowstrike if Quietus Celeris procced.
4. Cast Goremaw’s Bite.
5. Cast Eviscerate, and skip it if Quietus Celeris procced.
6. Press Shadow Dance with Shadow Blades, your on-use trinket and racial.
7. Cast Shuriken Storm, then Secret Technique.
8. Alternate Shadowstrike and Eviscerate until Shadow Dance ends.

Priority	Single target	AoE
1	Goremaw’s Bite on cooldown	Goremaw’s Bite on cooldown
2	Shadow Dance at 2 or fewer combo points when Secret Technique is ready or Shadow Blades is up	Shadow Dance
3	Shadow Blades inside Dance	Shadow Blades inside Dance
4	Darkest Night Eviscerate at 6+ combo points	Secret Technique
5	Secret Technique at 6+ combo points inside Dance	Darkest Night Eviscerate
6	Eviscerate at 6+ combo points	Black Powder at 6+ combo points
7	Shadowstrike in Dance, Backstab outside	Shuriken Storm

The AoE opener is Shuriken Storm from Stealth, Goremaw’s Bite, trinket, Shadow Dance with Shadow Blades and Secret Technique, then Shuriken Storm and Black Powder alternating until cooldowns run dry. Use Vanish outside Dance at low combo points into Shadowstrike, or into Shuriken Storm on packs.

• Never spend the Darkest Night Eviscerate outside Shadow Dance, because it loses the Ancient Arts buff.
• Never dump finishers a few seconds before Dance, because you waste Shadow Techniques stacks.
• Never start a Dance with less than 10 seconds left on Shadow Blades.
• Always fit two Shadow Dance charges into each Shadow Blades window, which is the entire point of Double Dance.

Trickster Rotation

Trickster wants to enter Shadow Dance at 6 or more combo points with Secret Technique ready, so Secret Technique is the first cast inside Dance and gets the buff. Coup de Grace goes out the moment it lights up.

1. Open from Stealth with Shadowstrike.
2. Cast Eviscerate.
3. Cast Vanish, then Shadowstrike.
4. Cast Goremaw’s Bite.
5. Build to 6 or more combo points.
6. Press Shadow Dance with Shadow Blades, your on-use trinket and racial.
7. Cast Secret Technique as the first spell in Dance.
8. Alternate Shadowstrike and Eviscerate, firing Coup de Grace as soon as it is available.

Priority	Single target	AoE
1	Goremaw’s Bite on cooldown	Goremaw’s Bite on cooldown
2	Shadow Dance at 6+ combo points with Secret Technique ready	Shadow Dance at 6+ combo points with Secret Technique ready
3	Shadow Blades inside Dance	Shadow Blades inside Dance
4	Secret Technique	Secret Technique
5	Coup de Grace	Coup de Grace
6	Eviscerate at 6+ combo points	Black Powder at 6+ combo points
7	Shadowstrike in Dance, Backstab outside	Shuriken Storm on 2+ targets

The AoE opener is Shuriken Storm from Stealth, Goremaw’s Bite, trinket, Shadow Dance with Shadow Blades and Secret Technique, then Shuriken Storm and Black Powder alternating, with Coup de Grace slotted in whenever it appears. Use Vanish outside Dance at low combo points into Shadowstrike, or into Shuriken Storm on packs.

• Never let Coup de Grace sit while you press a plain Eviscerate, because you throw away a full Flawless Form refill.
• Never dump finishers a few seconds before Dance, because you waste Shadow Techniques stacks.
• Never start a Dance with less than 10 seconds left on Shadow Blades.
• Always fit two Shadow Dance charges into each Shadow Blades window, which is the entire point of Double Dance.

Stat Priority Per Hero Tree

The Subtlety Rogue stat priority 12.1.5 splits by tree, and the numbers below are rating targets, not percentages. Top Mythic+ players run far more Mastery than the guides admit, so sim your own character on Raidbots before you trust anyone, including us. Pandaren squeezes the most raid damage, Dwarf is the Mythic+ and PvP race, and nobody cares about your transmog.

Deathstalker Stats

Content	Priority	Breakpoint
Raid	Agility, Haste, Mastery, Critical Strike, Versatility	Haste to about 1050 rating, then Mastery
Mythic+	Agility, Haste, Mastery, Critical Strike, Versatility	Haste between 700 and 1100 rating, top players lean Mastery past that
PvP	Versatility, Mastery, Haste, Critical Strike	No cap, Versatility keeps you alive through the stun chains you deserve

Trickster Stats

Content	Priority	Breakpoint
Raid	Agility, Mastery, Haste, Critical Strike, Versatility	Haste to about 700 rating, then back to Mastery
Mythic+	Agility, Mastery, Haste, Critical Strike, Versatility	Haste to about 700 rating, then back to Mastery
PvP	Versatility, Mastery, Haste, Critical Strike	No cap, Versatility keeps you alive through the stun chains you deserve

Tier 36 Set: Chosen Bloodslayer’s Hexweave

The Sub Rogue tier set Midnight Season 2 is what the whole build leans on. The 2-piece makes Backstab cost 10 less energy with 100 percent more damage and makes Shuriken Storm cost 5 less with 60 percent more damage. The 4-piece lets Lingering Shadow also empower Eviscerate and Black Powder at 60 percent effectiveness.

Slot	Set piece	Token	Venomous Abyss boss
Head	Chosen Bloodslayer’s Spirit Shroud	Venomcured Effigy	The Twin Fangs
Shoulders	Chosen Bloodslayer’s Voodoo Guards	Venomcured Remnant	The Lost Explorers
Chest	Chosen Bloodslayer’s Banded Poncho	Venomcured Icon	Vashnik the Malignant
Hands	Chosen Bloodslayer’s Fanged Grips	Venomcured Idol	Entombed Sentinels
Legs	Chosen Bloodslayer’s Reinforced Pants	Venomcured Relic	Sszorak
Any	Your choice	Slumbering Coil Curio	Ula’tek

Rogues loot Cured tokens, shared with Demon Hunters, Druids and Monks, so your guild will contest every one of them. The Ula’tek Curio is traded with Kirana next to the Matrix Catalyst in Silvermoon City.

How Deathstalker Uses the Set

The 2-piece turns Backstab into a real button between Dances, and Deathstalker spends a lot of time outside Dance filling combo points for the Darkest Night cycle. The 4-piece matters more here, since every Eviscerate outside Dance and every Black Powder carrying Mass Casualty now inherits Lingering Shadow. That is why Deathstalker pulls ahead in AoE once four pieces are on. Treat the 4-piece as mandatory, not a bonus.

How Trickster Uses the Set

The 2-piece turns Backstab into a real button between Dances, and Trickster leans on Backstab to proc Unseen Blade and build toward Coup de Grace. The 4-piece adds Lingering Shadow to Eviscerate and Black Powder, which stacks with Flawless Form on every finisher that leaves Dance. It is worth slightly less to Trickster than to Deathstalker, because more of Trickster’s damage is crammed into the Dance itself. Still treat the 4-piece as mandatory.

Fastest Route to 4-Piece

1. Kill Entombed Sentinels, Vashnik the Malignant, The Lost Explorers and Sszorak every week, because these four drop hands, chest, shoulders and legs before you ever see the Twin Fangs.
2. Pick a tier slot from the Great Vault whenever one appears, because the vault can offer set pieces directly.
3. Spend Matrix Catalyst charges on whichever slot your raid luck refuses to give you.
4. Catalyze the tier-slot Cantrip armor from Kith’ix in 12.1.5, which keeps its special effect after conversion according to loot previews.
5. Save the Ula’tek Curio for the last missing slot instead of wasting it on the first one.

Best in Slot Gear Per Hero Tree

No major source splits BiS by hero tree, and the Subtlety Rogue BiS 12.1.5 list did not change with the patch. Only the stat weighting differs, so the tables below are identical by design, written twice because you will only read one.

Deathstalker BiS

Slot	Item	Source
Head	Tier, catalyzed from Gaze of the Coiled Watcher	Ula’tek
Neck	Aqirbane Reliquary	Ula’tek
Shoulders	Tier	The Lost Explorers token
Cloak	Silken Voodoo Drape	The Coiled Altar
Chest	Tier	Vashnik the Malignant token
Wrist	Silvermoon Agent’s Deflectors with Arcanoweave Lining	Leatherworking
Hands	Tier	Entombed Sentinels token
Waist	Sash of the Forlorn Vessel	The Coiled Altar
Legs	Tier	Sszorak token
Feet	Goldfeather Boots	Kings’ Rest
Ring	Lightwarden’s Bind	The Blinding Vale
Ring	Sickening Signet of Atroxus	Voidscar Arena
Main hand	Zatha’tek, Breath of Corruption	Ula’tek
Off hand	Farstrider’s Mercy with Hunter’s Ritual Stone	Blacksmithing
Trinket	Voracious Heart of Ula’tek	Ula’tek
Trinket	Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique	The Coiled Altar

Trickster BiS

Slot	Item	Source
Head	Tier, catalyzed from Gaze of the Coiled Watcher	Ula’tek
Neck	Aqirbane Reliquary	Ula’tek
Shoulders	Tier	The Lost Explorers token
Cloak	Silken Voodoo Drape	The Coiled Altar
Chest	Tier	Vashnik the Malignant token
Wrist	Silvermoon Agent’s Deflectors with Arcanoweave Lining	Leatherworking
Hands	Tier	Entombed Sentinels token
Waist	Sash of the Forlorn Vessel	The Coiled Altar
Legs	Tier	Sszorak token
Feet	Goldfeather Boots	Kings’ Rest
Ring	Lightwarden’s Bind	The Blinding Vale
Ring	Sickening Signet of Atroxus	Voidscar Arena
Main hand	Zatha’tek, Breath of Corruption	Ula’tek
Off hand	Farstrider’s Mercy with Hunter’s Ritual Stone	Blacksmithing
Trinket	Voracious Heart of Ula’tek	Ula’tek
Trinket	Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique	The Coiled Altar

Alternatives If You Are Behind

• Gebbo’s Bottomless Bag from the Venomous Abyss is the third best trinket and the realistic one for most of you.
• Sapling of the Dawnroot from The Blinding Vale and Freightrunner’s Flask from Murder Row are the Mythic+ trinkets that require no raid team.
• Keeper’s Seething Core and Font of Venomous Rage are the raid fallbacks once the top three refuse to drop.
• Jan’thrazet, the Soul Fang from Ula’tek replaces Zatha’tek if the first dagger never shows.
• Ravenous Feaster’s Fang from the Twin Fangs, Hexing Spiritrender from Nek’zali and Ancient Construct’s Venomshiv from Entombed Sentinels are the dagger stopgaps.
• Jade Ophidian Band from Temple of Sethraliss is the Wowhead pick for the second ring and works just as well.
• Always keep a dagger in the off hand, because nothing else in your kit cares about you.

Bonus roll priority with Nebulous Voidcore goes Zatha’tek, Voracious Heart, Gaze of the Coiled Watcher, Aqirbane Reliquary, then Zul’jin’s Guillotine Technique. Crest upgrades go main hand first, trinkets second, head, chest and legs third. Crafting needs Spark of Tides, so do not spend it on a pair of pants you will replace on Tuesday.

Ascendant Venomstones Per Hero Tree

Ascendant Venomstone drops from Heroic and Mythic raid bosses, Mythic+ keys at +10 and above, Tier 11 Bountiful Delves and Nightmare Prey Hunt chests, with only the first two Prey per week counting. Ten stones, spent near the Catalyst in Silvermoon City, raise one fully upgraded Hero, Myth or max quality Tidal crafted weapon, trinket or necklace above its track cap. Orin Straylight runs the unlock: the quest arrives the week of October 13 and the stones become usable the week of October 20.

Venomstones only work on items that are already at the top of their track, and the result becomes Ascendant, which can never be upgraded again. Rings are excluded. Burn ten stones on a Hero track trinket you plan to replace with a Myth copy, and you have paid ten stones for nothing.

Deathstalker: First Ten Stones

1. Put the first ten into the main hand, because Zatha’tek is your largest single source of Agility and Shadowstrike damage.
2. Put the next ten into Voracious Heart of Ula’tek, because its on-use lines up with Shadow Dance and Shadow Blades every window.
3. Put the third batch into Aqirbane Reliquary, because a necklace carries only secondaries and gains the least.

Trickster: First Ten Stones

1. Put the first ten into the main hand, because Zatha’tek is your largest single source of Agility and Shadowstrike damage.
2. Put the next ten into Voracious Heart of Ula’tek, because Trickster crams even more damage into the Dance window it buffs.
3. Put the third batch into Aqirbane Reliquary, because a necklace carries only secondaries and gains the least.

If you are still on a crafted Farstrider’s Mercy, finish crafting a max quality Tidal version first, otherwise the stones cannot touch it. Rings and armor are excluded, so stop asking.

Consumables, Enchants, Gems and Embellishments

Category	Pick	Note
Flask	Flask of the Shattered Sun	Flask of the Magisters is the backup
Combat potion	Light’s Potential	Drink it with Shadow Blades
Health potion	Concentrated Silvermoon Health Potion	Drink it before the healer gives up
Food	Blooming Feast	Crimson Calamari as personal food
Weapon oil	Thalassian Phoenix Oil	Both weapons
Augment rune	Void-Touched Augment Rune	Progression only, unless you are rich

Slot	Enchant
Head	Empowered Rune of Avoidance
Chest	Mark of the Worldsoul
Legs	Forest Hunter’s Armor Kit
Feet	Lynx’s Dexterity
Rings	Eyes of the Eagle
Weapons	Acuity of the Ren’dorei or Arcane Mastery

• Top Mythic+ players mostly run Rite of the Hash’ey on weapons, so sim it against Arcane Mastery before you copy Method.
• Indecipherable Eversong Diamond goes in one socket and Flawless Quick Amethyst fills the rest for Deathstalker.
• Trickster runs Flawless Quick Amethyst only until Haste reaches about 700 rating, then sims a Mastery gem instead.
• Hunter’s Ritual Stone goes on Farstrider’s Mercy and Arcanoweave Lining goes on Silvermoon Agent’s Deflectors for both trees.
• Instant Poison and Atrophic Poison are the default pair, and Wound Poison or Crippling Poison replace them in PvP.

Mythic+ Season 2 Notes

Season 2 keeps the same eight dungeons in 12.1.5, so Subtlety Rogue Mythic+ 12.1.5 play is the route you already know with better gear. Deathstalker owns it: Singular Focus funnels pack damage into priority targets and the Darkest Night Eviscerate deletes casters.

Dungeon	Sub-relevant drop
Altar of Fangs	Sharpened Lightwood Slasher, a dagger for both hands
Murder Row	Freightrunner’s Flask, Pendant of Malefic Fury
Den of Nalorakk	Leather armor for catalyst slots
The Blinding Vale	Lightwarden’s Bind, Sapling of the Dawnroot
Voidscar Arena	Sickening Signet of Atroxus
Kings’ Rest	Goldfeather Boots
Temple of Sethraliss	Jade Ophidian Band, Whirling Dervish Sash
Ruby Life Pools	Filler, run it for the vault

• Shroud of Concealment skips whole packs, and a Rogue who forgets it is just a Warrior with less armor.
• Airborne Irritant turns Blind into an AoE stop and beats Gouge in every key.
• Kick, Kidney Shot and Cheap Shot are your job, and the tank is already disappointed in you.
• Feint, Evasion, Cloak of Shadows and Crimson Vial keep you out of the death recap.
• Tricks of the Trade on the tank at pull costs you nothing.
• Great Vault slots from +9 and up hand out Myth track gear, which is the only reason to push.

PvP Notes

Deathstalker owns Solo Shuffle and Trickster leads in 3v3 and Rated Battlegrounds. Both run Smoke Bomb, Preemptive Maneuver and Dismantle, with Thick as Thieves now at 10 seconds after the October 6 pass. The 20 second stun diminishing return still hurts Subtlety more than any other spec, so chain Cheap Shot, Kidney Shot and Blind with intent instead of mashing.

• Shadowstep in, open with Cheap Shot, and line up Shadow Dance with your partner’s burst.
• Shadowy Duel is a niche pick for isolating a healer and rarely beats the standard row.
• Cloak of Shadows on a known stun or kill spell wins more games than any damage talent.
• Versatility before everything else, because a dead Rogue has no damage.

Macros, Addons and WeakAuras

WeakAuras has no Midnight version, because Blizzard restricted combat data for addons. Use the built-in Cooldown Manager to track Shadow Dance, Shadow Blades, Secret Technique and Goremaw’s Bite, keep a boss mod, and export your character with the SimulationCraft addon to Raidbots. That is the whole toolkit now, and crying in the forums will not resurrect it.

Mouseover Shadowstep for both trees: #showtooltip
/cast [@mouseover,exists][] Shadowstep

Focus Kick for both trees: #showtooltip
/cast [@focus,harm,nodead][] Kick

Tricks on the tank for both trees: #showtooltip
/cast [@TankName] Tricks of the Trade

Burst macro for both trees: #showtooltip
/cast Shadow Blades
/cast Shadow Dance. Deathstalker should only press it at low combo points, Trickster only at 6 or more with Secret Technique ready.

Trickster-only shortcut: Icy Veins runs a macro that fires Coup de Grace from the Black Powder button in AoE. One-button play loses 10 to 15 percent, which is the price of laziness.

Where Subtlety Stands in 12.1.5

The Deathstalker vs Trickster verdict is short: Deathstalker is the PvE tree, Trickster is the arena tree, and the October 6 buffs narrowed the gap without closing it. Subtlety sits in A tier for raid and Mythic+, behind S tier Assassination in keys, and A tier in Solo Shuffle.

Tree	Raid	Mythic+	PvP
Deathstalker	A, top tier single target, strong on Sszorak	A, the standard key build	A, Solo Shuffle favorite
Trickster	B, behind in sustained damage even after buffs	B, burst on packs but weaker overall	A, favorite in 3v3 and Rated Battlegrounds

Worth maining into 12.1.5? Yes, if you enjoy timing windows and punishing everyone else for being slow. The Shadow damage rework is the only real risk, so expect a hotfix and do not reroll on day one either way.