Just a week out from the official release of Diablo 4, and already dedicated players are trickling into the higher difficulty tiers the game offers. When players hit World Tier 3: Nightmare, items begin to drop with new and more powerful quality types. Legendaries begin to drop as Sacred Legendaries, which offer more powerful benefits over their World Tier 2 counterparts, but also, Unique items begin to drop, offering the most substantial benefits out of any item type in Diablo 4.
Being one of the most versatile classes, the Rogue finds itself in a strange position regarding Diablo 4 Unique drops. Depending on a player's style and chosen Rogue specializations, unique items can be either game-changing or mediocre. The best unique items, however, will force players to re-spec and rebuild their character to suit the item's benefits better.
S-Tier
- Doombringer: Doombringer has been in the Diablo franchise since its inception. Similarly, it's only gotten more powerful as the franchise has progressed. In Diablo 4, Doombringer is a spectacular choice for melee Rogues. Its AoE Shadow damage immediately stands out, but it truly shines with the damage reduction it applies to enemy attacks. A truly game-changing Unique that allows melee Rogues to sit a little longer in close-range and dish out damage.
- Skyhunter: Penetrating Shot is one of the best Rogue skills in Diablo 4, and it pairs unbelievably well with Skyhunter. The first direct damage deal is guaranteed to be a critical strike and offers a chance of refunding Energy to the player. This bow can shred through mobs in PvE situations but also guarantees an intimidating opening attack in PvP.
A-Tier
- Windforce: For the Fields of Hatred in Diablo 4, very few options compare with Windforce. Diablo 4's version of Windforce should feel immediately familiar to inveterate fans of Diablo. Its knockback and incredible damage potential make it a great option for punishing aggressive players in PvP.
- Condemnation: If Doombringer didn't exist, Condemnation would be firmly in the S-tier. It pairs incredible base stats with the ability to generate a ton of combo points. An extremely useful dagger for melee Rogues. If players run dual daggers, they'd be hard-pressed to find a better choice than Condemnation.
B-Tier
- Asheara's Khanjar: While it's still a strong option for Rogues, Asheara's Khanjar is best suited to niche situations like solo dungeon running in Diablo 4. It offers massive attack speed and situational movement speed buffs, making it optimal for PvE encounters, but its poor base stats leave it below other weapon options.
- Word of Hakan: No better choice for a Rain of Arrows build. It applies all Imbuements at once and absolutely shreds through mobs of enemies. Much like Asheara's Khanjar, Word of Hakan will perform extremely well in dungeons and PvE, but struggle elsewhere. Unfortunately, it's also held back by less-than-ideal base stats.
- Grasp of Shadows: This Unique item has wonderful base stats, but its exclusive ability—spawning shadow clones—leaves much to be desired. Still a viable choice for its slot, but players can likely find a Legendary Aspect in Diablo 4 that outperforms it.
C-Tier
- Cowl of the Nameless: It can be useful for a PvE Rogue build, but Cowl of the Nameless' crowd control ability doesn't outweigh its lack of useful base stats. By equipping this, players are foregoing more powerful defensive options.
- Eyes in the Dark: Easily the worst Rogue Unique. Its ability is extremely situational, and not useful in PvP or boss fights, meaning it's useless in the most difficult situations. There are not enough reasons to choose Eyes in the Dark over an option like Temerity—which is available to all classes.
Diablo 4 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
