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The skill tree for each character in Diablo 4 is quite diverse. This allows you to create unique builds by combining different abilities and skills together. Doing so allows you to create a character that suits your playstyle while still giving you some room to experiment with the skills and abilities that work best with the build you're going for.
One important part of the skill trees of all five characters in Diablo 4 is their key passive abilities. These passive skills can grant massive boosts and bonuses to certain skills present on a particular skill tree or certain playstyles.
Since you can only have one key passive activated in Diablo 4, choosing one that best complements your playstyle and the skills you've chosen is extremely important. There are more than a few options available, so if you still aren't sure which is the best key passive for Rogues, this guide aims to explain what each one of them does to help you pick a key passive.
Explaining all Rogue key passives in Diablo 4
1) Momentum
This key passive for Rogues makes your Cutthroat skills deadlier. With this as your key passive, Cutthroat skills grant a stack of Momentum for the next eight seconds, provided that one of these two conditions is met. The first is if you hit a stunned, dazed, or frozen enemy. The second one is if you hit any enemy from behind.
Once you reach three stacks of Momentum, you can gain the following benefits: 20% increased damage reduction, 30% increased energy regeneration, and 15% increased attack speed.
This key passive relies on many conditions to be met before it activates. You need to time the use of your Cutthroat skills to strike enemies from behind or attack those who are afflicted by status effects. If you are able to consistently freeze, stun, or daze your enemies on a regular basis, this is a great key passive, but it is otherwise quite limited in its uses.
2) Precision
This key passive is best used by Rogues who mainly use their bows or crossbows to damage enemies in Diablo 4. That is because this skill provides bonuses to the Marksman skills on the Rogue's skill tree. Critical Strikes done with Marksman skills grant you Precision, and you gain x4% increased Critical Strike Damage per stack of Precision up to a maximum of x20%.
When you reach maximum Precision, your next Marksman skill is a guaranteed Critical Strike that deals x40% increased Critical Strike damage and then consumes all stacks of Precision.
Critical Strikes provide massive bonus damage that can help take down even the strongest Elite Enemies. The raw damage output that this key passive can potentially generate makes it a great option, but it is limited to ranged Rogue builds. It is also worth noting that Critical Strikes are randomly generated in Diablo 4, but you can increase your odds with a well-timed swig of a Precision Elixir.
3) Exposure
Using traps is a popular Rogue build in Diablo 4, and if you enjoy luring opponents into trap zones, this is the key passive for you. Exposure has a chance for a Lucky Hit effect that gives you a 25% chance to do two things if you directly damage an enemy affected by a Trap Skill.
First, it reduces the active Cooldowns of your trap skills by 20%. The second thing is that it drops a cluster of Stun Grenades that deal 40% total Physical damage and stun enemies for .50 seconds.
This passive skill is probably one of the most limited key passives you can use in Diablo 4. It is solely reliant on the use of traps, and it is also randomly activated by a Lucky Hit. You can brew a consumable called the Elixir of Combatant Fortune to increase your odds of landing Lucky Hits, but if you are doing it solely for this skill, it's best to save your ingredients for something better.
4) Victimize
Victimize is an extremely reliable key passive for most Rogue builds. Rogues have a propensity for leaving their enemies in a vulnerable state, which pairs well with Victimize. This skill has up to a 30% chance to cause an explosion upon inflicting Direct Damage to a Vulnerable enemy. The explosion deals 23% of the original damage to them and surrounding enemies.
This key passive is great for dealing with crowds, especially if you have mastered the art of leaving enemies in a vulnerable state. Additionally, it does not rely on a specific category of skills, making it quite versatile. Furthermore, you can use it on multiple vulnerable enemies if you get lucky enough.
While it still relies on a Lucky Hit in order to take effect, it does have a high activation rate. You can also use the consumable Elixir of Combatant Fortune to boost the chances of this skill activating, which is certainly worth it for this key passive.
5) Close Quarters Combat
Close Quarters Combat is an extremely versatile key passive in Diablo 4 since it works for both Marksman and Cutthroat skills. As indicated by its name, this key passive works only when used against enemies who are in close quarters. If you like getting in the mix during combat to deal damage at close range, this is the key passive for you.
Damaging a close enemy with Marksman or Cutthroat Skills grants a 10% Attack Speed bonus for eight seconds. While both Attack Speed bonuses are active, you deal 20% increased damage against Crowd Controlled enemies.
Rogues are highly capable of handling themselves in close-quarters combat and can even use it to their advantage, especially with this Diablo 4 key passive. This skill does not rely on a random Lucky Hit or Critical Strike to activate, and it only needs you to time the use of your Marksman or Cutthroat skills when enemies are close.
These are the five key passives for the Rogue in Diablo 4. It is important to note that this is not a ranking of these skills, and their being numbered one through five does not indicate which key passive is the best. This merely provides an overview of each one to guide you in choosing the best one for you.
If you would like more guides on the Rogue in Diablo 4, check out the list of the best Legendary Aspects for this class.
