Is Thorns a good stat to focus on for Rogues in Diablo 4?

One of the more interesting stats in Diablo 4 is Thorns - but is it good for Rogues? There’s a fair amount of discussion behind this topic, and it genuinely depends on the situation. The purpose of Thorns is to return damage when you’re attacked, making it an aggressive stat. However, Rogues don’t really want to take damage, as they’re a squishy DPS dealing class.

Does that mean Rogues should never have Thorns? Not at all. There are situations where it can be warranted, and even wind up being successful for you as a Diablo 4 player. If you want to know when you should and shouldn’t have this stat, we have you covered.

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Is Thorns a good stat for Rogues in Diablo 4 PvE?

In most cases, you should absolutely not focus on Thorns on a Rogue. For PvE, you want to avoid taking damage. Whether you’re playing a Hardcore or Eternal character, you don’t want to take damage.

However, with this in mind, there is a PVE Thorns build for Rogues, but it’s a high-risk, high-reward situation. It requires high armor and a high amount of skill in Diablo 4. You don’t want to use your resources poorly. It’s certainly something you can do, but it’s incredibly risky.

So for most Diablo 4 characters and players, you want to avoid the Thorns stat on your Rogue. If you have a piece of gear that has it, that doesn’t mean you want to never equip it; just don’t make it your focal stat.

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Is Thorns a good stat for Rogues in Diablo 4 PvP?

While I haven’t seen a use for thorns on Rogue in PvE, it seems to be viable in PvP. When dealing with other players, you still don’t want them to hit you. But they’re going to have to if they want to defeat you in PvP.

While I don’t think it’s a meta pick, there have been some thorns builds used in PvP that have merit for Rogues. It’s an interesting idea, especially if you have a big, powerful Thorns item. I also recommend having a high barrier stat for PvP. This is so your opponents can hit you and get the damage reflect, while not lowering your HP.

With that in mind, it’s still quite skill-intensive. You need to have a solid build and also know your class inside and out. If you can masterfully use your kiting/dodging abilities, you stand a chance as a Thorns Rogue. In player vs. player content, it can be a lot of fun.

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Depending on how you want to play Diablo 4, you may want to consider some Thorns in your Rogue build. It’s not ideal to focus on that for your PvE adventures, but in PvP, it could be a fun option if you want to surprise your opponents.