Rogue · Assassination · row 3
Lethality
Changed from Classic2 ranksHotfix 2026-11-02
Lethality
Rank 2/2Assassination
Requires 10 points in Assassination Talents
Requires Malice
Grants 20% increased Critical Strike damage to your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities.
Every rank of Lethality
| Rank | Effect | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grants 10% increased Critical Strike damage to your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities. | client |
| 2 | Grants 20% increased Critical Strike damage to your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities. | client |
Requirements and position
- Tree: Assassination, row 3, column 3. Needs 10 points in Assassination first. The earliest you can finish all 2 ranks is level 21 if you put every point into this tree.
- Prerequisite: Malice at 5/5.
- Competes with: Vigor, Blood Splatter in the same row.
Classic comparison
| Classic 1.12 | WoW Forever | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Lethality | Lethality |
| Position | Assassination row 3, col 3 | Assassination row 3, col 3 |
| Ranks | 5 | 2 |
| Rank 1 text | Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities by 6%. | Grants 10% increased Critical Strike damage to your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Mutilate, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities. |
Spells this talent affects
- Mutilate · 4 ranks, learned at 40
- Backstab · 9 ranks, learned at 4
- Gouge · 5 ranks, learned at 6
- Sinister Strike · 8 ranks, learned at 1
- Ghostly Strike · 1 rank
- Hemorrhage · 1 rank
Builds that take Lethality
Questions players ask
Where is Lethality in the Rogue talent tree?
Assassination tree, row 3, column 3. You need 10 points spent in Assassination before you can learn it, and Malice must be at full rank first.
Is Lethality new in WoW Forever?
Lethality existed in Classic (Assassination row 3, 5 ranks). In Forever it was changed: Classic read "Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Sinister Strike, Gouge, Backstab, Ghostly Strike, and Hemorrhage abilities by 6%.".
Snapshot 2026-11-03, client 1.60.1.70753.