Do you want to play the Rogue class in Diablo 4 but are tired of the melee-based Twisting Blades Rogue build? Do you want to play a ranged build that can blast the entire map with one shot from a skill? Then, Penetrating Shot Rogue build in Diablo 4 has got to be the best option.
Penetrating Shot is a skill that pierces through single or multiple enemies in an area, increasing the damage dealt to the pierced enemies by 10%. Penetrating Shot certainly comes out of a bow, but it acts like an energy-filled magic bolt instead of an arrow.
The Rogue class in Diablo 4 is one of the strongest and also the most mechanically complex class. This is also the reason why many players opt not to choose this class for their characters. However, you will easily be able to understand the mechanics of Penetrating Shot build in D4 and its efficient battlefield utilization through this guide.
It is always a good idea to experiment with different skills as a Rogue to make one most suited for your playstyle. However, specialized builds like Penetrating Shot are made by focusing on a specific skill braced by a defined skill set. This guide comprises those sets of skills, aspects, and a playstyle that work BEST for the Penetrating Shot build for Rogue in Diablo 4.
Jump To:
- Skills and unlock order
- Rogue Specialization
- Playstyle and skill rotation
- Gear, Gems and Stats priority
- Paragon Board
- Unique Items
- Legendary Aspects
- Elixir choices
Penetrating Shot Rogue skill progression and unlock order
The Penetrating Shot Rogue build centers around the core skill, Penetrating Shot from the Rogue class. This build is primarily effective to apply the Vulnerable effect to one or more enemies, resultantly dealing 20 percent extra damage to them. This way, many weak enemies will even be insta-killed once you strike with the Penetrating Shot.
Here is a list of active skills required to create this build.
- Puncture (Basic)
- Penetrating Shot (Core)
- Dash (Agility)
- Poison Imbuement (Imbuement)
- Dark Shroud (Subterfuge)
- Concealment (Subterfuge)
- Victimize (Key Passive)
Moving forward, we need to determine the order in which the skills and their upgrades should be unlocked for our Rogue build. If you want to play using the Penetration Shot build from the beginning of the game, it is highly recommended to stick with the following order to gain maximum benefits. However, if you are already at the endgame phase, you are free to attain these according to your desire.
Below is the order of unlocks we would recommend from the Rogue skill tree to create the recommended Penetrating Shot build in D4
| Unlock Order | Skill Name |
| 1 | Puncture (Rank 1) |
| 2 | Enhanced Puncture |
| 3 | Fundamental Puncture |
| 4 | Penetrating Shot |
| 5 | Enhanced Penetrating Shot |
| 6 | Improved Penetrating Shot |
| 7 | Dash (Rank 1) |
| 8 | Enhanced Dash |
| 9 | Disciplined Dash |
| 10 | Poison Imbuement |
| 11 | Enhanced Poison Imbuement |
| 12 | Blended Poison Imbuement |
| 13 | Concealment (Rank 1) |
| 14 | Enhanced Stealth |
| 15 | Countering Stealth |
| 16 | Dark Shroud |
| 17 | Enhanced Dark Shroud |
| 18 | Countering Dark Shroud |
| 19 | Exploit |
| 20 | Alice |
| 21 | Agile |
| 22 | Deadly Venom |
| 23 | Second Wind (Rank 3) |
| 24 | Trap Mastery (Rank 3) |
| 25 | Victimize |
| 26 | Adrenaline Rush (Rank 1) |
| 27 | Haste (Rank 3) |
| 28 | Shutter Step (Rank 3) |
Best Penetrating Shot Rogue Specialization
The naturally flexible Rogue class interlocks well with the Specialization class mechanic. Unfortunately, the Preparation specialization will not be that useful because we do not have any ultimate skills in our arsenal.
However, there is nothing to worry about, as our Combo Points Specialization is there to win the battle for us. Remember that from the three options available, you can only make use of one Rogue specialization for this build. So, think well before making any decision about specialization.
Combo Points are primarily built by using Base skills. Each basic skill produces one Combo Point upon its usage, which goes up to a max of three points. Once you have built up three Combo Points, it’s time to unleash our Penetrating Shot and wipe out the enemies from the whole area.
Diablo 4 Penetrating Shot Rogue playstyle and skill rotation
The Penetration Shot build highly depends on the application of the Vulnerable effect on our enemies, allowing us to deal extensive damage to them. The stack of Combo Points from three Basic skills is utilized to maximize the effectiveness and damage infliction of Penetrating Shot.
Increased DPS
Penetrating Shot utilizes the Combo Points mechanic to improve DPS. You have to use Penetrating Shot right after getting three combo points to clear the entire screen. This combo point mechanic increases the damage of the core skill with each basic attack we do.
Although Penetrating Shot has decent AoE and Base damage, it will not delete large hordes of enemies from existence without the support of other skills and abilities.
We will be powering up the Penetrating Shot by means of Poison Imbuement. Poison Imbuement instills poison into your weapons, making them lethal. Upon the application of the next 2 imbueable skills, the Base damage of your weapons will have an additional 100% Poisoning Damage for five seconds.
Damage Reduction
It is a simple phenomenon that the more damage your character deals to the enemies, the better. This increased damage not only clears the scene of abundant mob supplies but also saves you from losing health, as there will be less number of enemies to eat it out.
- Dark Shroud allows you to surround yourself with up to 5 protective shadows. You gain an 8% Damage Reduction per active shadow. Each time you take direct damage, that damage is reduced and a shadow is consumed.
- Exploit: It allows for huge burst damage at times when it matters the most – before enemies know you are there, and just before their death, when they usually become the most dangerous.
- Deadly Venom: A fairly self-explanatory passive, more Poison damage means Poison Imbuement hits even harder. You want a boss killer? This is the skill for you!
Movement Speed and CC
As we are using most of the skills and abilities that require proper positioning of characters, this can make them meticulous but pretty slow in nature. To overcome this, having a set of skills that support a quicker movement will be more than just needed.
- Dash: We will be using this active skill for gaining that well-needed mobility and Crowd Control. Your character literally becomes invincible while moving through the enemy mos.
- Haste: This passive skill enhances movement speed by 5% if you have more than 50% of your maximum energy. It also increases attack speed if the maximum energy is below 50% of the max level.
- Stutter Step: This passive skill increases the character’s movement speed for a short time after an enemy is critically struck.
Penetrating Shot Rogue Damage Rotation
In this section of the guide, we will discuss the battle strategy for Penetrating Shot build to get maximum benefits from it. In most cases, only one skill rotation will be enough to eliminate a few enemies. However, in the case of tougher bosses and Elites, you may need to repeat the skill rotation process for getting victory on the battlefield.
The following is the order of the skills for using them in the Penetrating Shot build, followed by their explanation.
- Concealment
- Puncture
- Penetrating Shot
- Poison Imbuement
- Dark Shroud
As soon as you enter a fight, the first thing to do is apply Concealment to your characters to make them invisible. This way, you will avoid initial damage from the enemies and get the chance to strike first.
Moving forward, Puncture acts as a mid-range Basic skill. The upgradations of this skill, i.e. Enhanced Puncture will help you restore energy while the Fundamental Puncture will be used to make the enemies Vulnerable. Make sure to group up enemies and strike the nearest target first. This way, at least two of the blades will hit the enemy and cause the Vulnerable effect.
The Penetrating shot is the bread and butter of our build. As mentioned earlier, it comes once a Combo of three Basic skill strikes is maintained. Make sure to gather around targets such that they form a row structure, and then apply this powerful core skill. This damages all enemies no matter what health status they are in.
Enhanced and Improved Penetrating Shots are also important and add to the flavor of this already high-damage strike game.
Imbuement skills such as Poison Imbuement should always be used to buff the Penetrating Shot. The poison-embedded weapons will deal additional base damage and kill the weaker enemies at once. You can utilize the Aspect of Expectant to increase the damage of our core skill up to 30%.
This Rogue build is only effective if your characters have consistent mobility. You will have to keep a safe distance from the melee-ranged enemies without disturbing the lined-up sequence that is needed for launching the Penetrating Shot.
For this reason, Dark Shroud should be used as a protector for your characters. It not only shields you from direct damage but also provides increased mobility.
At this point, using ultimate skills is not necessary for our build. So, you must go with the Key Passive Victimize, which makes the Vulnerable enemies explode and even damage the surrounding ones too.
Gear, Gems, and Stats priority
As for the stats, we know that every class in Diablo 4 makes use of the Core Stats differently from the others. The Rogue class benefits from all the core stats, so increasing each of them is important for a better gameplay experience.
Below is the stats upgrading order for the Penetrating Shot Rogue playstyle in Diablo 4 to get the maximum benefit out of its skills.
- Dexterity
- Strength
- Willpower
- Intelligence
The first stat in the list, Dexterity is obviously the most needed stat for Rogues, as they are mostly damage dealers and weak in defense. The DEX stat not only provides increased skill damage but also dodge chance to this class’s characters.
Strength increases the armor power of your characters, making their defenses even stronger. It improves your energy regeneration as well.
Willpower improves the healing you receive during battle. Upgrading this stat is also essential, as you need to stay alive for a longer period while eating out the health of enemies.
Finally, the Intelligence stat gives you an increased Critical Strike Chance along with increased Resistance. This will especially be helpful when you are surrounded by enemies and need to apply AoE attacks on them.
There is no hard and fast rule for using the Gems for Rogue or even any class in Diablo 4. They are more of a personal preference thing, and their priority stays the same in most of the builds. Below is our recommendation of gems to socket in your gear for the Penetrating Shot Rogue build in D4.
| Type | Gemstone | Effect |
| Weapon | Emerald | This attractive and mystical gem can be crafted using Chipped Emerald. It increases the Critical hit chance against Vulnerable enemies |
| Armor | Ruby | This unrivaled beauty enhances your character’s fire damage and increases the healing received from attacks. |
| Jewelry | Diamond | This enormously powerful gem increases Resistance against all elements |
Here is a list of all Diablo 4 item affixes that we recommend players must use on their gear to make their Penetrating Shot Rogue a force to reckon with in D4.
- Increased damage from core skills
- Increased damage to poisoned enemies
- Increased damage to vulnerable enemies
- Increased Dexterity
- Increased attack speed
- Increased movement speed
- Increased maximum health
- Increased maximum energy
- Decreased energy cost for skills
Paragon Boards for Penetrating Shot Rogue
The Paragon Board system in Diablo 4 becomes accessible once you reach level 50. You stop receiving skill points for leveling up and start getting a Paragon Point once every quarter level. These Paragon Points work exactly the same as skill points and add value to the utility of your gear. Glyph Sockets further take their effectiveness to another level.
Below is our recommended list of nodes and glyphs from the Rogue Paragon board that you can purchase to maximize the efficiency of the Penetrating Shot build in D4.
- Engineering: This rare node provides +10 DEX along with a 10% increased damage.
- Exploit Weakness: This legendary node deals 1% additional damage to vulnerable enemies and goes up to only 15%.
- Recuperate: This rare node earns you +10 Life Regeneration (while not damaged recently) and an increment of 40% in your Potion healing.
- Tricks of the Trade: If you possess at least 260 Intelligence and 350 DEX, you will deal additional 15% damage to Distant enemies by this node.
- Havoc: With this rare node, you will deal +15% physical damage and an additional 15% if you successfully land a Critical strike.
Unique Items
Diablo 4 Unique items are some of the most powerful pieces of gear you can get in the game, enhancing your class abilities, or providing strong secondary effects as with the Unique items that can be equipped by all classes.
That said, Unique items are extremely rare to find in Diablo 4. This is the reason why you should not rely too much on these items, especially before the endgame.
Still, below we have provided some of the unique gear items for Rogue for the Penetrating Shot build in Diablo 4, which you may find and equip according to the availability:
- Condemnation: This unique dagger works well with the Combo Points mechanism of Rogue Class. It not only supercharges the generation of Combo points but also increases the damage dealt by these points. The Penetrating Shot build can utilize this Unique weapon efficiently as it does not require dagger strikes for its activation.
- Windforce: This unique bow has been there in the Diablo timeline since the beginning. The Knockback attribute of this bow occurs on a Lucky Hit, having a chance to deal double the original damage. This ability makes the Windforce one of the strongest bows in the game.
- Cowl of the Nameless (Helm): The Rogue class mainly relies on Lucky Hit, and it is always better to increase this chance as much as possible. The Cowl of the Nameless gives this facility to its users, providing a 10% increased Lucky Hit chance against CC enemies.
Legendary Aspects for Penetrating Shot Rogue
As aspects are not readily available from loot drops, we mostly have to find them in dungeons throughout the five zones of Sanctuary. Luckily, three legendary aspects for Rogue listed below can be obtained even in the starting zones, so you can get them early on in the game.
- Trickshot Aspect: This legendary aspect provides arrows to the Penetrating Shot, allowing this skill to deal additional AoE damage. When you apply Puncture to an enemy and then apply the Penetrating Shot on them, the damage dealt can be increased by up to 30%.
- Rapid Aspect: This aspect provides enhanced attack speed to Basic skills.
- Ghostwalker Aspect: Ghostwalker Aspect provides you with increased movement speed even through enemies, in your Unstoppable state, and four seconds after that.
Besides the above aspects, some late-game legendary aspects are also there to make the Diablo 4 Rogue Penetrating Shot build quite formidable, such as:
- Aspect of the Siphoned Victuals: With this, you get a 10-20% chance to gain a healing potion upon damaging enemies. There is also a condition for this to work, that is, the enemy should be in vulnerable state. With our Rogue build, it is not hard to achieve this condition, as Puncture skill is there to help us.
- Aspect of Unstable Imbuements: This aspect works well with the Poison Imbuement skill. When you use this one, an AoE imbued effect is applied to all the enemies struck with Poison imbuement.
- Aspect of the Might: This one increases your defense by 20% for a few seconds after applying basic skills.
Elixir and Potion choices
The Rogue Class in Diablo 4 is not the best in terms of endurance, meaning you can lose chunks of your health while in battle. While the main source of our health regeneration will be from enemies, having some potion and Elixir upgrades is also useful.
Once you have the required levels for visiting certain towns in Sanctuary, you must visit them to upgrade healing potions that may help in gaining back the lost amount of health. Having healing potions upgraded to at least level 45 is a good thing, although maxing them out isn’t necessary at all.
Although you can use Elixirs only one at a time, their long-term effects stay for quite a while. In this way, you consistently keep getting health boosts. Elixirs are created in the same way as healing potion upgrades, but they’re single-use consumables—once you drink one, it’s gone.
You should use Elixirs keeping in mind the nature of the enemies you are combating. For instance, in the case of the Slaying Elixirs, the Elixir of Man-Slaying is useful against Bandits, Cultists, Cannibals, etc. The Assault set of Elixirs provides attack speed (in addition to EXP). So, the magic Elixir called Heady Assault Elixir is much useful in gaining 20% attack speed as well as 5% experience for the next 30 minutes.
