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10 Min read Experts at Stealth, Thief Rogues are an excellent addition to any Baldur’s Gate 3 party comp due to their high Dexterity, Charisma, and overall simplicity.
The ability to deal massive amounts of damage at both close and long range in a single attack and their use of multiple bonus actions per turn make them one of the strongest damage dealers in the game.
Besides their massive amount of damage, their proficiencies in out-of-combat skills such as Lockpicking and Deception will also aid you in your playthrough.
This guide will cover the pros and cons of the subclass along with how to play it.
Find out where the Rogue ranks in our Baldur’s Gate 3 class tier list.
Thief Rogues are the most basic Stealth class, and the playstyle is what the average person might envision when thinking of a classic rogue. Their high physical damage makes them a great choice for your backline.
Additionally, they are able to pick off enemies easily if they are positioned strategically in battle. They can also escape from enemies, with access to both Disengage and Dash as bonus actions as opposed to class actions.
The main issues with Thief Rogues are their lack of spells and overall fragility. Unless you have a race-provided Cantrip such as Firebolt, your Rogue will not have access to spells. Because of this, it’s best to keep consumable items, such as poison and elemental arrows, on hand so you can have some sort of AoE or status-effect ability. Since Rogues are only proficient in light armor, having high Dexterity is important since it increases the damage of your Finesse attacks and your Armor Class (AC).
The best races for Thief Rogues are any that give proficiencies in Stealth or Stealth Checks with their traits:
I personally recommend Wood Elves/Wood Half-Elves, since Fleet of Foot gives you 10.5 m base movement speed, and you get Darkvision which allows you to gain advantage on enemies easier, since you’ll be able to see them even in low lighting.
Your highest Ability Scores should be Dexterity and Constitution. Dexterity is needed for doing more damage with Finesse (weapons scale with your Dexterity instead of Strength if your Dexterity is higher) and AC. Constitution will increase your HP, making you less of a liability if caught out.
These two stats should have between 14 and 17 Ability Points. How you allocate the rest of your Ability Points is up to personal preference, but I like putting them into Wisdom and Charisma.
This allows for good synergy with backgrounds that provide Charisma skills, such as Charlatan or Criminal. Your “dump stat” should be Intelligence since Thief Rogues don’t have any attacks or abilities that are modified by Intelligence. You should have a +2 in Dexterity, and +1 in Constitution.
Speaking of backgrounds, the best character backgrounds are ones that provide Dexterity skills:
In Patch 8, Expertise was finally added for Rogues. Expertise is a class ability that allows you to double your Proficiency Bonus on a skill. I recommend choosing Stealth and Sleight of Hand as your Skills with Expertise so that Lockpicking, Disarming, and Sneaking is easier.
Because there aren’t many other options as a Thief Rogue, one of your main abilities is going to be Sneak Attack. You gain Sneak Attack at Level 1, and to use the ability you need to have Advantage on an enemy, or you need to be within 1.5m of your target and not have a Disadvantage.
The best way to get an Advantage is to hit them while in Stealth, unseen, or have a high ground Advantage. Beginning a battle in Stealth is a really simple way to gain an early Advantage as you will startle your enemies.
If you hit Left Shift on your keyboard, anything highlighted in red is the area that enemies have vision of, and you will need to pass a Stealth check in order to stay hidden. Anything not in red is not seen, and you will be able to sneak around freely. How difficult it is to remain hidden is dependent on if your enemies have Darkvision and your environment.
Sneak Attack is capable of dealing a massive amount of damage as long as the prerequisites are met. There are ranged and melee Sneak Attacks, and throughout your game, expect to be using them very often.
As you level up, you gain access to Cunning Actions. These Actions include Disengage and Dash. Cunning Action allows both of these Actions to be Bonus Actions, instead of Actions. Because of this, your Rogue will gain the ability to attack an enemy and then Dash away.
These Bonus Actions are extremely useful, as you can also use off-hand attacks while wielding two weapons. It’s also useful for being able to deal damage before running if your Rogue ends up getting collapsed on in larger fights. While playing as Astarion, Bite can be used as a Bonus Action to regenerate health.
When you choose Thief Rogue as your subclass, you gain access to Fast Hands and Second-Story Work. Second-Story Work reduces your fall damage by half, in and out of combat. Fast Hands lets you use 2 Bonus Actions every turn.
When you choose a feat at Level 4, I recommend choosing Dual Wielder. This feat gives you +1 AC while dual wielding, and you can use dual-weapon fighting even if your weapons aren’t light. This allows you to use two rapiers, which uses Finesse, to deal 1d8 damage instead of 1d6 with Short Swords.
Once you reach Level 5, you’ll gain Uncanny Dodge. This makes it so that when an attack hits you, you’ll only get hit with half the damage. This greatly helps with your survival.
Your Sneak Attack damage is also increased to 3d6. Thief Rogues don’t have access to many complex spells or mechanics, so your main objective during your turn is to burst down any enemies with Sneak Attack and reposition/do extra damage with your bonus actions.
At Levels 6, 7, and 8, you’ll gain Expertise, Evasion, and a Feat. You’re able to choose two more skills with Expertise, which doubles your Proficiency Bonus on the skills you choose.
I recommend choosing any skills you enjoy using so you can pass checks more often. Evasion makes it so when a spell or ability makes you do a Dexterity Saving Throw, you’ll take no damage if you succeed the Saving Throw.
If you fail the Saving Throw, then you’ll only take half the damage. This will help you against spells like Faerie Fire and Call Lightning. Lastly, you’re able to choose a Feat. I recommend choosing Ability Improvement and putting both points into Dexterity, so you can further increase your damage.
When you reach Level 9, you gain the Sub-Class Action Supreme Sneak. This Action lets you turn Invisible once per Short Rest. Your Invisibility will end early if you attack, cast another spell, take an action, or take damage. This Action is really good out-of-combat so you can sneak into off-limit areas.
Once you reach Levels 10, 11, & 12, you gain a Bonus Feat, Reliable Talent, and a Feat. Rogues and Fighters are the only classes that are able to choose four Feats.
Once you reach 20 Dexterity, then you’re able to choose any other Feat that strikes your interest.
A good Feat to choose is Mobile. This Feat increases your movement speed, you do not suffer from terrain effects while Dashing (which you can use as a bonus action due to your class), and if you move after making a melee attack you don’t provoke Opportunity Attacks from your target.
Finally, Reliable Talent causes any Ability Check with a skill you’re Proficient in to roll at least a 10.
Before Level 4, you should equip your Rogue with two short-swords and a longbow. This is the highest damage out-put they can have before choosing their feat.
After Level 4, however, you should equip two rapiers and keep the longbow. Even if your character doesn’t have proficiency in longbows, you won’t get a disadvantage, so you can still Sneak Attack.
You should always use Light Armor since you don’t have any other armor proficiencies. One of the best Rogue armors in EA is the Spidersilk Armour, which you get after defeating Minthara. This armor gives you +1 Stealth and Advantage on Constitution Saving Throws Rolls. Make sure not to use any Medium or Heavy Armor, as you will not be able to use Sneak Attacks.
However, once you get into Act II or III it isn’t a bad idea to switch out your gear. Some items I would recommend are as follows:
The Cloak of Cunning Brume gives the wearer a foggy cloud whenever they Disengage, blinding all units within a 2m radius for one turn. Not only is this good for gaining an advantage against them, it also provides you with additional cover if you aren’t able to get out of sight in your turn.
Penumbral Armour provides you with a +3 bonus to Stealth Checks while obscured. This will make it harder for enemies to spot you while you’re hiding, allowing you to keep your advantage.
Gloves of Thievery grant you an Advantage on Sleight of Hand Checks. This Advantage will let you successfully pickpocket more often.
The Disintegrating Night Walkers provides the wearer with the spell, Misty Step, allowing them to reposition during fights to gain an advantage. Additionally, while wearing these boots, you can’t be affected by movement inhibiting statuses such as Enwebbed/Ensnared/Entangled and you can’t slip on grease or ice surfaces.
This is helpful for extra maneuverability and overall mobility during fights since you won’t have to worry about getting caught in any environmental hazards.
The Ring of Twilight gives the user a +1 to your AC while obscured. This is overall very useful because of a Thief Rogue’s generally low AC.
The Ring of Shadows allows the user to cast Pass Without Trace, a Spell that gives you and nearby party members a +10 to Stealth Checks. While this spell does require Concentration and can be broken, you will mostly be hiding, providing less opportunity for you to get attacked and fail your Saving Throw.
A strong option for anyone using daggers is the Ritual Dagger of Shar. This weapon is overall powerful and gives the wielder an extra 1d4 Necrotic damage on their attacks.
Additionally, the Cold Snap provides a 1d4 Cold damage bonus. Furthermore, the weapon’s passive, Chilling Counter, makes it so that when you dodge an attack, the unit that had tried to attack you must pass a DC 13 Constitution check or it will become vulnerable to Cold damage.
However, the passive is only active if it is set as your offhand weapon. This is useful if you have Spellcasters like Warlocks or Wizards in your party.
The Sword of Screams is a solid choice of rapier for anyone who chose to dual-wield them because of its +1d4 Psychic damage. The Pelorsun Blade gives you an additional 1d4 Radiant damage as well as an advantage against undead enemies.
The Dead Shot is a good all-around Longbow, as it lowers the number you need to roll to Critical Strike as well as doubling your Proficiency Bonus when attacking with this weapon.
Thief Rogues are a wonderful choice for anyone who wants the ability to deal a lot of burst damage due to their high damage output and initiative. Since Rogues are currently the only true Stealth class in Baldur’s Gate 3, they add variation to whatever team composition they’re in. Not only are they powerful on the battlefield, but they also provide the party with various out-of-combat benefits and skills.
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