4.0 is almost here! I have been playing PTR exclusively. After running some numbers I decided to give haste stacking a try. According to Elitist Jerks, 1% haste will provide 6 extra energy over a minute. Consider we get 600 energy per minute regularly, it is exactly 1% energy regeneration. 10% haste would give us 11 energy a second vs 10, doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up.

I played around with different S7 pre-mades and ended with the following:

5600 AP
46% CRIT
15% HASTE
5% HIT
830 RESILILENCE
42% DODGE

The 15% energy regeneration I get from the haste is surprisingly noticeable. With 40 energy, very hard hitting backstabs, and energetic recovery's extra 40% energy regeneration, this is comparable to level 60 combat dagger days, when you are spamming backstabs with adrenaline rush up. My character feels more fluid and I get to use everything more often. It is a lot of fun to play.

For rogues, the question is how do we rank our reforge-able stats? We need 46 crit rating for 1% crit, 33 hit/expertise/haste rating for 1% hit/expertise/haste. Expertise is still an awful stat, consider backstab/ambush both need to be from behind and stuns are still a big part of our burst, dodge/parry is not really a big issue. This is the stat you will reforge out of, and pickup whatever other stat you consider valuable. Hit rating, you do not need more than 5%, and now it is blue instead of yellow. This allows us to get the socket bonus without investing in stamina, very nice!

So the big question is crit vs haste. In Cataclysm, we will have at least 2 points in lethality for all talent specs, coupled with the meta gem it really helps our crit damage now it is no longer penalized. Two of the three specs have seal fate and honor among thieves, where critting gives you an invaluable combo point. Crit is no longer penalized by resilience twice, so if your attack does 5000 damage non-crit, it will do 10000 damage when it crits and there is no crit chance reduction either.

However, you still need 33% more crit rating vs haste rating to get that 1%. 10% crit chance vs 13% energy regeneration + melee attack speed? It is a very close call and it will be a debate rogues all over the world will be having. I can see rogue heroes succeeding with either. I will probably do haste myself as I believe the extra energy will let me do more as a player. My gemming/reforging strategy will be as follows:

1) 5% hit, of course
2) All agility gems except pieces where the socket bonus has agility, in which case use agility/hit and agility/haste as a substitute
3) Reforge expertise/crit/extra hit into haste whenever possible