Ambush

Ambush
Ambush (7 ranks) Rogue ability 5 yd range 60 Energy Instant Ambush the target, causing 275% weapon damage plus X to the target. Must be stealthed and behind the target. Requires a dagger in the main hand. Awards 2 combo points.
Properties
Class	Rogue
School	Physical
Cooldown	None
Other information
Requirements	Daggers Requires Stealth
Improvements	See below

[[Category:rogue abilities]][[Category:rogue abilities]]

Among every ability a rogue has at his disposal, Ambush is without a doubt the hardest hitting rogue ability. Ambush is learned at level 18, and becomes one of the dagger rogue's best friends.

As confirmed by information released by Blizzard about class changes in Cataclysm this ability will become usable with all weapon types a rogue can wield. Weapons other than daggers will have a lower percentage damage bonus.

Rank table

Rank	Damage	Level	Cost
1	77	18	26 10
2	110	26	54
3	137.5	34	1 26
4	203.5	42	2 43
5	253	50	3 15
6	319	58	4 68
7	368.5	66	7 20
8	508.75	70	14
9	770	75	30
10	907.5	80	30

• Note that damage listed is in addition to the innate 275%
  weapon damage bonus that comes with using Ambush.

Improvements

• [Remorseless Attacks] gives your next Ambush a 20% or 40% increased chance to crit after killing an opponent that yields honor or experience. The improved crit chance lasts for 20 seconds. (Stacks with [Improved Ambush])
• [Opportunity] increases the damage of your Ambush by 10 or 20%.
• [Initiative] gives you a 33, 66, or 100% chance to add an additional combo point to your target when using your Ambush ability.
• [Improved Ambush] increases the critical strike chance of Ambush by 25 or 50%. (Stacks with [Remorseless Attacks])
• [Master of Subtlety] increases damage by 4, 7 or 10% during stealth and for 6 seconds afterward.
• [Seal Fate] 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100% chance to add an additional combo point when ambush crits.
• [Shadowstep] increases the damage of your next Ambush within 10 seconds by 20%.
• [Slaughter From The Shadows] decreases the energy cost of Ambush by 3, 6, 9, 12, or 15 energy.
• [Shadow Dance] allows you to perform Ambush out of stealth for 6 seconds.
•  [Glyph of Ambush] increases its range by 5 yards.

Damage Calculation Formula

The basic damage formula for ambush

 [Opportunity] = 1 + (0.1 * Opportunity Rank)
 [Master of Subtlety] = 1 + (0.03 * Master of Subtlety Rank + 0.01)

Modifier = (Attack Power / 14) * 1.7
 
Damage = [(Weapon Damage + Modifier) * 2.75 + Rank Bonus Damage] * Opportunity * Master of Subtlety

Tips

• Very effective in taking out cloth-wearing targets quickly.
• Ambush really begins to shine with the [Improved Ambush] Talent which, with 2 talent points spent, increases the critical strike chance of Ambush by 50%.
• Ambush is arguably preferable over [Cheap Shot] in PvP as an opener against mages, as a mage's [Blink] ability is usable while under a stun effect.
• A critical hit with an Ambush followed by an [Improved Sinister Strike] (or a well-timed [Backstab]) can put an enemy at a severe health disadvantage from the beginning of the fight, in addition to starting you off with 2-3 Combo Points.
• Use [Distract] in PvE if you are having trouble getting behind a target to line up an Ambush.
• The improved crit chance derived from the [Remorseless Attacks] talent stacks with that from the [Improved Ambush] talent, making it possible for a rogue with 10% or more base crit chance to obtain a 100% Ambush crit chance during the Remorseless effect.
• A quickly-executed "Ambush -> Vanish -> Ambush" combo attack can inflict severe damage on any single target with the correct enhancing talents.

Patch changes

• Patch 1.8.0 (2005-10-10): Now uses normalized attack power.
  
• Patch 1.4.0 (2005-04-19):
  • Fixed a bug where combo points were not always being applied to the target when using Ambush.
  • Ambush now properly increases the attack power contribution by the percent modifier.
    

External links

• Wowhead
• WoWDB