The Rogue's Gallery

[Concillian]

There are 2 major divisions. and 2 semimajor subdivisions.

First you have daggers vs sword/mace.
Dagger rogues love sneak attacks.
Sword/mace  users depend more on SS. The sword/mace builds need a slow main hand weapon.
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I think it comes down to the opener. A sword/mace build can be just as sneaky, but not usually before 26 (when you get Cheap Shot)

With daggers you can use Ambush and Backstab. That is the ONLY advantage to daggers.
With Swords/Maces you're opening with Garrotte (who uses Garrotte? I breaks the excellent Gouge) or Cheap Shot, and, to me, Cheap Shot is the winner by a landslide. Especially with 2 in Improved CS, which drops it to only 40 energy. 2 (sometimes 3 with Initiative) combo points for 40 energy? What's not to love about that?

I don't see a compelling reason for using Ambush really, as the stuns you can string together with CS + gouge will generate as much or more damage with less risk than Ambush.

For example, open with Improved CS (40 energy) then SS (40 energy) you will regen 40 energy by the time CS wears off, leaving you at 60. Gouge with 2 in Improved gouge and you're back up to at least 60 again and have four or 5 combo points on the target. Eviscerate and you've easily surpassed 250% weapon damage, though probably not a crit 250%.

Ambush leaves you at an opener + gouge and then what? You can't get behind for a backstab, not enough energy unless you were getting beat on for a few seconds before you gouged. You have to choose if you want a finisher early or if you want to get a full 5 combo points while the mob beats on you. Ambush and backstab simply cost too much energy for me to take them seriously. Unless you're getting combo points with Seal fate. If ambush were 2 CP or 40 energy it would be a toss up, but at 60 energy and only one CP, Ambush really isn't that great as I see it. Either that or CS is overpowered with the ability to be 40 energy and 2 combo points.

Seal fate is the only reason I see for going daggers, as you live and die by your crits... and more attacks = more crits. It also makes the energy for backstab and ambush more palletable as you're getting 2 combo points like half the time. For anything else, daggers seem less compelling to me, unless you are a RP fiend who needs to be backstabbing.