Encrypted Text: My ganking toolbox

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here.

I love being prepared. I always like having the right tool for the job. My desk at the office is covered with spare parts and manuals, and my junk drawer at home is filled with cables and loose screws. And when I say junk drawer, I mean junk cabinet. I won't throw away something that could be useful later, which has me worried that my next TV appearance will be on Hoarders.

Luckily, I can't be judged for all of the goodies that I keep in my rogue's bags. One of my favorite threads on the official rogue forums is the Ganker's Kit of Ganking. It's a very robust list of items in WoW that can help you kill your targets and avoid being killed yourself. I find that we're usually so focused on our normal gear that we forget about all of the other items in our inventory that can make playing a rogue fun.

Don't let your prey escape

The most frustrating thing for a rogue engaging in PvP is when his enemy escapes his grasp. I can't tell you how many times I've cursed the name of night elf druids that use Shadowmeld to hop into Flight Form. In order to prevent my targets from running away, I utilize a few different items to catch them.

Let me start by saying that my rogue is an engineer, which gives me access to a plethora of utility tools. Rocket boosts are going to be your best friend for catching up to fleeing prey. As an engineer, I like to equip double rockets -- a belt with the Nitro Boosts tinker and my Rocket Boots Xtreme. The two speed boosts don't share a cooldown, although they obviously can't be activated at the same time. Between two different rocket boosts, my Sprint and Shadowstep abilities, and Crippling Poison, my targets rarely escape.

Every once in a while, one of my foes will jump off a cliff to avoid me. With a Flexweave Underlay, I can jump right after them. Rogues take less damage from falling passively, but the Underlay ensures that you never take any falling damage. I've also run into opponents who like to hop into the water in hopes of swimming away. Unfortunately for them, I have an Azure Silk Belt and my Glyph of Blurred Speed. Only warlocks and druids will be able to outpace you in water with the Azure Silk Belt equipped.

Surviving at all costs

Speaking of water engagements, it's important that you're able to not only effectively kill your opponents but that you can also make a strategic retreat. I use my Deepdive Helmet to pursue my prey into the waters as well as to avoid packs of enemies who can't stay underwater as long as I can. I also use my Gnomish Cloaking Device to make myself invisible. This is especially useful for avoiding enemy rogues, as you can't detect an invisible player like you can detect a stealthed player.

I also carry around several Living Action Potions, which you can use like a second trinket to break out of stuns and snares.

Don't forget the basics

While there are obviously a lot of flashy tools that you can use in PvP, you also want to make sure you are stocked up on the basics. Keep plenty of poisons on you, at least one stack of each flavor. I keep a few stacks of food, as well as plenty of flasks. You should have this stuff already if you're raiding regularly.

In addition, keep a few stacks of Dense Embersilk Bandages around to use while you have your target Blinded or Gouged. Finally, you're going to want a few potions to restore your life in combat. I like to use the Rogue's Draughts we get from pickpocketing, since they're free.

Rogue-specific trinkets and baubles

Speaking of pickpocketing, I always keep a few rogue keepsakes in my bags. Besides my Thieves' Tools and my Flash Powder, I have also been collecting the dice sets that we can find through pickpocketing. The dice sets are pretty rare and always turn a few heads when you use them. Along with my Rabbit's Foot and my Rabbit's Other Foot, they bring me good luck when I'm rolling on a piece of gear that I want.

Disguises for disguising

I love dressing up for world PvP. I carry my Red Defias Mask and my Blood Elf Bandit Mask around in case I don't want my identity to be revealed. I have a few stacks of Noggenfogger Elixir and an Iron Boot Flask to change my form up. I am also lucky enough to have a Tabard of the Lightbringer, which I hear causes a lot of confusion for my opponents. Then, after I've defeated an opponent, I use my Rosary of the Light to Tebow right on top of their lifeless corpse (hopefully before they release).

What are some of your favorite items to use on your rogue? Because WoW has been around so long, there are literally hundreds of fun items that don't see much use anymore.

Sneak in every Wednesday for our Molten Front ganking guide, a deep-dive into the world of playing a subtlety rogue -- and of course, all the basics in our guide to the latest rogue gear.