1. Do I have enough hit rating for...?
If you need to ask this question, you have not read the Rogue: PvE DPS article. The short answer is that there are no magic numbers, and you are asking the wrong question.
2. These are my stats, am I ready for...?
Again, if you need to ask this question, you have not read the Rogue: PvE DPS article. The short answer is that there are no magic numbers for any stat, and that the interactions between your stats are complex enough that no one can simply tell you "yes, those stats are enough." Download one of the available spreadsheets and put it to use. Generally, if you have the best pieces of gear available to you at the time, you are ready for whatever content comes next.
3. Should I use X weapon/trinket/piece of gear...?
Maybe or maybe not. It will depend heavily on the gear you already have equipped, your spec, and the buffs you receive in a raid. Download one of the available spreadsheets and put it to use.
4. I do more DPS than the other rogues in my guild. That means X spec is better than theirs, right?
Maybe or maybe not. You cannot necessarily assume that the other rogues in your guild are "doing it right," even if they're specced, geared, enchanted, and gemmed optimally. You also cannot assume that the only difference between you and them is your spec.
5. I do more DPS using X spec/weapon/trinket/piece of gear instead of Y spec/weapon/trinket/piece of gear. That means X is better than Y, right?
Maybe or maybe not. You cannot necessarily tell the difference in power between two specs or pieces of gear simply by comparing two DPS parses. Differences in gear, buffs, abilities used by targets, your performance in each parse, and simply random number generation can affect a DPS parse far more than a single different piece of gear or a different spec. Always evaluate such differences using a spreadsheet, as they contain the most accurate known math for rogue DPS.
6. The spreadsheets say I will do X DPS, but I'm doing a lot less. What am I doing wrong?
There are two possible answers. The first is that you are playing suboptimally. You can find out what you're doing wrong by reading the Rogue: PvE DPS article.
The second answer is that, even if you're playing optimally, your DPS may not match the spreadsheet's value. This is because the spreadsheet assumes average-case theoretical performance over an infinite time frame in which you spend 100% of the time attacking a stationary target from behind. In reality, WoW combat involves movement, human error, non-infinite durations, and of course, random number generation. Your DPS will necessarily vary from the spreadsheet value.
Why, then, do we use spreadsheets? Because they provide us with the average expected performance of a spec, gear, and buff setup. If such a setup performs well in the theoretical case, then it likely performs well in the real case. In some cases, there may be special reasons why the theoretical case does not generalize; these cases often involve procs or synchronized usage of abilities. Feel free to bring up such points for discussion in this thread.
7. But SK-Gaming/Nihilum/other world-first guild uses X spec/weapon/trinket/piece of gear, so it must be right...?
With all due respect to whichever world-first guild you're comparing against, full DPS optimization is not the reason such guilds become world-first guilds. Just because a rogue in such a guild does something, does not necessarily mean it is the optimal thing to do.
8. Are you sure sword spec works like you described in the PvE DPS article? Because Recount says...
Recount is wrong, and I've posted in the addon's thread on WoWAce to try to get it fixed, but the author didn't seem too keen on it. Either way, the fact of the matter is that sword spec behaves as I have posted as recently as May 29, 2008 (patch 2.4.2). Proof is available in this post.
9. I'm looking for the original Roguecraft 101 thread.
The original thread was closed due to the introduction of the PvE DPS article, which fully replaces Roguecraft 101 as a reference. However, if for some reason you wish to read the original article for nostalgia, or if you wish to find some post that was contained in that thread, you may find it here: Roguecraft 101
