I started reading X-Men Classic when I was about 13 (1984-ish), right around
the time when Rogue joined the team. She was instantly my favorite X-Man.
Not only because I was a teenaged boy and she was super hot, but also because
she was a brooding loner with a dark past -- gotta love the bad girls,
don't ya? She's also my favorite character to play in X-Men: Legends, but she
can be a bit tricky to master. She's mainly a melee-oriented "brawler" or
"tank" type of character, but with some non-melee powers thrown in -- an
unusual combination. Since no one else has yet written a character guide for
her, I thought I'd give it a go -- I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it helps
you enjoy playing with Rogue. I mean, playing _AS_ Rogue. Whatever.
From the game: "Rogue is from a small town along the banks of the Mississippi
Rivers in the Deep South, as her thick accent will attest to. It was a good
and peaceful life, but that was all to vanish when her mutant powers became
active and she nearly killed a boy after kissing him. Confused and
frightened, Rogue ran away from home and was befriended by Mystique, who
brought her to the Brotherhood of Mutants. There she met Magneto and the two
fell in love. But eventually Rogue realized that the Brotherhood’s message of
hatred and violence was wrong, and she joined the X-Men. She still harbors
great resentment towards Mystique for lying to her, but she also holds a
special fondness towards Magneto. But her current love, Gambit, is more than
enough to keep her mind off her Brotherhood memories.” Let me expand on this.
First, note that the game, and my descriptions below, are based on the comics
version of Rogue, not the movie version, which has her younger, and makes her
a Wolverine sidekick. Nope. Let's stick to the facts . . .
Rogue's mutant power is the ability to absorb the personality, thoughts,
memories, talents, skills, and even mutant abilities of whomever she touches.
Unfortunately, she cannot turn this power off: since puberty (when mutant
powers typically manifest), she has been unable to touch another person
without "absorbing" them. In the comics, the person she touched usually fell
unconscious for the duration of the absorption: once the person regained
consciousness, Rogue's absorption of them faded. (That may be different in the
newer comics, I don't know; but more importantly, in the game, it's very
different, as the person does not lose consicousness, but is merely stunned
for a moment.) Furthermore, the longer she touches the person, the longer she
absorbs them; if she touches them for too long, she can even absorb them
permanently, leaving them in a coma or with amnesia. The first boy she kissed
("Cody," I think his name was) has been in a coma ever since (again, this may
have changed since I stopped reading comics many years ago), and Rogue still
has some of his thoughts rattling around inside her head, though she has
learned to bury them.
You may also have noticed that Rogue has a few other powers -- namely, super
strength, invulerability, and flight. Way back when (I think she was in the
Brotherhood of Mutants at the time), she permanently absorbed the personalilty
and powers of Ms. Marvel (aka Carol Danvers). So that's where those come from.
With all those different personalities roaming around in Rogue's head, you
might suspect that she has some psychological problems, and you'd be right.
She's had to struggle against losing herself among multiple personalities.
But she's feeling much better now. :-) As a useful side-effect, Rogue has
some added resistance to telepathic scans and attacks (in the comics, I mean,
not in the game, unfortunately) -- the multiple brainwave patterns are hard to
lock onto.
A bit of trivia: Rogue's real name was unknown for a very long time, but it
seems to be "Marie" or "Marianne," though I'm not sure if this was ever really
confirmed.
Another bit of trivia: Apparently, Colossus is immune to Rogue's absorption
ability. I didn't know that, except I cam across it in the trivia game. Neat.
I'm not sure if that includes his regular human form, or just his steel form.
Either way, does that mean they could have sex? Isn't she still a virgin?
Come on, you were wondering too, admit it.
Lastly, and on a related topic: Rogue has terrible taste in men. Gambit?
Yuck. Magneto?!?! Weird. I really think the girl could do better than that.
What's wrong with a nice boy like Havok? Heck, even Nightcrawler would be a
step up. Anyway . . .
Let's get clear on the controls -- it'll make explaining some things easier.
I'm writing this for the Xbox -- if you're playing on another system, you'll
have to transpose for yourself.
A = quick attack
B = heavy attack / attack enemy on ground
X = grab / grapple
Y = jump (double-tap for flight or other special movement)
black = use health pack
white = use energy pack
right trigger = tap for target lock; hold for powers menu
left trigger = call allies / allies attack targeted enemy
Rogue is a melee character first and foremost, so learn those attacks!!!
A: quick attack
B: heavy attack
A, A, A: triple hit (can easily be tacked on to end of other combos)
B, B: knock-back
A, A, B: pop-up
A, A, B, B, B: pop-up, jump, slam-down
A, B, A: trip
B, A, B, B: stun
A, B, B, B
A, B, B, A
B, A (great for following up with an additional A, A, A)
Y, A or B: jump attack (B adds some length to the jump)
X, X or A: pick up and throw object / enemy / ally
(Rogue can use this to do a "Fastball Special" with Wolverine)
(throw enemies towards allies for a "Batter Up" combo)
(throw enemies into objects or other enemies for extra damage)
(aim the throw with the left thumbstick)
"Mutant powered smash punch." That about says it all. This is for dealing
heavy damage, and is especially good as a finishing move. Be sure to plug
lots of points into this one. To use this power, pull the right trigger and
press the A button.
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 30 2 70 450-550 damage; 620 knockback
2) ABILITY DRAIN / ABILITY SAP / CONSUME ABILITY
"Stun attack that steals powers from victim. If no victim nearby, Rogue will
taunt." Ability Drain "steals basic attack power"; Ability Sap and Consume
Ability "steals heavy attack power." To use this power, pull the right
trigger and press the B button. To see if you've stolen an attack power, pull
the right trigger -- if you have stolen an attack power, the Ability Drain
icon should be flashing. To use the stolen attack power, pull the right
trigger and press the B button.
a) Ability Drain:
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 5 2 25 4-5 damage (lvl 1); 10 sec. stun
2 7 1 30 9-11 damage (lvl 2); 15 sec. stun
3 9 1 35 15-18 damage (lvl 3); 17 sec. stun
4 11 1 40 25-31 damage (lvl 4); 19 sec. stun
5 13 1 45 50-63 damage (lvl 5); 21 sec. stun
b) Ability Sap:
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 20 2 55 80-100 damage (lvl 5); 21 sec. stun
2 22 1 60 100-125 damage (lvl 6); 21 sec. stun
3 24 1 65 125-150 damage (lvl 7); 21 sec. stun
4 26 1 70 150-165 damage (lvl 8); 21 sec. stun
5 28 1 75 175-215 damage (lvl 9); 21 sec. stun
c) Consume Ability:
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 30 2 85 200-250 damage (lvl 10); 45 sec. stun
3) BULET PROOF / IRON MAIDEN / INVULBERABILITY
"Boosts defenses and resistances." 'Nuff said. To use this power, pull the
right trigger and press the X button.
a) Bullet Proof
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 5 2 60 -5 damage & -30% pain for 15 seconds
2 7 1 70 -10 damage & -60% pain for 16 seconds
3 9 1 80 -13 damage & -60% pain for 17 seconds
"Saps energy from all enemies, stuns them, and prevents them from using their
powers for a time." This is Rogue's Xtreme power. To use this power, pull
the right trigger and press the Y button.
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 15 2 n/a See above.
5) TOUGHNESS
"Increases maximum health."
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 10 1 n/a Raises health 10%
2 12 1 n/a Raises health 15%
3 14 1 n/a Raises health 20%
6) MUTANT MASTERY
"Increases maximum energy."
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 10 1 n/a Raises energy 10%
2 12 1 n/a Raises energy 15%
3 14 1 n/a Raises energy 20%
7) FLIGHT
"Allows flying and improves mastery over it."
Level Available Point Cost Energy Effect
----- --------- ---------- ------ ------
1 1 1 40/sec Flight
2 1 1 20/sec Flight
3 1 1 30/sec Flight; pick up characters
4 1 1 10/sec Flight; pick up characters
5 1 1 5/sec Flight; pick up characters
8) GRAPPLING
"Improves strike and reflets damage from punches and kicks."
1) Strike: This stat adds to a character's attack rating. As a melee
character, Rogue will need a high Strike stat -- bump it up.
2) Agility: This stat adds to a character's defense rating. Rogue's not going
to need much Agility. Instead, she's going to have a high health score and an
invulnerability power. In other words, she won't have to dodge attacks;
she'll be able to take a lickin' and keep on tickin' (keep your minds out of
the gutter, please . . . ).
3) Body: This stat adds to a character's health score. Rogue is going to be
in the thick of things, so she's going to need a high Body stat -- bump it up.
4) Focus: This stat adds to a character's energy reserve. Rogue is going to
be a melee character primarily, but she will need some energy for her
absorption and invulnerability powers, so you'll want to throw a few stat
points into her Focus every once in a while.
For more advice on leveling Rogue's stats, see the "Suggested Build" section
below.
Character building is a matter of preference, but here are some suggestions:
As far as stats go, start by putting all your points into Strike and Body,
keeping them equal to each other until they are both at level 12. From there
on out, continue putting your points into Strike and Body at a 2 to 1 ratio,
respectively. Every once in a while (maybe 1 point out of every 7-ish), throw
a point into Focus. Ignore Agility.
As far as powers go, you'll automatically start with level 1 Southern Strike.
Put one of your very first points into flight, so that Rogue can reach hidden
goodies (like stat point bonuses!). I don't recommend putting more than 1
point into Flight -- you'll likely have other flying characters in your party
anyway.
Max out Rogue's Might score ASAP -- it's just not Rogue if she can't lift up
massive objects! After that, raise Southern Strike up to at least level 5 --
you'll need that to take out some of the tougher enemies. Next, think about
getting at least the first level of both Ability Drain and Bullet Proof, so
that Rogue will have at least minimal access to those two powers.
From there on out, it's really just personal preference. Focus mostly on the
main powers (Southern Strike, Ability Drain, and Bullet Proof -- and their
respective upgrades), putting more or less into each as you like. Then throw
the odd point into various other things: I especially like Toughness (good for
extra Health) and Grappling (raises your Strike stat).
And of course, once you hit level 15, be sure to grab your Xtreme power.
There's quite a bit of good equipment for Rogue -- the worst thing is deciding
what to use when you can only equip three items at once. Just remember, you
don't have to use the same three items all game long -- feel free to mix it
up. Here are my top suggestions:
For the bottom item slot (the "Armor" slot), go with Nanofiber armor. That'll
help in most cases. On certain levels, against certain enemies, you might
find other items more useful (for example, a psionic deflector might be better
on the Astral Plane) -- just use your judgment.
For the middle item slot (the "Belt" slot), the Strike Enhancer is great.
That's the only one I ever use. A good second choice is the Body enhancer.
For the top slot (the "Backpack" slot), a Muscle Accelerator is a great
choice. Rogue's melee attacks can be a little slow compared to other
characters, and this item will help compensate for that. Later on (after you
complete Rogue's Danger Room Challenge disk, and you reach level 20), Rogue's
Gauntlet's of Wrath will be your prefered item. In special situations, you
will want to switch items (for example, the Hammer of Nimrod is great against
Sentinels) -- just use your judgment.
I generally find that a good party needs only one melee character, and Rogue
should be it. However, it can be good fun to include Wolverine in your party,
since Rogue can pick him up and throw him at enemies, a la the "Fastball
Special." This isn't a necessary tactic, but it does look cool.
In addition to this, you need to consider whether or not the particular
mission you are on requires a certain kind of character -- for example, some
missions need a character who can make bridges (e.g., Magma, Jean Grey,
Iceman), some missions need a character who can weld things (e.g., Cyclops or
Storm), etc. There are also some missions which require a character who can
fly. Of course, Rogue can do this, but if you haven't leveled up her Flight
ability enough so that she can carry other characters, and you think you're
going to need that sort of thing, make sure you have someone else who can fly
well enough.
Past these considerations, I find it's good to have a character along who
can stun multiple opponents. Jean Grey's Psychic Shout or Jubilee's Photo
Flash are good for this. Then while the stunned enemies are reeling, Rogue
can move in and smack the heck outta them. :-)
On a similar note, Iceman's freeze ray (or whatever the heck it's called) is
great for slowing down or freeing individual enemies, even powerful ones who
might not be stunned easily. This also allows Rogue to move in and finish
them off easily.
You're also obviously going to need a character (or two) with good ranged
attacks, since that's not exactly Rogue's strong suit.
Given all this, here are some good combinations:
Rogue, Iceman, Storm, Jean Grey
Rogue, Iceman, Storm, Jubilee
Rogue, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Wolverine
Rogue, Magma, Emma Frost, Psylocke
Of course, you should experiment and find combinations that suit you best.
1) Choose your party members wisely (see above). Take advantage of their
stunning powers to move in and wipe up baddies before they recover.
2) Learn your combos (see above). Rogue is a melee character, so you have to
learn to melee effectively if you want to use her to her full potential. Be
especially sure to use stunning, tripping, and knockback moves.
3) Don't forget that grapple and throw button (X)! Throw enemies into each
other to keep them from attacking as much.
4) Throw Wolvie ("Fastball Special")!!!
5) Use Rogue's Might to pick up and throw large objects (trucks, explosive
crates, etc.) at enemies.
6) Try to identify the strongest enemy and use your ability drain to stun them
and steal their attack powers.
7) Don't forget to activate Rogue's invulnerability ("Bullet Proof," etc.)
before major battles.
8) Don't use Flight too much during battles -- it drains too much energy, and
you should save your Energy for your other more combat-effective powers.
Rogue's Danger Room challenge disk can be found in the Morlock Tunnels, 22nd
Street Steamworks. It's hard to find: in the room where you'll face off
against Marrow, go over to the left side of the room and use a flying
character to fly to a ledge containing the disk. Defeating the challenge will
unlock a Rogue-specific item: Gauntlets of Wrath. Only Rogue can use them,
but she has to be at least level 20. They go in the top of the three item
slots in the character items screen (the "backpack" slot), and they confer the
following benefits: +20% damage to Rogue's power attacks, +20% Rogue stun
duration, +5 Body. Sweet.
Rogue's comic book can be found in the subbasment of Xavier Mansion after the
first stop at Muir Island. Finding it raises Rogue's Strike and Body
attribute stats by 2 points each.
